#AM_Equality: June 30, 2021 – HRC – Human Rights Campaign
CALIFORNIA BANS STATE-FUNDED TRAVEL TO FIVE NEW STATES OVER ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS: On Monday, the state of California banned state-funded travel to five states over anti-LGBTQ laws. These states include Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia. “California’s announcement today shows that states passing anti-transgender laws will face real world consequences for their cruel actions. The legislatures that have enacted these laws are choosing to trade away economic opportunities in order to target transgender young people based with no pretext,” HRC President Alphonso David told CNN in a statement. More from CNN and NPR.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING TRANS AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING PEOPLE THIS PRIDE MONTH: “This Pride month, we know that the challenges that face our communities are grave, but we also know that it is not the challenges that define us. It is our joy, our hope, our strength and our determination,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “And it is these qualities that sustain us on our shared journey towards liberation. Today and every day, we will fight for a world where all LGBTQ people are empowered to lives our lives as our full selves, free from discrimination.” More from Modern Wellness Guide.
A Q&A WITH A MEMBER OF THE 2021 CLASS OF HRC FOUNDATION YOUTH AMBASSADORS: In an interview, HRC Youth Ambassador Luke Chacko (he/she/they) talked about Pride month and the empowerment that comes with embracing LGBTQ identities and advocacy. More from Modern Wellness Guide.
PRIDE MEANS KNOWING LGBTQ HISTORY — INCLUDING THAT OF INDIGENOUS TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE: Simon Moya-Smith (@SimonMoyaSmith) writes about the importance of including Two-Spirit people in Pride history and celebrations. Moya-Smith notes that “Two-Spirit is not a synonym for LGBTQ but an ancient role in our communities that white Christian colonizers tried and failed to destroy.” More from NBC.
📍 IN THE STATES
NEW JERSEY A.G. APOLOGIZES TO FORMERLY TARGETED LGBTQ BARS: New Jersey’s Attorney General Gubris S. Grewal issued a formal apology for the office’s role in shutting down the state’s LGBTQ bars in the 1960s. “The targeting of gay bars was a particularly insidious thing because it was for gay people the only place they could be themselves,” Grewal added. “It took away the one safe place people had.” More from The New York Times.
TENNESSEE LAWMAKERS NEEDLESSLY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRANSGENDER CHILDREN: In a powerful piece from the mother of a transgender child, Amy Allen discusses the senseless hate that motivated the creation and implementation of anti-trans policies in Tennessee. More from The Tennessean.
QUEER VALEDICTORIAN’S SILENCED LGBTQ IDENTITY SPEECH MAY SEE FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS REVIEW: After Bryce Dershem was silenced during his graduation speech about his LGBTQ identity and mental health struggles, school district attorney Anthony Padovani filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Cherry Hill, requesting an investigation in the school district’s actions. More from USA Today.
📺 GET CULTURED
👑 MISS NEVADA USA 2021 BECOMES FIRST TRANSGENDER WOMAN TO WIN TITLE: Kataluna Enriquez (@mskataluna) is the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Nevada USA. More from Local12 and Entertainment Weekly.
WITH ‘VISIONS OF US,’ NETFLIX SHINES A LIGHT ON LGBTQ LATINX REPRESENTATION: A new 4-part documentary series spotlights queer Latinx women within the world of film. “Lesbian representation for Latinx people has always been few and far between,” the documentary affirms. More from them.
🌍 GLOBAL EQUALITY
SPAIN TAKES FIRST STEP TO LEGALIZE GENDER SELF-DETERMINATION: Yesterday, the Spanish Cabinet passed a draft bill on LGBTQ rights that aims to allow transgender people over 16 to freely change their documented gender and legal name without doctors or witnesses intervening in the process. More from Associated Press and Reuters.
MALAWI HOLDS FIRST LGBTQ PRIDE PARADE IN DEFIANCE OF ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS: Last weekend, around 50 activists took to the streets to hold the country’s first Pride parade in the capital city of Lilongwe. They held signs in English and Chichewa that read “Pride Unites the World, “We Are Also Images of Creation” and “Malawi Is For Everyone.” More from them and The Guardian.
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