Happy last day of Pride Month and welcome to the Respect Existence & Expect Resistance (RE&ER) Family! This month, we are celebrating the incredibly strong LGTBQIA+ community and dedicating this issue to them (including our LGBTQIA+ writers). Thank you for taking 5 minutes out of your day to learn about the queer-related injustices that are happening in our nation.
Contents
Queer in the News
Transgender and Non-binary Communities Are At-risk for Murder
The Supreme Court Takes Pride in Preserving Transgender Rights
Discrimination Is Still Legal
The March For Black Trans Lives
Call-To-Action: Everyone Deserves Basic Human Rights
Justice in the News
Queer in the News
Hate Crimes
Transgender and Non-binary Communities Are At-risk for Murder
It is heartbreaking that we could fill an entire section for the transgender and non-conforming people who have lost their lives. Just halfway through the 2020 year, there have already been at least 16 transgender and non-conforming people in the US that have been killed. Say their names and know their stories. We have highlighted 5 of the lesser-known murders below:
Dustin Parker, a 25-year-old transgender taxi driver in McAlester, Oklahoma, was shot and found dead in his taxi cab on January 1st. He was a husband and a father to four kids. Help the Parker family here.
Yampi Méndez Arocho, a 19-year-old transgender man, was killed in Moca, Puerto Rico on March 5th. He was shot four times—twice to his face and twice to his upper back.
Monika Diamond, a 34-year-old transgender businesswoman and activist, was shot to death while being treated in an ambulance in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Helle Jae O’Regan, a 20-year-old transgender woman, was stabbed to death in a barbershop in San Antonio, Texas.
Jayne Thompson, a 33-year-old transgender woman, was shot to death by Colorado State Patrol trooper Jason Wade, who has yet to be charged with murder.
Court Cases
The Supreme Court Takes Pride in Preserving Transgender Rights
Many of you probably heard about this Supreme Court case in the recent news, which ruled that federal law protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination. The official case is R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Aimee Stephens (Amicus).
What you should know about this case:
In 2013, Aimee Stephens, a director at R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, was fired from her job because she told her boss that she was transgender
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the firing was unlawful sex discrimination
On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court, with a majority of 6-3, ruled that firing was unconstitutional as Title VII from the Civil RIght Act of 1964 applies to LGBTQIA+ individuals and prohibits discrimination against them
Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion
Why is this case so relevant now?
This ruling comes after the Republican Party endorsed an anti-LGBTQIA+ platform for the upcoming November election
Neil Gorsuch’s decision to side with the liberal members of the bench suggests a paradigm shift among conservatives to favor protecting LGBTQIA+ rights
This is a win as it will protect the 7 million LGBTQIA+ Americans who work and live in the U.S.
Historically, individuals risked losing their jobs if their employers discovered they were LGBTQ; after this Supreme Court ruling, this will now be unlawful
Although this is a huge win, a lot of work still needs to be done to address discrimination against queer individuals in the workplace. In confluence with the Black Lives Matter movement and in the middle of this year’s election, it brings attention to the issue of Black transgender people being disproportionately murdered by police violence.
Law
Discrimination Is Still Legal
Comprehensive nondiscrimination protection bills prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and help prohibit the discrimination of LGBTQIA+ people with regards to housing, employment, and more.
Nondiscrimination bills currently being considered:
New York Bill: Amends the elder law and establishes a sexual discrimination training program to avoid abuse to LGBTQIA+ elders
Massachusetts: Prohibits discrimination in state contracts
Nondiscrimination bills that have either been voted dead, failed, or vetoed:
Kentucky Bill: Amends existing bill to includes “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”
Virginia Bill: Prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and more on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity
Unfortunately, the majority of states with bills that end up dead, failed, or vetoed have overwhelmingly Democrat sponsors.*
*Sponsors are first members of congress from either the House or Senate who introduced the bill for consideration.
It is important that we remain hopeful! So far in the 2020 legislative session, over 31 states are considering legislation related to prohibiting LGBTQIA+ discrimination and seeking to make current nondiscrimination laws more comprehensive.
We all deserve equal rights regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Movements
The March For Black Trans Lives
In 2019, there were at least 26 deaths of transgender or gender non-conforming people in the U.S due to violence. The majority of the victims were Black transgender women.
The plight of Black Transgender Women:
According to the Human Rights Campaign, 91% of the transgender or gender-nonconforming people who were fatally shot were black women
Riah Milton in Ohio and Dominique “Ren’Mie” in Pennsylvania were killed just a day apart this June
The Trump administration finalized regulations overturning Obama-era protections for LGBTQ people in the healthcare system; this will allow insurance companies to deny coverage for transition-related treatments
While LGBTQIA+ people have secured some legal rights and protections, the trans community within the movement is still shunned, and Black trans women are still killed at disproportionately high rates. Too often do stories like this go unreported or misreported. We must recognize that enough has not been done to protect the trans community and specifically, Black trans women.
The “Brooklyn Liberation” March (Sunday, June 14th)
Two drag queens from Brooklyn—West Dakota and Merrie Cherry—came up with an idea to rally black trans people to a silent march. Inspired from the Silent Parade that N.A.A.C.P assembled in 1917 with nearly 10,000 people in attendance, all wearing white and silently marching to demand the end of violence against black people. Their idea became reality and on June 14th, thousands gathered in a sea of white on the grounds of the Brooklyn Museums.
Credit: Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times
Call-to-Action
Everyone Deserves Basic Human Rights
Chances are, someone you know identifies as LGBTQIA+. To be an ally to the LGBTQIA+ population, you cannot just believe in rights for all, you must fight for rights for all.
If you have...
30 seconds: Co-sponsor the Equality Act
1 minute: Get this free sticker to show your support for equality
2 minutes: Sign a few petitions here!
5-10 minutes: Read this article on the recent Supreme Court decision
Time to volunteer: Sign up here
Stay up-to-date on equality news: Text EQUAL to 472472
For Parents of LGTBQIA+ children: How to be a supportive parent!
$ for a good cause: Donate to the Human Rights Campaign or any of the following organizations:
This GoFundMe is going directly toward Black trans women in Atlanta who are homeless or sex workers.
This GoFundMe will go toward funeral costs for Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells.
The Okra Project provides resources and meals to Black transgender people across the world. DONATE HERE
Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative, an Atlanta-based organization working toward abolition, provides financial support, organizing and direct action training, an internship program, and more to the LGBTQ+ community. DONATE HERE
For the Gworls raises money to pay for Black trans people's rent and gender-affirming surgeries, as well as dedicating another fund to medical relief. DONATE HERE
G.L.I.T.S. works to provide care and resources to the transgender community. The organization is currently using funds to provide housing for Black trans people. DONATE HERE
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, named in honor of the gay liberation activist and drag queen, dedicates itself to protecting and defending the right of Black transgender people. DONATE HERE
The Black Trans Travel Fund is a mutual aid fund committed to providing financial resources to Black transgender women. DONATE HERE
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, named for the transgender civil rights pioneer, is a collective dedicated to ensuring gender self-determination for all. DONATE HERE
The Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective is currently using funds to support Black trans protesters, Black trans women, and nonbinary femmes in the arts. DONATE HERE
The Transgender Law Center works to change laws and policies for the safety and liberation of transgender and gender-nonconforming people. DONATE HERE
Written by: Namrata Subramanian, Daniele’ Evans, Daisy Flores, & Jacob Neel
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