National Archives event spotlights LGBT civil rights
by Matt Simonette 2016-07-17
This article shared 954 times since Sun Jul 17, 2016
The National Archives and Records Administration ( NARA ) hosted a series of discussion panels July 16 with local and national speakers highlighting current concerns in the LGBTQ community.
The discussions, which took place at the Chicago History Museum, came as part of NARA's yearlong National Conversation on Rights and Justice series, which address civil and human rights in a number of communities and take place in cities across the United States through 2017.
The opening panel discussed legal issues facing the community and featured James Bennett of Lambda Legal; Naomi Goldberg of Movement Advancement Project; Dale Carpenter of University of Minnesota; and Tyrone Hanley of National Center for Lesbian Rights. Mary Morten of the Morten Group was moderator.
Goldberg opened with a presentation on recent progress in LGBTQ rights since full marriage equality came about in the summer of 2015.
"Marriage equality was in many ways a cascade," Goldberg said, noting that even some of the least progressive states had shown some improvement on acknowledging the rights of gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens. "This is starkly different than where we were a year ago."
But when Goldberg offered a look at rights of transgender Americans, the picture was much more stark. She illustrated that, in a number of states, the rights of trans persons were disregarded, if not being attacked outright by conservative elements. "This is horrific," she said, later adding that "bathroom-rights" bills were ultimately a gateway for state politicians to attack the home-rule of municipalities and other local governments.
"They've realized there is a lot of fear around bathrooms," Goldberg said.
Goldberg was joined in a second panel focusing on socio-economic issues by Myles Alexander Brady-Davis of Howard Brown Health; Abbe Land of the Trevor Project; and Imani Rupert-Gordon of Affinity Community Services; Morten again moderated. Goldberg gave another overview, noting that, thanks to census data, we now know that same-sex couples are present in numerous communities across the nation.
"That's one stereotype we need to push againstthat we're only in big cities, that we only live on the coast, that we don't lift in the south," she said.
The panelists spoke on the importance of collaboration between large and small organizations to tackle significant issues, particularly those that are especially intersectional.
"We can no longer approach our work without approaching it through that lens," said Land. "We really have to start viewing our work in a totally different way. … After the horrible massacre in Orlando, many organizations came together. … It was the first time in a long time. where that happened."
"Push the egos aside so we can work together," added Brady-Davis.
Brady-Davis' fiancé, activist Precious Davis, a diversity professional and social justice facilitator, moderated a final panel focusing on issues affecting transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. She was joined by Owen Daniel-McCarter of Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and Sarah McBride of Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
McBride discussed the overlap between issues affecting both trans persons and persons of color, noting, "All of the fights against inequality are inextricably linked. … There's no question that the trans movement and Black Lives Matter have a lot to learn from one another. At the end of the day, these fights are about being able to walk down the street without the threat of violence."
She added that the onslaught of anti-trans laws, so soon after the LGBT community's victories for marriage equality, "is a reminder that progress is not always linear."
Daniel-McCarter noted that, after the Alliance surveyed a number of Illinois trans students, the results showed that issues like bathrooms and gender-pronouns were not necessarily their chief concern. Instead, many were worried about safety and crime, just as other students were.
"What we're talking about is creating a space where our transgender students can learn," he said.
The panel ended on an optimistic note, as all acknowledged recognition for the trans community brought about under the auspices of the Obama administration, with Davis mentioning that many people she knew had now been to the White House.
"Sometimes it's taken longer than we've wantedthat's a fair critique," said McBride. "But time and time again, everything within their power, they have eventually delivered for us."
United States Archivist David Ferriero delivered closing remarks after the panels.
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