Aug 19: Act Queer! Teleconference on HIV/AIDS
Despite the lack of leadership from the Left and LGBT Movement on the AIDS epidemic, queer and trans people, poor people and people of color continue to be disproportionately impacted by the epidemic. Recently there have been some major developments in HIV/AIDS policy and research, and we anted to share with you these exciting updates:
JOIN THE CALL TO FIND OUT!
Please RSVP to this call.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
2pm-3:30pm EST/11am-12:30pm PST
Conference Call # (712) 432-0600
Password: 751219#
Moderator: Kenyon Farrow, Queers for Economic Justice (New York, NY)
Presenters include:
Act Queer! Teleconference: Jobs Bill, TANF, Real ID, American Power Act
As we geared up for the US Social Forum Queer People’s Movement Assembly we co-hosted, we wanted to take a look at 4 major policy issues happening this year (The REAL ID Act, TANF Reauthorization, American Power Act and the Local Jobs for America Act) that impact queer lives, and ways we may be able to organize around them.
To hear each presenter press play on the audio. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
Francis X. Tobin, Jobs with Justice (Local Jobs for America Act)
Materials:
Local Jobs for America Act Fact Sheet
Donna Pavetti, Center for Budget & Policy Priorities (TANF)
Materials:
Slides on TANF
Report: “Strengthening Unmarried Parents’ Relationships: The Early Impacts of Building Strong Families.” The Building Strong Families Project. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, May 2010. Synopsis: This report provides impacts of BSF on couples about 15 months after they applied for the program. Early impacts show that, when results are averaged across the eight individual programs included in the evaluation, BSF did not achieve its primary objective of improving the stability and quality of the couples’ relationships.
Ari Rosmarin, New York Civil Liberties Union. (REAL ID Act)
Nia Robinson, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (American Power Act)
Materials: American Power Act Policy Documents
The purpose of the Act Queer! teleconference series is to connect grassroots LGBTQ, racial,and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice issues.
Act Queer! Teleconference: Research in Queer Organizing
Research is something many grassroots movements shun, given its history of pathologizing low-income, queer and trans people, people of color, the disabled, etc.
And yet, there is a wealth of research happening by grassroots organizations, and researchers interested in the strength & resilience of communities.
What are the research strategies being utilized by different queer and progressive groups? What has been successful and what has failed in the past? When complete, where and how is this research distributed? How can the movements engage research towards creating a vision of social justice?
The April 29th call focused on the grassroots research of several organizations:
To hear each presenter press play on the audio. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
Michelle Billies, Dwayne Bibb and Kagendo Murungi, Welfare Warriors Research Collaborative (New York, NY)
- Their report should be released this summer, stay tuned!
Shira Hassan, Young Women’s Empowerment Project (Chicago, IL)
- Download their report entitled Girls Do What They Have to Do to Survive: Methods Used by Girls in the Sex Trade and Street Economy to Fight Back and Heal here!
Juan Battle, Social Justice Sexuality Initiative (New York, NY)
- Take his survey here!
Download QEJ’s most recent report entitled Tidal Wave: LGBT Poverty & Hardship in a Time of Economic Crisis.
If you have questions, comments, or know of other resources or events related to this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section!
The purpose of Act Queer! is to connect grassroots LGBTQ racial and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice research, organizing and advocacy.
Building a Queer Left
QEJ is working on a new research report through the Building a Queer Left project (BQL). The BQL project seeks to build a progressive and radical coalition of organizations who approach their work in queer communities through a racial and economic justice framework. This coalition is determined to identify what issues are present within the “other” gay agenda.
The creation of an organizational directory is one of the tasks of the BQL coalition. This directory will feature organizations/groups/projects that are organizing around issues affecting our queer communities. This directory will be available to the public and can be used as a tool for grant proposals, referrals and coalition-building. We hope to complete this report by the end of the summer. Stay tuned!
Act Queer! Teleconference: Movement Building in Queer Organizing
Many of the mainstream LGBTQ organizations focus on single issue, electoral and policy based organizing/advocacy. Whereas the work done by many of the radical, grassroots LGBTQ groups focuses on grassroots strategies, with a heavy focus on movement building. Often we’re told this work doesn’t have impact, or doesn’t have measurable goals. What is movement building and why is it a cornerstone of the grassroots movement? What are the strategies being utilized by different queer groups to build the movement? What has been successful and what has failed in the past?
The March 18th call served as an introduction to and description of movement building within LGBTQ organizing.
To hear each presenter, press play on the audio player. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
Moderator: Suzanne Pharr, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (New York, NY)
Presenters include:
Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz, Intersections/Intersecciones Consulting (San Francisco, CA)
- Recent blog post written by Lisa that discusses movement building.
- Zemsky and Mann - Building Organizations in a Movement Moment (pdf)
Patty Berne, Sins Invalid (San Francisco, CA)
Coya Artichoker, Two-Spirit First Nation Collective (Minneapolis, MN)
Paulina Hernandez, Southerners on New Ground (Atlanta, GA)
If you have questions, comments, or know of other resources or events related to this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section!
Our friends at EMERJ let us know that they have their movement building strategy posted online. Check it out by clicking here!
The purpose of Act Queer! is to connect grassroots LGBTQ racial and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice research, organizing and advocacy.
Act Queer! Teleconference: Economics: Race, Class, Gender and the Economy
The purpose of Act Queer! is to connect grassroots LGBTQ racial and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice research, organizing and advocacy.
In 2010 all of the Act Queer! telconference series will focus on the economy. As news stories, individuals and organizations have been discussing the drastic effects of the current economic downturn, there has been limited information about how the economy affects low-income people, queer/trans people, immigrants, people with disabilities, people of color, and those of us who fit two or more of those categories. We envision this year-long teleconference series to help all of us understand the economy and capitalism, and to use that knowledge to continue challenging and changing the systems that create poverty and economic injustice in our communities, and to envision economic systems that promote justice, and the health and well being of all people.
Our January 28, 2010 call was the first in this series. It introduced some of the most recent work being done on how the economic crisis is affecting people of color and the LGBT community. This series is a product of a partnership with the Center for Popular Economics. With their expertise these calls will provide some of the latest and most compelling economic speakers and research.
To hear each presenter, press play on the audio player. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
Alyssa Schneebaum, UMass-Amherst
Brian Miller, United for a Fair Economy
If you have questions, comments, or know of other resources or events related to this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section!
Act Queer! Teleconference: A Year in Queer Politics
From the passage of Prop 8 in California to the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act, the national LGBT political agenda has gained significant momentum. Will the explosion in LGBT policy on the national radar represent a movement towards queer liberation? What’s are there more progressive policy wins possible on the horizon for progressive queers?
Our December 17, 2009 teleconference served as a 2009 queer policy wrap-up.
To hear each presenter, press play on the audio player. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
Andrea Ritchie, Attorney, (New York) discusses hate crimes and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Act.
- Sylvia Rivera Law Project Statement on Matthew Shepherd/James Byrd, Jr. Act.
Nicky Grist, Alternatives to Marriage Project, (Brooklyn, NY) discusses relationship recognition policies.
- Alternatives to Marriage Project - Blog (Same-Sex Marriage Section)
- Fact Sheet - New York Hospital Rights for Partners
Karina Claudio, Gays and Lesbians of Bushwick Empowered, (Brooklyn, NY) discusses trans unemployment and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
Robert Espinoza, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, (New York) discusses racial equality in LGBT philanthropy.
If you have questions, comments, or know of other resources or events related to this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section!
The purpose of Act Queer! is to connect grassroots LGBTQ racial and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice research, organizing and advocacy.
Act Queer! Teleconference: Cultural Organizing in Queer Movements
The purpose of Act Queer! is to connect grassroots LGBTQ racial and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice research, organizing and advocacy.
Our November 19, 2009 teleconference focused on organizations that are using cultural organizing to push queer social justice issues.
To hear each presenter, press play on the audio player. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
Graciela Sanchez and Amanda Haas, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (San Antonio, TX) discuss the necessity of providing bilingual organizing in queer movements; grounding our communities in the knowledge of the intersection between our heritage and our queerness
Selly Thiam, None on Record (U.S., Canada and South Africa) discusses the documentation of the struggles and joys of QLGBT Africans through audio stories and their use for political change
Aurin Squire, Freedom Train Productions (New York City) discusses their theatre performances as a vehicle for imagination and creativity; using stories/performances to create empathy not just tolerance; using art as activism
Freedom Train’s manifesto
Kebo Drew, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (California) discusses using their films to bring visibility to the many facets of queer women of color; women of color and immigration; QWOCMAP Annual Film Festivals
If you have questions, comments, or know of other resources or events related to this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section!
Act Queer! Teleconference: The Drug War and Queer Communities
The purpose of Act Queer! is to connect grassroots LGBTQ racial and economic justice organizations with national queer and/or allied coalitions and organizations to share information and strategies on racial and economic justice research, organizing and advocacy.
Our October 29, 2009 teleconference focused on how the drug war has affected queer communities across the country.
To hear the each presenter, press play on the audio player. Read materials from each presenter just below the audio player.
gabriel sayegh, Drug Policy Alliance (New York City) discusses the Obama administration’s drug policy agenda and updates on drug policy reform; medical marijuana laws; Rockefeller Drug Laws.
Lynn Paltrow, National Advocates for Pregnant Women (Washington, DC) discusses the connection between reproductive justice and drug policy reform; the history of prohibition of alcohol, abortion and drugs; denying the essentialness of choice in reproductive rights and in the queer community
Miss Major, Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project (San Francisco) discusses drug addiction within the transgender, gender variant and intersex community inside and outside the prison system.
Kenyon Farrow, Queers for Economic Justice (New York City) discusses how the war on crime and drugs aimed to “correct” black and brown families through social welfare reform; the effects of the drug war on HIV epidemic in black gay men and transgender women.
If you have questions, comments, or know of other resources or events related to this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section!
How Queers Are Organizing For Health Care Reform
Since May of 2009 QEJ has been mobilizing queers from across the country to create a collective response to the current state of health care reform. A large part of this mobilization has been focusing on the inclusion of a public option within the health care reform bill. A public option that would be available to people most discriminated against in the health care system is necessary, and immigrants, people of color, and LGBT people should organize to help save the public option in the current legislation.
Below is a list of steps and additional resources to use as a reference to create days of action in your community:
- Call your Senator! This number will connect you directly to your state’s senator: 1-877-264-HCAN (4226)
- USE THIS SCRIPT when you talk to them.
- Want to send a letter instead? USE THIS SAMPLE LETTER as a guide.
- Want the NUMBERS? READ this QUEER HEALTH CARE FACT SHEET QEJ created.
- Health Care Reform and the LGBT Community: This document outlines key concerns in regards to health care within the LGBTQ community (National Coalition for LGBT Health)
- Key Facts Race, Ethnicity and Medical Care: Want additional facts and figures? This report discusses health, health insurance coverage, access and quality of health care of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. (Kaiser Family Foundation)
More Progressive organizations working on health care reform:
Move On is a collective that strives to bring real Americans back into the political process. With 5 million members across America they work together to realize the progressive promise of our country. They are quite well known for their partnerships with celebrities and artists. They just released a new video satire of insurance companies featuring the comedian Will Ferrell. This organization hosts events across the country and facilitates community building through their website.
Health Care Now! is an education and advocacy organization that addresses the health insurance crisis in the U.S by advocating for the passage of national, single-payer healthcare legislation. By logging on to their website you can sign petitions, call your legislators and get updates on upcoming events across the country.
Mad As Hell Doctors is a group of doctors that are advocating for single-payer health care system. They are currently on a national RV tour so check out their website to view their itinerary.
Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is a national grassroots campaign of more than 1,000 organizations in 46 states representing 30 million people dedicated to winning quality, affordable health care we all can count on in 2009. They also have support from President Obama, Vice President Biden, and more than 190 Members of Congress. You can sign petitions, call your legislators and view numerous reports reviewing health care in the United States.
Here’s what progressive LGBT and people of color organizations are doing across the country around health care reform:
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) chapter in North Carolina put together a Day of Action around health care issues.
Triangle Foundation is Michigan’s foremost statewide, civil rights organization and is a leader in effective, innovative and visionary grassroots organizing and advocacy for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. They brought a contingent to a march and rally hosted by MoveOn.org and Health Care for America Now. Click here to view the press statement.
Family Equality Council works to ensure equality for LGBT families by building community, changing hearts and minds, and advocating social justice for all families. To ensure that our government provides accessible and culturally competent health care to all families they created the ad to the left (black and white version). They plan to submit the collected stories to congress.
Raising Women’s Voices is a national initiative working to make sure women’s voices are heard in the health reform debate and women’s concerns are addressed by policymakers developing national and state health reform plans. They have produced numerous publications including What women want vs what women get: Do current health reform proposals meet our needs? Check out their website for upcoming events in your area.
Women of Color United for Health Reform issued a document entitled Health Reform Imperatives for Women and Communities of Color in addition to a fact sheet.
Kenyon Farrow on Obama & Human Rights Campaign
On the eve of the National March for Equality, President Obama spoke to the Human Rights Campaign in Washington DC, and laid out his gay policy agenda for his adminstration. But does that agenda speak for the rest of us? Kenyon wrote an opinion piece for The Grio.com, proclaiming “HRC doesn’t speak for me.” He writes,
When Obama delivered his “gay agenda” speech to the well-fed, well-scrubbed mostly white crowd of gays and lesbians at the Human Rights Campaign’s Annual Dinner on Saturday night, anyone outside of the LGBT community would have assumed by the applause that the entire “gay community” is in agreement that access to serve in the military, gay marriage, and hate crimes legislation are our primary issues. But in reality, HRC’s political agenda is not what I want. It does not speak for me, nor for the lives of many other black, poor and working class LGBT people.
Given the fact that we’re in a long recession where hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in almost every month of 2009, and national unemployment numbers are at nearly 10 percent, why are we not talking about the issues that most people are concerned about - health care and the economy - and their impact on the LGBT community? The truth is, for many people at that dinner who could afford the cheapest ticket at $250 a plate, jobs and wages are of little concern.
To read the rest of the article, go to THEGRIO.COM.