QEJ Fall 2009 Newsletter

October 26, 2009

QEJ on PBS’s In The Life                    HRC & Obama Speech                           Welfare Warriors Update
Shelter Project Triumphs                      QEJ Mobilizes for Health Reform

10/29: Act Queer Teleconference: Queers and the Drug War. QEJ would like for you to join us on a national conference call on the drug war, andits impact on LGBTQ communtiies. Presenters incude gabriel sayegh, Drug Policy Alliance; Miss Major, TGIJP; Lynn Paltrow, National Advocates for Pregnant Women; Kenyon Farrow, QEJ.
Click to RSVP and learn more.

11/7: LGBTQ Law Conference Although social change on the ground is the central drive of QEJ’s work, legislative progress remains crucial to the movement’s struggle. A conference is being held at the New York Law School on November 7th to discuss legal issues pertinent to the LGBTGNC community. Former ACLU president Nadine Strossen will join our own Reina Gossett as speaker. Click to register.

12/3: QEJ’s Reina Gossett Honored Forty years ago, the LGBTGNC movement found a voice among the billy clubs at the Stonewall Inne, and we’ve never looked Back. The Stonewall Foundation, taking its name from the bar, is honoring Reina Gossett as part of the 40 Women Stonewall Honors celebration. Reina, a member of Welfare Warriors, has shown the compassion, drive and acumen needed to keep the movement moving forward. Congrats, Reina! Click for event details.

Obama’s Speech to HRC
by Kenyon Farrow for TheGrio.com

“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 LGBTGNC people.” Read the article!

Welfare Warriors Update
The Welfare Warriors’ recent political education initiatives include a summer organizing school, workshops on ending transphobic violence and a town hall style meeting on reproductive justice issues within the welfare system and prison industrial complex. Our coalition work with other organizational members of the Welfare Justice Campaign is set to, after five years of organizing, push the Human Resources Administration to adopt a procedure to end discrimination against trans and gender non-conforming applicants for public assistance. The Welfare Warriors Research Collaborative is gearing up to publish and screen our documentary as well as distribute the findings of our 2 plus years of research. Read more about the movie and trans workshop, and how to help!

Shelter Project Triumphs
QEJ’s shelter project is making huge strides. Five shelter groups have provided support and love to LGBTGNC residents. Participation in the Pride parade proved as touching as it was enthused, with many residents experiencing Pride for the first time. An LGBTGNC picnic heightened the sense of community. while a Theater of the Oppressed workshop focused on conflict resolution. Read more about the shelter group, parade, and picnic here, and the Theater of the Oppressed here!

QEJ Mobilizes for Health Reform
In August, the Right began taking over Obama’s “town hall meetings” with frightening levels of racism and misinformation. QEJ’s Interim Executive Director Kenyon Farrow and other social reformers began a series of national calls on LGBTGNC strategy. The calls helped to gather resources and establish pathways for the fight, including fact sheet, sample letters, and an 800 number to contact representatives toll-free. The process is an urgent one, given the potential impacts of the reforms on LGBTGNC folks, and the relatively quiet response of the community. Click to find out how to help!

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