Daylight Saving Time has begun and that means for most of us our clocks were sprung forward by an hour this past weekend. Across the United States, though, and particularly in the communities in which our RfA staff reside, things have seemed to turn too far back.
On Valentine’s Day, in Mitch’s area of Upstate New York, the news broke that Sam Nordquist, a black transgender man who had been reported missing for several weeks, was found murdered. Seven people have since been indicted for this horrific act. Mitch assisted with holding vigil and providing the ministry of presence, serving as a main point of contact for the Finger Lakes transgender community and allies looking to take tangible action in this awful aftermath.
A few weeks later, a gay couple in Buffalo, New York were murdered in their home. The queer community in Western New York have been shaken again, and are fearful and grieving.
In the past few weeks, the right-wing legislators in Iowa’s statehouse and governor’s mansion have successfully stripped “gender identity” from the Iowa Civil Rights Code as well as proposed other anti-queer legislation. Cameron was at the capitol for the record-breaking protests that took place and registered public comment in the committee hearings on the topic, but still, there’s anxiety and fear taking hold among trans people and their family and friends in Iowa.
We are at a deeply troubling crossroads in our country: will we allow the majority to terrorize and remove rights from a vulnerable minority, or will we stand up for the rights of all people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Room for All’s name isn’t just a thing we put on our letterhead; it’s a deeply held value. Unless there is room for all of us, there is safety for none of us.
Below is a document that outlines some ways that you might be able to hold your own anxiety or support those in these turbulent times. Connection, community, and collaboration are more important now than we’ve ever seen it, and we need our allies to speak up, reach out, and help us spring forward together.
|
