Working For Equality

I’m certain that I don’t need to tell you about the historic injustices that have been suffered by the LGBTQ community throughout history. From oppressive laws, employment discrimination, and violence committed against queer people, standing together as a community is vital to leaving these things in the past and building a better world for the next generation!

HIV/AIDS
Nondiscrimination
Racial & Economic Justice
Safe Schools
TRANS*EQUALITY
Youth

HIV/Aids

It’s hard to believe, but advocacy and activism around HIV/AIDS has been happening for over three decades. That’s over 30 years! Today, a positive HIV test doesn’t mean nearly the same thing it did when AIDS first stepped onto the scene. We’ve come a long way medically and an even longer way socially. But there is still work to be done. HIV+ individuals and their families have needs that our community is called on to meet and there is a vast disparity in our communities when it comes to who is at highest risk.

Learn about HIV/AIDS and connect with an organization in your city that is providing services for HIV+ folks or advocating on their behalf. You can make a difference.

Nondiscriminiation

The Missouri Foundation for Health’s August 2012 report on LGBT Health Disparities identified that one in seven LGBT Missourians report discrimination in the workplace. Maybe even more unsettling is the fact that you can be fired, denied housing or refused service for being gay in the state of Missouri. LGBTQ groups and organizations across the state are working to address this issue by adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Missouri Human Rights Statute.

This protection is critical for innumerable LGBTQ people in our state. We all deserve the right to work, to have our basic needs met, and to expect to be free from discrimination. Join up with a group in your community to learn more about what’s being done to extend non-discrimination protections in Missouri.

Racial And Economic Justice

Our community may share our identities as LGBTQ people, but we also come to the table with a huge array of other identities, all of which are just as important.

The means that when we talk about LGBTQ stuff, we also need to be talking about things like race and income and national origin. What does racism look like in our community? What are we doing about things like income inequality and poverty and homelessness? What is the experience of LGBTQ immigrants? If you aren’t quite sure how to begin the conversation, start by listening and learning. Hear the stories of queer people of color, listen to the needs of low-income people in our communities, find out what action is happening and join it. We must all stand in solidarity together.

Safe Schools

When did schools become a place where we had to fight for safety? But then here are the facts:

Nearly all LGBT students in Missouri have heard homophobic, sexist, or generally negative remarks about their or someone else’s gender expression.

Most LGBT students in Missouri have been victimized at school because of their sexual orientation or gender expression – about 30% physically. Most of these incidents were never reported to adults.

Only 1 in 6 Missouri LGBT students attended a school with bullying/harassment protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Our schools are meant to be places of growth and learning. Find ways to make a difference in the schools in your community or join statewide efforts to bring attention to the need for safe schools for all youth.

Trans*Equality

Although trans people have been on the front lines of every queer movement, all too frequently these same people are excluded and ostracized from within lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer communities. Transgender people face discrimination and oppression in parts of their lives some of us might not ever even think about. But we must all stand in solidarity with each other and work to address the barriers and oppressions faced by those in our communities.

Learn how to become a trans ally. Educate yourself on how to make a difference in your own town. Or join the fight on a state or national level. There is work to be done everywhere. We are a community – we must work together.

Youth

LGBTQ and questioning youth are disproportionately represented in some pretty troubling areas, like homelessness, bullying, and suicide, to name a few. Groups and organizations that serve LGBTQ youth and provide a welcoming, safe space are critical resources in our community. If you’re interested in making a difference, reach out to one of the many queer youth groups across our state.

With all the obstacles facing LGBTQ youth today, it’s also important to remember that youth have their own voices and can speak for themselves. It is the job of adults to simply listen and learn and respond. So talk to an LGBTQ young person. Hear their story. Help them make a difference in their own lives, for the betterment of our communities and our future.

If you are a youth in crisis and need help click here.