#qipoc

(Spanish follows / seguido en español)

By Gina Millan

Permission to discriminate?

To learn about any kind of discrimination cases in any community, truly angers me!

However, I transform that anger into strength to defend the communities that for generations have been attacked, as a result of ignorance and oppression rooted in religion and culture.

Take into consideration the discrimination case that a gay couple had to live through in 2012 as a result of a cake shop that refused to make them a wedding cake. This case was tried all the way up to the Supreme Court, and after six years of waiting, it was ruled that the owner was in his right to deny service through a religious belief. This is ridiculous!

Or take into account the brutal attack on a gay couple who were leaving a bar, in Denver, simply for holding hands.

I have a daughter who is almost 18 years old, and is a lesbian; every time I hear about a brutal attack against the LGBT community I become anxious not only for my daughter, but also for the thousands of people who are a part of this community.

I believe that homophobes feel like they have the permission to hurt the LGBT community because the federal administration does not have severe consequences for those who attack the most marginalized.

We have also seen this take play in our immigrant communities, as well at the shopping centers, restaurants, cafeterias etc. where individuals attack others for having a different skin color, or for not speaking English.

Lots of people’s children who belong to the LGBT community live with the fear of having their children be a victim of a hate crime simply for expressing their love to their partner in public.

We need to educate our children with love, we need to teach them to respect individuals regardless of what they look like, skin color, or sexuality.

Let’s pass a world of love and respect to our children, and our children’s children.

With love,

Gina

/ /

¿Permiso para discriminar?

Escuchar de casos discriminación de cualquier tipo, a cualquier comunidad ¡me enoja mucho! Pero ese coraje lo transformó en fuerza para defender a las comunidades que por generaciones han sido atacadas por culpa de la ignorancia y la opresión por parte de la cultura y la religión.

Como en el caso de discriminación que vivió una pareja gay en 2012 por parte de una pastelería en Denver que se negó a hacerles su pastel de bodas. Este caso fue llevado hasta la Corte Suprema de la nación y a casi 6 años de ocurrido este incidente, ésta decidió que el dueño estaba en su derecho de negar el servicio por sus creencias religiosas ¡ES RIDÍCULO!

O el caso del brutal ataque que sufrió una joven pareja de gays al salir de un centro nocturno aquí en Denver, solo por ir de la mano es inaceptable.

Tengo una hija de casi 18 años que es lesbiana y cada noticia que escucho en contra de la comunidad LGBT me preocupa de sobre manera y no solo por mi hija, sino por los miles que pertenecen a esta comunidad.

Yo creo que los homofóbicos se sienten con el permiso de lastimar a la comunidad LGBT, porque ésta administración a nivel federal no hace nada por castigar a quienes atacan a las minorías.

Lo hemos visto también en la comunidad inmigrante, tal como ha sucedido en centros comerciales, restaurantes, cafeterías, etc. donde cualquier persona ataca a alguien solo por tener un color de piel diferente o por hablar en un idioma que no sea inglés.

Muchas personas que tienen hijos pertenecientes a la comunidad LGBT viven bajo el temor de que sus hijos sean atacados tan solo por expresar su amor a su pareja en público.

Eduquemos a nuestros hijos con amor, enseñémosles a respetar a todas las personas sin importar su apariencia, color de piel o sexualidad.

Con amor Gina.

February 28th, at 808 Richards Street, Vancouver BC, 4-8pm

Mission Statement

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Ally (GLBTA) Programs Office is dedicated to improving campus climate for all University of Minnesota constituents by developing and supporting more inclusive understandings of gender and sexuality.

Social Justice Statement

We recognize the intersections of gender and sexuality with race, ethnicity, class, ability, age, culture, and all social systems.  We are committed to holding ourselves and others accountable for working against all forms of oppression.

Welcome Statement

To dream of worlds and spaces in which there are no isms/phobias (racism & homophobia specifically) and black people are central to the narrative is to believe in fantasy and science fiction. In this workshop, we will address the history of Afro-Futurism, read excerpts from the best of the black futurists and make a space to use oral traditions to create futuristic narratives.

The intended audience for this workshop is queer black people who are interested in fantasy, sci-fi, urban fantasy, however the workshop is open.

This caucus calls forQIT*POC who are part of the queer nightlife scene(organizers/performers/attendees) and those who have something to say about it to come together to discuss the current state of queer nightlife. From this discussion we hope to examine the role that nightlife plays in queer socializing and community building and how we can curate queer nightlife for QIT*POC. The facilitator is a party planner, promoter, and community builder in Madison, WI. 

This workshop is intended for indigenous peoples and  people of color under the age of 30. Since this is a caucus, it is a closed workshop for people of color only. If you do not identity as an indigenous person or person of color, we kindly ask that you do not enter this space. 

How can we bettersupport our youth when it comes to housing needs? We know that many Queer Youth of Color experience housing instability andhomelessness in the Twin Cities… and that many turn to the 'system' and social services for support, with varying degrees of satisfaction, frustration, self-determination, pain, isolation, etc. We also know that Queer Indigenous and Communities of Color have been taking care of each other in many ways while avoiding as much as possible the formal non-profits and institutions that are so pervasive in Minnesota (and more than likely white-led). Are there ways to strengthen what already exists within our communities? Are there ways to get involved with more 'formal' programs, such as the GLBT Host Home Program? What are the barriers and risks of volunteering for such a program? Gains? Many Young People of Color who have participated in the GLBT Host Home Program have voiced that they would have liked to live with queer hosts of color. However, the majority of hosts have been white. Is this something that we can change, or are there other ways that we can more effectively and authentically share housing with youth? Join us in this open and important conversation, facilitated by members of the GLBT HHP Advisory Council.

This is an open workshop.

Activism and civil disobedience is core to queer history, often coming in response to state violence and police brutality. As queer people of color, we lie at intersections of equality movements for race and ethnicity, sex and genderidentity, sexual orientation, and other social factors. This presentation willexplore the roles of QPOC organizing and activism in the Ferguson, MO uprisingand the #BlackLivesMatter movement. We will discuss ways that QPOC students at an elite, predominately-white institution have continued an American tradition of student organizing. We also intend to recognize and acknowledge the experiences of identity erasure as it pertains to these movements. Lastly, we will share perspectives on the role of civil disobedience in past and present Americas, particularly centered on people like us, those often on the margins of margins.

This workshop is open but will center the narratives of young Black queer folks who are students

Presenters: Jordan Victorian, Christian Gordon, Karissa Tavassoli