News

Issues impacting the civil rights and lives of transgender people have never demanded more urgent attention.

As we observe Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance & Resilience (TDORR), our LGBTQ community has much to reflect upon. Since taking office, President Joe Biden pledged his commitment to being the most pro-equality administration in history and has largely made good on this promise so far.

Today nearly 14% of President Biden’s (or 1,500) federal appointees identify as LGBTQ, as stated in his Pride month proclamation in June. During that month, the White House also announced historic new actions to advance equality, inclusion, and opportunity for transgender Americans.

However, we still have our work cut out for us in realizing full equality, and the issues impacting the civil rights and lives of transgender people have never demanded more urgent attention.

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AN URGENT HOUSING CRISIS WITH NEGATIVE RIPPLE EFFECTS

By Orlando Gonzales, SAVE; Ebonni N. Chrispin, AIDS Healthcare Foundation

There exists a prevalent, urgent and under-reported crisis in systematically oppressed communities across South Florida including the LGBTQ community which needs to be addressed.

LGBTQ people are disproportionately facing housing discrimination and LGBTQ youth alone comprise 20% - 40% of homeless youth. Statistics like these are alarming and without visibility on these issues, crimes against humanity will continue to negatively impact our entire community. While it may not affect you directly, ignoring the issue will have lasting damage to our economy as a whole and the communities where we live, work and play.

Housing is arguably the most critical facet of life. It provides stability and dignity for those fortunate to have one, and an insurmountable obstacle for those in our community without.  The issue is unfortunately exacerbated even further among transgender people. As many as one in five transgender people have faced discrimination when looking for housing and the same percentage have also experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, according to data from the National Center for Transgender Equality.

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Dear Friend,

I am reaching out to let you know of our difficult decision to change our much anticipated Champions of Equality Gala on September 23rd from in-person to a virtual event. Amid the seriousness of the global pandemic and Delta variant driving surges of infections in Florida, we feel strongly that this is the right thing for the safety of our community. The crowd size and indoor component of the gala were the driving factors in our decision. Following the success of last year’s virtual gala, and with a stellar lineup of honorees and speakers, we are determined to make it even bigger and better. The hard work of our staff and volunteers continues.

Participation in the event is free; donations are kindly encouraged and can be made here. All proceeds from the event will support SAVE’s work to protect people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) against discrimination.

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Today, Equality Florida, Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE), SAGE, and other LGBTQ leaders and organizations accepted a meeting request from Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar to discuss her positions on LGBTQ equality. Earlier this year Representative Salazar shocked our community when she voted against the Equality Act, profoundly important legislation that would finally establish in federal statutes comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Collectively, our organizations believe our progress is built in dialogue and the exchange of ideas, but also that it is essential for Representative Salazar to understand how disappointing her vote and lack of leadership on LGBTQ rights has been.

Unfortunately, the representative had a shallow analysis of the Equality Act and we expect that a member of congress who represents one of the largest LGBTQ communities in the country understands the important balance that must be struck between LGBTQ equality and religious freedom. The Equality Act strikes that balance.

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Applications are now open for the 2021 Freidin Brown, P.A. & SAVE Social Justice Scholarships!

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