If you’re feeling like the world has suddenly and brutally flipped upside down, you are not alone.
The first few days of the new administration have shown all of us who yearn and strive for a more just world that we are going to have to fight for it like never before.
Fortunately, we have a number of allied organizations and LGBTQ+ community leaders we can turn to for guidance and support, as well as each other.
The new president wasted no time issuing a slew of executive orders intended to silence and erase LGBTQ+ people. Many of these directives – and they are only directives at this point – target transgender people by recognizing just two sexes (male and female), banning their use of bathrooms on federal property, and no longer allowing trans and non-binary people to obtain passports that reflect their gender identity.
“It is important to note that executive actions do NOT have the authority to override the United States Constitution, federal statutes, or established legal precedent,” the Human Rights Campaign said. Many of the new administration’s directives regard “matters over which the president does not have control. Given that, many of these orders will be difficult, if not impossible, to implement, and efforts to do so will be challenged through litigation.”
Here in Oregon, we’re hearing the same counsel from our allies at the ACLU of Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon and the TransActive Gender Project.
We partnered with all three of those groups earlier this month during an online panel discussion that brought together legal, medical and political experts who addressed top-of-mind concerns such as health care access for trans people. All agreed that Oregon is a relatively safe place to be, thanks to protections written into state law and Democratic supermajorities in the legislature.
The webinar drew about 500 people, many of whom reached out afterwards to express gratitude.
“Building up our community and loving our trans family and friends out loud was a message at the end that will stick with me every day in the coming weeks, months and years,” one attendee said.
“I have gotten lots of emails today from community members, my coworkers, and several parents who attended last night,” a panelist said. “Every one of them said that their hearts are feeling better, fuller, and emboldened to get into it with us, for us, and about us.”
On that note, we’ll be teaming up in several ways this year as we recommit ourselves to our chapter’s mission.
Meeting people where they are and collaborating with others, we:
§ Support LGBTQ people, families, and allies,
§ Educate ourselves and others about the unique issues and challenges facing LGBTQ people,
§ Advocate in our communities to change attitudes and create policies and laws that affirm the dignity of and realize full equality for LGBTQ people everywhere.
Already this month, we’ve taken steps with a partner organization to revive a mini-grants program for GSAs in our public schools; agreed to attend a Portland theater company’s LGBTQIA2S+ Affinity Night in March; and accepted an invitation to participate in Pride Night 2025 at a Hillsboro Hops baseball game in July.
Lastly, we are tweaking our schedule of monthly meetings to place more emphasis on in-person gatherings and allow for more guest speakers like Kiku Johnson of Outside In, who urged us recently to practice “radical acceptance” and to remember that “community is our superpower.”
In closing, I speak for all of us on the board when I say we are here for you to provide a safe space to bring your questions and concerns, to share your experiences and suggestions, to offer each other love and support.
George Rede
Chapter President