In the first presidential proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility President Joe Biden stated, “Their trailblazing work has given countless transgender individuals the bravery to live openly & authentically. This hard-fought progress is also shaping an increasingly accepting world in which peers at school, teammates & coaches on the playing field, colleagues at work & allies in every corner of society are standing in support & solidarity with the transgender community….To more fully protect the civil rights of transgender Americans, we must pass the Equality Act & provide long overdue Federal civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation & gender identity. It will serve as a lasting legacy to the bravery & fortitude of the LGBTQ+ movement.” The Biden administration also released a new policy that will allow qualified trans people to serve in the military. A far cry from the last administration that rolled back nondiscrimination protections in health care for our transgender community & opposed passage of the Equality Act. Also in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility the National Association of Black Journalists’ LGBTQ+ Task Force announced a new scholarship named after transgender journalist & advocate Monica Roberts who passed away last fall. The Monica Roberts LGBTQ+ Task Force Scholarship is a newly established fund to support Black LGBTQ+ students studying journalism, mass communications or otherwise interested in reporting & storytelling. Femi Redwood Black Journalists’ LGBTQ+ Task Force co-chair stated, “Since I joined Tre’vell Anderson as co-chair of this Task Force, we’ve wanted to honor Monica for her work.” Roberts inspired generations of Black queer journalists while also serving as a possibility model to trans & non-binary professionals. I talked to Monica Roberts in January 2020 about her work & her spin on our LGBTQ issues in this exclusive audio interview. LISTEN:
No comments:
Post a Comment