The Response: 3 ways to create spaces for the LGBTQ community
The LGBTQ community needs secure places and this week’s stories highlight efforts to create those.
2019 marks the 50th-anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Back in 1969, gay bars were the only refuge from public harassment for gay men, lesbians, and other sexually diverse people. Still, they were suffering from frequent police prosecution. In the early hours of June 28th, the police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, NYC — and arrested everyone without at least three pieces of gender-appropriate clothing. The raid was followed by continuous protests and served as a catalyst for LGBTQ rights. Two prominent figures in these uprisings were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two transgender women of color and activists, whose work will soon be remembered with a monument in the Village.
We’ve come a long way since 1969 — most of it in the last 20 years. Some two dozen countries have legalized same-sex marriage. The first country ever to legalize same-sex marriage was The Netherlands, in 2000. In the U.S., a Supreme Court ruling in 2015 made it legal in all 50 states. (It took Germany, my home country, until 2017.) In May, Taiwan became the first Asian country to do so. And just two days ago, Ecuador joined the club.
But there’s still a long way to go. In 70 UN member states, same-sex relationships are still prohibited — seven of those punish them with stoning by death, others with a lifetime of imprisonment. LGBTQ people also face harassment in countries where same-sex relationships are de-criminalized: A 2017 study showed that a majority of the American LGBTQ community experience violence based on their identity.
3 ways organizations are creating safe spaces
The LGBTQ community needs secure places and this week’s stories highlight efforts to create those.
Pride started out as a reaction against the police. The first story outlines how the NYPD is trying to make good on the dark chapter in their past with the Gay Officer Action League (GOAL). The organization works toward normalizing what has historically been difficult to fathom: That one can be both gay and a police officer. Their efforts are an ongoing process. Today, GOAL has 2,000 members across the country and chapters in several cities. But the relationship between the LGBTQ community and the police remains troubled. Discussions to remove the police from the parades are ongoing, because of trauma that the LGBTQ community continues to experience.
The second story introduces the first ever gay hangout in the Arab world. In the Lebanese capital Beirut, an LGBTQ community center is a lifeline for many people who face discrimination, obstruction, and even violence on a frequent basis. What speaks to me in this story is seeing the different forms support can take — from a 24-hour emergency hotline to makeup classes for transgender women. Word has spread; similar organizations have been set up in other Arab countries.
The third story covers a shelter for transgender youth, often the most vulnerable group. One in five has experienced homelessness in their lifetime. San Francisco’s newly opened shelter — the very first of its kind — provides six beds for previously homeless trans youth aged 18–24, and a gender non-conforming environment.
Lisa Urlbauer
Curator of The Response
p.s. A big thank you to my friend and classmate Shubham Kaushik for her time and thoughtful comments on this newsletter!
“The Cops Standing With, and For, the Gay Communities They Serve”
New York, United States
Joseph Darius Jaafari
NationSwell
[1,200 Words]
This organization tries to ease the tensions between the LGBTQ community and the police.
“Everyone is welcome: the only gay hangout in the Arab world”
Beirut, Lebanon
Saeed Kamali Dehghan
The Guardian
[1,200 Words]
This place offers a second home and family for Beirut’s LGBTQ community.
“Inside San Francisco’s First-Of-Its-Kind Shelter For Transgender Youth”
Michelle Wiley
KQED
[950 Words]
This place takes on the issues transgender people face in traditional shelters.
The Response is a weekly newsletter that reframes current news events, highlighting ways people are responding to crises and problems we see every day in the news. Why? Because we want to add perspectives to the conversations that go beyond the doom-and-gloom news cycle — giving you The Whole Story. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Then click here to sign up.
