NEAT
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • News / Blog
  • Our Work
    • Phone Banks
    • Town Halls
    • Canvasses
  • Take Action
    • Equality Act Call In Day
    • Virtual Phone Bank >
      • EqualityTime - 2021
    • Host a Virtual Calling Party
    • Virtual Town Halls
  • Connect
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Contact
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • News / Blog
  • Our Work
    • Phone Banks
    • Town Halls
    • Canvasses
  • Take Action
    • Equality Act Call In Day
    • Virtual Phone Bank >
      • EqualityTime - 2021
    • Host a Virtual Calling Party
    • Virtual Town Halls
  • Connect
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Contact

Spotlight of the Month: Elyse (WA)

8/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Spotlight showcases the work of NEAT supporters who are the backbone of what we do every day for LGBTQ+ Justice.
Picture
​   NAME: Elyse

   PRONOUNS: She / Her / Hers

   AGE: 20

   LOCATION: Seattle, WA

Tell us about yourself outside of NEAT volunteering! (e.g. work, family, hobbies)
I’m going into my junior year at Swarthmore College, just outside of Philadelphia, PA. I’m indigenous and actively work to incorporate my Aleautian tribal culture into all of my work, whether it be academica or activism. During the school year I work at the Swarthmore College Library as an interlibrary loan assistant which is one of my childhood dreams come true. In addition to wanting to become a professor, I’ve always wanted to be a librarian. Outside of work and school I really enjoy reading and watching movies in English and Japanese which is a language I’ve been learning for about 4 years. I also love music and have been playing the piano for 14 years.

What's your connection to LGBTQ+ justice work?
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I became involved in the fight for equality in high school by participating in the Queer Student Alliance (QSA). Among our many projects, we helped to bring gender neutral bathrooms to our school. I also became involved with the Greater Seattle Business Alliance (GSBA) my senior year of high school and have continued to be supported by them throughout my undergraduate career. It was through my relationship with the GSBA that I found out about the Power Up internship and NEAT and I’m so incredibly grateful that I’ve created a network of LGBTQ+ folks that have introduced me to new people and new places where I can volunteer and work for equality. 

What is your volunteer role(s) at NEAT? What inspired you to get involved?
I’m honored to be a summer intern with NEAT through the amazing Power Up program hosted by Building Movement Project. For my internship application I specified that I would love to work at an organization that focused on LGBTQ+ rights advocacy and was overjoyed when I was matched with NEAT. I’ve been a proponent and advocate for the Equality Act for quite a while now so all my work at NEAT is enjoyable and fulfilling. As an intern at NEAT I’ve been able to get involved in projects for which I have no previous experience such as phone and text banks which have been amazing.

Share a memory from volunteering that sticks out in your mind.
One outstanding memory I have was during my first phone bank. An extremely nice person picked up the phone and we had a conversation about their past activism working  for LGBTQ+ rights and how they were so happy people were still fighting for equality. The voicemail they left for their senator was incredibly touching and it solidified my resolve to keep fighting because what we are doing is really meaningful.

What would you say to anyone considering volunteering with NEAT?
If LGBTQ+ equality and equality in general is something you care about, you should absolutely volunteer with NEAT. We have  a great community of people and there is always something to do. Additionally the actions you can take working with NEAT create tangible change and inspire every person that you come into contact with to keep fighting for change. Additionally NEAT is a nationwide organization so if there is a local initiative that you want to get involved with that is an option.  If there is nothing locally that is of interest to you, you can always  participate in a nationwide campaign.
0 Comments

Spotlight of the Month: Irwin Krieger (CT)

7/20/2021

0 Comments

 
Spotlight showcases the work of NEAT supporters who are the backbone of what we do every day for LGBTQ+ Justice.
Picture
   
   NAME: Irwin Krieger

   PRONOUNS: He/Him/His

   AGE: 66

   LOCATION: Ashford, CT

Tell us about yourself outside of NEAT volunteering! (e.g. work, family, hobbies)
I am a retired clinical social worker and the author of two books: Helping Your Transgender Teen: A Guide for Parents; and Counseling Transgender and Non-Binary Youth: The Essential Guide. My partner, John, and I have two children who we co-parented with a lesbian couple. Our kids are now in their 20s, living elsewhere and thriving. John and I enjoy living a quiet life in rural northeastern Connecticut.

What's your connection to LGBTQ+ justice work?
When I came out in the 1970s there were no LGBTQ civil rights laws. For many years I lobbied in Connecticut at the State Capitol for the passage of a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. At the time we were, sadly, not focused on transgender civil rights so laws protecting against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression in CT came much later.

What is your volunteer role(s) at NEAT? What inspired you to get involved?
Living in a solidly Democratic state, I have long seen phone canvassing as a way to influence outcomes in other parts of the country. Our secret weapon in the fight for LGBTQ Civil Rights has always been that We are Everywhere! I first volunteered with NEAT making calls to encourage LGBTQ people to participate in the 2020 census. In the months before the 2020 elections I canvassed with other groups to get out the vote in a number of swing states. Currently I am volunteering weekly with NEAT making calls to ask supportive individuals in other states to contact their senators and ask them to support the Equality Act.

Share a memory from volunteering that sticks out in your mind.
Since I call in the evening I sometimes reach someone who is cooking dinner. In one case a young teenager answered the phone, asked what I was calling about, and then went on to encourage her Mom (who was cooking dinner) to make the call. It was sweet to hear how strongly this young person believed in LGBTQ civil rights. I continue to be inspired by the wide embrace of our young people.

​What would you say to anyone considering volunteering with NEAT?
It’s a great way to expand your impact beyond your state borders. It’s easier than other kinds of canvassing because with NEAT we are calling an already supportive list of people. You would be surprised at how many people have thanked me for calling them and making it easy for them to voice their support by transferring them directly to their senator’s office. It’s also a good feeling to be part of a group effort by LGBTQ people and our allies from all over the country.
0 Comments

Intersections: Inclusion of Transgender Students in Education, Athletics, and other Extra Curricular Activities

6/28/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Intersections highlights NEAT’s work on issues that traditionally have not been seen as LGBTQ+. These issues, while not exclusive to our community, often disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ people. Check out all our issues here.
NEAT Joins a Coalition of 62 Organizations Seeking Inclusion of Transgender Students

In honor of Pride Month and on eve of the next Summer Olympic Games, NEAT is proud to be a signatory of In Support of Full Inclusion for Transgender Students: An Open Letter from the Civil and Human Rights Community. 

History and data shows we can celebrate girls/womens sports and make sure that transgender students/people are protected from discrimination. Many states have LGBTQ+ non-discrimination laws and all of them still have have women’s sports. Local schools across the nation already have policies that protect transgender youth and ensure a level playing field for all students—and they’ve been working for years. The NCAA, the Olympics and other sports associations also successfully allow transgender athletes.

The letter calls for “...the full inclusion of transgender students in educational opportunities, including extracurricular activities such as athletics. We reject the bigoted, ignorant, mean-spirited, and discriminatory policies currently being considered by far too many state legislators that seek to exclude these members of our communities. Excluding transgender students from participation alongside their cisgender peers is harmful to all students and undermines the learning environment for everyone.” 

It also notes:
  • Full opposition to the multitude of bills across the country that would harm both cisgender and transgender girls and women, particularly Black and Brown girls and women, and are likely to violate both the U.S. Constitution and Title IX, putting states’ federal educational funding in jeopardy
  • Transgender students face disproportionately high rates of sex discrimination, including sexual assault, in school.
  • Bills that would exclude transgender students from athletics would further deprive transgender students of access to educational opportunities and could place them at greater risk of sexual assault.
  • Preventing transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ and women’s athletics is a recipe for more trauma, bullying, and violence.      

For more information about transgender participants in athletics, check out Changing the Game, an enlightening documentary produced by Hulu. The importance of equitable participation in sports has many benefits for everyone involved, including access to diverse and supportive sport communities.   
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Archives

    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

The Home of Collaborative Action and Partnerships for LGBTQ+ Justice
Picture
Privacy Policy