WEBVTT - Our Stories Are Important 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:14.520 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to wok F Daily with 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:19.239 Meet your Girl Danielle Moody, recording from the Home Bunker. Folks, 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:23.239 I hope that those of you who our fathers had 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:28.400 a wonderful Father's Day weekend. You know, I was home 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:33.920 on Long Island, celebrating my dad and just spending time 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:38.479 with my family. And you know, I have to say 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:45.120 that one I find and I realize again coming from 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:49.360 a place of privilege, that I love my family. My 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:52.800 family loves me. I enjoy spending time with them. I 0:00:52.840 --> 0:00:57.000 am well into, you know, very very adult age, and 0:00:57.520 --> 0:01:02.560 I have enjoyed the maturation of my relationship with my parents. 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:06.240 And I just like when I have the opportunity to 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:10.520 go home and visit, which is probably more so than 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:14.120 most people unless you live in the same town. I'm 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:18.280 just able to refocus on what's important and what matters. 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:22.160 Like sure, I will sit and I'll you know, talk 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:24.959 like a little bit of politics, but honestly not really. 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:29.520 The focus is on joy and spending good times together 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:34.600 and creating memories. And I think that it is really 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:38.680 important to remind ourselves that there is only so much 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:43.000 that we can do right. You can post you can share, 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:48.800 you can donate, you can educate, you can try and 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:55.800 push this country your representatives to be better. But in 0:01:55.840 --> 0:01:59.200 that pushing, I also want folks to recognize when it's 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:03.680 time to just relax, when it's like, you don't have 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:09.240 to show how woke and conscious you are by making 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:16.560 every single waking moment about injustice, oppression, trauma and all 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:19.880 of these things. I think that the way to also 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:28.240 show solidarity is through joy and through gratitude, right like 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:35.560 living in gratitude. I thought about how many fathers have 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:40.880 been stripped from their families, from their communities, whether it 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:47.359 be through genocide that is happening in Gaza and Congo 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:54.400 and Sudan, whether it is you know, the jail system, 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:57.520 the money making scheme of a system in the United 0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:01.760 States that is locked up and stripped more Black men 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:07.840 and Latino men from their families and their communities, you know. 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.960 And so it is a point of gratitude to have 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:18.560 a loving, intact family and intact I just mean that, 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:22.720 like we're all still living healthy and I'm grateful for that, 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:26.680 and I'm just you know, I'm reminded as I start, 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:31.840 you know, this week, to even when things are grim 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:34.480 as they are, even when we know that the Supreme 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:37.600 Court has one final ruling that will maybe the death 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:42.320 blow to this country. Hold the people that you love closer, 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:48.920 you know, really be present in moments of joy, like 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:52.840 truly present, because it's what keeps us going and it 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:57.960 is what fuels us. Coming up next, my conversation with 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:03.000 the Communications director to the LGBTQ Task Force on the 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:09.680 responsibility of media, Kathy Renner joins WOKF to continue our 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:18.560 Pride Month coverage. That conversation is coming up next, Folks. 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:22.880 I am very excited to welcome to WOKF Daily. No 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:27.280 stranger to WOKF Daily, actually Kathy Renner, who is a 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:33.039 Communications director at the National LGBTQ Task Force. You all 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:35.880 know this organization as I have had the pleasure to 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:39.680 interview some of your incredible people in the field, your 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:44.120 incredible executive director, and so I'm excited to talk to 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:50.040 you today, Kathy, about you know, it's Pride, right and 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:53.880 you know Pride Month is a busy month. It's usually 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:58.039 a very celebratory month for the queer community. But I 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:01.280 want to know how you and the Task Force are 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:04.880 kind of walking in to this Pride Month where where 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:08.120 your thoughts and kind of feelings are at this moment. 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:11.880 Thanks Danielle, and we cannot tell you how much we 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:16.919 appreciate you and this podcast and your work. You know, 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:20.280 it's almost like every May of the media wakes up 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:23.600 and says, oh wait, it's Pride again coming. So you know, 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:28.800 there's that annual having to re educate and reframe and 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:31.880 reposition the media because they're always their biggest question is 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.680 you know, what are the big issues for Pride this year? 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:37.720 And it's not like they've changed very much right in 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:40.440 the past several years, but I think for the task 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:42.800 Force this year in particular with the election coming up, 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:46.360 as are most folks who are thinking about Pride frankly, 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:50.160 whether it's organizations or Pride organizers or just the individuals 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:52.640 that we're talking to out in the world, they're very 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:55.400 focused on the election like that is looming. And you know, 0:05:55.520 --> 0:05:59.320 as you know, I think I've heard this phrase, I 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:01.320 don't know a thousand times in the last few weeks. 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:04.240 Everyone says this is the most important election of my life, 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:06.560 that this is like the sixth of the most right. 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:08.680 So it just keeps happening over and over and the 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:11.600 reality is that we need to be out there. And 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:15.320 you know, I've also worked on Big Prides so well, 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:20.039 fifty Washington, d C. Pride, Prides. You know, prides different 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:22.520 things to different people. But what I always say at 0:06:22.560 --> 0:06:24.920 the end of the day is it is our opportunity 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.800 to show our power, to show our strength, to show 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:32.040 our diversity, and to show as a community that we may, 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:34.200 even if we don't agree on all things, that we 0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:37.880 are unified in wanting to move forward as a people. 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.480 And so we were doing a lot of more virtual 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:45.120 online stuff in terms of organizing related to the election 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:48.240 and our career the vote campaign, but that's on hold. 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:50.520 It's time to get out there. It's time to be 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:53.960 with the people. And so we have already started dispatching 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.320 our staff. We've had folks at Pittsburgh Pride and Kissie Pride, 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.680 in Miami Beach Pride, and you know, we have an 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:01.560 office in Miami. We do a tremendous spot of work 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:05.200 in Florida. Florida is obviously an incredibly important state for 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:08.720 so many reasons, not just for our queer community. I mean, 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:11.239 our work in Florida is also you know, engaged around 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:15.000 the ballot initiatives, whether the abortunate right extension or the 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.960 marijuana legalization. So you know, we're at DC trans Pride, right, 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:21.600 we're working to We're going to Harlan Pride in New 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:23.720 York City. You know, we have well over a dozen 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:26.960 that we're dispatching folks to and they're signing up hundreds 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:30.040 of people. I mean, even in the last weekend, folks 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:33.520 can home super energized because there really is I think 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:37.400 a higher level of engagement than we've seen before. And 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:39.440 look at what we have at stake. 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:41.520 You know, one of the questions I do want to 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:44.320 ask you as it pertains to pride, you know happening 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:47.160 and you know across the country. Really but when they 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:50.320 think about it, when you mentioned Florida and you mentioned 0:07:50.320 --> 0:07:53.760 some other places, I get nervous. I get worried about 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:57.160 those places. So what does it mean to host pride 0:07:57.800 --> 0:08:03.800 in places that have become so hostile, right openly hostile 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:10.120 to LGBTQ people, trans people in particular. You know, again, 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:14.120 Pride is about celebration. It is about lifting the self 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.360 esteem of the community. It's about showing I think young 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:20.640 people and old people that like there are people who 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:23.960 look like you, love like you that are here for you, right, 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:27.000 that we're not going anywhere, But at the same time, 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:30.400 safety is a real issue. So how do you reconcile 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:35.320 with the reality of that while not dampering this celebration. 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:39.320 It's hard. I think that Pride organizers have always been 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:42.760 on some level that safety is a priority, But in 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:45.080 the last few years and this year particular, with the 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:48.440 elevated safety concerns that have come out and the warnings 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:50.720 that have come out from the FBI, from the State Department, 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:52.959 you know, and I'm just outside New York City, I 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:56.360 mean New York City. Pride takes precautions that are they're 0:08:56.400 --> 0:09:00.640 absolutely necessary for the safety of everyone, folks who are dissipating, 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:02.600 the folks who are doing the organizing, the folks who 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:05.280 are marching, and you know, we take our own precautions, 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:08.000 like we had our staff they were at Pope County 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:11.280 Pride in Central Florida last year. One of the issues 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.000 that we have to grapple with depending on again, like 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:16.520 you said, these some of these places which are particularly hostile. 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:19.440 You know, law enforcement may be more supportive of the 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:22.440 folks who are protesting us than us, right, So we 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:26.199 also have to as one of our colleagues chanted at 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.480 creating change. You know, who keeps us safe? We keep 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:32.400 us safe, right, So we have to have our own 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:35.440 systems in place as well, and that's as an organization, 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:38.160 like our teams that go out or super connected. We 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:40.959 put locations on our you know, location on our phones. 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:44.600 We have text chains, we do check ins, they're on slack. 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:46.760 Even for those of us who are not physically there, 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.840 they need to let their supervisors or department heads know 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:51.840 when they're coming and going. And you know, we have 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:54.240 to do all those things. And it's not just physical safety. 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:57.080 There's also health issues right right, kinds of things. So 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:01.079 those are things that we don't actually talk about a lot. 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:03.640 So I actually appreciate you bringing it up because a 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:05.400 lot of folks just show up at Pride and don't 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:09.160 realize how much work has gone into both on the 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:11.640 organizing side, but also for those of us who are 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:14.959 doing the work and participating and wanting to engage folks. 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:18.520 What has to happen to really be able to not 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:22.240 just be productive and be able to enjoy and participate, 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:24.360 but to actually feel safe doing it. 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:29.480 I think that it's important to lift up because I 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:32.839 want people to understand. I mean, while we may read 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.960 right and see the headlines that tell us that the 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:39.920 times have changed for the worst. But for folks like 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:43.960 yourself that are still organizing on the ground in these 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:47.640 places that are in the headlines because of their anti gay, 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:52.400 anti trans laws, that like this has now become dangerous. 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:56.360 It was never truly safe, but now when you see 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:00.160 the target and you see the lies being sped groom 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:02.960 and these things in these are states where you know, 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:07.000 they love their guns. And so I wanted you to 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:08.720 be able to lay that out for people so that 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:12.000 they can understand that while you know, we love our 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.640 rainbows and BoA's and you know, and the dancing and 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:18.120 the celebration, what happens behind the scenes in order to 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:22.760 make that actually happen, you know, is really serious. 0:11:23.640 --> 0:11:26.600 Absolutely more and more. And I think that you know, 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.800 we're hearing we've been hearing stories now for several years 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:34.040 that we've got folks who are literally moving. They're leaving. Yeah, 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:36.719 they're leaving where they live, where they have community, where 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:38.959 they have family, where they have their jobs because their 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:43.360 trans kid can't get firming healthcare, because they're afraid because 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:45.480 of the views that they've expressed, or they've been even 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:52.680 targeted by the Proud Boys and other you know, anti LGBTQ, racist, sexist, 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:56.280 you know hate groups that they are are quite literally leave. 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:58.320 I have a friend who moved from Tennessee to upstate 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:00.000 New York and like lives in a safe house. Now 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:03.280 that's a reality. It's painful and hard to talk about, 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:05.640 but we we have to talk about that stuff, and 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:08.880 we have to talk about it when every may in 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:11.240 my position, I get a thousand calls from the media 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:13.679 what are the big issues, what are the stories? And 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:16.560 they always want to talk about progress. And I'm happy 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:19.840 to talk about progress we've made because we're also making progress. 0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:23.280 But progress isn't linear, and we are also dealing with 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:27.840 some of the most villil backlash that I've seen. And 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.440 I've been doing this for thirty years. Yeah, you know, 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:32.720 there were we had some times. You and I know 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:35.200 we were in d C right when Obama was president 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:36.360 and he's felt bad. 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:39.840 Old days, old days. 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:42.040 My daughter says, I thought, you fixed all this stuff. 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:45.080 Let's happen. Yeah, I you know, I think for young 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:48.520 people that's a this is a really important issue because 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:51.600 they do feel safer, they are more out, they are 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:54.800 more expressive, they are more in some ways, like want 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:57.440 to be you know, confronting folks, and for those of 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.440 us who've been doing this for a long time, having 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:03.240 to temper that with a message of safety is a 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:05.800 challenge a bit. And so, like I said, I mean, 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:08.400 I've been talking to media now for several weeks as 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:11.440 we've moved into June, and when I talk about what 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:14.320 the big issues are, it's to me, it's really important 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:17.120 that they start not just talking about issues, but talking 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:21.200 about people and telling our stories because there are a 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:25.320 lot more stories to tell and why those stories are important. 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.920 You know, there are so many trans youths that we 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:31.640 have worked with now for years. They are being targeted 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:34.640 in an unprecedented way. And what I keep saying to 0:13:34.720 --> 0:13:38.200 journalist is we have to stop talking about trans youth 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.400 and we have to start talking to trans youth. And 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:46.640 they're but at the same time, being the overprotective media 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:50.240 person and parents that I am, like, we're very mindful 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:53.119 about how to do that safely with folks and families 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:55.520 and what the impact can be. So all of these 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:57.720 things have come into play. So it's made for a 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.839 pretty challenging pride But you know, at the same time, 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:03.199 it's more important than ever that we actually make that, 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:05.959 like you said, like that political statement. I mean, I 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:07.520 don't care if your show up at Pride with a 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:11.280 Cosmopolitan in one hand or a picket sign show up, Yeah, 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:15.360 it's just the visibility of the representation does. What I 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:17.319 always say is one of the most important things Pride 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:19.400 can do is that for the folks that may not 0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:21.960 be there or it's their first time there, they realize 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:23.920 that they're part of something a whole lot bigger, and 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:25.560 that is what's life changing. 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.240 Because I think too that you know, for those of 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:31.480 us like me and you how have been in this movement, 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:35.800 in and around this work for decades, sometimes I forget 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:39.120 how important pride is, right. I think that, you know, 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:45.080 prior to the Trump administration and the regression that we're seeing, 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:48.160 I kind of took pride for granted. That was the 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:51.760 beauty of progress, right, was being able to be like, eh, 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:55.280 you know, it's become super corporatized, that it's not you know, 0:14:55.480 --> 0:15:00.160 uber necessary blah blah blah. And now recognizing one that 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:02.840 that was coming from a place of privilege, and two 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:07.880 that there are so many you know, young people who 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.960 this time that one march that one dance, that one 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:18.120 thing may be their entire experience to carry them through 0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:20.160 the next three hundred and sixty four days of the 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:22.760 year where they're invisibilized well. 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:25.160 And the other thing is that you know, if you're 0:15:25.160 --> 0:15:28.040 not a fan of a pride that has corporate sponsors, 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.200 they're prides without corporate sponsors. I mean, in New York 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:33.160 we have like, I don't know, like half a dozen 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:35.600 We've got New York City Pride. We've got the Career 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:38.240 Liberation March. We've got the Dike March, which I love, right, 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:41.240 we have Youth Pride. We have all these different events 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:45.000 that have become so much more diversified, which I love. 0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:47.120 We have suburban prides. I live in mont Clooney, Jersey. 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:48.800 There's a pride. Literally I will step out of my 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:51.960 building and within a block be at Pride on Saturday 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:55.640 with I don't know, fifteen twenty thousand people, which you know, 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:59.680 those are prides where it's really interesting to also see 0:15:59.720 --> 0:16:01.560 and I we've noticed this more and more over the years, 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:05.680 and it's so heartening. It's allies coming out, it's families 0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:08.480 with their kids, like we were in because it was 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.520 the Task Force's fifteenth anniversary. Last year, we actually participated 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:13.840 in a lot of the big marches and stuff, and 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:15.760 you know, we were in the New York City Pride 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:19.240 March and I can never stay still. I'm running around 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:21.800 talking to people saying hi. And I saw a kid, 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:25.440 he was about thirteen, trans boy with a big sign 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:28.200 that said, this is my first Pride. That makes all 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.120 the work of the hundreds of volunteers and the staff 0:16:31.160 --> 0:16:33.480 and the folks who do this right. And I said, 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:35.360 make sure you go to Youth Pride, make sure you 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:37.640 go to trans Pride. And he was with his mom 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:40.280 and she had a sign that said my first Pride too. 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:43.040 You know that's the kind of stuff right that that 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:46.880 is super powerful. And it's interesting because I do experience 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.560 to this with colleagues, not just the dasports but everywhere. 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:53.280 They get a little jaded. Yeah, Ill stated, you know, 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:55.720 and we get comfortable, and I think you're right. It 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:57.600 can come from a place of privilege or from a 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:01.800 place of just not wanting to participate in that kind 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:05.400 of pride. There's so many options now. That house part 0:17:05.440 --> 0:17:07.080 is if they don't want to go to a big event. 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:08.879 Some people don't like crowds. 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:09.960 Yeah, next. 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:11.760 Some of our Grand Marshals at New York City Pride 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:13.639 don't like crowds, and they still go because they know 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:17.840 that's important for folks to see them as role models, 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.040 as representations. You know. One of the things I love 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.919 is that New York City Pride this year some of 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:26.160 the Grand Marshals Miss Major is a Grand Marshal, Rockdelle 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:29.000 willis as a Grand Marshal. But they also instead of 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.719 having one youth Grand Marshal, they have three that are together, 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:36.200 and then they have their entire the heritage or Pride 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:39.159 like float that they have is all young people. It's 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:43.639 usually volunteers and whatever politicians. It's all young people this 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:47.639 year front and center, like last year when Robie Wade 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:52.000 was overturned on the Friday before the march and by 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:56.920 Sunday the front of the march was planned Parenthood, Maya Wiley, 0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:00.040 all of these other reproductive rights groups, to show the 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:03.040 solidarity that we have at to show that this is 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:07.480 actually not simply for LGBTQ people. Yeah, and that's something 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:10.080 that you know, I just you go to any of these, 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:13.640 any of these events, doesn't matter which one it is. 0:18:14.040 --> 0:18:16.480 You're going to see Mama Bear T shirts you're going 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:19.440 to see I love my trans cut T shirts. Allies 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:21.800 are coming out, you know, in lots of different ways, 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:25.040 and that you know, there aren't enough of us to 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:27.879 well maybe there are for something so some elections, but 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:31.280 we need our allies to put us over the open there. 0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:33.560 I really do finish line right exactly. 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:35.520 Because you bring up the election, which is always looming 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:37.600 over us. I want to switch gears and ask you 0:18:37.880 --> 0:18:43.639 how the Task Force is preparing for the next five months. 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:46.679 One way or the other, America is going to be 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:51.000 changed greatly by this election. And you know, we know 0:18:51.119 --> 0:18:53.359 you said it at the top, every election always the 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:57.440 most consequential. This one we know really is right. It's 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:03.120 the decision between fascism, ormocracy, between you know, white supremacy 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:08.040 or progress. So I wonder do you prepare two paths 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:12.520 if Biden continues with the second term, if Donald Trump 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:14.760 is elected, Like, what does it look like to be 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:18.159 inside of the Task Force right now as we make 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:19.400 the countdown to November. 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:21.760 Well, I mean we're a C three, so we don't 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:25.879 endorse candidates. But you know, no matter what, and again 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:28.280 in some ways, actually no matter who wins the election, 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:31.600 this is a long fight we have. You know, if 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:35.000 Biden wins and Trump doesn't win, they're still going to 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:38.359 fight for what they want, which is autocracy and fascism. 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:40.840 They're not going to suddenly stop because you know, they 0:19:40.880 --> 0:19:43.400 lost an election. You know, they didn't stop last time. 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:46.680 And I think, you know, it's fair that there are 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:49.399 a lot of progressive issues that the Task Force works 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:53.919 on that we are constructively critical towards the Biden administration 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:56.480 about that with our allies, whether it's you know, around 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:00.240 immigration or other things. And again it's it's like what 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:02.439 we talked about at our Korean Change conference, you know, 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:05.399 earlier this year, is how do we find ways to 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:08.879 have these conversations and be in principal struggle and not 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:12.280 cancel each other out right and try and continue to 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:14.120 move forward because I think at the end of the day, 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:17.560 the vast majority of folks have the same goal, right 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:19.600 in terms of where we want to end up as 0:20:19.680 --> 0:20:23.800 people from a civil rights perspective, you know, just from 0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:27.520 a cultural perspective, from a safety and having you know, 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:30.879 lives where we don't just survive but thrive. Right. So 0:20:31.560 --> 0:20:34.800 for us, it's about, you know, given the resources that 0:20:34.840 --> 0:20:37.240 we have, just being all in, you know, so whether 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:40.280 it's being at these prides where we can really I mean, 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:44.560 those are the places where you can access thousands of 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:49.040 people at once in person in ways that is they're 0:20:49.080 --> 0:20:52.440 impossible otherwise. Right, So it's a it's an organizing tool 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:55.120 that we're going to use not just through June, through 0:20:55.160 --> 0:20:57.760 the fall, because the reality is is that prides don't 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:00.320 just happen in June. Again, it's something that you know, 0:21:00.840 --> 0:21:03.479 we'll be We'll be at price through October. I mean, 0:21:03.560 --> 0:21:07.000 we have our CREA Change conferences in Las Vegas next January. 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:10.359 We're at Las Vegas Pride October twelfth, you know, and 0:21:10.400 --> 0:21:12.040 so we're going to be right up to the election. 0:21:12.200 --> 0:21:14.200 And then the other part we do is the sort 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:16.879 of the digital level organizing is, you know, is reaching 0:21:16.880 --> 0:21:20.840 out to folks across the country, working particularly with partners 0:21:20.840 --> 0:21:24.440 like our media partners are queer media especially, who are 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:27.760 all in to try and get folks. You know, the basics. 0:21:28.240 --> 0:21:30.560 Are you registered to vote if you're not, this is 0:21:30.560 --> 0:21:33.199 how you do it. If you are, get ten of 0:21:33.240 --> 0:21:35.159 your friends and family and people in your community to 0:21:35.200 --> 0:21:39.680 do it too, and if you need information about candidates, 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:43.080 about ballot initiatives, because I think what happens often in 0:21:43.080 --> 0:21:45.560 this country is people, especially the media you want to 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:48.840 talk about media, spend so much time on the national 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:52.720 election that what gets forgotten are the local level thing. Yeah, 0:21:53.280 --> 0:21:55.760 and that's in your in our day to day lives 0:21:55.760 --> 0:21:59.880 for most of us, that's where the the pain points are. Right. 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:03.240 We worked on school board elections in Polk County in 0:22:03.280 --> 0:22:07.480 central Florida last election cycle. We didn't win, but we 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:09.800 did everything we could to try and just keep things 0:22:09.840 --> 0:22:12.600 moving forward because we're in it for the long game. 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:15.439 We may not have success on some of these balid 0:22:15.480 --> 0:22:18.880 initiatives or local you know, quarter bed campaigns or primary 0:22:19.760 --> 0:22:22.399 this election cycle, but we're not going anywhere. We've been 0:22:22.440 --> 0:22:24.200 around fifty years, We're going to be around another fifty 0:22:24.480 --> 0:22:27.560 And the reality is that we have to build the 0:22:27.600 --> 0:22:32.440 power locally because it can't be everywhere. And you know, 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:36.800 we partner with local folks. That's the key. We know, 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:39.479 national organization could just walk in and say we're going 0:22:39.480 --> 0:22:41.240 to you know, we're gonna help you. That's I mean, 0:22:41.600 --> 0:22:44.000 maybe some of them do, but we don't because we 0:22:44.080 --> 0:22:46.160 set what do you need? How can we be helpful? 0:22:46.200 --> 0:22:50.560 Like for the Summerlee primary, in Pennsylvania. We dispatched one 0:22:50.560 --> 0:22:54.800 of our staff and you know, they basically didn't want 0:22:54.840 --> 0:22:56.480