WEBVTT - Bottomless Benefit of the Doubt 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:14.600 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to WIKA F Daily with 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:19.239 Meet your Girl Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker, Folks, 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:23.280 if you want a good laugh, Apparently it was announced 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:27.480 this week that Senator Tim Scott is going to be 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:33.480 launching his Exploratory Presidential Committee. And I'm like, you can 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:35.880 waste money if you want to, but I can't think 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:40.159 of a person that would be a worse president than 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:46.280 that sycophant trash Tim Scott. Tim Scott is the reason, folks, 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:50.360 if you remember why we don't have the George Floyd 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:54.880 Legislation right because he, along with Republicans, won't get rid 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:58.920 of qualified immunity that allows us the ability to you know, 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:04.320 whole old police officers accountable for killing unarmed, innocent people. 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:09.280 Tim Scott is one of those black folks who believe 0:01:09.440 --> 0:01:13.040 that racism doesn't exist because look where he is. So 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:15.280 apparently the rest of us are just making shit up 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:19.360 in our heads. It's just laughable, Like it's laughable who 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:23.000 the Republican Party has to put out, as you know, 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:28.039 their potential candidates from Donald Trump, a man who is 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:32.360 indicted on thirty four felon accounts, Ron de Santis, who 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:36.480 is just you know, Cruella de Ville in a suit, 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:40.479 Nicky Haley, who has anybody heard a peep from her 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:45.040 since her announcement. These people are ridiculous and they're nobodies, 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:48.279 and they have no policies to offer the American people. 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:51.280 But that's why it is so important for us to 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:54.000 pay attention to what is happening at the states and 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:57.560 what is happening at the local level. Like we have 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:01.080 all eyes on Tennessee right now, and I just want 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:05.200 to lift up for you that Missouri, the state legislature there, 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:11.040 the Republican Party voted to defund all public libraries. Can 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:14.520 you imagine being a part of a political party that 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:22.400 is championing banning books and defunding libraries at a time 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:25.720 when children are being killed in their classrooms by AAR fifteens, 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:30.200 the same party where their federal representatives replace flag pins 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:34.880 with pins of AAR fifteens their weapon of mass murdering choice. 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:38.280 And so you know, for me, it's like, yes, are 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:40.639 we going to be paying attention to the presidential twenty 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:43.040 twenty four, But I also want us to be paying 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:46.880 attention to what Republicans and the fascist regimes that they 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:50.920 are backing or doing at every step and in every place, 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:58.400 because it is wildly fucking dangerous. And while folks, while 0:02:58.520 --> 0:03:02.320 we are continuing to have our eyes on Tennessee, we 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:04.760 know that at some point in time we will move 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:09.280 on to the next catastrophe, to the next disaster. We're 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:13.040 still trying to figure out what has gone awry in Kentucky. 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:16.400 But I can tell you that with regard to what's 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:19.160 gone awry in Kentucky, I want you to check out 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:24.880 if you have not, check out my Instagram because I 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:30.800 posted two headlines, two front page articles from the New 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:35.320 York Post, one with regard to the killing of Trayvon 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:41.320 Martin and the other to the mass murdering killer in Kentucky. 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:46.200 And it is just you will never see a person 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:51.280 get more humanized than a white mass shooter in the 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:56.520 United States. These articles, even including from The Daily Beasts, 0:03:56.600 --> 0:04:02.760 where I write and host another podcast, have headlines that 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:08.280 are elevating this guy's connection to sports and what he 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:11.440 did in college. I don't give a fuck. Do you 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.440 think I give a fuck about his resume? I think 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.360 I care what activities he participated in. He walked into 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:26.040 a conference room and killed his coworkers within a R fifteen, 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:30.479 So shouldn't we be having that conversation not trying to 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:35.080 humanize him. But at the same time, these same media 0:04:35.120 --> 0:04:40.279 outlets that claim their bullshit neutrality work overtime to dehumanize 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:45.320 and look for any element to make it justifiable to 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:49.920 murder unarmed children, like the New York posted with Trayvon Martin. 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:53.320 I just, you know, there are times when I get 0:04:53.400 --> 0:04:57.960 so fucking disgusted, and this week was one of them 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:02.360 as I looked at headline after line about this fucking 0:05:04.160 --> 0:05:08.440 white male mass shooting murderer. Right, It's just, you know, 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:13.960 I'm telling you, it's like the benefit of the doubt 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:17.800 has no bottom when it comes to mainstream media and 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:24.080 white murderers. It's really amazing. Coming up today on this episode, 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:27.599 I'm really excited to welcome to woka F for the 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:33.400 first time Natalie Thompson, who is the co president of InterPride, 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:37.160 And in this conversation, Natalie and I talk about the 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:42.120 attacks that have been happening on the lgbt QIA plus community, 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:46.400 not only in this country but around the globe, and 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:53.520 how the legislation horrific, horrific legislation that has been put 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:58.320 forward in Uganda that would not only criminalize the queer 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:02.120 community but also sentenced them to death. Where these ideas 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:06.560 and these pieces of legislation come from. So that conversation 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:13.640 with Natalie Thompson is coming up next, folks. I am 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:16.240 very happy to welcome to woke f a daily for 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:20.560 the very first time, Natalie Thompson, who is co president 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:27.280 for InterPride. Natalie, before we jump into I mean, my goodness, 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:31.720 the attacks both globally and at home that are happening 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:38.320 against LGBTQ plus community, please tell us about InterPride and 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:42.919 your mission. Yeah. So, Enterpride as an organization that was 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:48.279 founded forty years ago. We're actually celebrating our fortieth this year, Congress. 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:51.360 Thank you and thank you for having me. By the way, 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:55.440 So Enterprise as an organization that was really founded on 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:59.520 bringing people together around a common goal of Q meeting 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:04.359 prior organizers and the goal is to share best practices. 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:06.640 The goal is to talk about what are the issues 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.920 that our communities are facing and how do we continue 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:18.560 to push this global pride movement. The goal is to share, convene. 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:21.440 The goal is to talk about human rights. The goal 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:25.360 is to uplift the needs and concerns of individuals who 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:30.160 are part of our LGBTQ plus community. And with that, 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:34.120 we have solidarity funds, we have scholarship funds. We are 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:37.880 looking to distribute money to communities that need it in 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:44.560 order to continue convening, who needed to fund housing opportunities, 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:48.680 who are looking to advance training, education, anything that you 0:07:48.680 --> 0:07:51.520 could possibly think of. Our goal is to be a 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:55.840 source of support number one, uplifting issues on a global scale. 0:07:56.200 --> 0:08:02.280 Number two, really having support in these local communities, really 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:07.600 being able to pride opportunities for solidarity, really being able 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:11.119 to pride opportunities for funding. And our goal is also 0:08:11.360 --> 0:08:17.360 to raise the profile of why pride is important. When 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:20.280 people look at Pride, they're just like, oh, it's a 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:24.640 it's a party, it's a march. But Pride is very 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:27.880 different around the world. So I think sometimes people come 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.040 from it with a very US centric view and it's 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.960 just those parties and marches. But really Pride looks like 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:37.480 a picnic and like South Africa where folks have a 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:41.120 safe space to build community and to not be in isolation, 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:46.000 or it looks like a dinner. It looks very different 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:47.680 around the world. And our goal is to be able 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:51.280 to provide opportunities and be able to uplift that Pride 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:56.480 is about community. Pride is about solidarity, and pride is 0:08:56.520 --> 0:09:04.600 about building chosen family when sometimes folks don't have that. 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:07.640 And so for us, that's the most important thing, is 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:12.120 not only to uplift these issues, but to also recognize 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:14.680 that somebody is coming out for the first time and 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:17.120 they're looking for community. And I think many of us 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:19.440 who are part of this community remember that moment. We're like, 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.760 I found my people, and that's really important, you know. 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:29.280 It's I think that over the last couple of years, 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:35.320 we've been dealing as a community with some horrific tragedies, 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:42.800 horrific rollbacks of rights representation that I couldn't have foresaw 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:46.520 in twenty fifteen when the White House turned rainbow for 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:51.280 the very first time, couldn't have foresaw when I was 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:55.000 able to attend my very first Pride event at the 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:59.880 White House in the Obama years. And I think that 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:04.160 it is important for folks listening, whether you are Allies 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:08.040 or a part of the LGBTQ plus community, to recognize 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:12.000 that and remember that Pride in the United States, for example, 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:16.560 started as a riot, right started as a pushback against 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:21.480 over policing and police violence directed at the queer community. 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:25.280 And it was black trans women that fought back, that 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:30.440 initially fought back against having to deal with not only 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:35.000 the racism, but the homophobia and the transphobia. And so 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:40.080 you know, before we dig in, Natalie, with what has 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:46.600 been transpiring in the United States over the last seven years, 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:51.320 I want to talk about what is happening in Uganda. 0:10:51.679 --> 0:10:55.280 And like I said to you before we started recording, 0:10:55.840 --> 0:11:02.120 I remember the first criminalization of the queer community in Uganda, 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:04.880 which I believe you said, was back in twenty fourteen, 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:09.520 and I remember it because I was covering it and 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:15.840 I remember reading about what was happening there and my 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:21.800 heart truly breaking for queer people who were not only 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:25.560 going to be thrown in jail, but put to death 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:33.520 right if their neighbors or their family, if anyone in 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:39.640 their community knew who they were. They have since now 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:43.560 nine years later, doubled down and are doing things that 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:47.320 are even worse. So can you paint the picture as 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:50.559 to why Enterpride felt the need to issue a statement 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:56.720 recently with regard to what is happening in Uganda. Absolutely 0:11:57.040 --> 0:12:01.199 so to just talk about why we issue this statement. 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:06.600 So we are a global organization. We recognize that we 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:11.520 are a global pride movement. So what happens in Uganda, 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.000 or what happens in the United States, or what happens 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:16.760 in Russia or what happens anywhere around the world has 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:21.079 an impact on our global movement. And so what's happening 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:24.000 and the reasons why we felt the need to issue 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:27.080 a statement about what's happening in Uganda is because of 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:31.360 number one, solidarity with lgbt plus folks, but also to 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:36.600 pinpoint that individuals are at risk of being put to 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:41.680 death for being who they are. There is nothing about 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:44.920 that that is okay. And so I think we can 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:47.200 sit here and say, oh, but that's what's happening in 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:50.680 Uganda like that, that doesn't mean anything about here. But 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:53.720 what happens here and what happens there, they're all interrelated. 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:56.360 They're all interconnected. If you come for one of us, 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.000 you come for all of us. And we need to 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:01.120 be really clear that if we're not standing with our 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:04.280 lgbt plus community members around the world, and what are 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:07.480 we standing for? And so the fact that you can 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:12.320 be outed by family or by a neighbor. The fact 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:15.400 that you could potentially be sentenced to twenty years in 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:21.680 prison just for who you are is a human rights violation. 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:26.880 And so for us there is this is some of 0:13:26.920 --> 0:13:33.720 the most strict and abrasive and outrageous laws against LGBT 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:38.240 plus people, and as an organization, silence would be we 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:42.079 would be complicit to not say something to elevate that 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.960 this is not okay. And you see that there have 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:49.440 been recent protests in South Africa and folks really standing 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:51.360 up for people, and you've gone to to say this 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:55.120 is not right. As of right now, it was passed 0:13:56.480 --> 0:14:00.560 by lawmakers there, but it's sitting with the president right now. 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:04.360 The president has not signed it yet, and so this 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:07.000 sort of is one of those situations like what happened 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:10.360 in twenty fourteen, if I'm remembering correctly, It sat there 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:15.880 and he and they did not pass that law, like 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:18.160 it went through the court system and they realized that 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:19.960 this was not going to be a law that they 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:22.760 could pass, so they're doubling down. We have not learned 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:24.840 from our mistakes from the past. We have not done 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.280 enough to elevate the needs to really support our community, 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:31.320 and so we're finding ourselves in this cyclical cycle of 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:35.520 doing this all over again, and it's just not okay. 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.680 You know, it really isn't okay. And I think that 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:45.680 what troubles me about this, and through research that I 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:50.360 have done, is that you know, Uganda has been one 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:53.600 of those places that it has been ripe for Christian 0:14:53.680 --> 0:15:01.080 missionary work yea. And it is evangelical Christian that have 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:08.200 found their way into nations in Africa in order to 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:12.840 poison the ground for LGBTQ people. And this is this 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:17.080 is the fruit of that poisoning. And I think that 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:20.720 it's important for folks listening. Let's say, well, I couldn't 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.720 even point out you've gottena on a map. Well, I'll 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:26.120 tell you what you can point out. You can point 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:31.680 out Florida, you can point out Texas, you can point 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:37.240 out Mississippi, Arkansas, and all of the states that right 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:42.320 now are criminalizing trans people in this country, are criminalizing 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:47.680 the parents of trans children in this country, have created 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:51.560 their own witch hunt. Ronda Santis asked for the medical 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:58.360 records from universities of trans students that asked for care, 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:03.320 right that asked that sought care. The question that I 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:07.160 had asked was the hell you need those records for right. 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:10.600 You're not a doctor. What do you do if a school, 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:14.160 if a university, an institution says that they are going 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:20.360 to provide care for their LGBTQ plus students, what do 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:25.000 you need those records for? Right to the bill that 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:28.680 was passed in Texas that said that any parent that 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:32.680 would seek gender affirming care for their child would be 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:37.640 investigated by their child Protective Services and face criminal charges. So, 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:43.720 for folks who look and hear about horrific bills that 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:47.800 will put people to death, what I want people to understand, Natalie, 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:49.920 and what I want you to be able to explain 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:56.720 even more, is that death looks different in different places. Yes, 0:16:56.760 --> 0:17:01.240 it does, because you can be put to death in 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.239 front of a firing squad or hung or whatever it 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:08.040 is that these politicians in these Southern states are trying 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:10.320 to put back on the books, like we live in 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:16.640 the dark ages, you can also die by suicide because 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:19.200 you're unable to actually live free in your own skin. 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:23.480 We already know that the statistics for trans children in 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:28.639 LGBTQ youth is I think four times higher than the 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:32.359 national average of queer youth. And so I want you 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:35.959 to be able to speak to why it's important for 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:41.399 us to make these connections, to understand that what is 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:45.840 happening in these far off nations that people don't necessarily 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:48.880 know and will never visit, and that's sad for them. 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:51.960 But I'm going to go about my life here why 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:56.800 it matters. So I think it's really important to just 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:02.720 name that these things are distract to real issues that exist, 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:08.080 and they become larger issues because people's lives are at 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.280 stake here. And so as we talk about let's talk 0:18:11.280 --> 0:18:15.720 about the like don't say gay bill, Let's talk about 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:24.040 banning drag queens, let's talk about banning trans students from 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:29.720 participating in collegiate sports. Let's talk about all of the 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:33.160 things that folks are doing that in and of itself, 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:36.040 people are like, oh, well, you know, it's not a 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:39.199 huge deal, it doesn't really matter. But what's happening is 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:41.640 it's a distraction from what's really going on. And so 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:45.439 when you're talking about someone who is living in a 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:49.639 space where they're banning drag queens, there are individuals who 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:52.480 potentially could be walking down the street who are part 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:55.600 of our trans community that somebody could say, hey, I 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:58.280 think that you know, you are a drag queen, and 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:00.520 so you're breaking the law. Right now, we have people 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:03.280 who cannot just freely walk down the street. We have 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:07.240 also individuals policing other individuals saying, like, I know have 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:11.439 the right to say that your your identity, who you 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:15.280 are as a person is either legal or illegal. I'd 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:20.200 have the right now to say, like, we can't talk 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:23.200 about your experience as a family, Like we don't talk 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:27.399 about queerness, We don't talk about any of these things 0:19:27.440 --> 0:19:31.640 that humanize individuals. And it's what the issue is. It's 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:35.160 everything is being to humanize, and it comes down to, oh, well, 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:37.720 I don't want my child exposed to this, or I 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:40.720 don't understand it, or it goes against my religion, and 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:43.199 all of these things are distractions because we forgot to 0:19:43.200 --> 0:19:45.119 see the other person who's sitting next to me as 0:19:45.119 --> 0:19:51.639 a human being. Wet we forgot to look at you know, healthcare, 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:55.240 it's a human right. Everyone should have access to healthcare. 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:57.760 And so when you say that someone shouldn't be able 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.200 to do whatever they want with their body, who are 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:04.840 you to say that they shouldn't be allowed to get 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:08.359 an abortion, they shouldn't be allowed to participate in gender 0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:10.320 affirming here they shouldn't be allowed to do all of 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:13.440 these things. It is their health and they should have 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:18.800 the agency over their own health. And we look at 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:22.760 them as separate issues. But it's no different than anything 0:20:22.760 --> 0:20:25.520 that's ever happened in our history. It's no different than 0:20:29.359 --> 0:20:33.040 I always get so emotional and worked up about it. 0:20:33.080 --> 0:20:39.760 But it's no different than like what happened with interracial relationships, 0:20:39.840 --> 0:20:42.800 somebody telling who you couldn't love. It's no different than 0:20:43.920 --> 0:20:48.480 somebody telling you couldn't use a water fountain. All of 0:20:48.520 --> 0:20:51.040 these things. It's just history repeating itself, and we just 0:20:51.119 --> 0:20:54.880 have a new marginalized group that we're focused on. And 0:20:54.960 --> 0:20:58.480 so instead of focusing on how do we all thrive, 0:20:58.640 --> 0:21:02.320 we focus on I've got to impose my beliefs or 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:06.200 I've got to make someone else's experience criminalized in order 0:21:06.200 --> 0:21:10.000 to elevate myself. I've got to distract somebody from what 0:21:10.119 --> 0:21:12.120 are the real issues because I don't want to deal 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:16.800 with them. And we put it under this guise of religion. 0:21:17.800 --> 0:21:19.920 You know, it's it's belief, and at the end of 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:25.639 the day, that's not true. No, it's folks not seeing 0:21:25.640 --> 0:21:28.120 each other as human beings and folks not seeing each 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:34.480 other as when when you provide care to folks, we 0:21:34.560 --> 0:21:40.480 all thrive like we don't see ourselves as a as 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:43.520 a collective. We see ourselves as us first them, And 0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:48.439 this rhetoric won't change until we realize that I am 0:21:48.480 --> 0:21:54.520 my brother's keeper. I am here to support others just 0:21:54.560 --> 0:21:58.080 like they're here to support me. And when we do that, 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:00.920 when we when we don't do that and we don't 0:22:00.920 --> 0:22:05.040 support people, we end up with individuals feeling like they 0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:10.280 are they have no other recourse, they have no agency 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:12.800 over their own life. And imagine if you weren't able 0:22:12.840 --> 0:22:15.160 to make the decisions that you wanted to make for yourself. 0:22:15.520 --> 0:22:17.560 Imagine what that would do to your mental health. Imagine 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:20.040 what that would do to you as an individual in 0:22:20.080 --> 0:22:22.200 this world of I don't have a place, I don't 0:22:22.240 --> 0:22:25.040 have a community, I don't have rights. And so, yes, 0:22:25.160 --> 0:22:28.960 death by suicide is very high. Homelessness is also extremely 0:22:29.040 --> 0:22:35.040 high within our community. Substance use is high within our community, 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:39.760 and it's all because we have demonized folks for being 0:22:39.840 --> 0:22:42.879 who they are and loving who they are and creating 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:46.360 space for us all to thrive instead of just some 0:22:46.440 --> 0:22:48.840 who fit into a cookie cutter box. So this is 0:22:48.880 --> 0:22:51.399 what this is what it's supposed to be like. And 0:22:51.440 --> 0:22:53.919 if you don't fit in, you're a deviant and we 0:22:54.000 --> 0:22:57.840 must punish you for that deviation. And it's unacceptable. But 0:22:57.880 --> 0:23:03.040 it will continue if we if we don't speak up. 0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:05.560 It will continue if we continue to see each other 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:08.840 as political points, or we continue to see each other 0:23:08.960 --> 0:23:15.360 as as enemies, as something to be feared, because that's 0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:19.160 all this is. We fear what we don't understand. But 0:23:19.200 --> 0:23:21.160 we also don't take the time to really truly get 0:23:21.160 --> 0:23:24.040 to know other people and get to know their experiences, 0:23:24.080 --> 0:23:25.680 and so we're end up. We end up with I 0:23:25.720 --> 0:23:29.280 think we have like over four hundred bills now state 0:23:29.320 --> 0:23:35.280 bills that are anti LGBT plus. Right. What I want 0:23:35.320 --> 0:23:38.800 people to understand again is that you don't need to 0:23:38.840 --> 0:23:41.960 know somebody that is queer, You don't need to ever 0:23:42.040 --> 0:23:45.199 have come across somebody that is trans What you have 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:48.920 to understand as human beings, right, and that human beings 0:23:48.960 --> 0:23:54.200 have self determination and the ability to actualize their fullness 0:23:54.760 --> 0:23:59.880 right without harm to anyone else. And when we get 0:24:00.000 --> 0:24:04.600 into a situation where we are currently being able to 0:24:05.960 --> 0:24:09.920 box people right, to place them into categories and then 0:24:09.960 --> 0:24:13.439 to shove them back into closets and into the margins. 0:24:13.800 --> 0:24:20.040 We lose our own humanness, right, and our own connectedness. 0:24:20.119 --> 0:24:23.320 And that's the point. I think that the point is, 0:24:23.600 --> 0:24:27.280 you know, the point is to create as much fear 0:24:27.400 --> 0:24:30.800 of the other as possible. Right. The point was to 0:24:30.920 --> 0:24:33.399 say that black men are dangerous and they're coming for 0:24:33.440 --> 0:24:36.240 your white women. The point was to say that black 0:24:36.280 --> 0:24:40.120 women are sexual deviance and they're coming for your white men. 0:24:40.600 --> 0:24:43.159 You know. The point was that, oh, their communities need 0:24:43.240 --> 0:24:47.160 to be over police because they're criminals. Right, So it 0:24:47.240 --> 0:24:51.080 is part of a larger cycle. It is part of 0:24:51.119 --> 0:24:56.960 a larger pattern. You just pick a different victim, like 0:24:57.119 --> 0:25:01.200 you said, Natalie, with the time that we we have left, 0:25:01.240 --> 0:25:05.720 you know, tell folks how they can get involved with 0:25:05.880 --> 0:25:09.760 Inenterpride and how they can get involved with what should 0:25:09.840 --> 0:25:16.399 be a global active resistance against legislation, like what is 0:25:16.400 --> 0:25:20.520 happening in this country and what is happening abroad. Yeah. 0:25:20.520 --> 0:25:24.880 So for Enterpride, we're a membership organization and that's made 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:29.080 up of pride networks and local prides, and so anybody 0:25:29.080 --> 0:25:31.159 who wants to join, if you are part of a 0:25:31.200 --> 0:25:35.280 pride network, please come and sign up for a membership, 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:39.040 and we have a sliding scale on membership or organization 0:25:39.040 --> 0:25:41.600 because our goal is to be accessible to everybody around 0:25:41.600 --> 0:25:46.240 the world, and within that we consistently have dialogue around 0:25:46.560 --> 0:25:51.159 how do we continue to support We have our Enterpride podcast, 0:25:51.560 --> 0:25:55.440 which we really dive really deep into topics that are 0:25:55.680 --> 0:25:59.479 pressing in that moment, and so we also have a 0:25:59.600 --> 0:26:02.200 racist and an oppression and awareness program where we really 0:26:02.240 --> 0:26:05.879 talk about how racism and oppression are very much alive 0:26:05.880 --> 0:26:08.520 within LGBT plus spaces and how we can continue to 0:26:08.560 --> 0:26:12.000 do that against that. We also have a scholarship program, 0:26:12.040 --> 0:26:15.000 and so if you a scholarship and solidarity grants program, 0:26:15.080 --> 0:26:19.280 so if you have it to give, we get We 0:26:19.359 --> 0:26:24.280 get a number of emails and phone calls from organizations 0:26:24.280 --> 0:26:26.760 in Uganta and around the world who are dealing with 0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:31.080 op oppressive systems who need support, and so we are 0:26:31.280 --> 0:26:35.879 providing funding directly to those organizations. There's a number of 0:26:35.920 --> 0:26:38.120 ways to get involved, and we just ask people to 0:26:38.160 --> 0:26:40.280 go on our website, check out all of our social 0:26:40.320 --> 0:26:44.000 media platforms, stay connected. If you have an idea for 0:26:44.080 --> 0:26:46.240 a podcast, bring it our way. If you're somebody who 0:26:46.280 --> 0:26:49.119 wants to elevate a human rights issue, bring it to us, 0:26:49.160 --> 0:26:52.000 we will create space to really get it out there 0:26:52.080 --> 0:26:55.320 into the community, and that's part of our Pride network. 0:26:55.359 --> 0:26:58.760 And then also larger than that, our goal is to 0:26:58.840 --> 0:27:06.359 just really elevate not only what is the issues that 0:27:06.400 --> 0:27:10.480 are community faces, but also really elevate the joy and 0:27:10.760 --> 0:27:14.119 love and community that exists. Our goal is to make 0:27:14.160 --> 0:27:16.600 sure that we can continue to grow so folks know 0:27:16.680 --> 0:27:20.960 that safe spaces do exist in their communities and if 0:27:20.960 --> 0:27:23.800 they currently don't, how can we as enterprise help you 0:27:23.880 --> 0:27:26.760 to create something where you all can be able to meet, 0:27:27.400 --> 0:27:31.600 have access to resources that you need, and continue to 0:27:31.640 --> 0:27:36.280 grow that network. Our goal is to be a support 0:27:36.400 --> 0:27:39.800 for all of these organizations and these individuals to create 0:27:39.840 --> 0:27:43.720 the community that best represents how they want to be 0:27:43.760 --> 0:27:46.439 supported and represented in those areas. And it looks very 0:27:46.480 --> 0:27:51.760 different around the world. So yeah, that's some of the 0:27:51.800 --> 0:27:55.600