WEBVTT - Authenticity in Action 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:14.960 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to WOKF Daily with Meet 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:19.439 your Girl Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks, 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:23.919 I am very excited to kick off. You can't ban 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.760 queer Joy on WOKAF as you know, if you've been 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:31.440 listening to the show for a few years now, that 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:36.280 we do our best to bring you some of the 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:41.920 most important voices, conversations issues that are affecting the LGBTQ 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:46.760 plus community during the month of Pride. We take Pride 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:52.840 very seriously on WOKF and we're working in collaboration with 0:00:52.880 --> 0:00:55.960 our friends at GLAD in order to bring you some 0:00:56.240 --> 0:01:00.800 of the best guests and really dig into the issues 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.840 as well as the joy. Folks. You know, it is 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:07.240 a really hard balance that we are walking these days 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:12.040 with trying to remain hopeful and joyful and stand in 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:15.600 faith about our ability to continue to march forward with 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:20.400 progress given everything that is being thrown at our democracy, 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:26.560 at our ability to persevere when there are unrelenting forces 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:29.560 that want nothing to do then erase us, oppress us, 0:01:30.040 --> 0:01:33.160 and drown us out with hate. And so you know, 0:01:33.319 --> 0:01:37.560 in these conversations, I think that it's really important for 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.480 us to look at what solutions look like, which is 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.640 why I'm really excited to bring you this conversation today 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:49.880 with Lauren Bear, who is the executive director of Arena, 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:54.040 an organization that we've brought to you before on WOKF 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:58.320 whose work is to convene, train, and support the next 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:02.880 generation of candidates and campaign staff. And what does that 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:06.240 look like right in this climate? Lauren and I talk 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:10.600 about the ways in which the challenges I guess, and 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:14.240 the ways in which the campaign staff and just folks 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.720 in general who want to get involved in politics are 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:23.400 having to weigh their personal safety, the safety of their family, 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:27.440 versus their commitment to public service and wanting to do good. 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:29.720 And what does that look like? What does it look 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:33.079 like to train people in this climate When we've had 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:38.880 conversations on WOOKF about democratic offices being shot at or 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:42.080 staff being beat up, all of which we have covered, 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:47.160 there is a heightened sense of fear and anxiety and 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:50.679 arise in political violence, and so all of that right 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:54.480 is to deter good people from wanting to get involved 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.120 in their communities and for us to all feel like 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:02.079 we are helpless. But you know the purpose of Arena 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:08.320 is really to give people the support, the network, and 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.680 the skill set to be able to not only run, 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:14.600 but to be able to win. And for those people 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:18.560 who are interested in what it means to run a campaign, 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:22.080 what it means to be a campaign staffer, Arena is 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:25.280 a one stop shop for all of that information as well. 0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:29.560 And in my conversation today with Lauren, you know, she 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:34.080 also comes to it from a queer lens, as a 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:38.240 queer woman who is married with two children, and will 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:40.640 share with us the fears that she has for her 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.840 own children and why this work that she is doing 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:48.200 is so incredibly important and personal, how the politics have 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:52.440 become personal for her now that she is a mother 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:55.880 and a wife, And what does it mean right at 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:58.440 a time when you can't really look at your children 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:01.520 and think you know your future is going to be bright? 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:03.920 And so what is the work that each and every 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.400 single one of us are doing to ensure that the 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:12.320 next generation is better off than the last generation? And 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:15.600 right now that's not how it looks, folks, not by 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:18.800 a long shot, and not by the statistics. So I 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:22.080 really hope that you enjoy this conversation that I get 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:25.760 into with Lauren Bear from Arena, and that if you 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:29.080 are interested in connecting with them. We will put that 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:33.800 in the show notes as well. Coming up next my 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:40.479 conversation with Lauren bear Folks. I am very excited to 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:44.880 welcome back to WOKF Daily Lauren Behar, who is the 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:48.960 managing partner of Arena, a progressive organization that trains and 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:53.960 supports diverse democratic campaign operatives and helps provide a critical 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:57.920 staff for competitive races up and down the ballot across 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:03.240 the country. Lauren, let's jump right in first. You know, 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:07.920 every election, whether it is state, local, or national, what 0:05:07.960 --> 0:05:11.320 we are seeing outside of the US Senate, of course, 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:17.360 is a progressive slate of candidates. Is also candidates that 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:22.040 actually look like the areas that they are serving. We're 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:26.520 seeing people, women, people of color, queer people, those that 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:31.440 live at the intersections of multiple identities enter into politics 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:35.800 because they actually want to make a difference and they 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:40.039 want they want to stop waiting for other people to 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.640 save them. I want to open, you know, with the 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:48.240 first question with regard to what are you hearing and 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:52.760 seeing with regard to what is motivating people, whether it 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:57.160 is to run for elected office or the trainings that 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:00.400 you do for operatives, to say, you know, what all 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:04.400 is not lost, and I want to go all in well. 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:07.359 First of all, Danielle, thank you so much for having 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:10.680 me back. Love to be here on looke Af, And 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:14.480 I think you're right. We are seeing more and more 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:18.520 diverse individuals running for office and more and more diverse 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:22.400 people working on campaigns. And in the first instance, I 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:25.720 think part of why we're seeing that is because we 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:30.640 realize as progressives and as a party that when we 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:33.760 run people for office and when we build campaign teams 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:37.640 that look like the communities they're going to represent, they're 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:41.840 more effective, they win more often because people want to 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:46.560 see themselves reflected in their leaders. And there is so 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:51.960 much that is bringing people into the arena today. You 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.880 just need to look around the country from the federal 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:59.120 level down to the state level, and this really awful 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:05.120 space of negative and harmful legislation that's coming from Republicans, 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:09.679 coming from the GOP, and whether it's limiting the rights 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:14.760 of the LGBTQ community and particularly trans people, or whether 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:19.560 it's limiting women's reproductive freedom or standing by idly in 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:25.280 the face of gun violence, people are pretty frustrated with 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:31.680 what a grim and bleak future that kind of governing 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:37.520 presents for America. But while they're frustrated, they haven't given 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:42.440 up hope. There isn't a lack of optimism. And you know, 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:46.120 one of the most interesting and hopeful things for me 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:50.360 is how all of these terrible things that are happening 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:56.320 are actually driving people in particularly new voices, to enter 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:59.200 the political arena to say that we can do better. 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:02.360 In fact, we must do better if we want to 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:06.360 fulfill the kind of broad promises on which our country 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:09.880 was found in this notion truly of having liberty, justice, 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:11.120 equality for all people. 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:17.840 I feel like you have so many different kinds of 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:21.800 buckets of people, but there are some that when they 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:25.840 are faced with a considerable amount of obstacles, that they 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:28.440 look for the opportunities in them that they say, you 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:33.720 know what, maybe as things are falling apart, right, that 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:38.080 there is an opportunity to grow something better because there 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:41.040 are always going to be those people that we need 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:48.720 to hold on to that authentic, real, raw hopefulness and faith. Right. 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.880 You know, I'm not a religious person, but I am 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.760 a person that does believe that you have to have 0:08:56.960 --> 0:09:00.800 some type of faith and hopefulness or to enter into 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:04.680 the arena of politics, particularly now, like there just has 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.280 to be something that is greater than yourself that is 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:11.800 driving you, because there are so many other things excuse me, 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:17.120 that are working against you. And so when we see, 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:23.160 on one hand, you have a political party that is 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:27.160 hell bent on a rasure, that is hell bent on 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:36.600 white grievance, that is hell bent on coddling white anxiety, 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:42.000 and that at the other side of that is to 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:45.400 make sure that you are punishing as many people that 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:49.080 you believe is causing the harm. So there is a 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:53.400 significant push and pull that is happening right now. It's 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:57.360 not the same as it was before. I'm assuming, but 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:01.120 you tell me in how you were training operatives to 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:08.000 deal with how to manage campaigns. Because I don't know 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:11.440 about you, Lauren, but I keep seeing stories about attacks 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:16.840 that are happening, whether it be physical attacks, shootings that 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:21.480 are occurring at political offices, but there is heightened political violence. 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:27.000 And so how do you train in a way that 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:32.240 is different now than it was, say seven eight, you know, 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:36.600 pre Trump time, when our politics hadn't been hijacked by 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.600 you know, domestic terrorists. 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:43.120 Yeah, human you raise so many good points there, Danielle. 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.760 And first of all, you're right, I think individuals are 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:52.559 being confronted with this choice right now. Do I stand 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:56.920 idly by where at a time when I am being attacked, 0:10:56.960 --> 0:10:59.760 when my community is being attacked, when there is this 0:10:59.840 --> 0:11:03.720 active effort at erasure, or do I raise my hand 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:07.240 and say, very much so, I am, I'm here, I 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:11.080 am present. I want to be counted and I want 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:14.040 to make change in my community. And we're seeing so 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:18.240 many people do that, but it is very much an 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:22.600 act of bravery to do so. You know, at Arena, 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:27.240 we give individuals the hard skills that they need to 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:31.440 run campaigns, to be organizers, but we're also very clear 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:36.480 eyed about what the risks are in this day and 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:40.080 age to be involved in politics, and we train individuals 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:45.079 how to protect themselves online and offline, how to protect 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:49.920 the communities that they are working in. It's a sad 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:55.560 fact that this is a feature of politics these days, 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:59.880 and it's a feature by design, right. The Republican motivation 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:06.520 and here is to attempt to govern by fear and 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:11.440 to make the other side, to make progressives feel so 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:15.520 concerned for their physical and mental well being that they 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:19.400 stay at home. And what we're trying to do is 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:24.040 teach individuals that despite these these very real and heavy 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:28.160 burdens that we bury carry when we enter the political arena, 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:32.760 that there are ways to do the work to keep 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:37.400 yourself safe and to better your community. Uh, at the 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:40.040 same time that you're proving that these Republican tactics are 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:45.920 ultimately ineffective at creating uh, this kind of bleak, dark 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:49.600 picture of America that that they want to So it 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:55.560 does involve new tactics, new new curriculum, but at the 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:59.800 same time, it's very much a motivator for people who 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:00.959 want want to see something different. 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:04.079 Right now, what are some of the biggest concerns that 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:08.920 that you are hearing that come up in your trainings 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.840 or in conversations, and particularly what are what are the 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:16.240 areas in which you do train. I want people to 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.760 be reminded of the areas that you do train, because 0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:24.040 campaigns are a behemoth onto themselves, right, and so for 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:28.560 people to really understand the different apparatus that we're talking 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:29.120 about here. 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:31.840 Yeah, So, first of all, I guess, stepping back a minute, 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:36.440 you know, arena exists to really expand and diversify who 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:40.040 can enter politics. You know, again, we feel that our 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:44.480 democracy is more effective when it's more reflective and we 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:46.840 bring folks in. You don't have to have any campaign 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:50.040 experience to do one of our trainings, and we train 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:53.640 folks along all of the different disciplines you might find 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:56.280 work on in a campaign. So whether you want to 0:13:56.280 --> 0:14:00.520 be a campaign manager, or work on fundraising, or do 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:04.600 communications or data or digital work, or be out in 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:08.600 the field knocking doors as an organizing director, we have 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:13.440 a training for you because we really want to bring 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:18.240 the whole breadth of people who are interested in entering 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:23.880 politics to the work. And what's been really interesting to 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:27.920 me over the past couple of weeks whenever anyone applies 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:30.560 to one of our training and if you're interested, I 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:33.320 would say, we have an application open right now. You 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:37.760 can visit Arena dot run and apply. People have to 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:43.400 talk about what's motivating them to get involved in campaign work, 0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:46.560 you know, upload a brief video, write a short essay. 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:49.920 And what's been amazing to me over the past year 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:55.440 and change is how personal those statements of involvement have 0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:59.240 been individuals who never saw a place for themselves and 0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:03.240 put politics before. But maybe someone is trans and they 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:06.880 live in a state where an anti trans bill has passed, 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:10.720 or maybe it's it's a young woman and they're concerned 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:15.360 about their ability to have access to an abortion, or 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.000 someone who's lived in the suburbs and always felt safe 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:20.600 and all of a sudden has been directly confronted by 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:24.760 the scourge of gun violence. These are the stories that 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:29.960 people are bringing to us, And what we're doing is 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:34.640 providing really a soft landing place and an entry point 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:38.640 into politics that they can take that motivation and then 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:42.240 translated into action. And you know, even better than that. 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:44.760 We don't just train folks, We then go and help 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:49.880 them find their first job in politics. So it's not 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:53.000 just getting the skills, it's actually giving you an open 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:54.280 door to doing the work. 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:59.480 You know. I it's it's really interesting because when I 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:04.120 entered into politics what feels like one hundred years ago, 0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:09.720 it was really out of a desire to want to 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:12.960 be a part of the vision that would perfect this union. 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:17.760 It was really about wanting to be in public service. 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:23.400 And I there, you know, and again I'm not saying 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:28.120 that all politicians come in to make things better, Clearly 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:34.000 they do not, and some come in purely as a grift. 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.320 How does ARENA go about? You know, one, you are 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:41.160 a place where people can come who are already interested. 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:44.280 But what do you say to those people that are 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:48.320 kind of skirting around the edges right? Like again, you know, 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:51.080 folks that listen to wok F I think are very 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:55.440 politically engaged, very politically active, but they're always looking for 0:16:55.520 --> 0:17:01.840 opportunities to help because they recognize the crisis right that 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.119 our democracy is in, that the country is in in 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:07.639 so many different ways. And so for those people that 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:11.639 are kind of sitting on the edges, that are are 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:14.359 not quite ready to make the dive, what are some 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:16.359 of the things that you would offer and say to 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:20.840 them about, you know, fence sitting and deciding to actually 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:22.440 enter into the arena. 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:25.800 Well, I mean, the first thing I'll say is that 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:29.560 there's a place for you. I think some of what 0:17:29.760 --> 0:17:33.560 has kept people so afraid of entering the arena is 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.840 the extent to which politics has been an old boys 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:40.840 club for so long. It's been a place for straight, 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:44.439 cisgendered white men where you had to know someone to 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.040 know someone to feel like you could could get a 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:51.120 job and make meaningful change. And so, you know, we're 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:55.040 cracking that nut open. At the same time, we're building 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:59.560 a community of like minded people who rely on one 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:02.880 another as they do work. So you know, it might 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.159 be scary to take that first step. And if you 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:08.720 attend a training, it doesn't mean you necessarily need to 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:11.639 change your whole career at once. We have tons of 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:14.040 wonderful people who come and train with us and then 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:19.479 use that to become super volunteers in the next election 0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:22.440 cycle or in all of the political battles that frankly, 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:24.960 we're fighting three hundred and sixty five days a year 0:18:25.000 --> 0:18:29.600 here in our country because democracy is really on the line. 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.439 But you know, if someone's on the fence, what I 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:36.480 think about is, you know, this is not a time 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:42.720 historically to sit on the sidelines. If you look at 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:47.520 the American experiment, and it really is an experiment with democracy, 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:53.320 it's anomalous in the context of world history. Democracies don't 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:58.600 normally last this long. They are fragile, they break, and 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:03.000 once they break, and once they backslide, they're hard to 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:09.760 get back. And I rarely, rarely talk to an individual 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:14.440 who has chosen to get engaged who regrets having made 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:19.200 that choice. Yes, change is difficult, Yes it's hard. Sometimes 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:24.080 it's incremental. But if we really are going to build 0:19:24.720 --> 0:19:28.600 that more perfect union, that you just reference it's going 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:32.679 to require all of us rolling up our sleeves, getting 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:37.399 in doing the work together. And so you know what 0:19:37.440 --> 0:19:40.320 I would say is is brush aside fear for the 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:43.720 moment and jump in and try to make that change 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:46.560 because it's a time when our country really needs all 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:47.200 of us. 0:19:48.080 --> 0:19:52.320 You know, you said that so eloquently, And I think 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:58.040 honestly that we have been lulled and I've said this 0:19:58.160 --> 0:20:00.520 many times on this show. We've been loved into a 0:20:00.560 --> 0:20:06.840 place of complacency around what it means to hold a democracy. 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:10.439 The assumption has always been, for the last two hundred 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:12.960 plus years that this is the way it has been. 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:18.040 We learn about empires falling, but we've actually never outside 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:21.840 of discussing it from a fifty thousand foot view, we've 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:26.240 actually never looked at the human toll of what happens 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:29.159 when these empires actually fall, what it does look like 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:32.960 to experience the crumbling in real time. And I say 0:20:32.960 --> 0:20:37.280 to people like I believe that our democracy, as imperfect 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:41.080 as it is, is worth fighting for. I believe that, 0:20:41.200 --> 0:20:46.280 as imperfect as it is, that more people are conscious 0:20:46.640 --> 0:20:50.360 to the fact that this isn't something like your heartbeat 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:52.720 that just kind of continues like your breath, that you 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:55.720 don't really need to think about right Like it is 0:20:55.800 --> 0:21:00.320 something that requires a heightened level of consciousness, vigilance, and 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:04.920 then action in order for it to continue. So all 0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:07.199 of the things that you said with regard to that 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:10.920 are truth. Now is not the time to be self 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:14.800 protective in a way of let me watch from the sidelines. 0:21:16.920 --> 0:21:18.879 I want to shift gears for with a couple of 0:21:18.920 --> 0:21:21.520 minutes that we have left to talk specifically around the 0:21:21.640 --> 0:21:25.359 lgbt Q community, to talk about the policies and the 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:31.399 attacks that we have seen against elected officials who are out, 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:36.200 whether they are trans, whether they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, 0:21:36.440 --> 0:21:41.119 the attacks that we've seen in the weaponization of policy, 0:21:42.880 --> 0:21:50.000 and particularly speaking to the queer community about their political engagement. 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:53.919 You know, what message do you send in that way 0:21:54.359 --> 0:22:00.280 and about how you know how quality is not something 0:22:00.400 --> 0:22:04.480 that is just given once and then it blossoms and 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:07.040 it just continues. So just wanted to give you an 0:22:07.040 --> 0:22:11.240 opportunity to kind of speak to that aspect of where 0:22:11.240 --> 0:22:11.600 we are. 0:22:12.680 --> 0:22:16.159 I think what you said is so true there, Danielle, 0:22:16.200 --> 0:22:19.000 And as a member of the queer community and as 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:22.120 a queer woman who's married and has two young daughters. 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:26.560 I think about this a lot. My first daughter was 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:30.800 born two weeks before Donald Trump was elected president, and 0:22:31.200 --> 0:22:35.160 I remember at that time my wife and I thought 0:22:35.240 --> 0:22:39.359 our daughter was being born into this beautiful moment in 0:22:39.440 --> 0:22:42.520 human history where she would know the first female president, 0:22:42.800 --> 0:22:45.359 and where we would be at this time, where her 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:48.280 rights asn't an individual and our rights as a family 0:22:48.960 --> 0:22:53.439 would be expanding. And instead, much to my surprise and 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:57.600 many in the country's surprise, instead it has been six 0:22:57.640 --> 0:23:03.080 and a half tumultuous years with quite a bit of contraction. 0:23:03.840 --> 0:23:06.440 And now I look at her and her younger sister. 0:23:06.440 --> 0:23:09.640 I have two daughters now, and I'm confronted with the 0:23:09.680 --> 0:23:14.760 stark reality that they actually have fewer rights than I 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:19.600 did in some ways as a woman born in nineteen 0:23:19.640 --> 0:23:24.080 eighty certainly when it comes to their reproductive freedom, and 0:23:24.440 --> 0:23:29.720 that when it comes to their ability to fully blossom 0:23:29.760 --> 0:23:32.840 and express themselves whoever they may turn out to be 0:23:33.480 --> 0:23:36.879 in our country right now, that's very much contingent upon 0:23:37.280 --> 0:23:40.440 what state they happen to live in. We are seeing 0:23:41.160 --> 0:23:47.000 unprecedented attacks on the LGBTQ community, particularly the trans community, 0:23:47.040 --> 0:23:51.720 and precisely because they are the most vulnerable among us. 0:23:52.160 --> 0:23:55.640 So you know, this should be a wake up for 0:23:56.080 --> 0:23:59.480 all of us who consider ourselves part of the community 0:23:59.520 --> 0:24:04.760 queer unity and anyone who is an ally that this 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:07.919 is not time to sit idle LEVI. This is a 0:24:07.960 --> 0:24:11.520 time to stand up, to be counted and to fight. 0:24:12.520 --> 0:24:15.360 And by the way, it's also a time to recognize 0:24:16.160 --> 0:24:19.360 that in some ways, this attack on the LGBTQ community 0:24:19.400 --> 0:24:23.320 is the canary in the coal mine. We have seen 0:24:23.560 --> 0:24:28.480 historically that it is often queer communities who are attacked 0:24:28.600 --> 0:24:34.040 and scapegoaded first before that kind of evil and hatred 0:24:34.200 --> 0:24:39.879 and discrimination is extended to others. And so you know, 0:24:39.920 --> 0:24:42.720 if you're sitting here listening to this and you think, well, 0:24:42.760 --> 0:24:45.399 that's happening to them, but it's not happening to me, 0:24:45.800 --> 0:24:49.320 the response that I have is your next. And so 0:24:49.640 --> 0:24:54.080 it's really time for all of us to have this 0:24:54.160 --> 0:24:58.520 heightened awareness and do something about it. Because I just 0:24:58.640 --> 0:25:02.639 haven't given up hope on the idea that ultimately the 0:25:02.640 --> 0:25:05.399 world can be better for my daughters, but I know 0:25:05.760 --> 0:25:07.600 I've got to put a lot into it to make 0:25:07.640 --> 0:25:08.240 that happen. 0:25:09.200 --> 0:25:12.600 Lauren, what does pride mean to you now? Right? Like 0:25:12.680 --> 0:25:15.760 what it is? And I ask you that because I 0:25:15.800 --> 0:25:22.479 think that you know, my understanding of pride has really 0:25:22.600 --> 0:25:28.240 evolved over time, and I feel like it has changed 0:25:28.880 --> 0:25:33.480 depending on if the community that we're a part of 0:25:33.720 --> 0:25:37.239 is at a place of pure celebration like it was 0:25:37.359 --> 0:25:41.760 in twenty fifteen when when marriage equality became the law 0:25:41.800 --> 0:25:46.120 of the land, or it's in a place of mourning right, 0:25:46.200 --> 0:25:51.160 which is happening in patchwork across the country right now. Right. 0:25:51.240 --> 0:25:56.400 I had a conversation with, you know, with with folks 0:25:55.320 --> 0:26:00.600 from from an LGBTQ organization in Florida, and I got 0:26:00.640 --> 0:26:03.239 off of that interview and I was in tears, Like 0:26:03.560 --> 0:26:06.399 I literally I had to wrap it up so that 0:26:06.520 --> 0:26:08.960 I could get off the phone, could get off of 0:26:09.000 --> 0:26:12.280 the interview before I burst into tears with what they 0:26:12.320 --> 0:26:16.240 are going through. So I'm just curious as to how 0:26:16.359 --> 0:26:19.879 you understand pride now and how it is, how it 0:26:19.960 --> 0:26:20.920 might have shifted. 0:26:21.880 --> 0:26:26.400 So I start understanding pride from a personal perspective, which 0:26:26.440 --> 0:26:32.160 is to say, pride is about living authentically and unafraid 0:26:32.680 --> 0:26:38.160 as who you are, presenting your full self to the world, 0:26:38.840 --> 0:26:43.479 and not only living with that authenticity, but fighting every 0:26:43.600 --> 0:26:48.400 day to secure your own rights and freedoms. But then 0:26:48.400 --> 0:26:52.760 pride also has to go beyond the cells, and I think, 0:26:52.800 --> 0:26:57.520 particularly as members of the LGBTQ community, we need to 0:26:57.560 --> 0:27:01.200 look at all of the letters in that wonderful alphabet 0:27:01.600 --> 0:27:07.280 and recognize that some among us are feeling disproportionate harms 0:27:07.680 --> 0:27:13.040 at this time. And so pride is about showing allyship. 0:27:13.119 --> 0:27:16.320 It's about making sure that if I'm a lesbian, I'm 0:27:16.359 --> 0:27:20.879 out there protesting for my trans brothers and sisters because 0:27:20.880 --> 0:27:24.879 they're feeling the brunt of what is happening in our 0:27:24.920 --> 0:27:27.600 country right now. And then to take an even bigger 0:27:27.600 --> 0:27:33.240 step beyond that, it's about recognizing allyeship with the other 0:27:33.760 --> 0:27:37.640 movements for rights and freedoms in our country. It's about 0:27:37.680 --> 0:27:43.439 recognizing that the fight for LGBTQ equality is inextricably linked 0:27:44.000 --> 0:27:48.119