Stand Against Racism and Homophobia

So, back when I thought I was moving to Tucson, AZ to be with my then-partner, I signed up for the eWeekly news from Wingspan, Southern Arizon'a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.

Everything I learned about Wingspan I really liked, and hoped that one day I could join their staff. (Working in an LGBT community center is about as much of dream job to me as getting a tenure-track faculty position upon graduation--but dreams do come true, right?)

In any case, even when it became apparent that I wouldn't be moving to Tucson (well, at least not to be with the now former partner), I liked Wingspan so much that I kept myself on their eWeekly news distribution list.

It's been uplifting to see all the programming they've created over the years, as well as to see all the other ways the center has developed and grown.

A recent eWeekly news bulletin contained the following statement, and I just felt compelled to pass it along here.

Read it here, or see it for yourself on Wingspan's own site.

Coalición de Derechos Humanos and Wingspan – Joint Statement Continued Stand Against Racism and Homophobia

Many people in the LGBT and allied community in
Arizona worked hard to defeat Proposition 107 – the
“Protect Marriage Arizona” on November 7th.
Though an important and hard-earned victory, the
defeat of Prop 107 must be contextualized in
relation to the broader setback for human rights and
social justice that the November 7 election
represents in the state of Arizona and
nationwide. While Arizonans are the first voters
to defeat a marriage amendment in the United States,
Arizonans overwhelming approved four racist and
xenophobic ballot measures. These measures do the
following:

1. Mandate English as the official language

2. Bar undocumented migrants from state-funded
education and child-care programs

3. Deny bail to undocumented migrants accused of
serious crimes

4. Prevent undocumented migrants from suing for
punitive damages or rewards

Before the election, Wingspan and Coalición
de Derechos Humanos stood together in opposition
to all of the racist, xenophobic, and homophobic
ballot initiatives because we acknowledge the
connectedness of the repressive scapegoating tactics
used against LGBT people, migrants, and LGBT migrants.

The results of November 7 further the need to
acknowledge that our issues cannot be faced in
isolation, for despite the narrow defeat of Prop
107; it remains true that those who hate us come
from similar and often intertwined ideological
foundations. Our opponents continue to use “divide
and conquer” tactics to carry out their racist,
homophobic agenda, and their efforts are evident in
the election results. Now more than ever, we must
stand together.

As the powerful human rights activist Audre
Lorde once said, “your silence will not protect
you.” We couldn’t agree more.

We ask LGBT people to speak out in favor of migrant
rights. We ask migrants to speak out on behalf of
LGBT rights. We ask you to continue to see the
connections between the treatment of LGBTs and
migrants in federal, state, and local policies. We
ask you to acknowledge that some people are both
migrant and LGBT and that community building must
focus on all facets of the community.

We offer some action steps for you to take in making
this stand:

1. Don’t refer to migrants as “illegal.” Human
beings are not illegal.

2. Research the unfair global economic
policies—often advocated by the U.S. government and
U.S. big business—that depress economies in places
like Mexico and lead to migration.

3. Research the good that migrants do for the U.S.
economy and culture.

4. Join one of the many local migrants’ rights
organizations, work for social justice, and learn
about the inhumanity caused by the militarization of
the U.S.-Mexico border.

5. Advocate for comprehensive immigration reform on
the federal level.

Though we cannot change the passage of the four
racist ballot measures, and we should be pleased
with the defeat of the marriage amendment, we
continue to ask you to take a pro-migrant, pro-LGBT,
pro-human rights stand.