In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Robin McGehee, Co-Founder of GetEQUAL, the grassroots LGBT organization which evolved from her position as the co-organizer of the 2009 National Equality March on Washington. The midterm elections have come and gone. The Democrats have lost the majority in the House. Nancy Pelosi made empty promises to our LGBT community that the “Employment Non Discrimination Act” (ENDA), which never even got out of committee, would be passed on her watch. Then there’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) and the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) section 3 which applies to federal benefits. Both were found unconstitutional by federal judges yet the Obama Administration is appealing these decisions causing additional hardships on our LGBT community.
However, the good news is that more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history. When asked if this was the way to go McGehee stated, “Absolutely. I think that not only is it the way to go but someone was telling me that 106 out of 154 people were LGBT that were elected or reelected and in my opinion the more people we’re putting in office that are there understanding the injustice, the inequality that we suffer as a community, the better. It’s great to have straight allies in those positions but you know at the same time it’s also great to have members of our community who can speak to our injustices that are in those political positions that really in my opinion change the world and change our political system.”
GetEQUAL envisions a society in which LGBTQ people experience equal protection under the law and are free from cultural and social transphobia/homophobia without compromise. GetEQUAL inspires and equips our LGBTQ community and allies to fight back against discrimination and push forward progressive change as equals, building bridges with all who struggle for justice and dignity in their lives.
For More Info: GetEQUAL.org
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