June is Pride Month! A time to intentionally learn about, celebrate, and honor the resistance and struggle of the LGBTQ2S+ community—a struggle that fundamentally impacts everyone in the movement for gender justice. According to data from 2019, 4.5% of adults in New Mexico are LGBTQ2S+. While we are proud to live in one of the 13 legally protected states for members of this community, we also know that there are disproportionate health disparities and compounding risks for our LGBTQ2S+ community members. Further, gender and sexual minorities of color and those from low income communities experience increased negative impacts due to their intersecting identities.
For trans folks specifically, across the country they “are more than twice as likely as the U.S. population to be living in poverty, and [trans] people of color, including Latino/a (43%), American Indian (41%), multiracial (40%), and Black (38%) respondents, were more than three times as likely as the [general] U.S. population (12%) to be living in poverty.”
This year, we have seen an incredible uptick in trans issues in the news, at the forefront of community conversations, and also in legislative attacks nationwide. When looking at the political climate and policies across the country, New Mexico is being heralded as a sanctuary state for trans and gender non-conforming folks. And, when we look closer at the experiences of trans individuals in New Mexico, the disparities are high and issues of safety remain.
Still, we should pause, recognize, and celebrate the local organizing here in New Mexico that has resulted in legal and legislative protections for our queer and trans community members. We see the power of joy and celebration as central to queer and trans liberation. As Marsha P. Johnson reminds us, "No pride for some of us, without liberation for all of us." When we stand with our LGBTQ2S+ siblings, friends, parents, and family, we move towards more care, love, and justice for every community member.
This Pride Month, we hope you'll join us in celebrating the local wins for protection and bodily autonomy for LGBTQ2S+ communities, as we continue the work to ensure equitable access to care for all bodies across the state! The fight for body sovereignty is deeply intersectional and central to our movement for gender justice.
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We are excited to announce that, this year, we will continue directing our Healing Awards to organizations doing critical gender and reproductive justice work statewide! The overturning of Roe vs. Wade continues to have enormous impacts upon communities across New Mexico. As a “safe state” where abortion is legal, the demand for the full range of reproductive health care services in NM has surged since the Dobbs ruling in 2022.
Reproductive health services are currently stretched over capacity, rural communities are underfunded and serving vast geographic areas, and organizations providing critical services are facing constant opposition. In this context, these awards are intended to nourish and sustain the well-being of staff members of organizations working to ensure that New Mexicans have the social, economic, and political resources to make sound decisions about their bodies, their families, their sexuality, and their reproductive health.
Reproductive justice is inherently connected to other social justice issues and is a bedrock issue in our movement for gender justice. We are honored to support the following organizations and their staff with 2023 Healing Awards!
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Téyo Saree Abraham, our new Communications and Social Media Manager! |
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Téyo is a many-generation desert dweller, with roots in southwest New Mexico and Texas. They come to this work as a creative, graphic notetaker, facilitator, and nepantlere. More specifically, they move with a deep passion for, and orientation to cultural organizing: social change work that is rooted in the liberating power of the arts, culture, and creative storytelling. They have worked in a variety of movement and political education spaces, from youth organizing, solidarity economy work, racial and immigration justice, to birthing and gender justice.
We are so excited to have Téyo’s incredible creativity, deep empathy, and Capricorn energy on our team!
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Here at NewMexicoWomen.Org, we believe that celebrating Pride means tangibly investing in the LGBTQ2S+ community. Philanthropic support for LGBTQ2S+ organizations remains shockingly low at only one tenth of one percent of all U.S. giving. This lack of resources for organizations leads to a lack of access to services, resources, and care for LGBTQ2S+ communities, and especially for community members of color. This Pride Month, and all year long, support local LGBTQ2S+ serving organizations!
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