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A call to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+, trans, non-binary and gender expansive communities

6/23/23
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A message from the Wilder Pride employee resource group and Wilder President and CEO Armando Camacho

Wilder Pride, our organization’s resource for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally employees, and Wilder President and CEO Armando Camacho are reaching out during Pride Month with a call to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+, trans, non-binary and gender expansive communities.

Violence and hatred toward LGBTQ+ people continue to inflict harm, trauma, fear, and death in communities across the country—including our own. Anti-LGBTQ+ hate isn’t new, but we are facing a moment when this hatred is being fueled by transphobic rhetoric and legislation. The Human Rights Campaign is tracking more than 525 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in state legislatures. More than 220 of those bills would specifically restrict the rights of transgender people.

Wilder’s mission and values call us to support everyone in the Greater Saint Paul community. That means we must stand with people and communities who have experienced systemic marginalization, oppression, racism, and all other forces that empower a few at the cost of the many.

The Wilder Pride Employee Resource Group shared the following commitments and calls to action that we all can take to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+, trans, non-binary and gender expansive communities. We can all reflect on these points and find ways to show up as allies for our neighbors, friends, colleagues and loved ones who continue to face transphobia and anti-LGBTQ+ hate:

  • We center the needs of trans, non-binary, and gender expansive folks.
     
  • We recognize the many intersectional marginalized identities that experience this pain in multiple ways and take a stand together with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, women and femme folks, queer folks, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh people, and anyone who has experienced similar attacks and violence in increasing and myriad ways.
     
  • We encourage cisgender and heterosexual people who see themselves as allies to listen to LGBTQ+ folks, learn by seeking out information on the issues our community faces, and take action in the circles where you hold power, including in the workplace. We encourage you to consider the ways that heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia show up in our world and ways you can interrupt that and stand in solidarity with us.

As an organization and as a community, our diversity is our strength. We encourage everyone to consider how we can show up as allies for the LGBTQ+ community and all people who experience marginalization.