In collaboration with DWT's Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, the DWT P.R.I.D.E. Employee Resource Group and LGBTQ+ Attorney Affinity Group are excited to celebrate Pride month with a discussion on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities in socially conservative parts of the country.
In the first five months of 2023, over 550 pieces of legislation have been introduced in the U.S. threatening the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, with many targeting transgender people in particular. These bills have found success in conservative parts of the country. Issues such as using public restrooms, playing on sports teams, using one's preferred pronouns, accessing books about trans youth, and affirming parents' custody over their trans child, are under scrutiny. GLAAD-Award winning journalist and Lambda Literary Award finalist Samantha Leigh Allen joins us to discuss her book, Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States.
This discussion was moderated by DWT's Scott Commerson and Sam Gattone, and focused on how today's situation compares to when Allen's book was originally written in the summer of 2017. The group also discuss the experiences of LGBTQ+ communities living in conservative regions and what is missing from current media coverage – full portraits of the individuals these bills are impacting.
More resources are available here.
Speakers