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Weekly Full Policy Report - 6/14

Updated: 3 days ago

Queer Joy as Resistance 

Joy is Resistance. Rest is Resistance. Love is Resistance. It's PRIDE babies, so let's resist and find Joy along the way!


But how? For many in the LGBTQ+ community, calls for resistance and joy fall on very exhausted ears. How and where does one find Joy - and in this economy?


  • Act local. Friends, family, pets, coffee, outdoors – all joymakers! Some may find joy in those closest. Creating opportunities to seek and find queer joy in one’s own backyard is what life is all about! Pride Picnics in the (dog) park.


And then we can look where reflections of Joy are often found - arts and culture! Music! Poetry! Art! Dance! Literature! (Trust me, politics is a Joy thief!)


  • Music can be a beautiful celebration of being proud of who you are, featuring a diverse range of empowering songs from queer artists and icons. Musical artists have played the soundtrack to our struggle for liberation! Artists like Donna Summer and Madonna, Lil Nas X, Pet Shop Boys and George Michael, Prince, Queen and Whitney Houston have all contributed to the anthems of our movement. 


  • Poems, plays, movies, and books shed light on our lived queer experience and invite allies in and elevate those shared spaces. Artists like Gore Vidal, Allen Ginsberg and Nikki Giovani; Justin Vivian Bond and Rita Mae Brown; Larry Kramer, Neil Patrick Harris, and Dustin Lance Black have all held a mirror to their audiences through their performance on the page, stage and screen.


  • Visual Art can heal without saying a word. A picture is worth a thousand words. Visual art can serve as an escape and a mirror, asking the viewer to take stock and context of the bigger picture. Works from Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Baptist Basquiat; Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Mickalene Thomas, Grant Wood and Frida Khalo each reflect a niche of queer life. 


These iconic artists and cultural works made queer Joy identifiable. At times it was through coded language, other times it was flamboyantly present. Joy - queer joy - made freedom palpable; and that taste of freedom quenched any doubt this is who you are and where you’re meant to be. 


Free. Worthy. Liberated.  



LEG UPDATE

Today is the 153rd Day of the Session, and we’re still awaiting the June 16 return of the Legislature.  



SCHOOL BOARD

The Yuma Union High School Governing Board met on Wednesday, June 11, to discuss possible action on gender segregated spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms (see item 6.5 on the agenda). Basically they want to ban trans and nonbinary students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their identity. This should come as no surprise as several candidates ran on an anti-trans platform vowing to curb student access to facilities, books, digital resources, and in-person support. As we all know, bathrooms are just the tip of the iceberg.


Looking to take action in Yuma? Hit us up!


ACTION

No Kings Day! There actions taking place across the country today, along with many in Arizona. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. We’ve watched as they’ve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political positions, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. We’ve also seen them wield their perceived power over funding to disrupt care to transgender youth and adult patients, and dismiss discrimination cases based on sexual orientation and gender identity because the Office of Civil Rights no longer has the capacity or morals to investigate these cases. 


Anyway, remember to HYDRATE if attending any of the events in Arizona - it’s getting hot!


CIVIC LITERACY

Back in April, we mentioned the 1975 episode of Schoolhouse Rock entitled “No More Kings!” 

This episode illustrates the history of Thirteen American Colonies, which begins with the settling of pilgrims in Massachusetts. Reminds us that the original European settlers were fleeing the rule of monarchs and despots; evicting the Native communities from their lands in the process. These episodes are often simplistic in their historical framing, but in terms of the impact on American civics, it’s an important starting point. 


This is also timely because of the actions taking place across the country today - June 14 - making it No Kings Day! It’s important to remember that America was founded on the idea of No Kings, hence the checks and balances created in the Constitution. 


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