LGBTQ Leaders Share Their 2017 Resolutions

2017 Gay Resolutions

It’s that time of year that we start thinking about our goals and plans for the year’s ahead. I asked several of our LGBT community leaders to share their resolutions for the coming year. Some resolutions are very personal (self-care resolutions for these hard workers are encouraged) and many are about the work ahead for our movement. Presented here, unedited, are their resolutions. What will you do to make the world a better place for LGBT people in 2017? Share your resolution on facebook and twitter using the hashtag #LGBTQresolution.

Beth Shipp

Beth Shipp
Beth Shipp

LPAC

“In 2017, LPAC is resolved to fight tooth and nail to protect our progress and defend against any attempts to erode the rights and equality of the LGBTQ community, women, people of color, religious minorities, immigrants, labor unions — anyone who faces bullying by the president-elect!”

LPAC builds the political power of lesbians and queer women by electing candidates who champion LGBTQ rights, women’s equality and social justice. Learn more about LPAC at: www.teamlpac.com

Faith Cheltenham

Faith Cheltenham
Faith Cheltenham

BiNet USA

“I believe that when you state your intentions to the world, the world is more likely to be as you intended. So every year I start with a list of items I’d like to accomplish, issues to professionally resolve, and dreams I’d like to see come true.

As we close 2016 all around me a dissonance is heard, from the cracking and crumbling of a country long blind to its own bad behavior.  All around us are signs of who we could be, what our world has the potential to be and what’s at stake for humanity. In times like these the resolutions get simpler, the path becomes clearer and my heart warms to a steady beat:
RESIST. LOVE. REPEAT.”

BiNetUSA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit advocating for bisexual communities in the U.S.Learn more about BiNet USA at www.binetusa.org 

Rebecca Isaacs

Rebecca Isaacs
Rebecca Isaacs

Equality Federation

“I resolve to work harder than ever to move the LGBTQ agenda forward, even with a hostile Administration. I resolve to be a true partner to groups who are facing threats, because their agenda is our agenda. We will continue building power and leadership at the state and local levels so that our resistance can be as strong and successful as possible. I am more determined and energized than ever to continue Equality Federation’s work to win equality and equity in the states and to work on building strong partnerships to work on racial, economic, and social justice issues in the communities we call home.”

Equality Federation is the movement builder and strategic partner to state-based organizations advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people.  Learn more about the Equality Federation at www.equalityfederation.org

Russell Roybal

Russell Roybal
Russell Roybal

National LGBTQ Task Force

“I have the same new years resolution every year – Have more fun in the New Year then I did in the previous year. And after 2016, I need more fun in my life.”

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. Learn more about the National LGBTQ Task Force at www.thetaskforce.org 

Brian Langevin

Asexual Outreach

Brian Langevin
Brian Langevin

“As we continue to face ever increasing hurdles and unexpected challenges, I resolve to spend more energy collaborating with the folks around me so that we can face those difficulties together. I often get so caught up in all of my own work that I forget to look around and see who might be working on similar projects. As has always been the case, I believe collaboration will be key to overcoming new challenges and to building up movements that can benefit all of us.”

Asexual Outreach aspires to act as an umbrella organization for the national ace and aro advocacy movement by providing structure, sustainability, and resources that help projects and communities flourish.Learn more about Asexual Outreach at www.asexualoutreach.org

Lourdes Ashley Hunter

Lourdes Ashley Hunter
Lourdes Ashley Hunter

Trans Women of Color Collective

“So much of my life has been focused on helping others. This year I want to center my focus on continuing my education by entering a Doctoral program.

I also want to continue to work towards expanding global advocacy for trans and gender non-conforming people of color and buy a house.”

The Trans Women of Color Collective uplifts the narratives, leadership, and lived experiences of trans people of color.”Learn more about TWOCC at www.twocc.us

J’aime Grant

J'aime Grant
J’aime Grant

Global Trans Research and Advocacy Project

“My resolution is to never ‘normalize’ the administration whose figurehead I will not name. I commit to a constant posture of resistance. I commit also to resourcing the leaders and leadership we most need right now to fight our way out. Nationally, in terms of queer activism, Black Lives Matter is where the juice and the momentum is for me. In terms of local organizing, I am a huge fan of Dignity and Power Now in LA, which foregrounds the leadership of formerly incarcerated folks and their families but is equally committed to healing justice practices in its network. They work on policy too, and have won a citizen’s review board of one of the most violent Sheriff’s offices in the nation. I love HIPS in DC for their unwavering support of sex workers, transfolks and addicts. They will always have my coins and my vocal support. There is so much great work going on among our people, that’s where my hope is!”

Earl Fowlkes

Earl Fowlkes
Earl Fowlkes

National Center for Black Equity

“My wish is that we can organize our communities to resist the excesses of the incoming Trump administration.”

The Center for Black Equity (CBE) is an institution committed to supporting leaders, institutions and programs for health, economic and social equity for LGBT people of African descent.  Learn more about the National Center for Black Equity at: www.centerforblackequity.org

Rea Carey

Rea Carey
Rea Carey

The National LGBTQ Task Force

“To be resolute in my resistance and to tap into the hope that is out there among millions of people.”

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people.  Learn more about the National LGBTQ Task Force at www.thetaskforce.org 

 

 

 

Share your resolution on facebook and twitter using the hashtag #LGBTQresolution

 

 

2017 Guide to LGBT and HIV Awareness Days

2017 Queer Event Calendar

Awareness Days are a great way to call attention issues the LGBT community faces.  As a local activist, planning an educational event or demonstration on one of these days is a great way to get the word out about your event or action and even raise the visibility and effectiveness of your event.  Consider how these LGBT and HIV/AIDS awareness days intersect with the work you are doing at the local level and how you can use them as tools to highlight and strengthen your local work.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Black LGBT
February 7th, 2017

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is an HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative for Blacks in the United States and across the Diaspora. There are five specific focal points: Get Educated, Get Tested, Get Involved, Get Treated, and Get Talking.

www.nationalblackaidsday.org
For more information for the Black LGBTQ & SGL Community visit: davidmariner.com/black

National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Queer YouthApril 10th, 2017

National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day is an annual observance that takes place on April 10. The first ever National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day took place on April 10, 2015.

Today’s young people are the first generation who have never known a world without HIV and AIDS. In the United States, one in four new HIV infections is among youth ages 13 to 24. Every month 1,000 young people are infected with HIV and over 76,400 young people are currently living with HIV across the country. While there has been much talk about an AIDS-Free Generation, we know that is not possible without our nation’s youth. Young people and their allies are determined to end this epidemic once and for all and this day is a way to acknowledge the great work young people are already engaging in to do so.

www.youthaidsday.org
For more information on LGBTQ Youth visit davidmariner.com/youth

National Day of Silence

April (Date TBD), 2017

The National Day of Silence is a day of action in which students across the country vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools.

Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. From the first-ever Day of Silence at the University of Virginia in 1996, to the organizing efforts in over 8,000 middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities across the country in 2008, its textured history reflects its diversity in both numbers and reach.

www.dayofsilence.org
For more information on LGBTQ Youth visit davidmariner.com/youth

International Family Equality Day

May 7th, 2017

Regardless of different legal, political and social circumstances around the world, the dramatic increase in the numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people choosing to raise children is a global phenomenon. International Family Equality Day is designed to  to increase the international visibility of LGBTQ families.

www.internationalfamilyequalityday.org
For more information about LGBT families visit: davidmariner.com/family

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT)Global LGBTQ

May 17th, 2017

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (marked on May 17) was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policy makers, opinion leaders, social movements, the media, and the public in general to these issues, and to promote a world of tolerance, respect and freedom regardless of people’s sexual orientations or gender identities.

As much as May 17 is a day against violence and oppression, it is also a day to promote freedom, diversity and acceptance. The date of May 17 was chosen to commemorate the decision taken by the World Health organization in 1990 to take homosexuality out of the list of mental disorders.

www.dayagainsthomophobia.org
For more information about Global LGBT issues visit: davidmariner.com/global

National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness DayAsian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ Community

May 19th, 2017

One of the key achievements of the Banyan Tree Project to date is the establishment of National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on May 19th. This day is officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The first National Awareness Day was held in 2005. Each year, this day is commemorated with events around the country designed to promote the Banyan Tree Project goals. On this day, organizations around the country dedicated to providing HIV/AIDS services to A&PIs host events in their communities to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS-related stigma.

www.banyantreeproject.org
For more information about the API LGBTQ Community visit: www.davidmariner.com/api

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness DayLGBTQ Aging

September 18th, 2017

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness day focuses on the challenging issues facing the aging population with regards to HIV prevention, testing, care and treatment. In addition, there is an increased need for prevention, research, and data targeting the aging population, medical understanding of the aging process and its impact on HIV/AIDS.

www.theaidsinstitute.org
For more information about LGBTQ Older Adults, visit davidmariner.com/aging.

Celebrate Bisexuality DayBisexual

September 23rd, 2017

Celebrate Bisexuality Day is observed worldwide on September 23rd  by members of the bisexual community and their supporters. The day, which is celebrated annually, is a call for the bisexual community, their friends and supporters to recognize and celebrate bisexuality, bisexual history, bisexual community and culture, and the bi- and pansexual people in their lives.

First observed in 1999, Celebrate Bisexuality Day is the brainchild of three United States bisexual rights activists: Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur. This celebration of bisexuality in particular, as opposed to general LGBT events, was conceived as a response to the prejudice and marginalization of the bisexual persons by some in both the straight and greater LGBT communities.

www.facebook.com/bivisibility
For more information about the bisexual community, visit: davidmariner.com/bisexual

National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness DayGBT Men

September 27th, 2017

National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed every year on September 27th. In 2008 the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) Launched this observance to recognize the disproportionate impact of the epidemic on gay men. While NAPWA no longer exists as an organization, the observance continues.

For more information about gay, bi, and trans (GBT) Men, visit www.davidmariner.com/men

LGBT History Month

October, 2017

LGBT History Month is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and makes the civil rights statement about our extraordinary national and international contributions.

www.lgbthistorymonth.com

National Coming Out Day

October 11th, 2017

Every year on National Coming Out Day, we celebrate coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or as an ally.

NCOD marks the anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, and reminds us that in the fight for LGBTQ equality one of our most basic and important tools is the power of coming out.

Coming out still matters. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law.

www.hrc.org/resources/entry/national-coming-out-day

National Latinx HIV/AIDS Awareness DayLatino Gay and Lesbian

October 15th, 2017

The last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, October 15th, has been designated as National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD).

In 2003, NLAAD was established in response to the impact of HIV and AIDS on Hispanic/Latino communities nationwide, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. NLAAD is a national community mobilization and social marketing campaign that unites the Hispanic/Latino community in efforts to raise HIV awareness, promotion of HIV testing, prevention and education.

National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day has demonstrated to be a successful AIDS Awareness Day. NLAAD has solidified support from 450 partners who together, organized 350 events in 45 states across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

www.nlaad.org
For more information on the Latinx LGBTQ Community visit: davidmariner.com/latinx

Spirit Day

October 16th, 2017

Millions go purple on Spirit Day in a stand against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. Observed annually since 2010, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, and public figures wear purple, which symbolizes ‘spirit’ on the rainbow flag.

www.glaad.org/spiritday

Asexual Awareness WeekAsexual Awareness Week

TBD October, 2017

Asexual Awareness Week is an international week organized by the Asexual Awareness Week (AWW) organisation to help increase people’s understanding of the sexualities and romantic spectrum that fall under the ‘Ace Umbrella’. These can include asexual, aromantic, demisexual, and grey-asexual among them. It is designed to help promote understanding of what these sexualities are and the current issues people face. Asexual Awareness Week typically takes places towards the end of October.

www.asexualawarenessweek.com
For more info on the asexual community visit davidmariner.com/asexual

National LGBT Community Center Awareness Day

October 19th, 2017

Centers continue to build, unite, and empower the LGBT community by offering services including; social services, mental health counseling, cultural programs, recreational activities, libraries, educational programs, support groups, youth support, elder support, computer access, and care and treatment (just to name a few).

Created by CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Center Awareness Day is an annual day of awareness promoting the vital services offered by community centers and the central role they play in local communities.

www.centerawarenessday.org

Intersex Awareness DayIntersex

October 26th, 2017

Intersex Awareness Day is an international day of grass-roots action to end shame, secrecy and unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries on intersex children.  Between October 26 and November 8, intersex organizations try to bring attention to the challenges intersex individuals face.

The event marks the first public demonstration by intersex people in North America. On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from Intersex Society of North America (carrying the sign “Hermaphrodites With Attitude”) and allies from Transexual Menace demonstrated in Boston, outside the venue where the American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference.

www.intersexday.org
For more information about the intersex community visit davidmariner.com/intersex

Transgender Day of RemembranceTrans Discuss

November 20th, 2017

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose was murdered on November 28th, 1998.  Her murder, like many anti-transgender murder cases, remains unsolved.

www.tdor.info
For more information on the transgender community visit www.davidmariner.com/trans

World AIDS DayWorld AIDS Day

December 1st, 2017

World AIDS Day is celebrated around the world on December 1st each year. It has become one of the most recognized international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories, such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

UNAIDS took the lead on campaigning for World AIDS Day from its creation until 2004. From 2004 onwards the World AIDS Campaign’s Global Steering Committee began selecting a theme for World AIDS Day in consultation with civil society, organisations and government agencies involved in the AIDS response.

Themes run for one or two years and are not just specific to World AIDS Day. Campaigning slogans such as ‘Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise’ have been used year-round to hold governments accountable for their HIV and AIDS related commitments.

www.un.org/en/events/aidsday
For more information about HIV/AIDS visit: davidmariner.com/hiv

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

December 17th, 2017

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is observed annually on December 17 by sex workers, their advocates, friends, families and allies. Originally conceived as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle Washington, United States (US), it has evolved into an annual international event. The day calls attention to hate crimes committed against sex workers worldwide, as well as the need to remove the social stigma and discrimination that have contributed to violence against sex workers and indifference from the communities they are part of.

www.december17.org

gay, lesbian, bisexual and transngender awareness days
LGBTQ Awareness Days

10 Best LGBTQ Films of 2016

Let’s face it, 2016 was not the best year for all of us, but before we move on to 2017, let’s take a look at some of the good things that happened. Here are some of my favorite LGBTQ films that were released in 2016. Several of these films were featured at the Reel Affirmations Film Festival held every year in Washington DC. I’ve included my 10 favorite movies & documentaries from 2016 but of course, this is not an exhaustive list. Share your favorite queer films in the comment section below.

Moonlight


A young man deals with his dysfunctional home life and comes of age in Miami during the “War on Drugs” era. The story of his struggle to find himself is told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality.

Uncle Howard


Howard Brookner was buried on his thirty-fifth birthday in 1989. He was gay; an Ivy League graduate; broke artist; rising Hollywood star; heroin user; jet-setter; bohemian; seedy nightlife lover; director of cult docs; an honest and devoted friend – he was many things to many people. To director Aaron Brookner, he was a loving and inspirational uncle who died of AIDS when Aaron was only seven, right when Howard was on the brink of a promising filmmaking career. Uncle Howard is an intertwining tale of past and present, the story of filmmaker Howard Brookner whose work captured the late 70’ s and early 80’s cultural revolution – and his nephew’s personal journey 25 years later to discover his uncle’s films and the legacy of a life cut short by the plague of AIDS.

Tangerine


It’s Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee (newcomer Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend (James Ransone, STARLET, “Generation Kill”) hasn’t been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra (newcomer Mya Taylor), embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity. Director Sean Baker’s prior films (STARLET, PRINCE OF BROADWAY) brought rich texture and intimate detail to worlds seldom seen on film. TANGERINE follows suit, bursting off the screen with energy and style. A decidedly modern Christmas tale told on the streets of L.A., TANGERINE defies expectation at every turn.

LOEV


When hot shot, Wall Street dealmaker Jai thinks of putting some pleasure into his 48 hour business trip to Mumbai, Sahil, his young, music-producer friend, drops everything, including his reckless boyfriend Alex, to help him execute the perfect getaway. Hiking the hills and canyons of Maharashtra, amidst half-attempted conversations and sudden silences, business calls and old jokes, the friends discover there is more than just time-zones keeping them apart. Things take another turn when Alex shows up with a new male-companion at his side, throwing up old conflicts and bringing unanswered questions to the fore.

Free CeCe


On her way to the store with a group of friends, Chrishaun Reed “CeCe” McDonald was attacked. In fighting for her own life, a man was killed. After a coercive interrogation, CeCe was incarcerated in a men’s prison in Minnesota. An international campaign to free CeCe garnered significant support from media and activists, including actress and executive producer Laverne Cox. Laverne uses her platform to explore the roles race, class, and gender played in CeCe’s case.

Suited


SUITED follows its subjects—clients seeking a personalized experience—into the minimalist office space of Bindle & Keep, a bespoke tailoring company based in Brooklyn that caters to a diverse LGBTQ community and looks beyond the gender binary, creating custom-made suits for gender-nonconforming and transgender clients. Clothier duo Rae and Daniel take a holistic approach to their work, considering each client’s personal narrative, which becomes inextricable from the creation of the perfect suit.

Strike a Pose


In 1990, seven young male dancers – 6 gay, 1 straight – joined Madonna on her most controversial tour. On stage and in the iconic film Truth or Dare they showed the world how to express yourself. Now, 25 years later, they reveal the truth about life during and after the tour. Strike a Pose is a dramatic tale about overcoming shame and finding the courage to be who you are.

Women who Kill


Commitment phobic Morgan and her ex-girlfriend Jean are locally famous true crime podcasters obsessed with female serial killers. There’s a chance they may still have feelings for each other, but co-dependence takes a back seat when Morgan meets the mysterious Simone during her Food Coop shift. Blinded by infatuation, Morgan quickly signs up for the relationship, ignoring warnings from friends that her new love interest is practically a stranger. When Jean shows Morgan proof that Simone may not be who she says she is, Morgan accuses Jean of trying to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to her. But as she and Simone move into commitment territory, Morgan starts to notice red flags — maybe Jean was right and Simone isn’t as perfect as Morgan’s made her out to be.

Pushing Dead


Pushing Dead is a warm and magnetic comedy drama from Director Tom E. Brown. The film follows a struggling poet and writer named Dan Schauble (played by James Roday), who has been HIV positive for 22 years. He splits his San Francisco flat with his dear friend Paula (Robin Weigert), who is more like a sister than a friend to Dan.

Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America


Growing up in rural North Carolina, Moises Serrano fell in love with a country that refused to recognize his full humanity – both as an undocumented immigrant and as a gay man. The documentary project Forbidden follows Moises’ personal journey as an activist fighting for the American Dream.

 

Best LGBT Films of 2016
Best LGBT Films of 2016

Sexual Trafficking of LGBTQ Youth in the Americas

Sex Trafficking and LGBTQ Youth

The age at which lesbian, gay, or bisexual people become aware of their sexual orientation is the subject of earnest debate. It’s no longer unusual in the United States to hear of people as young as ten years old coming out as being gay, while others may be unaware of their orientation until their late teens, or even older. For transgender persons, many of us are aware as early as six or seven years old that our assigned identity as boys or as girls is questionable, or simply wrong. We sense it, even if we lack the words to describe it. The dawning of awareness that one’s sexual orientation is lesbian, gay, or bisexual, or that one’s gender identity is transgender, or (as more broadly classified) being queer (LGBTQ) may be simply a curiosity for many, but in locations throughout the Americas the consequences are nothing less than dire.

Far too many LGBTQ youth in this hemisphere, and particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, face immediate rejection, exclusion, and social ostracism when they come out. With that rejection comes intense vulnerability – psychological, emotional, and physical – and (where relevant) a rapid and rough introduction to the many dimensions of intolerance and excess that the patriarchal culture of machismo is known for. Yes – it is common knowledge throughout the world that young people need loving adult care, protection, and nurturing, but for too many LGBTQ youth their experience of their own parents is of adults who are harshly uncompromising. Homophobic or transphobic parents feel justified by their culture and often by their religious values to abandon their own gay or transgender children to life on the streets, where they will struggle to survive, deprived of access to education, health care, or a warm embrace by a doting parent. For such children the first lesson in survival is that almost no one cares what happens to them…other than those who intend to exploit them.

Awareness is growing of the problem of child sexual trafficking throughout the Americas, and the intense vulnerability of these young people to exploitation and abuse is noted by some activists and some officials in some governments. Laws are passed – if practically never implemented. Among the whole population of trafficked youth, we do not know how many identify as LGBTQ. Nobody bothers to collect such information. We seldom even hear their stories; often we are left only to speculate about their harsh realities.

The absence of relevant data is not to be minimized. Without such an empirical view, public policy remains mute, with little or no guidance to offer. Police are therefore seldom trained in the plight of trafficked LGBTQ youth[1]While engaging in prostitution is generally recognized as a crime, those youth who are trafficked into sex work are not legally held to be perpetrators of criminal offenses but are instead seen as … Continue reading , and politicians typically show little interest in their issues (except to use them as politically expedient distractions). The record is abundantly clear: these young LGBTQ people really don’t matter to the general public very much – if at all – even when they are trafficked to the United States as sex slaves. Instead, here in the U.S. they are viewed at best as bureaucratically inconvenient; rough young people who are in this country illegally, have little education and no resources, often have sexually transmitted diseases, and generally don’t speak any English. In the few cases where their personal stories are shared, such narratives are – to most of us – incomprehensible. How could such LGBTQ persons, so young and so vulnerable, have already suffered such extremes of violence, trauma, humiliation, and degradation? How could these youth come to be so far removed from their homes and communities, and become so exposed to the worst exploitations of sexual slavery and subjugation?

Two morally tough questions emerge. Who could ever do this to young LGBTQ people? Why did no adult protect them? The answer is more than a “who did what to whom and why”, or an analysis of who failed to fulfill a basic duty of adulthood – protecting vulnerable youth. Child sex trafficking in general throughout the Americas has now grown into a major criminal industry, and among those youth who are trafficked the subpopulation who are LGBTQ-identified are distinguished by an even greater degree of vulnerability. After all, their LGBTQ status exacerbated their visibility to their original targeting by the sex traffickers.

Once such young people became aware of their same-sex sexual orientation or non-conforming gender identity (which is neither a choice nor a “lifestyle”), their own families cast them out into the world to make their way as best they could. At such a tender age, their vulnerability could hardly be more acute. Unfortunately, very few decent persons see fit to intercede to offer protection and support to homeless LGBTI youth, who find meager shelter wherever they can – such as in open sewers in Kingston, Jamaica. Without any protection, and with no one looking out for their welfare, LGBTQ young people are reduced to the status of soft targets. There are always people positioned to exploit such soft targets by trafficking them into sexual slavery and servitude, occasionally in countries far away where their isolation and vulnerability becomes even more acute.

Sex trafficking – especially of highly vulnerable LGBTQ youth – is a shadowy, harsh, and very dangerous world of criminality in which patterns of violence and exploitation are efficient, profitable, and devastating to those ensnared in it. There is some anecdotal evidence from the relative handful of young LGBTQ people who’ve managed to break free, yet empirical data is scarce. Very few Latin American or Caribbean countries bother to collect reliable information about sexual trafficking, especially of children. Not a single country in the Americas – North or South – accurately tallies how many of these young people are from the LGBTQ community. No one bothers to ask them what their sexual preferences are – as if that mattered to the trafficker or to the customer. They are just easy and very vulnerable youth who can often be trafficked with impunity[2]Legislation against child sex trafficking is not uncommon in Latin America, where 26 countries now have laws on the books. Implementing such laws is another story entirely. According to the United … Continue reading . Few in authority genuinely seem to care what happens to trafficked youth in general; we can but conjecture how tiny is the number of those in authority who also care about the small subpopulation of trafficked LGBTQ youth.

For transgender youth who are sexually trafficked, their gender identity is frequently seen as a commercial asset if such young people identify as female, and they are deemed to be sexually “attractive”. There is a lucrative market among some men who seek women with certain male embodiments, and since only a negligible percentage of young transgender women who are trafficked have ever had gender confirming surgeries, their bodies are viewed as desirable objects in this niche market. This does not imply that these young transgender women are respected as women; they simply constitute a niche market for men with non-traditional sexual inclinations. Such young transgender women – girls – who are just beginning the very challenging ordeal of understanding and claiming their authentic gender identities are valued by their “customers” not for that emerging authentic identity but, to the contrary, as some sort of bizarre sexualized fantasy object. They are treated as freaks. The stigma and trauma associated with that form of discrimination constitutes a systemic form of violence that threatens any sense of integrity and self-respect for these young and very vulnerable transgender women. [3]Sexually trafficked young transgender men who are not on hormones and who have not acquired masculine physical traits (low voice, facial hair) are sometimes marketed as “lesbians” to customers … Continue reading

Child sex trafficking owes its existence to a market. Due both to the Internet and to better transport infrastructure, that demand for commercial sex with minors is growing. While details are few, we do know that the majority of those customers or “johns” seeking the services of these exploited young people are men in and from the home countries of those who are trafficked, often clustered in locations where industries such as mining and commercial fishing bring large numbers of men together.

Tourism centers also provide lucrative returns to the traffickers, with bars and hotels becoming regular paid accomplices in marketing such services to foreign tourists who are often wealthy. Some men come to these destinations specifically for sexual tourism, while others see this as a side benefit to a business trip. According to Nelson Rivera Reyes, a senior officer of the Colombian organization Fundación Renacer that combats such sexual exploitation: “The number of tourists who come to Colombia and have sex with children has increased in recent years…Unfortunately clients can find girls who are under eight if they want to do so.” Similar reports on child sex trafficking are easy to find in other major tourism destinations, such as Costa Rica, Mexico, Jamaica, and Peru, but there are never any details as to how many of those youth who are trafficked are LGBTQ.

Sexual trafficking of adults and youth, LGBTQ or not, is also a cultural problem in much of Latin America and the Caribbean. The prevailing masculine norms of machismo assert that the male’s appetite for sex is boundless and often uncontrollable, and that society should therefore accommodate itself to this “reality” – even to the point where men’s reputations are built on their promiscuity and unfaithfulness to their wives. Women – and female sexuality in general – is viewed as something for men to exercise dominance over. Through such values, the dignity and worth of any male-dominated sexual partner (female or male, adult or child, straight/cisgender or LGBTQ) is by definition of lesser value than that of the sexually dominant man. Such values ride roughshod over fundamental moral precepts of protecting persons from sex and gender based violence – especially against children. Commercial sex is seen as a normal part of life, and for those who participate as consumers of commercial sex it is simply convenient not to ask where the sex workers come from or how old they are. After all, in their view sex workers really don’t matter very much, and they are certainly not viewed as fully human and hence dignified persons worthy of respect.

The overriding challenge therefore is to seek a transformed concept of masculinity throughout the Americas, whenever masculine values are structured on the dominance and exploitation of others, and particularly where sexual inequality between men and women is currently normalized. That is a long term but critically important undertaking, and the future of societal development and flourishing depends upon its eventual success. Policy-makers, social leaders, and advocates for gender equity have much work to do.

The particular challenge, however, is even more urgent. All children and youth everywhere deserve to be respected, nurtured, and protected – no exceptions. Moving in the opposite direction, in which certain children are effectively sacrificed as exploitable and valueless, is the height of immorality. There is no government anywhere, in any cultural setting, that can morally justify ignoring or condoning the sexual exploitation of vulnerable youth. Offering homophobia or transphobia as some justification for the abuse and sexually trafficking of that small vulnerable subpopulation of exploited LGBTQ youth is also morally unsupportable by any standard of human decency, respect for human dignity, or simple human compassion. The cultural hypocrisy – exacerbated by machismo – that LGBTQ youth are expendable and exploitable as sexual objects is outrageous, and the widespread impunity that traffickers of such youth currently enjoy is insulting to any concept of human dignity, and to any generalized expression of natural human care and compassion.

Will governments be moved to needed reforms by protestations of outrage and insult in the context of sexually exploited LGBTQ youth? Morally, they must. If not, then human dignity as an ideal has ceased to have any meaning at all. Given that human dignity is the ultimate foundation of civilization, that is a very high price to pay.

 

 

Sex Trafficking and LGBTQ Youth
Sex Trafficking and LGBTQ Youth

References

References
1 While engaging in prostitution is generally recognized as a crime, those youth who are trafficked into sex work are not legally held to be perpetrators of criminal offenses but are instead seen as victims of child sex trafficking. Police should therefore be treating such youth with care and support as appropriate to those victimized by violent crimes – yet many anecdotal reports find that police throughout Latin America and the Caribbean are hostile or even abusive to LGBTQ youth who have been sexually trafficked.
2 Legislation against child sex trafficking is not uncommon in Latin America, where 26 countries now have laws on the books. Implementing such laws is another story entirely. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) only about 10 percent of those who are investigated for their role in human trafficking are actually convicted. From 2010 to 2012, some countries in Central America and the Caribbean failed to convict a single person. Disturbingly, UNODC has also reported that in North and Central America, as well as in many countries in South America, those three years saw some of the most significant increases in child trafficking worldwide. UNODC details that children made up about 30 percent of trafficking victims in the Americas, and that over 65 percent of these children were girls. They have no data on LGBTQ status.
3 Sexually trafficked young transgender men who are not on hormones and who have not acquired masculine physical traits (low voice, facial hair) are sometimes marketed as “lesbians” to customers who believe – as a value derived from machismo – that sexual intercourse and other sexual practices with them will convert these youth into heterosexual, cisgender women. There is almost no anecdotal evidence available about the few cases where young transgender men who have significantly transitioned into male embodiment (through testosterone therapy and top surgery) have been sexually trafficked.

Key Findings from the US Transgender Survey

2015 US Trans Survey

The National Center for Transgender Equality has released the results of the 2015 US Transgender Survey, which documents widespread discrimination against the transgender community in employment, housing, healthcare, and public accommodations.   It is the largest survey of it’s kind, with over 27,000 respondents from across the country.  Of these respondents, more than one third did not identify as either male or female, but reported a non-binary (or genderqueer) gender identity.  Among the key findings in the report.

Poverty

Survey respondents reported an unemployment rate of 15%, which is three-times that of the general population.  Not suprisingly, this means higher rates of poverty and a reliance on underground economies.  Close to one-third of all survey respondents were found to be living in poverty (this number being even higher for transgender people of color), and one-third also reported having experienced homelessness at some points in their lives.

A lack of financial resources proved to be a significant barrier to participants getting identity documents updated with their desired name and gender.  35% of those who have not changed their legal name and 32% of those who have not updated their identity documents (like a drivers license) have not done so because they could not afford it.

Healthcare

One quarter of all respondents had a problem in the past year with their insurance related to being transgender.  Further, one third of those who sought medical care reported a negative experience such as being harrassed, misgendered, or refused treatment.

This lack of access to quality care is particularly disturbing when you take into account the needs of the transgender community.  Transgender individuals reported higher rates of recent psychological distress, which is not suprising considering the challenges faced in society.  An extremely troubling 40% of respondents report having attempted suicide in their lifetime.

Finally, the HIV/AIDS rate of the survey participants was (1.4%) was five times that of the general population in the United States.  That number skyrockets to 19% when looking specifically at Black transgender women.

Violence

46% of survey respondents report being verbally harrassed and 9% report being physically attacked in the past year.  Nearly half of respondents have experienced sexual assault at some point in their lifetime.

Room for Hope

While these numbers are deeply troubling, there are some reasons to be hopeful.   More than two-thirds of those who were out at in the workplace reported that their coworkers were supportive.

Further, more than half of participants reported that their families are currently supportive of them, and this family support is crucial.  Individuals with supportive families experienced lower rates of homelessness, suicide, and psychological distress, a finding consistent with the work of the Family Acceptance Project.

Download the report

Download the 2015 US Trans Survey Complete Report

Find out more at www.ustranssurvey.org

2015 US Transgender Survey

2015 US Transgender Survey