Symposium Examines Social Justice For LGBTQ Community

Описание: This year’s J. Paul Taylor Social Justice Symposium focused on equality for LGBTQ identities in the borderlands.

Movies, speeches and panel discussions focused on different aspects of LGBTQ equality efforts. Anne Hubbell, Interim Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences at NMSU helped organize the event; she says discrimination against LGBTQ individuals could be heightened when they are part of other minority groups.

“Everything we have heard and experienced at this symposium is about how people of color,” Hubbell said. “Particularly, Trans Women of color are very discriminated against, there lives are often in jeopardy, we’ve had an American Indian speaker, we’ve had a movie talk about this, the death a Navajo young man in Northern New Mexico, and the experiences of fearing for their lives every day.”

Myra Llerenas, Southern New Mexico Field Coordinator for Equality New Mexico says there isn’t many cases of discrimination locally, but they are working to make sure rights of LGBTQ individuals aren’t infringed upon, and that students feel safe in school.

“Continuing to monitor attakcs,” Llerenas said. “And the folks who are trying to unravel those protections, as well as working in the schools to provide policy models, and implementation directions in creating and fostering, safe schools, for all students, especially marginalized students.”

Vicki Gaubeca, Director of the Regional Center for Border Rights at ACLU New Mexico says they are seeing discrimination of LGBTQ individuals trying to enter the United States.

“Under U.S. law and international human rights obligations,” Gaubeca said. “Border officials should be asking individuals whether they are afraid to return home, and if they are afraid to go home then that automatically triggers a process by which the U.S. government can determine whether they are qualified for asylum. So, what we’re seeing a lot of times though is that Border Enforcement Officials aren’t doing that.”

Gaubeca says border patrol and other law enforcement agencies need more training on how to interact with LGBTQ individuals.