 | | | Dear John,
We hope you enjoy the third installment of our re-launched monthly newsletter! This one feels special to us as we wrap up our summer season and kick off the fall. We have a lot of exiting program and policy updates to share with you, and we're especially eager to let you know about the Virginia Values Forum coming up on September 26th - keep reading for more details. We want you to get to know us better and find ways that you can easily get involved as an advocate or volunteer. If you have feedback for additional info you'd like to see in the next installment or if there's anything you'd like us to know to make the newsletter more useful, simply respond to this email! | | | | | EV August Newsletter
In this Issue:
-VDH Public Comment Period
-Virginia Values Forum Sept 26th
-Staff Spotlight
-Save the Date for VC Luncheon
-VOICES Story
-Remote Phone Bank Sign-up
-September Pride Calendar | | | | | | | | | | Submit a Public Comment to VDH Join the 130 Virginians who have already submitted a public comment to support the transgender community! This month, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) opened up a public comment period for a regulation that would modernize the process for trans people to update their gender marker on Virginia birth certificates. Click here to read why this change is so important, and find out how YOU can make a difference today in the lives of trans Virginians. Thank you to the many people who have already used their voice to advocate change, we are impressed and grateful for the overwhelming turnout! Let’s keep up the momentum and show VDH a groundswell of support for this updated policy. | | | | | | Register for the Virginia Values Forum We want a brighter future for our LGBT friends, family members, coworkers, and neighbors - and we know you do, too. Join us for the Virginia Values Forum on Thursday, September 26, 2019 to learn more about how we can create a Virginia that reflects our shared values of fairness, dignity, and respect. This robust panel discussion will feature local advocates, faith leaders, and legal experts who will talk about the impact of having statewide non-discrimination protections in housing, employment, and public places for gay and transgender Virginians. The panel will include ample time for Q&A. You are welcome to attend this forum in-person or stream it digitally from the comfort of your home. | | | | | | | | | |
Staff Spotlight If you've been following us on social media, you've been hearing a lot from our Field Organizer, Sadie Meadows. We wanted to give you a chance to get to know her a little better and learn more about the important work that she's up to this fall. "I've been organizing phone banks for almost two months now and through our efforts, we have made almost 2,000 phone calls to voters in Speaker Cox's district. Right now, all of our phone banks are geared towards voter education on nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Virginians in housing, employment, and public spaces. We are talking with pro-equality voters to let them know how important it is for them to vote this November. Nearly 2,000 calls feels like a pretty big deal for such a short turn around and there's no way we would have gotten this far without everyone who has volunteered their time to help out. The more people who volunteer with us, the more people know how important it is to cast their vote for LGBT equality." | | | | |  | "I love that it’s my job to encourage others to get involved and push for Virginia to be a safer place for LGBT folks. It’s also icing on the cake that I get the chance to meet some of the most interesting people week in and week out. I’m excited for our volunteer teams to keep growing and see our community work together. If you want to join our team on Tuesdays from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at our Richmond office, email [email protected] to register." | | | |  | Virginia Competes Luncheon Mark your calendar for a fantastic opportunity to network and hear from the representatives from top companies, business leaders, industry experts, and policy makers on November 20th in Tysons, VA. Sponsorship options and ticket purchases are now available! The luncheon recognizes of some of Virginia’s largest companies who have pledged to welcome and protect LGBT customers and employees. These companies joined Virginia Competes because they understand fair treatment of all Virginians breeds competition and is essential for maintain our state’s reputation as a home for talented workers and growing businesses. | | | | |  | Ezri's Story This month, we are highlighting Ezri’s voice. She’s a transgender woman living in Newport News, who loves board games, music, and theater. She is also open about the discrimination she faced at her job as a school sign language interpreter and the negative impact it had on her life and her career. Unfortunately, we know that Ezri's story is not an uncommon one, and many LGBT people daily live in fear of discrimination in our state. Click here to read her story, which emphasizes the importance of passing nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people at the General Assembly this year. | | | | | |  | Phone Bank From Home We recently started remote phone banks so that anyone in the commonwealth could get involved and volunteer. Remote phone banks are held every Wednesday and Thursday from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. No experience is necessary, as every new volunteer is trained by our field organizer, Sadie, via video conference at the beginning of their shift. This takes about 30 minutes, we make calls for about 2 hours, and then we break at 8:30 to debrief on how the night went. If you've never phone banked before, we hope you'll give it a try! The only requirements are a computer with an internet connection, a phone, and a can-do attitude. | | | | |  | See you at Pride! LGBT Virginians have pride, so much pride in fact, we can't fit it all into a single month! For us, pride season starts in June and lasts through September. So, if you haven't made it to a pride yet this year, you still have plenty of time. Our favorite part of pride so far, besides the fabulous outfits and great music, has been connecting with hundreds of people from all over the state. We've been having exciting conversations about how close we are to being the first state in the South to pass LGBT nondiscrimination protections in housing, employment, and public spaces. Check out our 2019 Pride page and to learn more about the events happening nearly every single weekend! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Equality Virginia
530 E Main St Ste 600 | Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 643-4816 | [email protected] | | | | | | | | | | | |
