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Women and Queer Communities Belong in the Roundhouse. Abuse does not.
Emerge New Mexico (NM) is a national leader in training women to run and win elected and appointed positions. We have trained nearly 400 women in NM to step into political office. During this work, we have heard countless reports of abuse faced by our graduates- which are not new or isolated incidences. They are the result of systemic oppression. They are historic and widespread. In fact, Emerge NM continues to shift our own curriculum to help our women navigate these abuses; at a minimum -- to prepare our graduates for the misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and violence they will likely face. At best, we can foster an environment that allows them to be a part of a chosen family and support system that builds skills to stand up for one another when these abuses happen. But we shouldn’t have to do this and we certainly cannot do this alone. It is past time the New Mexico Legislature led these efforts and those to transform this pervasive culture.
We are proud that this legislative session included a record-breaking number of women and queer people represented in the New Mexico Roundhouse. However, with this sea of change, there has been an increasing amount of misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia on full display this legislative session. We have witnessed committee hearings where Representative Stefani Lord called the cops on a Black woman who was testifying, the racist and sexist questioning of a cabinet secretary by Senator Greg Baca, comparing queer senators to female dogs by Senator Sharer and the degradation and abuse of EmergeNM women as they present their bills in several committees. Make no mistake, the abuse has come from both sides of the aisle and exists in both chambers.
The public hostility came to a head last week, as Senate Judiciary Chair Joseph Cervantes used abusive tactics on three House of Representatives female bill sponsors presenting on Paid Sick Leave in his committee. They were demeaned and humiliated by Senator Cervantes before he used his Chairmanship to force an amendment that would kill their bill. Thursday, March 18th’s late night debate on paid sick leave then led to intense bullying of President Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart by Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto that was so egregious that a recess was called to stop the abuse. While these instances stand out, they do not stand alone. The New Mexico Legislature, and politics generally, are a breeding ground for the abuse of women, women of color and queer people -- both in public and behind closed doors.
We stand by and with our Emerge NM graduates in public office who show up every day, to work and stand up for their communities and the people of New Mexico-- even in the face of violence. Each day, Emerge NM hears stories of women in office who experience belittling, badgering, abuse, propositions for sexual favors, to name a few types of the mistreatment endured by our graduates, at the hands of their colleagues and the public. And despite this disgusting environment, they continue leading through change, bringing the voices of their communities to the legislative process. They fearlessly challenge the status quo -- in the face of these attacks -- knowing that they’ll experience trauma, and that their efforts will be undermined by misogyny, racism, homophobia and transphobia. They should not have to bear this burden.
Emerge NM graduates or not, women and queer communities who serve in office know all too well what these abuses look like. Years before Emerge NM was a thought, women -- particularly women of color - faced these abuses and paved the way for Emerge NM women who now serve in office. And Emerge NM will keep fighting to move forward so that generations after us will enter a better political environment than we currently have.
Emerge NM will continue to train democratic women to run for office and win. Women of color. Queer and trans women. Women from historically marginalized populations and positions. Women whose agendas, histories, and intersecting identities will challenge the abusive and demeaning status quo in the Roundhouse and in our world. We will maintain our unity. We will give each other the space to process the abuse, the tools to challenge it, and the pathways and power to end it. We will work together to transform systems of oppression into venues of change.
But we can’t do this on our own. We call for our allies in the legislature to hold abusive legislators accountable whenever these abuses take place. Not just this once - always.
Understanding our own positionality and leadership within the Democratic party, Emerge NM calls for the following short and long-term changes to ensure a just, equitable, and ethical legislature:
First, while we recognize that the abusive behaviors demonstrated by Senators Joseph Cervantes and Daniel Ivey-Soto this week were single incidents in a larger context, we find it imperative to call for their immediate resignation. This is how accountability works. We hope that legislators on the other side of the aisle find it within themselves to finally call out the pattern of unacceptable behavior exhibited by their own colleagues.
Next, Emerge NM will file a complaint with the NM Ethics Commission to begin to address the long-term systems change that our legislature so desperately needs. It’s imperative that women and queer folks who serve in office, conduct business at the legislature, engage in advocacy or simply show up to work have systems in place that allow them to report incidences and ensure that any violence inflicted upon them is appropriately and effectively addressed.
Finally, as New Mexico seeks to become a professional legislature, we call on legislative leadership to be proactive in addressing the pervasive misogynistic, racist, homophobic, and transphobic culture and its resulting incidents of mistreament, harassment, and discrimination. We must have the foresight to create and ensure an environment where all members, staff, and the public feel respected, valued, and that they belong. To do so, there must be formal reporting, response, and accountability systems in place. There must be an acknowledgement that systems of oppression have paved the way for this current culture of misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia. To transform this culture, members must actively work toward respectful, inclusive environments by engaging in ongoing education, being willing to be held accountable when behavioral expectations are not met, and use their power to stand up against harmful behaviors.
Emerge NM will continue to train Democratic women to run for office and stand beside them as they serve. We ask that you support us in this commitment and stand with us as well.
In solidarity, unity, and action,
The Emerge NM Board of Directors
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