President Joe Biden will address the nation soon when he gives the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The ceremonial speech will lay out the president’s priorities and the challenges facing the country. But what about the LGBTQ+ nation?
LGBTQ Nation spoke with six of the nation’s best and brightest to find out what they saw as the difficulties — and solutions — for the queer community and our struggle for equal rights. In a time of unprecedented challenges, these individuals can shine light in the darkness and show us a way out.
Bil Browning
Editor-In-Chief
Mondaire Jones knows the best defense queer people have is the ballot
“The crisis of our democracy is the biggest existential threat. If we do not have a truly representative government, if we do not have a pro-equality majority in both chambers of Congress and the White House, then we are going to continue to see this Supreme Court whittle away at our rights.”
— Mondaire Jones
How V Spehar is keeping tabs on America from under a desk
“Politicians are using people’s protective instincts to push very hateful things because it makes it look like they’re winning, but they’re helping someone else lose. We need to watch out for not trying to prove that drag queens aren’t a danger to children because they’re obviously not. We need to prove that your protective instinct is being triggered by somebody trying to manipulate you. You’re not going to get somebody to stop believing their sole mission is to be a protector, but you can get them to understand who actually needs protection.”
— V Spehar
What does ‘activist-elected official’ Park Cannon foresee in the future for queer rights?
“I know the feeling of coming out in the South and expecting that there would be hate. And there was, but there was also a lot of fun and exploration and resistance that teaches people more than they could ever imagine. I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to look at LGBTQ culture as groundbreaking and inclusive and not look at it as anything but that.”
— Park Cannon
Activist Matt Foreman questions whether we have the leadership and resources needed for full equality
“What is urgently and desperately needed is a coordinated, multifaceted campaign to push back against all this horrific legislation that has come down the road and will be coming down the road this year at the state level.”
— Matt Foreman
Kelley Robinson is head of the largest LGBTQ+ organization — and she knows our Achilles heel
“I come to this work as a Black woman, as a queer person, as a wife, and as a mom. And there are so many issues that matter to people in the community because we hold all of these identities, right? You can’t get to liberation without racial justice; you can’t get there without disability rights, immigration justice, climate change, and climate reform.”
— Kelley Robinson
Taylor Brorby knows anti-queer red America. Here’s his prescription for changing it.
“It’s a time to be nervous. Being nervous is different than being afraid. We live in a country that allows the targeting of vulnerable people whose rights aren’t fully enshrined in our governmental documents.”
— Taylor Brorby
