This Just in from the Ocean State
Goldman for city council
Jackie Goldman is running for a seat on the Providence City Council in Ward 5. Their day job is public health researcher at the People, Place and Health Collective housed at the Brown University School of Public Health, primarily focused on preventing overdose and other harms related to drug use.
Goldman is running to be Providence’s first nonbinary city council person, and has made good inroads to date, including having earned an endorsement from Run for Something.
“The people of Ward 5 have been very accepting of my identity,” said Goldman. “Many people have expressed excitement at seeing a young queer person running for office.”
“The people of Providence need leaders who will serve everyone and not just the wealthiest people in the city.” They list the housing crisis, under-performing school systems, crumbling city infrastructure among their top reasons for running. More than anything, they say, “we need to build compassionate systems and, because of my experience, I know that I can serve the people of Providence.”
Homophobia in courts
Respondents to a survey from the Rhode Island Bar Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force listed numerous instances of racism, sexism, homophobia and ableism within the Rhode Island court system, according to the Providence Journal.
Female attorneys, lawyers of color, LGBT lawyers and those with disabilities reported experiencing such barriers as disparate treatment, lower pay and fewer opportunities for advancement.
New leader at Youth Pride
Rush Frazier joined Youth Pride, Inc. as executive director and says they are excited to “spend my entire work week engaged with the question, ‘How do we do more than inspire resilience in LGBTQ+ youth, to do more than simply withstand the slings and arrows of home life and cisheteronormativity, to a place where they find joy, and learn early on their personal power?’”
Frazier has 20 years of experience working for racial, economic, gender and environmental justice. “As a queer, working-class, AFAB Black person,” they said. “I understand how difficult it is to navigate systems while also advocating for oneself in an inherently biased structure.”
They count access to a LGBTQ+ drop-in resource in their own hometown as critical to their finding their voice and power.
Welcoming Hogan
Stephen Hogan Jr. has become the new director of development and public relations at AIDS Care Ocean State (ACOS). He will tackle communications, development, fundraising events, public relations, donor relations and volunteer coordination.
Hogan comes to ACOS with more than 17 years of experience working in development, fundraising, operations and organizational management, mostly with nonprofit organizations.
“Just because people are living longer with this disease,” he says, “does not mean that it is not still an issue today.” He will be looking to new corporate donors, grants, new and current individual donors as well as new funding streams.
Red scarf rememrance
On December 1, AIDS Project RI honored those lost to HIV/AIDS by placing red scarves donated by the community across the PVD Bridge, a moving reminder of the ravages of HIV/AIDS.
They also handed out red velvet cookies to those stalwart souls who braved the cold weather to view the memorial.
HRC Municipal Equality Index
New England earned leading scores once again on the Human Rights Campaign’s 10th annual Municipal Equality Index.
In the Ocean State, Providence scored a perfect 100. Warwick earned 67, East Providence 66, Pawtucket 64, Newport 62, Cranston 59, South Cranston 58 and Narragansett 52.
More: hrc.org
