Members of the LGBTQ community in Connecticut gathered on Monday at Hartford’s Legislative Office Building to announce the creation of the new advocacy group called Equality Connecticut, reports the Hartford Courant.
“We recognize that queer people in Connecticut face multiple and varying forms of oppression. We see the fights against systemic racism, gender discrimination, criminalization, violence, poverty, health disparity, reproductive justice as all inherently queer issues,” said the group’s executive director, Matt Blinstrubas, according to the Courant, which goes on to report:
Equality Connecticut fills a longstanding void in the state’s legislative LGBTQ representation, Blinstrubas said. Although smaller organizations have advocated successfully for various LGBTQ issues in the past, this is the first attempt at a statewide, all-encompassing LGBTQ political organization.
“We had a lot of early progress, the gay rights bill, marriage equality. There was always an effort going on, so there wasn’t necessarily a particular need for this,” Blinstrubas said. “That changed with the rising political tension, the oppression and persecution that queer folks see around the country. That tension has not missed Connecticut. This is a moment for us to come together and ensure that our gains are protected.” …
The group stated its immediate priorities, legislative and otherwise, as:
- Expanding suicide prevention programs to be more LGBTQ inclusive
- Supporting legislation to ensure coverage of fertility care for LGBTQ people
- Ensuring access to gender-affirming health care
- Supporting the progress of the state LGBTQ Health and Human Services Committee
- Advocating and raising funds for the Shawn Lang Task Force for a Connecticut AIDS Memorial
- Building a training program to nurture the next generation of LGBTQ leaders and activists
Read the complete Hartford Courant story here. More: eqct.org