Weekly Roundup
Wednesday: with a slate of problematic bills cracking down on free speech and internet privacy at the federal level, we joined a press conference with Fight for our Future, the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, the ACLU, and Senator Ron Wyden to talk about the impact these bills would have on the LGBTQ+ community at the local level.
Thursday: in the same evening, we held our first all-hands volunteer meeting and joined a statewide call with NARAL and Affirm to talk about the state of the legislative session. Want to get involved in our work? Come to our next meeting on Thursday the 11th.
Friday: more than three weeks after Liz Harris was expelled from the legislature, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to appoint Julie Willoughby, a close primary contender in 2022, to fill the vacant seat in LD 13.
Saturday: on May 6th, we commemorated the 90th anniversary of the Nazi attack on Magnus Hirschfeld’s gender clinic, which was the first of their large-scale book burnings, and which resulted in the death of Dora Richter, the first known trans woman to receive gender-affirming vaginoplasty. To learn the history of the groundbreaking clinic, read Brandy Schillace’s “The Forgotten History of the World’s First Trans Clinic” in Scientific American.
Civic Advocacy
Civic Advocacy Jam
11:00 am - 12:30 pm May 13, 2023 | register
Join us on May 13 for our first Civic Advocacy Jam in Tucson! Queer voices deserve a place in the policy-making process that goes beyond the debate over our basic rights, which is why we’ve designed this ongoing series to give you the tools to craft legislation, draft viable bills, and engage in the policy-making process as an active contributor.
Location: Woods Memorial Library, Tucson
Political Power
In another major shake-up at the legislature, House Minority Leader Andrés Cano has announced that he will resign from his seat in LD 3 after the budget process is complete this year. We wish him success as he pursues his next steps in civic leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. After he steps down, the Pima County Board of Supervisors will select his replacement from candidates nominated by the Democratic Party in his legislative district.
Crucially, the announcement also signals that the budgeting process is well underway. And to that end, today’s House Rules Agenda has one item: “Permission for late introduction of measures sponsored by Speaker Toma relating to the budget.”
Media & Events
Last week we published two great podcast episodes for Ask Smart People Smart Questions and The Arizona Equals Conversation. The excellent local LGBTQ+ news organization LOOKOUT PHX published a great write up of our panel discussion about anti-trans extremism in school boards for their newsletter today. Make sure to check it out and to listen to the full episode!
Banned Book Club
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm May 15, 2023 | register
As book bans sweep the nation, one great way to push back is to read! Our banned book for the month of May is Into the Drowning Deep, a sci-fi horror novel by Mira Grant. Join us at Brick Road Coffee on May 15 to discuss the book with our book club host Vanessa Marie!
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