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HRC 100 for LGBTQ+ inclusivity reflects policies not experience By Lily Alexander @llilyalexander
Albuquerque received a score of 100 on LGBTQ+ inclusivity in laws, policies and services from the Human Rights Campaign, however the rating does not entirely reflect the experiences of Queer people in Albuquerque. The annual HRC Municipal Equality Index (MEI) Scorecard evaluates non-discrimination laws, city employers, city services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. It equally accounts for inclusivity related to sexual orientation and gender identity. For the second year, the HRC gave Albuquerque maximum points in each category for 2023. Marshall Martinez – executive director of Equality New Mexico (EQNM), a statewide LGBTQ+ organization – said he agrees with the rating, but said it does not fully represent what it is like to be Queer in Albuquerque. “Just because the city has all of the right policies in place and is
doing the right things in terms of non-discrimination doesn’t mean that people who live in Albuquerque don’t still experience discrimination or oppression in some way,” Martinez said. Madison Otero, co-chair of Juniper Reimagined, a Queer and transgender student alliance at the University of New Mexico, said she understood why Albuquerque would be given a 100 policy-wise, but brought up imperfections in the city and University’s culture. “Last year, there were a lot of protests for Turning Point and speakers brought to campus. Prior semesters they had a really transphobic speaker, but (that’s) not law-related,” Otero said. “You can’t really expect (that) because all the laws are there that (also) means everybody’s totally cool with everything.” The HRC sends a draft of the MEI to EQNM and the City each year, providing an opportunity for the entities to respond if they feel measurements are inaccurate, Martinez said. The EQNM does not impact the final rating, but can influence the HRC’s research. If Martinez had input in the
categories the MEI assessed, he said he would add more measurements around law enforcement – given the disproportionate policing – arresting and prosecution of LGBTQ+ people nationwide. In 2021, the Prison Policy Initiative analyzed a year of National Survey on Drug Use and Health data and found that gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals were 2.25 times more likely to be arrested than heterosexual individuals. “When the vast majority of people who interact with law enforcement are afraid for their lives, what does that feel like for trans women of color? For Queer people who already are over-policed and harassed?” Martinez said. The HRC’s 2023 MEI Report notes that “many states obtaining 100 scores on the MEI can’t promise 100 score experiences for its residents. The experience for Queer folks in Albuquerque, Hunter Teubner — Juniper Reimagined Communications Officer — said, can range greatly. “(Albuquerque’s) definitely not safe for everyone, especially the unhoused members of our community,” Teubner said. “But I’d
Pride flag in front of a mountain landscape. Image Courtesy of Unsplash.
say for the most part, there is a lot here for us and the general vibe of the community – at least UNM – is very accepting.” The HRC rated a total of 506 cities in the United States in 2023 – 129 of which received scores of 100. This is nine more than received perfect scores in 2022. The average score in 2023 was 71; five cities received a score of zero, according to the MEI report. “We have to remember that LGBTQ people are Black and Brown. They are women. They’re people
who live in poverty. They’re people who lack health care access, and this measures one set of things, but it does not paint the entire picture of what the experience is for LGBTQ people,” Martinez said.
Palestinians have been displaced, according to Al Jazeera. In October, Al Jazeera reported Gaza faced severe shortages of basic necessities and a lack of access to humanitarian aid due to the ongoing war with Israel. On Dec. 15, Israel announced they would temporarily reopen an access point, Al Jazeera reported. The existing strength of the relations of the Queer and Black Indigenous — People of Color (BI-POC) centered biking collectives in Albuquerque like Cosmic Cycles and StoryRiders — provided them the tools to organize together to bike for a cease-fire, Esparza said. “It feels (like a) really important call to do through biking, which has historically been a sport dominated by white people and white men, and it’s a big deal that the people who are putting this on across the country are primarily led by BI-POC cyclists,” Esparza said. The functionality of a bike allows it to be a tool for access and mutual aid efforts. Co-organizer Landis Pulido discussed the various ways a bike can be used with a basket or pull a cart and how it is an affordable mode of transportation, referring to Freewheel Mobile Aid in Albuquerque — a mutal aid group that distributes necessities to unhoused folks weekly. The way biking collectives can
serve as mutual aid — community-based support and resources — goes beyond the functionality as well, Pulido said, as it also provides a space for folks to come together in a community to honor the earth. “Think about movement, and moving our bodies, moving our Spirit, moving our breath, as part of our collective medicines to take care of each other. Even more so during these times that we’re witnessing genocide across these lands, across these waters,” Pulido said. Ongoing action in solidarity with Palestine is important to keep the war prevelent in people’s minds, Alheli Caton-Garcia said — a cyclist and community activist who attended the bike ride. Organizing around common interests like biking, Caton-Garcia said, can both increase attendance and allow for the formation of lasting community relationships. “It’s important to show up and continue to disrupt things and make everyone aware that this is still happening. I’m sure that people know, but continue to spread awareness. It’s important that all people on all occupied lands receive liberation and get justice. Real justice,” Caton-Garcia said. The ride was attended by individuals of all generations. Caton-Garcia, who rode with her father, said attending actions with family can allow for intergene-
rational activism to occur and to best address the issues people of all ages face. “With an intergenerational modality — if you live in that way — you can get liberation not only for the young children but the parents, grandparents, great grandparents and continue to make sure that we are collectively – not just as a community, but as a family – engaging in efforts to liberate one another,” Caton-Garcia said. Showing up in solidarity with a movement can exist in many ways, Pulido and Esparza said. The goal of the ride was to continue to form a community, create spaces for collective resistance and show support to Palestinian people. “Solidarity can look like biking, can be through conversations, going to solidarity actions, having writing sessions, being able to even sit with water and prayer, and in connection to the multitude of survival and resilience across these lands and to our people,” Pulido said. “Even more so, knowing that Palestine is here with us and we’re here with them.”
Courtesy Photo
Lily Alexander is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @llilyalexander.
Biking collectives ride in support of Palestine
Maddie Pukite / @maddogpukite / Daily Lobo
A banner that reads “Free Palestine” hangs between two trees at Robinson Park before the bike ride in solidarity with the Gaza Sunbirds on Saturday, Jan. 6.
By Maddie Pukite @maddogpukite With Palestinian flags attached to bikes and watermelon bandanas, a few dozen cyclists gathered in Robinson Park in support of a cease-fire in Gaza on Saturday, Jan 6. The group rode five miles to stand in solidarity with Palestine and to fundraise for the Gaza Sunbirds and the Middle East Children’s Alliance. The Gaza Sunbirds are a para-athletic cycling team that, since the war with Israel, has transitioned from cycling to providing aid and distributing resources to their community. Tannia Esparza,
a co-organizer, said the ride in Albuquerque was in response to a call by Native Women Ride for people across the nation to ride in solidarity with the Gaza Sunbirds. “We’re going to need places to ground us and to hold our collective grief, and we’re also going to need spaces like this where we can uplift each other and re-energize with hope, to move our bodies, to ground ourselves with the land that we’re a part of that sustains us and to build community with each other because it doesn’t stop at a ceasefire. The work is ongoing,” Esparza said. Since Oct. 7, the Gaza Ministry of Health has reported over 22 thousand Palestinian deaths, and since Oct. 13, more than a million
Maddie Pukite is the editor-inchief at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo.com on Twitter @maddogpukite
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