30 minute read
RGB’S IMPACT ON LGBTQ RIGHTS IN AMERICA .......... 28, 2
BLACK LIVES MATTER IN PHX, TEMPE, AND AT ASU
Sylvia Moir, with their new Interim Chief of Police, Jeff Glover, who is set to serve until October 2021.
Advertisement
“A lot about policing and the conversation about policing has changed just in this year, ever since the murder of George Floyd,” Ching said in an AZFamily article after Moir’s resignation. “Those discussions and protests going on around the country have really sort of changed a lot of people’s thinking about what will be necessary to successfully move forward. It was my assessment that while we made a lot of progress that at this point I felt new leadership was needed.”
Glover is the first African-American chief of police in Tempe’s history with a background of serving as the governor-appointed commissioner on the Arizona Commission for African American Affairs and was a national board member for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. With these credentials, city officials say Glover’s presence on Tempe’s police force will create major change within the department and community while BLM supporters merely see his presence as a facade for the city’s public image.
“It seems like Arizona is playing politics where they think just because they have a person of color or a black person in power that it’s going to change the policing system and the way it works. It doesn’t matter what color a cop is, they’re a pig. That means they’re inherently violent and they’re a part of a systemically racist, anti-black system,” Miriam said Overall, regardless of Tempe City Council’s efforts in producing police reform, Black Lives Matter advocates do not see the switch in police chiefs as an improvement for Tempe PD.
“The system of policing is rotten, so putting a clean individual into a rotten system will eventually cause them to rot as well, because of policing’s rotten core,” Miriam said. “So, unless this new police chief is going to respond to the community’s request to defund, to disarm and to reinvest money into forms of public safety, then he won’t be any better than the last police chief, Sylvia Moir, who was a liar and a crook.”
Despite everything surrounding Black Lives Matter here in the valley, BLM proponents have a bright outlook on the movement as a whole and hope that the change they’re fighting for will take root in America’s future.
“I think it’s beautiful what is going on around the nation seeing what has been the largest uprising around the world and in the U.S. with the BLM movement and the BLM protests. My only hope is that this does become a movement, and not a moment in time, where the demands BLM is calling for will become a reality,” Miriam said.
ACONAV
A LOOK INTO LOCAL Aragon began as an engineer and my work is my culture. The whole NATIVE AMERICAN COUTURE DESIGN By Maja Peirce practiced mechanical engineering idea of where we come from as a “The ACONAV woman strives to be for 13 years in the Phoenix area. matrilineal society, really lays the at her best at every aspect in her life. After visiting the Santa Fe Indian foundation of what I do. Everything She rises beyond expectations, with Market in 2009, he was struck by I do is based on this idea of women ambitions of breaking beyond limits the progression of Native American empowerment and celebrating and becoming more. She believes art and the inclusion of technology. the strength and empowerment of in many good things, but most of He began illustrating, making women because our culture really all she believes in herself. She is a jewelry, and sculpturing. dwells on that,” said Aragon.
nurturing role model, a matriarch
in the eyes of the future. She adorns He tested some designs on t-shirts herself in an elegance that will and after hearing some positive empower her to always be at her feedback, dipped his toes into best. She carries herself with a fashion designing. In 2014, he grace, full of life and surrounded by created his first complete collection. beauty. Her story is inspiring, her In 2016 he left his job as an presence captivating… she will be engineer to become a full time remembered.” -Loren Aragon designer.
ACONAV is a Phoenix based fashion brand created and designed by Loren Aragon. His collections have been seen at a variety of venues within Arizona and New York. He was the first Native American to be named Couture Designer of the Year at Phoenix Fashion Week in 2017. Having designed a dress for Disney Epcot Center in Florida as well as a red carpet appearance for ASU Gammage Director Colleen Jennings-Roggensack in 2018, he continues to showcase his innovative designs around the nation.
He grew up watching his mother and aunt sew but was always under the mentality that sewing was “for girls.” However, as he grew as an artist, Aragon wanted to do something that would honor the women in his life. Aragon is from the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, where they are known for their renowned pottery. His work resembles their geometric artistry. Metal and rock music sparks a vision of strength for Aragon. He gained inspiration from dark mythological art and technology.
“Obviously a lot of things I do stem from my engineering background. Everything has to be soundly structured, and able to function the way it needs to,” said Aragon.
He treds between a balance of masculinity and femininity in his
designs. While appreciating a solidness of design that exudes masculinity he also feels there is a distinct difference between colors in his work. He drew from his experiences making jewelry and started using metal, adding additional touches of masculinity within his designs
More recently, Aragon has felt parallels between his work and female superheroes such as Captain Marvel, Storm, and Wonder Woman.
“One of the biggest ones for me was Wonder Woman. When that came out there was a huge connection because of her native background with the Brazililian Amazon Women. Their culture had a very matrilineal vibe,” said Aragon.
In the real world, Aragon is a proud supporter of unity and tries to keep his political views and work life separate. However, he was excited to see the first two native american women, Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland, win seats in the House of Representatives. He feels there could be more matrilineal guidance in the nation’s political system.
“Acoma people really look to our mothers and just women in general as our caretakers and our nurturers. They provide for us and ultimately are our decision makers. They are more open to listening to everybody and consider everyone’s ideas before making a decision. There is a compromise that comes from that and we need more common ground,” said Aragon
Aragon explained that the Acoma believe men should be the support for what women ask for and are the brute force that drives women’s choices.
“That needs to be carried out. Even in our society now, from years before when European explorers would not speak to any women and only wanted to speak to men, there is a whole change in leadership. We need to start considering how our society used to run in order to create some balance,” said Aragon.
The current political climate did not help when COVID-19 hit and affected small business owners around the country. The fashion industry evolved a great deal from doing zoom runway shows to having an influx of online orders. However, despite the shopping sprees some people took to online, most of what they were looking for was lounge clothing and a lot of couture fashion brands were seeing a decline in customers. ACONAV was no exception. Since their couture collections weren’t selling as easily, they began making masks and it has kept them in business through the pandemic so far.
“We threw a lot of what we believe into that too- the whole idea that we are into this together, we can get out of this together, so we need to work together to protect one another. That is what we believe in within our culture so that was the idea we put into the mask making. Through these masks, we want to create some unity among our fellow humans,” said Aragon.
Looking into the future, Aragon and KJZZ are working on a project called “The Monsoon Series.” KJZZ, a national public radio station in Phoenix, reached out to a number of different artists in various genres to do something inspired by the monsoon season. You can visit his instagram @aconav to get a sneak peek of art from “The Monsoon Series.”
Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up with The with The with The with The with The with The with The with The Trends Trends Trends Trends Trends Trends Trends Trends
Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up Keeping Up with The with The with The with The with The with The with The with The W hat is a trend, and how do you find the current trends of the season? Every year there will be seasonal trends for fashion, which are defined the year prior at fashion week by high end designers. Since the average person can’t afford designer clothes, fast fashion stores will pick up these trends, making them readily available and affordable to the average person. Although this seems helpful for those who shop at commercial stores, how harmful is this cycle?
While trends are exciting to look forward to and seemingly essential in the fashion world, the constant changing of trends does not aid a sustainable environment.
Historically, sustainability and fashion have not coincided with each other, as the fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental issues. The simple act of buying new clothing each season from large commercial chains, contributes to mass production and overconsumption by shoppers.
For the average consumer, keeping up with the trends in itself can be costly, so they look to fast fashion stores to help them stay in style, but knowing its negative impact on the world; What are ways to stay in style while being sustainable?
Thrifting is one of the most sustainable and ethical ways of buying clothes to stay on trend, and at an affordable cost. Although places like Goodwill, and Salvation Army have always been available, thrifting has become extremely more popular and mainstream in recent years.
Even though trends are supposed to be new each season, they are often recycled trends from past decades that resurface. Given the new wave of technology in the 2000’s shopping has become easily accessible online and on phones through applications. Most shopping apps are those of commercial stores, however there are also a lot of great second-hand applications like Poshmark, Grailed, and DePop. By utilizing the apps that focus on reselling clothes, shoppers can stay on trend and within budget by buying second-hand clothing at a discounted price.
What does being on trend mean to you? With the intense use of social media, and influencers, fashion is always around, constantly showing consumers what they don’t have but need to get as soon as possible. But what if it’s cool to not be on trend? We’ve all seen what it means to be “basic”, but is this an arbitrary term? Won’t everyone become basic to some degree if we are all on the same trend? I’ve found recently that although it’s cool to flex on the world with the newest and latest clothes and trends, this somewhat contradicts the art of fashion.
Fashion is used for expression and art, creating beautiful designs and having people sport them with their personal flare, regardless of the current trend. by Cabrini Class
Picking out an outfit every morning is hard enough when we’re making an important presentation or rushing to a meeting, but many political figures have entire teams dedicated to how they look when going out to just walk the dog. There is an incredible amount of scrutiny from the public eye when one is an elected official, and fashion choices are often seen as more than what shirt they’re wearing, FASHION in POLITICS but what it means beyond the fabric. How can politicians or activists convey a message with what they’re wearing? by Gwenn Strassers
William Henry Harrison: late 1830s to 1841. Harrison ran against Andrew Jackson and based a good part of his campaign on being a simple man. He dressed as a frontiersman, wearing moccasins, coonskin caps, and animal-skin canteens. According to The National Constitution Center, he created a craze in the 1840s to dress with coonskin caps. His style and “average guy” look that the Democratic party tried to attack him for was what got him in office, even if he wasn’t there for a long time.
photo from brittanica
Amelia Jenkins Bloomer: mid-1800s. She published multiple articles in her ladies magazine, The Lily, about wide-leg pants worn under a knee-length skirt, meant to allow women to move a little more freely. Activists later discarded the style because it was creating less of a platform for them, with many men saying “good
Democrats would not vote for a man whose wife wore ‘the Bloomers.’”
Even if these pants didn’t help much for women’s suffrage at the time, they certainly set a precedent for future women’s hopes to wear what they chose. A piece by the National
Women’s History Museum alludes to how bloomers sparked the beginning of fashion rebellion in the States. 16
Susan B. Anthony: 1900s. She wore a red silk shawl when lobbying congressmen for women’s votes, making speeches and generally being anything but an ornament to society. The Philadelphia Press reported, “That bonnet, with the kind blue eyes beneath it, those spectacles, that plain dress and quaint red shawl, and, above all, that sweet, gentle voice, spelled ‘mother’ as plainly as the fine word ever was written. Not a hint of mannishness but all that man loves and respects. What man could deny any right to a woman like that? Her style, but especially the shawl, is a small statement made in the fight for the 19th Amendment.
photo from spin history
Rosie the Riveter: 1943. Staples of the look included a button-up and a handkerchief in the hair. Rosie was a symbol of women entering the workforce, as well as politics, and continued to influence the feminist movement well after WWII was over. Women’s trousers became the norm. The original portrait of Rosie was painted by Norman Rockwell, and isn’t the one more famous today that depicts the “We Can Do It!” slogan. Rockwell’s painting was of a more muscular woman with a toolbelt and a jumpsuit, which was not common for women to wear at the time. Rosie’s poster and style are revered even to this day, as well as promoted the idea of white people working alongside black people. 17
Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1944. “Simply designed and modeled after a civilian windbreaker made by John Rissman & Sons of Chicago, it was a short, button-front weatherproof jacket with a tight-fitting waist and two flapped and buttonthrough front pockets.” He changed the design himself and by 1944, the entire U.S. army had changed to this style of jacket.
photo from national park service
John F. Kennedy and Richard
Nixon: 1960. During the first televised presidential debate, JFK wore a steel blue suit designed by the Brooks Brothers, and makeup, in stark contrast to Nixon, who looked sickly, washed out, and tired. Reportedly, JFK won the debate seen on TV and Nixon won the radio debate. One can hardly deny that Kennedy's looks and style were one of the factors in securing the White House.
Ann Lowe: 1953. Jackie Kennedy’s wedding gown designed by Ann Lowe, a black woman who went largely unrecognized but designed everyone from the Rockefeller’s to the Roosevelts. Jackie’s gown was anything anyone would talk about for months and helped with JFK’s rise in popularity.
Jackie Kennedy: 1960s. The pillbox hat at
JFK’s inauguration, designed by Halston, was an international craze. She acci dentally dented it, everyone thought it was on purpose, and they were obsessed with it! While this was one of her most famous fashion moments, she is credited with how many Americans think that modern politicians are celebrities as well as diplomats. She was so influential in politics and fashion that when she and JFK went to France, JFK introduced himself to everyone as “the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to France.”
photo from daily mail
Black Bloc Style and the Black Panthers: 1960s to present. The beret, powder blue shirt, leather jacket, and for the most part black ensemble. Black Panther schools were started with this uniform and eventually led to the style “black bloc” used by usually leftist rioters starting in the 1980s.
photo from TheSociologicalCinema on Tumblr
Ruth Bader-Ginsburg: 1993-2020. The Justice Gowns were usually made for men (place for collar and tie). She had a dissent collar made from rhinestones designed by the Banana Republic to show disapproval with a decision, notably wearing it the day after Trump was elected even though court was not in session that day. She wore a crochet collar with a gold necklace to show approval, finding it in Cape Town, South Africa.
Hillary Clinton: 2016. Pantsuit Nation on Facebook rallied support for Hillary in the presidential election, and she had popularized the pantsuit look, even as First Lady. Now, Pantsuit Nation is part of an organization that encourages voters to share their stories about why and who they are voting for in upcoming elections. Hillary wrote in her book, What Happened, that she chose to wear pantsuits because as a woman running for president, she liked “the visual cue” that she was “different from men, but also familiar.”
photo from Harpers Bazaar
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: 2018. In 2009, when Sonya Sotomayor was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, she was told for press photos to keep her nail polish color neutral, so she wouldn’t stand out too much or be seen as too feminine. She didn’t and chose to wear red nail polish. Years later, this influenced AOC, who was told to tone down her look to be more professional. Instead, she wore red lipstick and gold hoop earrings to her inauguration, and has continued to do so, so that young women, especially in the Bronx who are told to not be so flamboyant can tell people they’re just “dressing like a Congresswoman.”
Politics in fashion
Fashion is well-known for creating waves and sparking powerful movements that can benefit society. It quickly catches the eyes of many, so why not use that to society’s advantage? This is what Abrima Erwiah, co-founder and president of fashion enterprise Studio 189, was thinking when wanting to promote and motivate younger generations to participate in voting with her campaign, Fashion Our Future 2020 (FoF2020).
Many designers and brands partnered up with FoF2020 to help create and sell merchandise to encourage others to vote. Here are just a few of the looks they’re selling. by Alexis Huerter
“THE RIGHT TO TOTE” TOTE FROM TheRealReal.com- $40
This cute tote by Tanya Taylor is described as a “conversation starter” which comes with voting button pins so you can customize your own tote or even pin on your top the next time you go out.
WHITE FLOWER SACK MASK FROM TheRealReal.com- $20
Studio 189 sells unique handcrafted masks from Ghana that are individually painted to portray voting pride.
This T-shirt designed by creator director Virgol Abloh is used specifically to represent the FoF2020 campaign to influence others to vote in this 2020 election.
HEART OF THE NATION T-SHIRT FROM TheRealReal.com- $45
JDOL’s “Only Vote Love” T-shirt was designed to promote that younger generations can decide our future when it comes to voting.
VOTE FASHION FOR OUR FUTURE TOTE FROM TheRealReal.com- $50
Designer Maria Cornejo created this earth-friendly tote to display voting participation but it can also be used as a garden planter with its black felt.
Felisha Noel, the founder of the lifestyle brand Fe Noel, is inspired by vibrant colors. She uses her inspiration in creating this scarf to help be a voice for FoF2020.
GOLETTA SHORTS FROM TheRealReal.com- $57
Canava supports causes that incorporate social and environmental impacts. Recently this brand has been tackling an additional type of cause with its new voting collection that includes these blue, striped shorts to support younger generations to vote.
Fashion Our Future 2020 is partnering with Voto Latino, a nonprofit organization that helps inspire younger Hispanic and Latino voters to participate in the election. The organization also encourages Latino voters to become more involved in politics and to better support the Latinx community.
help register one million voters. FoF2020 is more than halfway done with its 5K goal with 3,400 new voters as of October 27th that went through their website to register. FoF2020’s website helps direct people to polling places as well as show others how to register to vote, check registration status, and take the United States 2020 census.
The campaign also includes tabs that describe the importance of voting and how it can give a voice to the voiceless and educate others on the process of voting. The goal between both organizations is to
Incorporating voices and fashion helps spread change in a quickly-paced world, and sharing our voice for important topics like voting can shape our society’s future for the better.
BG T o encapsulate the mere fortitude of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, one of the nation’s most forceful soldiers in the fight for equality is nearly impossible, but I’m going to try because she on September 26, she was sworn into the Supreme Court on October 26. For the first time in history, the Supreme Court will have an overwhelming majority of one party over another. Six right leaning judges and three left leaning judges threatens a lot of rights Ginsberg NOTORIOUS RBGN NOTORIOUS RBG RIOUS RB OUS R was grade-A badassery. More fought for. Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 importantly, so much of what she supreme court ruling that made worked for is now at stake after her abortion legal could be overturned. passing. The Affordable Care Act which Justice Ginsberg was one mandatory in most healthcare plans of nine women at the Harvard Law could also crumble. School in 1956, the first person on both Harvard and Columbia Law In an article published by Review, the second woman and The Guardian Alexandra Villarreal first Jewish person to be nominated said, “Even with Ginsburg to dissent, to the Supreme Court. She fought the court majority – bolstered against inequality for women and by Trump’s first two appointees minorities until her dying breath – ruled last summer practically when, on her deathbed, she stated all nongovernmental workplaces “My most fervent wish is that I could flout ACA contraceptive will not be replaced until a new mandates based on religious or president is installed.” moral objections, in line with Soon after Justice Ginsberg’s Affordable Care Act also protects passing was announced her those with disabilities. It has been granddaughter passed on her essential in expanding people most fervent wish to the media. with disabilities health coverage. It Some questioned whether or protects those with pre-existing not such a request should be conditions, requiring coverage honored. Supporters of the current of mental health and habilitation administration could be heard services as well as increases home chanting “fill that seat” at Trump and community services. rallies. A month following Trump’s makes covering contraceptives Trump administration policy.” The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett The confirmation of Barrett 25
G G BG RBG S RBG NOTORIOUS RBG also leaves risks for the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, cases regarding LGBTQ+ discrimination have been appearing before the Supreme Court. Bostock v. Clayton County was brought before the court just this past June. The day after election day the court will hear Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a case which determines whether the government is required to allow taxpayer-funded organizations to discriminate against LGBTQ people when providing essential services. Barrett additionally has an overwhelming record of denying the right to seek asylum and helped to advance Trump’s key immigration policies. Voting means more than ever for these marginalized communities within the nation and they are not only counting on those in their own community. Everyone must show up to protect those who have experienced injustice and whose rights could potentially backslide in the upcoming years. A HERO FOR ALL WOMEN Above all, Justice Ginsberg was an advocate for women’s rights. She co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Women’s Sally and her husband, Cecil Reed had separated and Cecil’s application was approved with no complications because of an Idaho law that claimed males must be preferred to females when there was more than one qualified person able to administer someone’s estate. Ginsberg stated that this violated the Equal Protection Clause and the Supreme Court agreed unanimously. Ginsberg had just fought the first case to ever have the Equal Protection Clause be applied to gender discrimination. While Ginsberg was a pioneer for women’s rights in the courtroom, she fought personal discrimination every step of the way. Following Harvard law school, no firm would hire her despite graduating at the top of her class. When Ginsberg became a professor, she was paid less than her male coworkers. Her mother, who passed when Ginsberg was 17, taught Ginsberg to not allow useless emotions such as anger to get in the way, and to be independent. She lived her mother’s words and continuously leaped over hurdles that were placed in her way. But most importantly, she allowed discrimination against her to fuel her legacy of fighting for equality. A SOLDIER FOR LGBTQ+ RIGHTS In Romer v. Evans 1996, Ginsberg voted to void an amendment to the Colorado State Constitution. Multiple state and local municipalities had been voting in favor of laws that protected the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. According to Britannica, several socially conservative evangelical Christian groups had successfully gotten a state constitutional amendment on the ballot to “repeal any state or local law that protected people who were ‘Homosexual, Lesbian or [of] Bisexual Orientation” and would prohibit the passage of any legislation in the future that would protect such people in their “conduct, practices or relationships.’” Rights Project. She additionally acted In November 1992 voters passed as general counsel for the ACLU the amendment with a 53 percent where she disputed over 300 gender majority. Richard G. Evans sued discrimination cases and six against Colorado’s governor, Roy Romer, the Supreme Court of the United contending the amendment States. In 1971, in the case Reed violated the Fourteenth v. Reed, Ginsberg wrote the Amendment equal plaintiff’s brief relying on protection clause. The the 14th amendment. Sally case got brought Reed, a mother, had just before the Supreme lost her son Richard Court by 1995 and Lynn Reed and wished the amendment was to be assigned the voided with a 6-3 administrator of his vote. estate. However, 26
Justice Ginsberg went on to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in cases Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, Windsor v. U.S. in 2013, Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, and Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020.
A FIGHTER FOR IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS
In the Sessions v. Dimaya 2018, James Garcia Dimaya, a native and citizen of the Philippines, was declared a permanent resident in 1992. Dimaya was convicted for first-degree residential burglary under the California Penal Code in 2007 and 2009. According to Oyez, Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a non-citizen convicted of an aggravated felony is subject to deportation. Under the INA definition, an aggravated felony includes a “crime of violence” which is an offense that involves “the use or substantial risk of physical force against another person or property.” Deportation proceedings were brought against Dimaya by The Department of Homeland Security due to his crime being deemed a violent crime. According to Oyez, “The Immigration Judge held that Dimaya was deportable and that burglary constitutes a crime of violence because it always involves a risk of physical violence. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirmed.” Justice Ginsberg, along with Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Gorsuch voted that the INA’s definition of a “violent crime” had finished their medical treatment was unconstitutionally vague and there, mental health professionals violated the Fifth Amendment’s Due expressed both women could Process Clause. continue into a community-based Justice Ginsberg went were kept within Georgia Regional on to help overturn the Trump Hospital. They filed a lawsuit to be administration’s decision to end released under the Americans with the Deferred Action for Childhood Disabilities Act (ADA). On June Arrivals (DACA) initiative. DACA 22, 1999 Justice Ginsberg, along is an immigration policy created with four other justices, voted that for people who had been brought the unjust segregation of people to the U.S. as children and now with disabilities violates Title II of have an unlawful presence. DACA the ADA. This section disallows allowed them to obtain a renewable discrimination against qualified two year term that postpones individuals with disabilites in all deportation and become qualified programs, activities and services of for a work permit in the United public entities. States. Ginsberg blocked an Arizona program. Despite this, the women law that made undocumentation a On June 22, 1999, the crime and demanded state police United States Supreme Court officers to check immigration status held in Olmstead v. L.C. that of people within their custody prior unjustified segregation of persons to releasing them and detain anyone with disabilities constitutes considered undocumented. She discrimination in violation of additionally sustained noncitizens’ title II of the Americans with right to contest their detention in Disabilities Act. The Court held government custody. that public entities must provide community-based services to AN ADVOCATE FOR persons with disabilities when (1) AMERICANS WITH such services are appropriate; (2) DISABILITIES the affected persons do not oppose community-based treatment; and (3) Justice Ginsberg was an community-based services can be advocate for the rights of Americans reasonably accommodated, taking with disabilities and mental illness. into account the resources available Within Olmstead v. L.C. 1999, two to the public entity and the needs of women, Lois Curtis and Elaine others who are receiving disability Wilson, who had developmental disabilities and mental illness were voluntarily admitted to Georgia Regional Hospital’s psychiatric unit, a state-run institution. When they services from the entity. G by Maja Peirce NOTORIOUS R TORIOUS OU27
RBG’S IMPACT RIGHTS IN AM
The death of Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has sparked worry over the LGBTQ+ community.
Since her first appointment in 1993, Ginsburg has impacted the lives of many LGBTQ+ Americans. In 1996, Romer v. Evans dealt with a Colorado state constitutional amendment that prohibited LGBTQ+ people as a protected class. Ginsburg joined a 6-3 decision that declared this to be unconstitutional.
USRBGS RBGRBGIn 2003, Ginsburg helped with the decriminalization of homosexual intercourse with Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down a statute in Texas that prohibited sexual intimacy between those of the same sex. Most notably, Ginsburg helped in securing the right to marriage for same-sex couples during Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015. Ginsburg was the first Supreme Court member to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. In 2013, a few months after the Court recognized same-sex marriages, Ralph Pellecchio and Dr. James Wernz became the first 28 gay couple to get married at the Supreme Court.
Ginsburg’s death in September took a toll on many of the country’s LGBTQ+ leaders, including Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David.
In a press release, David said, “We have lost an unqualified, undisputed hero. Justice Ginsburg wasn’t just an iconic jurist -- she was an unstoppable force for good. We must honor her legacy and fight like never before for justice, fairness, and equality for all.”
With a vacant spot in the Supreme Court, it is unsure whether the new Supreme Court Justice will be as supportive of LGBTQ+ rights as Ginsburg.
Donald Trump selected Amy Coney Barrett as the nominee to replace Ginsburg’s seat at the Supreme Court, but she has already come under fire for LGBTQ+ rights. If Barrett were to become the newest Supreme Court judge, she would play a part in many defining moments for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
T ON LGBTQ+ MERICA
used the term “sexual preference” to refer to LGBTQ+ Americans’ sexual orientations.
On Twitter, LGBTQ+ rights organization GLAAD explained the connections to anti-LGBTQ+ communities that this term has.
“‘Sexual preference’ is a term often used by anti-LGBTQ activists to imply that sexual orientation is a choice,” GLAAD tweeted.
Barrett also refused to say whether she agreed with the Supreme Court ruling from 2015 that federally legalized same-sex marriage.
With the Trump Administration nominating Barrett as the next Supreme Court judge, some LGBTQ+ members are concerned about the future of their rights in the country, including Arizona State University student Austin Ashburn.
“After some research, I’m a bit concerned,” said Ashburn. I would say this administration has had a pattern in removing LGBTQ language from things like government websites.”
Ashburn also mentioned the Trump Administration’s decision last year to not allow most transgender individuals to be able to enlist and openly serve in the military.
Despite Barrett’s weary reputation with LGBTQ+ rights, Ashburn said that it’s important for allies and advocates to uplift the community.
“I think right now, our focus should be on equality within the workplace and within the LGBTQ+ umbrella,” said Ashburn.
There’s still a long way to go for LGBTQ+ equality in the country, but Ginsburg played a role in securing many of their rights. It’s up to the country as a whole to remember and honor Ginsburg’s legacy through voting and advocating for equal rights of all. by Kenzel Williams
