Activating advocacy

Amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, you can use these steps to assure your voice is heard.

BY CORINNE BAUM

Missouri’s legislature made national headlines this year as elected officials filed 34 bills that target LGBTQ+ rights.

Such legislation might prompt action from community members who have never contacted their legislators before — and that’s most people. A 2018 report from the Pew Research Center found that 23% of Americans contacted their elected officials in 2018, and 10% attended a local government meeting.

Communication helps representatives gauge how constituents feel about issues. Not sure where to start? This guide is here to help.

How do I contact my representatives?

It’s most effective to call your representative’s office or stop by in person in Jefferson City. Emails can be overlooked too easily. Boone County makes up the 19th Senate district and the 44th to 47th and 50th House of Representatives districts. You can find your representatives at house.mo.gov or senate.mo.gov. For

Keep In Mind

These bills don’t affect LGBTQ+ individuals equally. “Most of these bills have a direct impact on trans bodies and specifically trans women of color,” says Merrique Jenson, executive director of Transformations, a Kansas City group that supports gender nonconforming youth. Transgender women of color face high rates of violent crime, but it can be hard to quantify. “The police and criminal justice system don’t often have the data collection points or aren’t capturing the violence,” Jenson says.

all communication, make sure to include your full name, address and phone number, according to the Missouri Senate website. Also let them know you’re a constituent voicing a concern.

It’s best to contact your representatives while they’re in session. The Missouri General Assembly convenes in early January and adjourns in mid-May.

What should I say?

It’s important to keep your tone respectful while conveying how you feel. “The purpose of your call is to share a personal story for why something matters to you or to be able to defend it from a professional perspective,” says Shira Berkowitz, the senior director of public policy and advocacy of PROMO, Missouri’s LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.

Consider following a script. You can find many examples online. A basic script starts with an introduction of yourself, along with a clear reason why you’re calling. Briefly but effectively describe the issue, why you feel this way and what you’d like your representative to do.

Specialized scripts that relate to specific issues or bills can usually be found on the websites of legislative advocacy organizations, such as PROMO.

How do I track a bill’s progress?

To find a bill related to your concerns, you can visit house.mo.gov and senate. mo.gov., or you can visit websites like legiscan.com/mo or billtrack50.com to browse a list of active and trending bills.

Bills are proposed and then assigned to committees, which hold public hearings and then decide on the path forward. If the committee votes that the bill be brought before the chamber floor, the bill is put on the calendar. Bills have to pass in both chambers before it’s brought to the governor.

Currently, the state Senate is fielding the most anti-LGBTQ+ bills. On March 23, it passed legislation that places prohibitions on medical interventions for trans youth, as well as a bill that creates rules about gender and youth school sports. Both bills head to the House. A Senate committee also approved Senate Bill 134, which advocates say is a forced outing bill, requiring that school personnel notify parents if a student discloses their gender identity or sexual orientation.

How else can I get involved?

Volunteering is a powerful form of advocacy. The Center Project, a LGBTQ+ nonprofit organization in Columbia, has many programs that support the LGBTQ+ community. It is also a safe space, especially on days when legislation that limits LGBTQ+ rights is proposed or passed, says The Center Project President Christi Kelly.

To volunteer, visit centerproject.org/ volunteer. Additionally, consider donating to The Center Project’s supply drives or its closet with gender-affirming clothes. These opportunities are often announced on the organization’s Facebook page.

You can also sign PROMO’s petition to stop trans youth healthcare bans at promoonline.org.

Furthermore, have intentional conversations with others in your community about queerness, gender nonconformity and the basic rights people who identify this way deserve. “A lot of times, those very personal conversations are what’s significantly going to change the needle in the long run,” Berkowitz says.

Advocacy takes a lot of work that might not always yield successful results. “We are a very strong community, and these attacks, in some ways, just make us stronger,” Kelly says.