Politics

Air Force Offers to Relocate Families Impacted by Anti-Trans Legislation

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Air Force Transgender Families

Various laws and legislation are being proposed and passed in states across America that may affect LGBTQ Airmen, Guardians, and/or their LGBTQ dependents in different ways.
 
The Department of the Air Force has assignment, medical, legal and other resources available to support Airmen, Guardians and their families.
 
“The health, care and resilience of our DAF personnel and their families is not just our top priority – it’s essential to our ability to accomplish the mission,” said Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones. “We are closely tracking state laws and legislation to ensure we prepare for and mitigate effects to our Airmen, Guardians and their families. Medical, legal resources, and various assistance are available for those who need them.”
 
If service members or their families need help with screening, treatment, or mental health support for medical concerns, they should start with DAF medical treatment facilities, according to DAF officials. The MTFs can also assist with navigating challenging life circumstances.
 
The Exceptional Family Member Program is another resource available for all active component Airmen and Guardians to assist families with special needs during the PCS process to include navigating medical, legal, and educational support for dependents during relocation.
 
“As is the case with all of our family members, if the support a family member needs becomes unavailable, commanders can work to get the service member to an assignment where their loved ones can receive the care they need,” Jones added.
 
Installation legal offices are another free source of information for personnel who need assistance navigating new and existing local laws. While installation legal personnel cannot represent Airmen, Guardians or their families in court, they can provide vital advice and counsel.
 
Service members and their families can also seek additional support through their local Airman and Family Readiness Center, the Military and Family Life Counseling Program, or Military OneSource, which can be contacted 24/7 at 800-342-9647.

Equality Caucus Welcomes Jordan Dashow as New Executive Director

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Jordan Dashow

Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01) and the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus have announced Jordan Dashow as its new Executive Director. Dashow brings to this role a wealth of knowledge on the legislative process and a proven track record of advancing LGBTQ+ rights. As Executive Director, Dashow will help steer the Caucus’s work promoting LGBTQ+ equality, supporting members of Congress, and coordinating outreach to outside organizations.

Dashow most recently served as a professional staff member for the House Committee on the Judiciary where he worked on a range of topics including LGBTQ+ rights and equality, disability rights, voting rights, reproductive rights, racial justice, unlawful evictions, campaign finance, and church-state issues. Dashow worked closely with Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) on the successful committee consideration of the Equality Act in both the 116th and 117th Congresses. Before his tenure with the House Judiciary Committee, Dashow worked for multiple years in advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign as a Policy Assistant, Policy Coordinator, and Federal Policy Manager.

“I am excited to welcome Jordan Dashow as the next Executive Director of the Equality Caucus. I have had the pleasure of working with Jordan in his previous role with the House Judiciary Committee where he was instrumental in the successful House passage of the Equality Act in both the 116th and 117th Congresses. Jordan’s experience both on the Hill and in advocacy make him the perfect fit to guide the Equality Caucus as we confront the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation from conservative state legislatures across the country. I am looking forward to working with him in this new role to advance LGBTQ+ equality here in the United States and abroad,” said Congressman David N. Cicilline, Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.

“I also want to acknowledge our outgoing Executive Director, Shawn Gaylord, for his dedicated service to the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus over the last 3 years. We thank Shawn for bringing his expertise on LGBTQ+ issues and advocacy to the Hill while navigating the Caucus through the peak of the COVID pandemic. With Shawn’s leadership, we welcomed the largest-ever class of membership and advanced some of the most pro-LGBTQ+ legislation in history, including the Pulse Nightclub Memorial Bill, which was signed into law by President Biden last year. We wish him all the best in his new role off the Hill.”

Founded in 2008, the mission of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus is to promote equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Caucus, which is led by the nine openly LGBTQ+ members of the House of Representatives, is strongly committed to achieving the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. and around the world.

190 Organizations Call for LGBTQ Data Collection as National Academies of Sciences Releases Historic Report

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LGBTQ Data Collection

On March 9th, an ad hoc panel of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a groundbreaking consensus report focused on advancing data collection on sexual orientation, gender identity (SOGI), and sex, including variations in sex characteristics. The report synthesizes existing research, provides detailed recommendations about how to ask these questions, outlines key principles for advancing inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTQI) people, and articulates areas for further research.  The report emphasizes that improved and standardized data collection is vital for understanding the challenges LGBTQI people face.

In response to this report, 190 LGBTQI and allied organizations today released an open letter calling for renewed efforts to advance SOGI and intersex data inclusion on surveys, in administrative data, and in clinical settings. The letter can be accessed here. 

Data collected by private research firms suggest that there are over 13 million LGBTQ people in the United States, and the population is growing notably. Scientific estimates suggest as many as 2-5 million Americans were born with intersex traits.

Said Liz Seaton, Policy Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force: ““Far too few surveys allow people to identify themselves as LGBTQI+ simply because they do not include sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics questions.  The lack of these questions stands in the way of addressing key disparities that LGBTQI+ people experience. We know that data inclusion is a cornerstone of equity, especially for LGBTQI+ people of color, low-income LGBTQI+ people, and transgender and intersex people. It’s important to note that transgender people may identify as male, female or gender nonbinary, and also some gender nonbinary folx do not identify as transgender.” 

To speak with LGBTQI+ experts about data equity and this report, please contact:  

  • Cathy Renna, National LGBTQ Task Force, crenna@thetaskforce.org 
  • Sharita Gruberg, Center for American Progress, sgruberg@americanprogress.org 
  • Naomi Goldberg, Movement Advancement Project, naomi@lgbtmap.org 
  • Alesdair Ittelson,  interACT, ittelson@interactadvocates.org  
  • Aaron Ridings, GLSEN, aaron.ridings@glsen.org 
  • Scout, National LGBT Cancer Network, scout@cancer-network.org 

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equity for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. For more information go to https://www.thetaskforce.org

Mama Bears Launch Giving Circle to Fund LGBTQ Non-Profits

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Mama Bears

Real Mama Bears, an online community dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community and their families, has launched a giving circle in partnership with Legacy Collective. The giving circle monthly donors will collectively issue grants to nonprofits dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ individuals. Members of the Mama Bears Giving Circle will have the opportunity to actively participate by nominating and voting for nonprofits that directly benefit LGBTQ+ causes.

Founder of Mama Bears, Liz Dyer, leads an online community of 40,000+ moms who come together to love, support, and empower parents of LGBTQ+ youth and the LGBTQ+ community. The community encourages every parent with a LGBTQ+ child to fully affirm and celebrate their child as they are.

“I’m excited and honored to partner with Legacy Collective to create the Mama Bears Giving Circle,” states Dyer. “The best thing about the Mama Bears Giving Circle is the opportunity it offers those of us who love and support LGBTQ+ people to collectively invest in making the world a kinder, safer, more loving place for all LGBTQ+ people to live and thrive. Together our impact will be greater! Together we can change the world!”

The Mama Bears Giving Circle aligns with Legacy Collective through common values of commitment to diversity and inclusion. Legacy Collective not only has a strong LGBTQ+ presence on their Boards, but they also vet all grant recipients and partners to ensure there are DEI policies in place protecting the LGBTQ+ community before any funds are distributed and partnerships are formed.

“Legacy cares deeply about the LGBTQ+ community. We are excited for this partnership with Liz Dyer and the over 40,000 Mama Bears where we can come together to collectively support nonprofits across the country addressing a variety of LGBTQ+ community needs,” says Erin Arnheim, CEO of Legacy Collective.

The first round of donations collected from the Mama Bears Giving Circle will be allocated to the following organizations:

  • The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people. 
  • Gender Spectrum: Gender Spectrum works to create gender sensitive and inclusive environments for all children and teens.
  • Tyler Clementi Foundation: The Tyler Clementi Foundation works to address bullying challenges facing vulnerable populations, especially LGBTQ communities.
  • GLSEN: GLSEN believes that every student has the right to a safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education.

To learn more about the Mama Bears Giving Circle, visit https://legacycollective.org/mamabears/

Prisoner Survey Underscores How We Are Failing LGBTQ Youth in America

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LGBTQ Prison Reform

A report by Black and Pink gives us a better picture of the lived experiences of LGBTQ people in prison.  Close to 1,200 prisoners were surveyed in 2014.

Download the Executive Summary and Recommendations

Download the Entire Report Here 

While some of the recommendations in the report stretch the limits of imagination (such as eliminating the criminal justice system entirely), the experiences reported by LGBTQ prisoners are disturbing and demand attention.

One of the most striking pieces of information is just how young many of these individuals were when they were first incarcerated.   Approximately 2/3 or respondents were arrested before their eighteenth birthday.

When you look more closely at the factors that may have contributed to their imprisonment, you’ll discover the challenges many LGBT Youth in America face.

Unsafe Schools: Less than a third of respondents completed high school outside of prison.

Homelessness: Close to 20% of respondents reported being homeless prior to arrest, while only 52% reported stable housing.

Unemployment and Criminalized Economies: Over a third of respondents reported being unemployed prior to their incarceration, nearly 7 times the 2014 national unemployment rate in 2014.  Many reported engaging in sex work or selling drugs for their survival.

Given the very real challenges young people faced (again, the majority of whom were teenagers at their first arrest) the fact that they ended up in the criminal justice system is not surprising.  Deeply troubling, of course, but not surprising.

Once incarcerated LGBTQ Prisoners face many injustices which are documented in this report.  Of course, young or old, all LGBTQ prisoners facing these injustices deserve our attention, our support, and our advocacy.  Please read the entire report and consider what you can do to make a difference.

Afghanistan: Taliban Target LGBT Afghans

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OutRight International

Surge in Threats, Rape, Assault, Wrongful Detention
OutRight International

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Afghans and people who do not conform to rigid gender norms in Afghanistan have faced an increasingly desperate situation and grave threats to their safety and lives under the Taliban, OutRight Action International and Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 43-page report, “’Even If You Go to the Skies, We’ll Find You’: LGBT People in Afghanistan After the Taliban Takeover” is based on 60 interviews with LGBT Afghans. Many reported that Taliban members attacked or threatened them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Others reported abuse from family members, neighbors, and romantic partners who now support the Taliban or believed they had to act against LGBT people close to them to ensure their own safety. Some fled their homes from attacks by Taliban members or supporters pursuing them. Others watched lives they had carefully built over the years disappear overnight and found themselves at risk of being targeted at any time because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
 

“We spoke with LGBT Afghans who have survived gang rape, mob attacks, or have been hunted by their own family members who joined the Taliban, and they have no hope that state institutions will protect them,” said J. Lester Feder, senior fellow for emergency research at OutRight Action International. “For those LGBT people who want to flee the country, there are few good options; most of Afghanistan’s neighbors also criminalize same-sex relations. It is difficult to overstate how devastating – and terrifying – the return of Taliban rule has been for LGBT Afghans.”
 

Most interviewees were in Afghanistan, while others had fled to nearby countries. In addition to worrying about these countries’ laws against same-sex relations, interviewees outside Afghanistan lacked proper immigration status, so were at risk of being summarily deported.

Afghanistan was a dangerous place for LGBT people well before the Taliban retook full control of the country on August 15, 2021. In 2018, the government of then-President Ashraf Ghani passed a law that explicitly criminalized same-sex sexual relations, and the previous penal code included vague language widely interpreted as making same-sex relations a criminal offense. LGBT people interviewed had experienced many abuses because of their sexual orientation or gender identity prior to the Taliban’s return to power, including sexual violence, child and forced marriage, physical violence from their families and others, expulsion from schools, blackmail, and being outed. Many were forced to conceal key aspects of their identity from society and from family, friends, and colleagues.

However, when the Taliban, who had been in power from 1996 to late 2001, regained control of the country, the situation dramatically worsened. The Taliban reaffirmed the previous government’s criminalization of same-sex relations, and some of its leaders vowed to take a hard line against the rights of LGBT people. A Taliban spokesperson told Reuters in October, “LGBT… That’s against our Sharia [Islamic] law.”

A Taliban judge told the German tabloid Bild shortly before the fall of Kabul, “For homosexuals, there can only be two punishments: either stoning, or he must stand behind a wall that will fall down on him.” A manual issued by the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue in 2020 states that religious leaders shall prohibit same-sex relations and that “strong allegations” of homosexuality shall be referred to the ministry’s district manager for adjudication and punishment. 

Despite making repeated pledges to respect human rights, the Taliban have engaged in widespread rights abuses since retaking control of the country, including revenge killings, systematic discrimination against women and girls, severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, and land grabbing. In this context, marked by systematic abuse of power combined with virulent anti-LGBT sentiment, Taliban officials and their supporters have carried out acts of violence against LGBT people with impunity.

A gay man said that Taliban members detained him at a checkpoint, beat him, and gang-raped him, telling him, “From now on anytime we want to be able to find you, we will. And we will do whatever we want with you.” A lesbian said that after the Taliban takeover, her male relatives joined the Taliban and threatened to kill her because of her sexual orientation.

Most people interviewed believed their only path to safety was asylum in a country with greater protections for LGBT people, but very few LGBT Afghans escaping Afghanistan are known to have reached a safe country. Only the United Kingdom has publicly announced that it has resettled a small number of LGBT Afghans. Organizations assisting LGBT Afghans say that hundreds of people have contacted them, seeking international protection and resettlement.
 

“The Taliban have explicitly pledged not to respect LGBT Afghans rights,” said Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s critically important for concerned governments to urgently put pressure on the Taliban to respect the rights of LGBT people, ensure that assistance they provide Afghanistan reaches LGBT people, and recognize that LGBT Afghans seeking asylum face a special risk of persecution in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.”

For more information, please contact:

  • For OutRight Action International, in Michigan, J. Lester Feder (English, Spanish): +1-703-785-1747 (mobile); or jlfeder@OutRightInternational.org. Twitter: @jlfeder                                         
  • For OutRight Action International, in Washington, DC, Neela Ghoshal (English, French): +1-917-935-9087 (mobile); or nghoshal@outrightinternational.org. Twitter: @NeelaGhoshal
  • For Human Rights Watch, in Islamabad, Heather Barr (English): +1-646-479-2703 (mobile); or barrh@hrw.org. Twitter: @heatherbarr1
  • For Human Rights Watch, in New York, Graeme Reid (English): +1-203-606-5847 (mobile); or reidg@hrw.org. Twitter: @Graemecreid

***To download video

The Trevor Project Condemns Florida “Don’t Say Gay” Bill 

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The Trevor Project Condemns Florida “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Targeting LGBTQ Students

The bill would effectively erase LGBTQ students and history by banning classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

January 20, 2022 — The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, condemned the Florida House Education & Employment Committee for passing HB 1557/SB 1834, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, erasing LGBTQ identity, history, and culture — as well as LGBTQ students themselves. The bill also has provisions that appear to undermine LGBTQ support in schools and include vague parental notification requirements which could effectively “out” LGBTQ-identifying students to their parents without their consent.

“The Trevor Project’s research has found that LGBTQ youth who learned about LGBTQ issues or people in classes at school had 23% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year. This bill will  erase young LGBTQ students across Florida, forcing many back into the closet by policing their identity and silencing important discussions about the issues they face,” said Sam Ames (they/them pronouns), Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. “LGBTQ students deserve their history and experiences to be reflected in their education, just like their peers.”

The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that more than 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. According to a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The Trevor Project, 85% of transgender and nonbinary youth—and two-thirds of all LGBTQ youth (66%) — say recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health. When asked about proposed legislation that would require schools to tell a student’s parent or guardian if they request to use a different name/pronoun or if they identify as LGBTQ at school, 56% of transgender and nonbinary youth said it made them feel angry, 47% felt nervous and/or scared, 45% felt stressed, and more than 1 in 3 felt sad.

If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678. 

About The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide.

Our Identities Under Arrest

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LGBTQ Identities are Under Arrest

Arrests and prosecutions for consensual same-sex sexual acts, or for diverse gender expressions, continue unabated across the world. And yet, they are considerably under-reported.

Our Identities Under Arrest is a new publication by ILGA World offering a global overview of the enforcement of laws criminalising consensual same-sex sexual acts between adults and diverse gender expressions.

The report reviews hundreds of cases in which law enforcements subjected LGBT and gender-diverse persons to fines, arbitrary arrests, prosecutions, corporal punishments, imprisonments and more – up to (possibly) the death penalty.

Governments often argue that criminalising laws are ‘dormant’, but this report offers evidence that such claims are largely inaccurate. How – and how often – they are enforced can vary abruptly and in unpredictable ways, making both our communities on the ground and asylum seekers who managed to flee live perpetually under threat.

The Our Identities under Arrest report will be of great value to the advocacy work of human rights defenders. It will assist asylum seekers and the legal experts working on their cases. And it will provide researchers, media outlets, governmental and global agencies with the necessary information to build a holistic picture of how the criminalisation on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression really looks like.

Click the link below to read the full report:

Our_Identities_Under_Arrest_2021-1Download

Decriminalization of sex work is good public health policy

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Scott Schoettes

By Scott Schoettes

Sex work needs to be decriminalized in the United States. My desire to see this come to pass is not (completely) self-interested. It is a matter of human rights and personal autonomy, and a natural extension of Lawrence v. Texas, the landmark 2003 Supreme Court case that established the constitutional right to engage in same-sex sexual activity. Just as importantly, however, decriminalization of sex work is an HIV prevention and public health strategy.

First, criminalization drives sex work underground and impedes public health efforts to reach sex workers and their clients with HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programs. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has documented that, in large part due to the criminalization of sex work, sex workers frequently have insufficient access to adequate health services, male and female condoms, water-based lubricants, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) following condomless sex or rape, management of STIs, drug treatment and other harm reduction services, protection from violence and abusive work conditions, and social and legal support.

Due in part to the illegal nature of the work, sex workers often face discrimination and rejection in accessing healthcare, with damaging health results. Occupational stigma of criminalized work increases vulnerability to stress and diseases, compounding health care needs while simultaneously acting as a barrier to healthcare services essential to prevention. When sex workers do seek out healthcare services, they often are regarded in ways that reinforce criminal stigma, which can deter sex workers from seeking care at all and from disclosing their occupation for fear of discrimination by their healthcare provider and disclosure of their identity and activities to law enforcement. For sex workers living with HIV, these concerns are compounded.

Second, the use of condoms as evidence undermines prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as other public health goals. Though a few jurisdictions have reformed their practices in recent years, many jurisdictions still view the mere possession of condoms as evidence of the intent to engage in prostitution or other prostitution-related crimes. Arresting and prosecuting people who carry condoms reduces use of an extremely effective and affordable prevention tool, particularly for people engaged in (or profiled as likely to engage in) “street level” sex work. And using condoms as evidence makes managing sexual health more difficult because it forces individuals to weigh the risk of prosecution for a prostitution-related crime against the risk of transmitting or acquiring HIV and other STIs.

Third, criminalization increases violence against sex workers. Where sex work is criminalized, there are alarmingly high rates of physical and sexual violence against sex workers by clients, individuals posing as clients, police, exploitative “pimps,” and others. Abuse is fueled when perpetrators recognize the barriers criminalized sex workers face in seeking justice, perpetuating physical and sexual violence with impunity. Furthermore, abusive intimate partners can exploit the illegality of sex work and may threaten to expose their partners to police as tactics of control.

To avoid police detection, criminalized sex workers often displace themselves to isolated (and more dangerous) settings, effectively forcing them to trade away their safety and well-being. When criminalization prompts sex workers and their customers to move their encounters off main streets and into less trafficked areas, they are exposed to greater risk of violence, more pressure to engage in unprotected sex, and other hazards.

Violence against sex workers is often not registered as an offense by the police and in some cases is perpetrated by police. Sex workers report severe sexual violence, including forced unprotected sex by police officers, both at the time of arrest for prostitution-related crimes and while in custody on those criminal charges. And the criminalization of sex work means the violence that occurs in the context of sex work has been largely unmonitored, resulting in few to no legal protections afforded to sex workers by police and judicial systems.

In countries where sex work has been decriminalized, access to care improves, STI rates decrease, and safer sex practices increase. Though the UN has identified sex workers as a “key population” in the global fight against HIV for many years, the current National HIV/AIDS Strategy fails to include them among the “priority populations” in the United States. Here’s hoping sex workers are identified as a priority population in the next iteration of the NHAS and that the barriers to prevention, care and treatment identified above are addressed while progress is made toward full decriminalization.

Scott Schoettes is an attorney and advocate who lives openly with HIV. He engages in impact litigation, public policy work, and education to protect, enhance, and advance the rights of everyone living with HIV. This column is a project of TheBody, Plus, Positively Aware, POZ and Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ+ wire service. Visit their websites – http://thebody.com, http://hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware.com and http://poz.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

Heather Mizeur Runs for Congress

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Heather Mizeur

From the Victory Fund: Heather Mizeur has spent her professional life over the last 25 years passionately engaged in public service. She is a policy expert, a former legislator, a small business owner, a farmer and the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization focused on social justice. 
 
Heather’s life is defined by a commitment to service and stewardship that was formed in her early years. She is the oldest daughter of a factory welder who was an active United Auto Worker for more than 30 years. Five generations of family farming also run deep through her DNA. Heather’s spiritual life, rooted in her Catholic faith, is the animating force behind her dedication to social justice — a passion and faith shared by her wife, Deborah. They met on Capitol Hill while Heather was U.S. Senator John Kerry’s Domestic Policy Director and were married in 2005, pledging then to do everything they could to bring marriage equality to Maryland. 
 
Heather was known in Annapolis as a legislative powerhouse during the eight years she served in the Maryland General Assembly — leading the charge on passing marriage equality, banning fracking, enacting criminal justice reforms, and expanding health insurance for children, women, and families. After leaving elected office, Heather founded Soul Force Politics, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the worsening divisions in American politics and civic life. Heather’s career also includes four years of national service as a member of AmeriCorps. 

Find out more at www.heathermizeur.com