Learn More Series: “We’re Not Going Back”: Protecting and Advancing LGBTQIA+ Rights in 2022
Activists have described it as civil rights whiplash: Despite all of the progress in LGBTQIA+ rights, visibility, and acceptance in this new century, a wave of transphobia and homophobia is sweeping the nation. This year alone, more than 200 pieces of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation have been introduced in 36 states, the majority targeting trans and nonbinary people for discrimination in accessing health care, obtaining identification documents, using appropriate bathrooms, and participating fully in sports. We are also witnessing a correlation between the rise in authoritarian governments and a rise in anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment worldwide.
This all-star panel discussed the state of LGBTQIA+ affairs today and learn how we can act to protect and advance LGBTQIA+ rights. Panelists included:
- Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality
- Urooj Arshad, Senior Program Manager for Dignity for All: LGBTQI+ Assistance Program at Freedom House
- Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart, Director for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs for the City of Philadelphia and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University
The panel was moderated by BU Inaugural Innovator-in-Residence Jonathan Allen
This event originally took place on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 and was co-sponsored by the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff.
This event is part of BU Diversity & Inclusion’s (BU D&I) Learn More Series, which explores a single topic of social importance through events, discussions, and programs throughout the year— this year, BU D&I is exploring LGBTQIA+ Identity and Experiences.