Just out., October 21, 2011, Page 13, Image 13

•community
P olitical p o w e rh o u se
Laura Calvo is a
m em b er o f BR O 's trans
ju s tice w o rkin g g ro u p
other municipalities before taking the fight
The conference is intended to empower
to the state level.
people, both to get on board with the cam­
“Now we have more tools in our boxes,” paign and also to know and fight for their
LeBlanc says, referring to the victory in Port­ health care rights.
land, which BRO hopes to use as a model as
BRO is also looking for support from trans
it shoots for other goals in the state.
allies, non-trans individuals who can advocate
Specific businesses or cities haven’t been for the cause.
targeted, LeBlanc says, but he hopes more
“If your friend who is not trans says [trans
participation from the trans community will health care] is medically necessary, that effect
help narrow the focus. W ith the city of Port­ is actually more powerful,” Calvo says, “espe­
land win, for example, a trans city employee— cially when you don’t identify with the person
who still remains anonymous—offered testi­ who’s being oppressed.”
mony to city council describing his plight and
One of these allies is Medina Cardona, who
asking for health care coverage.
plans to attend the summit in support of her
“If there wasn’t an employee to advocate for trans friends. She is a lesbian and for a number
the city of Portland, it would have been more of years lived in Puerto Rico, where she stayed
difficult to make this happen,” LeBlanc says.
in the closet because of what she describes as
LeBlanc says the level of participation from violent hostility toward gays and lesbians.
the trans community is “right on target,” add­
“They kill people for that,” Cardona says.
ing that many have been surprised by BRO’s “My neighbor was suspected as gay, and he
efforts because “not a lot of national organiza­ was cut up in pieces and left in the road.”
tions have put trans justice at the forefront of
W hen she moved to the United States, she
their campaigns.”
says she heard about trans people being mur­
But some trans people don’t want to create dered or mistreated by the police.
waves, says Laura Calvo, another member of
“I can identify with that level of fear,” Car­
the trans justice working group, especially dona says, “and there’s no way I was going to
when it comes to health care.
be quiet about it. There’s no way I wasn’t going
“W hen you come out as gay, generally, to stand up for them. There’s no way I was
that’s it,” Calvo says. “W hen you’re trans, going to let anyone live with the level o f fear
there’s a likelihood that every time you walk that I had.” M
out the door you’re going to have to come out
again—suffering the stares, or the giggles, or The Basic Rights Oregon Trans Justice H ealth
somebody pointing, or being denied service, Care S u m m it is Sat., Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p .m .;
or being treated different, or people asking, Q Center, 4 1 1 5 N . Mississippi A v e .; $10-$20,
‘W hat are you?’ All of these things happen on sliding scale; fo r more inform ation a n d to regis­
a regular basis. So you tend to walk around on ter, c a ll5 0 3 -2 2 2 -6 1 5 1 or v isit basicrights.org/
eggshells keeping your head low.”
featured/trans-health-care-sum m it/.
y
OCTOBER 21. 2011
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