Eastern Michigan University’s LGBT Resource Center held its first Meet the Movement program on Monday Oct. 17, featuring the LGBT-advocacy organization Equality Michigan.
“The idea behind Meet the Movement was that we wanted students to get an idea of what was going on in their current surroundings here in Michigan, as well as nationwide, for the LGBTQ movement,” LGBTRC event coordinator Jess Mulcahy said.
As part of the LGBTRC’s programming for OUTober, Meet the Movement introduced many EMU students to Equality Michigan in an informative way.
“I think the event went really well,” senior Issac Sanch said. “I’m excited and cannot wait for more because it’s good to know that the community is out there because some of us have not had the exposure to such positive advocacy.”
From civil rights acts to house bills ranging on all types of discrimination the Michigan LGBT community faces, Meet the Movement informed many in attendance about issues they would’ve otherwise been unaware of.
“I thought it was really educational and opened my eyes to all the problems we face,” freshman Sam Teerle said, “but more than that, as the LGBT community, it showed me how we can work to better those problems and work to make our community better to live in for ourselves.
“I hadn’t realized all the ways we could get involved with establishments like Congress or with the community. I didn’t even know about Equality Michigan until tonight and didn’t realize we had this kind of activist lobbying organization exclusively for Michigan. It gave me a confidence boost and I hope to get involved with some of their future actions.”
Representing Equality Michigan at the night’s program was Emily Dievendorf, Equality Michigan’s policy director. She explained the organization’s mission and history in her opening statements to the audience while keeping serious topics light with her humor and wit.
“Equality Michigan is the only statewide LGBT advocacy organization in Michigan,” Dievendorf said. “We used to be the Triangle Foundation and Michigan Equality; the Triangle Foundation focused on victim advocacy and education around the state for the LGBT community and Michigan Equality performed lobbying to help shape public policy and legislation dealing with adoption, employment protections, hate crimes and housing policies to name a few on a local- to state-wide level. Those two organizations merged and formed the Equality Michigan we have today.”
An informational brochure provided at the event explained how Equality Michigan is working to gain equality and respect for all Michigan residents regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. As an organization, it advocates for the LGBT community wherever discrimination or hatred occurs, whether from employers, law enforcement, hospitals, college campuses, restaurants and more.
But while the issues being faced were heavy, Dievendorf kept positive and resolute in the advocacy of the organization.
“In Michigan I understand why we don’t come out sometimes,” she said. “Michigan is not the most accepting, welcoming place to come out. But when you can, if you can, do it because people need to know we are, as a community, active and contributing members of our communities.
“I want everybody to know we’re here and it’s about love, equal rights and making sure everybody has what everybody has because we’re all worth it.”
Equality Michigan also functions as a resource by providing information to those who request it, such as finding LGBT-friendly attorneys, counselors and social services, all at no charge to those who request its services.
“I didn’t realize how few rights the LGBT community has,” freshman Aaron Smith said. “I didn’t know it was that bad. I knew we couldn’t marry but that was about all I knew. Now I definitely intend to look up my legislators and find who to talk to.”
During and after the Q&A portion, audience members expressed the value of what they had learned through the event.
“I learned new routes to advocacy because I’ve been trying to be a very outspoken advocate and sometimes it’s easy to lose track of how to best place the energy,” Sanch said. “Even if you aren’t queer, it still affects you.”
Smith said, “The best thing we can all do is just raise awareness in ourselves and others on these issues. You’d be surprised at what you don’t know.”