Liz Rincon – Memphis Flyer

Staying up late at night, worried about your children is a common occurrence for all parents. What are they watching on their phones? Who are they chatting with? Who was that my kid just drove off with? Standard parental anxiety. However, now there is a new fear that has taken over my nightly worries and has manifested into actual terror. No, I am not being dramatic, this fear is real. I am speaking about our Gov. Bill Lee and the smug way he just made it impossible for queer and trans youth to exist safely in our state.

I am a mama, a proud one. My children do not seem to want to conform to gender-assigned clothing, never have and probably never will. Because my oldest likes to wear clothes bought on the “boys” side of Target, has always been a little advocate for the LGBTQ community, and prefers they/them pronouns, I am terrified that the governor has just given permission for narrow-minded and frighteningly armed people to target and bully my beautiful and brilliant kiddo.

A slew of anti-trans legislation poured out of our state capitol building like the pink slime in Ghostbusters. Just oozing with hate, really bad science and information. The Tennessee Equality Project works so hard to fight this “slate of hate” and try to keep our youth safe. Yet, that train left the station and instead of working on pandemic relief and healthcare needs for our suffering state, the state government dug in and went full bully on our most vulnerable.

When I watched Gov. Lee sign some of the cruelest anti-trans legislation, with his giant smug smile slapped across his face, I wanted to pack up and leave. I wanted to find that progressive utopia, where my children could learn freely about American history without it being sliced into slivers of white bread. My husband and I could raise our children in peace, free from the fear of being targets. We were going to find that location, move, and let Tennessee be a distant memory. There was only one problem — that place does not truly exist in America. Sure, there are more “tolerant” cities and states, but we are not looking to be “tolerated.” We just want to live our lives, safely and free of fear.

I have seen so many posts from friends and acquaintances saying it is time to leave Tennessee. They, too, are living in a world where their fears are becoming realities. We are making national and international headlines, where people are commenting that they never plan on coming to Tennessee because we are so hateful. Well that sucks for our tourism industry, our ability to recruit new business and wealth. Who will invest in us now? Trust me, these hateful bills will come back to bite Gov. Lee, straight in his dad jeans.

After a week of thinking about a lot of things — mainly how to keep my children safe from bigots and bullies — I decided the best thing to do is stay, be brave, and protect all our children. Leaving is what those knuckle-draggers want, so they can slowly create a Tennessee where everything is homogenized and covered in mayonnaise. Well, this Latinx mama, who wants her children to live freely and safely, is not going anywhere. (Although, it is always good to have a backup plan, like a godfather in NYC.)

I want nothing but safety and protections for my child and yours. I want dignity restored, and I want these East Tennessee Republicans to get the heck out of my business because I am a Memphian and I am willing to get in the mud to make their ability to pass outrageous and bigoted laws more difficult. I will take up more space. I will be louder and more visible, and I will not allow them to make a weird white pseudostate because they feel like their “culture” is being threatened. I know it is tempting to start the process of moving to a more tolerant place, but for now let’s stay and try to right the wrongs of this last year. As a mama, a Memphian, and your neighbor, I will always be on the side of dignity for all. I hope you will stay and fight that fight with me. Donate to your local LGBTQ organizations, be your child’s first champion, not their first bully. Memphis is our home; let’s keep it safe for all.

Liz Rincon is a political consultant.

It was one year ago that the Memphis City Council passed the non-discrimination ordinance, which would protect city workers from discriminatory action based on sexual identity and orientation.

The Tennessee Equality Project was at the forefront of grass-roots lobbying and organizing to get the public involved with holding their city council members accountable along with several other organizations — including the Shelby County Democratic Party.

The night that the ordinance passed, there was an amazing feeling in the air. Memphis had demonstrated the gumption to stand up and fight for equality, and there was a realization of progress being made.

That same evening, the Shelby County Democratic Party was hosting a presidential-debate watch party where several of the folks who worked to pass the ordinance joined in celebration. The feeling was electric. The SCDP had finally joined with advocates for equality and won.

What a difference a year makes. I was in attendance at the recent roast of former Mayor Willie Herenton, an event hosted by the SCDP. While overall it was a very successful event, toward the end of the evening the emcee, TV’s Judge Joe Brown, went off on a rant that sounded as if he had gotten confused and thought he was addressing a Tea Party rally.

Brown’s homophobic and sexist comments were simply too much to take, and I, along with several others, decided to leave. I was stunned that this person thought it was okay to tell young women to “keep their legs shut” at the knees and for the LGBT community to stay in the closet. He even insulted President Obama, accusing him of not having created a single job.

I did not understand. After all, the money raised that evening went to the Democratic Party, the same organization that had come out in support of marriage equality and hosted several women’s events the previous year. What was going on?!

The SCDP per se did not issue Brown’s comments, and I believe most people who are involved with that organization do want to make Memphis a better place. However, allowing for such vitriol at an event honoring our former mayor and raising funds for the party’s 2014 cycle should be addressed.

There are many people out there looking to get involved, and the progressive organization the SCDP has traditionally been in the past is inclusive. To bring more people into the party, we need to be tearing down the walls of discrimination, not adding cement to the wall of bigotry and hate.

In honor of the one-year anniversary of the passage of the nondiscrimination ordinance, I ask that the SCDP come out and stand up for those who have been discriminated against because of their gender, sexual identity, and orientation.

I say, come out and help fight for true equality and tell our great city that Brown’s remarks do not represent the views of the organization. The Democratic Party is the party of inclusion, and it is time that it stops being just a statement and becomes reality.

Election year 2014 is shaping up to be a difficult cycle in Shelby County for Democrats. It is true that there are more registered voters that identify themselves as Democrats, but the truth is that getting people out to vote on a local level takes a strategic field plan, good fund-raising, and the ability to build a strong organization of volunteers.

Building a coalition of people who are committed to fighting for issues and dedicated to political action is important — and necessary in order to win elections.

Capturing the excitement from winning such an important issue and working together in order to accomplish a victory should have catapulted progressives to feel more welcome in local Democratic politics, but, the truth is, it has not.

If the Shelby County Democratic Party continues to remain silent about the remarks made by a man whose politics are seemingly more aligned with Michele Bachmann than with Michelle Obama, then maybe it is time for progressives to start recruiting their own candidates and saying “good-bye” to the old-school patriarchal system that has left out young people, women, LGBT, and those who support their causes.

Liz Rincon is an activist and consultant, whose agency, Liz Rincon and Associates, focuses on accomplishing progressive goals.