A New LGBTQ+ Strategy in Washington
Episode Description
With the second Trump administration about to take power, how can LGBTQ+ advocacy groups continue to advance their nationwide priorities? Imara is joined by Kelley Robinson, Executive of the Human Rights Campaign, who lays out her organization’s plans for the next four years. The two discuss how new coalition building strategies could help disrupt a growing culture of fear and individualism. Kelley also talks about how she remains optimistic in the face of political hostility and why we need liberation for all, not for some.Â
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Speaker 1 [00:00:07] Hey, fam, it’s me, Imara. Welcome to the TransLash podcast, a show where we tell trans stories to save trans lives. Well, next week, Donald Trump will be inaugurated for the second time as president of the United States. And we have to get real about what the plans are that that administration has for our community. And a part of that is figuring out how members of our community, specifically the institutions that are LGBTQ focused, how they’re going to respond. And that’s why I wanted to talk to Kelly Robinson, who is president of the Human Rights Campaign. It is the single largest LGBTQ organization in the country with important initiatives on and about trans people across the country. And because it is a politically active organization, could have an outsized impact on the conversation around trans people over the next four years. So for all of those reasons, it makes sense to kick off our coverage and conversations that we’ll be having over the next several weeks and throughout the year about the Trump administration. With Kelly Robinson.
Speaker 2 [00:01:14] We have to be thinking as a movement collectively about what it means to build power for the LGBTQ community. If we’re really real about it, we got to get some other stakeholders on board with us.
Speaker 1 [00:01:23] But before we get into this timely and crucial conversation, let’s start out, as always, with some trans joy. Art and design can help bring life to the sometimes abstract fight for liberation. Mara Razo is a community artist and organizer who is dedicated to using their creativity for change. Working under the name Emulsify, Mara has created vibrant illustrations for social justice, non-profits and grassroots organizations from around the country. They specialize in working with families and kids and on issues around trans rights, reproductive justice and immigrant rights. You can find their diverse illustrations in the children’s book. What’s an abortion anyways? And my choice always and always, a zine about abortion for trans and non-binary folks. Here’s Mara to tell a story.
Speaker 2 [00:02:31] I draw a lot of people, so it’s really fun to just like play with different gender expressions and to also challenge misconceptions about like what a trans person should look like or what a non-binary person should look like or even like what is this person should look like. And also, I get to draw trans people of all ages, which I think is really special, particularly because we’ve lost so many of our trans elders. I think being able to represent them in artwork is really powerful. It has been both for me but also I think for younger generations. And I also think I gravitate towards very colorful gay esthetics.
Speaker 1 [00:03:20] Mara Razo You are trans joy and do you know someone like Mar who embodies trans joy? If so, send us an email at Trans slash underscore podcast at trans slash talk and make sure to include their name contact info and why you think they should get a shout out in a future Trans Joy segment. And with that, let’s get into my critical conversation with Kelly Robinson. I’m so glad to be talking with the president of the Human Rights Campaign and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Kelly Robinson. Kelly is a trailblazing advocate with over 15 years of experience spearheading campaigns for LGBTQ, racial and gender equity. She’s the first black queer woman to become president of HRC, which is one of the largest civil rights organizations in the country. She previously served as the executive director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. In recognition of her activism. Kelly was honored as one of time 100 most Influential People in 2024. And if all of that wasn’t enough, Kelly also just recently announced that she is expecting a second child with her partner. Kelly, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me again. We spoke last formally at the DNC in Chicago over the summer.
Speaker 2 [00:04:47] Thank you. Thank you. You know, it’s nice to come into the year with a little, little ray of hope to keep me and my family motivated.
Speaker 1 [00:04:55] So on that particular point, you are always a person who has a sunny disposition no matter what. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered you without that as kind of a starting point. And also, you know, a feeling of positivity. Is that something that you are maintaining right now, or do you feel it challenged? You know, how is your headspace right now?
Speaker 2 [00:05:19] Yeah. Well, you know, I think I’ve told you this. I grew up in the church and I used to always say, you know, this joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me and the world can’t take it away. And even though I think that there’s a way to approach the world with a sense of hope about what could be ahead, it doesn’t mean that that I’m naive right now. Like there’s a lot to be afraid of. What this administration is forecasting is scary. The number of health care bans that we’ve seen in states is scary. The rising tide of violence is scary. And still there’s an opportunity for us to persist. And when I think about our community, especially the LGBTQ community, we face some treacherous challenges before and found ways to persist and still find joy. And I think this is another one of those moments where we’ve got to be able to hold the hard but still find the light.
Speaker 1 [00:06:06] One of the things that is kind of a reality about HRC is this sort of the biggest of the big right. This giant organ is two organizations actually in one. And you lead both. Is that, you know, as a national organization, it’s a conglomerations coalition. There are all these different segments of our community, even as we talk about our community within a single breath. And I’m wondering how you navigate it and how you plan to navigate kind of this continuing tension between the reality of the fact that there are people in our community that, you know, have resources, have benefited disproportionately from a lot of the changes over the last ten years, including gay marriage, who may feel less threatened than other parts of our community, you know, who are trans, are poor in the south or, you know, the list goes on, especially when you’re confronting a moment like this where there may be there may be a tendency for some people to say, well, where can we cut deals or where can we compromise? Or, you know, like that, the bargaining that can take place. I’m wondering how you navigate that in a planning to navigate that and how those tensions are showing up and what you’re doing?
Speaker 2 [00:07:12] Yeah. Hey, look, here’s where I start from. We need more power as a community, full stop and period. You know, people may talk about the Human Rights Campaign being large and powerful, which I’m proud of, the progress that we’ve been able to make. But look at us against the Heritage Foundation, against Elon Musk. We have to be thinking as a movement collectively about what it means to build power for the LGBTQ community. If we’re really real about it, we got to get some other stakeholders on board with us. You know, last year there was a study that came out from Philanthropy magazine talking about how less than 1% of all progressive philanthropic funds in this country go towards the LGBTQ community. That’s a problem. We’re going to have to build more power institutionally within organizations and bring more people into the fight in order to win. And right now, I think one of the things that we’re seeing is that we are the tipping point. We are the canary in the coal mine. Folks are coming after the trans community first. They’re coming after the LGBTQ community first, but only to open the door to attack all of us. I mean, look at these attacks as an example. They’re talking about LGBTQ+ issues and maybe citing HRC Corporate Equality Index. But when you actually look to what some of our opposition is doing, they’re trying to dismantle all of the progress that we’ve made in achieving more equality in the workplace, not just for LGBTQ plus folks, but for black and brown folks, for women in the workplace, for people with disabilities and more. So this is really one of those moments, I think charges us to really fight to build a multicultural, multiracial, multigenerational coalition, because that is the only way that we are going to survive. And I do think that, you know, unfortunately, the opposite. Should any of this moment is that everybody is starting to see what’s at stake. You saw Idaho last week starting to come together around proposing a challenge to marriage equality. You’ve seen them, you know, talk about just flat out eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs. You see them being more explicit with their lines of attack. We’ve got to come together in the same way about how we’re going to win and overcome it.
Speaker 1 [00:09:15] So it seems like that that’s essentially you gave me what you’re telling people kind of behind closed doors about why it’s important to come together and stick together in this moment. And it’s I think that what you said is is just factually true. I’m wondering, how are people responding to you when you say that, when you say what you just said, Look, we have to come together. It has to be everybody. They’re starting with this group. It’s going to be all of us or none of us, which is essentially the encapsulation of what you said. Are the people that you are talking to across the board. Are they seeing that? Are they inclined? And, you know, we’re going to talk about these plans for the future. But one of the things that’s been a reality that I don’t have to tell you or anyone else who leads an LGBTQ organization is that sometimes the existing fault lines within LGBTQ communities can be an impediment to implementing and making progress on their plan. So I’m just wondering, when you say what you just said behind closed doors, are people saying, Yep, I get it. I understand it in ways that I didn’t before? Are you still getting like, well, well, yes. But, you know, the last election and I’m wondering what you’re hearing when you say what you just said. Yeah.
Speaker 2 [00:10:19] I mean, to be honest with you, it depends on the stakeholders that we’re talking about. Right. But I will say this. I mean, you saw Wicked. I know you’re a wicked fan, yet you remember that time when the wizard says the greatest way to pull people together is to have a common enemy, a common villain that you’re fighting against? Yes. Right now, like not even talking about individuals, but people understand the threat that is in front of us. They can feel how existential it is not for the progress of the last ten years or 20 years, but really for the progress of the last 400 years in this country. That is a motivator. I think that’s bringing more folks to the table to try to figure this out. Now, I think the question is, what is it going to look like in practice? And I think, you know, some of this is a little bit of we’ll have to wait until some of the impact starts to come. But I will say, since the election, I think the people are first focused on what does it look like for us to to try to give some semblance of safety or to reduce risk for people that are most at the margins? I can tell you the Human Rights Campaign, the first calls that we got after the election were about, hey, what do I need to know about updating my forms of identification? What do I need to know about protecting my family? What do I need to know about power of attorney and parentage laws that can make sure that when January 20th comes, we are in the safest position. So I think a lot of the work right now is simply about taking care of our people. And then I think it’s about how do we make sure that those people then have the tools and resources to leverage their power and influence change. And that will be the times where I think our community, not just LGBTQ plus folks, or really the broader group of folks that care about fairness and basic human rights will really be tested. How we show up and what we do will matter.
Speaker 1 [00:12:01] So another reality of community that is a reality that you have to navigate and other people inside, across community in general and in HRC is the brand legacy and community of HRC, right? And that brand legacy within community is mixed. And a part of that is the belief that HRC is only for a certain part of our community and that all of our community and also in the past may not have been the best partner on local issues. Now, I know that this is something that you have worked really hard on personally, so that’s not really what I wanted to talk about here. But I’m wondering, as you began to try to move forward on the plans of pushing back against the Trump administration, how are you navigating that continued legacy and community? How are you bringing people together? And I want to say that because people listening to this will know that this isn’t only an HRC reality. This is the reality and part when I hear from local leaders across the country and states and localities, there’s also that similar feeling where certain organizations that have an important impact on a community, if it’s in Pittsburgh or Atlanta or these other places, you know, may not have in the past done things in a way that brings everybody together. So as you work to build kind of this power that you’re talking about and bring everyone together, how do you also say, here’s what we’re doing to make sure that some things from the past that weren’t working, we’re going to change and then our community responding to that.
Speaker 2 [00:13:28] Yeah, I appreciate that. And look, I am 38 years old and the Human Rights Campaign has been around for almost 45 years. So some folks got stories and experience with the organization that precedes my time on this very earth. And I think what our job is to do is to to listen, to hear, to understand. And then to show people who the Human Rights Campaign is today. And that’s. Really what I’m committed to. And in this moment where we know that our people are under existential threat and attack, I think that there’s really an opportunity to write a new story, to write a new chapter of the Human Rights Campaign, which is what I’ve sought to do in my time here. And I know I’ve got a great team of folks that are working to do the same. Now, that does not mean that we’re not going to make mistakes. That does not mean that we’re not going to have to make strategic choices in front of us. But what it does mean is that we can approach the work with a deeper sense of shared understanding around strategy, a deeper sense of what it means to build trust within community and a real commitment to not just winning. The fights are in front of us, but building a movement that can endure. Because I feel like what I’ve really learned, especially over the last several years, is how complicated the tapestry of creating change actually is. You know, we talk about the push and pull of progress a lot, but what that means when you’re actually an individual that’s sitting in the midst of that push and pull, man, that is hard. It is challenging and it can be heartbreaking at times. And I think this is one of those moments where in the midst of a crisis, we can actually find some transformation. We can talk about what it means to actually get towards transformative policy for our people. We can talk about what it means to care for each other differently and think about mutual aid programs differently. We can talk about what it means to not be bound by the progress that we’ve made today because, hey, look, we don’t know how much of it we’re going to be able to sustain, so why not vision bigger? So I think moving ahead, I hope that folks will judge the movement, HRC and all of our partners and all of our allies by the actions that we do together. And I really do think that there are going to be some opportunities for us to demonstrate a new kind of movement leadership that can address people’s challenges today, but also build that longer term arc of change. And for me, I think one of the things that’s been really humbling, I came to this movement from the reproductive rights movement. I’ve just learned so much and to see how we have experienced defeat as a movement but still kept on truckin, right? Like if we would have accepted Dharma, the Defense of Marriage Act as the last word on our love, we wouldn’t be standing here today with the Respect for Marriage Act as the law of the land. If we would have accepted death in the face of the HIV epidemic. We wouldn’t have done the work to develop needle exchange programs to challenge predatory insurance companies, to keep that fight towards moving, towards actually ending the epidemic in our generation in this lifetime. I think that there’s a real opportunity in front of us to take the learnings from the past and form what we do moving ahead. But the question will be how do we show up, especially in the midst of an administration that we know is going to overreach. We know that they’re going to implement policies that are going to create real harm for too many of us. And the question is going to be how we respond.
Speaker 1 [00:16:32] Yeah, I mean, I think that one of the things that is really important to always remember about America is that there is no action that the country takes that is is permanent. Right. And so forget that. Right? Everything everything literally is potentially temporary. It just is how long it is. Right. And that that is both hopeful and also cause for constant vigilance. Right. You can’t take anything for granted. One of the last challenges that you’re facing right now is, interestingly enough, kind of before you’ve been able to get into the new year, the attack on HRC with regards to the Corporate Equality Index, which is a part of like this entire DTI assault, which is meant to undermine any idea that there should be institutional fairness at all in America by labeling everything as a DIY, you know, association that is weakening institutions. I mean, we’re even hearing it right now with regards to the fires in L.A. and the police chief who is lesbian, saying that essentially if she was a white man, there would be no wildfires. And that is kind of an unexpected if this is I can read. That’s an unexpected, you know, not a typical position for HRC to be in, to be coming under assault in this way across the board from the right in this way and also in sometimes corporations. So I’m wondering what is your kind of approach and dealing with that and, you know, that kind of reality?
Speaker 2 [00:18:00] I think this is critically important. You know, a lot of times we talk about making change in the realm of policy and advocacy, but really right now, where we need to double down is also in the institutions that we’ve been able to create power and progress and outside of policy and advocacy. I’m talking about in schools and in workplaces, because I know that you’ve seen the same things I have. But right now, a lot of folks are looking more to business leaders than they are to politicians to dictate the future and to protect their rights. Right. Like, there are real opportunities to think about other actors outside of the political space that can help us to defend the progress that we’ve made. And what’s clear to me is that they’re coming for these institutions. One of the things I’m most afraid of that we’re already seeing play out is this sort of pre compliance to what might come. Let’s be clear. Donald Trump is not president until January 20th. And yet we’ve already seen so many companies preparing for what they expect in terms of day one executive orders related to rolling back diversity, equity, inclusion, equality protections in the workplace, reacting by making public statements, moving back the policies that they’ve made that have been best for their businesses. This is of concern if we see institutions starting to comply with laws and policies that don’t yet exist. That’s a real threat to us maintaining the progress that we’ve made. So HRC is at the forefront of a lot of this work. And I also think this is a place where people can get involved. Look, if you’re not at home, you probably spend a lot of your time at school or at work. You have power there. You have a voice there. And we’re going to make sure that we’re giving folks tools to make their voices heard.
Speaker 1 [00:19:35] Yeah, but then also, corporations are walking away from that, right? I mean, and sometimes expected in unexpected quarters. And so how are you going about shoring up corporations who are like, you know, we don’t know if we should do this anymore and this isn’t popular anymore. Our shareholders are, you know, not feeling great about this anymore. The public, the new administration, like, what are you telling those people?
Speaker 2 [00:19:56] It’s interesting. I mean, look, this story has layers, right? If I really kind of look back to where some of this corporate sort of rollback began, it was really in 2023 after the affirmative action Supreme Court case decision. Now, you’ll remember that decision did not actually apply to workplaces. It was about institutions of higher learning. And still it created an environment where folks were nervous about their diversity, equity, inclusion work. Now, the thing that is true that is different from ten years ago is every corporate partner that I talk to is clear about the business case. They know that the trends of this country are that people are more out and LGBTQ plus than ever. They know that this is a nation that’s getting more and more diverse and that their consumers and their workforce talent demand that their companies actually do have policies around inclusion and stand by them. The counter pressure is this volatile political environment that we’re in. So what we’re actually seeing is, although that you may see some headlines talking about corporations rolling back all of their their commitments, two things are true. One, we just released our 2025 corporate equality index, and it had the highest number of companies actively participating that it ever has. Almost 1450 companies across this country representing over 22 million employees to some of the companies that have made these public statements, have done so to try to temper some loud but small conservative voices, when, in fact, when you look at their internal policies and practices, they have not changed. So our job is to be truth tellers. And I think this is going to be true for the next several years. Right. You’re going to hear a lot on the news. People need organizations like mine. They need resources like yours, Amara. That’s going to help them to to decipher between what is fact and what is fiction, because we have to make sure that people have the real information about what their rights are about, where their companies stand, about what’s true in their school places. Right. To be able to to fight for their their rights and to make sure that their families and our communities are safe.
Speaker 1 [00:21:59] So Trump is about to become president. And what I don’t think people understand is that Trump, too, is not going to be a carbon copy of Trump one. And the essential reality is that they’ve had four years to plan, four years to learn from mistakes. They’re bringing in people who actually are competent and who know what they’re doing, such as the chief of staff for Ron DeSantis. And it’s going to be a much more focused and much more disciplined and much more intentional kind of attack. And on LGBTQ rights writ large and specifically on trans people from day one. So realizing that you’re not going to be dealing with an organization that’s as ham handed, that legal remedies are not going to be as accessible, both because the change that the Supreme Court and they’re working to not make some of the same mistakes that allowed the courts to step in and stop some of the things that they were doing. How are you approaching pushing back in this moment?
Speaker 2 [00:23:03] Yeah, I mean, the first the first principle that we try to operate under is no running in the halls. They used to tell you that in school it’s going to be an environment where there’s so much information that’s coming so fast at us, similar to Trump. One, we can’t lose ourselves in panic and distraction and fear. We’re going to have to be more grounded and focus on what we can do to protect people now, but also to build our power to make sure that we’re fighting for it, for our rights and for our progress. So I think about this in three ways. One, we got to take care of our people. I talked about that first. You know, even in the midst of the devastation in California, I think some of the most heartening things I’m seeing is not the the dialog online about why this is the fault of D-I, but more so the stories of people that are helping one another, that are finding ways to. Show up and to be of service. We are going to have to do more of that to survive. Trump to resistance is going to look differently to ensure that we exist on the other side of this. The second thing is just fighting like hell to protect our rights. There are going to be real policy battles. There are going to be real issue battles, real narrative battles that play out. And we’re going to make sure that, again, people can decipher fact from fiction and that we’re giving folks tools to actively engage. This is a moment where we need more power. We need more people to be involved to actually win. And also say this, you know, this is kind of my third strategy. I think we got to write a new story for ourselves. You know, I think one of the things that was tough for me is I kind of like wrestled with the outcomes of this election, is that in this moment, especially coming off of the global pandemic, enduring all that we have over the last ten years, there’s an individualism that’s set in pretty starkly for folks. That’s right. So what does it mean to actually speak to people differently, to create more on ramps for people to be a part of our movement, to not write off every person that didn’t vote in our interests as being actively against us, but try to talk to them in a different way that gives them an ability to join this fight because there is something that’s resonating around fairness right now and a reset that we need to make around what it means for us to fight for fairness in a way that everyone can be at the table. And I think that there’s a lot of opportunity there. And I do believe that as these policies come to fruition, as people realize that Trump can’t bring down the price of eggs in York City and Elon Musk can’t cut $2 trillion from the budget, there’s a reckoning moment where we can actually say we’re going to demand differently of people that that we’ve elected. And I think I’m looking at Trump, too. It’s not a four year fight, but really a two year fight to make sure that we’re redefining the stakes of what we’re working for and who we’re working against.
Speaker 1 [00:25:49] Yeah, I mean, I think that two things. I think, one, this is a culmination of a progress of individualism and consumerism and then coupled with social media that honestly began under Reagan, but has continued where there is some belief that whatever you want, you should have regardless of who else has to pay for it. Right. And somehow that’s, you know, like literally is the old Burger King. Like you can have it your way like all the time. Right. And I think that one of the challenges of that is reestablishing what what community actually means, what allyship actually means, which is showing up when it’s inconvenient, doing things when you’re not going to benefit, sometimes stepping out of the way so that someone can step in because you realize that that that’s actually the way that human beings survive is by creating those bonds and trust and moving forward. And I think that you’re right, and I don’t know how we begin to shift that, but I think that that’s like an essential part of the work that that has to happen. And then everything is going to come, everything everywhere, all at once. I don’t think that the intensity of the attacks and the simultaneity that they’re planning is in any way a part of most people’s conception of what’s about to happen. But it is. And the challenge is that that’s going to bring.
Speaker 2 [00:27:09] Yeah. And I think we also have to reject the notion that there’s some world where we can throw members or parts of our community under the bus and think that the rest of us can survive. That is fundamentally not true. This is a challenge in front of us if we’re actually going to build a movement that can win. We got to bring more people to the table and protect, especially those our most marginalized among us. That’s how we actually get to solutions that are transformative.
Speaker 1 [00:27:33] One of the biggest parts of HRC, I think the biggest part of HRC, of course, is the part of the organization that’s devoted towards political change. And within that, it would seem to me a part of your strategy has to be a mobilization of Democrats on some of these issues, especially in the Senate. To the extent that some of these things will have to move through Congress. But one of the things that we’re seeing and you don’t have to look very far, is a willingness on the part of many congressional Democrats. And we’re seeing that in votes. A whole host of things are willing to essentially say we’re not going to be able to defend trans people across the board. We’re going to have to give ground. There is the narrative that took hold amongst the political class that trans people were to blame for the election outcome. And so therefore, since trans issues are not popular with the public anymore, that there has to be a walking away from that. And so I’m wondering how you plan on mobilizing political power to counteract that, because if you’re going to stop bad stuff from happening at the federal level, of course, states depends on the state and the political composition there. But you have to figure out stuff in the Senate. So how are you planning on counteracting not only the narrative, but the choices that the party is making right now?
Speaker 2 [00:28:49] Yeah, I mean. Well, first, I’ll say this. We’re a nonpartisan organization, so we’re holding everybody accountable. We’ve done this against Joe Biden and Mike Johnson. And, you know, anybody that’s not standing up for our community. And I think that’s important, right, because we can’t allow Partizan Politics to dictate what it is that we’re fighting for and the values that we hold that really are bigger than any sort of political infrastructure. The second thing is, you know, we’ve always challenged the premise. We did a lot of research right after the election about why it was fundamentally false, that they would blame the outcomes of the election because of advocacy with and for the trans community. It just wasn’t true. Now, that also means that there’s an opportunity in front of us to figure out what the future of our work and our movement looks like. Look, the reality is that there is some polling from Gallup that shows a softening among some communities of their support for the LGBTQ community. We are seeing leaders like we talked about earlier in corporate America that are acting outside of their business interests. And some of the comments that they’re making about our community and about diversity, equity, inclusion at large. Now is a time when we’ve got to reset the discussion, but also really be strategic about the strategies that we’re using to protect the progress that we’ve made today. And I do think that we can do it, but I think that’s going to look like not just looking at political institutions, but also embracing the power of storytelling and our narrative. I mean, when we’ve been able to do that around fights, we’ve really been able to find the humanity of our community and bring more folks to the table. And it’s going to look like advocating in other institutions where we can build power. I’m talking about school boards. I’m talking about city councils, talking about your schools and your workplaces. But there is always work to be done, even if there are challenges here at the federal level. There are so many places where we can make inroads, and I don’t want folks to forget that. You know, there’s a lot to not be happy with about the outcomes of this election cycle. But we can’t lose the light. I mean, Sarah McBride is sitting as the first trans woman in the United States House of Representatives. You got Julie Johnson, the first out queer woman from the South, and Emily Randall, first Latina, LGBTQ plus person. So we are seeing strides even in the midst of this chaos, and we have to continue that forward progress.
Speaker 1 [00:31:03] One last quick question. What is your one piece of advice for people who are figuring out what to do in this moment, how to respond for people who may be facing some amount of paralysis, driven by the fact that they don’t know where to start. There’s so many things that are happening. You know, what do you say to people who are like, what should I do?
Speaker 2 [00:31:25] The first thing I would say is to grieve. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in how do we respond that we don’t take a moment to really understand the impact and center ourselves. And this moment, the world is going to throw a lot at us if we lose ourselves in this fight, we’ve lost the greatest resource that we have. So breathe and take a beat. The second thing I would say is find ways where you can help. Those ways can be small, like calling up another person that you think might be feeling challenged in this moment, checking in on somebody, a parent that’s got a trans kid that’s worried about how they’re going to move forward. Take a minute to check in with your immediate community. And then the last thing is you look towards resources like mine and like the ones that you offer so well, Amara, for how you can get involved, because when you’re ready, this movement needs you. And whether you can comment on something online or you can show up in your air bag at work, there are actions that all of us can take. But I the first thing I always say is, in the midst of all this chaos, we have to make sure that we are grounded as people first. So take that be to breathe.
Speaker 1 [00:32:33] And form a tight circle of trust of people that you feel comfortable taking action with, even if it’s just one other person.
Speaker 2 [00:32:39] That’s right.
Speaker 1 [00:32:40] Thank you so much, Kelly. This won’t be the last time that we talk. And again, congratulations on expecting a kid in the not too distant future and just sending you all the best and all of us the best as we move through what’s going to be a very, very challenging time. Thank you so.
Speaker 2 [00:32:55] Much. Thank you.
Speaker 1 [00:32:57] That was HFC President Kelly Robinson. Thank you for joining me on the Train Crash podcast. Now, listen all the way through to the end of the show for something extra. If you like what you heard. Make sure that you go and leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify. You might just hear it on the show. The transition podcast is produced by TransLash Media. The transaction team includes Oliver as Klein and Aubrey Callaway. Zander Adams is our senior sound engineer and a contributing producer. This episode was engineered by Lucy Little. This show gets to your ears with the help of our social media team, including Morgan Asprey. The music you heard was composed by Ben Draghi and also courtesy of CCP Records. The Transact podcast is made possible by the support of foundations and listeners like you. The. What am I looking forward to? I’m looking forward to creating Change, which is the annual gathering of LGBTQ people from across the country that is pulled together and hosted by the National LGBTQ Task Force. It brings together thousands and thousands of people and this year will be in Las Vegas. If you happen to be a creating change, I’m going to be moderating a panel on Thursday which focuses on fascism and its links to anti-trans and anti LGBTQ ideology. So make sure that you join for that. And otherwise, you know, tune in to creating change. They have a remote option, so join community either remotely or in person. I’ll see you in Las Vegas.