Reiko Ramos on Threats Toward, Safety in LGBTQ Communities

Zac Schultz:
June is Pride Month, a celebration of the culture of the LGBTQ community meant to raise awareness and acceptance. Despite broader acceptance of LGBTQ lifestyles in society, there is a wave of conservative backlash targeting transgender people specifically. Reiko Ramos is the anti-violence director for Diverse and Resilient, the state’s largest organization focused on the health, well-being, and safety of LGBTQ residents in Wisconsin. Thanks for joining us today.

Reiko Ramos:
Hi. Thank you for having me.

Zac Schultz:
What do you see as the main threats to the safety and well-being of the LGBTQ community?

Reiko Ramos:
I think for the LGBTQ community, there are so — it’s constant and we are facing legislative threats, both across the country and in our own state, and much of what my program focuses on is also the interpersonal violence that happens and the hate-based violence that happens against our community. So the violence that we experience is happening on many levels.

Zac Schultz:
We’ve seen the legislation targeting transgender people, things and other things like drag shows, book bans. What is the overall effect on the mental health and then the physical health of people in the community?

Reiko Ramos:
It certainly has a mental health impact and particularly on trans youth. We know that affirming someone’s gender, using the correct pronouns and creating safe spaces where people belong, has a positive impact on, LGBTQ’s mental health and well-being, and we also have evidence that shows that the effects of stigma and discrimination on LGBTQ people has lasting effects on our well-being as well.

Zac Schultz:
Is there a direct connection between passing laws or even introducing laws, and that that mental aspect and then physical violence of people then feeling emboldened to take physical action against others?

Reiko Ramos:
Yes, I think there is a direct connection. People feel safer, and have a greater sense of belonging when we have those protections in place for LGBTQ people, and I can also tell you that something we’ve seen on our side of the work is that, when there is something big in the news, or something legislative, whether that’s positive or negative, coming down but will impact the LGBTQ community that we often see escalated instances of violence within our community, and our, our warmline activity often goes up because folks are safety planning around their individual safety and their day to day lives.

Zac Schultz:
We saw with abortion rights that a lot of people felt something like Roe v. Wade, for example, was settled law. And then the Supreme Court changed that. Court decisions that legalized gay marriage and other rights are much more recent. Is there a fear that those could be rolled back and things might radically change on the ground?

Reiko Ramos:
That fear is definitely a sentiment that I’ve heard in my community, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s important that we continue to keep advocating for safety and protection for LGBTQ folks. There’s a great deal of — we’re living in a time of a lot of fear and uncertainty, especially you know, in the context of we’re in a presidential election year, there’s a lot that can change in a relatively short amount of time.

Zac Schultz:
We’ve got less than a minute left. Give me your sense of what should people be taking away from something like Pride Month and having the governor fly the flag above the state capitol? What does that mean symbolically?

Reiko Ramos:
So one, I want people to really celebrate and enjoy Pride Month. Our pride and joy is radical and so important especially when people are trying to erase us, and then also remember that pride is one month out of the year, but let’s, let’s celebrate year round and support LGBTQ people 13 months out of the year, right.

Zac Schultz:
Reiko Ramos, thank you for your time today.

Reiko Ramos:
Thank you.