The climate justice movement was the first space where I was out as a queer nonbinary Latine person using they/them pronouns. It was the first workplace where I felt that the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) were being centered, and where I felt safe to be out. At first, I was the only out trans person in most of the movement spaces I was in, but slowly more and more people came out and shared their truth with our community. Largely, I feel the community has accepted us.

Although that’s not to say we don’t have a long ways to go, both as 350PDX and as a collective movement, to address past harms and move forward on a more restorative path. We must continually work to better support fights against capitalism, racism, misogyny, queerphobia, transphobia, and ableism, which are intrinsically linked to the fight for climate justice.

I hope that we can continue to grow, together. Because ultimately, I believe the climate justice movement has a role to play in supporting a larger goal – collective liberation for all.

That brings me to one aspect of collective liberation that I wanted to discuss this Pride Month: bodily autonomy.

Our social justice movement ancestors have fought hard for this human right. They have struggled against forced births and sterilizations; against enslavement, anti-Black discrimination, and police brutality; against anti-Indigenous policies like mission schools; against coerced and explicit physical and sexual abuse; and for the rights of queer and trans people to exist in our identities in peace.

The struggle continues for bodily autonomy and collective liberation, especially as powerful forces have been trying to strip that autonomy away. Across the country, anti-trans bills are being pushed to criminalize gender “non-conformity” by radical right-wing extremists in legislatures, corporations, and religious institutions. At the same time, many of these bills attack the rights of people with uteruses, forcing birth upon those who may even die from the experience. Most recently, Oregon’s Republican walkout has occurred in large part because they are resisting HB 2002, a bill meant to protect reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, particularly the rights for Oregonians under 15 years old to have an abortion procedure without parental interference.

As you reflect on legislation and systems meant to take away bodily autonomy from LGBTQ+ folks, people with uteruses, people with disabilities, and BIPOC folks, I encourage you to think about your personal relationship to those systems, particularly if you are in a position of being an accomplice to folks with these and other oppressed identities. Ask yourself: Who are these systems trying to benefit (does that include you)? If you are looking to act in solidarity with folks whose bodily autonomy is being stripped away – how can you challenge these systems and be a better accomplice in the fight?

A note on corporate commodification of Pride, and an ask to support BIPOC, queer and trans-led groups:

At the same time, it’s important we recognize that allyship has been commodified for capitalism. Corporations often use flashy, public celebrations of Pride to obscure the fact that they continue to support transphobic and queerphobic politicians to uphold their capitalistic interests (Target, for example). Instead of supporting corporate Pride efforts, I urge folks to donate to the organizations below and other organizations led by and for queer and trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC). As always, BIPOC communities are leading the way towards collective liberation.

Take action, learn more:

Answer the call for reparations if you are in a position of race privilege, and learn more about the connections between reparations and Juneteenth – see this resource from the Movement for Black Lives

Call on your Senator to support the Equality Act (H.R. 5/S. 393), which would provide explicit and comprehensive nationwide nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ folks (action with the ACLU)

Call on Governor Kotek and your legislators to support the Equal Rights for All (SJR 33) ballot measure, which would enshrine our rights to abortion and reproductive health care, gender identity and related health care, and marriage equality into the Oregon Constitution (action with ACLU Oregon)

Call on your legislators to support the Reproductive Health & Access to Care Bill (HB 2002) and the Equal Rights for All ballot measure (SJR 33) (action with Fair Shot for All)

Support the Cascade Abortion Support Collective, a volunteer-run organization in Portland offering abortion and reproductive health care support

Learn more about and uplift LGBTQ+ history (particularly QTBIPOC history, which is often erased):

Upcoming events:

One note I’ll leave you with — to me, collective liberation means that when I am free to live as a nonbinary person of color without restrictions on my gender-affirming care, others will be more free to pursue their own bodily autonomy as well.

I hope you feel empowered to join the larger movement for collective liberation, and to take action based on your reflections this month (and year round). Thank you for being a part of this work.

In solidarity,

Anissa Pemberton, 350PDX Grants & Operations Manager