5 Things / Pride edition 🌈
This week, LGBTQ+ Pride month comes to a close, and to wrap up, I'll focus on good news in LGBTQ+ inclusion.
But first, some gratitude: our team worked with 25+ organizations on their Pride programming. In one case, I personally spoke to an audience of 3000+ aspiring allies from around the globe. It was amazing! I'm incredibly proud of my facilitator team of Darnell, Daniel, Patti, and Erma and am grateful for your trust in us to deliver messages of allyship and inclusion. And an extra-special shout-out to Rita Mays for keeping us moving forward.
Here are some good vibes I found this week:
Mastercard is expanding its True Name feature to partners across North America and Europe. True Name is a feature that allows transgender account holders to use their actual name on bank cards, even if that name is not the name on government paperwork.
In similar news, New York is the latest U.S. state to allow transgender residents the ability to select gender X for their state IDs. They can do so without having to publish a legal notice.
These matter because legal name changes are often incredibly difficult processes for transgender folks, and about 1/3 of transgender people report negative experiences when their presentation doesn't match their ID.The U.S. Veterans Administration has committed to and is working towards offering gender confirmation surgery to transgender veterans. This is significant because LGBTQ veterans report a fear of discrimination and have higher rates of mental illness. This benefit especially matters because prior to the new Presidential administration, transgender people were banned from serving in the military. This benefit further affirms and legitimizes the experiences of transgender people.
Alan Turing is finally getting his due by being the new face of the £50 bank notes issued by the Bank of England. The gay computer science genius and WWII codebreaker was initially hailed a hero for helping defeat the Nazis, but died a disgraced criminal because of his sexuality. This matters because the Bank of England is making this appalling treatment right and is finally celebrating this remarkable man.
Sesame Street has three new characters -- a married gay couple and their daughter. It's the first time gay dads have been featured on the show. This matters because the visibility normalizes gay parents and can help kids with gay parents see themselves in the media. As a lesbian mom, I know how important this is.
Image by © 2021 Sesame Workshop / Richard Termine