Twenty people spent five days in Philadelphia last week learning the ins and outs of advocating for LGBT nondiscrimination legislation.
The effort was part of LGBT University, a program of Freedom for All Americans that provides comprehensive training that advocates can use to press for local, state and federal LGBT-inclusive laws.
“We believe at Freedom for all Americans that we need to have the skilled and experienced staff on the ground working to advance nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Americans,” said Katie Belander, chief operating officer of Freedom for All Americans and director of LGBT-U. “LGBT-U is the way we invest in developing these leaders.”
This is the second year for LGBT-U; the inaugural training session was held in September in Phoenix, Ariz. The 16 individuals, called apprentices, who comprised that first cohort reconvened in Philadelphia for a campaign simulation April 15-17. The new apprentices had a chance to meet with the original class before departing last Friday.
The 2016 cohort consists of people from across the country who are working on LGBT-equality issues in a number of different realms.
“We have people who are currently working on a nondiscrimination campaign and looking to ramp up their skills and increase their leadership skills,” Belanger said. “We have people who are working at state equality groups, folks at allied organizations, people who are doing other work that intersects with LGBT work. And then we have some people who aren’t currently working in the movement but who have the ability to lead and need to understand how to work in an LGBT nondiscrimination context.”
Belanger said organizers look for host cities that have active LGBT-nondiscrimination campaigns, so apprentices can partner with campaign leaders for hands-on experience, which the Philadelphia participants got with Pennsylvania Competes. The coalition is backing the Pennsylvania Fairness Act, which would amend the state Human Relations Act to ban LGBT discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.
Apprentices canvassed Center City last week with Pennsylvania Competes, educating businesses about the PA Fairness Act and signing up new partners.
Belanger said the skills covered in the training and hands-on sessions were diverse.
“We took them through everything from how to build an intentionally inclusive campaign, particularly inclusive of transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals, to practical skills like how to lobby legislators and engage the business community,” she said. “We also took them through how to build campaign budgets and fundraise for that, as well as how to be effective communicators.”
LGBT-U is a yearlong commitment for participants, so both the original and new cohorts will continue to undergo monthly training sessions and additional curricula. They will also reconvene in the fall, at which time they will take part in a simulation centered on building public education and advancing a campaign in a team-based challenge.
Belanger said there are steps all Pennsylvanians can be taking to build support for the PA Fairness Act.
“I think people in Pennsylvania and all across the country can continue to advocate for LGBT nondiscrimination legislation by sharing their stories and being visible in their support for fully inclusive nondiscrimination protections,” she said. “People need to be having the conversations that are needed to change dialogue and introduce Americans to the LGBT community, in particular trans people.”
For more information on Freedom for All Americans, visit www.freedomforallamericans.org.