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Making the Connection Between LGBTQ+ Liberation, Racial Justice, and Economic Power 

Making the Connection Between LGBTQ+ Liberation, Racial Justice, and Economic Power

By: Ida Eskamani, SiX's Senior Director, Legislative Affairs

ECONOMIC POWER PROJECT

The Economic Power Project (EPP) is SiX's national economic justice initiative, organizing legislators committed to building economies that empower people and advance justice. For Pride Month, originating from the Stonewall Uprising of June 28, 1969, we’re highlighting the intersection of LGBTQ+ liberation, racial justice, and economic power. 

As a legislator advocating for the LGBTQ+ residents in your state, it is imperative to work in collaboration with our state-based LGBTQ+ organizations and organizers. Need help getting connected? SiX can help. Contact SiX’s Ida V. Eskamani, Senior Director, Legislative Affairs, ida@stateinnovation.org.

Pride in Understanding the Opposition 

The so-called “culture wars'' are directly tied to economic justice – designed to both divide communities and deny economic opportunity to LGBTQ+ working people. And because racism is entrenched in our economic system, it is Black queer working people most impacted. Solidarity is also essential in our work: the same coordinated network of extremist billionaires, think tanks, and corporations pushing anti-LGBTQ+ laws also aims to privatize education, weaken unions, and repeal child labor protections. Billionaires like the DeVos, Uline, and Koch families, along with think tanks such as the Foundation for Government Accountability, The Heritage Foundation, and groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), are key players in this effort to undermine our collective progress, and centralize control of our economy and democracy among the elite. 

Pride in Equal Pay 

June 13 marked LGBTQ+ Equal Pay Awareness Day. Organizers in state capitols across the country have long-advocated for equal pay for all – our fight for equal pay takes an intersectional approach, acknowledging that the wage gap is magnified for LGBTQ+ people, especially Black trans woman. The National Women’s Law Center broke down emerging pay gap data for full time LGBTQ+ workers here. Spread awareness of the LGBTQ+ pay gap with this social media toolkit!

Pride in Paid Family Medical & Leave

By embracing inclusive definitions of family, our laws can better support the diverse structures of all families, including chosen family members, crucial for LGBTQ+ workers. States like Minnesota and Maine are at the forefront, implementing comprehensive paid leave programs that include all families. 

Pride in Public Schools 

The Washington Post recently ran a major story on the billions of taxpayer dollars that have been spent to subsidize private religious schools through voucher plans. School vouchers further anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and are rooted in segregation-era policies. Strengthening public schools is directly linked to LGBTQ+ justice. AFT’s Real Solutions for Kids and Communities offers solutions. States can protect LGBTQ+ students; as well as introduce inclusive curricular standards.

Pride in Housing Justice 

From family rejection leading to LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness, to LGBTQ+ elders facing new forms of discrimination in retirement, and every stage of life in between; housing and LGBTQ+ justice are connected. Tenant organizers across the country are working with legislators to advance this agenda, via just cause eviction, rent hike caps, and opportunity to purchase; as well as regulating corporate landlord AI-rent setting and private equity buyouts.  

Pride in Criminal Legal System Reform

Criminalization in itself is a profit-driven agenda: incarceration is a multi-billionaire dollar industry that we all subsidize with tax dollars. The Stonewall Uprising of 1969 was in response to police brutality and criminalization targeting queer communities, and queer people have always been over-criminalized and over-incarcerated. According to the Sentencing Project, LGBTQ+ adults are incarcerated at three times the rate of the general population. Among trans people, 1 in 6 report being incarcerated at any point in their lives, and nearly half of those are Black trans people. From queer youth to adulthood, criminalization sits on the intersection of LGBTQ+ identities, racism, and classism. This brief by the Sentencing Project examines the criminalization and over-incarceration of LGBTQ+ people in the United States, highlighting the drivers of overrepresentation and presenting recommendations for reform.

Pride in Our Irresistible Futures 

When we dismantle the structural barriers LGBTQ+ people face, we are all more free. We hope you can join us and 600 state legislators and partners as we build an irresistible future, where all people have power and agency over our lives at SiX's 2024 National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia from December 11-13. Early Bird Registration is now open.

The Economic Power Project is an effort spearheaded by SiX’s Legislative Affairs team.
Contact SiX’s Ida V. Eskamani, Senior Director, Legislative Affairs, ida@stateinnovation.org.

Floridians Want State Lawmakers to Act on Threats Created by COVID Crisis

Strong support for progressive solutions to help working families and ensure the elections are accessible and safe

A recent poll commissioned by the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) shows Florida voters hold deep concerns over the risk that COVID-19 poses to their health and the impact on the economy and the election.  Two in three Floridians believe the worst of the pandemic is yet to come (65%). 

The Role of Government in Issues Facing Florida

When asked if the state government should play a role in some of the issues facing working families, voters overwhelmingly supported government engagement in:  

Voters Support Steps to Ensure Safe and Accessible Elections

Florida voters overwhelmingly believe that the state government has a role to play in safely and fairly administering elections (92%). The majority of Floridians report that they will vote by mail (52%). However, 47% still plan to vote in person, with 27% planning to vote on Election Day and 20% planning to early vote.

Whether or not they are choosing to vote in person or by-mail, voters supported policies to ensure the election is safe and accessible for all eligible voters:

Voters Concerned about COVID Impact and Strongly Support Progressive Economic Policies

By a four to one margin voters believe Florida state government should invest more in its residents to ensure they are safe, healthy, and economically secure (64%) rather than state government keeping taxes low and cutting funds to key services like education, infrastructure and unemployment insurance (16%).

Florida has been hard hit by the pandemic with one in three of Floridians responding that they have been laid off or had their hours cut (34%).  Two out of three Floridians support extending and expanding unemployment for those workers who have been laid off (65%).    Support for this policy cuts across partisan lines  with Democrats (78%), Republicans (52%)  Independents (65%) in favor.

The pandemic is a top of mind concern for Floridians who report they are concerned about the people losing work and income due to the virus (84%), small businesses and restaurants closing down permanently (84%), Floridians contracting the virus and dying (79%), people of Florida unable to afford their rent or mortgage (79%) and people in Florida being forced to choose between their health and their job (71%).

Given the current crisis, Floridians support policies that will address the hardships being faced by many and make life easier for working families:

Click here for more results.

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The Big Winners From Colorado’s 2019 Session

By: Kyle Huelsman, SiX Colorado State Director

Working Women Will Benefit from the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

Senator Jessie Danielson and Representative Janet Buckner have been pushing the legislature to address the gender pay gap since 2016 and finally this year they found a path with SB-85, the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Women in general, and women of color in particular, will soon have the opportunity to file formal complaints of wage discrimination through the state, bringing us one step closer to creating an economy that guarantees equal pay for equal work and a system that holds discriminatory employers accountable.

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And just for a bit of fun: here is Republican Senator Vicki Marble thanking white men for their contributions to the state legislature before voting against the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

Voters Will See Increased Ballot Access through Automatic Voter Registration

Senator Steve Fenberg has been quietly improving Colorado’s election system over the past three years, but the 2019 session marked a transformative moment for our state’s democracy. Automatic Voter Registration passed through the Senate in the last week of session, ushering in one of the nation’s most expansive registration programs. Of course, the ceaseless Fenberg did not stop there. He helped guide HB-1278 through the legislature as well, which will place polling locations on college campuses and allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary if they would turn 18 by the general. But don’t take in from us, as Colorado Public Radio’s Sam Brasch wrote in his April 24th headline, "Youth Voter Turnout is Already Ridiculously High in Colorado. State House Democrats Want it Even Higher."

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Working Families Will See Wage Increases through Local Wage Option Legislation

Representative Rochelle Galindo of Greeley and Sen. Dominick Moreno came out swinging this year with HB-1210, which made Colorado one of the first states in the country to repeal a state ban on cities setting their own minimum wage. These top leaders within Colorado’s Latino Caucus understand the impact of wage stagnation in the face of the ever-increasing cost of living, especially in Latino communities. This bill will provide local governments with a powerful tool to provide dignity and fairness to hard-working Colorado Families.

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WHAT IS LEFT FOR 2020?

Paid Family and Medical Leave

After two years of Colorado’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program sailing through the House only to be killed in the Republican-controlled Senate, Sen. Faith Winter believed that 2019 was the year for paid leave in Colorado. Yet pressure from the 215 paid business lobbyists fighting against the bill, debate over the financial solvency of the program, and a slate of potential Republican amendments, Sen. Faith Winter chose to turn the bill into an implementation plan that would study the financial solvency of the program and provide results just before the start of the 2020 session. Expect the sponsors to come back stronger than ever next January.

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State Retirement Savings

Some might say that a legislative study is not a hot news tip, but Sen. Kerry Donovan has been angling since 2016 to have Colorado officials study state savings plan models. SB-173 creates the Colorado Secure Savings Plan Board which will present an official recommendation on how to create a portable, state-sponsored retirement savings plan before the 2020 legislative session.

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Progressive Victories in the Maryland Legislature

During this year’s legislative session, progressive Maryland state lawmakers secured victories on policies to put more money in the pockets of working people, lower the cost of health care, care for our environment, improve access to early and higher education, strengthen our democracy and more.

Highlights of legislation passed by the General Assembly include:

A $15 Minimum Wage!

Sponsored by Sen. McCray and Del. Fennell, this became law March 28 when the legislature overrode the governor’s veto. The law will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 (and 2026 for businesses with fewer than 15 employees).

A first-in-the-nation Prescription Drug Affordability Board!

Authored by Sen. Klausmeier and Del. Peña-Melnyk, this bill will create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board that will have the authority to establish maximum costs to be paid by state and local governments for certain high-cost medications.

A Styrofoam Ban!

Sen. Kagan and Del. Lierman sponsored this Styrofoam Ban, making Maryland the first state in the nation to do so. Passed with bipartisan support, this legislation will help Maryland reach its goal of diverting 85% of waste by reduction, reuse, and recycling by 2040.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act!

In a major environmental achievement, Sen. Feldman and Del. Lisanti passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act. This legislation requires utilities to buy a certain percentage of electricity each year from renewable sources, taking it from the current target of 25% by 2020 to 50% by 2030.

The Maryland Health Insurance Option!

Another first-in-the-nation bill passed by Maryland! Sen. Feldman and Del. Peña-Melnyk sponsored this bill establishing the Maryland Health Insurance Option designed to facilitate insurance coverage through a check box on Maryland Tax Returns. The bill is expected to lead to tens of thousands of Marylanders signing up for health insurance, which will expand the pool of people who are insured and bring down premium costs for other enrollees.

The Maryland Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit

Sen. King and Del. Kelly passed this important bill to increase funding for the Maryland Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which will benefit approximately 110,000 Marylanders who are currently struggling to pay for adequate child care.

Election Day Voter Registration!

Maryland voters approved Election Day registration last year and it will now be implemented under this bill authored by Sen. Pinsky and Del. Reznik. It is expected to increase Maryland voter turnout between 3% and 7%.

Equal Pay!

Del. Pam Queen passed the Equal Pay Remedies and Enforcement Act which requires an employer to pay a civil penalty for violating the Equal Pay for Equal Work Law.

Oversight of For-Profit Colleges

This first-in-the-nation bill protects students by combating the emerging trend of for-profit colleges becoming non-profit entities to evade regulations. This was sponsored by Sen. Pinsky and Del. Hettleman.

Momentum Building toward Pay Equity: States are a Key Part of a Multi-Pronged Effort

By Kim Churches, the chief executive officer of the American Association of University Women.

We’ve been hearing the same grim story about the gender pay gap for far too long: Working women take home, on average, 20 percent less than working men—and the gap is even wider for women of color. While the median annual salary for American men working full time is $52,146, for women, it’s just $41,977.

In 2019, the fact that such an inequity still exists is nothing short of outrageous.

But I am an optimist, so I prefer to focus on the progress that’s being made to close the pay gap—and the good news is that we’re seeing a lot. Over the past few years, federal, state and local policymakers—as well as employers around the country—have taken concrete steps to help narrow the gap. And a roadmap is beginning to emerge that shows we can conquer this problem once and for all.

Some of the most exemplary work is happening in state capitols, where legislators are listening to women and their families and declaring that enough is enough. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, dozens of state legislatures proposed and enacted legislation addressing pay inequality, and in 2018 a whopping 40 states and Washington, D.C., offered legislative solutions to the gender pay gap, with six states successfully enacting new laws. These legislative solutions range from banning the use of salary history in the hiring process and ensuring that workers can discuss their salaries without the fear of retaliation, to establishing strong remedies so that employees who have been wronged can recover lost wages and employers who have violated the law are deterred from doing so again.

Such a high level of activity indicates that state officials understand that the pay gap is real and that they need to take action to close it. Already, in the early days of the 2019 state legislative sessions, over 30 states have introduced bills to combat the gender pay gap. These bills are sponsored by a diverse set of members on both sides of the aisle. If history repeats itself—and here at the American Association of University Women (AAUW) we are working hard to make this a reality—at least a handful of states will successfully pass legislation this year.

There are promising signs on other fronts, as well. Earlier this month, federal lawmakers introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, a much-needed initiative to close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and add new provisions to stop pay discrimination. Every Democrat in both the House and Senate is an original co-sponsor of the bill, and it has Republican support in the House.

We’re also seeing momentum building in the private sector. More and more employers are abandoning policies requiring pay secrecy and proactively undertaking salary audits and other initiatives shown to help narrow the gap. They’re discovering that what’s good for American families is good for their business.

At AAUW, we’re working to support all these efforts. Our research reports—including The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap and Graduating to a Pay Gap—give policymakers and advocates the crucial information they need to understand and explain this pervasive problem. Our government relations staff is assisting elected officials by creating and helping to pass strong policies. And our members around the country are working within their communities to advance change.

AAUW is also working directly with individual women to help narrow their own pay gap: Our Work Smart salary negotiation workshops have equipped thousands of women across the country with tools and resources to help them negotiate for the salary and benefits they deserve. Last fall, we introduced Work Smart Online to expand the reach of the program. With partnerships already underway in a number of states and local areas, we’re ambitiously aiming to train millions more women nationwide by 2020.

The pay gap is a long-standing and complex problem, but there’s widespread agreement that the time has come to solve it. Not only is equal pay a matter of basic fairness, it is also good for everyone: According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, closing the pay gap would cut the poverty rate for working women in half and lift 2.5 million children out of poverty. It would strengthen families and communities, lead to economic growth, and foster global competitiveness.

We know what we need to do. Thanks to exemplary leadership on a state level, we have a good idea of how we can do it. Now let’s commit together to getting it done.

States Won't Wait for Equal Pay

As part of SiX’s 2018 #FightingForFamilies Week of Action, Kim Churches, the Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of University Women wrote a guest blog about the importance of fighting for equal pay for all women coast-to-coast.

By Kim Churches  

Women and families are hurt by the gender pay gap. Taking home 13 percent, 20 percent, 37 percent, 41 percent, 43 percent, or 46 percent less than a colleague because of the compounded effect of race on the gender pay gap is unacceptable. The pay gap also presents an especially difficult challenge to mothers: At a time when more women than ever are breadwinners or co-breadwinners in their households, the motherhood penalty presents a significant challenge to mothers’ ability to provide for their families. And with women holding nearly two-thirds of the country’s $1.3 trillion of student debt they can’t afford to be hindered by the pay gap when paying off their often crushing debt.   

But there’s hope on the horizon. During the Fighting for Families Week of Action, it’s as clear as ever that fighting for equal pay stands to benefit all working families, and state legislators are taking on that fight in response to the women and families who are raising their voices about the need for equal pay. In 2015 and 2016 dozens of legislatures proposed and enacted bills and laws addressing pay inequality, and in 2017 a whopping 42 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., offered legislative solutions to the gender pay gap. Though not all of these bills passed, this growing activity indicates that red, blue, and purple states realize that the pay gap is real and that they need to take action to close it now.  

Now, in the early days of 2018 state legislative sessions, 32 states have already introduced bills to combat the gender pay gap. These bills are sponsored by a diverse set of members on both sides of the aisle. While it’s disappointing that Congress continually fails to take action at the federal level, states are taking up the mantle and forging new paths toward equity.   

Women everywhere are refusing to accept unequal pay. That’s why the American Association of University Women (AAUW)  is working to close the pay gap using multi-pronged solutions that include in-depth research, salary negotiation workshops, and advocacy for strong equal pay laws at the federal, state, and local levels. Such seminal research as AAUW’s The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap and Graduating to a Pay Gap give advocates the facts they need to explain this pervasive problem and its impact. AAUW Work Smart salary negotiation workshops, which have trained more than 30,000 women, help individuals secure the salary and benefits they deserve. With partnerships in five cities across the nation to date (as well as the recent addition of Massachusetts!) and rapid scaling of the program under way, AAUW aims to train millions more women nationwide by 2020.  Additionally,  AAUW’s devoted advocates are proud to partner with elected representatives who are committed to making unequal pay a thing of the past through the passage and implementation of strong legislative solutions.

AAUW advocates and legislative trailblazers in states including California, Massachusetts, and Oregon should be extremely proud of what they’ve accomplished over the last few years as they work to close the gender pay gap. But I want to laud the hard work that is taking place across the country to close the gender pay gap not just on the coasts but also in America’s heartland. The drive toward equal pay is a nationwide phenomenon occurring at both state and city levels.

In recent years such states as Illinois, Nevada, Nebraska, and Utah and cities like Pittsburgh and New Orleans all enacted provisions designed to bring greater equity to our workplaces. Recognizing equal pay is not a partisan issue but a practical one, activists and legislators alike also laid the groundwork to bring change to such red, blue and purple states as Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Virginia in 2018 and beyond.   

Women and advocates for equity are ready not only to continue the success we had around equal pay in years prior but also to expand that success from coast to coast, and north to south. Get ready for equal pay in every state through the right policies and programs for systemic change.  

Kim Churches is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of University Women.   

Guest Commentary: Georgia Women Deserve Equal Pay

By: Representative Park Cannon, Georgia

I grew up in a single parent home shaped by domestic violence. My mother worked as a pharmaceutical representative to keep us fed. We needed every penny she earned so that we could stay afloat. Many Georgia families know what it’s like to grow up struggling. They understand hardships. They also know, often from deep personal experience, that every family needs employers to pay women what they deserve.

Recent analysis by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) reveals that many women don’t receive a fair day’s pay. Even after all these years, the gender pay gap sits at 20 cents. This means, on average, women working full time take home 80 cents for every dollar men make. In Georgia it’s not much better. On average, women here only make 82 cents for every dollar a man makes.

Black and Latina women face an even larger pay gap. On average, they only make 63 and 54 percent of what white men are paid, respectively. Compared to white women, Black and Latina women are disproportionally more likely to work in low paying but demanding jobs, such as the service industry. This worsens intergenerational poverty, and helps explain why the wealth gap between black and white families continues to grow. How will we ever reach economic parity when black women continue to make less money than we’ve earned? Closing the gender and racial pay gaps is one of the most important civil rights struggles of our generation.

After graduating from college, the pay gap makes it harder for women to pay off their higher average college loan debt. While working, the pay gap makes it more difficult to afford day-to-day expenses. And in retirement women are penalized because they have been unable to save as much or invest in future opportunities. Throughout a woman’s life, this lost income amounts to hundreds of thousands of forgone dollars.

If we do nothing, the gender pay gap won’t close until 2119. That’s too long for families struggling to get by. We need a real solution to end the gender pay gap and help Georgia communities in a meaningful way.

The Georgia Pay Equity Act, a bill I sponsored, would protect Georgia’s women from discrimination. The bill would move us closer to guaranteeing that every woman receives the compensation she deserves. It does this by prohibiting employers from using a job applicant’s prior salary to determine their future pay, and by protecting workers who discuss their earnings from retaliation. Not only will this bill help women to advocate for themselves, but it will enable employers who are trying to do the right thing to actively and meaningfully work to prevent discrimination in their offices. It’s a win-win for workers and employers.

Georgia’s women deserve this law. When I was a child, my family needed these protections. Today, our communities still need them. It is now more important than ever to ensure that your local representatives continue the fight for pay equality. Make sure they are still listening to you by encouraging them in support of the Georgia Pay Equity Act.