LGBTQIA+
The LGBTQIA+ community has evolved very quickly since the "official" start of the LGBT rights movement began on June 28, 1969, during the Stonewall Riots in New York City. In the 1970s, we began to see LGBT "light" replicated through art, music, literature, and very few television appearances. The 1980s brought the AIDS pandemic and helped unite and "uncloset" the gay community that was thrust into the limelight through a devastating disease. The 1990s brought more mainstream LGBT topics through television, movies, art, and the devastating occurrence that took the life of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
With a new century approaching and since the 2000s began, we've seen legislation come and go that has removed, reinstated, codified, but now come into question again as political climates continue to shift — related to the rights of the LGBTQIA+ population, such as gay marriage, saying "gay" in our schools, transphobic rhetoric, and attempts to codify two genders into our laws. The importance of mental health access to the LGBTQIA+ community cannot be understated.
BIPOC, POC &
Communities of Color
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), POC (people of color), and Communities of Color are all terms that have emerged over the past few decades as racism, sexism, ageism, and discrimination have become centerpoints of our community's existence and ability to thrive. Race relations, in a global society but also in the United States, have seen unprecedented movements that have acknowledged and admonished basic civil rights of people of color.
Since the murder of George Floyd, which took place right here in Minnesota, people of color have been working to build communities amongst ourselves, partner with relevant organizations that promote equality and social justice, and people have taken to the streets in forms of protests to voice their concerns for the continued maltreatment of people of color in the United States — and to voice their opposition to the elimination of key diversity initiatives that promote diversity, equality, and inclusion in our government and workplaces around the country.
Immigration &
Immigrants
Immigrants in the United States are currently experiencing some of the most overt racism and selectivism that they have ever faced in the history of our country. Even those who have come to the United States legally are facing scrutiny and a tremendous sense of uncertainty in these very unprecedented times. Illegal immigration has been a long-standing topic of political debate for decades; however, now that mass deportations, raids, and movements towards deporting "illegal" immigrants are becoming more common, many families find themselves in impossible situations.
Many families in the US have both legal and undocumented family members, which can make the pursuit of health care services very challenging, as they fear a system that was designed to help them in times of need. It is essential that services for immigrants, regardless of their documented status, remain open and available to them by professional healthcare personnel without them experiencing fear for their future.