“I didn’t want them to write my obituary”
In a conservative culture war on sex and gender, queer teachers and staff seek refuge from the frontlines.
The Arizona Corporation Commission race could affect the LGBTQ+ community in ways you may not have thought about.
GONE CORPORATE: The Arizona Corporation Commission is one of the races you might not have thought to pay attention to, but the members of the five-person commission have immense power in what happens to your wallets, specifically in regard to how much you pay in utilities.
But there is an added nuance to the commission's powers, which could directly impact LGBTQ+ people and allied businesses: licensing and regulation of business practices.
The board ruled, for example, to not make contract decisions based on if companies have an Environmental, Social, and Governance policy in place. The ACC Chairman Jim O'Connor said that any company pushing those programs (which includes equity and diversity) would receive "swift pushback."
There are two candidates on the ballot who have either sued Mesa Public Schools for their trans-affirming school policies, or said they don't believe LGBTQ+ people deserve equal treatment under state law. Those candidates, if elected, could have a small impact on queer people across the state.
Read our full story here:
LOOKOUT'S TAKE: This kind of story shows that down ballot elections are pivotal in our day-to-day lives.
Even though there is little the Arizona Corporation Commission can do to effect LGBTQ+ rights, there is something to be said about assuring a good quality of life in terms of costs.
For example: LGBTQ+ people, in general, live at or below the federal poverty line in higher numbers than their straight peers, according to a national study done by the Williams Institute at UCLA.
But there is another aspect of down ballot elections that few people recognize: these are stepping stones for higher office, with broader responsibilities that could, in the end, result in wider legislation that impacts the state's queer communities.
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