I have been thinking long and hard about how to best address the frightening realities and uncertainties facing our community related to the extreme changes in federal policy over the past few weeks. In order to do this, I have been consulting with other members of Division 44 leadership, as well as with leaders/mentors in other divisions; everyone I have spoken to shares the same unease about how we can best proceed, but also the same commitment to fighting back in whatever ways we can.
I figured it could be helpful to send a clear message to our members at this time, provide the information, as well as highlight some additional programming/efforts happening within the division:
1) Division 44 remains committed to amplifying the voices, concerns, and of course existence of ALL members of our community. We see through attempts to separate different sub-groups within our LGBTQ+ community from one another and we unequivocally reject these attempts. In other words, we stand with our Transgender members and clients, now and always.
2) Our journal remains intact, as it does not receive federal funding to exist. The journal is one of the highlights of our excellent division and it is a very important piece of the puzzle to providing education on the mental health/functioning of the LGBTQ+ community, as other federally funded articles are being taken down/erased as we speak.
3) Our division also remains committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and will continue to prioritize the work of making Division 44 a space where BIPOC folx feel welcomed. This has been a known issue in the division over its history, so it is more important than ever that we get it right in this hostile political environment. Our CORED co-chairs have been doing amazing work in this domain to collect experiences and perspectives from current/past BIPOC division members who have had negative experiences in our community.
That's all for now! We are in this together and please feel free to backchannel me at any time if you want to find more ways to get involved with Division 44's efforts.
I'll end with my favorite MLK Jr. quote: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Best,
El
President, APA Division 44