Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition recently undertook a strategic planning process that involved interviews with board members, other local LGBTQ+ leaders, and a survey open to the general queer community. While the survey results were designed to be shared with other local Berkshire LGBTQ+ organizations and projects, the interviews were private conversations.
Informal interview notes were recorded by the consultant carrying out our strategic planning, and anonymized when shared with BSCC. Transphobic comments about a former board member, JV Hampton-VanSant, were shared outside of BSCC and attributed to another former board member, Andrew Fitch. However, our strategic planning consultant has stated that her notes from Andrew Fitch’s interview were not included in the information provided to BSCC.
First and foremost, BSCC would like to apologize to all who have been affected by this information. Transphobia in any situation is concerning, but hearing transphobia from within our own community is deeply upsetting. It has been a wakeup call to all of us that although the LGBTQ+ community can be affirming, welcoming, and a critical support system for many people, we are not and have not historically been a united front. Our experiences are often disparate, changing based on many factors – gender, gender expression, race, class, location, religion, and many other intersections of identity. Although we come from different backgrounds and carry different stories this does not mean that we cannot learn from others, understand their experiences, and most importantly, support each other.
The growing issue of transphobia in the United States is one that we must face together, with support from all parts of the queer community. Intolerance is sweeping through our nation, our government, and our homes and communities. This is a moment in which allies are needed more than ever, as trans people’s rights and humanity are being called into question. Rather than dividing ourselves, we need to find ways to come together, to learn and to educate, to find common ground and to repair our connections rather than splintering further. Understanding the importance of acknowledging mistakes in order to grow, we would like to apologize for the breach of confidentiality that took place within our organization.
In light of the recent worries of transphobia, we would also like to call on North Adams Pride, our fiscal sponsee and partner, to acknowledge their problematic language around bathrooms at the Northern Lights Ball. Although there were all gender bathrooms available, the email that went out to attendees and was posted in the building also stated that there would be “cisgendered bathrooms” available as well. This language is exclusionary and harmful to our community, implying that trans people are not allowed to occupy the same space as cis people.
Although this has been a painful moment for many of us, we would like to use it as an opportunity to learn and grow. BSCC is committed to building trust and care in our communities and we ask North Adams Pride and all our fellow organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community to acknowledge that we all make mistakes, but we are all capable of learning and doing better in the future. We look forward to continuing to build a stronger, united community together.
LGBTQ Community Survey results:
We have more information from our survey to share with local LGBTQ organizations and partners, and interested folks can also contact us at berkshirestonewall@gmail.com