Activism
Renters Justice Coalition (RJC)
In 2023, I joined the Renters Justice Coalition (RJC) board of directors. RJC is comprised of Utah’s housing and houseless advocates, renters, case managers, service providers, organizers, community health workers/promotoras, social workers, social justice advocates, and other Utahns who came together to create RJC. The Renters Justice Coalition (RJC) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity organization incorporated and recognized on June 21, 2023.
What is the mission of RJC?
Renters Justice Coalition’s mission is to organize, educate, and advocate to achieve transparent, fair, and equitable rental housing policies. We aim to promote, advance, and empower Utah’s Renters.
What will RJC do?
RJC is committed to addressing the following issues:
- Severe lack of adequate advocacy for renters and manufactured homeowners.
- Non-existent tenant representation in housing policy discussions and negotiations.
- Imbalance of power in contractual rights and responsibilities that move renters into a vicious cycle of poverty and crushing debt.
- Unequal access to justice and legal representation for renters and manufactured homeowners.
- Restrictive and predatory practices designed to keep renters and manufactured homeowners from attaining economic stability and financial prosperity.
Utah's ban on conversion therapy for minors
In September 2019, I provided expert testimony at the Utah Department of Professional Licensing public hearing in support of a ban on conversion therapy for minors. It was a very moving experience to hear from individuals who had been forced into conversion therapy as minors, and from others whose lives have been negatively impacted by conversion therapy practices. In January 2020, Utah successfully passed the bill to ban conversion therapy for minors!
Supporting the Equality Act
With the new administration, the Equality Act has made it through the house and to the senate. This important legislation would provide explicit federal protections again discrimination for LGBTQ+ Americans at businesses, government funded programs, housing, etc.
Besides becoming a community co-sponsor of the Equality Act, and calling Senator Mitt Romney to urge him to support this bill, I am taking part in a special event called Operation Senate Strikeforce with the Human Rights Campaign. I will be working with the Human Rights Campaign to connect voters with their Legislators to tell them it’s time to update federal law so that all people, including LGBTQ+ people, are protected from discrimination! With Operation Senate Strikeforce, HRC will be calling across the country every Tuesday and encouraging folks to call their senators and have them vote yes on the Equality Act!