Corryn Freeman: Hey y’all. My name is Corryn Freeman. I’m the executive director of Future Coalition and welcome to a Future Coalition fireside chat. Today, we have two phenomenal young LGBTQIA+ advocacy professionals here to talk about the advocacy work that their organizations are doing. We have Benjamin Coy, a communications marketing campaign manager at the National LGBTQ Task Force and advocacy group dedicated to advancing the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ individuals. And we also have Ranen Miao, a co-founder of OutVote, an organization focused on registering and mobilizing LGBTQIA+ voters, partnering with LGBTQIA+ organizations and professionals on voter registration and mobilization efforts, and improving data collection for those communities. Ranen and OutVote are also a fiscal project of Future Incubator, a collaborative program between Future Coalition and March On. Welcome to the discussion today, guys.

Ranen, Benjamin, thank you so much for being here.

Benjamin Coy: Thank you for having me. Happy to be here.

Corryn Freeman: So let’s start by grounding ourselves in the work. Let’s talk about who are some of your grounding icons in the work of advocacy and by chance, do you have any LGBTQ+ icons that anchor you in this work? I mean, I can tell you a bit about mine. Bayard Rustin is by far, he’s an icon for me. Everything that he was able to do, Dr. King would not be who he was if Bayard Rustin did not have his organizing chops behind him. Do you guys have any icons in the work that you guys do?

Benjamin Coy: Yeah, for me, certainly Bayard Rustin is one of them as well, who recently was once an unsung hero, but now we are singing his praises and I’m so happy that he’s finally getting his flowers even posthumously. I know we don’t often think of this one person as an organizer or an icon when it comes to the movement, but certainly James Baldwin, a lot of his writings, a lot of his teachings, I certainly resonate with and have been a supporter and lover of, but then we bring it to more current, certainly Dr. David Johns at the National Black Justice Coalition. My own executive director at the Task Force, Kierra Johnson, are just a couple of names that are truly iconic in their own rights and have really done the work to push us forward and to continue to push us forward in this movement.

And so I would definitely give them their flowers and thank them all the time for not the work that they do, but for the people that they are and how they show up in all these spaces. It’s really impactful as a Black person to see them being just themselves in all these places and getting all these flowers and getting all this recognition. So I would definitely say those two, but certainly Bayard Rustin and definitely James Baldwin.

Ranen Miao: Once you said Bayard Rustin, I was like, “Oh my God, there’s my answer.” So I think it might be cliche, but Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are two iconic women who were so critical to the queer liberation movement and who I think are a huge inspiration by boldly claiming that we deserve a seat at the table and being able to engage in very forceful protests for LGBTQIA dignity. Bell Hooks, love her books and finishing one right now, which is why she comes to mind.

I think modern heroes for me include Jorge Valencia, who is the executive director for the Point Foundation. He’s someone who has been working in the LGBTQIA space for so long, is a huge mentor for Isaac and myself in doing this work with OutVote. And after leading the Trevor Project, he’s been leading the Point Foundation for the past decade, helping to make sure that LGBTQIA young people are able to get educational opportunities and are able to pursue a college education.

Corryn Freeman: That’s wonderful. I also love David Johns. I have my own story with David. The Presidential Inaugural Committee, weren’t too many Black folks who were doing that. I was one of the few people who was on the Committee. He started a group for Black staffers on the Presidential Inaugural Committee for Barack Obama’s inauguration, and that’s where I met him. I saw him again recently at CBC events, but does phenomenal work. And Ranen, which Bell Hooks book are you reading?

Benjamin Coy: The Will to Change.

Corryn Freeman: Okay. The Will to Change is great.

Benjamin Coy: That’s next on my list. That’s next on my list.

Ranen Miao: It’s a great book. I highly recommend.

Corryn Freeman: Can you each share a bit about your background and what drew you to advocacy work? What were you seeing and experiencing in your communities?

Ranen Miao: At its core, I think a lot of effective advocacy comes from lived experience and from identity. And if you navigate the world and experience injustice because of who you are, who you love, what God you pray to or don’t pray to, what the color of your skin is and your ethnic background or your immigration status, you’re much more likely to feel compelled to do this type of work because you recognize and live that injustice and you want to see it fixed. And for me, I think that it was a combination of watching Asian Americans being excluded from the political process in my town that was 70% Asian, to also seeing a liberal state with a lot of progressive inclusive LGBTQIA laws, but also a lack of cultural shift that matches where those laws are. And just because we have marriage equality for example, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have people who will still attack and vilify and villainize people who are LGBTQIA because of who they are and who they love.

Just because we are able to one day pass anti-discrimination practices into law does not mean that there won’t still be people who hate trans people and non-binary people and queer people and that people won’t be bullied and won’t be harassed and won’t be discriminated against. And a big part of recognizing that this is not just a policy battle even though policy is really important, but it’s also an interpersonal and cultural battle that we need to win to make sure that inclusivity and love and acceptance is something that every single person is not only able to believe but is also able to experience and feel. That is at the core of advocacy and wanting to see that not just for people who hold my specific set of identities, but for every single person in this country and in this world to feel that type of love I think is what motivates me and what continues to draw me into this work.

Benjamin Coy: What motivates me or what drew me into this. I am from Florida originally. Grew up there, born and raised, and I’m the son of educators. A good bit of my family are either K through 12 educators or higher ed educators. And I noticed a consistent struggle in them wanting to do the best for their students but not having the resources. And then in my own experience as a student going to a magnet school and noticing the difference between what my magnet school of predominantly white kids was afforded versus a neighborhood school of predominantly people of color, what they were afforded, I didn’t like that disparity. And so that kind of first was a spark when you talk about just getting out and doing it, that was the first spark to asking those questions, well, if we’re all in the same district, why are we receiving different resources?

Then going on to my HBCU, which was certainly a point in my journey into advocacy just because it really helps me advocate for ourselves that euphoria of Black folks and understanding the power that we hold and trying to get other folks to understand that certainly was another point. But as you talked about lived experiences, Ranen, it really is that not seeing myself, not seeing folks that look like me, not seeing my identity is represented in mainstream media. Again, I’m a media person, a communications person, not seeing that and then realizing that it’s not just in media, but it’s in other forms, it’s in boardrooms, it’s in the school, it’s in textbooks. That is what has drawn me into this.

Representation is something I’m very passionate about. Intersectionality is something I’m very passionate about and it keeps pushing me forward. It keeps wanting me to advocate for, it keeps wanting me to platform issues that folks in my hometown may not know about just because resources are not available to them and they should be. What’s also keeping me here is other young people. I think I’m getting a little old now, but the young folks that are having a different experience than me is what’s really inspiring me.

I’m also an adjunct and I think about some of the students that I teach in my communications courses and how they’re able to live freely and thrive in so many areas that my generation or folks in my age level or age group weren’t because of just where society was. That, I love that. That inspires me. They have such a wonderful vocabulary to name who they are and what they want and I love that and I want more of that for them. And so that is another tactic or another point that inspires me to stay in this movement.

Corryn Freeman: In today’s age, what is advocacy and what does your advocacy in particularly look like? How would you say what defines an advocate?

Benjamin Coy: That’s certain something that I’m still trying to parse out for myself. I think we have this idealistic view of what an advocate or an activist looks like, and for many folks it’s what we see in the textbooks or what we’ve seen in the textbooks, let me say it like that. With protests, people being at the front lines, having the bullhorns, yelling at whoever, really being on and being out, being arrested, really being the physical representation of what is pushing the movement forward. But I think it’s so much more than that. Everyone has a gift, everyone has a talent and I’ve often learned that it really takes all of us to bring all of our talents together to really push the movement forward.

And so maybe my talent is not holding a bullhorn and having a protest, being at the physical march. My talent is digital organizing, so I’m sharing on social, I’m platforming content on social, I’m platforming the folks who need to amplify to larger audiences on social as a communications person. So I feel like we all have our own definition of what that is, and it’s really just more about how our talents rope into that. It’s also about being passionate about whatever you’re advocating for. Even if you don’t know exactly how to get started, but having the passion and having the know-how, or having the understanding of what’s making your passion important, what’s making your advocacy important, that is also a part of it as well.

I’ll also share that we all in our own rights are advocates, whether we say it or not, whether we use that terminology or not, whether we want to accept it or not, we are all advocates. We might be self advocates, we might be advocating for another cause. We might be advocating for another social justice movement or social justice initiative, but we’re all advocates in our own way, and so I think that it’s just really how we define it.

Ranen Miao: Yeah, I love that definition and I think there are some nuances to this question. When you were talking about the activist versus the advocate, Benjamin, I actually think those are two different types of people.

Benjamin Coy: That too.

Ranen Miao: Because I think the activist is the person who’s more anti-institutionalist, going through the practices of protests, of sit-ins, of being arrested, of civil disobedience versus an advocate being someone who’s able to navigate and work through that system to advance change on issues that they care about. So for example, we see ourselves as advocates right now trying to turn out LGBTQIA folks to vote to be civically engaged to make their voices heard at the table, and we see that as a way of engaging within the system, but we also recognize that for LGBTQIA justice and liberation, we also need activists who are going to push the envelope and are going to force us to think beyond the scopes of existing institutions and challenge the ways that we understand the world. I think that modern advocacy, which is the second part of your question, is really shifting because a big part of it is about raising awareness.

So like Benjamin said, posting on social media, huge part of modern advocacy, but I think a lot of the traditional forms of advocacy and organizing are still really, really salient. So for OutVote, we’re hiring student campus organizers through our fellowship program who are going to do things like relational organizing and are going to speak to people on the ground, go into gay bars and try to register people to vote there or go to centers for diversity and inclusion. These are ways that we’re going to stay relevant on the ground and build human connection while also trying to amplify our message on social media and being able to have multiple venues in which we’re able to do this advocacy and do this organizing work is really exciting for us as young people who grew up in a digital age, but who also really want that in-person physical connection to the issues that we care about.

Corryn Freeman: Those are really great definitions of advocacy and I think that institutions first have the ear of advocates before they hear the protests of activists and the work of advocacy is so important because it really is the extension of the olive branch to really try to mitigate extenuating circumstances that people are going through.

And Ranen, I love the work that you all are doing. I love the relational organizing tactic. I remember when I was an organizer for the Obama campaign, I went into bars, gay and straight alike,- to go in and register voters, and that is where I would get the majority of my VR. I would get the most people registered in those bars. But let’s talk a little bit about LGBTQ+ activism. How do you perceive the evolution of activism over the years or the needs of advocacy over the years? Do we think that we have a need to advocate more? Have we made major leaps in strides in advocacy for LGBTQIA equality, voting rights, things of that nature? Or do you still see that there’s a lot more work to go?

Ranen Miao: Obviously, there have been huge strides and we’re really proud to see that marriage equality was codified into law in 2015. It was amazing to see a push at both the state level and the federal level for anti-discrimination practices, and we absolutely are excited about the Equality Act and that’s an example of legislation on the federal level that wouldn’t have been imaginable 20 years ago.

The fact that there are people who have spent their lives and their careers advocating for dignity and justice for our community is why we got here. But I think the next step of this, and there is still so much further for us to go, is to be more intersectional and deliberate about our advocacy. In Missouri for example, there’s a lot of good research in looking at how anti-trans legislation passes, and right now we’re still at a point where 70% of Americans support marriage equality, but the numbers are the opposite for allowing transgender athletes to compete in the sport of their own gender or allowing transgender people to go into the restrooms that conforms with their gender identity. There is still a big misinformation gap here and there are a lot of politicians who are opportunistically trying to attack people who are LGBTQIA, especially our transgender siblings.

In just 2023 alone, we saw over 530 anti-LGBTQ bills passed or were rather introduced across the United States. 70 of them went into law and a big part of why this is a really important issue for us to focus on is because transgender people right now are the scapegoats for these politicians who want to find someone and blame them for all the problems in our society. So the way that we are able to build power and make sure that we are able to represent the community collectively is also to recognize the diversity of our community and to make sure that our representation is not unidimensional. Historically, we’ve had a lot of people advocate for marriage equality, but we aren’t seeing the same type of energy around other issues that impact the LGBTQIA community. Immigration justice for people who are undocumented, racial justice and police brutality as it has so often been seen in repressing LGBTQIA protest.

Recognizing that these issues are interconnected and recognizing that everything from sex work to violence and harassment and bullying are fundamentally issues that impact the LGBTQIA community is how we can move forward and make sure that LGBTQIA is not coded for only white people, but is something that impacts people of every single background, whether you are Black or Latino or Asian, undocumented Native American. Making sure that we have representation that shows people that our coalition is not just for one specific group of people who historically have been platformed as white cis gay men, and instead representing the fact that our community is very broad and very diverse and that every single person should be able to see themselves represented in this movement.

Corryn Freeman: Say that, Ranen. Say that.

Benjamin Coy: Say all of that. Honestly and truly, I have nothing to add because I agree and I am just echoing all the sentiments, especially around intersectionality. It’s so much more than just marriage equality. It’s so much more than what folks see as those normal queer issues, but we also deal with police brutality. We also deal with racism, we also deal with housing injustice, we also deal with gun violence. We also deal with all the issues that everyone else deals with. It just has a different lens, but it’s all the same in so many respects. And so I agree. It really is just that. So eloquently said, Ranen.

Corryn Freeman: I think having the ability to view movements, all movements through the lens of intersectionality is fundamental for us all to rise. And so with you all naming the importance of intersectional issues, what would you say to lukewarm citizens, so people who don’t necessarily see themselves in LGBTQIA+ people about the importance for them to advocate on those issues?

Benjamin Coy: It affects all of us is what I would say. It certainly affects all of us. Whatever issue that they may be thinking of is going to also affect a person. We talk about reproductive justice. There are LGBTQ folks who have children. There are LGBTQ folks who can’t have children. It affects all of us. Same again with gun violence. A gun does not know your sexuality. It affects all of us. And so that is what I would say. You’re advocating for other people, but you’re also advocating for, again, advocating for yourself, being a self-advocate. So you pushing yourself forward is also going to help us really forward in this fight because again, it takes all of us as a collective movement.

Ranen Miao: I completely, 100% agree with everything that you said, Benjamin. And echoing that, I think that we need to recognize that the roots of anti-LGBTQ repression, of transphobia, of homophobia are the same as the roots of all other forms of repression. The people who are trying to attack our trans siblings are the same people who are trying to take away your reproductive freedom and your right to get an abortion in this country. They’re the same people-

Corryn Freeman: Can you just roll that back? You said what? One more time. Just in case I wasn’t listening. One more time.

Benjamin Coy: Yeah. Let’s say it louder.

Corryn Freeman: One more time.

Ranen Miao: If we did a Venn diagram of people who are trying to take away our rights, it’s the same group of people and all of us are in that group. So as long as we are able to recognize our shared destiny, I think we can become much more motivated because people, they’re not going to stop at attacking trans people. They’re not going to stop at taking away your reproductive freedom. They’re going to continue scapegoating and attacking people until you’re able to conform to a very narrow vision of what it means to be “normative”. And one of the core parts of the core liberation movement is challenging the idea of normativity and saying that we should all be able to express ourselves the ways that we are and feel the freedom and the dignity to be able to do that safely in a society that embraces and loves us for who we are.

Corryn Freeman: To those who are listening, who might be established movement leaders of whatever specific issue. I think it is really important to name the fundamental necessity of intersectionality. How are we including LGBTQIA+ voices? Looking at this from an LGBTQIA+ lens because I can guarantee you it will add so much richness to the movements on whatever issues that you are talking about and will make gains and strides for even more people. So today, nearly 30% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQIA+. What impact does that have on advocacy efforts? Do we see Gen Z getting more involved? I would argue the answer is yes.

Ranen Miao: I definitely think the answer is yes. Young people are very engaged and increasingly we’re the generation that recognizes we’re going to change the problems in society that we view as unacceptable. So I would say that not only is 28% of Gen Z LGBTQIA, but a majority of Gen Z are people of color. We’re going to become the most diverse cohort generationally in American history. And a big part of why people are more comfortable coming out as LGBTQIA is because we know more people and we see more representation of ourselves on television and in media and in government, and we recognize that it is okay to embrace your identity as a gay person, a trans person, a bisexual person because of the fact that our identities are normal and they’re valid, and love is love, right?

So I would say that young people absolutely see themselves in this political struggle and are getting mobilized. The reason of why our organization exists as OutVote is because we also recognize there are huge barriers for young people to get involved in the ways that they want to. We know that young people have strong political views. We want to give them the avenue to be able to express those views through democracy and through civic engagement and participation. So the fact that young people are energized is the first step. The next step is making sure that we get them out to the polls, we get them out to the protests, we get them out to their civic engagement centers, we get them involved in community organizing, and we create a robust community of people who are able to channel anger and passion and excitement into real tangible change in their communities.

Corryn Freeman: I want to know what are some of the key initiatives or projects that your organization is currently focusing on, and are there any specific successes? Because I think Ranen, you spoke about the work that you all are doing this electoral cycle, so would love to hear from you Benjamin about the task force and the work that you all are doing.

Benjamin Coy: Absolutely, absolutely. And before that, I agree that it is an increase in visibility. Gen Z is the first generation that has all of us or most of us on social media, and so we are able to see what’s happening 5 million or 5,000 miles away from us. And so yes, that is helping to increase that activism there. What the Task Force is doing, similar to Ranen, we have a campaign going on right now called Queer the Vote. And so we are sharing voting resources, giving voting education, and really trying to mobilize those folks who wouldn’t normally go out to vote and letting them know the importance of this election cycle, not just the presidential cycle. Of course that’s important, but it’s really also those local elections, those school board elections, those elections that are happening in your state where those actual effects are taking place.

As Ranen mentioned, in Missouri, we have a lot of harmful bills coming down the pipeline that have already been signed into law, and so we’re really, really focused on those state-based actions when it comes to queering the vote, and again, letting the folks know that with our power, we really can change what is likely only horizon. And I don’t say that with excitement. We’re just really nervous to really, really turn it around and really get those folks out. So that’s really what we’re focused on now. That’s our big initiative and just also continuing to advocate for folks across intersections. Again, the task force has always been the voice of the progressive movement, the aggressive voice of the queer movement. And so when we talk about intersectionality, we’re always comfortable in that area, advocating for the folks who are queer but also are affected by other issues that aren’t necessarily seen as issues. It always affects our thriving, and that’s where we’re trying to change our mindset from just living to thriving. And so that’s what we’re focused on now, but majorly queering the vote in large way.

Corryn Freeman: We love to see it. I have on my vote earrings just for y’all.

Benjamin Coy: Yes.

Corryn Freeman: It’s critical. Down-ballot. I understand that we are in a tough election cycle. A lot is at stake and a lot is happening in the world, but Benjamin, you mentioned the school board races, those down-ballot races, those are the places where we feel the impact of politics the most. As someone who lives in Florida under Republican rule.

Benjamin Coy: Bless you.

Corryn Freeman: Keep praying baby. Keep praying baby. Thoughts, prayers and the power to continue to register Democrats. It is necessary for us to continue to be civically engaged so that we are able to be preventative in harm and hopefully advance strides.

What advice would you give to LGBTQ+ youth or their allies who want to be more involved in this type of advocacy and activism and how can they get in touch with your movements, your organizations?

Benjamin Coy: The first thing I’ll say is just do it. I think when we come to questions like this, we’re always expecting a high philosophy answer of you need to go and talk to this person and go and do this and do and do that. Just do it. You know that you want to change the world, go out there and change the world. You know that you don’t like what’s happening in your community, go out there and just change it. Of course, there’s other nuances with that, but it really just takes your first wanting to go and do it. Getting involved with the task force is super easy. Going to any of our social channels, thetaskforce or thetaskforce.org, you can sign up to volunteer, you go to queerthevote.org, you have more information on how to actually affect change in your community. Also, at the Task Force, we have the organizing committee, which meets every fourth Thursday of the month, and that is an incubator for LGBTQ advocates and activists and organizers who want to learn more how to affect change in their community, learn the actual tactics, so to speak, behind organizing.

It’s really a wonderful space that is curated by our field team who are really doing lots of impactful work across our nation. I’m so proud to work with them, but certainly the organizing community with the task force is one way. We also have a series, Building Queer Power, which is on hiatus right now, but that’s another touch point of where we’re giving folks the knowledge and the education on how to start that work. But it really is just to get out there. You are on social media, make your voice heard, share all the things. If you see something, say something. It’s really that. But certainly getting involved with the task force. Again, thetaskforce.org or anywhere on social and just reach out to us and we will be sure to connect you with those resources in your community and on a national level as well.

Ranen Miao: Love all that. We are trying to do very similar work as well. The best way you can get involved is go to outvotehq.org, O-U-T-V-O-T-E-H-Q dot org. And you can follow us on our social channels. You can donate, join our mailing list and become an ambassador. If you’re in Arizona or Pennsylvania, apply for our paid fellowship. That’s one of the best ways you’ll be able to access the training that we’re going to be doing for our fellows and to do that type of work on the ground.

In general, like Benjamin said, you should never ask for permission. If you see a problem in your community, in your school, just go out and do something about it. And one of the best things about organizing is, in my opinion, the most impactful and most fulfilling organizing is on the local level, community or campus organizing with people who you know and who you love. That’s the place where you have the highest locus of control, where you are most likely to know the decision-makers and are able to see them face-to-face, where you’re most likely to be able to create meaningful change on the direct surroundings around you that bother you.

So if you see a policy that you don’t like in your school, find a way to organize a campaign to defeat that policy. If you recognize an injustice on your campus, bring together a group of students to go and fight it. If you see a person on your local town board or town council who is advocating for legislation targeting the LGBTQIA community, that’s someone who you are able to talk with and you are in a community with people who are able to organize around campaigns and are able to mobilize to fight back against those injustices. So finding local problems that you’re able to solve that are within your locus of control is I think the most effective way to get your foot through the door. You don’t need experience, you don’t need background, and you don’t need permission to start doing organizing work and to start being an advocate.

Corryn Freeman: You don’t need permission to do this work. Marsha P. Johnson sure enough did not ask for permission when she threw that brick. Okay?

Benjamin Coy: And did it. She saw something and she did something about it. Exactly.

Corryn Freeman: And she did something. Not saying that y’all just need to be throwing bricks. But…

Benjamin Coy: Well.

Corryn Freeman: … you saw what you saw. Hello? If you can pick up what we’re putting down, pick it up. If you can’t, let it sit with you for a little while, but heavy on the just do it, heavy on the just do it. I’ll never forget when I was 18, that was my first election. It was Barack Obama’s election against Hillary Clinton, and I had never really… Well, actually the first thing I organized was a vigil for the Virginia Tech at my high school. Didn’t know what I was doing, just was like, “Hey, at this time, can we come out of class to do this thing?” My teachers were like, “Yes.” It got out. We had 150 kids come outside, have the vigil. The news came to talk about the work that we were doing.

Also, when I was 18, the Obama campaign, I had no formal organizing experience in my life. I decided I was going to have a community, like little barbecue. The website said, “You can have a little home meeting where we talk about the candidate.” I decided I was going to do it, little 18-year-old me, and we got about 50 people from all across the county to come to my house to talk about the candidate. And it’s all just because I had the audacity to try. And I can guarantee you for those who are listening today, that if you are willing to put yourself out there and try, everything will work with you, especially if you are working for a just cause. All will align in your favor to get you down that path. So now before you guys go, I would like for you guys to take a moment and step into a visioning space. I want you to envision what a free and liberated future looks like for all people.

Benjamin Coy: Yeah, it’s a huge question. Last year, the task force celebrated our 50th anniversary and part of the questions we were asking ourselves and a lot of folks that we were in conversation with was, what does the next 50 years look like? And so when thinking about what that future looks like when we are finally liberated, for me it just looks like, again, moving from a living perspective to a thriving perspective. It looks like young people having what it takes to have a comfortable retirement. It looks like women and pregnant people having bodily autonomy. It looks like the lifespan of Black trans people growing from 35 to 105. It looks like climate change somehow reversing itself, and we are able to have winters and springs and summers and all that. It looks like educators getting the support they need and being able to teach real lessons and not just cherry-picked ones.

It looks like a society that respects itself and diverse beliefs. It looks like the inhabitants of a land or country receiving their land back and not being pushed out violently. It looks like we’re just loving each other. I think that is what true liberation is going to be. It looks like the need for these conversations wouldn’t even happen anymore. Our organizations, Ranen and I, they would cease to exist because we’ve met our mission, we’ve met our vision. That’s what the future looks like to me. And it just looks like a euphoria. And I’m excited. I am optimistic. Ranen has inspired me and so many folks like him, Corryn, of course, you as well, that we are going to get there eventually. We just have to continue to work to get there. But that’s what it looks like for me.

Ranen Miao: No, that was so well said, Benjamin. And the framework of not living but thriving I think is at the core of what a liberated future looks like. I think about so many of the problems that people are experiencing today and how we are able to equitably address some of those needs that people are experiencing right now. And I think recognizing these all as LGBTQIA issues, but also fundamentally issues of human dignity is how we’re able to move forward and build that type of liberated and just future.

Talking with the two of you is also deeply inspiring for me, and it is heartening to know that there are really good people in this movement to try to build a just world. Even though Benjamin and I work in the “LGBTQIA space,” seeing that this is a broader movement for dignity for all people and pushing for a world in which nobody has to go to bed hungry, nobody has to feel unloved, nobody has to feel discriminated against or live and work in jobs that don’t offer them dignity. That is the world that I think we’re trying to build towards. And creating that world requires a lot of love and action, and I think that’s how we get there. So it’s something that I believe is possible in our lifetime, and I think having that hope and believing that we’re able to create that world is what will push us forward.

Corryn Freeman: Perfectly said. Felt both of your responses deep in my heart and our ability to vision is fundamental to our ability to get to the place that we want to be. Thank you guys so much. That was wonderful.

Ranen Miao: Thank you.

Benjamin Coy: Thank you.

Ranen Miao: You were an moderator.

Benjamin Coy: Thank you. You did that.

Corryn Freeman: Thanks for tuning into this episode of the Future Coalition podcast. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please be sure to rate and subscribe to Future Coalition’s podcast wherever you get your podcasts. And if you really enjoyed it, leave us a review. Your input helps us improve and reach even more listeners. Future Coalition podcast is produced by Future Coalition with Moso Haus. Our producers are Dylan St. Bernard and Ivana Tucker. Our editors are Emily Crane and Jessica Hardy. Our theme song is by Warner Meadows, and I’m your host, Corryn Freeman. Until next time, keep imagining the future.