The Amazingly Queer Race for Economic Justice, a “competitive, clue-based scavenger hunt across New York City,” takes place Saturday, May 14 — and if you’re in the New York City area Saturday, you need to be there. It’s a great cause: fighting poverty and homelessness in the LGBTQ community. The event benefits Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ), “a progressive non-profit organization committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation.”
QEJ says their goal “is to challenge and change the systems that create poverty and economic injustice in our communities, and to promote an economic system that embraces sexual and gender diversity,” because “although poor queers have always been a part of both the gay rights and economic justice movements, they have been, and continue to be, largely invisible in both movements.”
“We also work to challenge the notion that to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer means you’re white, wealthy, have no children,” and don’t face economic hardship.
Queers for Economic Justice works on a variety of social projects, including shelter organizing, and say they are “the only LGBT organization (and one of the very few groups of any kind) who go into homeless shelters. We provide support, and provide referrals to LGBT-sensitive services.”
In her Huffington Post column, long-time LGBT and Women’s Rights advocate, Roberta Sklar, offers this excellent overview of what Queers for Economic Justice does:
A Shelter Outreach Program: QEJ runs groups at homeless shelters across the city providing outreach, support, Know Your Rights trainings for LGBTQ homeless adults and advocacy for fairer policies in the shelter system.
A Clothing Drive that brings gender appropriate clothes to LGBTQ people — to meet the needs of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
A Welfare Rights Project to organize low-income LGBT people on public assistance, and offer them opportunities to become involved in fighting for a more humane, just and inclusive welfare system.
A Welfare Warriors Research Collaborative that has engaged in a groundbreaking, community-led research projects documenting the issues facing low-income queers.
An Immigrants’ Rights project that makes the connections between LGBT and immigrant communities and works on a range of critical issues which impact LGBT immigrants, their families and communities.
And you can help.
Sign up, show up, get involved.
Now I know, sadly, it’s supposed to be a rainy weekend — so if you already have plans, no worries. You can still help!
Contact Queers for Economic Justice, or just go right ahead and donate. Go on, you’ll feel good!