We know liberation is a community effort that takes place across identities especially inside community organizing. We are working to make sure Freedom Oklahoma will always be a 2STQ+ led and centered organization, committed to doing work in a way that never compromises on behalf of those most historically marginalized and excluded, including Two Spirit folks, trans folks, queer folks, Black folks, Indigenous folks, disabled folks, poor folks, folks whose existence and/or survival has been criminalized, people living with HIV, people who use drugs, folks who engage in sex work and other pleasure and/or survival economies, folks without access to fixed housing, folks without documented immigration or citizenship status, folks who have been or are currently incarcerated, and others who have had the systems of the status quo try to treat their dignity and autonomy as anything other than inherent.

My mother, who worked at our county health department, opened my eyes to public health (and being nosey) at a very young age - television helped me fill in the gaps. So by the time HIV and AIDS rural outreach was coming to our health department I started learning more  about it on TV through programs like And The Band Played On and the Ryan White Story, but also through what I overheard in  the local health department break room (miss you girls). So I'll share with you some of the knowledge that I have about Ryan White. One, so that you'll understand a little bit about HIV and AIDS history in America, and two, in hopes to get you closer to the understanding that even in its best intended use, our criminal punishment system causes harm. Because it is just that - a punishment system. 

“When I think about the way I strive to show up in the work, I start from a place of knowledge strengthened by the work of my disabled ancestors, elders, and contemporaries who continue to help me grow in this space. Particularly to Mia Mingus, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (particularly their book Care Work), Robin Wall Kimmerer (especially Braiding Sweetgrass), Audre Lorde, Ndeye Oumou Sylla, Cole Arthur Riley, Marsha P. Johnson, Anna, and Tricia Hersey. I think about the ways my work is fundamentally different because of contemporaries like Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes, and because of community like Katrina and Nate Ward, AC Facci, Anna Langhtorn, Mauree Turner, CJ Garcia, aurelius francisco, Jo Beth Hamon, Sarah Adams, Al Phillips Shinn, Kendra Wilson-Clements, and so many others.” Come on in and read a lil more..

Sugarcoating this moment feels disingenuous and a little impossible. So as we look to 2SLGBTQ+ history month, we’re thinking about the ways that our history can so often inform our present. Whether it’s the reminders we’ve been here before, the knowledge gained from generations before us, or the examples of the way we’ve still found joy through all of the bullshit…knowing 2SLGBTQ+ history, our intersectional movement history, can be life-giving. Its time for our October 2025 Newsletter…enter if you dare…