Equality Texas Says ‘We Dragged our Feet' in Prioritizing Work for Racial Justice

Equality Texas, one the state's leading LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, issued a statement Friday saying it hadn't done enough to speak out for Black people, adding that it's taking steps to "develop an anti-racist lens."

"As an LGBTQ+ organization we’ve assumed unity among our membership in solidarity of all marginalized groups and have often spoken on behalf of all of our members," wrote Ricardo Martinez, CEO for the Austin-based organization. "But have we stood, fought and cried loud enough for our Black siblings? The recent murders of Black Americans along with the continued attack on the Black Transgender community (nationally and in Texas) shows us that the answer is a resounding NO."

Equality Texas' statement includes an apology to former and current Black staff, board members, volunteers and community partners.

"We know we need to do better at every level of our organization to help dismantle systems of oppression that make this treatment a reality for Black people," Martinez added.

The group pledged to increase the diversity of its board and staff, audit its policies, implement new anti-racism training and set up a task force to help understand how it's falling short of its stated values.

The entire statement is available at the Current's sister site Out in SA.

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