The Queer Activist Coalition

By Julie Ludwig

We are the Queer Activist Coalition, and we’re here to recruit you. The QAC is a politically motivated activist group at UF fighting for full civil and social equality for the LGBTQ community. We believe that discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity is not only unjust, but harmfully oppressive, yet the homosexual community remains one of the most marginalized communities in America today.

The Queer Activist Coalition came together last October after attending the National Equality March for LGBTQ rights in Washington, D.C. We are a community- and campus-based organization with a non-hierarchical structure, and we want to work with anyone who is interested in joining the fight for equality. Our cause is only part of a larger struggle to liberate the oppressed and protect minorities from exploitation.

The QAC believes that the first and most immediate step toward social equality is to end legal inequality faced by LGBTQ people living in America. We believe that civil rights for all minority groups should be protected by the government and not determined by religious or social prejudices. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the equal protection of all citizens under the law, and LGBTQ citizens are being denied these protections every day. The Defense of Marriage Act currently deprives LGBTQ citizens of 1,138 civil rights that are taken for granted by married heterosexual couples. In the words of Frederick Douglass, “power concedes nothing without demand.” It’s time for all of us to demand that LGBTQ citizens be given equal rights and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

We are dedicated to raising awareness in the community about these issues. We recently held a fundraiser on Feb. 4 in conjunction with the National Prayer Breakfast. The goal of the event was to show the community the influence of the religious right in our government and the role it plays in lobbying against LGBTQ rights. Our next event will be the Equality Across America (EAA) Southeast Regional Conference. EAA is the group that planned the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. last October. The conference is planned for March 19-21, times and locations TBA. For more information about how to get involved with QAC, e-mail queeractivistcoalition@gmail.com.