New Orleans, LA – At noon on November 16, over 100 protesters gathered at Lafayette Square to protest the Port of New Orleans’ support of Israel. The activists demanded an end to all aid to Israel, including a technological trade agreement called the “innovation embassy.”
Havana, Cuba – In a rose and butter-yellow building held up by Greek columns, Cuba’s LGBTQ activists work every day to advance equality. This building, formerly someone’s mansion and now repurposed by the socialist government, houses the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX).
Havana, Cuba – It’s hard to imagine when you live under state governments banning gender-affirming healthcare, but 100 miles off of Florida’s shore is an island striking unrelenting blows against bigotry.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, March 31, close to 300 students at Benjamin Franklin High School walked out of school during last period. They demanded a stop to bills in the Louisiana legislature that target LGBTQ kids. Students gathered on the school’s front lawn to hear speeches by their trans classmates. The event coincided with national Trans Day of Visibility.
New Orleans, LA – On March 22, a group of LGBTQ activists interrupted a public interview with Governor John Bel Edwards at Loyola University. They unfurled a banner reading “Gov. Edwards: Will you veto hate?” Ed Abraham, the main protest speaker, demanded that Edwards commit to vetoing all bills threatening LGBTQ rights in the Louisiana legislature. Edwards did not deliver a commitment, and Loyola police removed protesters from the venue. The activists left chanting, “Defend trans kids! Veto hate!”
New Orleans, LA – On Sunday morning, February 12, about 30 protesters gathered at the Roosevelt Hotel to rally against LGBTQ book bans. They then marched down Canal Street to the Main Library. Sunday was a parade day during Mardi Gras, when protests are usually rare because of the traffic and attention of the city’s carnival season.
Alexandria, LA – On January 17, the Rapides Parish Library Board of Control tabled a library collections policy amendment that would ban LGBTQ-themed children’s books. Instead of either supporting or rejecting the motion, board members requested advisement from the attorney general. LGBTQ people and allies packed the meeting room, waved signs and submitted public comments in opposition.
Mother Bloor, a Communist revolutionary who fought for women’s suffrage, emphasized that women couldn’t just stop at the right to vote. Working women still had to organize against the capitalist ruling class, which forced them to endure long hours, low wages and suffocating labor conditions. The vote was just another tool in that struggle. The suffrage movement relied on people like Bloor – workers who recognized that women’s liberation depends on the struggle for socialism.
New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, November 5, a group of women and LGBTQ people gathered at the LGBT Community Center to address gender violence in the city.
New Orleans, LA – On October 11, at 9 a.m., protesters attended Gerry Paul’s arraignment. Paul, 29, is an active-duty police officer charged with second-degree rape. Protesters in the courtroom wore red, turned their backs on Paul when he pled “not guilty,” and held signs saying “Jail Gerry!” They then organized a rally outside the Orleans Criminal Courthouse.