Dear friends,
I’d like to begin by way of an introduction. My name is Jacob Candelaria, and I have recently joined Equality New Mexico (EQNM) as its President/CEO. I am a native of Albuquerque, and hold a degree in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
Prior to joining EQNM, I worked as an analyst for the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee and as deputy chief of staff for the Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives, Ben Lujan.
I couldn’t be more excited to be with EQNM—an organization that for the past 18 years has been on the front lines in the fight to advance the civil rights and well being of New Mexico’s LGBT community.
Together, we have realized real success in our efforts to make New Mexico a better and more equal place to live for LGBT families. With your help, we won:
- Comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that makes it a crime in New Mexico to discriminate against a person on the basis of sexual orientation, and
- Hate crimes legislation that provides for enhanced criminal penalties for those who commit a crime motivated by a person’s sexual orientation or perceived gender identity (making New Mexico one of only a handful of states in the country to provide additional penalties for crimes committed on the basis of perceived gender identity)
I have had an opportunity to meet with many members of the LGBT community across New Mexico over the past months, and one thing has become quite clear to me during that time: we are at a critical moment in movement to secure LGBT equality nationally and in New Mexico, and there is a lot of work left to do.
Of immediate concern is the 2012 legislative session that will kick off in January, 2012.
Make no mistake; the possibility of a Defense of Marriage (DOMA)-like amendment becoming part of our state Constitution is more real now than ever. We will be on the front lines in Santa Fe in January, making sure that this discriminatory law never becomes a reality in New Mexico.
In addition to fighting back DOMA, we will also pursue—along with a coalition of other partner organizations—legislation aimed at protecting the health and well being of LGBT youth in our public schools. It is a tragic and well established fact that LGBT youth are more likely to be the victims of bullying, and either think about or commit suicide than their straight peers. It is time that New Mexico take action on this national crisis that every day places threatens the development, well being and lives of children across New Mexico.
I realize that over the past few years, EQNM has gone through a period of instability and change. But at the end of the day, I am more confident now than ever in our collective ability to create positive change for New Mexico’s LGBT community.
In conversations from Santa Fe to Las Cruces, Clovis to Farmington and Taos to Deming I have made a simple promise that I intend to keep: EQNM is back, and we are ready to work.
Use this blog to stay up to date on EQNM goings-on, and for more in-depth updates on our work and the critical public policy issues that impact the LGBT community in New Mexico and across the country.
Also, if you haven’t already, join us today at eqnm.org, to receive updates about our legislative work and other initiatives. We are in this together, and EQNM stands ready to do our part in the effort to win full LGBT equality in New Mexico.
I thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to contact me at any time at jacob@eqnm.org .
More to come,
Jacob
