Cleveland City Councilmember Tanmay Shah and other community organizers are encouraging Ohioans to join a national general strike planned for Friday, Jan. 30 – including a demonstration at Public Square in downtown Cleveland from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
The strike comes after Minnesotans carried out a Jan. 23 general strike across the state, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have brutalized residents for weeks.
ICE agents shot and killed three American citizens – including Renee Good, an out LGBTQ+ person – as part of an ongoing immigration crackdown targeting families, children, legal immigrants and refugees with no criminal backgrounds.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who have shown us bravery and courage by showing us what a general strike can look like and the power that the collective has when they act together,” Shah, a Democratic Socialist, told reporters.
“They’ve put out a call for other cities and other organizers and students, community organizers and expanded solidarity,” he added. “That’s why we are here today.”
Community leaders across the state are organizing strike rallies in other cities, including Akron, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo.
In Cleveland Rev. Kearstin Bailey, Settled Pastor at the First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) North Ridgeville, encouraged LGBTQ+ people to participate both in the strike and the rally.
“Queer people need to show up because all of this is connected,” Bailey said. “Human migration is intrinsically tied with queer issues.”
Bailey said LGBTQ+ have migrated between communities and continents for centuries, in an effort to keep themselves safe, to live authentically and “to follow God’s calling.”
“This is a tale as old as time,” she said. “And it continues to impact queer people today.”
According to data published by the Williams Institute, roughly 3% of the 1.3 million immigrants currently living in the United States identify as LGBTQ+, including an estimated 50,000 transgender people.
Additionally, more than 22% of LGBTQ+ immigrants living in the U.S. are undocumented, limiting their access to education, health care and other resources that require federal identification or proof of citizenship.
Beginning as early as 1875, the U.S. government has restricted immigration based on “sexual deviation.”
LGBTQ+ people did not become eligible to seek asylum in the U.S. based on anti-LGBTQ+ persecution until 1994 – and transgender people could not claim asylum in the U.S. based on anti-transgender persecution until 2007.
“Queer people need to show up to make sure that everyone has freedom of movement across this world,” Bailey told reporters. “We saw activists, students, parents, clergy, and every day people like you and me come together to tell ICE that they are not welcome in our communities.”
“Strike with us on Friday. Let your whole body be a living prayer, a defiant act of worship that speaks truth to power and lets our leaders know that we will not tolerate their violence and fear tactics,” Bailey added. “We will stand up for our neighbors.” 🔥
ignite action
- To find a protest, rally or demonstration near you, click here.
- If you are a young LGBTQ+ person in crisis, please contact the Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor.
- If you are an transgender adult in need of immediate help, contact the National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
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