"E Pluribus Unum" "( "Out of many, one" ) was the latest in a series of monthly chats with local LGBTQ and allied leaders the Center on Halsted ( the Center ) has held since February. The April 13 chat focused on international activism and volunteerism as an LGBTQ person, specifically in places where LGBTQ people fear overt and lawful discrimination.
Travis Bluemling ( Central Region diversity recruiter for Peace Corps ) and Jackie Kaplan-Perkins ( Human Rights Watch director ) were the featured speakers while Andrew Fortman ( the Center's community and cultural programs director ) moderated.
Bluemling was a Peace Corps volunteer from 2010-2012 teaching English as a foreign language at a rural high school in East Java, Indonesia. While in service, he also helped fundraise and build a two-in-one sports facility for both soccer and basketball and two sand volleyball courts. Bluemling later joined the staff of the Peace Corps as diversity recruiter in Dec. 2014.
Prior to becoming director of Human Rights Watch—Chicago and the Midwest in February 2015, Kaplan-Perkins worked for among other places the Chicago Foundation for Women and as campaign finance director for U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky's congressional campaign. She also served on the board of Horizons Community Services, now known as the Center.
Ahead of introducing both panelists, Fortman noted the previous chats which focused on Black identities and the LGBTQ experience in Feb. and the lack of spaces for queer women in March as well as the Center's performance-based Limelight series. He also explained that April is National Volunteer Month and the ways one can participate as a global volunteer.
"The goal of the two series is to help audiences feel more closely connected to the movers and shakers of the LGBTQ community," said Fortman.
When Fortman asked how they came to do the work they do, Kaplan-Perkins replied that she arrived at her current position accidentally. She said after graduating from college she started volunteering at a peace museum and it was there that she met Marianne Philbin, the soon-to-be executive director of the Chicago Foundation for Women ( CFW ). Kaplan-Perkins was hired by Philbin as a special-events planner, and she stayed there for six years.
During her time at CFW, Kaplan-Perkins met Schakowsky and that meeting led to her job with her campaign. While working on the campaign, Kaplan-Perkins said she was also active with Horizons Community Services and that's where she met her wife—Ann Perkins ( now Ann Kaplan-Perkins ). Kaplan-Perkins explained that working for American Jewish World Service ( AJWS ), which focuses on the disenfranchisement of women and LGBTQ people outside of the United States, got her thinking about international human-rights issues. It was through her AJWS work that she was approached by the Human Rights Watch.
"There was nothing about that 22-year-old that ever thought about any of these issues," said Kaplan-Perkins.
Bluemling explained that his youth was very sports-focused and, like many people in this country, he lived in a suburban bubble until he moved to New York City after graduating college. Teach for America didn't work out but Bluemling did get an interview with the Peace Corps recruiter. Bluemling said, at first, he was slated to go to Sierra Leone but his assignment was moved to Indonesia, where he taught English from 2010-2012.
"Joining the Peace Corps was the best decision I ever made," said Bluemling.
Fortman asked what activism means to them in general and on an international level.
Bluemling explained that he had to stay closeted while in service, since Indonesia has a large Muslim population and isn't LGBT-friendly—adding that he felt safe the entire time he was in the country.
"It was interesting because I had a chance to be an advocate for my students without coming out myself," said Bluemling. "I wouldn't say I'm an activist."
Bluemling also noted that, while he didn't come out to his students or the community where he lived, he did come out to Peace Corps staff in Jakarta a few months after arriving in the country.
"It was my proudest moment," said Bluemling. "They were supportive but had a lot of questions, like, 'How do you know?' It's important to be able to respond to these questions without shutting people down."
Kaplan-Perkins said there are nuances between being an ally, advocate and activist. She also noted that giving money to causes is important.
In terms of the LGBTQ community, "how you are seen is how out you are [as an LGBTQ person]," said Kaplan-Perkins. "At this point in my life, I lead with being a lesbian, so any work I do as advocate/activist is as an out lesbian. … Our last names showing up together as a lesbian couple is a really powerful statement [to the wider world]."
As for whether leading with a queer identity has affected the work they do, both Kaplan-Perkins and Bluemling said it hasn't.
Kaplan-Perkins said she first came out to Schakowsky when she was working for her, noting she couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Bluemling explained that each Peace Corps applicant approaches being in or out of the closet differently. He said there are more resources now including diversity training and an LGBTQ employee resource group, Spectrum, within the Peace Corps. He also noted that he only recently came out to his host brother, who was very supportive.
When asked what things impact the work they do on an international level the most, both Bluemling and Kaplan-Perkins noted the cultural difference and language barriers.
In terms of the LGBTQ movement post-nationwide marriage equality, Kaplan-Perkins said that fight took a lot of resources away from other LGBTQ issues, including stuff happening both domestically and internationally.
"The largest donors to our [Human Rights Watch] LGBTQ work come from outside the U.S.," she said.
Bluemling noted that the Peace Corps has been supportive of same-sex couples serving together prior to the marriage equality ruling
The event ended with Fortman asking both panelists a series of lighthearted, rapid-fire questions.
