Tackling a Crisis at the Crossroads

Our hearts drop at the news of Poe Jackson’s death. The increased subjugation of First Nationals, LGBTQA+ persons, and especially those who bridge the two communities, to violence and abuse is not only alarming but unacceptable. The higher rates of harm and preventable death in this community can be addressed at some level with policy solutions advocated for by the California National Party; however, it also stems from the clinging to colonial institutions and culture.

The compounding of abuses and poverty among First National LGBTQA+ persons, typically begins in childhood and only builds up over a lifetime. Policy approaches that the California National Party is taking include: combating poverty, which fosters a higher rate of child abuse, by introducing Universal Basic Income (UBI) with a negative income tax, as well as supporting a federal reparations program; and providing for better healthcare with Medi-Cal for All. If we can give people better foundations to stand on, then getting support will not be as hard as it is now.

Unfortunately these policy positions cannot be as effective until the era of western dominance is truly upended. As California remains chained to the United States, so too it shall be chained to institutions and practices which favor White and Christian dominance over society. The abashing of otherness and non-heteronormativity are a continuing export of western colonialism. Non-heteronormativity was accepted by much of the world until the 1500s when forced conversion of African and American First Peoples began. “Post”-Colonial countries continue to keep the non-native criminality and have fostered the Anti-LGBTQA+ crusades around the world. The California National Party supports rigorous and sweeping anti-discrimination laws as well as the return of the 45% of California federally owned land to the First Nations to be directly administered by tribal leaderships according to the values and traditions of tribes.