Organizational Accountability to Harm Done
In this moment, as a planet, we are redefining Justice1 and Accountability2. As we enter the seventh month of uprisings against the murder of Black folks and anti-Black police brutality, we are seeing progress made toward Transformative Justice3 in our own local community. This process is long overdue, this movement is centered around the value of Black Lives, Black trans lives, Black immigrant lives, Black sex workers lives are all central to this movement. White Supremacy4 is at the root of all systems of Oppression5.
As individuals we each fit into this movement in our ways, and as an organization, Youth OUTright must be clear about how we do the internal organizational work to dismantle White Supremacist, Patriarchal6, Hetereosexual7 and Cisgender8 systems within our own culture and communitiy. To that end, we must examine our own systems of Accountability. We must examine how we as youth advocates, mentors, and support folks can actively police youth bodies, perpetuate harm, and become a part of the very system we intend to disrupt.
The United States of America is built on Racism9, Sexism10 & Transphobia11. White Cis Men colonized both Gender and Race simultaneously. It is impossible to be born into this country and not be complicit in these systems. We must lean into the guilt that so many of us feel driven to run from. Moving through that guilt requires not just Acknowledgement of the Harm12 we’ve caused, but also Accountability through Transformation13.
Youth OUTright acknowledges that this organization has caused harm in the past. It is our responsibility to name, clearly, that we have been part of the problem. We are also working to be a part of the solutions. It is a painful truth to know that Racism, Rape Culture14, and Transmisogyny15 all exist and thrive within the social justice non-profit world. However painful it might be, we cannot ignore it. Racial and Gender Supremacy thrive in individuals with power, and unfortunately we see individuals within the social justice world abuse their social, political and economic power, too.
As we move through this process of rejecting the carceral system of punishment that is dominant in the United States of America, there will be intense growing pains. As we reveal our own institutional harms, we must hold ourselves to new standards of Accountability. We believe that the phenomenon of “Cancellation Culture” and “Call Out Culture”16 is rooted in Carceral Punishment17. It arises in communities and individuals feel that the legal systems of accountability have failed. The person who has caused harm is then effectively shunned, shamed, and exiled from the community without a path to repair, replicating jails and prisons.
While this can exist outside the Prison Industrial Complex18, it often replicates harm, too. The isolation and shame does not support the person who’s done harm in changing their behavior, nor Transforming their belief systems. Most often, we see public shame increase risks of further harm being done to others or one’s self.
There is a performativity to some call outs that feels counterproductive.
How do we get to Transformation? Youth OUTright believes that we will reach Transformation through compassionate accountability. To understand the root cause of Conflict and Harm and restore relationships is to transform Accountability.
We reject the Prison Industrial Complex, Police, and the self-imposed policing of Cancellation Culture.
Youth OUTright has been complicit in harm done in the past. We will almost certainly make mistakes in the future. Let’s talk about what we’re going to do about it.
We are currently in a process of reviewing our organizational history to understand our institutional impact, prior to our time with Youth OUTright. Understanding where we are coming from will inform next steps.
When we are aware of harm done, those harmed are centered in creating accountability processes. We aim to restore relationships and transform behavior and violent beliefs to create a more equitable world.
We do our best to connect those who’ve been harmed with the healing resources that they need to recover.
We strive to provide those who’ve done harm with the support to learn and modify their behavior.
We refuse to work with the Police.
We refuse to participate in Cancellation Culture, Public Shaming or other forms of punishment disguised as Justice.
As of Fall 2020 we are reviewing our internal accountability procedures and policies, striving to cultivate the most equity, health, safety, and access for youth, volunteers, board and staff possible. We recognize this will be ongoing and evolve as we grow, learn, and as roles and the folks in them change over time.
We also must name that our real and perceived organizational power and privilege may insulate us from recognizing our role in causing or perpetuating harm. Perhaps it may create barriers to someone naming an issue within our organization. To keep us accountable, the community at large must have a way of communicating with us, directly and honestly.
If you have concerns about anything at all, past or present, we want to know. Our goal is to create spaces where all youth feel supported in living as their true, authentic selves. Where young folks can bravely design and build a more beautiful, more joyful, more sustainable world. Spaces where young queer people cultivate and develop their own resliency, confidence, and compassion. We can only achieve that mission with clear, honest relationships with the community. Accountability is a mutual agreement, to both name Injustice when experienced or witnessed, and to bear responsibility and commitment to transforming oneself when harmful behavior and patterns are named.
Here is our commitment to you:
If you have concerns about Youth OUTright or any individual representative of the organization having caused Harm, you can reach out to a number of folks in leadership.
Adrian Parra, They/He/She, Executive Director
866-881-3721 Ext 1, adrian.parra@youthoutright.org
Beck Martens, They/Them/Theirs, Interim Co-Chair
beck.martens@youthoutright.org
Daniel Fishburn, He/Him/His, Interim Co-Chair
daniel.fishburn@youthoutright.org
Spike Thompson, She/They, Youth Program Coordinator
spike@youthoutright.org
Chelsea Novak, She/Her/Hers, Peer Facilitator
chelsea.novak@youthoutright.org
We have provided several contacts because we recognize that reporting harm is difficult and challenging. Different folks may feel more comfortable reporting to different individuals within this organization. We all keep each other accountable.
We keep us safe.
This Fall the Youth OUTright Board of Directors will begin the process of reviewing and revising our bylaws. Giving particular attention to Accountability processes for staff, board, and volunteers, and our Conflict Resolution19 plan. Part of preventing and disrupting the larger injustices in the world includes Youth OUTright, as a system, creating mutual accountability and responsibility within our own leadership team.
We share this with you in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We share this all with you in our efforts to confront Transmisogynoir20 and Transphobia within ourselves. We invite you to join us in this challenging and incredibly rewarding internal work. What can you do to be accountable to your own values? How can you help move YOURSELF and your communities towards Justice? Join us in this work, friend.
Glossary
Justice - the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness; repairing inequity and harm experienced by individual(s)
Accountability - an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions
Transformative Justice - a political framework and approach for responding to violence, harm and abuse. At its most basic, it seeks to respond to violence without creating more violence and/or engaging in harm reduction to lessen the violence...creating justice together without coercion and unjust systems of law; Asks why the harm was committed and what the root causes are.
White Supremacy - the belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society
Oppression - prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control
Patriarchal - relating to or characteristic of a system of society or government controlled by cisgender heterosexual men
Heterosexual - binary gendered people attracted to the other binary gender
Cisgender - gender identity that aligns with sex declared at birth
Racism - the marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.
Sexism - prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination against cisgender and transgender women and non-binary people on the basis of gender
Transphobia - prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination against transgender people
Acknowledgement of Harm - admitting to harm; part of a process of accountability
Accountability through Transformation - (see transformative justice)
Rape Culture - a society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and abuse; society or environment whose social attitudes do not prioritize consent in sexual and non-sexual interactions
Transmisogyny - hatred and oppression toward trans feminine people and trans women
Cancellation/Callout Culture - a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – either online on social media, in the real world, or both. They are said to be "canceled". Merriam-Webster defines cancel as "to stop giving support to that person", and dictionary.com defines it as "calling out the bad behavior, boycotting their work (such as by not watching their movies or listening to their music), and trying to take away their public platform and power".
Carceral Punishment - punishment involving police, jails, prisons, and the state judicial system
Prison Industrial Complex - the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems.
Conflict resolution - the informal or formal process that two or more parties use to find a peaceful solution to their dispute
Transmisogynoir -hatred and oppression against Black trans women and trans feminine people
For more reading on Transformative Justice:
-https://savethekidsgroup.org/defining-transformative-justice/
-https://transformharm.org/transformative-justice-a-brief-description/
-https://www.teenvogue.com/story/transformative-justice-explained