Greater Greater Washington, May 15, 2019: Housing is a queer issue: DC dykes plan to march against displacement
Local organizers are bringing the Dyke March, a grassroots march for queer liberation led by self-identifying dykes, back to the District on June 7 after a more than decade-long hiatus. Their inaugural theme for the protest is “Dykes Against Displacement.”
Black and Indigenous trans queer people are the most at risk of being displaced, so the march will focus on uplifting voices from these communities. Besides raising funds, the march aims to raise awareness about housing and gentrification issues by amplifying the work that local organizations are already doing, such as organizing tenants against displacement tactics and calling on the city to build more affordable homes.
According to a recent study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, D.C. has the highest rate of gentrification out of any city in the U.S. Displacement, housing discrimination and housing insecurity are issues that disproportionately impact LGBTQ people, especially transgender youth. Queer people, who overall have less wealth and deal with discrimination in jobs and housing, can be pushed further out from city centers where they might be able to more easily find jobs and cheaper places to live. Anti-LGBTQ discrimination reached an all-time high in DC in 2018, and hate crimes against this community have been rising over the last three years.
Fortunately, some new D.C. initiatives are signs of progress. The District has promised to raise penalties for landlords discriminating against tenants who use the universal housing voucher program, and the District is setting affordable housing targets for all parts of the city.
