Grumet: Veterans for Equality stand as protectors of an LGBTQ+ community under attack

Gen Peña came to the Capitol on Friday in Army-issued combat boots, rainbow socks and a mission to keep the peace.

“A lot of people are on edge. Tuesday was a crazy, intense day,” Peña said, recalling how state troopers cleared the House gallery, handcuffed a few protesters and pushed scores of LGBTQ+ advocates out of the Capitol after their chants interrupted consideration of a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. Peña helped evacuate people Tuesday as the din of panic and outrage echoed across the Rotunda.

Friday, by contrast, was quiet, as Peña and other members of the peacekeeping group Veterans for Equality kept watch in the Capitol complex.

The LGBTQ+ advocates were back. So were the champions of Senate Bill 14, many of them wearing red T-shirts that read “Save Texas Kids.” But the two camps kept their distance from each other and from the state troopers, who milled about in noticeable numbers.

An uneventful day. Mission accomplished.

Peña founded Veterans for Equality a year ago this month, recognizing the need for volunteer peacekeepers at events where LGBTQ+ people might come under attack. Several of the vets were at the Capitol last week at the request of a coalition of human rights groups, including Equality Texas.

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Defending their fellow citizens felt like a natural extension of their military service. Peña and the other vets wore Army green T-shirts that read: “I swore an oath to fight enemies foreign and domestic.”

“That American flag stands for everybody, every type of person,” said Peña, a 36-year-old Army vet who lives in North Austin. “I’m seeing that get torn apart right in front of us. It breaks my heart.”

‘Let them be free’

Veterans for Equality has a core of about 30 people who attend events around the state. Many, including Peña, are part of the queer community.

But they’re not activists. They’re protectors.

At Pride festivals and drag queen events, the veterans create a human buffer between people enjoying the event and those seeking to disrupt it. The vets aim to de-escalate, typically by reasoning with agitators, or at least talking with them long enough for their targets to move on.

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Sometimes the vets use their giant plastic banner to create a wall between sparring camps.

And, when all else fails, the vets unleash an audio assault of Disney tunes. “Let It Go” is a favorite.

Anti-LGBTQ+ protesters “already hate Disney,” Peña said, given the company’s embrace of the queer community. Plus, the uninvited soundtrack spoils any video the anti-LGBTQ+ protesters might try to post from the event, as Disney quickly seeks to remove anything online that uses its songs without permission.

“The Mouse will take them down every time,” Peña said, grinning.

Peña, who uses the pronouns they and their, comes from a proud military family in which dog tags signify noble sacrifice. They also served in the era of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” when gay service members had to keep their identities under wraps. Peña hid their gay pride mementos and kept up appearances with a fake boyfriend.

Fast forward to this year, when more than 650 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed in 46 states, representing "a war against LGBTQ people in America and their very right and ability to openly exist," according to a report by the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank on LGBTQ+ issues.

“I’m seeing the same things that happened to me happening to regular civilians,” said Peña, who left the Army in 2013. “People being told how to dress, how to act. It’s none of your damn concern. America is the home of the free. Let them be free.”

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Instead, LGBTQ+ rights are under attack in statehouses, and LGBTQ+ people face increased vitriol at events. It’s no longer just religious groups showing up with signs.

“Now, it’s neo-Nazis and Proud Boys, those kinds of extremists showing up” at drag queen events around the state, Peña said. “I’m like, how did you even find this place?”

Advocates on high alert

The only menace Friday at the Capitol was a troll from InfoWars who stuck his camera in the faces of some LGBTQ+ advocates. I spoke with two women who were grateful someone with Peña’s brigade came over and ran interference so they could find new seats.

Still, after Tuesday's events — the altercations with troopers and the ugly taunts from some anti-transgender folks — the queer advocates were on high alert Friday.

They traveled in pairs and identified safe gathering spots in the Capitol. Dozens watched the House discussion on SB 14 from computer screens in an underground conference room, avoiding the gallery altogether.

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“We are resilient and persistent, but we shouldn’t have to be,” said Johnathan Gooch, a spokesperson for Equality Texas, noting the fear among advocates was “palpable.”

“It shouldn’t take courage to show up at the Capitol,” Gooch continued. “It shouldn’t require safety plans and a buddy system. It shouldn’t require advocates to scribble lawyer’s numbers on their arms. But that’s where we are.”

Gooch was grateful for the presence of Veterans for Equality and the president of the Austin Police Department’s Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association, who volunteered his off-duty time Friday at the Capitol.

The day ended with another procedural delay on SB 14, a brief victory for LGBTQ+ advocates who face long odds halting this legislation altogether. Cheers erupted in the underground meeting room. Several people danced as Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor” blared from a tablet.

I’m a survivor, I’m not gonna give up

I’m not gonna stop, I’m gonna work harder

Benjamin Clodfelter, one of the Veterans for Equality, stood in the hallway, his watch coming to a close as people started to filter out of the Capitol Extension. He kept scanning the corridors, looking for anything that might become a problem, but all was calm.

Still, everyone made sure no one walked alone.

Grumet is the Statesman’s Metro columnist. Her column, ATX in Context, contains her opinions. Share yours via email at bgrumet@statesman.com or via Twitter at @bgrumet. Find her previous work at statesman.com/news/columns.

Learn more

For information about Veterans for Equality, visit veteransforequality.org.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Veterans for Equality stand with Texas LGBTQ members as SB 14 weighed