A Transatlantic Dialogue on LGBTQI Rights, Racial, and Social Equity

4400 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest,Washington DC 20016

15 March, 2022

Description

A moderated discussion with Member of the European Parliament, Maria Walsh, on LGBTQI rights, racial, and social justice The past two years of the pandemic have continued to underscore the deeper and societal connections between Europe and the United States. The global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement put a clear spotlight on the enduring structural social and racial inequities that confront both sides of the Atlantic. And LGBTQI communities continue to face worrying discrimination, whether from the 'LGBT free zones' in Poland, or the recent Texas order targeting transgender people. Join us for an important transatlantic conversation featuring European Parliament Member Maria Walsh (European People’s Party, Ireland), with Naomi Moland, a professor at American University's School of International Service, moderating the discussion and the Q&A. Registration and Platform This will be an in-person event, which will take place in Room 200 of the Mary Graydon Center, at American University. The event is open to members of the public, but non-AU guests will have to complete, before the start of the event, a COVID-19 Vaccination Attestation Form, which is available here. After completing the form, visitors will then need to present proof of vaccination before entering the room where the event will take place. Alternatively, all visitors who are unvaccinated because of religious/medical reasons must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from within 72 hours of the event prior to being admitted to the event. Biographies Maria Walsh was born in Boston, USA, but the village of Shrule, Co. Mayo has been home for her since 1994. She graduated from Griffith College Dublin with a B.A. in Journalism and Visual Media in 2009 and went on to a career in television production and creative management. Maria was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the Midlands–North-West constituency at the 2019 European Parliament elections. In 2014, she was crowned the International Rose of Tralee, at the festival of the same name that celebrates young women of Irish heritage. Maria Walsh has been an active advocate and campaigner for diversity and social inclusion for many years. As the first openly gay Rose of Tralee in 2014, she used her platform to advocate for a positive vote in the Marriage Equality referendum in 2015. In the European Parliament Maria is a member of Fine Gael and sits in the European People's Party political group. She sits on three European Parliament Committees. She is a full member on the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs [EMPL] and the Committee on Culture and Education [CULT], and is a substitute member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs [LIBE]. Furthermore, Maria is Vice-Chair of the LGBTI Rights Intergroup in the European Parliament, which advocates for equality in the EU and monitors Member States’ legislative initiatives. Naomi Moland (Moderator) is on the faculty at the School of International Service at American University. Her research and teaching focus on comparative and international education, mass media, and the globalization of pluralist ideals. She is currently conducting research on the cultural dynamics of the global LGBTQ+ rights movement. This event is co-sponsored by the Transatlantic Policy Center, the European Parliament Liaison Office, and SIS' Program in Intercultural and International Communication.