[ONLINE] - Transforming the Polls in Indiana

It sounds simple: all registered voters have rights at the polls. But what if going to the polls was a matter of safety? A matter of being recognized for your identity and name? A matter of just...being yourself.

The lessons learned from highlighting the safety and engagement of trans voters in Indiana are lessons applicable to many voters for whom casting a ballot is no simple matter. Trans leaders in Indiana are elevating the importance of voting to their community, while grappling with the fact their own identity is all too often a matter of inappropriate debate.

Join New America Indianapolis and the ACLU of Indiana for an online roundtable about voting rights and protections for transgender Hoosiers, trans activism, and trans folks making a difference in our political lives every day.

Learn more about our guests:

Kimberly Acoff is a Black trans woman and military veteran. She is the Programming Director at Indiana Youth Group in Indianapolis. Kimberly served nearly 30 years with the State of Indiana working with the Department of Child services and Family and Social Services to address issues surrounding the care of individuals with physical and mental health disabilities.

Kit Malone is an advocate and educator at the ACLU of Indiana, where she organizes a statewide public outreach campaign to identify transgender advocates and arm them with the tools to educate and engage their communities on the importance of passing comprehensive civil rights protections for all Hoosiers. After a successful career working in public education as a high school teacher, Kit joined Freedom Indiana in 2016 as a community organizer.  There she helped advance the cause of statewide equality for LGBT people in her home state by advocating for legislation to end discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation.

Veronica Pejril began her first year of service representing the third ward on Greencastle’s City Council in January 2020, becoming Indiana’s first openly-trans elected official. Greencastle’s third ward is economically diverse, and Veronica works for greater access to shelter and nutrition for the city’s disadvantaged population. Veronica is an active member of Greencastle’s local NAACP Unit 3051. An alumna of Princeton’s Graduate School, Pejril is an assistant professor in DePauw University’s School of Music.Veronica is active in her church community and Putnam County’s music scene; she regularly seizes opportunities to donate her talents to benefit local organizations. She is a proud parent of two Purdue graduates and a 15-year resident of Greencastle.

You can learn more about Transform the Polls and the Transgender Education and Advocacy Program at https://www.aclu-in.org/en/issues/lgbtq-rights-project

Thank you to our partners: