REPORT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY
Town Hall Meeting with Congressman Pat Ryan
Sunday, April 13, 2025

BACKGROUND

In response to requests from the community we are committed to serve, along with growing concern expressed by members of the LGBTQ+ community, the Community Center invited Congressman Pat Ryan, who represents the majority of the Mid-Hudson Valley, to speak with the community.  Originally scheduled to be held at the Community Center, the meeting was moved to Ulster County Restorative Justice and Community Empowerment Center on Broadway in Kingston due the number of who registered in advance. Approximately 100 people attended.

INTRODUCTION

Willie Morris, Community Center President, Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Community Center Executive Director and Leigh Thompson, who co-facilitated the Community Center’s two previous Town Halls, spoke first.   All focused on the concerns for LGBTQ+ persons, friends, and allies, which include:

• The threat of and fear related to what is happening to LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, especially transgender members of our community

• The administration’s focus on galvanizing people against us

• We have some protections here in New York State, but some do not know what laws exist to protect us

• The fight for LGBTQ+ persons is about our bodies and everyone’s bodily autonomy, as well as reproductive rights and family issues

• We are here because of our fortitude, veracity and commitment to the continuing fight

WORDS FROM THE CONGRESSMAN

After introductions, the floor was turned over to Congressman Ryan. His remarks were direct and plainspoken. Among them was, “I am so fucking angry and fucking infuriated at this moment.” He expressed shock and anger about how direct and egregious the attacks on the LGBTQ+ people are. “Allow me to be armed with your stories so that I can advocate for you and with your friends and families, using your stories, to make sure that in this moment, no person –certainly no American – should have to feel what is going on. We have taken massive steps backwards in the last sixty days.”

He continued, “To the degree that we take action, we are far from powerless.  I am telling you, and I believe, that we are far from powerless.  We have pushed back on the federal funding freeze, the tariffs, and funding for Social Security offices, and we have seen some success.”  In regard to Social Security offices, Ryan was referencing the reversal of the decision to close the office in Poughkeepsie, one of only two Social Security Administration offices in the Mid-Hudson Valley (the other being in Middletown), which occurred subsequent to the outcry at another recent Town Hall the Congressman held in Poughkeepsie.

QUESTIONS

After Ryan’s comments, the floor was turned over to questions which were submitted in advance.  They included:

How are we tangibly protecting trans individuals and their loved ones. What does a trans teacher need to know?  This question came from someone who identified themselves or spoke from a “beloved teacher of twenty years.”

“We can talk national policy, but here we need to talk locally and how we are going to take care of each other. Legislatively, we are going backwards on a number of issues. The attacks on the trans community are vicious and aimed to hurt.

“Every one of the egregious actions are being fought in the courts. We cannot lose those fights, but what I want to work with you on is how to put in place a security plan for the region.  No one else is going to do it.”

He continued, “What I would like to do is to speak out publicly. Trans rights and LGBTQ rights are human rights.  I would be honored to speak out if any of you want to join me.  We need to get people behind us in codifying rights.  [For example], the Equality Act – every Democratic legislator is behind it or co-sponsoring it (Congressman Ryan is a co-sponsor).  It is something to rally behind; it is a seminal piece of legislation. It strengthens and prohibits discrimination against anyone on the basis of gender identity and sexual expression in the areas of public accommodations, employment, housing and federally funded programs.”

The Equality Act has been introduced into Congress previously but has not moved.  It seeks to extend the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly to LGBTQ+ individuals. Text of the Act can be accessed by clicking on the link above. 

Several questions asked about the perceived lack of leadership and speaking out of the Democratic Party.  What can we expect of the leadership and why is the Party so silent?

“We knew what this administration was going to do. They wrote it down in Project 2025, which I am sure many of you have read. I read it all. We knew what was going to happen and we did not prepare. So much of why we lost is because [of the failure] to put forth a compelling set of policies and positive things for people to support.  In this district, we outperformed the national ticket by a lot.”

“We have to speak out on a bunch of issues. We need an economic plan and we need to call out the fact that the rich get richer while everyone else loses out. We saw what happened at the inauguration and in the speech to Congress – the billionaires were in the front row, ahead of the Cabinet!”

“If we don’t put up a fight, we know that more and more individuals will be targeted and hurt. [This] is just another example of the long history of authoritarian operations.”

You have been fighting the SAVE Act.  What are your thoughts on what will happen to the transgender people who changed their names?

The SAVE Act seeks to create additional requirements to verify or prove one’s ability or right to vote.

“The SAVE Act passed the House this week by three or four votes. (This is reflective of the current majority in the House). It is one of the most un-American actions. It goes against the notion of everyone’s right to vote. It means that in order to register to vote, persons have to have certain acceptable forms of identification.  The New York State driver’s license and the Military ID don’t count. Anyone who has changed their name will have to go back to their birth certificate, which does not account for changes in names when people marry or change their names for other reasons (as many trans individuals do). At the end of April, this legislation will go to the Senate. We need to hold the line, especially in the Senate.”

There were several questions about Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.  What is going to happen?  Since Social Security is a major source of income for many retirees and those with disabilities, what can people do if their checks do not come or come on time?

“Two things are happening – a full frontal attack on the Social Security system to reduce the money spent and the extension of tax breaks for the wealthy.  It was in the Project 2025 playbook.  The proposed budget reconciliation [currently before Congress] is about massive cuts to key programs in order to pay for the tax cuts to the very wealthy.  They are cutting trillions of dollars from important programs and adding six trillion dollars to the federal deficit.”

“It is more likely, that Trump will cut Medicare or Medicaid and will not cut Social Security because it is too popular.”

“The administration is also reducing the Social Security Administration, closing offices, firing staff and cutting services.  We stopped the notion that persons had to go to offices if they were having trouble.  So, if you are having challenges, call my office and we will help you. If you are experiencing pain and problems due to gender status and identity.  At the casework level, we can help since we are dealing with good decent people in these agencies.  We have seen success when my staff work with people on this level.”

Can you talk about the availability of appropriate medical care?  Anything you can share about that?  For trans kids, youth and adults.

“We need to provide heath care for any youth, trans care especially.  These are our brothers and sisters, and no one should face the loss of health care for any reason.  We know that they are depriving trans persons of gender affirming care and trans care in the military.  There is no legislation in this area yet. We have to pass this stuff when we have power in Congress. Shame on us for not passing these laws when we had a chance.”

Some Democrats think we should drop the focus on trans persons in order to get more votes. What do you say in response to this?

“I think it is bullshit and it is cowardly! Those discussions are happening now among [those in my party] who have no backbone and are scared. They misunderstand what happened in the elections. Approval for Congress is seven or eight percent right now – only two points lower than telemarketers.”

He continued, “Based on our conversation, Richard and you all, we cannot abandon our principles – both morally and politically.”

The administration is making budget cuts on a global scale and deleting pass-through money that supports local not-for-profit organizations. How can we push back against the cuts that are being talked about in Congress? These funds include, among many other things, federal Ryan White funding that supports AIDS and HIV healthcare, education and prevention in our state.

Democrats have put forward proposal to protect these funds, and we cannot even get items on to the House floor. It has been a wake-up call.  Speaker Johnson is one of the most vile, anti-LGBTQ persons and was that way as a lawyer before he went into politics. Speaker Johnson won’t even bring these items to the floor. We need local people to speak up and protest. 

At this point, a person in the audience stood, unfurled a flag from inside their coat and interrupted, yelling to stop sending money to Israel and killing Palestinians. Congressman Ryan stopped his security team from removing them from the room and said, “Let her speak.”  There was applause in the room. While he attempted to have a discussion, it was difficult. Ryan said, “We value free speech so let her talk. I will always answer questions. We may not agree.” In response to questions posed by this individual, Ryan said that he would not vote against funding for Israel and that he would not stop accepting money from AIPAC, a bipartisan, pro-Israel political action committee. The conversation was aborted as the yelling continued and the person was escorted out of the room.

Gender-affirming practitioners are going underground to hide since they are scared.  And people are taking down their PRIDE and trans flags. Your comments?

“That is an existential and moral question. It is clear what the government is doing, and I will continue to speak out for our First Amendment rights. The short answer is we have to double down and triple down to speak out more often and clearly to protect everyone that does not feel safe to speak out. “I am proud of what Jen Metzer did in Ulster County.” [Ryan was referring the recent Executive Order signed by the Ulster County Executive on the Trans Day of Remembrance]. We can do that locally, and we can push other counties to provide some solidarity.  The last thing I have to say is that anyone who can speak out, do so, even if you have to do so anonymously. When individual persons speak up and share their stories, people are affected and that leads to change. We have to tell those personal stories.”

The Congressman again encouraged folks to tell their stories and asked the Community Center to ensure these stories get to his office.

What can we do right now?

“This is heavy and hard, and I made it worse by sharing what I see and what I think.  There are a series of protests and actions. They really matter. It has worked – not enough and not fast enough – but it is making a difference.  We don’t have the power [in Congress presently] and the courts are taking too long so we need to speak up and protest.

I do think that calling Republican house members – especially Mike Lawler and tell him I sent you. (Mike Lawler is the congressman representing southern Dutchess County and the parts of the lower Hudson Valley, including Rockland County. Lawler is a Republican. He recently voted for the SAVE Act and legislation seeking to limit the authority of federal district courts.) The party members in Congress highjacked by Trump are still power hungry and will pay attention to votes and local actions.

PrEP is a likely target and part of the goals of this administration to wipe our persons with AIDS or HIV. Comments or advice? (PrEP is a medication that helps prevent HIV infection in individuals who are HIV-negative but at risk of contracting the virus)

“They have already started cutting: 125 million already canceled for AIDS, all the members of the [Presidential Advisory] Council [on HIV/AIDS] have been removed and $1.3 billion has been made in cuts for HIV prevention and education at CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention].  One or two issues that we can get behind and make a difference – distributing information about this issue and how it will affect others and galvanize some energy for change.”

The Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV Policy, which had supported the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, was shuttered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, within days of his recent appointment.

“If you have specific things happening to you personally, I would be glad to help, and we want to help make a difference.”

I know this is heavy – “Jesus, Good Lord, this is overwhelming.”  Thank you for taking the time to be here on Sunday. “Please push me and hold my feet to the fire. I take the weight of my position and responsibility very seriously so please push me and join with me.  It really matters.  To me and to you and to those you love.” That is our path out of it – exhausting and too slow – but showing up publicly is the way to make change.”