From the recent spike in hate crimes against queer and transgender folks to the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on the Defense of Marriage Act, LGBT rights have been in the news a lot lately. For generations the South has been fertile ground for innovative organizing strategies, and that’s certainly the case in today’s world of working toward equity in LGBT communities. This week Colorlines.com’s publisher, the Applied Research Center, released our latest briefing paper on LGBT and racial justice organiainzg. "Better Together in the South: Building Movements Accross Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation" is an important look at those working at the intersection of rights and racial justice. More directly, it showcases the work of an engaged cohort of groups who work on issue areas that range from employment, religion, immigration, and police reform — just to name a few.

Starting next week, we want you — yes, you — to be part of the conversation. At 2pm EST on Tuesday, June 11, I’ll be hosting a live video chat with Paulina Helm-Hernandez of Atlanta-based Southerners On New Ground (SONG) and Bishop Toniya Rawls of the Freedom Center for Social Justice in Charlotte, North Carolina. We’ll talk about the communities they’re helping to bring together, and their thoughts on what the rest of the country can be learning from the South. Tune in live at Colorlines.com, and tweet your questions in with the hashtag #CLchat — I’ll read them live on air!