S2E5: Nico Amador on fighting gender discrimination on public transit and pivoting gracefully when the campaign got stuck

Craft of Campaigns

In this episode, we’ll hear about how a few Philly activists came together in 2009 to take on a policy that was causing harassment and discrimination against transgender public transit riders. This all-volunteer collective used creative tactics, including a drag show and a larger-than-life riders bill of rights to take on one of the largest public transit systems in the country and win. Along the way, they set up a flexible campaign structure and successfully pivoted their strategy when their target was unresponsive.

Check out a writeup on this campaign at The Forge. And check out our new Campaign Strategy Workbook for more about some of the tools used in this campaign.

Nico Amador has spent over twenty years in social change movements as a community organizer, facilitator and coach for grassroots leaders working for queer liberation, racial justice and trans rights.

His prior work has included participation in efforts to fight mass incarceration, secure protections for undocumented immigrants, and campaigns for a living wage. As the former Executive Director and lead trainer with Training for Change, he founded a fellowship program for BIPOC organizers and led hundreds of workshops to promote skills and analysis among people working for social change. He's supported several major LGBTQ+ and gender justice organizations, including the National LGBT Task Force, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, the Trans Justice Funding Project, the Third Wave Fund and the Transgender Law Center, and many local projects across the U.S. He is currently the Director of the Leadership Institute at CenterLink, an international member network of LGBT Centers.

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Visit www.trainingforchange.org for workshops and training tools, or to make a donation. Follow us on social media @tfctrains. The Craft of Campaigns podcast is made possible by grassroots donors. We welcome your feedback; if you like these episodes, please consider donating, to keep the show running. This podcast is hosted by Andrew Willis Garcés and produced by Ali Roseberry-Polier.