LGBTQ People and Gun Violence: Threats and Strategies to Promote Safety

Refujio “Cuco” Rodriguez is the Chief Strategist and Equity Officer at Hope and Heal Fund. Prior to joining the fund, he served as a Program Officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and was a member of the foundation’s Racial Equity and Community Engagement team. Rodriguez also supported the development of a Racial Equity Leadership Curriculum for the W.K. Kellogg Fellowship Program. Most recently, he led efforts to integrate racial equity principles into technology initiatives, including working on new collaborative platforms and developing a racial equity-focused grantee application.

Kerith J. Conron, ScD, MPH, is the Blachford-Cooper Distinguished Scholar and Research Director at the Williams Institute. She is a social and psychiatric epidemiologist whose work focuses on documenting and reducing inequities that impact sexual and gender minority populations. She is committed to altering the landscape of adversity and opportunity for LGBTQ communities, particularly through collaboration.

Mallery Jenna Robinson is an AfraCaribbean binary transgender woman and a transgender and HIV health care advocate for Los Angeles and California. She brings a wealth of experience in education, training, and advocacy work specific to transgender and gender nonbinary/nonconforming people. Most recently she was the Associate Program Director at Equality California.

Gabriella Rodriguez is the Executive Director of QLatinx, and a proud queer Latinx advocate living in the South. Her work aims to eliminate the stigma and raise awareness for those in the community through education and empowerment. She serves as a member of the Orlando EMA Health Services Planning Council, which addresses the prevention, care, and treatment of those in the local community. 

Kate Reese is a Research Associate at Everytown for Gun Safety. Her work portfolio includes gun violence in LGBTQ+ populations, depictions of gun owners and gun ownership in popular media, and research communications strategies. Prior to joining Everytown, she consulted on the organization’s policy review process and has a background in arts and cultural policy.