Team John-Paul Support and Education

We are raising funds to support John-Paul Chaisson-Cárdenas and his family and to provide bridge support while John-Paul begins his doctoral studies and seeks out doctoral fellowships to support his studies.  All funds raised will go directly to John-Paul. 

John-Paul defended LGBTQ+ inclusion in the federally-supported youth program 4-H—but he did so at the cost of his job.  According to a  bombshell investigative report from the Des Moines Register last week, John-Paul lost his position as State Director of Iowa 4-H in August after resisting the Trump Administration. National anti-LGBT groups pressured Iowa State University to rescind LGBTQ+  inclusive guidance. You can read the Des Moines Register article here: 

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2018/11/18/4-h-transgender-lgbt-iowa-john-paul-chaisson-cardenas-iowa-state-university-civil-rights/1572199002/  

 According to a follow-up article by the Daily Beast,  https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-trump-administration-had-him-fired-for-protecting-lgbt-youth-he-has-no-regrets?ref=home when John-Paul was asked why he said “no” to the termination of the inclusion guidance, he responded, “To me, there is a very strong affinity between what happens with LGBTQ youth and what happens with immigrants, what happens with youth of color, what happens with kids with disabilities,” “It’s all the same type of oppression and discrimination and hate for who you are as a person. To me, there’s no true difference and I just could not abide by that.”  John-Paul went on to say, "It’s been really hard for my family and I. It’s just been really hard. We’re not rich. We’re supporting our parents. We’re just plain ordinary folks who, if you lose an income, it’s a huge deal.”
 
John-Paul was the first Latino to ascend to the position of 4-H State Leader in the 115+ year history of the 4-H Youth Development organization.  He is an immigrant from Guatemala and during his tenure, he was recognized at the state and national level for outstanding work on behalf of underserved and marginalized youth:  https://youtu.be/Bj_rJogkUcI
 
For more information on what happened in John-Paul's own words go to:  http://www.iowapublicradio.org/post/former-iowa-4h-leader-speaks-out-after-his-dismissal-files-civil-rights-complaint

We applaud and are grateful to John-Paul for his courage, his bravery to protect and stand up for all youth, and to promote diversity and inclusion in this country at a time when there is so much hate, divisiveness, and fear of anyone who is "different." As Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, writer, and Nobel Laureate once said, "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

We thank you for your support and any sized contribution will help John-Paul and his family get back on their feet and support John-Paul in his doctoral studies.