>> For "Here& Now" I'm Aditi Debnath.

>> June is Pride Month, a celebration of the culture of the LGBTQ community meant to raise awareness and acceptance despite broader acceptance of LGBTQ lifestyles in society.

There is a wave of conservative backlash targeting transgender people, specifically Reiko Ramos is the anti-violence director for Diverse and Resilient, the state's largest organization well-being, and safety of LGBTQ residents in Wisconsin.

Thanks for joining us today.

>> Hi.

Thank you for having me.

>> Well, what do you see as the main threats to the safety and well-being of the LGBTQ community?

>> I think for the LGBTQ community, there are.

So it's constant.

And, we are facing legislative, threats, both across the country and in our own state, and much of what my program focuses on is also the interpersonal violence that happens and the hate based violence that happens against our community, so the violence that we experience is happening on many levels.

>> We've seen the legislation targeting transgender people, things and other things like drag shows, book bans, what is the overall effect on the mental health and then the physical health of people in the community, it certainly has a mental health, impact and particularly on trans youth, we know that affirming someone's gender, using the correct pronouns and creating safe spaces where people belong, has a positive impact on, LGBT Q's mental health and well-being, and, and we also have the evidence that shows that the effects of, stigma and discrimination on LGBTQ people has lasting effects on our well-being as well.

>> Is there a direct connection between passing laws or even introducing laws, and that that mental aspect and then the physical violence of people then feeling emboldened to take physical action against others?

>> Yes, I think there is a direct connection, people feel safer, and have a greater sense of belonging when we have those protections in place for LGBTQ people, and I can also tell you that something we've seen on our side of the work is that, when there is something big in the news, or some something legislative of whether that's positive or negative coming down, but will impact the LGBTQ community that, we often see escalated.

Instances of violence within our community, and our, our warm line activity and goes up, because folks are safety planning, around their individual safety and their day to day lives.

>> We saw with abortion rights that a lot of people felt something like Roe v Wade, for example, was settled law.

And then the Supreme Court changed that.

Court decisions that legalized gay marriage and other rights are much more recent.

Is there a fear that those could be rolled back and things might radically change on the ground?

>> That fear is, definitely a sentiment that I've heard in my community, and that's one of the reasons why it's important that we continue to keep advocating for safety and protection for LGBTQ folks, there's a great deal of we're living in a time of a lot of fear and uncertainty, especially we, you know, in the context of we're in a presidential election year, there's a lot that can change, in a relatively short amount of time.

minute left.

Give me your sense of what should people be taking away from something like Pride Month and having the governor fly the flag above the state capitol?

What does that mean?

Symbolically Bewley.

>> So one, I want people to really celebrate and enjoy Pride Month, our our pride and joy is radical and so important when especially when people are trying to erase us, and then also remember that pride is one month out of the year, but let's, let's celebrate, year round and support LGBTQ people