33 We, Us, Ours? Protect LGBTQ Rights & Protect Everyone's Rights? with Shannon Minter
Civil rights aren’t abstractions—they’re lived every day in families, schools, prisons, churches, and courtrooms. Protecting the rights of any minority protects everyone’s rights. So attacks on trans rights have your attention? What if the West Coast held the line on protecting the LGBTQ community—and led the way?
In this episode, Greg Amrofell talks with Shannon Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, about what it means to defend democracy at its most personal level. From marriage equality to transgender rights, Minter has spent decades on the legal frontlines, fighting both in court and in culture to ensure that freedom applies to everyone.
He discusses how civil rights battles expose the soul of a nation, how legal progress coexists with backlash, and why the West Coast—often derided as “too liberal”—can resist manipulative bullies while inviting more people to step past fear to embrace common humanity. Minter argues that compassion and inclusion are neither luxuries nor cudgels; they’re prerequisites for a functioning republic.
This episode reminds us that sovereignty is personal and political, and that making the case for anyone’s freedom necessitates standing for everyone’s freedom – particularly the people who are most marginalized.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why trans rights are a bellwether for the health of democracy
- The quiet courage of families and teachers affirming inclusion
- How to protect civil rights amid renewed federal hostility
- Why personal sovereignty and civil rights are two sides of the same coin
- “Freedom means everyone gets to be themselves—and still belong.”
About Our Guest
Shannon Minter is the Legal Director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, one of the most influential civil rights advocates in the United States. He has argued landmark cases before the California Supreme Court and been part of several critical US Supreme Court cases. Shannon has shaped national policy on transgender and LGBTQ equality.
Resources
- National Center for LGBTQ Rights
- Supreme Court seems doubtful of limits on conversion therapy : NPR
- Born Perfect: NCLR program to end conversion therapy
- “Transgender service members warn SCOTUS of ‘Un-American’ purge if Trump ban is reinstated,” The Advocate
- A decade after Obergefell, LGBTQ+ rights remain under threat
- ‘Dangerous’: How a Top Civil Rights Attorney Describes Attack on Trans Health Care | KQED
Related Episodes
- 29 How to Build a Firewall Against Hate? With Heidi Beirich
- 16 For Asylum, Against Ambush: Will the West Coast Be a Sanctuary for America’s Soul?
- 15 What if Connection Was A Civic Responsibility? With Aaron Hurst
Join the conversation: How have you helped change someone’s mind about a civil rights issue impacting any minority group?
Share your take wherever you follow or send me your thoughts, questions, comments and constructive suggestions to greg@pacifictimepodcast.com.
Follow: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Join the conversation and share it with your neighbors and friends on the West Coast.
Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.
Thank you to:
- Guest: Shannon Minter
- Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish
