Episode 236 we had the pleasure of speaking with activist Ermiya Fanaeian of the Utah chapter of Pink Pistols.
Born in Tehran, Ermiya and her family came to the US when she was a year old fleeing religious persecution. They landed in San Diego and then moved to Utah after 9 years. Growing up in Utah she has now graduated from Salt Lake Performing Arts School. After graduating she helped start the chapter of March for our Lives, joined the Ben McAdams campaign, is actively involved in local politics, and is now directing the Utah Chapter of Pink Pistols.
One of the things we love about our guests are the incredible lives they evolve from and are continually growing into. Ermiya took us through her journey of being a ballerina to politics. Her starting point was using bathrooms as a transgender person. It was the big issue while she was in school and the only way she knew how to deal with it is to activate. Her first experience was organizing Queer Prom. Then she shifted to March For Our Lives and then moved into political activism.
Going from March for our Lives to Pink Pistols was a couple year journey. She worked very closely during the gun violence movement with local politicians. She noticed that violence in the Trans community was growing and that the politicians weren’t doing anything and letting attackers go with a slap on the wrist. We wanted to know how and why the shift happened to stepping into the pro-gun community with Pink Pistols.
Chris and Ermiya had a discussion about being pro-gun and requirements for gun control. People that commit mass shootings are doing it illegally so gun laws won’t change. She has ideas for community based solutions instead of mass legislation. Gun education, lock boxes, education. We aren’t talking restrictive gun control. The question should be, how do we find a middle ground and finding a way to not deny access to people who are educated on the guns they are owning? How do we get to the middle ground instead of either giving 2 year old’s rifles or taking away every one’s guns? Fact is, marginalized groups are always in a fight and armed right wing groups don’t care about middle ground.
Is there a difference between the NRA and Pink Pistols? Pink Pistols was started out of necessity for people in the LGBTQ+ to learn how to protect themselves because others were not protecting the community. Not to be confused with the NRA which is based off of big money in politics.
Most of the organizations community interaction is on their Pink Pistols SLC Instagram. Qualifications to be part of the group include but aren’t limited to, Pro-LGBTQ+/ally and believe in the second amendment. There are currently 18,000 members national, 30 active members in Utah, and about 400 members that are actively engaged at any time. Some of the things they do as an organization are range days and education days with people who have been training for a while.
Ermiya’s most interesting/unique thing that she has discovered about Utah is that we kind of live in a predominate culture but we also have a counter-culture. Salt Lake City has counter worlds that live with each other.
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Music By: Folk Hogan. Bootleggers Dance.