Decades ago, theallowed Black Americans to safely navigate a violently segregated country. On Monday, that concept was reimagined with the launch of the U.S. app Lavender Book.
The , a crowd-sourced app created by the American National Black Justice Coalition and Out In Tech, aims to record safe spaces for LGBTQ2S+ people of color.
"Finding safe, supportive, responsive environments can be a tall order for Black and African diasporic LGBTQ2S+/SGL people. We created Lavender Book to serve our BIPOC LGBTQ2S+ community in a time where anti-discrimination efforts and safety cannot be taken for granted," said David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, in a statement.
to narrow down places through various filters -- such as whether American Sign Language is spoken, gender-neutral restrooms are available or if there's a wheelchair ramp on site.
This year, 33 states introduced hat would curb the rights of transgender people across the U.S., including limiting their participation in sports or outlawing gender-affiriming treatment to minors.
And in January, the Human Rights Campaign found that to offer basic protections for LGBTQ2S+ people, such as nondiscrimination policies in employment, housing and public accommodations.
"By leveraging the power of technology and crowdsourcing for social change, we hope to help BIPOC LGBTQ2S+ folks find safe and inclusive spaces at the recommendation of their peers," said Andrew Lowenthal, executive director of Out In Tech, in a statement.
