Not quite The equality state

So, this week I’m starting with some hopefully not boring information about Wyoming, as it pertains to the nickname, The Equality State.  Then, my thoughts about the nickname and the reality.

Wyoming was first state in the country to grant women the right to vote, in 1869, while still a territory and 20 years before statehood.  At that time, men reportedly outnumbered women six to one. So, the truth is that this was a move meant to attract more women to Wyoming, and not any great statement about the equality of men and women. Probably due to the same motivation to attract women to the state, during that same legislative session, two bills were passed: one guaranteed that male and female teachers would be paid equal salaries, and the other guaranteed married women property rights separate from their husband. 

In addition, the state appointed the first-ever female justice of the peace in 1870, when Ester Hobart Morris of South Pass City was named to the position. In 1924, Wyoming elected Nellie Tayloe Ross to become the first female governor to take office and later the first woman to be appointed director of the U.S. Mint. So, there is a history of some acknowledgment that women were important to the success of the state, and these facts certainly get trotted out any time the men of Wyoming want to spout rhetoric about equality (and to shut up the voice of truth).

But. Here are some current facts about Wyoming and it’s stance on equality, not just for women, but also for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Wyoming rates 49th in the nation on the wage gap.  For every dollar earned by a man, a Wyoming woman earns 69 cents, on average, and it’s worse in many counties in the state.  (In Crook County, for instance, it’s 52 cents).  It’s worse, of course, for women of color, and the gap worsens as a woman ages in the workforce.  A college degree helps, but only takes the gap to 75 cents for women to every dollar earned for men.  In 2012, a report by the Wyoming Women's Foundation revealed Wyoming had the lowest rate of female-owned businesses.

According to the 2020 census the total population of Wyoming was: 576,851, making us the least populated state in the country.  Of that population 84.7% is white, .9% African American, 2.4% Native American, and the rest are tiny percentages of Other.   By gender, women account for just under 50% of the population. Other sources say that the LGBTQ+ population is about 3% of the total (although I am sure that there are plenty of folks who do not come forward here to be counted, out of fear of violence, or discrimination at the very least). 

In terms of protections for anyone not a white cis dude, while there are some Domestic Violence and Stalking laws on the books, Wyoming has virtually no protections when it comes to discrimination or hate crimes, especially when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community.  There are some town councils and school districts that have enacted local anti-discrimination ordinances/statements, but there’s been backlash from the far right and the MAGA folks that have either caused reversals, or made them difficult to enforce.  Even in my fairly liberal, almost progressive at times, town, there is vehement opposition to most kinds of anti-discrimination laws.

So. Those are some facts, some data, and some history.

The politicians from Wyoming love to fly the Equality State flag as if it’s a true symbol, as if it actually represents real life.  To be fair, I know that most state nicknames are used for rhetorical, or tourism, rhetoric, that these are parts of the myths of states, and people. Every culture has a story of itself that paints the pretty picture.  But as a native of Wyoming, as someone who has now lived most of her life here, whose family has been here for generations, as a woman and a thinking person who values the truth and not pretty stories that make us all feel better about ourselves, it’s time we all started to face some truths about this state, this country, this world.  I’m starting local.

Wyoming culture is not about inclusivity or diversity, nor is it about making sure everyone has the same access or even rights to success, let alone basic human dignity.  This is a culture that, especially now, is more invested in saving some notion of white majority and supremacy; it is a culture that would like it if women would shut up and pretend everything is fair and equitable; it is a culture that wants the rest of the world to leave it alone so it can pretend there is not need to make things better for the next generation—this applies to more than just gender and racial equity, but to climate and economic issues…and a lot of other issues too. This is a culture living in fear, and when people are afraid, they circle the wagons, they turn inward and toward isolation—and this never leads to equality or equal treatment of those they mean to keep outside the circle.

T