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June 22, 2023
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As Managing Director of the Prism Project, Josiah leads a growing organization committed to using research and education to support LGBTQ+ communities in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This interview explores Josiah’s background as an advocate for LGBTQ+ communities, reflections on the evolution of the Prism Project’s work, and his vision for inclusion in Tulsa.
This interview is part of Roots to Branches, an ongoing series featuring conversations with leaders working to build a more just and inclusive world. The series highlights the unique journeys that brought these leaders to where they are today and their visions for the road ahead. To explore more conversations in the Roots to Branches series, check out Schusterman’s digital magazine, Toward.
Josiah Robinson (he/they) is no stranger to fighting for inclusion. After coming out publicly in law school, he dove into advocacy work on LGBTQ+ issues. He began his career doing legal and social science research for an organization pursuing litigation to advance inclusivity for queer students at religious colleges and universities. It was an intersection of law, policy, research and writing that he fell in love with, and ultimately led him to the Prism Project of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Prism Project, a grantee in Schusterman’s Tulsa Grantmaking portfolio, began as a research initiative from the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa that culminated in a groundbreaking 2019 report on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in Tulsa. Now, under Josiah’s leadership, the Prism Project is more than just a report; it’s an entire organization working to advance inclusivity and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Tulsans through research and education.
I spoke with Josiah to learn more about the organization’s unique approach to fighting for LGBTQ+ rights on the local level.
What brought you to your role as Managing Director at the Tulsa Prism Project?
When I moved back home to Tulsa in January 2022, I had a lot of mixed feelings about it, because when I was growing up, Tulsa didn’t feel like a very open, accepting place where I could be my true self. But when I discovered the Prism Project report from 2019, it was really interesting to me. I wanted to understand more about the research, what happened before and after, who was involved, and how I could bring new life into the project by following through on some of those recommendations.
Some of those conversations ultimately connected me to the people that would create new energy around the Prism Project and identify ways we could relaunch with new goals, recommendations, and ways to do research. I stepped into the role of Managing Director in September 2022 to ensure that someone was a central point person for all this amazing work.
What are some Prism Project programs or initiatives that mean the most to you personally? What are you most proud of?
Some of our programming around higher education inclusion is very near and dear to my heart. I went to a religious college and a religious law school, both of which had policies that essentially banned LGBTQ+ identity and conduct. As a closeted queer person figuring out my identity, I experienced a lot of discrimination. I learned firsthand what it feels like to exist in a space that does not want to protect you, and instead, wants to expel you for being your authentic self. So, when I came out publicly during law school, that quickly thrust me into advocacy work.
This work is so extremely needed right now in Oklahoma. There have been waves of recent headlines about proposed policies that target diversity, equity and inclusion in Oklahoma colleges and universities, along with the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills coming out of the state legislature. All this rhetoric has already had very harmful impacts on LGBTQ+ students, teachers and administrators.
That’s why one of our projects at Prism is developing programming to support LGBTQ+ higher education professionals. We’ve partnered with a local higher education consortium to provide LGBTQ+ educators with resources for themselves and ways to support queer students. We want everyone to feel safe and secure working on college campuses, even if those institutions don’t explicitly support all people.
How does your personal identity as an LGBTQ+ leader shape your leadership in LGBTQ+ advocacy in Oklahoma?
I’ve had to spend a lot of time on my own personal healing because I existed in the closet for so long. That, I think, has really empowered me. It’s allowed me to see that some of the resiliency I developed through a lot of challenging circumstances growing up is a major benefit for me. I can lead in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights with that kind of resilience because I have existed in those hostile spaces for so long.
Your authenticity is your superpower.
What’s one piece of advice you have for rising LGBTQ+ leaders in your community and beyond?
Your authenticity is your superpower. It can be very challenging to exist as an LGBTQ+ person in Oklahoma because we still lack basic civil rights protections. Queer people here are very brave and resilient just for living as their true selves. I believe it’s important for those people to give themselves grace, and really lean on their communities. They need to find the people who support and affirm them wholeheartedly, and find the strength that comes with that.
What unique opportunities and challenges have you seen for the LGBTQ+ community in Oklahoma specifically? Why are you dedicated to this community?
The opportunities are vast because there is so much left to do, which is also a challenge. Tulsa as a city is much safer for LGBTQ+ people than the state of Oklahoma as a whole. But I believe that Tulsa is positioned to be one of the most inclusive cities in middle America for LGBTQ+ people.
I am dedicated to this community because I’m from here. I was born and raised in the Tulsa area, and when I was growing up, there weren’t any visibly out LGBTQ+ leaders to look up to. I know from experience that it can be very bleak as a closeted queer person here, and I want LGBTQ+ people now to have a better life than I had. I want to use the power and connections I have now to build a community where young queer people are valued.
What gives you hope for the future?
We all know the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote saying that “the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice.” But I’ve also heard it said that “sometimes we have to bend it willfully.” The relationships I’ve built in my leadership role, and the commitments I’ve seen from businesses, organizations, and foundations looking to advance inclusion in Tulsa, those bring me a lot of hope. So does looking back on how far Tulsa has progressed since I was growing up here.
We’re speaking together during Pride Month. What are you celebrating for Pride this year?
I’m celebrating how far we’ve come as a community locally, and how far I’ve come personally. I’m also celebrating the beauty and diversity of our broader LGBTQ+ community in Tulsa and beyond. There’s been a lot of conversation about how policymakers cannot ban queer joy, and I’m stepping into that wholeheartedly.
This month, I am really doing whatever I can to personally amplify queer joy. And probably a lot of rollerblading, because that’s fun.
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies welcomes the expression of personal thoughts and reflections in Toward, our digital magazine. Each post reflects the opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of our organization or our partners.
