LGBTQ+ Stories You Should Know About

SCOTUS' Anti-LGBTQ Ruling

News broke this morning that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a web designer who refused to design LGBTQ+ wedding websites, despite the recent revelation that the request that sparked the case might not have existed. With this ruling, six Justices once again chose to overturn the Court’s own precedent.

We have said it before, and we will say it again: We MUST elect leaders who will take action to stop anti-equality leaders and the assault on LGBTQ+ rights. We cannot count on this Supreme Court to protect our hard-won rights.

Tammy Baldwin tweet: My statement on the SCOTUS decision that green-lights discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans:

New Pride Month Endorsements

This week, we announced twenty new endorsements, including Will Rollins in California and Sarah McBride in Delaware! Will is running against incumbent U.S. Congressman Ken Calvert who has consistently voted against LGBTQ+ rights. Sarah is running for the At-Large House seat and made national headlines this week when she announced her campaign as she’d be the first out trans person ever elected to Congress. Victory Fund was proud to stand with Sarah on day one of her campaign.

Tweet: I’m excited to share that I'm running for Congress! In Delaware, we’ve proven that small states can do BIG things. It’s time to do it again. 🧵

Sarah, Will and our other Congressional candidates are critical to restoring a pro-equality, pro-choice majority in the U.S. House. Click here to meet all our endorsed candidates!

The Fight for Reproductive Justice is the Fight for LGBTQ+ Equality

On June 24, the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker penned a powerful op-ed about the importance of protecting bodily autonomy.

“Whether you are a woman, a member of a queer or interracial couple, a trans person, a parent, or an ally, we all have a stake in safeguarding privacy and bodily autonomy… Not only are these rights sacred to the fabric of who we are as a nation, but they are also winning issues. In 2022, voters elected a record number of pro-choice LGBTQ+ candidates for a reason: they are fed up with fear-mongering and bans on essentials like books and health care.”

Read Mayor Parker’s full op-ed in LGBTQ Nation here.

Tweet: Powerful commentary for Dobbs. ❤️ this from @VictoryFund 's Annise Parker: "Futures of LGBTQ+ equality & reproductive justice are intertwined, fused in American belief that government has no business infringing on right to make decisions about own bodies."

Honoring Lawrence, Windsor and Obergefell

On Monday, we honored the anniversary of three momentous Supreme Court cases that codified LGBTQ+ rights: Lawrence v. Texas, Windsor v. United States and Obergefell v. Hodges. It was a day to celebrate and remember the brave people who tirelessly fought to ensure bigoted sodomy laws were overturned and marriage equality became the law of the land, as well as get motivated about the work still before us. 35 states ban marriage equality in their state constitutions, state law or in both. Over the last three years, we've seen an all-out assault on LGBTQ+ rights, with hundreds of bills targeting everything from trans kids and gender-affirming care to drag shows and marriage equality itself.

“To stop these bills, our best defense is LGBTQ lawmakers and that’s what we’re working on. We’re already recruiting and training folks across the country getting ready for the election.”

Victory in New York

Ahead of Tuesday’s election in New York, Victory Fund Vice President of Outreach and Engagement Marty Rouse hit the campaign trail with LGBTQ+ candidates. Our candidates’ hard work paid off – City Council candidates Tiffany Cabán and Lynn Schulman brought in key wins!

Tweet: Queens in Queens. Getting Out The early Vote for ⁦ @VictoryFund -endorsee ⁩ ⁦ @Lynn4NYC ⁩.

All Politics is Local

Down ballot races are Victory Fund’s bread and butter and while we have a long way to go, we are seeing a steady increase in LGBTQ+ representation in communities across the country. This week, Axios highlighted our work to increase representation in Tennessee and Georgia in its Nashville newsletter and Atlanta newsletter, including an interview with Nashville Councilmember Nancy VanReece.

Catch up quick: just 0.23% of elected officials in the U.S. are LGBTQ+.

Weekend Plans?

Tune in to Inside with Jen Psaki on Sunday and hear from Victory Fund candidate Danica Roem about her work to increase LGBTQ+ equality in Virginia and across the country, and what’s next for the equality movement.

ICYMI: Danica landed the coveted Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia endorsement earlier this week.