John,

I'm going to get personal with you.

In 1956, my mom dropped out of her Texas high school during her senior year because she was pregnant with me. There were no alternative schools available for pregnant students in those days and abortion was illegal across the country. If my mom could choose between staying in school and having me, it’s very likely I would not be here. While painful to contemplate, I believe wholeheartedly she should have been able to make that decision – even if it meant I was never born.

That’s why the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs is painful for me and the millions of Americans who lost the ability to make decisions about our bodies. Overnight, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping us of our right to bodily autonomy.

In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas was not satisfied with just overturning Roe. He said the quiet part out loud: he wants the Supreme Court to “reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell,” cases that safeguarded the right to contraception, struck down anti-LGBTQ sodomy laws and guaranteed marriage equality.

When the LGBTQ+ community read Justice Thomas’ opinion, we saw it for what it was: a threat. And it's one we take very seriously. Victory Fund is proud to be the only national organization dedicated to electing pro-choice LGBTQ+ candidates who will ensure our rights are safe from bigots like Thomas. If you can make a donation to boost this essential work, please do so today.

Since the ruling, more than 20 states have moved to restrict or ban abortion. The Supreme Court has decided to consider two cases that would severely limit choice: one blocking a lower court's decision that patients who require an abortion to save their life are entitled to an abortion, and another on access to mifepristone.

This call to limit bodily autonomy is why we’ve also seen a historic number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. In the 2023 legislative session, over 490 anti-LGBTQ laws were introduced in state legislatures according to the ACLU, forcing 40 percent of trans adults to consider moving in the past year.

This wave of bans on gender-affirming care, abortion, and contraception is not about protecting kids or the sanctity of life. The playbook has remained the same since I was an activist in the 1970s. This is about politicians telling trans and non-binary people what health care they can and cannot access. This is about politicians forcing thousands of people to carry unwanted pregnancies, which poses serious threats to trans men in particular. This is about control.

While “success” may look different depending on locality, an intersectional approach remains paramount. For the pro-choice movement, LGBTQ+ rights movement, and racial equity movement – this is a shared fight. 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.

The far-right’s best chance is if we allow ourselves to be divided. That cannot happen. Right now, we're working to elect over 80 LGBTQ+ pro-choice candidates around the country (with more endorsements to come!) who know just how important it is to defend all of our rights. Please pitch in to help them win.

Not only are these rights sacred to the fabric of who we are as a nation, but they are also winning issues. In 2023, 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. It’s why I am more confident than ever that history, though often painfully slow, will ultimately be on our side.

The man whose name was on my birth certificate – a name I no longer carry – was my mom’s high school sweetheart. He was at one time very politically active and part of the so-called pro-life movement in Texas. Yet he stopped paying child support when I was three and did not contact me again until I turned 30. The hypocrisy – and parallels – are obvious.

As the war on privacy and autonomy continues to heat up, it’s clear the futures of LGBTQ+ equality and reproductive justice are forever intertwined, fused in the American belief that government has no business infringing on a person’s right to make decisions about their own bodies.

To Justice Thomas, if you’re listening, let me be clear: we are not going back.

Onward,

Mayor Annise Parker
Pronouns: she|her|hers
President & CEO, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund