Take Action

Florida

Join our partners at Parenting with Pride for their public education webinar on April 24th! In Florida, we have witnessed the emergence of book bans, legislation prohibiting discussions on race, and the implementation of anti-LGBTQ+ policies. Join Parenting with Pride to explore strategies to resist these challenges, ensuring the protection of public education for all.

Tennessee

Help our friends at the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) fight back against anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Take action with TEP!

Virginia

Urge Governor Youngkin to sign HB224! HB 224 would require school professionals in Virginia to complete a mental health awareness training program that’s inclusive of the unique needs and challenges faced by young people, including but not limited to LGBTQ+ youth. The passage of this bill by the Virginia legislature is a significant step forward in ensuring that our schools are better equipped to support the mental health and well-being of all students. Tell the Governor to sign HB224!

State Matters

Self-care note: While some of the following stories celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, many cover legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans and nonbinary youth. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. 

Advisory: State news is representative but not exhaustive due to space constraints; feel free to forward news about your state to [email protected] to consider for inclusion.

Georgia - Legislature adjourns without passing anti-LGBTQ+ bills. In a major win for LGBTQ+ people and their families and allies , bills banning healthcare access and sports participation for trans youth did not pass the State House before it adjourned at the end of March. 

Iowa - Iowans mark 15 years since marriage equality became law. One of the first couples to wed when same-sex marriage became legal in the state reflects on the history of marriage equality, and recent legislative challenges to same-sex marriage. 

Louisiana - New Orleans high school students perform play on the steps of the state Capitol. A group of students wrote the play, called “The Capitol Project,” based on their own experiences, performing it on the steps of the state Capitol four days ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility. The play was written to draw attention to the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth and to urge legislators not to advance anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Maryland - Legislature passes shield law to protect those seeking gender-affirming care. The bill passed the General Assembly and, if signed into law, would add medically necessary  care to the state’s definition of legally protected health care. This would shield both Maryland residents and anyone else who receives care within the state, as well as their physicians, from legal action and prosecution in other states for receiving or providing that care.

Wisconsin - Gov. Evers vetoes anti-trans athlete ban. Governor Evers vetoed the bill, promising he would veto "any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids."

Court Matters

Department of Justice (DOJ) sues Utah for discriminating against an incarcerated transgender woman. The DOJ argues that the Utah Department of Corrections violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it failed to grant the woman equal access to health care services and imposed “unnecessary barriers” to treatment for gender dysphoria.

Federal Matters

President Biden observes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). The President issued  a proclamation on March 29th marking March 31st as TDOV, highlighting the Administration’s work advancing trans rights while acknowledging the work that is left to do to protect transgender people from discrimination.

Global Matters

Uganda - Constitutional Court upholds anti-LGBTQ+ law. President Yoweri Museveni signed the bill into law in May last year which prescribes harsh punishments for people accused of “aggravated homosexuality,” “attempted aggravated homosexuality,” or “attempted homosexuality.”

Media Matters

 

Kathy Kozachenko reflects on 50 years since becoming the first openly gay person elected to public office in the U.S. In 1974, Kozachenko, then a 21-year-old University of Michigan college student, became the first openly gay person elected to public office when she was elected to the Ann Arbor City Council. She has spent her time out of elected office - she served only one term on the city council - closely following politics,and sees the current rise in anti-LGBTQ state policies and rhetoric as “more dangerous” than some of the challenges her generation overcame. 

Former MLB pitcher TJ House marries partner. House married his partner, Ryan Neitzel, in New Orleans. House was the third former MLB player in history to come out publicly.

KFF survey finds that LGBT adults are twice as likely to experience disrespect or unfair treatment at the doctor’s office. The survey found that a third of LGBT adults say that a doctor or another healthcare provider has treated them unfairly or with disrespect, compared with about 15% of adults who don’t identify as LGBT. LGBT adults were also more than twice as likely to experience other negative interactions during healthcare visits.

 

PFLAG National
(202) 467-8180 | [email protected]

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