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We’re fighting for LGBTQ visibility — no matter what
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Dear Friend,
For those of us who experienced the 2016 election, the emotions we've been feeling over the past few days are all too familiar. We are devastated, but we are not defeated.
We must see this moment of crisis as another catalyst of change. The LGBTQ community has been here before, as have all other marginalized communities, and the pain is real today. But as we saw from the Lavender Scare to the Stonewall Uprising, from the HIV epidemic to the defeat and victory for marriage, every breakdown can lead to a breakthrough.
While our work is now harder, it fundamentally hasn't changed — we've been preparing for this moment since 1985. GLAAD's essential role in demanding and ensuring 100% acceptance will always move forward, and we know that our community's resilience will continue to inspire us.
Over the next four years, we will focus on:
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Fighting harmful narratives when they emerge to ensure harmful and inaccurate anti-LGBTQ narratives are ineffective political tools, discrimination and violence are infrequent, and facts outnumber and correct misinformation. One way we are doing this is through our ALERT Desk where we're tracking and reporting anti-LGBTQ threats and attacks — as well as providing a central hub for resources on hate and extremism impacting LGBTQ people in the US — so we can protect our community from the real-life harm these narratives cause.
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Leading narratives to safeguard marriage equality and our families to promote acceptance of the most marginalized, so the trans community, along with Black and Latinx LGBTQ people, and LGBTQ parents with children thrive and enjoy the same visibility and acceptance.
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Influencing key leaders and moments to shift culture. With 40 years in the media advocacy space, we know that LGBTQ representation, influence, and programming leads to advances in acceptance and protections. Don't believe us? While an anti-LGBTQ candidate was elected president, people around the country voted to protect our community, including the state of Delaware, which just elected Sarah McBride to Congress — making her the first out trans member of Congress.
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Shaping cultural industries to drive acceptance. Culture-shaping industries like film, television, and music help promote a safe and inclusive world for the LGBTQ community — and develop public figures and characters for LGBTQ youth to look up to. Imagine how important it is now for LGBTQ youth to see themselves on TV, film, and in video games — industries where GLAAD creates powerful representation.
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In essence, we're going to make anti-LGBTQ extremists change their playbook. Our lives will not be co-opted by hate and discrimination any longer. We will not be treated like a threat. Now — truly more than ever — we need to protect the LGBTQ community, especially queer and trans youth who are already facing the brunt of hateful policy and beliefs.
The rhetoric of the last few years is about to become a reality. Project 2025 promises to reinstate a transgender military ban, rescind health care protections for trans people, and even urges Congress to restrict legal options for trans Americans to express who they are. It also promises to take away marriage equality and diminish LGBTQ visibility in schools and government.
It's legitimately terrifying stuff, but GLAAD is not backing down — and you shouldn't either. To win this fight, we need our whole community by our side. Take care of yourselves, spend time with loved ones, and remember, their hatred doesn't detract from your magic — it emboldens it.
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