Fighting For Our Pride

Right now, LGBTQ+ people—especially LGBTQ+ youth—are under relentless attack. From school board policies to state laws, politicians are banning books, censoring classrooms, restricting access to gender-affirming care, and advancing measures that erase LGBTQ+ identities. But PFLAG families know this: love and liberty are inseparable. We will not stand by while those in power harm our loved ones.

That’s why we’re launching Fighting for Our Pride, a nationwide campaign to equip, train, and mobilize families and allies to push back against harmful policies and fight for the dignity, safety, and rights our loved ones deserve. Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT for our campaign launch webinar with the PFLAG National Advocacy team. You’ll learn about key state and local issues to watch and how to take action in your community—from contacting lawmakers to speaking out at school board meetings. Take action today: contact your legislators and urge them to oppose discrimination in all forms and support policies that protect LGBTQ+ people and their families.

Take Action

Texans

Join our friends at TENT for their Know Your Rights Tour! TENT will be visiting cities across the state this fall hosting community teach-ins and creative workshops for trans folks and their supporters. During each teach-in, TENT will review bills from this year’s legislative sessions, share tools to stay safe, and cultivate community. Sign up to attend a Know Your Rights event today!

PFLAG Takes Action

Learning with Love: the 2025 PFLAG National Convention takes place in Chicago. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker addressed the sold-out convention at the opening plenary, praising PFLAG’s “life-changing and truly life-saving work” and resistance to anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers in Washington, DC and elsewhere.  

PFLAG Rome Honored with PFLAG National Chapter Award. After years of work building a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Northwest Georgia, PFLAG Rome has been recognized for the impact it has made. They are one of four chapters, out of more than 360 in the country, to receive the National Chapter Award this year

PFLAG National releases Sue’s Story about conversion practices. The 12-minute episode is part of PFLAG National’s I Changed My Mind series and follows a conservative evangelical mother who once believed she could “fix” her child’s gender identity through faith and so-called “therapy.”

State News

Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. You can share news from your state with [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

Massachusetts - Foster parents lose license after refusing to pledge not to discriminate against LGBTQ+ youth. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) revoked the license of Lydia and Heath Marvin in April after they refused to sign a nondiscrimination policy that would protect LGBTQ+ youth in their care. Over 30 percent of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ+, according to a 2019 study from Children's Rights. 

Michigan - Lansing City officials meet with trans community leaders following threats. The Lansing City Council met with several transgender community members and allies following alleged anti-trans threats at a local cafe.  

New York - State judge upholds Nassau County anti-trans athlete ban. State Judge R. Bruce Cozzens held that the law, which bans trans women from participating in women's sports in county-run facilities, is “narrowly tailored…and does not categorically exclude transgender individuals from athletic participation.” The ACLU of New York has promised to appeal the ruling. 

Ohio - LGBTQ+ advocates press Dayton City Council to pass resolution committing to protect trans and nonbinary people. The proposed resolution states that the city would not use city resources to assist in enforcing laws, rules or regulations that seek to punish individuals or organizations that help people get gender-affirming care. 

Virginia - Gov. Youngkin orders state Board of Health to adopt anti-trans athlete, facilities ban. The Governor ordered the Board of Health to issue regulations which would prevent trans women and girls from participating in women and girls’ sports as well as banning trans women and girls from bathrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-segregated spaces for women.

Federal News

FBI Director Kash Patel fires agent trainee for displaying Pride flag at his desk. The agent trainee had previously worked at a field office in Los Angeles, where he displayed a Pride flag at his desk, before transferring to Quantico, Virginia for agent training. Director Patel sent the agent trainee a letter, summarily firing him and saying “I have determined you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment at the Los Angeles Field Office.”

Trump uses anti-trans rhetoric in meeting with Canadian Prime Minister. The President said in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that the U.S. has no men in women’s sports…We’re not going to take your child away and change the sex of your child.” Prime Minister Carney has a nonbinary child who came out publicly in 2019.

Supreme Court hears case challenging Colorado’s ban on conversion practices. In Chiles v. Salazar, Kaley Chiles is challenging Colorado’s ban on conversion practices, claiming it violates her free speech rights.

Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Voting Rights Act case. The Court heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais on October 15th. The plaintiffs are challenging Louisiana’s congressional map, which includes two districts drawn to have a majority of African-American voters, in an attempt by Louisiana to be in accordance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

Supreme Court declines to hear case regarding parental notification of children's gender identity. The Court voted against hearing a case from Colorado in which a group of parents challenged a school district’s policy to not out LGBTQ+ children to their parents against the child’s wishes.

Media News

LGBTQ+ advocate Miss Major dies at 78. Miss Major participated in the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. She was also the first Executive Director of the Transgender Gender-Variant and Intersex Justice Project, and the founder of the House of gg. PFLAG National CEO Brian Bond and VP of Policy and Government Affairs Diego Sanchez both released statements mourning Miss Major. 

Actress Diane Keaton dies at 79. Keaton used her platform as an actress to advance LGBTQ+ storylines in media. 

Netflix releases Boots, series about gay marine in the pre-”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era. The series is inspire by Greg Cope White’s memoir, “The Pink Marine,” which tells the story of his joining the Marine Corps as a closeted 18-year-old in 1979.

More than 90% of LGBTQ+ adults are out to at least one person. A Pew Research survey conducted in January found that 96% of LGBTQ+ adults are out to at least one person in their lives. Only 3% are not out to anyone.

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

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