PFLAG Votes

PFLAG Votes Together: The Power of Relational Organizing

As part of PFLAG Votes: Turning Pride Into Power, PFLAG National is partnering with Red Wine & Blue to teach PFLAG advocates how to engage people they already know in civic participation this November. Join us on Wednesday, September 23rd at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT to learn how relational organizing can help you connect with friends, family, neighbors, and others in your network and build collective power. Register now!

Take Action

Coloradans 

Join PFLAG Fort Collins and partners from The Lavender Guild, Lupa Health, and Hands Off Colorado on September 22nd for their event: Knocking On Hearts: One Vote at a Time. The event will feature education and open discussion regarding upcoming ballot initiatives related to transgender rights, what they would mean for Coloradans, and how to talk about voting NO with your friends and family. We hope you can make it to The Love Shack in Loveland for this important event! Register to attend!

Floridians

Join Parenting with Pride for Grandparents with Pride: Building Bridges Across Generations, a conversation about building stronger relationships across generations. This session will include practical ideas for creating a welcoming environment, having supportive conversations, and helping every grandchild feel accepted for exactly who they are. Join our friends at Parenting with Pride for this important discussion on September 14th at 6 pm ET! 

Massachusettsans 

Join PFLAG Greater Boston, GLAD Law, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and Safe Schools for their Back to School: LGBTQ+ Students’ Rights in MA webinar on September 29th. This free webinar will cover LGBTQ+ student rights and protections in Massachusetts public schools, key federal and Supreme Court developments, resources for LGBTQ+ students, families, educators, and caregivers, and more. Register today!

State News

Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. You can share news from your state with [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

Alabama - State library board votes to limit youth access to books discussing gender identity, containing trans characters. The Alabama Public Library Service board voted to adopt a rule requiring public libraries to remove books that discuss “gender ideology” from youth sections and to relocate them to sections reserved for adults. Libraries that fail to do this would lose state funding.

Georgia - First openly gay member of Congress from Georgia sworn in. Everton Blair, Jr. was sworn in on September 4th to represent Georgia’s 13th Congressional district, becoming the first openly gay person to represent Georgia in the House of Representatives. He will serve in Congress through the end of the year, finishing out the late Rep. David Scott’s term.

Indiana - Prosecutor declines to charge woman who made false child welfare complaint against Pete Buttigieg. The woman who filed the false complaint has a long history of alcohol abuse and mental illness, including hallucinations and delusion. Her call to authorities falsely accusing Pete Buttigieg of child abuse resulted in Buttigieg being briefly separated from his children during an intrusive investigation. 

Maryland - State grants awarded to groups working to prevent hate crimes. Governor Wes Moore announced $10 million in grants for the 2027 fiscal year to non-profits working to combat hate crimes, including the Pride Center of Maryland.

Federal News

Trump Administration asks Supreme Court to allow executive order restricting vote by mail to go into effect. Solicitor General John Sauer submitted an emergency request for the Supreme Court to allow an executive order restricting vote by mail to go into effect immediately after a lower court judge blocked implementation of the order indefinitely. The Administration also asked the Supreme Court to allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to roll out a new federal database aimed at verifying the citizenship of registered voters. The Administration has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that noncitizens are routinely voting illegally.

Trump Administration proposes changes to 2030 Census. The proposal, published in the Federal Register on September 9th, would add a citizenship question to the upcoming census and would exclude undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, and “noncitizens without permanent residency” from the count. The proposal would also prohibit the Census Bureau from asking questions about race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Should the proposal be finalized and put into effect, the 2030 Census would be the only census in American history to omit questions about race and ethnicity. PFLAG National will submit a public comment opposing this proposed rule.

Global News

Iceland - Government implements new blood donation rules. New screening questions for blood donors are gender-neutral and are asked of everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. All potential donors are asked if they have had sex with a new partner in the last four months and if they’ve engaged in “higher risk” sexual behaviors, including unprotected sex.