TAKE ACTION

Get Out the Vote in Georgia from Your Own Home!

Remind voters to VOTE EARLY to fill its 2 open Senate seats. 

From now through Georgia’s Runoff Election Day, Jan. 5th, you can sign up at theNEAT.org/GAvotes to make calls from anywhere, on any day, and at almost any time that’s convenient for you through our partner NEAT! Talk to registered voters and help them make a plan to vote and show up the poll. NEAT provides an easy to use web calling tool, the materials you need, quick OnDemand video training your first time, and even live support while you dial. It doesn’t get any easier or more powerful than this!

COURT MATTERS

Federal judge blocks the President's Executive Order that bans diversity training. On December 23rd, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman in the Northern District of California granted a preliminary nationwide injunction in the lawsuit filed by civil rights groups.

Advocacy groups file federal lawsuit against ‘death to asylum’ rule. Represented by Lambda Legal, plaintiffs Immigration Equality, the TransLatin@ Coalition, the Transgender Law Center, Oasis Legal Services and the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on December 21st, challenging the administration’s recently published rule that takes effect on January 11th.

Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe among women athletes to urge court to overturn 2 Idaho anti-trans sports law. On December 21st, 176 women including lesbian athletes signed an amicus brief coordinated and submitted by Lambda Legal to a federal appeals court calling on judges to overturn an Idaho law barring transgender girls from participating in school sports.

FEDERAL MATTERS

President vetoes defense bill, rejects COVID-19 relief bill. Congress is set to meet next Monday on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In the passed COVID-19 bill, HIV funding increased but not at the level requested by advocates.

The House failed on December 24th to pass by unanimous consent the $2,000 stimulus check, proposed by the President, supported by Speaker Pelosi. Stay tuned to PFLAG media channels as this moves.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg tapped by President-Elect Biden to become the first openly LGBTQ+ Senate-confirmed permanent Cabinet member. Buttigieg is nominated to be Secretary of Transportation by President-Elect Biden.

LGBTQ+ people from the Obama Administration tapped to key posts by President-Elect Biden. Other key LGBTQ+ appointees in the next Administration are openly gay Carlos Elizondo and two openly lesbian women of color Karine Jean Pierre and Pili Tobar, openly gay API Gautam Raghavan and openly gay Stuart Delery.

Dr. Miguel Cardona, strong LGBTQ+ ally, selected to be Secretary of Education by President-Elect Biden. Dr. Cardona, the first Latino education commissioner in Connecticut, has been a public school parent and worked as an elementary public school teacher, principal and assistant superintendent.

STATE MATTERS

California - Gov. Gavin Newsom historically appoints Alex Padilla as U.S. Senator. With this appointment, AG Padilla is the first Latino to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

GLOBAL MATTERS

Switzerland - ‘Marriage for All’ bill passes in historic vote. On December 18th, the bill passed in the lower house and upper house, 136-48 and  24-11, respectively.

MEDIA MATTERS

Netflix delivers Viola Davis as bold, bisexual Ma Rainey in last film appearance by Chadwick Boseman. Netflix adapted a snapshot of what playwright August Wilson wrote.

Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser