Dear Friend,

This is a call to action!

Today, Americans tuned in to watch the historic confirmation hearing of Dr. Rachel Levine as Assistant Secretary of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. If confirmed, she would be the highest-ranking transgender official in the U.S. government. During the hearing, the ugliness of anti-transgender politics was on full display, and our community needs to be prepared to respond. 

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul used his time during the hearing to spread egregious misinformation about transgender health care and transgender children. This, after debate of the Equality Act led Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to declare that ending anti-transgender discrimination is "disgusting, immoral and evil," and hang an anti-transgender poster across the hall from Representative Marie Newman, mother of a transgender child. 

Friend, this rhetoric is hurtful and harmful to transgender people of all ages, particularly children. More importantly, this rhetoric and behavior is a tactic used by anti-transgender activists to dehumanize transgender people and overshadow their truths with pseudo-scientific nonsense. It is a means of denying transgender people access to healthcare and all other measures of equality.

These moments remind us of the importance of GLAAD's work, countering these lies, and amplifying the voices and stories of our community. GLAAD’s Rapid Response team is working with the largest media outlets to make sure their coverage of Dr. Levine’s historic nomination and the Equality Act is fair and accurate. Our community cannot let Americans be swayed by the lies put forward about Dr. Levine or the Equality Act. We are also monitoring Dr. Levine’s hearing and the debate over the Equality Act in real time and responding on social media and in the press to the anti-LGBTQ hate from Sen. Paul, Rep. Greene, and too many others.

Friend, please make a Rapid Response gift to GLAAD today so that we remain able to stand against hate, and stand for ALL members of our community. We will not stop until we have reached 100% acceptance of LGBTQ people, but we cannot do it without you.

In Solidarity,

Sarah Kate Ellis
President & CEO

PS - To stand with GLAAD around the clock please consider making a monthly donation here. To follow our up to the minute response to the hearings, follow us on Twitter here.