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Dear friend,

This is a pivotal moment for equality, with the justices on our nation’s highest
court preparing to rule in a set of cases that will define their legacies and
have very real consequences for millions of LGBTQ people across the country.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral argument in three cases
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apply to LGBTQ people. The growing legal consensus is that our nation’s civil
rights laws protect LGBTQ people against discrimination under sex
non-discrimination laws. But as I shared with Euguene Scott of The Washington Post , if the Supreme Court refuses to uphold this consensus, it could be a dramatic sea change
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On the day of oral argument, we saw an incredible display of support for LGBTQ
equality. The Human Rights Campaign joined the hundreds of people rallying
outside outside the Supreme Court that morning, including our own JoDee
Winterhof who gave
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These cases highlight how the need for the Senate to join the House in passing
the Equality Act, and how crucial it is for us to elect a president who will
sign this legislation into law.

Power of Our Pride. On Thursday night, for the first time in history
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presidential town hall televised by a major cable network where the LGBTQ
community was in the driver’s seat — and where priorities like the Equality Act
were front and center.


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We heard from the Democratic presidential candidates about their plans for
winning full federal equality, defending the fundamental equality of LGBTQ
people and protecting the most vulnerable among us.


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Fifty years ago, when the first brick was thrown at Stonewall and the modern
LGBTQ-rights movement was born, few could have imagined nine candidates for
president competing for the support of the LGBTQ community. But as recent years
have shown, increasing support for LGBTQ equality means our movement is no
longer limited to organizing and mobilizing self-identified LGBTQ people. As I
wrote in an op-ed for CNN
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of electoral decision-making and activism — both in 2020 and beyond.

In the months ahead, the Human Rights Campaign looks forward to doing our part
to ensure we elect a president who will champion equality — not undermine it.

A Community In Crisis. The issues affecting the transgender community raised at last night’s town hall
needed to be heard. This is a community in crisis. This epidemic of deadly
violence demands attention by all Americans.

This week, we were devastated to learn that Itali Marlowe
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Itali is the 19th known victim of anti-trans violence this year and the fourth
known victim from Texas alone. We join Itali’s loved ones in mourning. Urgent
action is needed — including explicit state and federal protections for LGBTQ
people, programs to expand economic opportunity for the most vulnerable, and an
end to the dangerous rhetoric and policies that dehumanize trans lives.

Together, we must address this crisis — and that includes doing whatever we can
to support the grassroots advocates doing critical work in communities across
the nation. People are dying, and we cannot sit on the sidelines
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National Coming Out Day. Today is the 31st annual National Coming Out Day (NCOD), and in honor of NCOD,
we’ve launched a powerful video and digital campaign highlighting inspirational
stories of celebrities and influencers who have come out over the past year,
including Lil Nas X
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National Coming Out Day
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hearts and minds and how coming out can transform our lives and our movement.
The tragic reality is that there are still far too many LGBTQ people across
America and around the globe who are forced to live in fear. The only way to
triumph over that fear is with love — love of ourselves, our LGBTQ community and
the diversity of communities and experiences that enrich our humanity. We must
turn that love into action — by living our truths and fighting for a world where
every person is safe to live theirs.

In Unity,

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Alphonso David

President

Human Rights Campaign

Pronouns: he/him/his

Follow me on Twitter: @AlphonsoDavid [[link removed]]

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Human Rights Campaign | www.hrc.org
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Phone: 202-628-4160 | TTY: 202-216-1572 | Fax: 202-347-5323

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