Take Action

Tell your Senators: Vote YES in support of The Equality Act. The Equality Act passed in the House, and we need you to contact your Senators and tell them to vote in favor of this critical piece of legislation. Congress is on a six-week recess for August and part of September. While they're back home, we need to make sure Senators hear from us--people who care about LGBTQ+ equality--and will urge them to take action when they return to Washington. Even if your Senators have committed to vote yes, call them, email them, and tweet them your thanks; they need to know that the majority of people in this country support protections from discrimination. Help get the Equality Act across the finish line and take action NOW!

Phone bank for equality! PFLAG National, in partnership with the NEAT, is providing an opportunity for our members and supporters to talk to voters in target states and patch them through to their Senators’ offices to urge them to vote YES on the Equality Act. Never phone banked before? No worries! Our partner organization, The NEAT, provides a quick training to get you comfortable with using the phone bank tool. You can sign up any time and phonebank whenever is convenient for you. Register and make some calls for equality!

March for Voting Rights. Voting rights are under attack across America. Since January, 48 states have introduced more than 400 bills that amount to voter suppression. These bills would restrict voting access, and many have already become law. To this end, PFLAG National has partnered with hundreds of organizations in a historic March On for Voting Rights. On August 28, the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, we will support in-person and virtual marches in more than 40 cities across America to demand that the vision of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech be deferred no longer. Click here to RSVP for an event near you, to host an event in your area, or volunteer to further the coalition's goal of registering 2 million voters by 2022 in a fight for our democracy.

Court Matters

Voting rights groups sue Arizona over new voting restrictions. The lawsuit challenges a law making it harder for Arizonans to remain on a list of absentee voters and imposing stricter signature requirements for mail ballots. Mi Familia Vota and other voting rights groups allege these restrictions will disproportionately impact voters of color. See NALEO's data analysis of the Latino community’s growth shown in the 2020 Census Redistricting Data.

Appellate court rules against Hobby Lobby in trangender discrimination lawsuit. Meggan Sommerville, a trans woman and longtime Hobby Lobby employee, was denied access to the store’s women’s restroom since transitioning at work in 2010. An Illinois Appellate Court determined Hobby Lobby violated the Illinois Human Rights Act both as an employer and as a place of public accommodation. This is the first case in Illinois and in the nation in which a Human Rights Act has been applied in this way, and could set a precedent in other states. 

Federal Court allows suit challenging Trump Administration Affordable Care Act rule to proceed. A federal court in Boston permitted plaintiffs to continue with their suit in Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) et al v. HHS, which challenges the previous administration’s rule weakening healthcare nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people contained in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The federal government had filed a motion to dismiss the case, but the court allowed the case to proceed, an important step in the trial.

Federal Matters

LGBTQ+ adults are twice as likely to experience food insecurity according to Census data. According to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, just over 13% of LGBTQ+ adults reported living in a household that experienced food insecurity in the past seven days, compared to 7.2% of non-LBGTQ+ adults. The survey also found that 36.6% of LGBTQ+ adults reported living in a household that struggled to pay for expenses in the past seven days, while just over one quarter of adults who do not identify as LGBTQ+ reported experiencing economic insecurity. 

Victory Fund launches redistricting effort to assist LGBTQ+ candidates. Advocates are reaching redistricting authorities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, and Montana to request that they classify LGBTQ+ populations as "communities of interest," a status given to other minority groups, so that they can elect their preferred candidate in local, state, or federal races. This will encourage state authorities to "keep gay [sic] areas intact," and compile data that definitively locates LGBTQ+ communities to move the effort forward. 

President Biden appoints Tori Cooper as first out Black trans woman to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Ms. Cooper currently serves as Director of Community Engagement for the Human Rights Campaign’s Transgender Justice Initiative and brings 30 years of activist experience to her role on PACHA. PACHA was created in 1995 to provide the federal government with advice and policy recommendations regarding the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV and AIDS.

LGBTQ+ Community much more likely to be vaccinated than general population. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation found in a report released on August 12th that 92 per cent of LGBTQ+ adults surveyed in the US have received at least one jab for COVID. This is compared to 72% of American adults overall who had received at least one COVID vaccine dose. PFLAG National is a partner in the White House COVID-19 Community Corps, which works with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to boost vaccination numbers. PFLAG National urges all its members to get vaccinated.

State Matters

Florida - NCAA requiring Florida universities to reaffirm their commitment to nondiscrimination, including transgender athletes. The NCAA is also requiring future championship hosts to commit to its nondiscrimination policy, which allows trans women to compete in women sports under certain circumstances, but a Florida law signed this year allows only cisgender women to compete in women sports. At the time of the bill’s signing, activists estimated the law could cost the state 50 events and $75 million in economic activity. But so far, championships have continued to be held in Florida and lawmakers supportive of the trans athlete ban believe the NCAA’s threats are a bluff.

North Carolina - Charlotte approves LGBTQ+ non-discrimination ordinance. The Charlotte City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on August 9th, five years after North Carolina blocked a similar measure expanding the city's non-discrimination ordinance. The new ordinance bans discrimination in all public and private employers based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, pregnancy and natural hairstyles. It also prevents discrimination against customers and those who visit public places of service. 

Ohio - Black transgender woman murdered in Cleveland. Tierramarie Lewis is the 33rd transgender, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming person to die by violence in the U.S. this year.

Texas - Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) rules that some gender confirmation surgeries for transgender children constitute child abuse. Gov. Greg Abbott’s requested DFPS provide an interpretation of state child abuse laws as they apply to gender-affirming surgery. Gender-affirming care for transgender children rarely includes use of the surgeries — orchiectomies, hysterectomies, and mastectomies — that Abbott cited in his letter to DFPS. Most care for transgender children includes social transitioning and puberty blockers, which are reversible.

Virginia - Virginia school board votes to expand protections for transgender students. The Loudoun County School Board voted 7-2 on a policy that allows transgender student-athletes to play on teams that align with their gender identity, and to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity. It also requires teachers and staff to call students by their chosen names and pronouns.

Global Matters

Afghanistan - LGBTQ+ Afghans fear persecution from the Taliban. The Taliban harshly persecuted gay and other LGBTQ+ Afghans when they were last in power, including executions. No executions of LGBTQ+ people have been reported by international media since the fall of Kabul on Sunday, but the BBC Afghan service says that Sharia punishments have already been reinstated in many regions and many LGBTQ+ Afghans and others are fleeing the country.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo hosts third ever Pride parade. Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, celebrated Pride on August 14th. There was a heavy police presence at the event that sealed off the area to prevent clashes with counter-protesters. 

Israel - Israel lifts blood donation restrictions for gay men. Israel’s health minister made the announcement, saying the longstanding blood donation limitation was discriminatory and denigrating. This decision follows similar easing of blood donation restrictions by gay and bisexual men in the UK and the US. 

Romania - Bucharest holds first Pride parade since COVID-19 pandemic. Teodora Ion-Rotaru, executive director of ACCEPT Association, an LGBTQ+ rights group, said Bucharest Pride, which has been running since 2004, “...remains a protest that asks for the very basics.” While Romania joined the European Union in 2007 and the bloc prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, Ion-Rotaru says state protections are often inadequate. 

UK - Scottish government adopts new guidance on supporting transgender students. Ministers said the guidance was designed to help schools and education authorities "make decisions effectively," recognizing the importance of "privacy and safe spaces" for girls and boys within schools.

Media Matters

Former PFLAG National President Paulette Goodman passes away at 88. Goodman was born in a Jewish family, growing up in Nazi-occupied Paris until her family moved to the United States in 1949. When her daughter came out to her in 1981 she got involved with PFLAG, eventually helping to found PFLAG Metro DC in 1983, serving as its first president, before serving as PFLAG National President from 1988 until 1992. You can read PFLAG National’s full statement on her passing here.

James C. Hormel, first openly gay U.S. ambassador, dies at 88. Mr. Hormel was a longtime philanthropist, supporter of gay rights groups, including PLFAG National, and a contributor to the Democratic Party. President Bill Clinton nominated Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg in 1997. Due to conservative backlash against Mr. Hormel because of his identity as an openly gay man, he was not confirmed until 1999. 

Pete and Chasten Buttigieg welcome their first child. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg became the first openly gay person to serve in a Senate-confirmed Cabinet position in February. And now, he and his husband Chasten will be a very visible example of a same-sex couple raising a child together.

Outfest, Los Angeles' LGBT film festival, to honor Elliot Page. Page will be presented with the Outfest Achievement Award during the festival's closing night gala at the Orpheum Theatre on August 22nd. The award honors those who have “made a significant contribution to LGBTQIA+ stories, arts, and media visibility.” 

55 openly LGBTQ+ athletes win Olympic medals this year. If LGBT+ Olympians had competed as their own country, they would have won a grand total of 32 team and individual medals – 11 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze, according to NBC News. The LGBTQ+ athlete “country” would be in 11th place for medals overall, behind France and ahead of Canada and Brazil. The 2021 Olympic games featured a record number of LGBTQ+ athletes, with at least 182 openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer and non-binary athletes participating. 

Netflix to Premiere Queer cartoon series Q-Force. The cast includes Sean Hayes, Gary Cole, David Harbour, Patti Harrison, Laurie Metcalf, Matt Rogers, Wanda Sykes, and Gabe Liedman. The adult animated series tells the story of an all-LGBTQ+ crew of misfit crime fighters who take to the streets of West Hollywood and help save the world.

Pray Away, a new documentary about so-called conversion therapy, premieres on Netflix. This dangerous and discredited practice is banned in 20 U.S. states, but remains legal in the remaining 30 and is a persistent issue for LGBTQ+ youth. PFLAG National was proud to partner on this important project, and will host a conversation with subjects of the film on the Thursday, August 26th episode of Something to Talk About Live. Learn more, and find links to watch, at straightforequality.org/something-talk-about-live-august-26-2021. 

Ariel Nicholson becomes first transgender person to be featured on the cover of U.S. Vogue. Nicholson is a model and LGBTQ+ rights advocate and was chosen as one of eight models featured on the cover of the fashion magazine's "Generation America"-themed September issue, which celebrates models that challenge industry norms. 

Scientists issue correction to study which led to ban on some intersex Olympic athletes. The British Journal of Sports Medicine issued a correction to its 2017 study indicating a relationship between high testosterone levels and enhanced athletic performance among top female athletes. The authors of the study said their findings were “exploratory” and “could have been misleading by implying a causal inference.” This study was the basis for rules regarding intersex athletes which kept Caster Semenya of South Africa from defending her title in the 800-meter run at the Tokyo Olympics. With the study correction, the rules have come under renewed scrutiny.

Catholic leaders endorse anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. More than 250 Catholic leaders affiliated with New Ways Ministry have endorsed efforts to protect LGBT people from discrimination. New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based group that ministers to LGBT Catholics, stated “our Catholic faith compels us to speak out in support of the principle of nondiscrimination.” 

Robin comes out as bisexual in new Batman comic. In the sixth issue of the Batman: Urban Legends comic book series, Robin admits his uncertainty and that he’s gone on dates with other men.

The PFLAG National Advocacy, Policy, and Partnerships Team is always here to support you with your work, so please don't ever hesitate to reach out to us for assistance.

Yours in PFLAG power,

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