Take Action

Join the team and help pass the Equality Act! There are millions of people like you who support equality, but the loudest voices right now are from people who do not want our LGBTQ+ loved ones to have equal rights. Your voice can make a difference. Join PFLAG’s #Fight4Equality to call, email, or Tweet your senators every Tuesday or Thursday (or both!) to urge them to pass the Equality Act. You’ll get weekly reminders and all the tools and information you need to take action on the day you choose.

Together, we’ll make equality for everyone, everywhere, at all times the law of the land!

Court Matters

Texas law prohibiting most abortions goes into effect. By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court refused to block Texas Senate Bill 8, which bans all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This ban extends to pregnancies resulting from rape or incest and is imposed before many tests can confirm pregnancy, long before most people know they are pregnant in direct contradiction of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The law also deputizes private individuals, whether or not they live in Texas or have a connection to the case, to sue anyone who performs an abortion or “aids and abets” it, putting at risk the friend you call for support, the loved one who holds your hand at the clinic, and even the rideshare driver who takes you there. These private whistleblowers are entitled to $10,000 and their legal fees recovered if they win their suit.

20 Attorneys General sue Biden Administration to block rules protecting transgender workers and students. In June, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and U.S. Department of Education (DOE) published guidance stemming from the Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County to inform schools and employers that people who are trans, nonbinary and intersex can join the sports team and use the bathroom and locker room that corresponds with their gender identity. While the Bostock ruling makes clear that sex discrimination includes discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, the states joining the lawsuit claim that the EEOC and DOE improperly interpreted the scope of the ruling.

Supreme Court ends national eviction moratorium. A group of landlords and real estate trade groups in Alabama and Georgia challenged the moratorium, which prevented evictions in parts of the country most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued Aug. 3 and intended to run through Oct. 3. The Court ruled that “our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends. . . . It is up to Congress, not the CDC, to decide whether the public interest merits further action here.”

Supreme Court reinstates Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. The policy forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court refused to block a lower court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the program.

Federal Matters

House passes reconciliation rule, advances transportation bill. In a 220-212 vote on August 24th, the House passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution and advanced a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The vote allows the Senate to approve a budget with only 51 votes and puts the Senate-passed infrastructure plan on a path to final passage in the House.

House passes John Lewis Voting Rights Act. The House voted 219-212 on August 24th to approve the voting rights bill. The bill, known as H.R. 4, would strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by updating language and provisions to reflect 21st century needs and address the Supreme Court decisions that have weakened voting rights in the last decade. It would also make it more difficult for states to restrict future voting access. PFLAG National supports the protection of everyone’s right to vote. Contact your senators to tell them why you support voting rights protections.

President Biden issues proclamation on Women’s Equality Day. Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on August 26th, marking the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote--although it is important to note that the amendment still excluded most women of color. The amendment was adopted in 1920, 101 years ago, and in the President’s proclamation, he remarked that while the efforts to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment brought the country closer to universal suffrage, women of color would still be denied the right to vote for decades afterwards, and there is still work ahead to protect voting rights for all.

LGBTQ+ renters at risk following halt of eviction moratorium. According to a study by the Williams Institute, 19 percent of LGBTQ+ people who rent their homes are not caught up on rent. Nearly half (47 percent) of LGBTQ+ people who owe rent say they fear eviction within the next two months. LGBTQ+ people of color are most at risk of eviction as they're more likely to be renters, not homeowners, and more likely to be behind on rent compared to all other groups.

State Matters

California - San Francisco Mayor declares August as Transgender History Month.  On August 24, the 55th anniversary year of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots, Mayor London Breed declared August to be Transgender History Month in San Francisco. The proclamation was developed in partnership with the Transgender District and Office of Transgender Initiatives and  launches a month of celebrating the history and cultural milestones of transgender people in San Francisco.

Colorado - High school volleyball coach forced to quit job after being outed. At Highlands Ranch’s Valor Christian High School, volleyball coach Inoke Tonga said he was pushed out of his job after colleagues found a social media post indicating he was gay. Tonga said the campus pastor and athletic director called him in for a meeting during which they berated and belittled him over his sexual orientation and informed him that “parents pay too much” to have their kids coached by a gay man. Toward the end of the conversation, Tonga said school officials told him he had two options: Denounce being a gay man or leave the position.

Missouri - LGBT rights movement exhibit removed from Missouri State Museum. The exhibit, called “Making History: Kansas City and the Rise of Gay Rights” was up only four days before it was taken down on September 2nd. It was reported that complaints from a legislative staffer prompted the exhibit’s removal.

Ohio - Columbus to host the Gay Softball World Series (GSWS).  The event is the largest annual LGBTQ single-sport athletic competition in the world, with thousands of participants from across North America. This year’s World Series is made up of more than 230 teams from more than 47 different cities.

Texas - Trans athlete ban bill heard in committee during special legislative session. The hearing for SB2 began August 24th and spanned into the morning hours of August 25th.

Following hours of testimony, lawmakers postponed advancing the bill, and it will remain pending in its committee.

Utah - Board of education member who criticized use of a pride flag in a social media post is under investigation. Natalie Cline shared a photo on Facebook of a pride flag in a Mormon seminary building with a message welcoming members of the LGBTQ community to the seminary, saying “Time to make some phone calls. The world is too much with us.” The Utah State Board of Education said in a statement released Tuesday that Natalie Cline’s post criticizing the pride flag does not represent the school board and that it is reviewing the post for potential violations.

Vigil organized in response to anti-LGBTQ+ speech at BYU. Jeffrey Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke on campus against what he called “divisive” rhetoric, including a 2019 graduation speech during which BYU valedictorian Matt Easton came out as gay. Holland, who is condemned BYU faculty and students who have advocated for LGBTQ issues on campus, also urged church members to aim their metaphorical “musket fire” at those who oppose the church’s teachings. Many in the LGBTQ community pushed back against Holland’s remarks and a vigil was organized at City Creek Park in Salt Lake City, where organizers passed out rainbow-colored face masks and candles.

Virginia - Newport News School Board votes to comply with state policy to protect transgender students. The vote to adopt Virginia’s model policies for trans students, which were passed statewide in 2020, passed the city council by a 4-3 vote on August 26th. The vote was a reversal from the week before, when the board voted 5-1 against implementing policies that comply with the state’s requirements to affirm trans students, making Newport News was one of the largest districts in the state to refuse to follow the law passed by the General Assembly in 2020.

Gloucester County school board agrees to pay $1.3 million in legal fees in Gavin Grimm lawsuit. Gavin Grimm sued the school board in 2014 after being denied access to the boys’ restrooms. Grimm won in U.S. District Court at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. On June 28, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the victory to stand.

Washington - Federal judge rejects effort to block conversion therapy ban. The ban on so-called conversion therapy passed in 2018 and bans licensed therapists from trying to “change” a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity. A licensed marriage and family therapist brought suit against Washington State to block enforcement about the law. State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said of the court’s decision “[I]t's a win for LGBTQ+ civil rights."

West Virginia - Ordinance banning so-called conversion therapy introduced in Morgantown. The proposed ban was introduced during August 31st’s Morgantown City Council meeting. It would prohibit any license medical provider from practicing so-called conversion therapy techniques with LGBTQ youth. Human Rights Commission chair Ash Orr explained to the council the negative effects conversion therapy has on LGBTQ+ youth and adults both during and after the attempted conversion.

Global Matters

Afghanistan - Advocacy groups urge the U.S. and other countries to offer refuge to LGBTQ Afghans after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 14th. Evacuation flights from Kabul lasted until President Biden ended U.S. military operations in Afghanistan on Aug. 31. Groups are urging the US to accept more LGBTQ+ Afghan refugees, however, as media reports indicate a Taliban judge last month said the group would execute gay people if it once again governed Afghanistan.

Bangladesh - Six men sentenced to death over the 2016 killings of a prominent Bangladeshi gay rights activist and his friend. Xulhaz Mannan, an LGBTQ+ activist, and his friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, were hacked to death in April 2016 by members of Ansar al-Islam, a banned militant group that local news outlets have connected to Al Qaeda. “They decided to slay the victims for their involvement in gay rights’ activism,” a special antiterrorism tribunal in Dhaka said on Tuesday in announcing the convictions and sentences. “All the convicts had the same intention. They wanted to prevent them from practicing their freedom and create fear among the other people from expressing their opinion.”

Poland - Polish municipalities enacting "LGBT ideology free zones." Poland’s President, Andrzej Duda, came to power last year after decrying a ‘LGBT-ideology’ he alleged was spreading throughout his country at the expense of traditional family values. Now, dozens of Polish municipalities have enacted "LGBT ideology free zones" and members of the LGBTQ+ community in Poland now fear for their safety.

Russia - Chechens abduct man in Moscow, press him for information on gay people in Chechnya. The Russian LGBT Network said four Chechen-speaking men abducted Ibragim Selimkhanov in mid-May in Moscow and brought him by plane to the Chechen capital, Grozny, where he was questioned regarding the Russian LGBT Network's associates who assist LGBTQ+ people in the North Caucasus. Days after that, Chechen authorities handed Selimkhanov to his mother, who resides in Grozny. Selimkhanov remained under surveillance but managed to leave the region for Moscow, where he filed a complaint with police asking to find his abductors and bring them to justice.

UK - Man arrested following homophobic hate crime in Birmingham’s Gay Village. The man, believed to be Mosin Mahmood, turned himself in after an appeal in which he was named along with two others. Mahmood and two others attacked two gay men on the night of August 15th, cutting them with broken bottles.

Ukraine - Ukrainian police and far-right nationalist group clash during Pride march in Odessa. Police detained at least 51 members of Tradition and Order, an ultra-nationalist Neo-Nazi group which attempted to violently disrupt the Pride celebrations. Tradition and Order members used tear gas against police as law enforcement separated the group from several hundred LGBTQ+ activists who had gathered for the Pride event. Police said they opened criminal proceedings against Tradition and Order members under articles of threat or violence against a law enforcement officer.

Media Matters

Lil Nas X awarded Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award from The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project cited Lil Nas X’s “openness about struggling with his sexuality and suicidal ideation, his continued advocacy around mental health issues, and his unapologetic celebration of his queer identity” for the singer’s award.

JoJo Siwa to compete on Dancing with the Stars with a same-sex partner. The 18-year-old Dance Moms star will compete on the upcoming 30th season of DWTS, becoming the first female celebrity paired with a female pro dancer on the show.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation launches at-home HIV testing program. HRC, in partnership with Us Helping Us, will be providing a direct-to-door service, pledging to administer a minimum of 5,000 free in-home testing kits for HIV over a year, according to a press release. The program will be focused on reaching communities disproportionately impacted by HIV: Black and Latinx gay, bisexual men and transgender women of color.

Marsha P. Johnson statue erected in New York City. A bust of transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson has been erected in Christopher Park in New York City, the first monument of a transgender person in the city park system. The park is near the Stonewall Inn and features a separate statue, Gay Liberation, which was installed in 1992.

RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Gigi Goode comes out as trans-nonbinary. The RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 finalist and model made the announcement on August 29th on her Instagram. She confirmed that she identifies "as a trans-nonbinary person" who uses she/her pronouns, and that she's in the process of legally changing her name to Gigi.

Carl Nassib joins the Las Vegas Raiders, becoming NFL’s first openly gay player. Nassib will be the NFL’s first openly gay player on the field when the Raiders host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 on Sept. 13. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr says the team accepts Nassib, saying, “When he came in [the locker room], I just like to watch, and not one person, from my point of view, has treated him any different.”

Superman’s son to come out as gay in upcoming comic. Van Sciver of DC Comics revealed that the original Superman character Clark Kent, will be killed off in an upcoming comic. Superman will then reportedly be replaced with Jonathan Kent, Clark Kent’s son who inherited his father’s powers, who will later be revealed to be gay in Tom Taylor’s series “Superman: Son of Kal-El”, which launched in July.

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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