Making Advocacy Easier For You

Today, we’re excited to announce a new advocacy site on our homepage at pflag.org, to keep you in-the-know and up-to-date when it comes to using your voice as a PFLAG member or supporter. This new site replaces our older publication, ONE VOICE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, allowing us to keep the content fresh and focused on the work at hand. Whether it’s learning more about the legislation we’re pushing for (or fighting against), resources, toolkits, and templates to assist in your advocacy or teach you about lobbying, or quick links that make it easy to take action on current pieces of legislation that will create equity and protections for LGBTQ+ people and their families, these newly revamped pages will meet you wherever you’re at to better support your efforts at all levels. All of this begins today at pflag.org/advocacy. 

Take Action

Register now for We Are the Change: The 2021 PFLAG National Convention. As a person committed to advocacy in support of creating a just and equitable world for all people--including our LGBTQ+ loved ones--you won’t want to miss this year’s all-virtual convention, taking place Friday, October 22nd through Sunday, October 24th. This year there are fewer sessions, each going deeper on critical issues, including legislative updates at the federal and state level. Visit pflag.org/wearethechange to learn more and register now!

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 Attorney General sues EEOC over rule establishing workplace protections. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s suit alleges that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) rule improperly applies the Bostock v. Clayton County decision-- which decided that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment is prohibited by federal law--to bathrooms, school dress codes, and locker rooms.

U.S. Judicial Conference recommends adding five new federal district court judges in Oklahoma. The federal judiciary is asking Congress for five more federal judges in Oklahoma following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma recognizing a large part of Oklahoma as Native American reservation land and barred state prosecutions of crimes in those areas.

Federal Matters

President Biden signs Continuing Resolution for government funding, avoiding shutdown. President Joe Biden signed Congress' stopgap funding bill on the night of September 30th to avert a shutdown and extend government funding through December 3. The bill had passed both the House and Senate earlier that day with bipartisan votes.

House delays bipartisan infrastructure vote. Democratic leaders did not have the votes to pass the infrastructure bill on September 30th without a deal on the broader reconciliation package being negotiated in the Senate. WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement: “A great deal of progress has been made this week, and we are closer to an agreement than ever. But we are not there yet, and so, we will need some additional time to finish the work, starting tomorrow morning first thing.”

President Joe Biden recognizes 10-year anniversary of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) repeal. The president honored activists and service members who worked to repeal the discriminatory policy that prevented gay, lesbian, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military. The law was repealed 10 years ago on September 20th under former President Barack Obama, thanks in part to efforts from PFLAG National Executive Director Brian Bond, who served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Director for the White House Office of Public Engagement and primary liaison for the LGBTQ+ community.

LGBTQ+ veterans discharged from the military under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' gain access to full government benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans who were forced from service under DADT and given "other than honorable discharges" due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status will now have access to full Veterans Affairs benefits, impacting thousands of LGBTQ+ former service members.

Department of Justice reviewing policies on housing trans inmates in federal prisons. The previous administration rolled back trans rights in the federal prison system, only assigning trans people to the prison which corresponded to their gender identity “in rare cases.” The Justice Department is looking into reviewing these policies, “including providing gender-affirming housing where appropriate.”

Bill introduced in Congress addressing bullying and harassment of LGBTQ+ college students on 11th anniversary of Tyler Clementi's death. The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act would require colleges and universities that receive federal funding to pass policies dedicated to ending harassment and bullying, including cyber bullying, of minority identities like sexual orientation and gender.

State Matters

California - Attorney General Rob Bonta announces state-sponsored travel ban for Ohio. The travel ban was announced following passage of Ohio House Bill 110 (HB 110), providing that healthcare providers within the state can refuse covering or insuring people based on a “conscience-based objection,” including refusal to care for LGBTQ+ Ohioans. California has banned state-sponsored travel to seventeen states over anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Colorado - Governor Jared Polis becomes first state executive to have a same-sex wedding in office. Governor Polis married his longtime partner, Marlon Reis, in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony on September 15th in Boulder.

Indiana - School district sued by ACLU of Indiana after GSA ban. The ACLU of Indiana sued the South Madison Community School District alleging the free speech rights of the students in the Pendleton Heights High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance were violated when they were banned from promoting their club.

Oregon - School board criticized following ban on Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ pride symbols. Newberg City Council has condemned the action by the Newberg School Board banning educators from displaying those symbols in their classrooms and American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon is threatening to sue. But despite calls for the school board to reverse course, including by members of PFLAG Newberg and GSA members, and others in the community, the policy remains in place.

Texas - Irving high school students stage walk-out in solidarity with reprimanded teachers. Two teachers at MacArthur High School refused to remove LGBTQ+ safe space stickers from their classroom doors. The school principal required the removal, citing district policy that teachers cannot use the classroom to “transmit personal beliefs regarding political or sectarian issues.” The teachers have not returned to work since the incident, prompting the student walk-out.

Texas Senate passes anti-transgender sports ban for fourth time. Senate Bill 3 was approved by a 19-12 vote on September 22nd and now is being considered by the House Public Education Committee, where similar legislation has been blocked in past sessions. The bill would require student athletes at K-12 public schools to play on sports teams that correspond with the assigned sex listed on their birth certificate as it was issued at or near the time of their birth, ignoring corrected birth certificates. 

Virginia - Accomack County School board refuses to adopt statewide policy introducing protections for LGBTQ+ students. The rejected policy requires schools to refer to students by their preferred pronouns, allows them to use the facilities aligning with their gender identity, and lets those students play on the athletic teams of their selected gender, as permitted by state policy. School Districts that refuse to comply with state law are subject to lawsuits from students and families.

Global Matters

Germany - First openly transgender women in history elected to parliamentary seats. Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik both won seats for the Green party in September 26th’s German Federal election. Ganserer said her post-election priority is to institute an easier procedure for ratifying a change of gender on identity documents.

Hungary - Hungary's foreign minister calls European Union's financial penalties over anti-LGBTQ+ law "blackmail." The EU’s executive commission is delaying billions in economic recovery funds earmarked for Hungary over its law banning promoting or portraying “sex reassignment or homosexuality” to minors in media content. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto argued against the move, calling it “blackmail” and "a purely political decision."

Hungarian LGBTQ+ activist named among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Dorottya Redai is a researcher at the CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest and an activist with the Labrisz Lesbian Associationwork. Her work on Fairyland is for Everyone, a children’s book featuring disabled children, Roma people, and LGBTQ+ protagonists, sparked a debate over human rights in Hungary, where the current government has passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. 

Japan - Hope for expanded LGBTQ+ rights in Japan with new Prime Minister. The current Japanese prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, is stepping down a year into his term, and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is choosing his successor. The process is considered a “historic moment” by many because two of the four candidates to replace Mr. Suga are women and two candidates support same-sex marriage.

Mexico - Mexican state of Sonora legalizes same-sex marriage. Following a vote in the Sonoran state Congress on September 23rd, same-sex marriage is now legal in that state. Three-quarters of Mexico's states have legalized same-sex marriage. 

Poland - Three Polish provinces repeal “LGBT-free zone” designations following loss of EU funding. Nearly 100 provinces and municipalities in 2019 passed symbolic resolutions declaring themselves "LGBT-free." Now the Polish government is asking those regions to repeal the resolutions after the EU cut off millions of euros in funding to local and provincial governments that took an anti-LGBTQ+ stance; the southern provinces of Malopolskie, Lubelskie and Podkarpackie complied.

Serbia - Annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade held in Belgrade. Participants held banners with slogans such as "Love is a law," demanding that Serbia allow the registration of same-sex unions. Unlike previous years, the march was not joined by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who is openly gay. 

Switzerland - Switzerland legalizes same-sex marriage. A national referendum vote was held in which almost two-thirds of Swiss voters backed same-sex marriage. The measure will make it possible for same-sex couples to adopt unrelated children and for married lesbian couples to have children through sperm donation. Switzerland is the 30th country in the world to adopt same-sex marriage.

Turkey - University students removed from dorms and deprived of scholarships for attending LGBTQ+ pride parade. The state-run Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution (KYK) launched investigations into several students for attending the Pride Parade, held in June in Eskişehir, and eventually punished them with removal from the KYK-run dormitories and cancellation of the scholarships provided by the institution.

Ankara Bar Association leadership face prison due to public criticism of top imam’s anti-LGBTQ+ remarks. The Ankara Bar Association released a press statement in response to Imam Ali Erbaş’ sermon from April of 2020, in which he claimed that homosexuality caused HIV and that all the evil and pandemics in the world are caused by homosexuality of inciting hatred against gay people. The bar association’s statement is now the basis of a prosecution against the bar association members for “insulting the religious values adopted by a segment of society,” charges which could carry up to a two-year prison sentence. 

UK - Scotland becomes the first country in the world to embed LGBTQ+ inclusive education in school curriculum. All school staff will be given a course on LGBTQ+ inclusive education and a toolkit of LGBTQ+ inclusive education teaching resources. A dedicated website will be launched with resources for information to support young people and school subjects across age groups will include LGBTQ+ identities, issues and history.

Christian fostering agency loses court battle over policy of refusing to allow same-sex couples to sign up as foster parents. A British Court of Appeal upheld an earlier ruling stating Cornerstone Adoption and Fostering Service must change its recruitment policy “to allow gay men and lesbians who are evangelical Christians to apply to become prospective foster parents, and it cannot lawfully refuse to do so."

Ukraine - Annual March for Equality held in Kiev. Seven thousand people gathered on September 19th to support LGBTQ+ rights. Participants announced eight demands for Ukrainian authorities, including the legalization of civil partnerships for LGBT people and the creation of laws against LGBTQ+ hate crimes.

Media Matters

Terence Blanchard Makes History At The Metropolitan Opera. New York's Metropolitan Opera is presenting an opera by a Black composer for the first time in its 138 year history. The nation's premier opera house opened its new season with Fire Shut Up in My Bones, composed by Terence Blanchard and based on the book of the same name by Charles M. Blow, who is bisexual. The story centers on the main character’s struggle to accept his bisexuality.

POSE star Michaela Jaé (formerly MJ Rodriguez) makes history as the first transgender performer to receive an Emmy nomination in a lead acting category. She ended up losing to THE CROWN star Olivia Colman, but POSE fans--and PFLAG National--touted Rodriguez’s groundbreaking achievements.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) delays its transgender guidelines again due to “very conflicting opinions.” The new guidelines for international sports federations are not expected to be released until after the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, three years later than originally intended. Current guidelines issued in 2015 allow trans women to compete in the women’s category if they keep their total testosterone level below 10 nanomoles per litre for 12 months, resulting in Namibian sprinters Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, both cisgender women, being disqualified from competing in Olympic events because of their naturally high testosterone exceeding allowable levels.

Father-son duo on “The Voice” includes trans man. 57-year-old music teacher Jim Allen and his 19-year-old trans son Sasha sang “Leaving on a Jet Plane” this week on NBC’s The Voice. In the pre-performance video profile, Jim said “It’s a parent’s job to listen to your child, even when it’s hard to understand them.” He then added, “While it is such a big and extraordinary thing to absorb, there are fundamental things that don’t change about a person. And it’s nice to be at that point where, you know, it’s not a big deal.”

SEX AND THE CITY actor Willie Garson dies at 57. Garson died of pancreatic cancer on September 21st. Garson was known for playing Carrie Bradshaw’s gay best friend, Stanford Blatch, on SEX AND THE CITY.

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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