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 National’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

Senate confirms seven judicial nominees in busiest confirmation week of this Congress. This includes voting rights advocate Myrna Pérez--whose nomination was endorsed by PFLAG National--who was confirmed to serve on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Twenty-five of the President’s judicial nominees have been confirmed to date, the fastest pace since the Nixon administration. 

Ohio Attorney General sues Biden Administration to restore previous administration’s ban on abortion referrals by family planning clinics. New Department of Health and Human Services regulations on the Title X federal family planning program allow clinics to refer women seeking abortions to a provider, the same rules which were in place under the Obama Administration. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 11 other attorneys general in the suit wish to reinstate the 2019 ban.

Supreme Court rules not to immediately halt Texas abortion ban, oral arguments set for November 1st. Justice Sotomayor wrote the sole dissent on the decision not to halt the law urgently because people who are pregnant are affected now. The Mississippi abortion ban case carries the underpinning issue and is scheduled to be heard on Dec. 1st to address whether a pregnant person has body automomy, which is affirmed by Roe v Wade.

Federal Matters

President Biden releases framework for Build Back Better bill. The $1.8 trillion plan includes funding for universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year olds, subsidized child care, an extension of the expanded Child Tax Credit, expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies for people in states without expanded Medicaid, a Medicare expansion for hearing services, and green energy. A vote on the package is expected soon, though negotiations are ongoing. 

DOJ dedicates at least $21MM to investigate and prosecute federal hate crimes and support hate crime victims. On Oct. 28th, the 12th anniversary of the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, DOJ added funding to help state, local and tribal agencies and community organizations address an alarming rise in violent and property crimes committed on the basis of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

Speaker Pelosi marks 12th anniversary of the signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. In a statement the Speaker wrote “Forged in anguish after the brutal murders of Matthew and James, this landmark law stands as a pillar of civil rights: ensuring justice for the millions of Americans at risk of violence simply for who they are, where they are from, how they pray or who they love.”

U.S. issues first passport with ‘X’ gender marker. The country’s first gender-neutral passport was issued to Dana Zzyym, an intersex military veteran who sued the State Department in 2015, according to Lambda Legal.

Twitter suspends Rep. Jim Banks’s (R-IN) account after he intentionally misgenders Dr. Rachel Levine. Dr. Levine is the Assistant Secretary for Health, the first transgender person to hold an office that requires Senate confirmation. Banks misgendered the Admiral in response to the news that she had become the first woman to become a four-star officer in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

60 House Democrats call for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lift the State Department's ban on U.S. diplomats lobbying for same-sex marriage in an official capacity. In a letter addressed to Blinken on October 20th, the group of lawmakers said the policy was "outdated" and should be "rescinded as a matter of urgency."

Biden Administration calls Texas’s transgender athlete ban "hateful." Gov. Greg Abbott signed a transgender sports ban into law; the White House denounced the move as “hateful” in a statement on October 26th. 

White House and State Department acknowledge Intersex Awareness Day. Historically, The White House held its first roundtable with intersex advocates on Oct. 27th. Both mark the first US federal governmental Intersex Awareness Day recognitions.

State Matters

Maryland - St. Mary’s College students stage sit-in for LGBTQ+ rights. A small group of students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland are staging a sit-in that started October 12th in the administration building, following what they say were years of anti-LGBTQ+ interactions with college administrators and diversity staff. 

Massachusetts - Boston Acting Mayor Janey signs executive order to promote economic success and inclusion of LGBTQ+ businesses. Mayor Kim Janey yesterday signed a historic executive order to include LGBTQ+-owned businesses in the City’s Supplier Diversity Program.

North Carolina - Raleigh City Council unanimously voted to join Wake County’s non-discrimination ordinance expanding LGBTQ+ protections. The Wake County Board of Commissioners approved its ordinance after a press conference on October 25th.

Oklahoma - Oklahoma Supreme Court blocks three new anti-abortion laws. The trio of new abortion restrictions were set to take effect November 1st. One law would have required all doctors who perform abortions in the state to be board-certified in obstetrics or gynecology, which would have forced about half of the abortion providers in the state to stop operating. The other two laws would have created new restrictions on medication-induced abortions.

Ohio - Ohio high school cancels play with gay character after pastor complains. A Southwest Ohio high school’s play was abruptly canceled after a local pastor complained about a gay character.

Texas - Trans athlete ban signed into law. Texas transgender student athletes will be restricted from playing on K-12 school sports teams that align with their gender identity under a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on October 25th. Student atheltes will instead be required to play on a sports team that matches their sex on their original birth certificate.

Wyoming - ​​Campbell County Library refuses to remove challenged books from their shelves despite pressure. The library has faced angry and even violent locals complaining that the materials in certain books are “disgusting” and “inappropriate for children”. Prosecutors even considered filing criminal “obscenity” characters against the public librarians over the decision to keep books about sex and LGBT+ issues on shelves. However, Campbell County Library has refused to bow to public pressure, and its board members voted down an appeal to remove a single book in a two-two vote at a recent board meeting.

Global Matters

Canada - Proposed bill would prevent Quebecers from changing sex designation on official documents until after gender-confirmation surgery. Since 2015, Quebecers have been able to change their sex designation on their identity documents without having to undergo gender affirming surgeries which would be covered by nationalized healthcare, but Bill 2 would reverse that. 

Ghana - Ghanian parliament considering a bill criminalizing homosexuality and making advocating for LGBTQ+ people a crime. If passed, the new bill would allow for up to 10 years in prison for LGBT people and penalize those who defend LGBTQ+ people or publish information that could be considered “encouraging homosexuality.” The bill also promotes so-called “conversion therapy.” 

Italy - Italian Senate strikes down LGBTQ+ hate crimes bill. The bill, which would have criminalized violence and hate speech targeting a person’s sexual orientation or identity, faced strong opposition from right-wing parties in the Senate, ultimately killing the bill.

Japan - Japan election pledges on LGBTQ+ rights boost legislation hopes. Six major opposition parties promise that they will seek to present bills to parliament next year to help protect LGBTQ+ people against discrimination and legalize same-sex marriage. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito vow only to promote public understanding through legislation.

Poland - Polish parliament to examine anti-LGBTQ+ legislative proposal. Poland's parliament is expected to give a first reading on Thursday to proposed legislation dubbed “Stop LGBT," which aims to prohibit the “promotion" of same-sex relationships and would ban Pride parades.

Russia - Putin describes transgender rights as ‘crime against humanity.’ President Putin made the comment in a speech he delivered in Sochi, a resort city on the Black Sea where the 2014 Winter Olympics took place.

Media Matters

Facebook rebranding under corporate parent company: Meta. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the change on October 28th, saying he wanted a new brand and a clearer corporate naming scheme. The change won't affect the name of the Facebook app or other properties, just the corporate umbrella.

Jamie Lee Curtis’s daughter, Ruby, comes out as trans. Curtis described Ruby’s coming-out process as a learning experience for her. "I'm a grateful student," Curtis said in an interview. "I'm learning so much from Ruby. The conversation is ongoing."

Top-level pro soccer player Josh Cavallo comes out as gay, encouraging others they're 'not alone'. The 21-year-old athlete recounted his coming-out story, saying "I have been fighting my sexuality for six years now and I am glad I can put that to rest.” 

Campus Pride releases list of "worst, most unsafe" colleges for LGBTQ+ students. The list of about 180 of the "absolute worst, most unsafe college campuses for LGBTQ students in the United States'' was released October 25th. The current list is an update from 2016 and has 50 new schools and universities listed.

Chicago celebrates 2021's LGBTQ+ Hall of Fame inductees. For 30 years, the LGBTQ Hall of Fame has honored people and organizations that have made an impact on Chicago. This year's virtual celebration helps replace the 2021 COVID-cancelled Pride Parade festivities.

Activists demand ICE release transgender, HIV-positive detainees. Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, Immigration Equality, and the End Trans Detention campaign organized a protest outside ICE’s D.C. headquarters on the October 27th. The activists also held a tribute to three trans women who died in ICE custody or immediately following their release.

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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