Dear MoveOn member,
Experts labeled 2021 as "the worst year for anti-LGBTQ legislation in
recent history," and we're now seeing the results of those efforts, with
bills being passed into law that criminalize teachers for even mentioning
the existence of queer people, ban trans kids from playing sports in
school, and, most devastatingly, make it a crime for parents to support
their trans kids with gender-affirming health care.^1,2
One of the most insidious aspects to the neofascist culture war being
waged by the GOP has been a frantic push by lawmakers in states across the
country to pass legislation attacking the LGBTQ+ community, with a
particular focus on punishing trans youth. These are blatant attempts by
the GOP to demonize LGBTQ+ kids, their families and community, and, in
turn, rally the bigots in their base to turn out to vote in the midterm
elections. It's despicable.
Here's the kicker: Many of the country's largest corporations, all of whom
proudly claim to support the LGBTQ+ community, are also using their
corporate PACs to fund the politicians who are behind these atrocious
bills.^3
We have to do something about it.
Republican politicians have shown that they are willing to do whatever it
takes to keep corporate donations flowing, which means if we can get those
corporations to turn off the taps, we have a real shot at stopping
legislation like this and crippling its Republican sponsors' ability to
campaign for reelection. And unlike these shameless far-right politicians,
corporations care a lot about their public perception and will respond if
there is enough pressure.
MoveOn is ready to take up the fight, whether that means running ads
against these corporations, hosting events, flooding their headquarters
with calls, or something else—as well as working day in and day out to
defeat these GOP bigots at the ballot box this November. But we'll be able
to do it only with your help, John. Will you chip
in $5 a month to help fund this work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Some of the corporate PACs shelling out the most to these politicians are
connected to AT&T, Disney, UnitedHealthcare, UPS, and Walmart—all of whom
make a big effort to highlight their commitment to diversity, uplift their
support for their LGBTQ+ staff, and spend every June promoting Pride.^4 We
need to make sure that everyone across the country knows that these
corporations are trying to capitalize on false support for the queer
community while actively helping to harm queer and trans kids at the same
time.
And we need to make it crystal clear to Republican politicians that if
they continue to push these awful, bigoted bills, they will face
devastating consequences to their bank accounts and at the ballot box.
Because the unfortunate reality is that in many races—but particularly in
state and local races that receive less attention—money can be one of the
deciding factors in who wins or loses and cutting off their corporate cash
flow could have a significant impact on these GOP candidates' ability to
run ads, raise their name recognition, and turn out voters.
No one who has supported bills attacking LGBTQ+ people, trans kids, and
the people who love them deserves a seat in elected office. Not one. Will
you help us defeat them by chipping in $5 a month?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
MoveOn has experience doing this work, and we know that it can succeed.
After January 6, MoveOn joined with our allies to put intense public
pressure on corporations that donated to politicians who supported or
participated in the insurrection—including some of the same corporations
that are also donating to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians—and we succeeded in
getting many of these companies to publicly declare that they would cease
giving to anyone who voted against certifying the 2020 election results.
Similarly, over the last few months, MoveOn helped to lead the fight to
get AT&T to drop the far-right propaganda channel OAN from their DIRECTV
service, including running television ads during NFL games in the city
where AT&T is headquartered, and earlier this year it was revealed that
DIRECTV would not be renewing OAN's contract, effectively shuttering the
violently racist, antisemitic network.
We can do it again, but only with your help. Will you chip
in $5 a month?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–MoveOn's LGBTQ+ Staff
Sources:
1. "2021 Officially Becomes Worst Year in Recent History for LGBTQ State
Legislative Attacks as Unprecedented Number of States Enact
Record-Shattering Number of Anti-LGBTQ Measures Into Law," Human Rights
Campaign, May 7, 2021
[link removed]
2. "At least 7 states proposed anti-trans bills in first week of 2022,"
NBC News, January 7, 2022
[link removed]
3. "These 25 rainbow flag-waving corporations donated more than $10
million to anti-gay politicians in the last two years," Popular
Information, June 14, 2021
[link removed]
4. Ibid.
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump's preparations for being able
to steal the presidency in 2024 are well underway and include working to
replace top election officials in battleground states with his own
loyalists. Which is why MoveOn is doing something we've never done in our
23-year history: We're launching a powerful, multimillion-dollar effort to
defeat Trump-backed secretaries of state across the country and elect
individuals who will count every vote and ensure fair elections.
Will you chip in monthly to power our campaign to defeat Trump and protect
our elections in 2022?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
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