Hi,

Republicans have declared war on LGBTQ+ communities across the United States.

Earlier this month, Tennessee’s Republican governor signed two shocking anti-LGBTQ bills into law. One banned drag performances on public property–such as during Pride events or on college campuses–and the other banned gender affirming care for trans people.1

Republicans are currently proposing similar bills in state houses across the country, including in Kentucky, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Carolina, Montana, and more. This is a serious escalation of long-standing right-wing attacks on LGBTQ+ people.

We must stand with trans people, drag performers, and all LGBTQ+ people against these right wing attacks. In his State of the Union address, President Biden called for the passage of the Equality Act “to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity."2 We agree with the President: Congress must stand up to Republicans’ hate campaign and pass the Equality Act.

Sign the petition: Stop Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ+ attacks - pass the Equality Act!

The Equality Act would enshrine anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people at the federal level in several key areas, including employment, housing, credit, education, and public spaces. While some states have already enacted these anti-discrimination laws, 29 states lack any such protections. The Equality Act passed the House in the 2020-21 session, and is supported in polls by 7 out of 10 Americans.3

These federal protections are desperately needed as Republicans intensify their state-level attacks on LGBTQ+ people. The Tennessee anti-drag bill is the first drag ban in the United States, but similar bills have been proposed in 32 other states, and more are on the way. The Tennessee ban on gender affirming care is already the 8th such bill to pass in the United States, with dozens more moving through state and local governments.4

Republicans promote these laws under the guise of protecting families. But as Human Rights Commission Legal Director Sarah Warbelow stated, “[None] of these laws are about protecting youth - they are about spreading dangerous misinformation against the transgender community; they are about doubling down on efforts to attack drag artists and transgender youth.”5

Most of the bills are written in an overly broad way, generally defining a drag performer as anyone performing while using dress, makeup and mannerisms associated with a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth. The laws could be applied to actual drag shows, or to performances of Shakespeare or Peter Pan. They could also be applied to trans musicians performing in a string quartet, or a trans author doing a book signing. The wide net is intentional: by targeting drag performances, Republicans want to intimidate trans and non-binary people out of public life.4

We cannot allow the right wing attack on LGBTQ+ people to continue. The Equality Act would ensure that LGBTQ+ people across the country are legally protected against discrimination, and would nullify Republican efforts to ban trans people, drag performers, and others from public spaces. Congress needs to take action before Republicans’ attacks escalate even further.

Add your name: Congress must pass the Equality Act NOW

Thanks for taking action,

Joey and the team at Demand Progress

Sources:

  1. PBS, “Tennessee governor signs drag show restrictions into law,” March 2, 2023.
  2. GLAAD, "President Biden Delivers LGBTQ-Inclusive State of the Union Address, Including a Call To Pass the Equality Act,” February 8, 2023.
  3. HRC, “NEW POLL: 7 In 10 Voters Support the Equality Act,” March 17, 2023.
  4. The Guardian, “The drag show bans sweeping the US are a chilling attack on free speech,” March 10, 2023.
  5. HRC, “Human Rights Campaign Slams Governor Lee for Signing Anti-Drag Bill and Gender Affirming Care Ban into Law; TN Becomes First State to Criminalize Drag,” March 2, 2023.

PAID FOR BY DEMAND PROGRESS (DemandProgress.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Facebook or Twitter.

You can unsubscribe from this list at any time.