National State of Emergency Declared for LGBTQ+ Community

What's the story?

• For the first time in its four-decade history, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has declared a national state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community due to a surge of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in 2023.
• The organization warned that people traveling through states with strict anti-LGBTQ laws should expect to encounter homophobia, transphobia, and even violence. The HRC's declaration, which coincides with the beginning of Pride Month, includes a guidebook for LGBTQ+ Americans with information on rights, a state-by-state list of anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and access to health and safety resources.
• The HRC also issued a travel advisory for the LGBTQ+ community in Florida due to six recently passed laws and policies by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation

• In May 2023, Gov. DeSantis signed the largest slate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Florida's history, which includes a ban on gender-affirming treatments for transgender children, restrictions on pronoun use in public schools, and a prohibition on transgender individuals using restrooms or changing rooms aligning with their gender identity in government buildings.
• This year, the ACLU has tracked a record-breaking 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced by U.S. state legislatures have introduced, double the amount from 2022. The bills include pronoun refusal laws, forced student outing laws, anti-drag bans, and "Don't Say Gay" laws.
• To stay up to date on anti-LGBTQ+ and trans legislation in the U.S., check out our LGBTQ+ Rights & Trans Bans Tracker. 

What are opponents saying?

• Naomi Goldberg, deputy director of thinktank Movement Advancement Project, said earlier in 2023:

"Individual policy issues like school censorship bills and bans on transgender youth playing sports have captured national attention, but seeing these as individual flash points misses the larger context of the fast, furious and coordinated attacks on LGBTQ people."

• President of Human Rights Campaign, Kelley Robinson, said: 

"LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency. The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived – they are real, tangible and dangerous. In many cases they are resulting in violence against LGBTQ+ people, forcing families to uproot their lives and flee their homes in search of safer states, and triggering a tidal wave of increased homophobia and transphobia that puts the safety of each and every one of us at risk."

Is declaring a state of emergency effective enough? Tell your reps what you think.

-Laura Woods 

(Photo credit: Unsplash)