Find the narrative to defend pride for LGBTQ+ individuals

Issue 72 • Week of June 4, 2023

June is supposed to be a celebration of Pride as acceptance continues to build with 8 in 10 Americans now supporting laws that would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for the 7% of the population who identify as LGBTQ+.

Yet over 500 bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year that go the opposite direction, prompting the Human Rights Campaign to call the first emergency in its 40 year history for the LGBTQ+ community on Tuesday. The overriding aim of these measures according to the Movement Advancement Project is to "erase LGBTQ people from schools and public life" because [chauvinists] "want LGBTQ youth to be treated like they don't exist, and those who disagree will be fired, fined, or even imprisoned."

Rabble-rousers have been increasingly manufacturing a cultural crisis to test out a variety of discriminatory bills every session to see what ellicits tangible division to rile up constituents. Legislators often use similar language across state lines in a coordinated effort to prevent a long repressed demographic from feeling safe and accepted.

Over 75 of the proposed acts have already become law, encouraging demagogues to persist as party polarization continues to rise since the 1950s even though two thirds of likely voters believe there is "too much legislation ... limiting the rights of transgender and gay people in America."

Bullying and book bans have already been covered as surmountable issues that remain in the headlines for LGBTQ+ individuals, but they are not the only obstacles keeping us from a more perfect nation for everyone regardless of orientation or identity. Restrictions for schools, health care, and civil rights are the most likely to be enacted in 2023.

How can we truly bring about equality for all?