Equality for LGBTQ Communities

LGBTQ2+ people are entitled to equal rights, opportunities, and dignity. We fight against discriminatory policies on the local, state, and national levels, and we resist homophobia and transphobia in all of its forms. LGBTQ2+ rights can no longer be excluded from the human rights discussion.

Problem

LGBTQ2+ individuals and communities in the U.S. continue to face widespread violence, discrimination, marginalization, and lack of legal protections in key areas. In addition, trans rights are under continuous assault, LGBTQ2+ asylum-seekers are frequently detained in inhumane conditions, LGBTQ2+ youth experience homelessness at a 120% higher rate than straight and cisgender youth, and the homophobic practice of conversion “therapy” remains legal in legal in 30 states.

Our Plan

Advocate for LGBTQ2+ rights through community-led programs, as well as federal, state, and local policy initiatives. 

• Pass federal laws that will protect LGBTQ2+ people from discrimination in housing, healthcare, education, public accommodations, and other key areas, and overturn existing laws that undermine LGBTQ2+ protections.

  • Pressure Congress to pass the Equality Act to ensure there are explicit federal non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ2+ people.

  • End religion-based discrimination against LGBTQ2+ people by overturning religious refusal and exemption policies that grant agencies, organizations, and businesses license to discriminate.

  • Ban insurance exclusions to transgender healthcare.

• Protect LGBTQ2+ youth and make schools safer.

  • Ban conversion therapy across the country.

  • Overturn “No Pro Homo” state laws. Require that school districts include LGBTQ2+-affirming content across school curricula.

  • Push for enumerated state anti-bullying laws that specifically protect LGBTQ2+ students and include enforcement mechanisms.

  • Increase funding for programs that support LGBTQ2+ youth experiencing homelessness.

  • Ensure that policies around home care, foster care, and adoption are inclusive, non-discriminatory, and LGBTQ2+-competent. 

• Expand protections for LGBTQ2+ individuals, and address homophobia and transphobia within the criminal justice system.

  • Divest from police, and invest in community-driven safety initiatives to alleviate the impact of police violence on the LGBTQ2+ community.

  • Eliminate the “bias rage” or “panic defense” for criminal acts against LGBTQ2+ people.

  • Advocate for enumerated hate crime laws on the state level that specifically include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, and collect data specifically for these crimes.

  • Eliminate laws that criminalize behaviors with a low or negligible risk of HIV transmission.

• Grant asylum for and end the detention of LGBTQ2+ immigrants fleeing persecution due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

• Continue to fight for policy and community advocacy that protects trans rights and TGNCNB youth. 

This matters

For too long, LGBTQ2+ communities have been the targets of discriminatory and violent policies, practices, and attitudes in this country. It should not be considered “radical” to assert that LGBTQ2+ people (and all people) are entitled to basic human rights, dignity, equal rights, and equal opportunities. We need to fund community-driven initiatives that support the LGBTQ2+ community, and we need to pass legislation that protects the rights of all LGBTQ2+ people.