Advocates for Trans Equality, the nation’s largest transgender-led advocacy organization (the result of a merging of the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund), recently released its first “Trans Equality Champions” report.
The report lists members of Congress who have co-sponsored six bills aimed at advancing the rights of transgender people and the LGBTQ community, as well as those who have cast votes against legislation or amendments to bills seeking to restrict transgender and LGBTQ rights.
Because Republicans control the House of Representatives, the number of anti-LGBTQ bills or provisions has significantly increased, especially as Republicans ramp up anti-transgender messaging and use Democrat support of trans rights as a wedge issue leading into November’s election.
The report stresses the harmful impact of anti-LGBTQ legislation on transgender individuals, and calls for the 119th Congress, which begins session on January 3, 2025, to pass the six bills it is prioritizing.
Those bills include the Equality Act, a sweeping nondiscrimination bill; the Do No Harm Act, which would ensure that “religious freedom” can not be used as a justification for anti-LGBTQ actions; the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act; the Safe Schools Improvement Act, an anti-bullying bill; a bill to classify conversion therapy as a form of fraud; and the Global Respect Act, which would impose sanctions on foreign persons responsible for violations of human rights committed against members of the LGBTQ community.
“The 118th Congress introduced over 100 bills aimed at restricting gender-affirming care, erod[ing] anti-discrimination protections, and revers[ing] pro-LGBTQI+ policies implemented by President Biden,” Caius Willingham, a senior policy advocate at Advocates for Trans Equality, said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to our Trans Equality Champions and allies for their unwavering support.”
Eleven U.S. senators and 123 House members were named “Trans Equality Champions.”
In the Senate:
Sen. Dick Blumenthal (D-Conn.)
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), who is retiring at the end of this term
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who is retiring after this term
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.)
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
In the House:
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.);
Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who is running for the U.S. Senate against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz
Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.)
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus
Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.)
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio)
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.)
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Carper
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.)
Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.)
Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.)
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.)
Rep. André Carson (D-Ind.)
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas)
Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.)
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.)
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.)
Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.)
Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.)
Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus
Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.)
Rep. Madeline Dean (D-Pa.)
Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.)
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.)
Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas)
Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), who is retiring at the end of this term
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.)
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas)
Rep. Valerie P. Foushee (D-N.C.)
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.)
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Independent Kyrsten Sinema
Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.)
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus
Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia (D-Texas)
Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.)
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn)
Rep. James A. Himes (D-Conn.)
Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.)
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.)
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.)
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)
Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.)
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.)
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who is retiring at the end of this term
Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), who is not retiring at the end of this term
Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.)
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who is not seeking re-election to the House
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.)
Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.)
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.)
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.)
Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.)
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.)
Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.)
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)
Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), who is retiring at the end of this term
Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.), who is retiring at the end of this term
Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.)
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus;
Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.)
Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.)
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus;
Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who is not seeking re-election to the House;
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.)
Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.)
Rep. Raul Ruiz. M.D. (D-Calif.)
Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.)
Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.)
Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.), who is retiring at the end of this term
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Laphonza Butler;
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.)
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.)
Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus
Rep. Melanie Ann Stansbury (D-N.M.)
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.)
Rep. Haley M. Stevens (D-Mich.)
Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.)
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)
Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio)
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.)
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)
Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii)
Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.)
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus
Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.)
Rep. David J. Trone (D-Md.), who is not seeking re-election to the House
Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.)
Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.)
Rep. Marc A. Veasey (D-Texas)
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), who is retiring at the end of this term
Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.)
Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.)
For more information about Advocates for Trans Equality and its initiatives, visit www.transequality.org.
Gay New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who is also seeking re-election to his Council seat, recently filed paperwork to run for New York's 12th Congressional District, currently represented by longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.
Nadler announced last month that he won't seek an eighteenth term, opening the door for a wave of younger Democrats to vie for the safely blue seat.
Although Bottcher, 46, has yet to officially announce his campaign, he shattered a state record within 24 hours of filing, raising $683,241.26 -- the largest first-day total ever for a single candidate in New York.
San Francisco has named Per Sia, one of the first performers to read at a Drag Queen Story Hour event, as the city's new Drag Laureate.
Appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie on October 29, the 44-year-old Per Sia is only the second person -- and the first transgender individual -- to hold the title.
D'Arcy Drollinger, owner of the Oasis nightclub, was San Francisco's first Drag Laureate. The position -- one of only two in the country, alongside West Hollywood's -- comes with a $35,000 annual stipend for a three-year term funded by the San Francisco Public Library, which also supports the city's Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate programs.
David Urban, a Republican strategist and CNN commentator who served as a senior advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, has written an op-ed accusing Democrats of fear-mongering for suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
In his USA Today op-ed, Urban accuses "hyperpartisan liberals" of trying to "sow fear and discontent" by suggesting that the Supreme Court could reverse its own precedent and strike down the 2015 ruling -- a move that would immediately reinstate same-sex marriage bans still on the books in 32 states.
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