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.
At the corner of 17th Street and Rhode Island Avenue in downtown Washington, the headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign is a beacon. As the largest LGBTQ-advocacy organization in the country, with its shining equality logo near the roof, its similarly styled flag flying above, there's hardly another building in D.C. that so clearly announces its presence as a safe space.
If this mid-century office tower might be considered a factory, its assembly-line workers are churning out legislative action, policy pushes, community advocacy and all the other products one would associate with an iconic human-rights organization. These products, however, aren't merely domestic. HRC also does a thriving export business.
"I have followed Kamala Harris since she was my U.S. senator," the music legend said in a video posted to social media last weekend. "She fought for me then, and she is fighting for all of us now. That's why I'm proudly voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."
She added, "I know they will fight to protect our rights, and I'm so grateful to be able to make my voice count this year. I hope you will too."
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