The Biden administration has been actively working to protect LGBTQ Americans across the county and around the world. Meanwhile, 33 states have introduced anti-transgender pieces of legislation. We are also awaiting a decision on the Fulton v Philadelphia case, as the Supreme Court will decide whether or not an organization can be both funded by our government and actively discriminate against LGBTQ people. The results of this case have the potential to chip away at marriage equality rights, LGBTQ employment protection, as well as legal protections for women, communities of color, people of all faiths, and more.
The state of rights and protections for LGBTQ people across this country is a tattered patchwork that can shift dramatically depending on the city, county, or state that you live in or visit. A part of the strategy to ensure legal protections for all LGBTQ people is working towards the passage of the Equality Act. The legislation, which has already passed the House of Representatives, will update the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ensure that LGBTQ people are expressly protected, and it will fill in gaps to ensure that all people are protected from discrimination in public accommodations settings like restaurants and stores.
Shifting legislation is just one of the ways our movement works to ensure a better-lived experience for our community. If we can pass the Equality Act it would mark the single greatest legislative victory for our community, but the positive impacts don’t simply end at the LGBTQ community. The legislation will also help protect people of color, people of faith, immigrants, and women.
Join us today alongside our partners at the National LGBTQ Task Force, The NEAT, LULAC, NALEO, United We Dream, TransLatina Coalition, Latino Equality Alliance, Hispanic Federation, and UnidosUS as we discuss why the Equality Act is so vital for the LGBTQ Latinx community. We are also taking a leading role on upcoming forums with our national coalition partners on the Equality Act as it impacts trans and gender-nonconforming folks and the Asian Pacific Islander Community in the coming weeks. We encourage you to join in and learn about how you can play a role in making the Equality Act a reality.
Our LGBTQ movement has made impressive gains with this new administration. It’s not just about changing the law, it’s about changing our lived experience for the better. Our recent victories must not leave us complacent. We must instead use each success as an opportunity to lift each other up and weave our intersectional social justice movements more tightly together. This is how, through the continuum of our intergenerational movement towards liberation, we remain Resilient.
With Pride,
Fernando Zweifach López
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Executive Director
San Diego Pride
Fernando Lopez is the Executive Director of San Diego Pride. Lopez’s years of LGBT advocacy, nonprofit management, public education, diversity consulting, media relations, guest lectures, and organizing have made them a consistent presence ensuring the struggles of the LGBT community are ever visible.
