Support for those affected by the Los Angeles County Wildfires

Our hearts go out to all those affected by the devastating wildfires in LA County. The LA County Fire Department, FEMA, the Red Cross, and NBC4 Los Angeles have compiled resources for those affected. Please stay safe and follow all emergency orders, including evacuation orders.

Take Action

Tell your Reps and Senators to vote NO on the anti-trans athlete ban! Congress is back in session, and as one of their first orders of business, they are bullying trans kids. Next week, Congress will vote on H.R. 28, a federal anti-trans athlete ban. We need everyone to call and write their Representatives and Senators NOW and tell them to vote NO. 

Have you signed up to receive Action Alerts from PFLAG National? In the immediate future, more and more work will be done in rapid-response mode, and we hope to have every one of our members and supporters engaged.

State Matters

Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. You can share news from your state with advocacy@pflag.org for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

California - Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center rebranding. Resource Center CEO Rosa Diaz announced the Center will be renamed the Donnelly Community Services Center. 

Idaho - State House committee advances two anti-LGBTQ+ proposals. The House State Affairs Committee voted to move forward with consideration of two proposals: a memorial (essentially a legislative petition) urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges; and a concurrent resolution commending the Boise State women’s volleyball team for forfeiting its matches against San Jose State for allegedly having a trans player on their team. 

New York - Governor Hochul vetoes money-sharing app protection bill. State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who is openly gay, introduced the Financial App Security Act, which would require mobile banking platforms such as CashApp, Venmo, and Zelle to require users to enter a personal identification number (PIN) under certain circumstances. The bill was introduced after two gay men were drugged and robbed using facial recognition to access their money-sharing apps. The bill passed unanimously, but the Governor vetoed it, citing requirements in the bill which conflict with banking regulations.

Texas - Attorney General Ken Paxton sues NCAA. Attorney General Paxton’s suit, filed in state district court in Lubbock, accuses the NCAA of misleading fans by allowing trans women to participate in women’s sports. 

Court Matters

Pentagon settles lawsuit with 35,000 other than Honorably discharged gay and lesbian veterans. The settlement, which awaits approval from a federal judge, applies to veterans who were denied honorable discharges due to their sexual orientation. The DOD completed processing all such discharges in December, permitting applying for VA benefits.

Federal judge strikes down Biden administration’s Title IX rule. The U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky rejected the Title IX rule the Biden administration finalized last spring to protect student survivors, LGBTQI+ students, and pregnant and parenting students against harassment and discrimination. The National Women’s Law Center released a statement on the decision saying the Court disregarded students who are most vulnerable to discrimination and are in the most need for federal protections under the Title IX rule.

Federal Matters

Former President Jimmy Carter dies at 100. President Biden called President Carter an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and declared a National Day of Mourning on Jan. 9th. President Carter held the first ever White House meeting with gay rights leaders in 1977. 

Federal anti-trans athlete ban introduced. Rep. Greg Steube (FL-17) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced H.R. 28, which would amend Title IX of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to ban trans women from women’s sports. 

President Biden signs NDAA with anti-trans provision into law. The President signed on Dec. 23rd the NDAA, which funds the Defense Department and bans medically necessary care for trans and nonbinary children of servicemembers. This is the first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law in 30 years, when the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was signed. 

Sarah McBride sworn in as first openly trans member of Congress. Rep. McBride became Delaware’s House Representative on January 3rd. 

President Biden awards Presidential Citizens Medal to LGBTQ+ advocates. Evan Wolfson, who founded Freedom to Marry, and Mary Bonauto, senior director of civil rights and legal strategies at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD Law), both received the Citizens Medal for their work on marriage equality.

Speaker Johnson maintains House anti-trans bathroom ban. The Speaker renewed a policy which segregates bathrooms and other single-sex facilities on the House side of the U.S. Capitol by sex assigned at birth. 

Congressman Mark Takano named Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. Rep. Takano (CA-39), who is openly gay, vowed to “lead our coalition of openly LGBTQI+ members and our allies in the fight to both defend the queer community and push equality forward, including by reintroducing the Equality Act.”

Global Matters

Canada - Prime Minister Trudeau announces resignation as Liberal Party leader. This means that Trudeau, who has been Prime Minister since 2015, will not continue in his role. Trudeau was the first Canadian Prime Minister to march in a Pride parade and presided over Canada banning so-called conversion therapy in 2022. 

Liechtenstein - Marriage equality law takes effect. The law passed in May, extending marriage rights to same-sex couples. Liechtenstein is the last primarily German-speaking country to legalize same-sex marriage. 

Russia - Man arrested for allegedly running gay travel agency dies in custody. Adrei Kotov was arrested after being accused of running a travel agency for gay clients amid a crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in Russia. Kotov was found dead in his cell on December 29th. 

United Kingdom - Former airman receives official apology for dismissal. Mark Shephard was asked to leave the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1999 due to his sexuality. He received an official apology for his dismissal from Member of Parliament (MP) Gideon Amos in December.

PFLAG National
(202) 467-8180 | love@pflag.org

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