Take Action

Join us on Friday, June 30th—in person in Philadelphia, PA or virtually—to speak out against censorship, to protect the freedom to learn, and to counter hate.

From Thursday, June 29th-Sunday, July 2nd, Moms for Liberty will gather for their summit in Philadelphia. A large coalition of organizations and individuals—including PFLAG National—will join together for events and actions, including a press conference and rally on Friday June 30th in support of the freedom to learn and in opposition to censorship and book banning by right-wing and anti-education groups. Register now at: pflagnation.al/M4LRally, and please keep an eye on your inbox later today for full details to join us!

Feel free to reach out to Shaun Connors at 202-558-3839 or sconnors@pflag.org for more information.

Court Matters

Federal Judge rules Arkansas ban on medically necessary care for trans youth unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jay Moody struck down Arkansas’ ban on medically necessary care for trans youth as unconstitutional on June 20th. In his ruling, Moody found that the law violated the due process and equal protection rights of transgender youth and their families as well as the First Amendment rights of medical providers. This is the first ruling to completely overturn an anti-trans healthcare ban in Federal Court.

Federal appeals court rules religious employers can discriminate. The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in Braidwood Mgmt., Inc. v. EEOC that Texas-based health-care provider Braidwood Management Inc. and Bear Creek Bible Church can institute codes of conduct for their employees which may exclude LGBTQ+ people from working for them. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidance regarding LGBTQ+ employment protections were found to violate the religious liberty of these employers.

Federal Matters

Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearing, including PFLAG family member. On June 21st, 16-year-old PFLAG kid Harleigh Walker testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing about “Protecting Pride: Defending the Civil Rights of LGBTQ+ Americans.” Harleigh was joined by her proud PFLAG dad. 

Equality Act reintroduced. The bill has been introduced in both chambers of Congress. In the House, Representative Mark Takano (D-CA) is the primary bill sponsor while Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are the primary Senate sponsors. PFLAG National enthusiastically endorses this bill, as it has every time it has been introduced. 

State Matters

Warning: While some of the following stories describe legislative actions to celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, many cover legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans and non-binary youth. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. 

Advisory: State news is representative but not exhaustive due to space constraint; feel free to forward news about your state to advocacy@pflag.org to consider for inclusion.

California - Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes rise. Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a “State of Pride Report” on June 20th which found that hate crime events motivated by sexual orientation have increased by 29% since 2021.

Florida - Board of Osteopathic Medicine approves emergency rule allowing transgender community to continue receiving medically necessary care. Physicians will be able to renew orders for puberty blockers and hormone therapy, so long as no changes are made to the prescriptions, while the Board considers other regulations to comply with the ban on medically necessary care for the trans community, which was signed into law in May.

Michigan - State House passes LGBTQ+ hate crimes bill, moves to Senate. The bill passed the House by a vote of 59-50 on June 20th and, should it pass the Senate and be signed into law, would prohibit intimidation, harassment, threats or harm based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or age.   

North Carolina - State Legislature considers slate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Bans on medically necessary care for trans youth and anti-trans athlete bans are moving quickly through the legislature. 

Tennessee - Vanderbilt University Medical Center gives medical records of trans patients to Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General is conducting an investigation into potential medical billing fraud and requested records from Vanderbilt related to "billing for transgender care services provided to individuals enrolled in State-sponsored insurance plans." The state's investigation is focused on the facility and certain providers, not patients. Legal organizations are actively pursuing response options for Tennesseans. Stay tuned.

Kansas man charged for making threats against Nashville Pride Festival. Josh Hensley is being charged with two counts of transmitting an interstate threat against Nashville Pride. Nashville Pride Festival & Parade will be held as scheduled from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 24th and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 25th.

Global Matters

Estonia - Parliament approves same-sex marriage bill. Estonia will be the first former Soviet republic to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill will go into effect on January 1st. 

Poland - U.S. ambassador marches in Warsaw Pride Parade. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski said “America embraces equality” as he marched in the parade on June 17th. 

Sweden - Deputy Mayor of Stockholm participates in drag queen story hour. Jan Jönsson dressed in drag and read at a library to speak out against “populism and intolerance.” Drag Queen Story Hour events at Stockholm public libraries have been targeted by far-right protestors.

Media Matters

We are #PFLAGProud that our families were included broadly in a variety of media outlets throughout Pride month. In case you missed them, here are some highlights:

• PFLAG family featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, plus longer segment on ABC’s online platforms. PFLAG family Mindy and Lily Freeman were featured this week on Good Morning America, highlighting the importance of PFLAG and loving, affirming, and supporting your LGBTQ+ child.
• PFLAG Dad, Sam Castro, and son Enrique, appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Sam Castro became the first bartender on the show to make Andy Cohen cry! 
• PFLAG mom—and PFLAG National Board Member—Liz Castro and her son Enrique (yes, the same Castros!) were featured in both the online and print editions of People Magazine’s Pride issue.
• PFLAG family featured on CBS News Sunday Morning. A wonderful piece featuring our PFLAG families. 
• PFLAG SGV API chapter featured in ABC News piece on PFLAG’s 50th anniversary.

New York Magazine Publishes the Transgender Family Handbook. The handbook features 144 suggestions from trans youth and their loved ones that parents may find helpful.

Gallup poll finds majority feel they live in a good place for gay and lesbian people. 52% of respondents from 123 countries say their city or area is a "good place" for gay or lesbian people to live. This is the first time more than 50% have felt this way since Gallup began polling this question in 2006. 

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

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