Take Action

Join us for Learning With Love: The 2023 PFLAG National Convention! We’ll be in Washington, DC October 19-22 for learning, networking and—most important—issuing a rallying cry to our legislators through PFLAG National Lobby Day. This day of direct advocacy on Thursday, October 19th will give you an opportunity to learn how to harness the power of your personal story to soften hearts, change minds, and create lasting legislative change - and we need your participation most of all.

Your representative’s support is CRUCIAL to getting pro-equality bills passed. Without constituent voices like yours, we won’t be able to share our stories and advocate for our families with your representative and their colleagues.

Worried that you don’t have the advocacy experience to be effective on Lobby Day? We’ll train you, get your meetings scheduled, get you to Capitol Hill, and have a full day of activities planned—including legislative meetings in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to talk about the issues that are most important for you and your family. 

Register today for Learning With Love: The 2023 PFLAG National Convention and you’ll start the process of getting signed up to speak with legislators. Plus, you’ll get Early Bird registration rates if you sign up before Labor Day—and if you’re a member of PFLAG National, your discount is even bigger! Early Bird rates end on Labor Day, so time is of the essence to get the best rate possible.

Court Matters

LGBTQ+ advocates sue to block Texas’ drag ban. On August 4th, the ACLU of Texas filed two federal lawsuits to block Senate Bill 12, a new law that would severely limit where drag could be performed by labeling drag as a “sexually oriented performance.” One lawsuit argues the bill's language is too broad and violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments, while the second seeks a temporary injunction before the law takes effect on September 1st.

LGBTQ+ veterans file civil rights suit against Pentagon over discriminatory discharges. On August 8th, five LGBTQ+ veterans filed a class action suit against the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeking to address the U.S. Department of Defense's failure to grant honorable discharges to service members who were fired before the overturn of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in 2011.

Federal Matters

President Biden appoints first openly LGBTQ+ director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, an expert in HIV and STIs, will take over as director of the National Institute of Allergy (NIAD) and Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health in the fall, replacing Dr. Anthony Fauci.

USAID releases LGBTQI+ inclusive development policy. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has released its first-ever development policy that includes LGBTQI+ inclusive policies for development programs abroad, aiming to bring more LGBTQ+ individuals to the agency’s work overseas.

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.

School districts across the nation are using virtual learning as form of punishment. Many school districts are punishing students with disabilities or who allegedly misbehave by sending them home for virtual learning, denying students due process of a hearing despite the expulsion (disallowed from appearing on campus), resulting in inadequate learning environments and resources, and leading to inferior or poor academic performance.

Florida - School district releases memo on pronouns and bathroom policies. A memo released by Orange County Public Schools will not require employees and contractors to use students’ preferred pronouns and will not ask students to identify their used pronouns. Also, due to HB 1521, transgender and nonbinary students will be told to use a bathroom corresponding to their sex assigned at birth in the upcoming school year.

State Department of Education reverses decision to ban AP Psychology classes. The Florida Department of Education and College Board have resolved to allow districts to offer AP Psychology, despite current legislation in Florida that prohibits teaching sexual orientation and gender identity within public schools.

Ohio - Residents vote against State Issue 1. On August 8th, Ohio voters rejected Issue 1, a proposal that would have made it harder to amend the state constitution. Issue 1 was widely seen as an effort to make a November referendum to enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution more difficult to pass.

Oklahoma - Governor Kevin Stitt signs Executive Order defining the words “male” and “female”. Gov. Stitt signed an executive order requiring state agencies to define “male” and “female” based on biological sex. Independent Women’s Voice supported the order along with Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who opposes allowing transgender athletes to compete in sports. 

Global Matters

Iraq - Government bans the term 'homosexuality’ and ‘gender’ for all media and social media companies in the country. Iraq’s media regulator has banned the use of the term “homosexuality” and replaced it with “sexual deviance”. Moreover, the use of the word “gender” has been prohibited across licensed media outlets and internet companies.

Vatican City - Pope Francis restates Catholic Church is for everyone, including LGBTQ+ people. During an interview after attending World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Pope Francis was asked about the LGBTQ+ exclusion in the Roman Catholic Church and how it relates to his message of “todos,” meaning “all.” He responded by explaining that while the church has laws, it is still a place for everyone.

Media Matters

The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its support for gender-affirming care. The American Academy of Pediatrics' board of directors voted unanimously in support of gender-affirming care and pledged to provide additional resources for pediatricians who provide such care.

Red Cross implements FDA policy that allows for more gay and bisexual men to donate blood. The Red Cross announced that it will now use a risk-based approach to determine eligibility for blood donation, following guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning that men in monogamous sexual relationships with other men are now eligible to donate blood.

Red Cross implements FDA policy that allows for more gay and bisexual men to donate blood. The Red Cross announced that it will now use a risk-based approach to determine eligibility for blood donation, following guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning that men in monogamous sexual relationships with other men are now eligible to donate blood.

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

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