USA: largest LGBTQ entity criticizes advance of conservative legislation

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy organization in the United States, has declared its first national state of emergency, citing the proliferation of legislation in state legislatures across the country that seeks to regulate the lives of queer people. The HRC said more than 70 bills the group considers anti-LGBTQ passed state legislatures in this legislative session alone, double the previous record from last year. About 525 bills have been introduced, virtually all by Republicans, including more than 220 that target transgender people, HRC said. The number of such proposed bills has steadily increased in recent years, rising from 115 in 2015, HRC said. As a result, more families with LGBTQ members have been threatened, with some choosing to move to safer places, the organization said, citing survey data and parent stories. HRC cited the Know Before You Go guide to educate LGBTQ people before traveling about the state’s growing laws. The organization’s president, Kelley Robinson, ranked Florida, Tennessee and Texas as the most hostile states, saying Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had used “his position as a weapon”. “These laws are fueled by an anti-LGBTQ+ Republican establishment – and well-funded and coordinated extremist groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, Heritage Foundation and the Family Policy Alliance – insist on trying to control our families and lives,” Kelley Robinson said in a statement. communicated. *Reproduction of this content is prohibited

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