Protecting LGBTQ+ families
They say history repeats itself. We’re watching the idiom come true in real-time. 50 years ago, Anita Bryant led the “Save Our Children” campaign in Florida, spewing dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Now, from school boards to state houses, we’re seeing the same fear-mongering narratives resurface. This spring, the Florida Department of Education voted to expand the state’s now infamous “Don’t Say Gay and Trans” legislation to grades K-12, and the Florida legislature followed by passing a bill extending the law to eighth grade. The legislative session has been so harmful to LGBTQ+ families that our friends at Equality Florida have issued a travel advisory for any LGBTQ+ person considering stepping foot in the state.
And, it’s not just Florida. During this session, 45 similar “Don’t Say Gay and Trans” bills have been filed in more than a dozen states throughout the country.
Here’s the good news: 91% of the anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced last year failed because of the hard work of organizations like us and advocates like you. We’re determined to defeat 91%—or more—of this year’s too. That’s why we’re working hard to support state leaders in trying to defeat these bills by pointing out the harmful impact they have on students with LGBTQ+ parents, LGBTQ+ families, and non-LGBTQ+ students alike. In fact, we’re suing the state of Florida for the freedoms of LGBTQ+ youth and families.
Building Connection & Telling Our Story
At times like this, it’s more important than ever to harness the power of community-building and storytelling.
Night at the Pier
This May, we welcomed more than 750 outspoken advocates to our annual spring gala, where we celebrated LGBTQ+ family stories and raised one million dollars for LGBTQ+ families.
LGBTQ Families Day
On June 1, we kicked off Pride month with the 18th annual LGBTQ+ Families Day, a time to celebrate all the different ways our families show up in the world. All day long, we shared LGBTQ+ family stories on social media, and we rallied 100 supporters to join us in this work!
Love, Lawyers, and the Government
“Where do babies come from?” is an even more complicated question for LGBTQ+ families, who face steep legal, financial, medical, and social barriers to finding and forming family. Our short film humorously highlights the hoops our families must jump through to show the world that it shouldn’t have to be like this.
The Road Ahead
With half of the year behind us, we’re setting our sights on what’s ahead: Fiercely protecting our families through policy work, storytelling, and building resilience in the community. But we need your help.
The dangerous policies and rhetoric coming from our elected officials has trickled down: School boards and political pundits are crafting harmful narratives about who our families are, LGBTQ+ centers have been vandalized, Pride parades are being targeted, and doctors providing gender-affirming care have been threatened. We’re fighting a well-funded anti-LGBTQ+ machine the likes of which we haven’t seen in years — and the only way we’re going to change the tide in the year ahead is if we all work together.