Kelley’s Weekly Message: July 2024

Dear friends,

I hope you had a chance to rest and recharge over the holiday season. While we took a brief break, our work for equality never stops. The past two weeks since July 4 have been a whirlwind of activity and challenges, reflecting the urgency of our mission.

We wrapped up a record-breaking Pride month, participating in 133 events across 38 states. This expansive presence allowed us to connect with and inspire countless people, resulting in the recruitment and renewal of 14,600 members. Each new member strengthens our collective voice in the fight for equality.

One of the highlights of the event was the launch of our first-ever large-scale Pride floats in New York City and San Francisco. These were not just parades, but mobile platforms for education and advocacy, visual representations of the strength, diversity and resilience of our community. Their impact sent a clear signal: we are here, we are proud and we are not going away.

Our momentum continued with high-level engagements with corporate partners. We held numerous meetings, fireside chats, and conferences with industry leaders such as Apple, Nationwide, Morgan Stanley, and Marriott. These interactions go beyond visibility; they represent opportunities to influence corporate policy, foster truly inclusive workplaces, and leverage the power of the private sector in our fight for equality.

We faced a significant challenge when the Biden-Harris administration issued a statement on health care for transgender youth that contradicted established medical consensus. Working quickly in partnership and coalition, we pushed back strongly against this announcement.

Our persistence paid off when the White House reaffirmed his promise We oppose and fight any ban on health care for transgender people. This victory reinforces the principle that health care decisions should always be in the hands of patients, families, and providers. However, we must remain vigilant. In the legislation released this week, the U.S. Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act included numerous provisions aimed at restricting health care support for transgender service members and their families.

The bill would prevent the military from covering sex reassignment surgery for transgender troops, and transgender children of service members could also lose access to hormone therapy, puberty blockers and other medications.

Let’s be clear: Everyone deserves medically necessary, best-practice health care, without politicians standing in the way. That includes those who bravely serve their country and their families. These attempts to hijack the National Defense Authorization Act are outrageous and will cause real harm. The Senate should reject these provisions and ensure that those who serve their country receive the dignity and respect they deserve.

As we prepare for the 2024 election, we are preparing for the fights ahead. Our recent endorsement of Angela Alsobrooks, along with a fundraiser at HRC headquarters and a video recording, is just the beginning of our efforts to support candidates who champion LGBTQ+ rights and equality.

In the wake of the recent presidential debate, political chatter and chaos have resumed in earnest. But amid the hubbub, our mission remains clear: Our task in November is to defeat Donald Trump, period. The risks are simply too high to consider any other outcome.

The threat we face is not abstract. It has a name: Project 2025. This presidential transition plan, led by the far-right Heritage Foundation and supported by a coalition of 100 extremist partner organizations, represents a government-in-waiting that poses a real and visceral threat to our community and to the very foundations of our democracy.

Project 2025 is a 180-day blueprint of regulations, executive orders, and policy choices that could be signed and implemented by the next president upon taking office. It represents nothing less than a MAGA takeover of our government. If implemented, this effort would strip away rights and protections, entrench authoritarianism, and weaken the institutions that uphold American democracy and the rule of law.

The plan’s goals are frightening. It aims to:

• Fire federal employees who oppose or fail to sufficiently support right-wing policies
• End access to abortion and contraception
• Remove protections for LGBTQ+ people
• Remove LGBTQ-inclusive language from all federal agencies

CNN’s Abby Phillip gave a masterful lesson in dismantling Donald Trump’s lies about the 2025 project. Check it out when you get a chance.

Zora Neale Hurston once said, “There are years that ask questions and years that give answers.” My friends, this year demands answers. We are called to respond to the threats to our freedom, our rights, and our very existence. And we will respond.

Together, we will make clear that we demand a more just, more equitable and more fair future. We will not allow the progress we have worked so hard to achieve to be reversed. We will stand united against those who seek to divide us, to diminish us, to deprive us of our fundamental rights and our dignity.

In the months ahead, we will face challenges and opportunities. We will need to be vigilant, vocal, and courageous. We will need to reach out to allies, build coalitions, and make our case to those who may not yet understand the importance of our cause. We will need to vote, stand up for our interests, and never, ever, give up.

Thank you for your unwavering dedication to equality. Your passion and commitment drive our movement forward, and we are deeply grateful to have you by our side. In this pivotal year, let us rise to the challenge, answer the call, and shape a future that reflects our values ​​of equality, justice, and freedom for all.