Headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC (Photo by Adam Fagen on Flickr)
The Human Rights Campaign kicked off its celebration of Pride Month with a video message encouraging activism for the LGBTQ+ community amid the crisis the group is facing around the world.
“Far-right lawmakers across the country have waged war on our transgender community in a highly coordinated, well-funded attack rooted in misinformation,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement following the video. “That has led to the introduction of over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ state bills this past legislative season alone.”
The HRC is imploring corporate America to reject anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and stand strong in its commitment and support of the LGBTQ+ community.
The campaign has already denounced Target’s fairweather allyship after the company pulled Pride merchandise from their shelves following conservative backlash and suspended Anheuser-Busch’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) due to their similar response to consumers boycotting Bud Light after sponsoring transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
According to the HRC, more than 220 of the over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced this legislative session would “specifically restrict the rights of transgender people, the highest number of bills targeting transgender people in a single year to date.”
The HRC stated that it is currently tracking more than 125 gender-affirming care bans, over 30 anti-transgender bathroom bills filed, more than 100 anti-LGBTQ+ curriculum censorship bills, and 45 anti-LGBTQ+ drag performance ban bills.
“This is a moment of crisis for our community and our country. But with crisis always comes reckoning,” Robinson said. “And with reckoning comes the opportunity for bold and transformative change. Together, we will get to a world where we are free and liberated—without exception.”
