LGBTQ+ Lawmaker Pleads with GOP to Acknowledge Their Existence

LGBTQ lawmakers across the US are feeling under personal attack as anti-gay and anti-transgender legislation is flourishing, with over 200 such lawmakers feeling the need to continually defend their community's right to exist. The ACLU is tracking nearly 470 anti-LGBTQ bills in 16 states, most with Republican-controlled Legislatures. Florida has passed a flurry of anti-LGBTQ legislation, including a bill to ban class discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBTQ lawmakers are encountering opposition, misunderstanding, and even hate among their Republican colleagues, with statehouse debates about LGBTQ rights increasingly descending into personal attacks.