dialog on Pride
NOW – Where We Stand Today
At the time of writing this, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ2S+ Americans.
Across U.S. State Legislatures, nearly 417 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced just in the first quarter of 2023, which is two times the total number of the bills introduced in 2022. This includes anti-drag bans, laws restricting gender-affirming healthcare, pronoun-refusal laws, forcing the outing of students, and “don’t say gay'' education laws.
Meanwhile, in Uganda, new anti-LGBTQ+ legislation goes as far as to prescribe the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as sexual relations involving those with HIV, among other categories of vulnerable people. (Read the Full Article Here →) In a country where postcolonial law already criminalizes homosexuality—with punishment up to a life sentence in prison for same-sex relations—for being “against the order of nature,” maybe activists and leaders have come out to say that the new legislation is both disturbing and unnecessary.
In spite of this, the fight for LGBTQ2S+ rights continues—as HRC put it, “LGBTQ+ people nationwide will not be erased – not now, not ever.”