As folks from all over the globe begin their annual Pride Month celebrations, the situation in the United States is less than encouraging for the LGBTQ+ community. National polls released this month show a significant drop in overall support for the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans. Unsurprisingly, Republicans are the source of most of these negative changes.
On the legal front, the challenges are also mounting. Executive orders, Supreme Court decisions and state-level legislation have dramatically shifted the legal landscape. Even here in Illinois our Republican legislators are constantly pushing their anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.
Some important legal shifts to be aware of:
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which oversees protections against workplace discrimination, is no longer prioritizing the LGBTQ+ community.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that state laws protecting minors from conversion therapy practices are unconstitutional and therefore void. Only Justice Ketangi Brown Jackson dissented, noting the potential harm to those, especially children, subjected to this type of treatment.
Beginning with plan year 2026, gender-affirming care was removed from the list of essential health benefits that most insurance plans are required to cover. Separately, the Office of Personnel Management announced it would no longer include gender-affirming care under Federal Employees Health Benefits.
In the face of these attacks we must stand strong in our support of LGBTQ+ rights. We must be visible, we must be vigilant, and we must be resilient.
Above all, we must continue to support each other in our search for love, happiness and equality.