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NEW YORK, NEW YORK USA - January 14, 2025: Protesters gathered outside the Stonewall Inn after references to "trans" and "queer" people were removed from government websites in Lower Manhattan.
It is not the time to throw any marginalized people overboard, the groups say.
LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations are putting Democratic leaders on notice: there is no room for retreat when it comes to defending equality.
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In a letter sent Monday, a coalition of major advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, PFLAG, and Advocates for Transgender Equality, urged the Democratic National Committee to hold firm on support for LGBTQ+ rights. The call to action comes as some prominent Democrats have begun softening their stance on transgender rights in response to Republican attacks.
“With increasing frequency and intensity, the LGBTQ+ community is being targeted substantively as well as rhetorically, in campaigns, state legislatures, Congress, and from every corner of the Trump administration,” the letter states. “Elected Democratic officials have pushed back, voted no, exercised their veto authority, and stood up as champions for LGBTQ+ people, and particularly for the transgender community. We recognize and appreciate those efforts. But the party’s leaders simply must do more.”
Related: Donald Trump has begun eroding federal LGBTQ+ protections through executive orders
The warning follows recent controversial remarks from Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, both longtime LGBTQ+ allies who appeared to align with right-wing rhetoric on trans inclusion in sports. Newsom sparked outrage last week when, on the debut episode of his podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, he agreed with far-right commentator Charlie Kirk that trans women competing in sports is “deeply unfair.”
In a post-election interview with The New York Times, days after Vice President Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump, Moulton said, “I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.” He later toldThe Advocate that he continues to support the LGBTQ+ community.
Related: Gov. Gavin Newsom faces backlash over comments he made about transgender student athletes
These remarks have alarmed LGBTQ+ advocates, who see them as part of a growing effort within the Democratic Party to compromise on transgender rights.
“Since the election, a small but vocal number of Democratic officials seem to have wavered on their conviction that LGBTQ+ people deserve the equal protection of the laws,” the letter states. “Some have suggested a strategy of appeasement: that compromising with a little bit of discrimination against a particularly misunderstood and powerless segment of our community could satisfy anti-equality opponents.”
The letter makes clear that Democrats cannot afford to give an inch, especially as Trump has begun enacting sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
Related: Donald Trump’s government declares that transgender and nonbinary people don’t exist
We have fought these same opponents for decades, in state houses, in Congress, and at the ballot box, and we can say unequivocally that this strategy will not work,” the authors wrote.
In January, on his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order erasing federal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people. The order—“Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”—mandates that all federal agencies define sex strictly as male or female, based on birth-assigned characteristics.
The directive eliminates federal anti-discrimination protections for trans people, forces trans women in prisons and shelters to be housed with men, and rescinds federal funding for gender-affirming health care.
Related: Democrat Seth Moulton defends comments on trans athletes amid backlash (exclusive)
“Make no mistake: the current assaults on LGBTQ+ rights are not isolated incidents but rather a calculated strategy to undermine the broader fabric of civil rights protections in America,” the letter warns. “Our opponents are using the LGBTQ+ community as an entry point to roll back decades of hard-won progress—not just for us, but eventually for all marginalized communities.”
The letter also calls out the architects of Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for dismantling LGBTQ+ rights. “The architects of Project 2025 are the same folks who still oppose marriage equality, who believe that same-sex relationships should be criminalized, who believe that we should be able to be fired from our jobs, evicted from our homes, and denied services in our communities,” it states.
With Democrats under pressure to respond to Republican attacks, advocacy leaders argue that the only viable path forward is to fight back—not retreat.
“The future of the Democratic Party must be one that believes in the civil rights and freedoms of all,” the letter states. “The American people are looking for leaders who will hold strong to their values, push back on naked hatred and discrimination, and refuse to abandon any one group for political purposes.”
The letter closes with a clear message for Democratic leaders: LGBTQ+ Americans and their allies will not stand by as their rights are bartered away.
“In this moment of crisis for American democracy we call on the Democratic Party to continue to stand for us. When you fight for us, we will fight with you.”
