Senate Democrats urged to reject anti-LGBTQ+ measures in funding bills by coalition (exclusive)

The Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, and 63 additional organizations have united to urge congressional leaders to stand against anti-LGBTQ+ provisions in budget bills, a move that echoes earlier efforts by Democrats to protect LGBTQ+ rights amid legislative processes.

The group issued a joint letter on Thursday, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats, demands a solid opposition to discriminatory riders in annual appropriations bills. These riders, supported by the House’s Republican anti-equality majority and Speaker Mike Johnson, are seen as a severe step back for LGBTQ+ rights.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, criticized these legislative actions in a statement.

“These appropriations bills are littered with an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ+ provisions intended to harm LGBTQ+ people,” Robinson said.

Related: Democrats Demand That Biden, Leaders Reject Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders in Any Funding Bill

Julie Sweet, deputy political director for the ACLU’s liberty division, highlighted the dire situation for LGBTQ+ individuals.

“Political extremists in statehouses around the nation are banning books, promoting discrimination, and banning the medical care many transgender people need to live,” she said in a statement.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Jeffries told The Advocate, “Extreme MAGA Republicans have repeatedly attacked the LGBTQ+ community in legislation that should be bipartisan. As Leader Jeffries has consistently articulated, House Democrats will continue to oppose extreme policy poison pill riders that Republicans are trying to jam down the throats of the American people.”

The Advocate reached out to Schumer’s office but did not receive a response.

Related: Pro-Equality Lawmakers Demand Removal of Anti-LGBTQ+ Sections From Defense Bill

Adding to the formidable alliance against the anti-LGBTQ+ provisions, several other prominent organizations have also signed the letter, demonstrating the wide-ranging support for LGBTQ+ rights. Among these are the National Women's Law Center, known for its advocacy on gender justice; The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged with promoting and protecting the rights of all persons in the United States; The Trevor Project, a leading organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ+ youth; Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people; and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, which works for transgender rights.

The letter to congressional leaders reflects earlier actions in November when a group of 163 Democratic members of Congress, led by the Congressional Equality Caucus, sent a letter to President Joe Biden and senior Democratic leaders. That letter, a passionate plea to uphold LGBTQ+ rights, vehemently opposed any anti-LGBTQ+ provisions in the fiscal year 2024 funding agreement, highlighting over 40 anti-equality provisions in the current House appropriations bills.

Among these were the gender-affirming care ban riders and so-called “license to discriminate” riders, which sought to create justifications for entities to discriminate under the guise of religious liberty, as well as riders barring the flying of Pride flags at specific facilities and obstructing the implementation of LGBTQ-inclusive executive orders.