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Fearless + Fighting Back: Lambda Legal’s plan to protect LGBTQ+ and HIV rights

Lambda Legal LGBT pride parade march
LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES via Shutterstock

The Lambda Legal group marching in the 2011 Gay Pride Parade on Fifth Avenue

"Fueled by the fearless spirit of our queer and trans pioneers who lived their truth well before the Stonewall riots, our champions against heartless AIDS bigotry, and our courageous grassroots leaders, we are fearless in the face of this new wave of hatred," writes Kevin Jennings and Jenny Pizer of Lambda Legal.

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It’s an understatement to say these are unprecedented times. We are witnessing a coordinated and targeted assault on LGBTQ+ rights unlike anything we have seen before—a systematic dismantling of existing legal protections and an attempt to enshrine discrimination into law. It’s a blast of hate targeted at the most vulnerable communities and we will not tolerate it. Make no mistake. Lambda Legal is here and we have your back. Today, we at Lambda Legal filed the first of three lawsuits we have announced against the Trump administration.

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This one seeks to overturn his efforts to restrict health care access for trans youth. In the days ahead, we will file a suit against his ban on military service by patriotic trans Americans and another one against his ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. And we promise you: there will be more. This is not just a rollback of progress; it is a direct threat to the safety and dignity of LGBTQ+ people, particularly, intersex people and transgender and nonbinary youth. The list of President Trump’s executive orders aggressively targeting LGBTQ+ rights is overwhelmingly long and dreadful, but let’s be clear: many of them are unlawful and unconstitutional and we plan to take on as many as we can.

In just the first few days of Trump 2.0, the President signed orders banning access to medical care for trans youth, limited protections against discrimination, dismantled federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, ejected transgender people from the military, eroded workplace and school inclusivity, and rolled back access to accurate government-issued documents such as passports for trans people– all of which constitute a broad and coordinated assault on equality.

We are not intimidated. We have fought similar battles for 52 years. Repeatedly, we have won and shown that justice can prevail through fierce advocacy for this community we love. From striking down state sodomy laws nationwide and winning the first HIV discrimination lawsuit, to achieving marriage equality and securing the first passport with an “X” gender marker, Lambda Legal has been at the forefront of advancing and protecting LGBTQ+ rights.

That was true during Trump 1.0 when we fought the administration with fourteen lawsuits, securing success in twelve. We are proud of that 86% win rate and even more prepared this time around. President Trump, we will see you in court.

Fueled by the fearless spirit of our queer and trans pioneers who lived their truth well before the Stonewall riots, our champions against heartless AIDS bigotry, and our courageous grassroots leaders, we are fearless in the face of this new wave of hatred. Sadly, we have seen this movie before. Rooted in this legacy and with ironclad commitment, Lambda Legal has launched Fearless + Fighting Back, our campaign to defend our community and provide its members with the analysis and guidance they need to stay informed and engaged.

The campaign is framed by our 4-Point Plan to block and defeat these attacks from the new administration and protect our communities while we continue to advance:

  1. Defend Our Rights: Drawing on our past legal wins, we will execute a policy and litigation strategy to defend the civil rights advances made during the past decades. We will not give up the ground we have gained. Our powerhouse team of more than 50 legal professionals is preparing multiple legal challenges to stop efforts to roll back our many victories, including the bans on medical care for transgender youth, DEI programs, and military service by people who are transgender.
  2. Build Pro-Equality Safe Zones: We will work with pro-equality state leaders to defend LGBTQ+ rights nationally by helping state governments challenge federal overreach, expand LGBTQ+ protections within their borders, provide refuge for LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV from hostile states, and continue to build models of sensible, affirming public policy.
  3. Leverage the Courts as a Last Line of Defense: With the executive and legislative branches of the federal government in anti-equality hands, the courts often will be our best hope for stopping a substantial rollback of our rights. Our victory is never guaranteed, but we are skilled and ready to wage our fights there to protect our hard-won rights.
  4. Educate America to Lay the Groundwork for the Future: We understand the scale of these attacks is overwhelming and confusing. Lambda Legal will use our best expertise to explain what these attacks mean and how we are going to counter them.

And while we address immediate threats, we will continue to build for long-term change. We will keep uplifting the true stories of LGBTQ+ people—particularly trans and nonbinary Americans—and everyone living with HIV to thwart the efforts to dehumanize our communities and steadily expand support for equality. This is not only about politics and ideology. It’s about people’s lives.

We are already in fierce litigation mode, shoulder to shoulder with tremendous allies who are likewise standing up for justice to ensure no one is left behind. We invite you to join us in this fight. We need you. Visit https://lambdalegal.org/fightingback/

Kevin Jennings is the CEO of Lambda Legal, and Jenny Pizer is the organization's chief legal officer.

Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.

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