Human Rights Campaign Declares First-Ever 'National State of Emergency' for LGBTQ+ Community

Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, on Tuesday announced that it had "officially declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States for the first time" in history. The announcement, HRC said, comes amid "an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults sweeping state houses this year."

The organization also on Tuesday released a report detailing the more-than 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been signed into law in 2023 — double the number signed last year.

Across the nation, conservative state lawmakers are advancing — and passing — bills that take direct aim at the healthcare and pronouns used by members of the transgender community; measures that govern the way children and school staff can discuss LGBTQ+ topics (in some cases, banning discussion of them altogether); and laws that restrict drag performances.

HRC also released a guidebook for the LGBTQ+ community outlining a summary of state laws as well as health and safety resources for those traveling to or living in areas where the bills have been passed.

In a statement, the group's president, Kelley Robinson, said, “There is an imminent threat to the health and safety of millions of LGBTQ+ people and families, who are living every day in uncertainty and fear. Our number one priority will always be ensuring that LGBTQ+ people are safe and have the tools they need to defend and protect themselves against acts of hostility, discrimination and — in the most extreme cases — violence."

According to the HRC, more than 525 anti-LGBTQ+ measures were introduced in 41 states in recent months. Of those, more than 220 explicitly targeted transgender people.

Among the measures that have been passed across the country are transgender sports bans in 21 states, gender-affirming care bans in 20 states, and bathroom bans in nine states.

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The HRC's state of emergency comes just weeks after The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and LGBTQ+ activist group Equality Florida issued travel advisories for Florida, saying the state and its Republican governor are "openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals."

In May, Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has built a legacy of targeting the queer and trans community — signed sweeping anti-LGBTQ legislation, including a measure directly targeting drag shows and another that forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, K-12. That measure has led to an uptick in book bans in the state, with some parents filing complaints about books that mention any topic they deem to be controversial.

The book bans aren't only relegated to Florida, though. Advocacy group PEN America says that, during the first half of the 2022-23 school year, some 1,477 individual books have been banned across the country, an increase of 28% compared to the prior six months.