Re: Take action: Our freedoms are under siege

Friend, it’s Pride Month! We honor the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing fight for equality. Horribly, that fight seems to be getting harder, while loud, public discrimination worsens. We are amidst an unprecedented wave of direct, discriminatory attacks against LGBTQ+ people. This can and must stop–Congress can outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ+ people right now. [Sign the petition to Congress: Outlaw discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Pass the Equality Act.]( [Sign the petition]( Waves of transphobic and homophobic legislation have been advancing through GOP-controlled state legislatures this year with more than 70 anti-LGBTQ+ bills becoming law. This is an issue of basic, constitutionally protected freedoms and protection from direct, discriminatory attacks against those freedoms. We elected our congressional leaders to ensure basic rights were protected for EVERYONE. Join us in demanding Congress pass the Equality Act and stop the denial of our freedoms. [Sign the petition to Congress: Guarantee freedoms to all RIGHT NOW – pass the Equality Act.]( [Sign the petition]( Thanks for all you do, Erin Tulley, Daily Kos P.S. Below is an email we sent out earlier demanding Congress pass the Equality Act: --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, our freedoms are under siege. This year alone, [over 400 bills]( have been introduced across the state legislatures to curtail the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, often targeting vulnerable transgender youth and limiting access to essential healthcare. These regressive bills follow a year of unprecedented attacks, with 2022 marking the most aggressive [anti-LGBTQ and anti-transgender legislative onslaught]( in recent history. And now, the Human Rights Campaign has declared a [state of emergency]( for LGBTQ+ people. [Sign the petition to Congress: Outlaw discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Pass the Equality Act.]( [Sign the petition]( Despite a few Supreme Court cases safeguarding marriage equality and workplace rights, there are no federal laws explicitly protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination. This gap leaves crucial aspects of life–including education, housing, transportation, and healthcare–vulnerable to bias and prejudice. The Equality Act would federally ban discrimination once and for all. This legislation explicitly affirms LGBTQ+ civil rights and provides essential protections from state-level attacks. It's our best tool to ensure basic, constitutionally protected freedoms are secure and discrimination is in fact illegal, yet it remains unpassed. We need to pressure our elected leaders in Congress to take action. We elected them to protect our rights. Now, it's time they uphold that promise. Together, we can bring about change and guarantee freedoms for everyone, right now. [Sign the petition to Congress: Outlaw discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Pass the Equality Act.]( [Sign the petition]( Keep Fighting, Romario Brown, Daily Kos Before you leave, can you do one more thing? 2023 has been a hard financial year for Daily Kos. Donations of just a few dollars from our readers and activists helps us pay the bills. Please support progressive news and activism by making a donation of $5 today. [Donate $5]( If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.