AT&T, Walgreens, and Disney are donating to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians

Experts labeled 2021 as "the worst year for anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent history," and we're now seeing the results of those efforts, with bills being passed into law that criminalize teachers for even mentioning the existence of queer people, ban trans kids from playing sports in school, and, most devastatingly, make it a crime for parents to support their trans kids with gender-affirming health care. Dear MoveOn member, Experts labeled 2021 as "the worst year for anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent history," and we're now seeing the results of those efforts, with bills being passed into law that criminalize teachers for even mentioning the existence of queer people, ban trans kids from playing sports in school, and, most devastatingly, make it a crime for parents to support their trans kids with gender-affirming health care.1,2 One of the most insidious aspects to the neofascist culture war being waged by the GOP has been a frantic push by lawmakers in states across the country to pass legislation attacking the LGBTQ+ community, with a particular focus on punishing trans youth. These are blatant attempts by the GOP to demonize LGBTQ+ kids, their families and community, and, in turn, rally the bigots in their base to turn out to vote in the midterm elections. It's despicable. Here's the kicker: Many of the country's largest corporations, all of whom proudly claim to support the LGBTQ+ community, are also using their corporate PACs to fund the politicians who are behind these atrocious bills.3 We have to do something about it. Republican politicians have shown that they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep corporate donations flowing, which means if we can get those corporations to turn off the taps, we have a real shot at stopping legislation like this and crippling its Republican sponsors' ability to campaign for reelection. And unlike these shameless far-right politicians, corporations care a lot about their public perception and will respond if there is enough pressure. MoveOn is ready to take up the fight, whether that means running ads against these corporations, hosting events, flooding their headquarters with calls, or something else—as well as working day in and day out to defeat these GOP bigots at the ballot box this November. But we'll be able to do it only with your help, {NAME}. Will you chip in $5 a month to help fund this work? [Yes, I'll chip in monthly.]( [No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.]( Some of the corporate PACs shelling out the most to these politicians are connected to AT&T, Disney, UnitedHealthcare, UPS, and Walmart—all of whom make a big effort to highlight their commitment to diversity, uplift their support for their LGBTQ+ staff, and spend every June promoting Pride.4We need to make sure that everyone across the country knows that these corporations are trying to capitalize on false support for the queer community while actively helping to harm queer and trans kids at the same time. And we need to make it crystal clear to Republican politicians that if they continue to push these awful, bigoted bills, they will face devastating consequences to their bank accounts and at the ballot box. Because the unfortunate reality is that in many races—but particularly in state and local races that receive less attention—money can be one of the deciding factors in who wins or loses and cutting off their corporate cash flow could have a significant impact on these GOP candidates' ability to run ads, raise their name recognition, and turn out voters. No one who has supported bills attacking LGBTQ+ people, trans kids, and the people who love them deserves a seat in elected office. Not one. Will you help us defeat them by chipping in $5 a month? [Yes, I'll chip in monthly.]( [No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.]( MoveOn has experience doing this work, and we know that it can succeed. After January 6, MoveOn joined with our allies to put intense public pressure on corporations that donated to politicians who supported or participated in the insurrection—including some of the same corporations that are also donating to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians—and we succeeded in getting many of these companies to publicly declare that they would cease giving to anyone who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Similarly, over the last few months, MoveOn helped to lead the fight to get AT&T to drop the far-right propaganda channel OAN from their DIRECTV service, including running television ads during NFL games in the city where AT&T is headquartered, and earlier this year it was revealed that DIRECTV would not be renewing OAN's contract, effectively shuttering the violently racist, antisemitic network. We can do it again, but only with your help. Will you chip in $5 a month? [Yes, I'll chip in monthly.]( [No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.]( Thanks for all you do. –MoveOn's LGBTQ+ Staff Sources: 1. "2021 Officially Becomes Worst Year in Recent History for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks as Unprecedented Number of States Enact Record-Shattering Number of Anti-LGBTQ Measures Into Law," Human Rights Campaign, May 7, 2021 [ 2. "At least 7 states proposed anti-trans bills in first week of 2022," NBC News, January 7, 2022 [ 3. "These 25 rainbow flag-waving corporations donated more than $10 million to anti-gay politicians in the last two years," Popular Information, June 14, 2021 [ 4. Ibid. Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump and his allies are methodically enacting a plan to place some of Trump's most ardent supporters in key election offices that oversee vote counting, have the power to certify—or decertify—election results, and declare election winners and losers. We've launched a powerful, multimillion-dollar campaign to stop Trump. But we need your help to power our effort. Will you chip in monthly to power our campaign to defeat Trump and the GOP in 2022? [Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.]( [No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, . Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to {NAME} on March 13, 2022. To change your email address or update your contact info, [click here](. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, [click here](. To remove yourself from this list, [click here](.