This is personal

Arkansas is taking part in a nationwide legislative assault on LGBTQ Americans. A dark cloud is looming over Pride Month this year, {NAME}.  You may have noticed that there is a dramatic spike in reporting and legislation targeting the LGBTQIA community at the state level. What may not be as clear is that this is a nationwide, coordinated campaign. [A graphic featuring a headline from The Appeal, which reads “Anti-Trans Bills Flood States in ‘Centrally Coordinated’ attack on Transgender Existence. Advocates have expressed shock and a rapid escalation in the severity of anti-trans legislation, which is increasingly seeking to restrict medical care and public expression, including the threats of criminal punishment.”]( And as the father of LBTQIA kids, I feel it personally.  According to the Trans Legislation Tracker (an independent, volunteer-led research project to catalog anti-trans legislation), there has been a 280% increase in anti-trans bills since 2022.  This amounts to a legislative war being waged against LGBTQIA people that is fully enabled and empowered by the federal government’s failure to codify LGBTQIA protections into law.  Unfortunately, Arkansas has been leading the way in this hate-filled legislation from the beginning.  In 2021, Arkansas became the FIRST state to make gender-affirming care for patients under age 18 illegal. While that ban is being challenged in court, it looms over our kids' lives and threatens their sense of self-worth and security.  That same year, Arkansas became the second state to ban transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.  Today, of the 556 anti-trans bills introduced nationwide in the first half of 2023 alone, nine have come from Arkansas – and eight have already passed into law.  Some of the bills circulating in legislatures across the country would allow the state to seize children from any home where parents affirm and support their child’s LGBTQIA identity.  I have to tell you, as a parent, I find that horrifying.  This onslaught of legislation attacking trans existence includes 27 national-level bills that have been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate.  In the face of this unprecedented assault on individual liberties, the four members of Congress representing Arkansas have expressed zero opposition to the bills introduced in Congress or ANY of the bills passed at the state level.  As a parent, that is outrageous and unacceptable. I expect our representatives to stand up for the liberties and rights of EVERY Arkansan. Period.  The extremist bills being pushed in nearly every state do not represent the majority of Americans. Even a majority of conservative voters support LGBTQIA rights and recognize that this is a matter of individual liberty.  These far-right extremists in office don’t represent me, they don’t represent my kids, and they don’t represent our community.  That’s why I’m working hard with the entire team at Vortex to mobilize a grassroots army in all 75 counties and elect representatives who will fight for all of us.  Thank you for supporting our efforts to bring real change here in Arkansas. I’m grateful to have you as a partner in that work.  Robb Ryerse Executive Director   [Contribute to Vortex PACÂ](      Vortex PAC is a new grassroots movement to transform Arkansas politics away from the far-right. We are recruiting, training, and supporting Democratic candidates to flip all four of Arkansas’ U.S. congressional districts and help win back the House majority in 2024. [DONATE >>]( Paid for by Vortex PAC  ©2023 Vortex PAC, all rights reserved  Our mailing address is: Vortex PAC PO Box 1141 Springdale, AR 72765 We're sad to see you go, but if you believe you received this email in error, or you no longer wish to receive our emails you can unsubscribe using the link below: [Click here to unsubscribe.]( Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Vortex PAC, please [click here](.