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Rep. Ritchie Torres to introduce measure condemning anti-trans bills
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, said he plans to introduce the first resolution to condemn state bills targeting transgender people this week.
This year, state legislatures have considered more than 100 bills targeting trans people, “making 2021 the worst year for legislation that discriminates against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community since 2015,” the bill states. Eighteen anti-LGBTQ bills have passed, and 10 await governors’ final signatures, it adds.
Most of the bills target transgender youth by seeking to ban them from school sports teams that align with their gender identity or limit their access to gender-affirming medical care. Governors in nine states have signed athlete bans into law, and two have signed restrictions on medical care.
“It is shameful to witness legislatures across the country endorse policies that endanger the safety of trans individuals and block access to critical services,” Torres said in a statement to NBC News. “My resolution makes it clear that Congress denounces the rise in anti-trans legislation and hate crimes, and that as a body we will pursue legislation that protects the well-being and safety of the trans community.”
The legislation specifically mentions an Arkansas law that will ban gender-affirming care, including hormones and puberty blockers.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, vetoed the bill in April, calling it a “vast government overreach,” but the Legislature overrode the veto, and the bill will become law next month unless a judge intervenes. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuitlast month in an effort to block the law.
Nearly 1,500 trans kids will lose access to medical care if takes effect, according to Torres’ bill.
Legislation like Arkansas’ “discriminates against the transgender community, is not based in science and is intended to sow division and instill animosity toward our fellow Americans,” the bill states.
The bill also connects “laws and political rhetoric that deny the humanity of transgender people” to negative mental health outcomes for LGBTQ youth and rising anti-trans violence. By blocking trans people from accessing health care, housing, public spaces and employment, the bills “give license to others to take violent action based on their biases,” the bill says.
This year is on track to become the worst in history for fatal anti-trans violence, according to advocates. At least 29 trans and gender-nonconforming people have been killed so far this year. In 2020, at least 44 trans and gender-nonconforming people were killed.
Fatal violence disproportionately affects trans women of color, especially Black trans women, who make up half of those killed so far this year.
Torres’ legislation is co-signed by 30 other representatives and endorsed by 13 LGBTQ advocacy organizations.
In a letter to colleagues requesting sponsors for the legislation, Torres urged them not to ignore the “troubling lived realities experienced by members of the transgender and nonbinary community.”
“We must uplift their narratives and take actions that advocate for their well-being.”
Immigrant rights groups demand ICE release transgender, HIV-positive detainees
Immigrant rights groups demand ICE release transgender, HIV-positive detainees
Eight immigrant advocacy groups this week demanded the release of all transgender and HIV-positive people who are in immigrant detention facilities.
Immigration Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Transgender Law Center, the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, the Center for Victims of Torture, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, Mijente and the National Immigrant Justice Center made the request in a letter they sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tae Johnson on June 16.
“As you know, transgender and HIV-positive people are severely suffering in U.S. immigration detention facilities,” reads the letter. “Those who do not perish from mortally deficient medical negligence are regularly mistreated, isolated and sexually assaulted.”
The letter notes DHS “for years” has “attempted to create conditions of confinement that are safe for these historically disenfranchised minorities.”
“This has been a fool’s errand,” it says. “Under both Democrat and Republican leadership, DHS has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars attempting to overcome a simple and inevitable truth: It is not possible for the U.S. government to house transgender and HIV-positive asylum seekers safely. Every progressive policy, every well-meaning protocol and every specialized facility has utterly failed. This has to stop. It is in your exclusive power to put an end to this ongoing human rights atrocity.”
“What makes this situation even more intolerable, is that the vast majority of the transgender and HIV-positive people suffering in immigration detention fled to the U.S. to escape persecution and torture,” adds the letter. “To these asylum seekers, the U.S. is more than a symbol of liberty. It is one of the few places in the world where they may hope to build a safer future. And yet, by detaining trans and HIV-positive people in such inhumane and unsafe conditions, the U.S. government is subjecting them to some of the same kinds of mistreatment they sought to escape.”
The groups in their letter demand ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection “to immediately release all transgender and HIV-positive people in their custody” and “review its system for identifying transgender and HIV-positive individuals, and work with stakeholders to ensure that it is effective and safe.” The groups also seek the creation of a policy “that deems all transgender and HIV-positive individuals non-detainable.”
The letter notes the case of Roxsana Hernández, a trans asylum seeker from Honduras with HIV who died in a New Mexico hospital on May 25, 2018, while she was in ICE custody.
Hernández’s family in a lawsuit it has filed against the federal government and five private companies who were responsible for Hernández’s care allege she did not have adequate access to medical care and other basic needs from the time she asked for asylum at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego on May 9, 2018, to her arrival at the Cibola County Correctional Center, a privately-run facility in Milan, N.M., a week later.
ICE in 2017 opened a unit for trans women at the Cibola County Correctional Center. It closed last year.
The letter also notes the case of Johana “Joa” Medina León, a trans woman with HIV from El Salvador who asked for asylum in the U.S. in 2019 after she suffered persecution in her home country because of her gender identity.
Medina was in ICE custody at the privately-run Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, N.M., until her transfer to a hospital in nearby El Paso, Texas, on May 28, 2019. ICE on the same day released Medina from their custody.
“She became worse, worse, worse,” Medina’s mother, Patricia Medina de Barrientos, told the Washington Blade in an exclusive interview in the Salvadoran capital of San Salvador that took place a few weeks after Medina’s death. “She asked for help because she was a nurse, but they refused. She was denied help. There was no medical attention.”
The letter also includes testimonials from dozens of other trans and/or HIV-positive people who say they suffered physical abuse and survived sexual assault while in ICE custody. They also allege they did not receive adequate health care — including access to hormones and antiretroviral drugs — while in detention.
“Throwing LGBTQ and HIV-positive asylum seekers into prison is cruel, expensive and dangerous. For transgender and HIV-positive people, it can even be deadly,” said Immigration Equality Policy Director Bridget Crawford in a statement. “In response to years of consistently documented abuses against the community, the government has implemented ineffective half-measures that have utterly failed. That is why we have demanded that DHS release all transgender and HIV-positive people immediately. No one should ever be locked into prison because they fled persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. Doing so during a pandemic is a human rights atrocity.”
Immigration Equality is among the groups that have previously demanded ICE release all trans people who are in their custody. Advocacy organizations have also called for the release of people with HIV in ICE custody, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DHS, which oversees ICE, has not responded to the Blade’s request for comment on the June 16 letter.
Justice Department challenges transgender restrictions in 2 states
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday challenged bans involving transgender people that target athletes in West Virginia and children in Arkansas, slamming them as violations of federal law.
The department filed statements of interest in lawsuits that seek to overturn new laws in those states. In West Virginia, a law prohibits transgender athletes from competing in female sports. Arkansas became the first state to ban gender confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth.
The DOJ said the laws in both states violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. It also said the West Virginia law violates Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal funds.
And in a third case, West Virginia’s Supreme Court on Thursday reinstated a lawsuit filed on behalf of a transgender male student who said an assistant principal harassed him when he tried to use the boys bathroom.
New legislation could marginalize transgender community
The American Civil Liberties Union, its West Virginia chapter and LGBTQ interest group Lambda Legal challenged the athlete ban on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who had hoped to compete in cross-country in middle school.
“A state law that limits or denies a particular class of people’s ability to participate in public, federally funded educational programs and activities solely because their gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth violates both Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause,” the Justice Department filing said. The state law “does exactly this.”
In Arkansas, the ACLU filed a lawsuit last month challenging the transgender youth prohibition, which is set to take effect on July 28. It prohibits doctors from providing gender confirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18 years old, or from referring them to other providers for the treatment.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of four transgender youth and their families, as well as two doctors who provide gender confirming treatments. The lawsuit argues the prohibition will severely harm transgender youth in the state and violate their constitutional rights.
“A state law that specifically denies a limited class of people the ability to receive medically necessary care from their healthcare providers solely on the basis of their sex assigned at birth violates the Equal Protection Clause,” the Justice Department filing said. “These restrictions explicitly target transgender people.”
Republican lawmakers enacted the ban in April, overriding a veto by GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The Arkansas governor vetoed the ban following pleas from pediatricians, social workers and the parents of transgender youth who said the measure would harm a community already at risk for depression and suicide.
Hutchinson said the law went too far, especially since it wouldn’t exempt youth already receiving the care. Gender confirming surgery is currently not performed on minors in Arkansas.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, also a Republican, asked a federal judge this week to dismiss the lawsuit over the state’s ban. And West Virginia Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Thursday asked a judge to allow him to intervene on the state’s behalf to defend the athlete ban.
Rutledge’s office rejected the Justice Department’s argument, saying the state’s prohibition “absolutely doesn’t discriminate based on transgender status.”
“The Biden Administration’s brief makes the frivolous argument that it does,” Stephanie Sharp, a spokesperson for Rutledge, said in a statement. “But that brief illustrates the weakness of its position — so weak that the Administration resorts to pages of personal attacks against Arkansans’ elected representatives.”
Several other states also have enacted bills this year over school sports participation bans. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem implemented the move by executive order. Other states, including Kansas and North Dakota, passed bans only to have them vetoed by the governor.
In February, the Biden administration withdrew government support for a federal lawsuit in Connecticut that seeks to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls high school sports. A federal judge dismissed that lawsuit in April.
The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, which oversees scholastic sports, said earlier this year that it had not received any complaints about transgender athletes on girls teams.
Several Democrats said the West Virginia bill was discriminatory, but supporters have argued that transgender athletes would have physical advantages in female sports.
Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill despite warnings from some lawmakers that the NCAA could retaliate and decide not to hold college tournaments in the state. Justice had said that while it concerned him that the state could miss out on a sporting event, he believed the benefits of the law “way outweigh the bad part of it.”
In the transgender bathroom case, the West Virginia Supreme Court reinstated some negligence claims and sent the lawsuit back to a lower court for further proceedings. A circuit judge had dismissed the lawsuit, saying the Harrison County school board was immune from liability for the actions of an assistant principal.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of student Michael Critchfield accused the board of failing to create a safe school environment. The ACLU had said Liberty High School Assistant Principal Lee Livengood followed Critchfield into the boys bathroom in November 2018 at the school and said, “You freak me out.” Critchfield said he also was ordered to prove his gender by using a urinal. He was 15 at the time.
An attorney for Livengood had previously argued that his client was unaware of Critchfield’s gender identity and was not told of an arrangement Critchfield had with the principal to use the boys restrooms.
Baker fined for refusing to make transgender transition cake
A Colorado baker who won a partial victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman, a state judge has ruled.
In Tuesday’s ruling, Denver District Judge A. Bruce Jones said Autumn Scardina was denied a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside to celebrate her gender transition on her birthday because of her transgender status in violation of the law. While Jack Phillips said he could not make the cake because of its message, Jones said the case was about a refusal to sell a product, not compelled speech.
He pointed out that Phillips testified during a trial in March that he did not think someone could change their gender and he would not celebrate “somebody who thinks that they can.”
“The anti-discrimination laws are intended to ensure that members of our society who have historically been treated unfairly, who have been deprived of even the every-day right to access businesses to buy products, are no longer treated as ‘others,’” Jones wrote.
The group representing Phillips, Alliance Defending Freedom, said Wednesday that it would appeal the ruling, which ordered him to pay a $500 fine. The maximum fine for each violation of Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act is $500. But it was not clear from the ruling if the fine was for the two attempts that Scardina made to order the cake or just one.
“Radical activists and government officials are targeting artists like Jack because they won’t promote messages on marriage and sexuality that violate their core convictions,” the group’s general counsel, Kristen Waggoner, said in a statement.
Scardina, an attorney, attempted to order the cake on the same day in 2017 that the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear Phillips’ appeal in the wedding cake case. Scardina said she wanted to “challenge the veracity” f Phillips statements that he would serve LGBT customers, but her attempt to get a cake was not a “set up” intended to file a lawsuit, Jones said.
One of Scardina’s attorneys, John McHugh, said the case is about how LGBTQ people are treated, not just what happened to her.
“This is about a business that is open to the public that simply says to an entire class of people in the community that your identity, who you are, is something that is objectional,” he said.
Trans man shot dead in the street in broad daylight. His name was Novaa Ru Watson
A 23-year-old trans man was fatally shot outside a dollar store in Lynchburg, Virginia.
At around 5:55pm on Monday afternoon (12 June), police arrived at the Family Dollar at 2029 Fort Avenue to find Novaa Ru Watson suffering from “malicious wounds”.
He was rushed to the Lynchburg General Hospital where he later died of his injuries, the Lynchburg Police Department said in a statement.
Police officials confirmed to The News & Avenue that investigators are looking into whether the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute.
They confirmed that a child was found at the scene of the shooting and was unharmed, but did not provide any other details.
Detectives added that they are investigating the shooting as a homicide but there is currently no evidence of a hate crime.
Watson’s family confirmed to the authorities that the victim was a trans man and his pronouns were he/him.
While they were reportedly not aware of him going by a name other than his deadname, they claimed, friends said his name was Novaa, which is listed on his personal Facebook profile. Others said he went by ‘EJ’ and ‘E’.
He is, at the least, the 29th trans person slain in the US, according to LGBT+ groups, yet another victim of what the American Medical Association has dubbed an “epidemic of violence“.
Novaa Watson was a person full of ‘good vibes’, says friend
Watson, who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, had only days ago celebrated his 23rd birthday.
On his social media, he often rapped and shared quotes from his favourite artists, such as Drake.
Loved ones described him as a reliable and high-spirited person who would answer a person’s phone call no matter what, in tributes posted to Facebook.
“He was loved and like[d] by everyone,” Torri Chippe, a friend of Watson’s since middle school, told The News & Avenue.
“He was one of those people that was just good vibes and energy.”
Watson was deadnamed throughout official police documents as well as local news reports.
By the estimates of Human Rights Campaign, a top LGBT+ rights group, around three-quarters of all known victims are misgendered by media and/or by law enforcement.
His name joins those already mourned this year by the trans community: Tyianna Alexandra, Samuel Edmund Damián Valentín, Bianca Bankz, Dominique Jackson, Fifty Bandz, Alexus Braxton, Chyna Carrillo, Jeffrey ‘JJ’ Bright, Jasmine Cannady, Jenna Franks, Diamond ‘Kyree’ Sanders, Rayanna Pardo, Dominique Lucious, Jaida Peterson, Remy Fennell, Tiara Banks, Natalia Smüt, Iris Santos, Tiffany Thomas, Jahaira DeAlto Balenciaga, Keri Washington, Sophie Vásquez, Danny Henson, Whispering Bear Spirit, Serenity Hollis, Oliver ‘Ollie’ Taylor, Thomas Hardin and Poe Black. It is almost certain that there are more victims missing from this list, with many deadnamed or misgendered in death.
“This violence is staggering,” said Tori Cooper, HRC director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative in a statement earlier this month.
“And if it continues, we will record more cases of fatal violence against trans and gender non-conforming people this year than any prior year.
“As we continue to see unprecedented levels of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people, everyone must speak out in support of trans lives.”
American Medical Association delivers firm rebuke to anti-trans bills that criminalise healthcare
The American Medical Association (AMA) has delivered a firm rebuke to the spate of anti-trans bills attempting to criminalise healthcare for trans youth.
Arkansas became the first state to ban puberty blockers and gender affirming treatment for trans minors in April, while similar bills are currently being considered in up to 20 state legislatures
State representatives are pushing their discriminatory bans through despite firm opposition from medical and healthcare advocacy groups, including the AMA – which is the largest association of physicians in the United States.
The American Medical Association recommitted to its already established position in a wide-ranging statement issued on Tuesday (15 June).
The group characterised such bills as “governmental intrusion into the practice of medicine” and said efforts to ban healthcare for trans minors will ultimately prove “detrimental”.
“Legislatures in 20 states this year proposed banning physicians and other health care professionals from providing medically necessary gender-affirming care to transgender and gender-diverse youth,” the AMA said in a statement.
“In response to this legislative trend, physicians and medical students at the AMA’s House of Delegates meeting voted to meaningfully expand the organisation’s strong opposition to undue restrictions on medical care to populations that have been politicised in state legislatures.”
AMA will support human rights by opposing anti-trans bills
Michael Suk, AMA board member, said that gender-affirming care is “medically necessary” and “evidence based” and insisted that it “improves the physical and mental health of transgender and gender-diverse people.”
The AMA drew attention to a letter it delivered to the National Governors Association in April which argued government overreach in healthcare can have “tragic consequences for transgender individuals”.
“The AMA is a strong supporter of human rights and freedoms and will continue to strongly oppose discrimination based on an individual’s sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity,” the statement said.
The group promised to keep working to protect trans and gender diverse young people’s right to “explore their gender identity under the safe and supportive care of a physician”.
There was widespread outcry when Arkansas legislators banned healthcare for trans youth in April – but that law is far from the end of the road for transgender people in the United States.
Similar bills are either currently being considered, or have already been considered, in Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Montana, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, North Carolina, Utah, Georgia and others.
Meanwhile, numerous states have passed bans on trans minors participating in sports.
Republican States Have Already Enacted 19 New Anti-Trans Laws This Year
State lawmakers across the country have introduced at least 171 pieces of legislation that target the rights of transgender people this year, according to a new legislative database compiled by the Progressive Caucus Action Fund, a grassroots group that opposes the bills.
At least 19 of the bills ― 13 that specifically target trans people and six more that could more broadly hurt LGBTQ rights ― have already become law.
“We’re only six months into 2021 and it’s already been a devastating year for protecting transgender people,” said Ricardo Pacheco, a researcher at the Progressive Caucus Action Fund who compiled the database. “The expectation that quite a few more of these will pass in the next few months.”
Republican lawmakers have introduced the vast majority of the bills, both in states the GOP controls and those where Democrats hold majorities. Ten states, all with Republican legislative majorities and governors, have enacted new anti-trans laws this year. Four other bills have passed through GOP legislatures but have been vetoed by governors.
The push for anti-trans laws has intensified as part of a broader Republican culture war against the basic and individual rights of women, Black people, immigrants and LGBTQ people. Right-wing lawmakers believe they can weaponize trans rights — and people’s very right to exist as trans — as a wedge issue. This has exhausted activists and had demonstrably negative mental health effects on members of the trans community, said Dr. Ruadhán Woods, a trans and queer organizer for Hometown Action, a group in Alabama that opposed an anti-trans bill that became law in that state.
“There’s just a lot of helpless feelings,” Woods told HuffPost. “People in our community really are looking for support and solidarity, and for representation in the government. And the fact that legislation is actively trying to essentially erase trans kids from being able to get support, and really criminalize existing … The morale is extremely low, even though the bar has been low for a long time.”
The aggressive nature of the GOP’s effort to restrict trans rights is on full display in the database, as are the ways that effort has changed. The so-called “bathroom bills” that were once in vogue as Republicans tried to block trans people from using restrooms and public facilities that correspond with their gender identity have largely given way to other types of legislation.
This year, Republicans are largely taking aim at trans students’ ability to play scholastic sports that correspond with their gender identity, a push that has largely targeted trans girls and women in high school and college. Lawmakers have introduced 76 bills aiming to limit trans people’s participation in sports, according to the database, and such bills make up roughly 45% of all anti-trans legislation introduced this year.
It’s clear that the anti-trans bills that are centered around sports really just want sports to be something that trans people don’t participate in.Ruadhán Woods, Hometown Action in Alabama organizer
Seven states with Republican legislatures ― Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee and West Virginia ― have enacted such laws. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoed similar bills after they were passed by GOP legislatures. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) also vetoed a bill barring trans youth from playing school sports that match their gender identity — but later signed two executive orders doing just that.
Those bills have largely sought to vilify trans identity, and curtail the right of trans women and girls to play sports against cisgender athletes. Republicans have touted the laws as a way to protect women’s sports and Title IX, the federal law meant to guarantee equal access to education and sports participation for women. They have adopted the mantle even though many conservatives have long been skeptical of Title IX and efforts to bolster women’s equality in sports, and despite the fact that many GOP lawmakers have been unable to point to incidents of trans women and girls taking spots away from cisgender athletes.
Activists, education experts and health professionals have for years pointed to evidence that increasing sports participation could bolster mental health, self esteem and other health and education outcomes for trans youth. But no amount of pushback, data or discussion about trans athletes or their basic right to play sports has swayed Republicans.
“It’s clear that the anti-trans bills that are centered around sports really just want sports to be something that trans people don’t participate in,” Woods said from Alabama, where Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed one such bill into law in April.
Legislation targeting trans peoples’ ability to access health care and treatment make up the second largest share of bills under consideration in state houses across the country. Republican lawmakers have introduced 51 such bills this year, according to the database.
Tennessee Republicans have passed at least two bills that are similar to the “bathroom bills” that many GOP states sought in recent years. One requires businesses that have multi-person bathrooms or locker rooms to post signs if they let trans people use bathrooms of their choice; another allows students and teachers to refuse to use such facilities at school if trans people are allowed to use them, and requires schools to provide those students and staff separate bathrooms to use.
Tennessee — which adopted a law barring trans youth from participating in sports — also passed a broader anti-LGBTQ law that requires schools to inform parents ahead of any classroom discussion about gender identity or sexual orientation, and allows parents to opt students out of any such class.
The Progressive Caucus Action Fund’s database includes the latter law in its count, along with others that have passed in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota that more broadly restrict LGBTQ rights on religious freedom or free speech grounds. Oklahoma Republicans approved a new law that prohibits mandatory diversity training “regarding gender identity, sexual orientation, race stereotyping and sex stereotyping.” The broader laws, LGBTQ advocates say, provide an example of how the GOP’s culture war legislation can often target multiple groups at once, including LGBTQ people, Black people, Native Americans and women.
Most state legislative sessions have ended and more GOP proposals failed than passed, even in red states like Arizona, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas. But it’s still possible that more anti-trans laws could pass in Ohio and other states where lawmakers are still in session.
The legislative onslaught has already had negative effects on trans youth: A common view among trans people, Woods said, was that they weren’t surprised by efforts to target their rights in Alabama and nationwide “because nobody cares about our community anyway, so we just have to care for each other.”
“That’s a very sad and tragic thing for most young people to have already embraced or come to understand,” Woods said. “So for me, it’s more than just fighting legislation. It’s really fighting for community members to be able to be represented and for our rights to be protected and upheld.”
Legal challenges could ultimately thwart some of the new laws. Last year, a federal court ruled that an Idaho law barring trans women and girls from participating in sports that match their gender identities was unconstitutional. The ruling is subject to an appeal that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard in early May.
Civil rights groups have already filed legal claims against several other new laws passed this year. Progressives and LGBTQ rights groups are also pushing Senate Democrats to pass the Equality Act, a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public facilities, education, employment and other areas, and help preempt many of the new state laws.
Democrats in the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in February, but prospects for the bill’s ultimate approval in the Senate, where it must overcome Republican opposition and the legislative filibuster, are dim.
“That’s where the next push needs to be,” Pacheco said. “It’s not necessarily just reacting to what states are doing, but it’s being proactive and it’s being preemptive by passing the Equality Act to make sure that LGBT youth and trans youth in our communities have those protections.”
But the nature of attacks on trans rights, Woods said, makes it clear that one piece of federal legislation won’t be enough. Efforts to curb those rights are likely to continue, and there’s no silver bullet argument or piece of legislation that can fully stop them when “the majority of people who are making these decisions are doing a really intentional job of not listening to the voices of the people who are most affected,” Woods said. So even if the Equality Act passes, there will “still be a lot of work to do” to create the cultural, social and political shifts necessary to fully protect trans people nationwide, and convince lawmakers and the public to see trans rights through the lens of basic human rights.
“We have people actively working against our community’s existence,” they said. “This is going to take some time and there is a lot of work left to do for people who insist on pushing trans identity and rights into a position of debate.”
These 25 rainbow flag-waving corporations donated more than $10 million to anti-gay politicians in the last two years
This month, corporations are plastering their social media avatars with rainbows, sponsoring Pride parades, and declaring their unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ community. Many of these companies, however, are spending millions supporting the campaigns of anti-gay politicians at the federal and state level.
A Popular Information investigation found that 25 major corporations have spent more than $10 million since 2019 supporting members of Congress with a zero ratingon the latest Congressional scorecard produced by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the most prominent LGBTQ rights organization in the United States. These same corporations have also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to state legislators who have sponsored anti-trans legislation this year.
Despite their extensive support for politicians undermining LGBTQ rights, all these corporations boast a 100% rating on the HRC’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index. Along with workplace policies, the Corporate Equality Index purports to measure corporations’ “public commitment to the LGBTQ community.” But HRC’s methodology excludes political donations, enabling corporations to craft a pro-LGBTQ image while bankrolling politicians that are undermining LGBTQ rights.
CVS Health, for example, received a perfect score from HRC and changed its Twitter avatar to a rainbow heart in June. The company tweeted that it was “proud to join more than 100 companies that have signed HRC’s Business Statement Opposing Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation.”CVS Health @CVSHealth#CVSHealth is proud to join more than 100 companies that have signed @HRC’s Business Statement Opposing Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation. We will continue to use our voice to promote inclusiveness and equal treatment for all. June 8th 20218 Retweets35 Likes
The HRC statement signed by CVS Health and other corporations said the companies were “deeply concerned by the bills being introduced in statehouses across the country that single out LGBTQ individuals — many specifically targeting transgender youth — for exclusion or differential treatment.” On its corporate website, CVS Health says that it is “proud of our long-standing commitment to eliminating discrimination in health care and health care coverage, including our commitment to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.”
But, through its corporate PAC, CVS Health has recently supported the sponsors of anti-trans legislation in Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee, including legislation that would criminalize providing gender-affirming medical care to adults and children.
In Texas, for example, CVS Health backed co-sponsors of SB1646, a bill that would “change the state’s child abuse law” to make it a crime for parents to allow their children to receive gender-affirming medical care. Under the bill, parents that allow their children to receive gender-affirming care could be subject to “the possible removal of the child from their home.” Doctors who provide such care could be “accused of child abuse, which would trigger a license investigation by the Texas Medical Board.”
CVS Health has recently donated to two co-sponsors of the legislation. The company donated $2,000 to Senator Dawn Buckingham (R) in April 2020 and $2,000 to Senator Bryan Hughes (R) in December 2019.
In North Carolina, CVS Health backed Senator Ralph Hise (R), the primary sponsor of S514, which The Advocate called “the most repressive anti-transgender health care bill in the nation.” The legislation would ban anyone under the age of 21 from receiving gender-affirming treatment, including reversible hormone therapy. It also requires government employees, including teachers, to report children who demonstrate “gender nonconformity” to their parents. (Republican Senate leader Phil Berger declined to allow a floor vote on the bill this session.)
Hise’s view on trans issues was not a secret. He was a chief proponent of North Carolina’s infamous anti-trans “bathroom bill” in 2016, saying the legislation was necessary “to protect the citizens of the state of North Carolina.” Nevertheless, CVS Health donated $1000 to Hise in August 2020. The company also donated $750 to one of S514’s co-sponsors, Senator Joyce Krawiec (R), in January 2020.
Since 2019, CVS Health has also donated $259,000 to 54 members of Congress who received a zero rating in HRC’s Congressional scorecard for the 116th Congress. In the House, that meant voting against the Equality Act, which would “provide consistent and explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life.”
Asked by Popular Information if it would continue to support politicians that sponsor anti-trans legislation or receive a zero on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard — or take any steps to align its political giving with its public statements about LGBTQ rights — CVS did not respond.
A spokesperson for HRC told Popular Information that “we don’t issue public comments about cases like this.” The press release for HRC’s latest Corporate Equality Index says the criteria “are reviewed annually and periodically change, raising the bar to reflect best practices for LGBTQ inclusion and to drive companies to improve upon their commitment to the community.” The criteria for the 2022 index, however, still will not take into account political donations.
Comcast and AT&T have each donated more than $1 million to anti-gay politicians in the last two years
In June, Comcast has been festooning its social media posts with rainbows. A tweet from its Xfinity subsidiary says that “Pride is the love we share. And with Xfinity, it’s Pride all year.”Xfinity @XfinityPride isn’t just a celebration in the month of June. It’s a moment, a promise, a journey, and an awakening. Pride is the love we share. And with Xfinity, it’s Pride all year. June 1st 202146 Retweets238 Likes
Because in-person Pride parades may be limited, Comcast has created “a virtual ‘Pride World,’ where we will feature events, Pride floats, Pride flags, and even a Pronoun Guide for employees.”
On Comcast’s corporate website, Yvette Miley, Senior Vice President of MSNBC and NBC News, says “Some people may think the LGBTQ rights journey is done and the struggle is over, but it isn‘t. Our job is to continuously educate.”
One thing you won’t learn on Comcast’s corporate website is that the company has donated more than $1.1 million to anti-LGBTQ politicians since 2019. This includes more than $30,000 to the sponsors of anti-trans legislation introduced this year in Florida and Texas.
Comcast, through its NBCUniversal corporate PAC, gave $2,000 since 2019 to Florida Representative Randy Fine (R), who co-sponsored legislation that would exclude trans girls from athletics in Florida schools. Fine asserted, without evidence, that trans girls, if they are allowed to compete, will “take scholarships away” from cis girls. (Trans girls have been participating in athletics in Florida schools for eight years and there is no evidence that ever happened.) The bill was recently signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis (R). Fine has been introducing legislation targeting trans people for many years and is quoted in the media misgendering trans people.
Comcast has also donated $1,095,500 to 149 members of Congress that received a zero in HRC’s latest Congressional Scorecard.
AT&T, the only company that has donated as much as Comcast to anti-LGBTQ politicians in the last two years, has also embraced the rainbow this month. “We can#TURNUPTHELOVE for LGBTQ+ youth together,” AT&T tweeted on June 5.
AT&T was also a signatory of the HRC letter opposing anti-LGBTQ state legislation introduced this year. Yet AT&T has donated more than $63,000 to state lawmakers sponsoring legislation that targets LGBTQ people, including LGBTQ youth.
Over the last two years, AT&T donated to the sponsors of anti-trans legislation in Arkansas ($12,950), Tennessee ($4,000), North Carolina ($5,000), Texas ($22,500), and Florida ($17,500).
Comcast and AT&T did not respond to a request for comment.
Other rainbow flag-waving corporations bankrolling anti-gay politicians
Walmart
This month, Walmart’s website features a “Pride & Joy” section where customers can purchase Pride-themed products. “Spark Love and Extinguish Hate” is displayed at the top of the page and, near the bottom, a quote from Donna Morris, Walmart’s Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer is featured:
We will continue to focus on inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community…I look forward to the work that we’ll do together to ensure all feel welcomed, appreciated, and supported to make an impact.
But since 2019, according to federal campaign finance reports, Walmart has donated at least $442,000 to 121 politicians who received a zero rating from HRC. Walmart also donated $43,000 to state legislators in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas pushing for anti-trans legislation. The majority of this amount, $30,000, went to 19 state lawmakers in Arkansas who helped pass a bill in April 2021 that outlawed gender-affirming treatment for trans youth. The bill was originally vetoed by the governor, but the veto was overridden by the legislature. Arkansas is now the first state in the country to ban medical care for trans youth.
Walmart did not respond to a request for comment.
UnitedHealth
At the beginning of the year, UnitedHealth Group published a press release boasting of its perfect Corporate Equality Index rating. “The 2021 [Corporate Equality Index] rating underscores UnitedHealth Group’s commitment to promoting an equitable and diverse environment that reflects our steadfast values, especially during these challenging times,” UnitedHealth Group’s Chief Talent Officer, Ryan Craig said.
But Popular Information found that UnitedHealth has donated at least $496,500 to 91 anti-LGBTQ federal lawmakers since 2019. The company has also donated at least $46,300 to anti-trans legislators in Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. This includes $2,000 to Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R), who co-sponsored a bill that requires businesses to post signs if they let trans people use their bathroom of choice. The bill, which was signed into law in May 2021, was heavily criticized by HRC for being discriminatory as well as “offensive and humiliating.”
Cepicky was also the primary sponsor of a bill that prohibited trans girls from participating in middle and high school sports. “When you look at sports and the fastest man in the world — Usain Bolt — if you put him next to the fastest women in the world it wouldn’t even be close,” said Cepicky in February 2021.
UnitedHealth Group did not respond to a request for comment.
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo touts that it has a “long-standing commitment to the LGBTQ community” and writes that its “support of pride reflects a historic and ongoing commitment to civic engagement and supporting communities.”
Last week, the company tweeted that Pride is a month of “celebration, reflection, visibility, and affirmation for the LGBTQ community.”
However, Wells Fargo has donated $124,500 to 48 anti-LGBTQ federal lawmakers since 2019. The company has also donated at least $17,500 to anti-trans state legislators in North Carolina and Texas.
This amount includes a $1,000 contribution to North Carolina Senator Joyce Krawiec (R), who has repeatedly shared anti-trans articles on social media that promote misinformation about trans people. One article Krawiec shared claimed “transgender movement has strong totalitarian overtones that Americans don’t fully understand.” Krawiec was one of seven senators in North Carolina who introduced the draconian bill to ban gender-affirming treatment for anyone younger than 21.
Wells Fargo did not respond to a request for comment.
Deloitte
In 2018, Deloitte published a letter expressing its support of the United Nations’ Standards of Conduct for Business, which aims to “tackle discrimination against lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and intersex (LGBTI) people.” On Deloitte’s “LGBTQ+ Inclusion” page, the company boasts that it’s proud to be a signatory and states that it focuses on allyship to further LGBTQ+ inclusion:
We believe the power of ‘allyship’ is a critical element of LGBT+ diversity, whereby our people support the rights and wellbeing of their LGBT+ colleagues. Allyship isn’t just passive support, but part of our everyday actions – visibly and vocally supporting LGBT+ people inside and outside of Deloitte.
This month, the company’s Pride 2021 campaign “focuses on the importance of…LGBT+ colleagues being seen and heard as their true authentic selves.”
Yet, since 2019, Deloitte has donated at least $662,000 to 103 federal lawmakers who received zeros from the HRC for failing to uphold and maintain LGBTQ rights. The company has also donated $3,000 to state legislators in Florida, North Carolina, and Texas supporting anti-trans legislation.
Deloitte did not respond to a request for comment.
The full list of companies that were analyzed by Popular Information is in the chart below. All of these companies received a perfect score on the 2020 HRC Corporate Equality Index.
Popular Information asked all of these companies if they would continue supporting politicians with anti-LGBTQ voting records or whether their stated commitment to LGBTQ rights will have any impact on future political giving. The following companies provided responses:
General Motors: “GM PAC contributes to candidates for a variety of reasons, with a focus on engaging policymakers who play a role in helping General Motors achieve our vision of an all-electric future. While GM PAC contributions do not represent an endorsement of the candidate or support for all the issues the candidate supports, we will continue to clearly communicate with policymakers GM’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Google: “We have a long track record of strongly supporting the rights of all LGBTQ+ people, building inclusive products and features, providing support and benefits to our LGBTQ+ employees, and advocating consistently for policies that would protect LGBTQ+ individuals such as the Equality Act and all the way back to opposing California’s Proposition 8 in 2008. We have long contributed to candidates from across the political spectrum who work on technology policy, but we have always been very clear that such a contribution doesn’t mean that Google agrees with that candidate on every issue. In fact, we may disagree strongly on some issues.”
Amazon: “Amazon engages with policymakers and regulators on a wide range of issues that affect our business, customers, and employees. That does not mean we agree with any individual or political organization 100 percent of the time on every issue, and this includes legislation that discriminates or encourages discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.”
Exxon Mobil: “We continually review all contributions. Past contributions do not indicate that ExxonMobil will contribute again in the future. We regularly contribute to efforts that support diversity and inclusion.”
Ford: “Ford proudly supports our LGBTQ+ colleagues and customers and the broader community, including through Fair and Equal Michigan’s efforts to amend the state’s civil rights law to protect the LGBTQ+ community. We’ve also led the industry with company policies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Contributions by our employee PAC are bipartisan and take into consideration many issues that are important to meeting the needs of our customers, our team and our company.
JPMorgan declined to comment. The rest of the companies did not respond to a request for comment.
15 brands that are giving back for Pride Month 2021
After a year when Pride celebrations had to go virtual, members of the LGBTQ community and their allies are eager to shine bright in 2021. And as in years past, numerous brands have launched special Pride products and capsule collections that celebrate love, diversity and inclusion. However, advocates say that authentic support means more than just a rainbow stripe on a T-shirt.
“Brands need to approach Pride not as a marketing moment to sell products and profit from LGBTQ people, but [as] a time to loudly use their reach and influence to affirm our community and support advocacy organizations in authentic and impactful ways,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of the media watchdog group GLAAD.
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Companies that truly walk the walk donate to and uplift LGBTQ organizations, added Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. “These businesses provide an invaluable platform to further the fight for LGBTQ equity and inclusivity,” he said.
Some organizations are contributing a portion of proceeds from Pride products to groups like GLAAD and HRC, while others are making direct donations so LGBTQ organizations can continue their vital missions. “We are thrilled to see so many companies and brands stepping up to support Pride this year,” said Shira Kogan, director of corporate development at the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization. “Beyond the essential financial support, there’s also a direct benefit for the community when brands are loud about their support of Pride,” she added. “More than half of youth said brands who support the LGBTQ community positively impact how they feel about being LGBTQ.”
Below, we’ve gathered some of our favorite offerings for Pride 2021, including clothing, toys, personal care products and more.
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Brands that are giving back to the LGBTQ community during Pride Month
LEGO’s Everyone is Awesome set
On June 1, LEGO launched its first LGBTQ-themed set, which comes with 11 monochromatic figures, each with an assigned color, and 346 pieces creating a rainbow cascade.
“I wanted to create a model that symbolises inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love,” said Matthew Ashton, Lego’s vice president for design who developed the limited-edition set.
LEGO Everyone is Awesome Set$34.99LEGO
Old Navy’s Project WE Pride Tee by Edward Granger
In January, Old Navy announced “Project WE,” a collection of T-shirts created in collaboration with diverse artists to honor International Women’s Day, Juneteenth, LatinX Heritage Month and other cultural touchstones.
For Pride, the company has tapped queer artist Edward Granger, who designed a unisex rib-knit black crew with the world “Love” colored in a variety of hues. An alternate “Pride” version in white presents an abstract rainbow of geometric shapes.
“This is our love letter to the LGBTQIA+ community,” Granger said. “Love yourself, stay connected to who you are, and never give up.”In celebration of the Project We initiative, Old Navy is donating $1 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America to support youth arts programs in communities across the United States.
Old Navy Project WE Pride Tee by Edward Granger$12.00$14.99OLD NAVY
Skittles Pride Packs
For the second Pride season running, Skittles has given up the rainbow in a tip of its hat to the LGBTQ community. Limited-edition Skittles Pride Packs feature gray packaging on the outside and all gray candies inside. (They’re still jammed with delicious strawberry, orange, grape, apple and lemon flavors, but good luck telling which is which.) During the month of June, $1 from each pack will be donated to GLAAD, up to $100,000.
Sarah Long, chief marketing officer for Mars Wrigley North America, said the returning campaign symbolizes the candymaker’s commitment “to shape a world that is connected, caring and celebratory.”
“Skittles giving up their rainbow means so much more than just removing the colors from our Skittles packs, and we’re excited to use our platform to do our part in driving visibility for the LGBTQ+ community, creating better moments and more smiles,” Long said.
Limited-edition packs are available for purchase in 4-ounce Share Size Packs and 15.6-ounce resealable Sharing Size Stand Up Pouches at Walmart, Target and other retailers.
Skittles Pride Packs$3.18WALMART$3.49TARGET$8.00EBAY
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Disney’s Mickey Mouse Ear Hat
The Rainbow Disney 2021 collection includes dozens of tees, polos, mugs, backpacks, hats, face masks and more, available online and in select Disney stores and theme parks.
In celebration of Pride Month 2021 The Walt Disney Company is donating to LGBTQ organizations around the world, including ARELAS in Spain, Famiglie Arcobaleno in Italy, Nijiiro Diversity in Japan and, here in the U.S., GLSEN, which works to ensure all students learn and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.
Disney Rainbow Collection Mickey Mouse Ear Hat$19.99DISNEY$26.99EBAY
Ugg’s Pride Rainbow Disco Stripe Slide
Ugg and the Pacific Pride Foundation are back with their “Proud Prom” campaign, featuring bold rainbow takes on the Fluff You Slide Cali Collage and other Cali Collage styles, including the Slide and Highland high-top sneaker.
“We chose to showcase real, bold and wonderful individuals celebrating a virtual prom in a safe and welcoming environment” said Ugg president Andrea O’Donnell in a statement. “We wanted to express that there is beauty in what makes you different and that you should never feel the need to apologize for who you are or who you love.”
The Disco Stripe Slide comes in the colors of the Pride rainbow or in the pink, blue and white of the transgender flag. It’s comfortable and stylish — and $25 from each pair purchased on UGG.com goes to GLAAD, up to $125,000.
Ugg Disco Stripe Slide$110.00UGG
Mattel’s UNO Play with Pride edition
The classic card game gets a Pride makeover with special rainbow-colored cards available exclusively at Target.com and Target stores nationwide. Mattel will donate $50,000 to the It Gets Better Project.
Mattel UNO Play with Pride edition$5.99TARGET$5.99NORDSTROM RACK$5.99AMAZON
Petsmart’s Pride Pink “Pride” Pet Dress
PetSmart’s You Are Loved collection includes rainbow-tinted plush toys, pet clothing, collars, bandanas and more. A fun item from the collection is the Pink Pride Pet Dress — it slips on and off in a snap, and comes with a message of pride and an adorable tutu. This year, PetSmart is donating $100,000 to GLSEN.
Petsmart Pride Pink “Pride” Pet Dress$9.99PETSMART
Dr. Martens’ 1461 for Pride Smooth Leather Oxford Shoes
The old-school cool shoe brand is keeping it simple for Pride 2021, giving its classic 1461 oxford a rainbow flag on the heel tab and a rainbow Airwair heel-loop. You can upgrade your look even further with rainbow laces and Dr. Martens athletic socks with rainbow stripes, available in black or white.
“At Dr. Martens, we know our many diverse wearers have got us to where we are today,” the company said in a statement. “That’s why we celebrate individuality and diversity in all forms.” As in years past, Dr. Martens is donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project.
Dr. Martens 1461 for Pride Smooth Leather Oxford Shoes$120.00DR. MARTENS$119.95ZAPPOS$119.95AMAZON
Balenciaga’s ‘GAY’ Pride hoodie
The couture house got a little risque with its Pride capsule range this year, including baseball caps, sports bras, shirts, bracelets, fake-fur coin purses and a jockstrap with a rainbow waistband. The collection includes an oversize pink hooded sweat jacket emblazoned with the word “Gay,” stylized like a GAP logo.
Like the rest of the Pride collection, the sweat jacket was designed by Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia, who was raised in the republic of Georgia where LGBTQ people are often the targets of bigotry and violence.
“I’m gay. I grew up in a society where I couldn’t have worn that, and there are places in the world that you cannot today,” Gvasalia told Vogue back when the collection was previewed. “It’s important to push through against homophobia. I’m not someone who goes out in the street and shouts. But this is the political fashion activism I can do.”
Balenciaga is donating 15 percent of sales from Pride items to The Trevor Project.
Balenciaga Pride Boxy Hoodie$895.00BALENCIAGA
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Vans’ Pride SK8 Hi Tops
Vans’ Pride 2021 Collection goes to the dark side — with slick black Sk8-Hi boots with a thin rainbow stripe. This classic high-top also includes padded collars, reinforced toe caps and Vans’ signature rubber waffle outsoles. Looking to make a brighter statement? The collection also includes a kaleidoscope of slip-ons, sneakers, tees, tanks, laces and more.
This year, Vans is making a $200,000 donation to organizations that support the LGBTQ community around the globe, like GLSEN, Where Love is Illegal, Casa 1 and Tokyo Rainbow Pride.
Vans Pride SK8 Hi Tops$80.00VANS
NYX Professional Makeup’s Born to Glow Icy Highlighter Duo
This Pride, NYX is partnering with HBO’s “Legendary” to celebrate the ballroom scene with a #NYXCosmeticsBall Instagram challenge that sees contestants competing for a $5,000 prize. The category, of course, is FACE.
To get you started on your ball look, NYX is launching a limited-edition collection featuring a Metal Play Palette, Shape Loud Liners, Epic Wear Liner Sticks and the Born to Glow Highlighter that will bring a colorful ultra-metallic sheen to your mug. This year, NYX is also donating over $100,000 to global Pride efforts, including a donation to the LA LGBT Center.
NYX Professional Makeup’s Born to Glow Icy Highlighter Duo$12.00NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP
EFFEN Vodka’s 2021 Pride 365 Bottle
EFFEN commissioned Chicago-based queer artist and street muralist Sam Kirk to design the label for its Pride bottle, which celebrates the intersectionality and vibrancy of the Black and LGBTQ communities. Consumers can also personalize their EFFEN Pride 365 bottles with vinyl decals from queer nonbinary Afrolatinx artist Acacia Rodriguez and trans artist Kyle Lasky.
This year, EFFEN is partnering with Allies in Arts, which works to promote underrepresented women, BIPOC and LGBTQ artists. For each 750 ml bottle sold, EFFEN will donate $1 to Allies in Arts.
EFFEN Vodka 2021 Pride 365 Bottle$29.99LIQUOR ON BROADWAY
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Happy Socks’ Pride Socks
Happy Socks is switching it up for Pride this year: Instead of launching a large-scale campaign, the company donated the campaign’s entire $20,000 budget to InterPride, an organization promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex communities around the world.
The company is also launching a new Pride collection, featuring four rainbow-centric styles available in adult and kids’ sizes, as single pairs or in gift boxes. The collection includes socks inspired by the “Progress” Pride Flag designed by Daniel Quasar. They feature a broader spectrum of the LGBTQ representation, including pink, light blue and white stripes to represent transgender and non-binary individuals, and black and brown to symbolize marginalized communities of color, as well as those affected by AIDS. Ten percent of the profits from all Pride collection items will be donated to InterPride.
Happy Socks Pride Socks$14.00HAPPY SOCKS
Levi’s Pride Relaxed Graphic Tank Top
Ranging from $18 to $148, Levi’s 2021 Pride Collection “All Pronouns. All Love” puts emphasis on respecting people’s pronouns, with the phrase “they/them, she/her, he/him, we” emblazoned on graphic tees, jackets and a super-sleek tank top. The gender-neutral collection also includes overalls, jumpsuits, denim jackets and accessories like rainbow ombre suspenders and boxer briefs.
Levi’s is donating 100 percent of net proceeds from the collection to OutRight Action International, which works to advance human LGBTQ rights around the world.
Levi’s Pride Relaxed Graphic Tank Top$20.00LEVI’S$20.00ZAPPOS$20.00TARGET
TGI Fridays’ Carlo’s Bakery Rainbow Cake
The popular restaurant chain is celebrating Pride with a decadent dessert: six layers of rainbow-colored vanilla cake piled high with vanilla icing and sprinkles, available at participating Friday’s locations or for delivery.
“For more than 50 years, TGI Fridays has celebrated people of all stripes, whether team members or guests,” said Sara Bittorf, chief experience officer at TGI Fridays. “We are committed to creating an environment where people can feel free to come together, socialize, and be themselves.” A portion of every slice sold, up to $25,000, will support GLSEN.
TGI Fridays Carlo’s Bakery Rainbow Cake$10.19TGI FRIDAYS
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