The practice of using altars is a way for us to call on our loved ones by inviting their spirits to join us for a day of celebration and love, so we can reflect on the wisdom they’ve passed on to us. Join Karla Garcia as we make our own altar, and learn about the history and symbology of Dia De Los Muertos and altars. Space is limited. Advanced registration is required. Most supplies included*
*Most supplies are provided by The Legacy; bring a small box of your choice, photo(s) of your departed loved ones or pets, and any other items you’d like to use to decorate your altar.
In video shared by Fox News on Monday, Donald Trump again claimed schools around the country are “taking” kids and performing “operations” on them.
“There are some places your boy leaves the school, comes back a girl,” Trump insisted without proof.
“Okay? Without parental consent. What is that all about? That’s like — when they talk about a threat to democracy, they’re a threat,” Trump continued, apparently referring to his Democratic opponent and clearly rattled that her message about his authoritarian nature and cognitive decline are taking hold.
In a rambling answer to a Bronx dad at what the New York Post described as a “surprise” visit to a barbershop packed with Black men who support Trump, the former president, slumped in a barber chair, held forth incoherently on his solution for problems at America’s schools: stopping teachers and administrators from transitioning kids.
All of this was in response to the dad’s question about how Trump would help Bronx public schools perform better – the dad didn’t mention trans kids at all.
“Could you imagine without parental consent? At first, what I was told that was actually happening, I said, you know, it’s an exaggeration. No. It happens! It happens in areas where it happens. We’re not going to let it happen, but we are going to straighten out a lot,” Trump said, untethered from the facts or syntax.
Trump also added his stock answer of all but eliminating the Department of Education, claiming he’d abolish every job at the Cabinet-level agency save the head of the department and a secretary for the Secretary.
“We’re moving them back from Washington, where you have people that don’t care about New York, frankly,” Trump told his Bronx questioner. “You know, in Washington, I don’t know if you ever noticed that you got Department of Education, Department of Education. You got half the buildings are Department of Education.”
“I never saw – you don’t need any of them. You know, I want one person and a secretary to just make sure they’re teaching English. Okay. Give a little English,” he said. “Okay? I say reading, writing, and arithmetic. No transgender, no operations.”
The sputtering appearance was just one in a week marked by the Republican nominee’s deteriorating campaign performances. Earlier in the week, Trump swayed to his Spotify playlist at a rally in Pennsylvania for close to 40 minutes, gesturing along to favorites like “Ave Maria” and “Memory” from Cats. On Sunday, Trump donned a Dukakis-worthy hat and McDonald’s apron to work the frier and hand out free orders to fake drive-thru customers at a closed restaurant location. At a rally in Detroit, an 18-minute microphone malfunction left the 78-year-old fuming and wandering the stage.
The faux “surprise” visit at Knockout Barber in The Bronx Thursday — hosted spontaneously if you believe the campaign’s claim by “Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones — had “customers” waiting in the shop during a security lockdown from 9:30 in the morning until Trump staggered in at 4 p.m.
Adding to the surreality at the barbershop: a clip reveals one barber shearing the neckline of a stand-in customer for thirty seconds, but not cutting his hair at all, one more clue to the staged nature of the supposedly spontaneous campaign stop.
In June, the Trump campaign tricked the owner of a Black barbershop in Georgia into hosting what he said they characterized as a small business roundtable, not a Trump campaign event.
“You guys are the same as me,” the slumped billionaire candidate told his Bronx barbershop fans. “We were born the same way… I know you people so well. I know you so well.”
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Equality California Institute, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, has published its 2024 Safe and Supportive Schools Report Card, evaluating LGBTQ+ policies and programs from the 146 school districts that participated this year. The data, collected via the self-reported Equality California Institute’s Safe and Supportive Schools Survey, was sent to all 345 Unified School Districts statewide. This report reveals both the advancements made and the persistent challenges faced by school districts in creating a safe, inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty.
“California has made substantial strides in advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ students by implementing robust anti-bullying policies and adopting inclusive curricula that foster acceptance and equality.” says Equality California Institute Programs Director Erin Arendse, “However, recent school district policies mandating the disclosure of a student’s transgender identity without consent have negatively impacted the well-being of transgender youth. Research shows that discrimination increases mental health risks and lowers academic performance among LGBTQ+ students, while supportive environments lead to better outcomes.”
The report serves as a valuable tool for educators, policymakers, and advocates, providing critical insights to help overcome challenges and create supportive environments that safeguard the rights and well-being of students. Visit schools.eqca.org to learn more.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
Hundreds of veterans who were dismissed from the U.S. military under the now-repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy have been given honorable discharges following a yearlong review, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
“Even though the majority of service members discharged for their sexual orientation … were honorably separated, nearly 2,000 were separated with less than fully honorable characterizations,” Christa A. Specht, a legal policy director at the Defense Department, said in a news release Tuesday.
After the repeal, those who were dismissed due to the policy could appeal for an upgrade to an honorable discharge, which would make them eligible for full military benefits. However, Specht noted, many people affected by the policy were unaware they could do so. The “proactive review” sought to address this.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said 851 cases were proactively reviewed over the past year, and 96.8% of them, more than 800, qualified for “relief.”
“Brave LGBTQ+ Americans have long volunteered to serve the country that they love,” Austin said in a statement Tuesday. “Under President Biden’s leadership, the Department of Defense has taken extraordinary steps to redress the harms done by ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and other policies on these former Service members.”
The announcement comes just over a year after the department announced it would conduct a “proactive review” of service members who were dismissed under the policy, which prohibited gay and lesbian members of the military from being open about their sexual orientation. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was in effect from February 1994 to September 2011 and resulted in the discharge of more than 13,000 service members.
“What this means is that of the nearly 13,500 individuals who were administratively separated under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, and served long enough to receive a merit-based characterization of service, 96% now have an honorable discharge,” Austin said in the statement.
Gays and lesbians dismissed from the military during the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era are part of a legacy that started well before 1994. Historians estimate at least 100,000 service members were forced out of the military due to their actual or perceived sexuality between World War II and 2011.
Italy’s parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy — a project of Prime Minister’s Giorgia Meloni party which activists say is meant to target same-sex partners.
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has pursued a highly conservative social agenda, looking to promote what she sees as traditional family values, making it progressively harder for LGBTQ couples to become legal parents.
The upper house Senate voted into law a bill proposed by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party by 84 votes to 58. The bill was already approved by the lower house last year.
The legislation extends a surrogacy ban already in place in Italy since 2004 to those who go to countries such as the United States or Canada, where it is legal, imposing jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to 1 million euros ($1.09 million).
“Motherhood is absolutely unique, it absolutely cannot be surrogated, and it is the foundation of our civilization,” Brothers of Italy senator Lavinia Mennuni said during the parliamentary debate.
“We want to uproot the phenomenon of surrogacy tourism.”
On Tuesday, demonstrators gathered near the Senate voicing their outrage at the bill, saying the government was lashing out at LGBTQ people and damaging those who wanted to have children despite the fact Italy has a sharply declining birth rate.
People participate in a demonstration Tuesday in Piazza Vidoni in Rome organized by Italian LGBTQ associations and political parties that oppose the Varchi bill.Simona Granati / Corbis via Getty Images
“If someone has a baby, they should be given a medal. Here instead you are sent to jail… if you don’t have children in the traditional way,” Franco Grillini, a long-time activist for LGBTQ rights in Italy, told Reuters at the demonstration.
Rainbow Families President Alessia Crocini said 90% of Italians who choose surrogacy are heterosexual couples but they mostly do so in secret, meaning the new ban would de facto affect only gay couples who cannot hide it.
The clampdown on surrogacy comes against the backdrop of falling birthrates, with national statistics institute ISTAT saying in March that births had dropped to a record low in 2023 — the 15th consecutive annual decline.
“This is a monstrous law. No country in the world has such a thing,” said Grillini, referring to the government’s move to prevent Italians from taking advantage of practices that are perfectly legal in some countries.
As the 2024 election looms, younger LGBTQ+ voters are navigating a uniquely stressful political landscape. The combination of targeted legislation, hate speech, and economic uncertainty has compounded an already intense election season for these communities, leading to a marked increase in anxiety and mental health concerns.
Despite these challenges, queer Gen Z voters are expected to mobilize in record numbers, driven by a desire for change.
For marginalized communities, like LGBTQ+ individuals, this anxiety can be even more intense due to fears of policies that could negatively impact their rights and lives. Symptoms can include trouble sleeping, constant worry, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.
Related
As politically charged rhetoric rises, many LGBTQ+ and Gen Z voters are feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the stakes of upcoming elections.
LGBTQ+ voter motivation is high, but mental health is at risk
LGBTQ+ voter turnout is expected to be strong in the 2024 election. According to a GLAAD poll, an overwhelming 94% of LGBTQ+ registered voters say they plan to cast their ballot this November. However, this motivation to engage in the political process comes with significant emotional costs. A striking 72% of LGBTQ+ individuals report that the current political climate has negatively impacted their mental health.
For queer Gen Z voters, the overall mental health picture is even more concerning, with 71% of LGB Gen Z adults reporting they experienced anxiety “a lot of the day yesterday,” compared to just 52% of their straight peers, according to Gallup. This general anxiety adds to the emotional burden many queer voters carry into this election season.
Elizabeth Douglas, MA, LADC, LPCC, a Minnesota-based therapist and owner of Yellow Wallpaper Therapy, who has spent over a decade working with the queer community, explains, “Recent legislation limiting access to gender-affirming care, banning discussions of LGBTQ+ issues in schools, and proposing restrictions on transgender individuals’ rights have contributed significantly to anxiety and stress.”
This stress is only heightened by the political polarization many LGBTQ+ voters feel, with some questioning whether their votes will make a difference in a system that often feels hostile to their identities.
The rise of LGBTQ+ voters as a political force
Despite the mental health challenges, the LGBTQ+ community is emerging as an influential voting bloc, particularly among Gen Z. According to the Human Rights Campaign, one in seven voters is expected to identify as LGBTQ+ by 2024—and that number could grow to one in five by 2040. In the 2020 election, LGBTQ+ voters made up 7% of the electorate, which is expected to rise in the coming years.
This growth in numbers is already being reflected in key election metrics. LGBTQ+ voters favor Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by a substantial margin, and in Congressional races, 77% of LGBTQ+ voters are likely to support Democratic candidates. However, this strong preference for Democratic candidates also underscores the deep political divide felt by many LGBTQ+ individuals.
The impact of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation
The surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and hate speech has left many queer voters feeling vulnerable. Nearly half of LGBTQ+ voters report experiencing real-world bullying, further contributing to the sense of anxiety surrounding the election.
And it’s not just rhetoric—laws targeting transgender youth, banning gender-affirming care, and limiting discussions of LGBTQ+ issues in schools are having profound effects on mental health and overall well-being.
Douglas highlights how these stressors are affecting the younger LGBTQ+ generation: “The rise in hate crimes and public anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, especially on social media, has contributed to a pervasive feeling of vulnerability. These factors drive political engagement but may deter some from voting out of fear for safety, especially in public polling places.”
Related
Gen Z’s unique perspective and mental health crisis
Gen Z is the most diverse generation yet, with 28% identifying as LGBTQ+ according to the latest data from the Public Religion Research Institute. This group is redefining what it means to be politically engaged, but they’re also dealing with overwhelming mental health challenges. Only 38% of queer Gen Z adults rate their mental health as “excellent or good,” compared to 63% of their straight counterparts.
The emotional toll is evident in how they approach political engagement. While many Gen Z voters are leading the charge for progressive change, they are also grappling with the pressure to balance activism with self-care.
According to Douglas, building safe communities, both online and offline, can offer some relief, but the systemic pressures queer Gen Z faces make it difficult to avoid burnout.
How to manage election anxiety
Election anxiety is not going away, but there are strategies to help alleviate its impact. For LGBTQ+ voters, especially Gen Z, advocacy can provide a sense of control and empowerment. Engaging in activism can offer a constructive outlet for stress.
Douglas suggests several strategies:
Engage in advocacy through voting, organizing rallies, and joining LGBTQ+ activist groups
Build safe online and offline communities
Practice digital hygiene to limit exposure to harmful content
Participate in therapy or peer support groups
Support LGBTQ+ candidates and grassroots campaigns
In addition to the strategies already mentioned, managing election anxiety can also involve setting healthy boundaries with news consumption. Limiting your exposure to the 24/7 news cycle—particularly avoiding doomscrolling before bed—can protect your mental well-being. Focus on trusted, LGBTQ+ affirming news sources, and only check in at specific times during the day.
Another way to reduce feelings of helplessness is to focus on what you can control, such as volunteering for LGBTQ+ organizations or helping others register to vote. Taking tangible actions, no matter how small, can provide a sense of empowerment.
However, it’s also important to know when to take a step back and protect mental health. It’s about finding balance—staying involved and informed, but not overwhelmed.
Related
Empowering change and supporting well-being
As the election approaches, queer Gen Z voters are stepping into their power. While the challenges they face are immense, their collective voice is reshaping the political landscape. Understanding the unique factors driving election anxiety for LGBTQ+ voters is key to ensuring their voices are heard—and their mental health is supported.
With a rapidly growing LGBTQ+ electorate, their votes will not only shape the outcome of the 2024 election but will also define the future of political discourse in the U.S. As Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, puts it, “LGBTQ Americans are ready to exert their significant power to shape electoral politics, choose responsible leadership, and use their voices to advocate for equality.”
And that includes young, queer individuals who are coming of age and using their voices to demand change and hold politicians accountable, as well.
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In a state like Georgia that has a Republican trifecta — a Republican governor and a party majority in both chambers of the state legislature — queer community leaders and political strategists are working diligently to prove Atlanta isn’t the state’s only allegedly progressive community.
Georgia has roughly 8 million registered (active and inactive) voters. Georgia’s Secretary of State online data hub indicates there have been 121,898 more active voters since the December 2022 runoff election, and each one will count in a battleground state that could determine the nation’s future.
In September, the Georgia State Election Board voted to have all cast ballots counted by hand. Many consider this rule change an ongoing effort to undermine or at least delay election results. Democrats, who were once pushing Gov. Brian Kemp (R) to hold an ethics hearing, filed a lawsuit to have a judge push Kemp to remove some of the members of the elections board believed to be former President Donald Trump loyalists. While one judge dismissed the case in early October, a Fulton County Superior Court Judge issued an injunction blocking the hand count rule on the first day of early voting in the state. The judge felt the new rule was approved too close to Election Day and would create “administrative chaos.”
Related:
Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024
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Georgia’s narrative as a battleground state has been a major talking point in recent years. According to some reports, Stacey Abrams’ 2018 gubernatorial campaign was a test case to prove if the Democratic party mounted a “sustained voter outreach campaign,” the state could flip from red to blue. In Georgia, Joe Biden narrowly beat Trump by 11,779 votes during the 2020 election, garnering him the Electoral College votes needed to become the 46th president of the United States and strengthening the argument that Georgia could be a viable player on the national stage. Two years later, Sen. Raphael Warnock’s runoff win over Republican challenger Herschel Walker solidified the state’s status as a bonafide swing state.
How has this happened? An increasing number of LGBTQ+ community leaders and political strategists have worked tirelessly to galvanize voters of all ages, backgrounds, and identities to build a coalition beyond the state’s capital, Atlanta. They have also proven, to some extent, that they carry political power in the state and have built effective grassroots efforts in their local communities.
Georgians are fighting for people over politics
FTR Political Strategies co-founder Mo Pippin.
At 28, Mo Pippin (they/them) is one Georgian hoping to turn the state from purple to blue. In 2023, they co-founded FTR Political Strategies out of a need for greater engagement in local elections and voter education.
“Here in Roswell — which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Athens — we’re doing the work to boil down these large, sometimes scary federal issues to local and state issues that are digestible, recognizable, and salient to people; and trying to connect them with better representatives,” Pippin told LGBTQ Nation. “I believe fully that young people have been primed to have conversations with people who are different from us. One of the primary things that we do to engage voters is we canvas; we knock on doors.”
Pippin said voters have warned them to be careful in their neighborhood whenever they canvass in traditionally conservative areas of Roswell. They believe the warning is rooted in an assumption that other residents in the region will not be welcoming and potentially combative.
“If I’m looking at our state government and I don’t see people who look like me or who act like me or who share the same values as I do, it’s an easy assumption that, because of what we’re told about democracy, these people who got into office through the means of popular vote naturally represent our entire population,” they said. “But that’s not the case. Our voter turnout in the state is incredibly low. The system is made that way. There are all of these structural reasons – getting their children to school, getting to work themselves, making sure their families are fed, and their health needs are met – why people are not able to engage in the [political process] in our state. People are too tired and too busy to vote.”
Organizations like Georgia Equality, the state’s largest and oldest LGBTQ+-centered advocacy organization, are actively working to engage, educate, and advocate. This past year, it played an integral role in helping defeat the nearly 20 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the state legislature by appearing regularly at the state Capitol for hearings, votes, and meetings alongside other pro-LGBTQ+ groups. The organization also leveraged the community, organizing more than 5,000 people to make calls to their representatives during the session.
“Our priority is not to leave any LGBTQ+ Georgian behind,” Noël Heatherland (they/them), statewide organizing manager for Georgia Equality, told LGBTQ Nation. “And making sure that everyone, especially those who do not live inside the bubble of the city of Atlanta, is remembered and included throughout the year, especially during a time where our civic engagement and letting our voices be heard is so important.”
The queer experience in the state’s southern region comes with its own set of issues and specific concerns, said Heatherland, a native of Albany, Georgia. While recent reports suggest that most LGBTQ+ voters are motivated to support the Democratic party and concerned about issues like restricting women’s rights and banning medical care for transgender youth, Heatherland said queer Georgians are also concerned with a lot of the same issues that impact people across various communities and demographics.
Omarion Smart agrees. A senior at Georgia State University, Smart is a native of Bainbridge, Georgia, in the southwest region. He’s also policy director for Voters of Tomorrow, a social welfare organization for Gez Z, by Gen Z. Housing, food security, and the cost of living are key issues queer voters are taking to the ballot box this November, he said. Healtherland adds queer voters in the state are also concerned about quality education for their children and the safety of their children in schools. According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, the LGBTQ+ population makes up about 4.7% of the population in the state of Georgia, with 27% of them having children.
“The majority of Georgians agree on these things,” Smart said. “We agree that housing should be affordable. We agree that we should have health care and that Medicare and Medicaid should be expanded. The economy. Housing. As well as the rise of transgender hate ideology and reproductive rights. They are all important issues to voters in Georgia. No one issue has priority over the other. Yet we have those in the legislature that do not reflect the population of our state, and it’s time that we change that.”
Smart’s concerns manifested this August when Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) launched the Georgia Senate Special Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports “to ensure that female athletes across Georgia have the right to compete on a fair and level playing field.” Smart believes the committee and its purpose are “disgusting.”
“It’s not even intended to learn about these issues,” Smart said. “That’s just how the politics in our state are. Their goal is to spew their blatant hate and not be called out on their hatred.”
“We have those in the legislature that do not reflect the population of our state, and it’s time that we change that.”Omarian Smart, policy director, Voters of Tomorrow
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As far as Shawn Harris is concerned, the energy behind anti-LGBTQ+ and transgender legislation by the conservative party is a smokescreen. Harris is challenging Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, which includes Rome, Calhoun, and Dalton in the northwest. He said that Greene has created a narrative about the region that makes it seem problematic. Harris, however, says local voters are more focused on quality of life, including jobs and affordable housing.
“People get up every day from our area and drive either to Atlanta to go to work or they drive to Chattanooga, Tennessee. They get up every morning at 4 a.m. to beat the traffic,” Harris told LGBTQ Nation. “They’re not home when it’s time for their kids to get off from school. They’re not home for their kid’s soccer games or whatever. They do this for a good-paying job with insurance. And they need affordable housing.”
As election day gets closer, queer voters in Georgia have an impressive slate of candidates to consider: Gen Z Democrat Ashwin Ramaswamy is running for state Senate District 48, challenging Trump loyalist Shawn Still, who was indicted in the Fulton County election interference case last year; RaShaun Kemp won the Democratic primary to fill state Senate seat District 38 and is reportedly the first openly gay man elected to the state Senate; and Laura Judge is running for the County School Board, Post 5.
Rashaun Kemp. Photo via rashaunforgeorgia.com.
“The Cobb County school system has been implementing a ton of book bans against a variety of different books and also enacting discriminatory policies,” said strategist Pippin. “If she wins, control of the Cobb Board of Education would flip and stop the madness happening there. Her district is extremely competitive, and I’m cheering for her big time.”
One candidate with personal stakes is JD Jordan, running against John Albers for Georgia Senate District 56.
“He is running to protect his children from harmful state policies. The incumbent is a co-sponsor of anti-trans legislation that threatens healthcare access for JD’s children,” said Pippin. “He has five kids between the ages of 14 and 19, and two of them identify as transgender.”
Georgia Equality’s Heatherland said Albers is not cordial to LGBTQ+ people or allies and is not willing to listen to them when they are at the Capitol to discuss issues – even if they are his constituents. The district is now trending as one of the state’s most “flippable” districts.
“It’s one thing to speak up on behalf of LGBTQ+ children, and specifically transgender people, when you’re running for something in Atlanta and like 85% of the people you’re talking to agree with you,” added Pippin. “It’s another to do that in a district that is red like SD56, and JD is out here fighting that fight and helping dispel all the misinformation that is spewed about the queer community. He is the dad many of us in the community wish we had growing up.”
Today the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and CenterLink released the 2024 LGBTQ Community Center Survey Report, which showed that 73% of LGBTQ centers surveyed reported they had experienced anti-LGBTQ threats or harassment over the past two years, much of which were specifically in response to anti-LGBTQ politics or rhetoric.
The 2024 LGBTQ Community Center Survey report had 199 participating LGBTQ community centers in 42 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The biennial survey series started in 2008, highlights the crucial role these centers play in the broader LGBTQ movement, offering an invaluable link between LGBTQ people and local, state, and national efforts to advance LGBTQ equality.
“As attacks on LGBTQ people escalate year after year, we applaud these centers’ ongoing dedication to serving on the front line – meeting both the immediate and long-term needs of LGBTQ people, their families, and their communities across the country,” said Tessa Juste, LGBTQ Movement Building and Policy Researcher from the Movement Advancement Project. “This report illustrates the vital difference these centers make in people’s everyday lives, while also highlighting the urgent need for continued funding and support of these centers and the lifelines they provide.”
The report also showed that the 199 participating LGBTQ community centers collectively serve over 58,700 people each week, or over 3 million people per year, with many centers primarily serving people and communities that are historically under-resourced and under-served, including low-income, people of color, transgender people, and those under the age of 18.
“This report is a crucial guidepost for us to see the positive impact of LGBTQ centers across the U.S. as well as what areas need additional resources,” said Denise Spivak, CEO of CenterLink. “As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, this report makes clear the importance of LGBTQ centers in our communities.”
Additional Key Findings The report breaks down program priorities, constituencies and services, infrastructure, fundraising, and staff, board, and volunteer capacity, in addition to the rising threats to safety and security experienced by centers.
Programs & Services 66% of LGBTQ community centers directly provide physical health, mental health, and/or anti-violence services or programs—and this number jumps to 95% of centers when including those that provide referrals to LGBTQ-friendly health providers. Half of centers (50%) offer computer resources or services to the public, providing needed tools for job searching and career development, social services, schoolwork, and more.Nearly all centers (92%) engage in advocacy, public policy, or civic engagement activities, across a wide range of issues and areas, including over half engaging in voter registration efforts. More than one-third of centers listed anti-transgender legislation or other focus areas as their top priority, reflecting the increasingly hostile political and legislative landscape today. Center Capacity Although LGBTQ community centers reported a collective 2024 budget of over $366 million across all centers, the report shows that the financial realities of LGBTQ community centers vary greatly. Over one-third of centers have budgets of less than $250,000. In addition, over 98% of that collective budget belongs to big budget centers (budgets of $250,000 or more).
Funding sources also vary across the different size centers: the largest share (41%) of big budget centers reported that government grants were their top single source of revenue in 2023, while the largest share (41%) of small budget centers said individual contributions were their main source of revenue in 2023.Government grants provide key resources to centers and are used to provide key services to LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ people alike in local communities across the country.
Over six in ten (64%) responding LGBTQ community centers reported currently having a government grant, totaling more than $117 million in funding for needed services like health and housing.While nearly half of all centers remain thinly staffed, 84% of responding centers employ paid staff, providing jobs to 3,100 people.In 2023, roughly 11,600 people volunteered over 421,000 hours at responding community centers, helping centers with and without paid staff to significantly expand their reach and impact.
MethodologyThe survey was conducted online in July 2024 and was distributed to LGBTQ community centers in the United States that are CenterLink members. The survey was jointly developed by MAP and CenterLink. Further details are available in the report.
About MAP: MAP’s mission is to provide independent and rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. www.mapresearch.orgAbout CenterLink: For 30 years, CenterLink has been at the forefront of empowering LGBTQ community centers. Our mission is clear: to strengthen, support, and connect LGBTQ community centers, enabling them to effectively serve their communities across social, cultural, health, and advocacy areas. CenterLink facilitates over $1.5 million in collaborative funding annually, ensuring our centers have the resources to continue making a meaningful impact. We provide essential resources, guidance, and a collective voice to our emerging and established centers. www.lgbtqcenters.org
A Texas judge said she will not drop her lawsuit against a state commission that publicly sanctioned her for refusing to officiate at same-sex weddings, even though the commission withdrew its ethics warning last month.
Judge Dianne Hensley, an elected Texas justice of the peace who hears small claims and misdemeanor cases, said in a filing in an appeals court in Austin last week that the about-face by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct does not undermine her case.
Hensley is suing the commission for allegedly violating her religious rights as a Christian. The lawsuit seeks an order barring future sanctions, but does not ask the court to overturn the public warning. The Texas Supreme Court in June revived Hensley’s lawsuit.
The judicial commission’s Sept. 9 statement withdrawing its warning “does not acknowledge that judges and justices of the peace in Texas may lawfully choose to officiate only at opposite-sex weddings without fear of discipline,” Hensley’s lawyer, Jonathan Mitchell, said in the new court filing.
Mitchell declined to comment. A lawyer for the judicial commission, Douglas Lang, on Monday said it was opposed to the continuation of Hensley’s lawsuit.
Hensley did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She has denied violating judicial conduct rules.
Hensley, a Waco-based judge since 2015, is among about 800 justices of the peace in Texas. They can officiate at weddings for free or for a fee but are not required to do so.
The judicial commission said in its warning that Hensley’s conduct cast doubt “on her capacity to act impartially to persons appearing before her as a judge due to the person’s sexual orientation.”
A trial judge dismissed Henley’s lawsuit because she had not first appealed the commission’s warning. An appeals court later upheld the dismissal, but the state high court said Hensley could pursue her religious rights claims.
After gaining new members, the judicial conduct commission last month withdrew the 2019 warning and dismissed its complaint against Hensley after reviewing the facts and the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling.
Mitchell told the Texas Third Court of Appeals that the commission’s action “does not remove the threatened enforcement that Judge Hensley is suing over.”
Mitchell’s filing said the commission believed the withdrawal of the public warning should void Hensley’s lawsuit. The commission will ask the appeals court to weigh that issue, the filing said.
A lawyer for the commission has said Hensley’s lawsuit is seeking a “license to discriminate.”
Uganda’s recently-adopted anti-LGBTQ+ law could have cost the country as much as $1.6 billion (£1.23 billion) in the year since it was approved by parliament.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which carries the death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality”, was signed into law by president Yoweri Museveni in May 2023. Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda, but the new legislation strengthened the law, including by criminalising the “promotion” of homosexuality.
In the year since it came into effect, queer Ugandans have faced a major increase in abuse, including beatings, attacks and arrests.
Now, in a new study, Open for Business has estimated that the law has cost the country between £470 million (£360 million) and $1.6 billion. That’s between 0.9 and 3.2 per cent of its gross domestic product, the standard measure of the value created through the production of goods and services in a country during a certain period.
The losses include foreign direct investment, international aid, trade and tourism.
Queer Ugandans have faced increased hostility since the new law took effect. (Getty)
Open for Business, which researches the economic effects of anti-LGBTQ+ policies, said the combined losses over a five-year period could rise higher still – possibly to a staggering $8.3 billion (£6.4 billion).
“This represents an inflection point for the country’s economy. The potential loss of talent and productivity, coupled with heightened stigma and discrimination, further deepens Uganda’s economic vulnerabilities and undermines efforts to diversify the economy and strengthen public health services,” the coalition of global companies said.
The new legislation fuelled a spike in abuse towards LGBTQ+ people within months of being passed. Last year, the Convening for Equality coalition reported 306 rights violations based on the victims’ sexual orientation and gender identity, between January and August last year.
Queer Ugandan human rights activist Arthur Kayima branded the law “vile”, adding: “Rather than focusing on the real issues Uganda is facing, Museveni [causes] distraction by attacking our fundamental right to exist.”
