In the News
December 7, 2023
A compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) negotiators in the House and Senate agreed on does not include a number of controversial amendments criticized as attacks against the LGBTQ community.
December 6, 2023
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who recently faced a historic ousting from his leadership position, has officially announced his resignation from Congress.
December 5, 2023
Democrats in Congress, students, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are growing frustrated with the Biden administration’s slow pace to finalize proposed updates to Title IX, the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination in schools. More than 60 House Democrats sent a recent letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, calling on the agency to act.
November 23, 2023
As a congressman of faith, Mike Johnson is hardly alone. Like the new Republican speaker, 88 percent of House members called themselves Christian at the start of the 118th Congress. Like him, a majority are Protestants. Breaking it down further, Johnson is one of 57 Baptists, making it the second largest denomination in the House, behind the 122 Catholics.
November 20, 2023
President Joe Biden on Monday honored Transgender Day of Remembrance with a statement, writing “there is no place for hate in America and no one should be discriminated against simply for being themselves.”
November 20, 2023
LGBTQ + rights supporters in Congress have introduced a resolution commemorating Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is observed today.
November 6, 2023
Out Congressional Equality Caucus chair Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin has voiced concerns with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, and his record of anti-LGBTQ+ stances and comments.
November 6, 2023
Out Congressional Equality Caucus chair Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin has voiced concerns with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, and his record of anti-LGBTQ+ stances and comments.
Regarding Johnson’s past remarks, like saying homosexuality caused the fall of the Roman Empire, Pocan said Johnson embodied “some of the most extreme elements of the Republican caucus.”
November 6, 2023
In all my years as a member of the Appropriations Committee, never before have I witnessed such blatant attacks on the LGBTQI+ community. Over the past year, I’ve sat through bill markups where my colleagues across the aisle have demonized these individuals simply for who they love or how they identify. MAGA Republicans have put dangerous policy riders in our funding bills – using LGBTQI+ individuals as pawns in their political games. It’s unsettling at best, dangerous at worst. This week, the House is voting on bills containing these poison pills.
November 3, 2023
In the week since Republicans voted unanimously to elect Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) the Speaker of the House, LGBTQ lawmakers and civil rights advocates have criticized the once little-known congressman’s conservative record on same-sex marriage and transgender rights and questioned his ability to lead the House on LGBTQ issues with impartiality.