The Hope Keeps Coming and It Don't Stop Coming
You'll never shine if you don't glow...
Hey folks! I am here to start your Monday off right with a classic Good News Roundup! Whatever the instagram doomer algorithm may tell you, good news continues to happen. These stories, as always, are powered by people just like us who are deciding to step up and make a difference in their community!
First, a win very close to my heart: Missouri has defeated ALL 58 PROPOSED ANTI-LGBTQ+ BILLS!!! They’ve done so with tremendous grace, power, and strategy. There are bigger fights to come at the ballot box this fall, but I am so thrilled the community has been protected from so many attempts at harm this session and will have a chance to breathe before they get back to work.
South Carolina’s session has also ended, with the successful defeat of 44/45 anti LGBTQ+ bills. Oklahoma defeated 52/57 anti LGBTQ+ bills as well!!
Remember folks, we can and must make room for both: none of these bills should have been proposed. None of them should have been a priority. None of them should have been passed. Every one that did pass deserves to be fought in court. Every one that passed will hurt people. It is important to grieve, to rage, and then to act. Pick which of these sentences resonates with you the most strongly, then pick an action.
None of those bills should have been proposed → Which of the legislators proposing hateful legislation are up for reelection this fall? Who are their challengers? Sign up for a shift volunteering to unseat them.
None of those bills should have been a priority for hearings or debate → Through calls, emails, testimony, town halls, voting, and in-person conversations with your legislators, we must let them know there are ACTUAL PROBLEMS that people in your state are dealing with. Ask them where they were on the cost of living, on data center regulations, on renters protections. They are wasting YOUR MONEY. Let them know how you feel about that!!
None of these bills should have passed → Look up the champion legislators who fought against these bills. Call or email or write to them to say THANK YOU. We need to make sure they continue to fight for us.
Every bill that passed deserves to be fought in court → Who is leading litigation strategy in your state? Is it GLADLaw? Lambda Legal? A4TE? ACLU? Send them a donation to help them keep working. If you or someone you know is negatively impacted by a new law, tell them!! They cannot bring a case until they have a plaintiff!
Every bill that passed will hurt people → Look up “mutual aid” in your city, region, or state (or if you’re in a safer area, pick a red state to adopt with your mutual aid donations). Donate your time, spare clothes, money, expertise, or labor to help people survive while we work in other domains to undo this harm on a larger scale.
Feel the anger. Take action. AND celebrate the victories. Just because hateful bills passed, too, doesn’t mean that our efforts to defeat hundreds of attacks on our community are meaningless. Efforts towards cultural change, electoral shifts, harm reduction, and brilliant strategy to protect LGBTQ+ folks (and particularly trans folks + trans youth) are worth celebrating. Insisting these are not worth celebrating sends only one message: No matter how hard you work, it will never be enough, so stop trying. By making time to celebrate what we’ve achieved, we give ourselves the energy we need to get back to work and make some more good queer news of our own!
Some wins in the Courts:
A Kansas judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of the state’s ban on gender affirming care for minors and has said the law likely violates the state’s constitution. I think this is the first ruling on youth gender affirming care post-Skrmetti, so this feels like an extra bit of fresh air for me.
A federal court has released an outstandingly scathing ruling against the DOJ for their intimidation campaign against hospitals providing safe, legal gender affirming care. Judge Mary McElroy (who was appointed by Trump!) came down hard on the DOJ for lying, forum shopping, and even said “DOJ has proven unworthy of this trust at every point in this case.” Read more in this great article from Erin Reed.
Last week, the EU high court ruled that Poland must recognize same sex marriages registered outside the country, even if the unions are not yet legal in Poland. Now, they have registered the first same sex couple in Warsaw!
People power:
After spending 7 months practicing a winds concert in ode to Marsha P. Johnson, the high school band in Watertown, Wisconsin was banned from performing the piece by the school board. They planned a walkout, and though the school and many of the teachers (cowards!!) tried to stop them, the students are quoted as “bursting through the wall of teachers to protest anyways!” Hear more from the students here
You likely know by now that I am a gigantic fan of Jess Craven, the author of “Chop Wood, Carry Water” a newsletter focused on hope through action and taking action every day to make a difference. Every Sunday she sends out a special edition focusing on what went right this week, and it’s so beautiful to see. Check out this week’s update!
In the beautiful world of voting:
Hey, you! Are you someone who likes to complain about having the same sucky milquetoast candidates on the ballot in November? THIS is the time to change that! Right now, there are some INCREDIBLE progressive candidates running for office (and winning) all over the country. The more successes we have in small towns, cities, and red and blue states, the more success we can use to push for more progressive candidates on a national scale. There are some great progressives, DSA candidates, and independents running incredible primary campaigns RIGHT NOW! Learn more about some of the candidates and victories they’re already winning through Run For Something’s Feel Good Update!
Did I miss anything? The best part of my job is realizing there will always be more good queer news than I can possibly know about, and that ROCKS. Let me know if you have a hopeful story in your own city, country, town, or organization worth celebrating! Every win is a meaningful win–they will all add up towards the world I know we are building together.
There is always more joy to be found!
Xoxo,
Gossip Girl
(just kidding it’s still Ben)
((or is it?))
This list of ways to help and be engaged is super helpful. Thanks, Ben!