There's Always Good News if You Look For it
Once again, the good news just keeps coming! This week, we're rife with updates here in the US and around the world, changing tides in public perception around immigration, and a number of resources to learn more, get involved, and fight back!
Speaking of fighting back, we’re starting out with actions. This, by the way, is the goal of this whole publication: To remind us that the good news we want to celebrate is driven by people just like you who decide they want to get involved, and to give folks enough hope to re-resource ourselves to have energy and capacity to make change happen!
No Kings, the organization behind the major protests all around the country, are hosting a series of trainings on Strategic Noncompliance. Their new project, One Million Rising, is attempting to train one million people in fighting authoritarianism. There is a three part training series, and you can watch the recording of the first one here! Last night, it seems over 20,000 people joined live!!
Especially if you’re feeling nervous, or isolated, or unsure, or demotivated, watch this recording to learn what you can do to make a difference!
Victories in the US:
Nationwide, the federal government has been forced to begin issuing affirming passports to transgender people, and organizations like A4TE and ACLU are urging folks to update their documents as quickly as possible, though to be aware of risks that may come along with it. This article does a great job breaking those down:
North Carolina's Governor, Josh Stein vetoed three different bills attacking DEI and the transgender community. In a press release, he shared: "[the legislature] wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us. These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education...My faith teaches me that we are all children of God, no matter our differences, and that it is wrong to target vulnerable people, as this bill does." (AP NEWS)
If you live in North Carolina, take a minute to thank him for his courage! Public support and perception will absolutely determine whether he, and other republican leaders, are willing to take risks like this again.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reversed a lower-court ruling and allowed a conversion therapy ban to officially go into effect! This decision was 4-3, and if you'll recall, this is the race Elon Musk poured hundreds of millions of dollars into earlier this year. THIS is exactly what we mean when we say that voting in local elections and getting involved in local advocacy matter!! (NBC)
Continuing that trend, democrats in the Pennsylvania state house were able to block a trans sports ban from going up for a vote with only a one seat majority. Every vote, every race, every email sent to those legislators counts! (Pennsylvania Capital Star)
The Pittsburgh City Council unanimously passed three bills extending protections for LGBTQ+ residents. I believe many of these city council-level protections are going to become more and more important in protecting the trans residents who live within their limits. These bills can impact law enforcement, privacy protection, public support, resource, funding, and more. I would highly recommend suggesting protective legislation to your local city council, and if you know it wouldn't get passed, consider running for a seat! (90.5 WESA)
Ashland, Missouri hosted their FIRST pride festival this July! I am absolutely always thrilled to hear about small towns that are celebrating joy and pride, and the queer folks and allies putting hard work and love into making these celebrations happen. (The Columbia Missourian)
International Wins
Ukrainian court has recognized a same sex couple as a family for the first time, which advocates hope will set important legal precedent in moving towards legalizing same-sex marriage in the country. Social support has been increasing, and according to the Kyiv Independent, around 70% of Ukrainians believe LGBTQ+ people should have equal rights. (Kyiv Independent)
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled in partial favor of queer cisgender Olympic gold medalist runner Caster Semenya. Semenya is intersex, and has spent years fighting for the right of intersex athletes to compete without a requirement for surgery or hormone therapy. While there is still more to be done to protect the rights and privacy of intersex athletes, this is a major victory for Caster in ruling that she was denied a fair trial in Switzerland in 2020. (BBC)
United Nations - Human Rights Council will continue researching anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. They will continue to research, document, and prevent abuses against the LGBTQ+ community wherever possible. (NBC)
A U.K. court upheld a Cayman Islands law legalizing same-sex partnerships. While it is not fully legalized, they are given full legal recognition and benefits, which advocates describe as "functionally the same thing". They are also hopeful this will pave the way for LGBTQ+ rights in other British colonies fighting for equality. (The Guardian)
Trump's Cruelty is too Much for his Base
There's been a lot of chaos lately, and for many people, included folks who thought Trump "wouldn't be that bad", or even folks who voted for and supported him, eyes are starting to open about just how damaging that chaos is.
Take immigration, for example. This is an issue that the far-right has long used as a "rage button" they could activate in their followers whenever they got too close to expecting any actual policy or positive change in their lives. Reliably, they could whip people into a frenzy of hate towards their neighbors and community members.
But lately, Trump's focus on cruelty, dehumanization, the destruction of due process, and disappearing people and families right off the streets have been ramping up, and even his own base is starting to get uncomfortable with it.
Recently, Gallup conducted their annual immigration poll, asking people: “On the whole, do you think immigration is a good thing or a bad thing for this country today?”
79% said yes. That marked a 20% increase from the same question last year. People are seeing the cruelty around them, seeing the way families and livelihoods and communities and workplaces are being ripped apart, and they're realizing that this is not okay.
, who I've become a really big fan of lately for his incredibly measured, nonpartisan, and fact-forward reporting, wrote a great article in depth about what it means that Trump is collapsing in the polls in what's supposed to be his strongest area with his base. I highly recommend checking it out!
That’s All Folks!
Once again, thank you all so much for being here and continuing to celebrate the good news with me. There is a better world out there, and we will keep fighting for it together. It will not be easy, it will not be done by other people on our behalf while we wring our hands and wait.
But we will roll up our sleeves, we will link our arms, and we will get to work, together.
Have you seen any other victories worth celebrating? I want to hear about them!!
All my love and strength,
Ben
Quick note— Gov. Stein is a Democrat!