Now that the Republicans feel they’ve won on abortion, they’ve decided to come after us. It’s cheap shot for political gain. It appeals to their base, and they’ve got the votes in many statehouses. They seem to be particularly incensed about transgender issues and/or gender identity. It remains to be seen how popular that will be in the next general election in 2024.

The long-term effects of this open hostility to LGBTQ+ folks in the Republican Party may prove to be damaging. In their efforts to appeal to business interests, they may find that corporations are cautious about programs that hurt corporate recruiting efforts. People are flocking to low-tax southern states, but their reactionary social policies may slow that trend. Texas and Florida boast of their bigotry, but eventually folks will get fed up with it. When you treat people like dirt, you may end up face down in the mud yourself. It’s curious how people who are opposed to big government can rationalize the invasion into people’s lives in the most personal ways possible.

Demonstrators carry anti-homophobia signs during a vigil in memory of the victims of Orlando's gay nightclub attack in London, U.K. on June 13, 2016.

According to an article in The Advocate, bills seeking to restrict access to gender-affirming care have been introduced in 21 states this year. The 59 bills introduced so far against trans health care are part of a rash of anti-LGBTQ legislation, 185 bills in all, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. “These bills represented a coordinated effort to deny transgender people our freedom, our safety, and our dignity,” Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice at the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, said.

North Carolina has two anti-LGBTQ bills pending, one in the Senate, and one in the House. The one in the Senate is modeled on legislation in Florida and is heading on a fast track. The GOP claims they could override a Governor’s veto.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to introduce a slate of new anti-LGBTQ bills, but the session is just getting started after a lengthy debate in naming a new speaker. With a slim GOP majority, their top priority is going after the Jan. 6th committee, which already has been disbanded. Attacking Hunter Biden probably is second priority, so we may come down the list.

President Biden Signs Respect for Marriage Act on December 13, 2022

The prospects for gay, lesbian, and transgender folks are better than last year, but they still are limited. The Respect for Marriage Act was signed by the President in December. It strikes down the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, even though that was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Basically, the law says that states must reciprocate in recognizing the laws of other states. If a same-sex marriage in legal in one state, then another state must recognize that. It does not have to recognize same-sex marriages within that state if no law has been passed in that state. It recognizes religious organizations the right to refuse services or programs to same-sex couples if that is against the religious beliefs of that organization.