This Is Why We Have Pride Marches

Sometimes here on the east coast and I also imagine the west coast we forget that there is still a struggle for our rights in the heartland (i.e. the Republican Controlled mid west).

Backlash to LGBT exhibit shows persistent power of homophobia in Missouri politics
Kansas City Star
By Jeanne Kuang, Jonathan Shorman, and Daniel Desrochers
September 13, 2021


Future U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler once warned that if Missouri didn’t ban same-sex marriage in its constitution, judges would dictate “new forms of families to the citizens of our state.” More than 70% of Missouri voters approved the ban in 2004.

As recently as 2014, a year before the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage the law of the land, a group of Republican lawmakers tried to impeach then-Gov. Jay Nixon over an executive order allowing same-sex couples legally married in other states to file joint Missouri tax returns.

As public support for LGBT rights has increased over the past 20 years, Republican rhetoric against the gay and transgender community has shifted. Once marked by open hostility, it has moved to fights about transgender access to healthcare, bathrooms and athletics.

But gay lawmakers say homophobia continues to linger in GOP politics and that the recent backlash to placement of an LGBT history exhibit at the Missouri Capitol only serves as proof.

Here in Connecticut the state historical society had an exhibit on the history of the LGBTQ+ community and it was written up in the local newspaper, in my blog I wrote,

Last night I attended a reception at the Connecticut Historical Society for a traveling exhibit on LGBT history.

The exhibit was a collaboration between the historical society and Central Connecticut State University’s class in LGBT history and will be on exhibit around the state.

Which is a lot different reception than the Missouri exhibit had.

LGBT lawmakers say the persistent power of homophobia in Missouri is best illustrated by the anti-LGBT-discrimination proposal that has languished in the General Assembly for 23 years.

It is not just Missouri, it is also here in Connecticut there are some legislators who will not vote for anything LGBTQ+. For the gender inclusive non-discrimination bill in 2011 there were 62 Republicans in the House who voted against the bill out of 138 and in the Senate 16 were against it out of 36 Senators, the vote back then was right down party lines.

The frustrations appeared to have spilled over into the party’s officials. Pat Thomas, the Missouri GOP treasurer, wrote on Twitter that the removal was “hypocrisy” when the national GOP recognizes a Republican LGBT organization, the Log Cabin Republicans.

“How can your entire party acknowledge #LGBT but a ‘party member’ wants the history removed?” she wrote.

There are still many places around the U.S. that transphobia and homophobia run rampant, places where I wouldn't feel safe as nation we lag way behind. We need to pass the Equality Act!

House Passes The Equality Act: Here's What It Would Do

NPR

By Danielle Kurtzleben

February 24, 2021

Updated Feb. 25, 4:39 p.m. ET

The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to pass the Equality Act, a bill that would ban discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It would also substantially expand the areas to which those discrimination protections apply.

It's a bill that President Biden said on the campaign trail would be one of his top legislative priorities for the first 100 days of his presidency. The House vote was largely along party lines, passing with the support of all Democrats and just three Republicans. The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is unclear.

[…]

The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to explicitly prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

We need to pass it in the Senate, it passed the House but is stuck in the Senate so please call, email, write, or visit you U,S. Senators and tell them help bring the Equality Act to a vote and to vote for the bill.