By Imani Rupert-Gordon–
When I joined the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) as the organization’s new Executive Director nearly three years ago, I did so knowing that there were many seemingly insurmountable obstacles that faced the LGBTQ community. In many ways, it’s easy to see why those challenges seem even bigger today.
From the existential threats of COVID-19, MPOX, and climate change, to the racist, sexist, and anti-LGBTQ policies, to the unrelenting attacks from hateful politicians aimed at the most vulnerable members of our community, 2022 does not look the way that what many of us would have hoped after the years of hard-fought victories like marriage equality and the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Instead, we’ve seen a record number of anti-LGBTQ legislation introduced over the past two years. We’ve seen the Supreme Court overturn Roe vs. Wade, which, for the first time, leaves us with fewer rights than we had before.
So, we have work to do. Not only are we working to shut down and dismantle the anti-LGBTQ laws, policies, and sentiments of our opponents, but we have to win back hard-earned rights taken away by the Supreme Court. Our work will be to win the hearts and minds of every person in this country so that we are all treated with the love, safety, and respect that everyone deserves. This has never been more important.
And while the last few years may seem like a tidal wave of defeats, they have not come without their share of incredible victories as well. From the Supreme Court’s Bostock ruling that guaranteed LGBTQ Americans the right to go to work without the constant fear of discrimination, to the Biden-Harris Administration ending the hateful Transgender Military Ban, to the many states and localities that have worked to dismantle the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy, there are many ways that we continue to see the arc bending toward justice.
In fact, just this past year, NCLR has won important cases in Alabama and Utah that struck down laws that criminalized medically-necessary health care for transgender youth and banned transgender girls from playing sports. And while we saw a setback in the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, we also have states like Kansas fighting back for abortion access and courts across the country halting laws that further seek to erode our rights to reproductive healthcare and bodily autonomy.
While it is clear there is still much work to be done—including defeating laws like “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” in Florida that seek to erase the mere mention of LGBTQ people in schools, we know that our fight for justice puts us on the right side of history. And though our opponents would like us to forget, we know that the vast majority of people in this country agree with us.
Together, we will keep forging forward—toward the promised brighter future when every person, regardless of their race, sex, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, or economic status is guaranteed the justice and equity that they deserve.
When I think about what the next 45 years will look like, I know we will lead with the bravery in our heart that is written in the DNA of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Imani Rupert-Gordon is the Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Published on November 3, 2022
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