There’s no sugarcoating it: The next administration poses a crisis for our fight for securing full legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV. But we’re in it together, and we’ve faced crises before. We know that, with tenacity, we prevailed before, and we are up to the task ahead.
We’re not going to downplay the realities and say, “everything will be OK,” as that would be simply foolish at this moment in history. We know that many vulnerable people can’t travel out of state for safety and care. The anti-immigrant crackdown will be cruel, racist, horrifying. The other bigoted attacks will be too. Like you, we’ve been navigating shock, dismay, and deep fatigue.
But we have faced such challenges before. We successfully blocked multiple attacks by the first Trump administration, and we are prepared to do so again. Lambda Legal remains ready to inform and protect, to block and reduce harms, and to fight back. We know how to win.
We’re not as outnumbered as the maps suggest. States with friendly leadership have 47% of our national population, whereas red-led states have 53%. We’ve laid out a four-point plan to sustain ourselves for the path ahead.
Defend what we’ve gained.
Drawing on our past successes, we will execute a policy and litigation strategy to defend the civil rights advances made during the Biden administration and in many states. We will not give up the ground we have gained.
Build pro-equality safe zones.
We will work with pro-equality governors, attorneys general, state agencies, and local government leadership to defend LGBTQ+ rights nationally by helping states challenge federal overreach, expand LGBTQ+ protections within their borders, provide refuge for LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV from hostile states, and continue to build models of sensible, affirming public policy.
Leverage the courts as a last line of defense.
With the executive and legislative branches of the federal government in anti-equality hands, the courts often will be our only hope of stopping a substantial rollback of our rights. Our victory is never guaranteed, but the judicial branch can be our best path in the current political landscape.
Educate America to lay the groundwork for the future.
While we address immediate threats and capitalize on opportunities as they arise, we must keep our eye on long term systemic change and shift culture. We will work to humanize LGBTQ+ people — particularly trans and nonbinary Americans — and everyone living with HIV to build support for equality.
For more about what our plan looks like in action, catch up with our post-election broadcast, and be sure to sign up for our email list and follow us on social media for the latest updates.
If you want to join the fight, donate to our Emergency Response Fund.