A group in Pennsylvania promotes a more inclusive Philadelphia, the governor of Wisconsin supports an LGBTQ-owned business, and new laws in Texas impact LGBTQ people.
Local Org Promotes A More Inclusive Philadelphia
Gay For Good is a volunteer-based organization that’s always looking for ways to better serve Philadelphia’s roughly 60,000 LGBTQ residents.
"We mobilize the LGBTQ plus community to find volunteer opportunities in our local community to strengthen ties to the Philadelphia area," said Caitlin Forde, a member of the Gay For Good Philadelphia leadership team.
Through acts of service and volunteer projects, Forde said the group welcomes everyone, regardless of identity, to push for a better city and world where diversity, respect and inclusion are championed.
Governor Supports LGBTQ-owned Business
Gov. Tony Evers. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Gov. Tony Evers visited an LGBTQ-owned business in the Chippewa Valley to show his support for the community.
He learned about soap-making at “Coleman and Peck” home of “Ope It’s Soap.”
Evers told reporters he was proud to be at the business, and emphasized the importance of supporting Wisconsin’s LGBTQ community.
“We absolutely believe in the rights of LGBTQ folks, and they’re part of our part of our they’re our neighbors, they’re friends, they’re our spouses, and we just have to, we have to celebrate that,” Evers said.
New Laws Impact LGBTQ People
Photo via Unsplash.
Over 100 bills were filed by Texas legislators that targeted the LGBTQ community, but less than 10 were approved by lawmakers.
One bill approved solely designates state definitions of man and woman, which applies across all statutes. HB 229 defines a woman as “an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova,” and a man as “an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.”
Another approved bill, SB 12, forbids Texas schools from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. It also prevents clubs, such as the Gay-Straight Alliance, based on those subjects from operating.
Critics of the bill say it’s dangerous for LGBTQ youth not to have an academic and social support system in school.
“One of the deadliest things that our youth go through is experiencing the perception at least of isolation, and GSAs are a powerful way that we can combat that and make sure that our youth are getting support,” Ash Hall, ACLU Texas’ policy and advocacy strategist for LGBTQIA+ rights, said.
Bills on bathroom bans and “gender identity fraud” were among those that didn’t pass during the legislative session.
