just to live. and yet, here we are. seeing the right of our community members diminish. their voices are silenced, they re very identities denied. our nation has made great strides with filling the fundamental promises of freedom and equality for lgbtq plus americans, but lately something has changed. the arc of progress is bending in ways we did not think possible just five years ago. unjust ways. so far this year, more than 520 anti lgbtq bills have been introduced in state legislatures. that is a record. more than 220 of those bills, specifically, targeted transgender and non-binary people. also a record. and an unprecedented 70 anti lgbtq laws have been enacted just this year. in the past, we have put together pride specials celebrating lgbtq+ individuals and their achievements, first in the white house and then on the stage and screen. achievements that deserve to be celebrated. but tonight, as that progress is threatened like never before, we are going to do something d
know your organization just declared a national state of emergency for the lgbtq+ community, tell us about that decision. absolutely, we have seen a horrific increase in the anti-lgbtq+ pieces of legislation across the country. over 500 bills introduced just this year, and nearly 80 signed into law. so this was a moment where we needed to make it clear exactly the crisis we are facing, you, know families are deciding where they will go on vacation, kids are deciding where they will go to school, and they did not know that the laws have drastically change state-by-state, creating a dizzying patchwork of protections. so the state of emergency is both naming the situation for exactly what it is, and also about giving people the resources to take care of, themselves and their families, in the face of this truly eminent threat to our health and safety in so many ways. you know, progress at least in this, country it always is characterized by two steps forward, one step back, two steps f
legislation to criminalize many drag performances. the freedom to express ourselves and our gender identity in creative ways of feels artistry across our country and culture and marty gold cummings is on the front lines, defending their first amendment right to that expression. marty gould cummings, thank you for your time. let s start with drag dance which is sweeping conservative states. talk about the harm being done to performers and the message that this sends to the broader lgbtq plus community. these drug bands are unconstitutional, as we have seen from the federal judges who are striking them down. i think the repercussions for drug artists is that, if they re in a state where they are not able to perform, that directly impacts their income, the local economy, and the venues that are hosting drag and then for these pride celebrations that have been canceled in different areas because of this, it signals
tropes, i try to educate them as to why what they said is dangerous, and what those ramifications are i just see the kinds of things being posted there, to show that when people sprinkle death threats in between just horrible comments, then there is real consequences to the actions they have. i want them to really think about what it is that they can do to have political courage and stand up to these things. they are just going along with the political way of thinking on these issues. we need to stop that. well, you are in a different situation, as a democrat in colorado, you are the states first transgender lawmaker but there is a democratic super in the state house, so you can t be silenced by the right. that has not stopped you from reaching across the aisle, and working to not only change their hearts and minds, but also their support for legislation that would make
the capital to fight for our everyday rights, they get a little worried about that. i think that is one of the biggest deterrents right now, and it is a authoritarian rule. so, then, representative turner, how are you fighting these efforts to silence to voice? we are going to keep showing up like we always have done, right, i knew when i was elected back in 2020 that the majority of my work would not just be writing and voting for legislation in these walls, it would also be the community we built. the efforts to hold in mutual aid, community care, and so having those tough conversations like is one of the most progressive places to live in oklahoma, so we get to have those deep conversations about what policy and liberation look like together, right, and so we continuously still get to write legislation, pushed forth in the committee we just don t get the top in the committee here in oklahoma. so, we will continue to bring those important conversations