Forum: HRC’s Chad Griffin on the State of the Movement
"We have shown that when a politician attacks any one of us, they are going to hear from all of us."
By Chad Griffin
October 26, 2017
Chad Griffin
This time last year — just a few weeks before the 2016 election — we welcomed to the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner leaders like Congressman John Lewis and Senator Tim Kaine as we celebrated our movement’s historic progress and those who have championed civil rights for decades.
But on November 9th, we woke up to a very different America, with a president-elect hell-bent on undoing all our progress.
This weekend, many in the HRC family will come together for our organization’s 21st annual National Dinner at a moment when our cause is more important than ever before.
In just ten months, the Trump-Pence White House has quickly become the most anti-LGBTQ administration in modern history. They’ve targeted trans students for bullying and discrimination. They’ve appointed hateful extremists to top administration positions and the federal bench. They’ve reinstated a ban on transgender service members. They’ve turned their backs on LGBTQ workers facing discrimination. And they’ve just announced a sweeping order that provides government workers and federal contractors a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people, women, and religious minorities.
But even in the wake of these unrelenting attacks on our community, something amazing is happening in every corner of this country. From the reddest of red states to the bluest of blue states, on the coasts and in the heartland, Americans have never been more eager to participate, advocate, and fight back.
Together, we’ve rallied to support transgender students, Muslims, immigrants, and women. We’ve helped defend attacks on the Affordable Care Act. We’ve joined as an organizational co-plaintiff in Lambda Legal and Outserve-SLDN’s challenge to the unconstitutional and unpatriotic trans troop ban. And we recently announced HRC Rising, the largest grassroots expansion in our organization’s 37-year history. We know that the change we seek comes from each and every one of us speaking out and fighting back.
While last year’s National Dinner was held during a moment of great hope, this year we are coming together during a moment of resilience — determined to prove that no presidency can diminish the momentum of our movement. We will celebrate inspiring figures, like Billie Jean King and Uzo Aduba, who have changed hearts and minds through the stories they bring to the court and to the screen. We will honor allies like Jeff Bezos, one of the most influential CEOs in the world, who made winning marriage equality a personal cause. And we will hear from visionary leaders, like Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator Kamala Harris, who are standing with us in our march towards full nationwide equality.
In this moment, we are called to combat both longstanding challenges and new attacks. It’s understandable to be overwhelmed, and it’s easy to grow weary. But over the last ten months, we have resisted this presidency of prejudice with pride in our hearts and power in our voices. Whether it’s hate that has targeted Muslim refugees, undocumented immigrants, people of color, or trans kids, we have shown that when a politician attacks any one of us, they are going to hear from all of us.
Time and time again, the LGBTQ community has fought back against hate and defied the odds. And today, HRC’s grassroots army of more than three million strong is continuing to move our country forward. The time for equality has come and no one can stand in our way.
Chad Griffin is the president of the Human Rights Campaign. Follow him on Twitter @ChadHGriffin.
The opinions expressed in Forum do not necessarily reflect those of Metro Weekly or its employees. Add your voice to Forum. Discover how at metroweekly.com/forum.
Chris Kostka, a gay man visiting Provincetown, Massachusetts, was walking along Bradford Street between 1 and 2 a.m. on Monday, June 30, when, near Howland Street at the town’s eastern end, three men shoved him to the pavement and began kicking him while yelling anti-gay slurs.
"All of a sudden I just feel myself getting pushed to the ground," Kostka told Boston NBC affiliate WBTS-CD. "I fly forward and I turn. I see three guys, and of course, I'm stunned from just being thrown to the pavement, and I just cover my face, go into a fetal position as I'm getting kicked and getting called some gay slurs."
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously revived a 2020 lawsuit by Marlean Ames, who claims she was discriminated against for being heterosexual by the Ohio Department of Youth Services.
The 61-year-old had worked for the department since 2004. A decade later, she was promoted to administrator of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. But she claimed that the conflict started after she began reporting to a lesbian woman, according to The Hill.
In 2019, Ames interviewed for another position within the department but was not hired. Her supervisor suggested she retire, and days later, Ames was demoted, with a significant pay cut. A 25-year-old gay man was subsequently promoted to her old position. Months later, a lesbian woman was chosen for the position for which she had applied.
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a Tennessee law banning doctors from prescribing gender-affirming puberty blockers and hormones to transgender youth with gender dysphoria.
A group of families of transgender youth and a doctor who treats them sued to overturn the law, arguing it was unconstitutional, infringed on parental rights, and violated nondiscrimination protections in the Affordable Care Act. Lower courts ultimately dismissed the parental rights and ACA-based claims.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.