Energy Allies stands in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community, celebrating their strength and beauty as well as the teachings of Queer Ecology. In our commitment to inclusivity and reversing the erasure of climate-impacted people and communities, we recognize the intersection of energy justice and queer rights.
We firmly believe the inclusion of every community is essential in achieving a just transition. To our LGBTQIA+ community members, we value your knowledge and perspectives. You make our work stronger.
We condemn the oppressive state legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. Over 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced this year alone, and over 220 of these bills specifically target transgender and non-binary people. This year, we have seen a record breaking 70 anti-LGBTQ laws enacted, including bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, misgendering of transgender students, banning drag performances, the creation of licenses to discriminate, and censorship of school curriculum and books.
This surge in anti-LGBTQ+ bills includes LGBTQ+ Erasure bills that strip away legal protections and rights for LGBTQ+ people. More than 125 bills aim to prevent trans youth from accessing age appropriate, medically necessary, best practice health care. In stark comparison, an overwhelming majority of these medical services are available to cisgender people without facing discrimination or systemic barriers. In a recent publication by NBC News, a cisgender man reflects on receiving gender-affirming care as a teenager without stigma when he began developing breast tissue similar to a cisgender woman due to a condition known as gynecomastia. Another 45 bills seek to ban transgender students from participating in school sports, and more than 30 “bathroom bills” have been proposed, exponentially surpassing previous years’ numbers.
Certain states including Florida, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas, have been particularly aggressive in advancing anti-LGBTQ+ laws. These legislative actions jeopardize the well being and fundamental human rights of LGBTQ+ people.
According to The Williams Institute, there are over 300,000 transgender youth in the United States today. Importantly, 44.1% of these trans youth, totaling 132,300 people, reside in states where they have lost or are at risk of losing access to gender-affirming care due to discriminatory laws and policies. Among trans youth aged 13-17, three in ten (30.9% or 92,700 total) live in states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care.
This impact goes beyond teenage youth. States such as Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina are considering bans on care for transgender people up to 26 years old. Gender-affirming care is age appropriate and medically necessary for the well-being of transgender and non-binary people experiencing gender dysphoria. By preventing doctors from providing essential care or threatening to separate children from parents who support their transition, these bills deny transgender youth access to safe, medically necessary care supported by decades of research and endorsed by major medical associations representing over 1.3 million US doctors.
As an organization committed to justice and inclusivity, we cannot stay silent. Energy Allies stands in solidarity with community-based and community-led initiatives across the U.S. that aim to block anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, protecting the human rights of LGBTQ+ people. Recent rulings in various states have provided victories for LGBTQ+ rights. In Florida, U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell placed a temporary injunction against a drag ban law, legally deeming it as both “vague” and “overbroad.” U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled against Florida’s law banning gender-affirming care for minors on the basis of it being discriminatory. Similarly, a federal judge permanently blocked Arkansas’s law banning gender-affirming care for minors, with explicit care for the harm the ban caused to trans minors. Tennessee’s drag ban law was also deemed unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker. Additionally, some states are taking progressive action to safeguard trans rights. In Minnesota, a bill passed preventing compliance with child removal requests, extraditions, arrests or subpoenas related to gender-affirming care. Maryland has expanded gender-affirming treatments covered by Medicaid. Colorado and Michigan have also enacted legislation to protect access to gender-affirming care. These rulings represent progress in our fight to protect the foundational human rights of LGBTQ+ people.
We will continue to support the LGBTQIA+ community, raise awareness about discriminatory legislation, and advocate for the rights, well-being, and dignity of all people, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Learn more about these attacks on the LGBTQ+ community from the Human Right’s Campaign.