LGBTQ rights in Pa. must be protected before the Trump presidency

LGBTQ communities throughout our region and Pennsylvania are resilient because we have to be. There is no other choice when we firmly believe that our world can be one in which all are able to thrive as our full and authentic selves. Generations of LGBTQ Americans before us faced devastating physical, societal, economic, and spiritual attacks — and with the impending Trump administration pledging to restrict access to health care and limit protections for LGBTQ people, we are doing all we can to prepare ourselves.

Sadly, many LGBTQ community members are experiencing feelings of confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear now. Since the election of Donald Trump, many LGBTQ people — especially transgender people — have expressed concerns that the incoming administration will take actions to roll back the rights that LGBTQ communities have fought to gain over the past decades. Trump has stated that this new administration would consider removing federal protections based on gender identity and limiting access to medically necessary, potentially lifesaving medical care for transgender people. Moreover, Trump says he aims to remove providers from Medicare and Medicaid for offering gender transition care to minors (including hormone therapy and surgery).

Trump also openly opposes the passage of the Equality Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights law, preventing discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing and other areas.

Immediately after the election, the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project saw a seven-fold increase in calls from community members. Even a month after the election, calls are running at three times their normal rate.

Other LGBTQ organizations like the Welcome Project PA in Hatboro have seen similar increases in calls from constituents who are panicked and in crisis.

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There has also been an uptick in the need for mental health services and food and housing security. The Pennsylvania Youth Congress has received numerous calls from elected officials across Pennsylvania about what legislative actions they can take heading into 2025 to protect LGBTQ people.

Individuals, too, are asking: “What can I do? What’s next?”

All the work ahead fundamentally rests on ensuring as many LGBTQ Pennsylvanians are informed about their current civil rights as possible. The nonprofits we represent — the previously mentioned Welcome Project PA, Eastern PA Trans Equity Project, and the Pennsylvania Youth Congress — are positioned to provide space where people can access that information.

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Along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, the Human Rights Campaign, and other local LGBTQ organizations, we have been barnstorming across the state, offering State of LGBTQ+ Pennsylvania town halls. The nine forums have offered members of the LGBTQ communities an opportunity to discuss what may be coming, and to promote strong LGBTQ civic engagement, participation in the electoral process, and collective action.

One of those town halls will take place this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Welcome Project PA, 350 S. York Rd., in Hatboro (Montgomery County).

This starts with education and community.

The session will begin with brief presentations that will outline the current political landscape at all levels of government, then go on to review the legal rights LGBTQ people have at the federal, state, and local levels and what developments advocates envision an incoming Trump administration might take in the short and long term. The last half of the event will be a Q&A session with LGBTQ policy experts.

Together, we can successfully mobilize and advocate for our communities, state, and nation to be places in which all LGBTQ people can thrive. This starts with education and community building. No matter what lies ahead during the next four years of the Trump presidency, our partnerships and relationships will help us forge new paths.

Josh Blakesley is the executive director of the Welcome Project PA. Corinne Goodwin is the executive director of the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project. Jason Landau Goodman is the board chair of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress.