More than 150 LGBT elected officials penned a letter released this week calling on the incoming Congress to prioritize four LGBT equality initiatives.
Those initiatives include protecting trans constituents from “anti-trans Trump administration policies,” passing federal legislation to protect the rights of LGBT people, focusing on HIV/AIDs treatment — particularly in communities of color — and supporting asylum claims from queer people around the world.
The 152 elected officials penned the letter, which will be delivered to the 116th Congress, during a conference last week. The gathering was hosted by Victory Institute, an advocacy organization focused on training and supporting LGBT political candidates.
The list of signatories includes down-ballot LGBTQ officials, including councilmembers, state senators and representatives, mayors and more.
“LGBTQ political power is growing thanks to the rainbow wave of LGBTQ people who won elected office in November — and this letter is the first sign of us wielding that new power,” Victory Institute President and CEO Annise Parker said in a statement. Parker is also the mayor of Houston.
Some analysts have said the 2018 midterm elections amounted to a “rainbow wave,” with a record number of “out” LGBT candidates running and winning. Over 240 of the 432 LGBTQ candidates, or 56.5 percent, won their elections, Victory Institute’s political action committee Victory Fund found in an analysis.
“The current U.S. Congress failed to advance equality policies and legislation that most Americans support: non-discrimination protections, addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis, protecting trans people from abusive policies, and being a moral voice on the global stage,” Parker said in the statement.
“The next Congress can remedy these wrongs and LGBTQ elected officials are determined to add their voice and energize their constituents around these important measures,” she added.
The officials are encouraging the 116th Congress to pass the Equality Act, federal legislation that would guarantee protections for LGBTQ people, which has not been passed.
The letter also details challenges faced by the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). In the letter, signatories note that Trump dismissed all remaining members of the council last year after some of members resigned over what they said was the Trump administration’s inaction on the issue.
“Nearly 40,000 people are newly diagnosed with HIV each year in the United States and racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented,” the letter reads. “Almost 3 out of 4 new HIV diagnoses are among racial and ethnic minorities.”
“If current HIV diagnoses rates persist, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict about 1 in 2 black gay men and 1 in 4 Latino gay men will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime,” it continues. “This alarming lifetime risk is a call to action to increase prevention and care strategies now.”
The letter also calls several of the Trump administration’s actions “anti-trans,” including its ban on transgender people in the military and the revocation of federal guidelines specifying that trans students can use public restrooms aligning with their gender identity.
“We call on Members of Congress to oppose all efforts to discriminate against transgender people or to limit the definition of gender identity and expression to mere biology,” the letter reads.
The LGBT elected officials are still gathering signatures for the letter before it is delivered next year.