There are moments that test movements.

Moments that force us to decide whether we are going to shrink in fear — or rise with courage. This is one of those moments.

Across this country, LGBTQ+ people — especially transgender people — are facing coordinated attacks on our rights, our visibility, our healthcare, our families and our freedom. We are watching politicians and extremists try to erase our stories, isolate our communities, and make people afraid to stand with us publicly. And yet, despite all of it, people are still showing up.

Showing up in the streets. Showing up at school board meetings. Showing up for transgender young people. Showing up for democracy itself. That spirit lives throughout this issue of Equality magazine.

Inside these pages, you’ll read about the growing “No Kings” movement and the millions of people rising up to reject authoritarianism and the politics of fear. You’ll read about Trans Day of Visibility and the courage it takes to live openly and honestly in a moment designed to make people afraid. You’ll read about the ongoing fight against conversion therapy and why protecting LGBTQ+ young people remains one of the most urgent fights of our time.

You’ll also read about something powerful happening inside this movement: growth. Growth in our organizing. Growth in our reach. Growth in our membership and ability to mobilize millions of people who believe in dignity, equality and freedom.

And you’ll learn more about HRC’s 2026 national electoral campaign: LET’S GET FREE.
Because that’s what this moment demands: freedom.

Freedom from fear. Freedom from silence. Freedom from systems that were never designed with all of us in mind.

Many of us thought we were closer to freedom than we were. We won marriage equality. We saw representation expand. We watched LGBTQ+ stories move into the mainstream.

We thought the arc was bending permanently toward justice.
And then we woke up and realized something hard: the barriers never fully went away. 
They were waiting.

Waiting to be reactivated. Waiting to be weaponized. Waiting for people in power willing to turn fear into a political strategy.

That’s why this moment requires more than nostalgia for what used to be. It requires vision.

Because if all we are fighting for is restoration — going back to what existed before — then we are aiming too small.

What existed before still left too many people behind. So now we have to dream bigger.

Bigger than fear. Bigger than division. Bigger than the politics designed to keep us fighting each other instead of building something better together.

That is the spirit behind LET’S GET FREE. A call not just to defend equality — but to build a democracy that actually delivers on its promise for everyone.

A democracy where every person has dignity. Every person has safety. Every person has the freedom to live openly, fully and without fear. That kind of freedom does not happen by accident. It happens because people organize for it. Fight for it. Vote for it. Sacrifice for it.

And the good news is this: we are not starting from scratch.

We are 4 million members and supporters strong. LGBTQ+ voters are one of the fastest-growing voting blocs in the country. And there are 74 million Equality Voters across this nation who believe fairness, dignity and freedom still matter. That is a force.
So as you read this issue, I hope you feel informed. I hope you feel energized. But more than anything, I hope you feel ready.

Ready to organize.
Ready to fight for each other.
Ready to build something bigger than what existed before.
Ready to get free.

With pride,