Happy New Year, Friends! As we head into 2024, I'm sending you all my very best for a year filled with promise. After time with loved ones over the holidays, we now turn our sights to the critical fights ahead. This is no time to let our guard down — too much is at stake.

Our mission for universal freedom and dignity faces fierce opposition, but we have seen what grassroots power can achieve even in the toughest of climates. Just before the new year rang in, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine vetoed H.B. 68, a bill that would have prevented healthcare professionals from providing best-practice treatment to transgender youth, as well as barred transgender youth from participating in school sports with their classmates.

Governor DeWine's veto of H.B. 68 in Ohio was a victory for empathy and compassion — and the thousands of advocates, at HRC and all across Ohio — who fought against this monstrous bill. Still, extremist legislators in Ohio are already plotting their next moves, including a planned vote to override Governor DeWine’s veto as early as next week. We can't let them prevail in using our children and families as political weapons.

In many ways, that reality will frame this entire year: The fight for our basic freedoms and the urgent need to advance equality through defending democracy.

Today, President Biden delivered an important speech about the state of our democracy and the lasting impact of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. His words should resonate deeply as we reflect on the intersection between our continued fight for universal liberation and the defense of our democratic institutions.

Attacks on marginalized communities and the ballot box are intertwined — two fronts of the same battle for justice and equal dignity. Make no mistake — the year ahead will be full of challenges, but I am hopeful that our collective power will be a guiding light that leads us through these difficult times.

Dear Friends,

This week began with a moment of solemn remembrance as we bid farewell to a dear friend and ally of the Human Rights Campaign, Mike Berman. As former HRC President Elizabeth Birch noted in her powerful tribute, “[Mike] was a gift to many but all should know that he was one of the greatest gifts ever to the LGBTQ community. Mike was among the most sophisticated political advisors in the history of this country. For the past three generations, he has advised Presidents, and an army of elected officials, strategists, and operatives.”

Mike was a member of our Board of Directors and also a chair of our board. His leadership was critical at a pivotal period in our movement’s history, and his legacy will forever inspire us to build bridges across lines of difference to create a more inclusive society. Read more about Mike’s incredible life and legacy in today’s Washington Post story.

As we paid tribute to Mike, we joined leaders across the country and around the world in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a Black queer woman leading the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization in the United States, I am uniquely aware of the sacrifices Dr. King and so many civil rights trail blazers made so that we could carry the struggle toward justice forward. Dr. King’s unwavering commitment to justice, equality and nonviolence reminds us that each generation is called to dismantle systemic racism and uplift equality and belonging without exception. Our generation’s time for action is now.

The urgency of this moment couldn’t have been made more clear than it was when MAGA extremism spread further with Donald Trump winning the Iowa Republican caucuses. Trump’s return serves as a reminder that the work of the Human Rights Campaign is, and will continue to be, critical to the protection of fundamental freedoms.

These freedoms remain under unprecedented assault in state legislatures across the country. State legislatures have already introduced more than 200 bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights for the 2024 sessions, following more than 570 similar bills in 2023. These bills follow the familiar playbook of right-wing extremists targeting gender-affirming care, restricting the rights of trans students and limiting LGBTQ+ speech. We face tremendous challenges, but as we have for more than 40 years, the Human Rights Campaign and our allies refuse to give up hope. We remain committed to advancing equality and uplifting democracy of, by and for the people.

In the face of these challenges, we leaned into victories and steps toward progress as inspiration for the fights that lay ahead. The Supreme Court declined to decide whether schools can bar trans students from using a bathroom that reflects their gender identity, leaving in place a lower court ruling that allowed a transgender middle school boy in Indiana to use the boys' bathroom. We have much more work to do to protect trans students, but this decision from the highest court is a step in the right direction.

As we continue the pursuit of justice for victims of the Club Q shooting and their families, we were encouraged to see the shooter who killed five of our loved ones in Colorado Springs charged with over 50 hate crimes to which he will plead guilty. It matters to have the U.S. Justice Department pushing back against hate instead of fomenting it. These charges won’t bring back those stolen from us, but they mark a step toward justice.

At the Human Rights Campaign, we know that joy is an act of resistance. So we took time this week to celebrate LGBTQ+ actors, artists and creators who broke barriers during this year's Emmy season, including this historic achievement of our partner GLAAD in receiving an Emmy. If you are in need of encouragement, take a moment to heed the words of actor Niecy Nash-Betts — this is just the energy we should all be bringing into 2024. Energy matched by Senator Laphonza Butler — the first Black openly lesbian senator in US history who gave her maiden speech on the floor of the United States Senate in defense of democracy.

In the spirit of democracy, I’m proud to announce that this week I accepted an appointment as a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow. Along with nine other appointees, I will work with the Kettering Foundation to strengthen the Foundation’s focus on encouraging civic participation and fighting the rise of authoritarianism and threats to democracy in the US and around the globe.

Finally, it’s often said that if you are not at the table, you are most likely on the menu, a truth that is etched across my heart. This week I joined global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to lead critical conversations about advancing LGBTQ+ equality across our basic systems. It was an incredible opportunity to sit on panels, deliver impactful remarks, and forge meaningful connections with influential leaders who possess the power to shape narratives and challenge the rising tides of hatred and discrimination that persist in workplaces worldwide. Next week we’ll share some more exciting news about what we’re doing to close the “AllyGap” and continue our partnership with companies to go beyond foundational workplace inclusion and take meaningful action for LGBTQ+ people.

Needless to say, it has been an eventful week, filled with both triumphs and challenges. Still, through it all, my commitment to this work remains unwavering. I am determined to realize a world where everyone, regardless of their background, identity or station in life, are able to feel safe and secure.

Dear Friends,

This week, the fight for justice reached a deeply troubling milestone. Monday would have marked 51 years since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which established the federal right to an abortion before it was overturned in 2022. Instead, today abortion bans have eliminated all or some abortions in 21 states. To elevate and underscore the ongoing fight for reproductive justice, the Biden-Harris team hosted their first 2024 campaign rally with a specific focus on reproductive rights. President Biden outlined the administration's plans to increase access to contraceptives, protect abortion medication access, and ensure access to emergency medical care as crucial steps in safeguarding reproductive freedoms. Additionally, Vice President Harris launched the nationwide Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour, amplifying the administration’s commitment to ensuring that every person can make decisions about their own bodies.

This week’s commemoration of Roe v. Wade and the recent Dobbs decision reminds us that our basic rights and freedoms are on the line. In his concurring opinion in the Dobbs decision, Justice Thomas invited challenges to Obergefell and Lawrence, two monumental cases that secured LGBTQ+ rights and protections. Now more than ever, we must join together across lines of difference to advance justice and protect democracy as we know it.

On the political front, this week's New Hampshire presidential primary drew significant attention. Nikki Haley's loss in the Republican primary has positioned Donald Trump as the GOP's all-but-presumptive nominee. As the general election comes into clearer focus, we must remain vigilant, and do everything we can over the next 9-1/2 months to ensure Trump is never returned to power.

This week, we also joined forces with the ACLU, and 63 other organizations, to send a joint letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. We made a strong plea for them to stand against the anti-LGBTQ+ provisions that have been attached to annual appropriations bills. We also issued an updated report that highlights these provisions in detail. These extreme provisions, supported by the House's anti-equality majority and Speaker Mike Johnson, would unleash discriminatory measures targeting the LGBTQ+ community based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

We emphasized the urgent need to block these provisions from becoming law. I want to express my deep appreciation to Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries for their unwavering support in opposing these measures and their commitment to upholding equality and justice.

Elevating the importance of our stand against injustice, HRC’s very own Brandon Wolf made a powerful appearance on MSNBC's The ReidOut, shining a light on the harmful policies and actions of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after he suspended his presidential campaign. Our commitment to equality and inclusivity remains unwavering, and we will continue to fight for equality, dignity and to defend our basic freedoms.

In a setback for LGBTQ+ families in Ohio, the Ohio Senate has overridden Governor DeWine's veto of discriminatory HB 68, which denies gender-affirming healthcare to trans youth and restricts their participation in school sports. Further, in Utah, the state legislature passed a bill that bars transgender students from using restrooms and locker rooms that align with who they are. The bill also would restrict access to changing rooms in government owned or operated facilities for transgender people of all ages. We will not stand idly by as discriminatory laws are enacted. We will fight tirelessly to dismantle these barriers and ensure that every individual can live authentically and without fear. We stand with the Ohio and Utah trans communities as we fight back against these attacks.

One of the ways we fight back with courage and conviction is by working with public and private sector allies to advance the cause of equality. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has released a groundbreaking report on LGBTQ+ corporate citizenship. This report provides a roadmap for businesses to become stronger, active allies to their LGBTQ+ employees, customers, and partners. It outlines six pillars of business activity and offers real-world examples and best practices including: Workforce, Supply Chain, Products & Services, Marketing, Corporate Philanthropy, Advocacy & Political Engagement.

I believe that corporations have the power to promote inclusion for LGBTQ+ people and make our lives, and the world, better. You can read the full report here.

Even with challenges this week has brought joy, with LGBTQ+ artists receiving historic Oscar nominations. Kudos to Colman Domingo, Lily Gladstone, Jodie Foster and Billie Eilish. We could all use some more joy this weekend -- so take a moment to watch their incredible performances and celebrate their queer excellence.