Kelley’s Weekly Message: July

Friends,

It feels both surreal and exactly right to be writing to you again. After months of new parent leave — feeding schedules, sleepless nights and the profound joy of watching a tiny human discover the world — I'm back with renewed purpose and fierce determination.

First, my deepest gratitude to our extraordinary Chief of Staff, Jay Brown, who held down the fort while I was away. Jay's steady leadership through these challenging weeks has been nothing short of exceptional. Thank you, Jay, for your unwavering commitment to our mission and for showing once again why strong, collaborative leadership is the backbone of everything we do.

Being away during such a pivotal time has been both heartbreaking and clarifying. As I held my newborn and watched the Supreme Court systematically dismantle decades of progress, I was reminded of a fundamental truth: this fight isn't abstract. It's personal. It's about the world we're building for the next generation.

And now, this week, Congress has passed a budget reconciliation bill that makes devastating cuts to programs like Medicaid, CHIP, and SNAP — programs that disproportionately serve LGBTQ+ people — all to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. While our team worked tirelessly with champions on the Hill to successfully remove a provision that would have targeted gender affirming care for transgender people of all ages, this bill remains cruel, harmful and dangerous. We see clearly how this coordinated attack is designed to push us back into the shadows, to make us smaller, quieter, less visible. But shadows have never been our home, and we refuse to be diminished.

Today is Independence Day, and I know many of us are grappling with complex feelings about celebrating freedom in a country that seems determined to strip it away from LGBTQ+ people. The irony isn't lost on me that we're asked to celebrate liberty while transgender youth are denied healthcare, while our stories are banned from classrooms, while our very existence is treated as a political debate rather than a human reality.

But here's what I've come to understand more deeply than ever: we don't celebrate this country despite our struggles, we celebrate it because of our rightful place in it.

We are America.

We always have been.

From the LGBTQ+ servicemembers who have fought for our freedom to the activists who threw the first bricks at Stonewall, from the teachers shaping young minds in classrooms across the nation to the healthcare workers saving lives in every community — we are woven into the very fabric of this democracy.

A nation without LGBTQ+ people wouldn't just be less free — it would be fundamentally diminished. We are the artists who paint the colors of imagination, the innovators who push boundaries, the caregivers who show up with fierce love, the leaders who refuse to accept "that's just how things are."

This Independence Day, as fireworks light up the sky, I want us to remember that freedom isn't something granted to us by others — it's something we claim for ourselves and defend for each other. The founders spoke of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as unalienable rights, and we embody the ongoing struggle to make those words true for everyone.

The work ahead is daunting, but it's work we've done before. We've faced hostile courts, discriminatory laws, and cultural backlash — and we've not just survived, we've thrived. We've turned pain into power, setbacks into strategy and despair into determination.

So as we move forward together, let's carry both the weight of this moment and the lightness of our unbreakable spirit. Let's organize with the urgency this moment demands. Let's love our families and communities with the fullness our hearts contain. And let's never forget that our presence in this country isn't a favor we've been granted — it's a gift we give.

We are America at its most authentic, most creative, most courageous. And we're not going anywhere.

Talking Points & Actions:

A Term of Injustice: This past month, the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled access to affirming healthcare, sanctioned the silencing of LGBTQ+ stories in schools and limited our ability to fight discrimination in court. And these decisions are not isolated — they are part of a disturbing pattern of judicial hostility toward the LGBTQ+ community. Read how the Court’s decisions in several key cases harm LGBTQ+ people.

Devastating Budget Cuts: This week, Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that would make devastating cuts to programs like Medicaid, CHIP and SNAP which disproportionately serve LGBTQ+ people — all in order to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Its MAGA supporters have tried to hide the bill’s cruelty, lie about its consequences and distract people from the insidious ways it would make life harder for all Americans, including LGBTQ+ people. Read more here — and send a message to Congress now.

Independence Day: As we celebrate Independence Day and reflect on the meaning of freedom, we felt the moment was right for HRC to declare once again: These Colors Don’t Run! Today only, we’re offering the most popular item from HRC’s WorldPride booth and online store to our most committed supporters — a graphic tee featuring a rainbow-winged eagle with a fierce attitude. Get yours now.

Dear Friends,

As I get back into the groove of work after my parental leave, I’ve been reflecting again on the meaning of freedom, especially as it pertains to my newborn — and all of our young children. They can’t vote; they can’t donate to worthy causes and candidates, and they can’t engage in political activism as we do at the Human Rights Campaign. For them, especially our youngest, the arduous fight for a better world — for freedom — is yet unimaginable. The weight of the struggle lies on our grown-up shoulders.

Freedom for our kids means that they have supportive, affirming environments to live and grow; safe, well-funded schools, free from bullying and the scourge of gun violence; and ultimately the right and power to be, and become, their authentic selves.

That’s why our victory in Wisconsin this week is so important: LGBTQ+ children there are more free today, after the state supreme court ruled in a 4-3 decision that the anti-equality legislature cannot prevent the existing ban on so-called “conversion therapy” from being enforced. Conversion therapy is a dangerous, discredited and painful practice that has no place in Wisconsin or any other state in the country. Bans on conversion therapy exist to protect LGBTQ+ children from harm — period.

This landmark ruling not only cements Wisconsin’s commitment to protecting its queer and trans youth; it also marks a crucial check on rogue legislators who have, according to Governor Tony Evers, “held rules hostage without explanation or action,” causing confusion and gridlock. The decision sends a clear message: our rights are not negotiable. And when states take action to invalidate practices like harmful conversion therapy, they are affirming that LGBTQ+ children, and all people, deserve to live with safety and dignity. The decision represents another step on the path to freedom.

It’s also critical to note that this ruling is the result of the hard work of pro-equality forces joining together to elect an allied governor and state supreme court justices. HRC fought hard for the election and re-election of Tony Evers to the governorship and for the elections of Susan Crawford and Janet Protasiewicz to the state supreme court. Elections have consequences, and we must not let up now.

We must stay engaged and persevere, especially as anti-equality politicians and bureaucrats under the MAGA banner endeavor to erase LGBTQ+ people in ways large and small. Just last week, for example, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy sent letters to all 50 state governors, urging them to remove rainbow crosswalks from public roads, asserting a specious theory that such “political messaging or artwork” harms road safety despite a lack of evidence that they increase rates of accidents. But we see this for what it is.

In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis took the cue as another opportunity to erase LGBTQ+ people from public life, instructing the state department of transportation to threaten the withdrawal of public funding from cities over any “pavement surface markings” that aren’t “uniform and consistent.” Shamefully, the department is even targeting the rainbow crosswalk that’s part of the Pulse Remembrance Memorial in Orlando.

This hostility toward rainbows isn’t just a part of the broader culture war afflicting the United States. This is also petty and transparent retribution against LGBTQ+ people — much like the administration’s threat to withhold federal funding over the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., was a petty and transparent attack on Black Americans, indeed all Americans.

I’m more convinced than ever that our fight isn’t abstract — it’s personal. That’s why at HRC, we’re building a better world for our children, grandchildren and the generations to come. As my dad reminds me, “now is the time to act like one day, we, too, are going to be somebody’s ancestors,” just like we are the beneficiaries of our ancestors’ struggles from Seneca Falls to Selma, from Stonewall to Compton’s Cafeteria. We mustn’t lose our hope for the future, determination in the struggle or gratitude for what our forebears endured for our freedom and to make the world a better place for all of us.

Talking Points & Actions:

Rainbow Crosswalks: Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy sent letters to all 50 state governors, urging them to remove rainbow crosswalks from public roads, despite a lack of evidence that they increase rates of accidents — a petty and transparent attack on LGBTQ+ people. Share a photo of your local rainbow crosswalk on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, and tag @humanrightscampaign, or @hrc.org on Bluesky.

Erasing Bisexual People: In an act of MAGA revisionism — and a blatant attempt to divide the LGBTQ+ movement — the administration erased “bisexual” from the Stonewall Memorial website, as it had erased “transgender” shortly after taking office. Add your name to join thousands standing up for equality and accurate representation.

The Big, Ugly Bill: Thanks to members and supporters like you, we have had over 50,000 actions opposing Trump’s budget cuts to critical programs and services like Medicaid which directly impact the LGBTQ+ community. Now Congress needs to hear from you on the disgraceful passage of the budget reconciliation bill. Send a message to your U.S. Senators and Representatives today and let them know how you feel.

Free Andry! Thousands of HRC members and supporters signed a petition calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to release Andry José Hernández Romero — yet he still remains unjustly imprisoned in El Salvador. Contact Congress, spread the word, and let’s bring him home. ?

Dear Friends,

As I reflect on the past week, I keep coming back to a phrase that’s anchored me throughout my life and leadership: "We keep showing up."

We show up in joy and in grief. We show up when it's easy and especially when it’s hard. And right now, we’re living through a moment that is both sobering and deeply revealing about the kind of leadership, solidarity and courage this movement demands.

This week, our community faced a series of coordinated attacks aimed directly at LGBTQ+ people — and particularly at transgender youth and the providers, caregivers and advocates who stand with them. And yet, in every corner of this country, I’ve also seen people like you continue to show up with clarity, compassion and commitment. That’s what keeps me hopeful.

Let me start with one of the most heartbreaking developments: the termination of LGBTQ+ specialized support services through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This lifeline was created to provide critical, immediate care for people in crisis — people at their most vulnerable. The LGBTQ+ option, launched in 2022, was a game-changer. It connected queer and trans people in need with trained crisis counselors who understood our unique challenges and experiences.

But this week, under the direction of Trump-appointed officials, that resource was quietly dismantled. No press release. No meaningful public debate. No opportunity for public comment. Just a decision made in the shadows — while LGBTQ+ youth face record levels of anxiety, depression and suicide risk.

We knew this would be a loss. But we are not without options. Our team at HRC quickly mobilized to pull together a list of reliable, affirming crisis resources still available for LGBTQ+ people across the country. If you haven’t already, please share this list widely in your networks, schools, workplaces and communities. You never know who might need it. And in this moment, information is harm reduction.

That same thread — of dehumanization disguised as policy — continued globally this week with the release of a disturbing report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report, which claims to defend the rights of women and girls, does so by attacking the very existence of transgender people.

It wrongly suggests that accepting trans people “erases” the legal category of women. It invokes discredited pseudoscience, arguing that gender dysphoria is “socially contagious” — a theory rooted in stigma, not fact. And it leans into a fear-mongering narrative that we know all too well: that transgender people are somehow a threat, rather than a community in need of safety, respect and dignity.

This report is dangerous. It gives cover to anti-trans movements around the world. And while it may carry the stamp of an international institution, it reads like something straight out of the far-right playbook. Let’s be clear: trans people exist. Trans people thrive. And trans rights are human rights — period.

Closer to home, we received news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will soon begin a rule-making process that could cut off hospitals from Medicaid and CHIP funds if they provide gender-affirming care to minors. That means blocking access to all kinds of transgender healthcare — even when those treatments are recommended by doctors, supported by families and backed by every medical association in this country. It threatens to “defund” entire hospitals — devastating access to care for whole communities — just to land another political punch on trans kids.

This is all part of a larger political project to erase LGBTQ+ people from public life — to push us out of healthcare, out of schools, out of books, out of policy and out of power. These rollbacks are not isolated. They are coordinated. And the people pushing them know exactly what they’re doing.

But here’s what they don’t seem to know: We’ve been here before.

We know how to organize. We know how to resist. And more importantly — we know how to win.

So at HRC, we are doubling down. We’re fighting these policy attacks in court, in Congress and in communities across the country. We’re ramping up voter engagement through the American Dreams Tour. We’re preparing for the next wave of legislative sessions with stronger coalitions and sharper strategy. And we are holding every leaders accountable — whether they sit in the White House or the boardroom.

We also know that our power doesn’t only come from how loudly we fight — it comes from how deeply we care. In moments like this, caring is radical. Joy is resistance. Connection is strategy.

So if you’re feeling tired this week, I see you. If you’re angry, I hear you. But I ask you to remember this: We keep showing up.

Because we’re building something bigger than this backlash. We’re building a future where LGBTQ+ people are not just protected, but celebrated. Where care is accessible. Where identity is affirmed. Where kids grow up in a world that doesn’t ask them to shrink or hide.

That’s the future we deserve. And every time you show up — for yourself, for your neighbor, for this movement — you bring us one step closer.

Talking Points & Actions:

LGBTQ+ Resources: Specialized support for LGBTQ+ people provided by the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was shut down this week at the hands of Trump Administration budget cuts, putting critical services for LGBTQ+ in need at risk. HRC released a list of resources that LGBTQ+ people can use to find specialized support – please share with your networks.

Another HHS Attack: The Department of Health and Human Services will soon begin the rule-making process to defund hospitals that provide gender-affirming healthcare to minors through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The prohibition — a direct attack on transgender healthcare — will apply to hospitals that provide a range of best-practice care. HRC will fight back on this rule with everything we’ve got. Read more here.

Dear Friends,

This week reminded us — again — that we are living through a time of manufactured crisis and coordinated cruelty. But it also reminded us of something deeper: our power, our people and the truth that we are — and have always been — the heart of the American story.

First, the news of Andry Hernández Romero’s release came with a complicated mix of relief and rage. Andry, a gay makeup artist and asylum seeker who fled Venezuela after facing threats due to his sexual orientation and political beliefs, was detained and disappeared by the Trump Administration — and held in one of the most notorious prisons in El Salvador. For months, we heard nothing. No confirmation he was alive. No due process. No basic human dignity.

Last Friday, after relentless pressure from his family, legal team and advocates, including HRC, Andry was finally released from CECOT and deported back to Venezuela. Let’s be clear: he should have never been sent to an El Salvadoran prison. He should be safe in the U.S. — the country he turned to for freedom. The targeting of immigrants and LGBTQ+ people isn’t incidental. It’s intentional. It’s systemic. And it’s a warning. We stand with Andry and all who are fighting for justice under a system built to break them. You can still take action to demand accountability and the release and return of all disappeared immigrants.

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration quietly ended the LGBTQ+ specialized service line within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This is a life-saving resource, especially for trans and nonbinary youth in crisis. To remove it in silence is more than negligence — it’s an attack. But like always, we responded with positive action. We’ve circulated updated lists of trusted crisis resources across our networks, because when the system abandons us, we show up for each other.

This week also brought good news: HRC PAC proudly endorsed Mikie Sherrill for Governor of New Jersey. Mikie has proven herself to be a fierce and reliable ally — supporting the Equality Act and marriage equality and standing against anti-LGBTQ+ hate. At a time when too many politicians are using our lives as political props, Mikie leads with courage and clarity. We’re all in for her.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, Alan Cumming delivered a monologue that was as fearless as it was funny. He called out the cruelty of this moment, uplifted trans and immigrant lives and reminded millions of viewers that trans people are real-life superheroes. “They grow up in a society that doesn’t understand them, that makes them the other, and often hates them,” he said. But still — they rise.

And finally, President Obama reminded us of something profound in a conversation on masculinity and raising boys. He talked about the impact of having an openly gay professor in college — and how that friendship helped shape his empathy and understanding of the world. “You need that person in your friend group,” he said, “so that if you have a boy who is gay or nonbinary... they have somebody they can look to and say, ‘I’m not alone.’” That’s the community we’re building. That’s the world we’re fighting for.

So yes — this week was tough. But it was also full of reminders: of the power of truth, the strength of visibility and the importance of showing up again and again, even when it’s hard.

Talking Points & Actions:

Andry Hernández Romero: Last Friday, after relentless pressure from his family, legal team and advocates including HRC, Andry was finally released and deported back to Venezuela. Let’s be clear: he should have never been sent to an El Salvadoran prison. He should be safe in the U.S. — the country he turned to for freedom. Take action to demand accountability and the release and return of all disappeared immigrants.

Mikie Sherrill: This week, HRC PAC proudly endorsed Mikie Sherrill for Governor of New Jersey. Mikie has been a fierce and reliable ally — supporting the Equality Act and marriage equality and standing against anti-LGBTQ+ hate in Congress. Read more here.

Alan Cumming: On Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, Alan Cumming delivered a funny and fearless monologue. He called out the cruelty of this moment, uplifted trans and immigrant lives and reminded viewers that trans people are real-life superheroes. Watch here.

These Colors Don’t Run Eagle shirt: As Pride season comes to an end, we didn’t want you to miss out on one of our most popular items — our These Colors Don’t Run Eagle shirt. A fierce rainbow-winged eagle with a spirited attitude, this limited edition design is about reclaiming the imagery of America, affirming our resilience and reminding MAGA extremists that we belong and are NOT backing down. Get your shirt today.