HRC denounces DeSantis’ 2024 bid for president – After about 20 minutes of tech failures, Desperate Florida man Ron DeSantis announced his 2024 presidential bid this Wednesday live on Twitter with Elon Musk. “DeSantis has weaponized his position as governor to target and punish anyone he considers his political enemy, including LGBTQ+ families, Black and brown Floridians, immigrants and private businesses,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson in response. “The Human Rights Campaign will work to mobilize the 62 million ‘Equality Voters’ — for whom LGBTQ+ equality is a make-or-break issue — to stand together in opposition to DeSantis’ candidacy, and to ensure that his destructive path of weaving hate and bigotry into public law will end at the Florida border.”

Florida’s travel advisory gets an update– HRC and Equality Florida have issued an updated travel advisory following Florida’s most anti-LGBTQ legislative session in history. The updated advisory details the many risks associated with relocation or travel to the state including–

• Censorship and Erasure of the LGBTQ Community in the Classroom

• Efforts to Foment Racial Prejudice

• Repealing of Gun Safety Laws

• Attacks on Immigrant Communities

• and Assaults on Medical Freedom, Bathroom and Locker Room Access, Academic Freedom, Arts, Entertainment, Sports Participation and Business

“Because of Ron DeSantis and his frenzied appeal to extremists, LGBTQ+ people in Florida are finding themselves in a state of emergency every single day,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “We see it as our duty to join Equality Florida -- and LULAC and the NAACP -- to provide guidance to our community.” More from HRC.

Target Shouldn’t Cave to Conservative Extremists- After Target launched this year’s Pride month rollout, threats against the company and its employees have prompted Target to remove some if it’s Pride month merch, caving into the conservative backlash. HRC has called on Target to stand firm in its support for LGBTQ+ community by putting these products back on the shelves and ensuring their Pride displays stay visible on their floors. “Extremist groups and individuals work to divide us and ultimately don’t just want rainbow products to disappear, they want us to disappear,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “For the past decade, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated Pride with Target—it’s time that Target stands with us and doubles-down on their commitment to us.” More from HRC.

HRC Foundation and SAGE launch the 2023 Long Term Care Equality Index (LEI)- The LEI, a tool designed to measure LGBTQ+ inclusion in long-term care and senior housing communities, helps to address the gap in care for LGBTQ+ elders. This year’s index reports on 200 communities in 34 states finding that 75 percent of participating communities earned either the High Performer or Leader designation. More from HRC.

Finding Joy in Dark Times, One Red Nose at a Time- The Red Nose Day campaign, an initiative of Comic Relief US, aims to show the commitment and support of healthy futures for all children. Participants of HRC Foundation’s Time to Thrive Summits in Denver and Atlanta posed with red noses to raise awareness of the inequities that hinder the safety, education and empowerment of all youth in solidarity for brighter futures. More from HRC.

Promoting Inclusivity in the Classroom- HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools Program launched a blog post this week highlighting the importance LGBTQ+ affirmation and inclusivity has for students, educators and youth serving professionals. The blog uplifts Welcoming School’s annual report and shares DC assistant principal Lisa McNeil’s experience in the program. “Personally, I feel much more knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ identities, especially in my role as assistant principal,” said McNeill. “I not only feel more comfortable supporting my students, but also my staff — supporting all of them in creating an inclusive community. Welcoming Schools has played a role in that by just being intentional about the importance of this work, why it matters.” More from HRC.

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