WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, and 63 other organizations from across the country this week issued a joint letter calling on Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to continue to rally their pro-equality memberships in opposition to a slate of anti-LGBTQ+ riders that have been attached to annual appropriations bills.

These riders, advanced by the anti-equality majority in the House of Representatives and supported by Speaker Mike Johnson, would impose a flood of harsh new forms of discrimination on the LGBTQ+ community, further pushing into the margins an already marginalized – but growing – portion of the populace purely on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson released the following statement:

“These appropriations bills are littered with an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ+ provisions intended to harm LGBTQ+ people. Shame on House Republicans for attacking LGBTQ+ people to cater to their most extreme MAGA base. None of these riders can be allowed to pass into law, they will inflict real pain on everyday LGBTQ+ people without serving any legitimate purpose. We appreciate that Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries have been strong allies against these efforts, and we urge them to continue to hold the line against them and pass clean appropriations bills.”

Julie Sweet, Deputy Political Director for the ACLU’s Liberty Division, released the following statement:

“The freedom of LGBTQ people across this country is at a crisis point. Political extremists in statehouses around the nation are banning books, promoting discrimination, and banning the medical care many transgender people need to live. It is of paramount importance that our representatives in Congress loudly and proudly defend these principles and pass a clean budget without hateful and dangerous political attacks.”

The letter reads:

“Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries:

“As organizations that advocate for equal rights and dignity for the LGBTQ community, we are writing regarding the announcement of a bipartisan topline appropriations agreement that was reached between Democratic and Republican leadership in each chamber. We were very heartened to hear the firm commitment from both of you against the inclusion of any poison pill policy changes in any of the twelve appropriations bills.

“As you are both aware, anti-LGBTQ members of the House have included dozens of extreme provisions targeting the LGBTQ community for discrimination in appropriations bills. These provisions have included bans on life-saving healthcare for transgender people, licenses to engage in taxpayer-funded discrimination against married same-sex couples, provisions blocking non-discrimination and DEI efforts, and provisions designed to denigrate, erase, and stigmatize LGBTQ people. None of these dangerous provisions are current federal law and we remain committed to keeping it that way.

“As negotiations now get underway between House and Senate appropriators, it is critical that final funding agreements do not include any of these extreme anti-LGBTQ poison pills. These provisions attack the health, safety, and dignity of millions of Americans and must be non-negotiable for pro-equality members of Congress.

“Thank you for your leadership in making sure that the federal government is able to meet the needs of the American people without sacrificing the fundamental rights and freedom of vulnerable and marginalized communities.

“Sincerely,

Advocates for Youth

American Atheists

American Civil Liberties Union

American Federation of Teachers

American Humanist Association

American Jewish World Service

Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network

Center for Freethought Equality

CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers

COLAGE

Council for Global Equality

Equality California

Faith in Public Life

Faithful America

Family Values @ Work

FORGE, Inc.

GLAAD

GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality

GLSEN

Human Rights Campaign

Human Rights First

Indivisible

Interfaith Alliance

International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality)

Keshet

Lambda Legal

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Makom Shelanu Congregation

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Minority Veterans of America

MomsRising

Movement Advancement Project

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National Center for Transgender Equality

National Council of Jewish Women

National Education Association

National Employment Law Project

National Health Law Program

National LGBT Cancer Network

National LGBTQ Task Force

New Ways Ministry

Parity

PFLAG National

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Pride at Work

Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America)

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

SAGE

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Silver State Equality - Nevada

Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity (SOJOURN)

The AIDS Institute

The Shalom Center

The Trevor Project

True Colors United

UFCW

UFCW OUTreach

Union for Reform Judaism

Unitarian Universalist Action of NH

United Church of Christ

Whitman-Walker Institute

Women of Reform Judaism

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.