One Year Into Trump Administration, HRC Releases Campaign Playbook to Go On Offense For Equality in 2026 Midterms and Beat Anti-Trans Attacks

WASHINGTON — After a presidential election cycle marked by relentless anti-trans attacks and one year of a Trump-Vance administration weaponizing government against LGBTQ+ people’s health and safety, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) today unveiled a messaging playbook for pro-equality campaigns to effectively define themselves early, fight back against anti-trans attacks, and go on offense with their pro-equality values. Post election analysis and polling from HRC and Global Strategy Group show clear trends: battleground district voters overwhelmingly support nondiscrimination and equality, are weary of politicians inserting themselves in people’s personal lives while ignoring urgent crises facing the country, and reject anti-trans fear mongering when candidates push back and define themselves. HRC has compiled these learnings and key messaging recommendations into a tool for campaigns across the country, who will also be supported by HRC’s robust electoral program that will engage 75 million Equality Voters across the country.

“We need and deserve leaders that treat everyone with dignity, give everyone the chance to thrive, and advance equality for all,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “But the right wing, uninterested in and incapable of solving the issues that people are facing, has spent years trying to use LGBTQ+ people as a wedge, pouring millions into anti-trans attacks to scapegoat our community and bully our allies into silence. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that silence is not the answer. This messaging playbook is about giving those allies the tools to stop playing defense and lead with conviction. To be unapologetically pro-equality. And to win elections. Just as they did in states like Virginia and New Jersey last November, voters are going to reject anti-trans fear mongering in the midterms and send a clear message: equality wins.”

The frame for pro-equality candidates, outlined in the playbook, includes five key pillars: 

1. Share your story before attacks come.
2. Lead with your values.
3. Address concerns directly. 
4. Turn the tables and gain voters
5. Go big. 

In addition, the HRC Foundation released findings from the Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey which reveals impacts, one year into the administration, of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks on LGBTQ+ visibility, health care access, financial stability, and discrimination. This survey serves to help fill the gaps left by a Trump-Vance administration that is working to rollback data collection about LGBTQ+ people.

The data presents a stark picture of the LGBTQ+ experience one year into this administration:

• Financial security is declining: LGBTQ+ adults are nearly twice as likely to say that their financial situation worsened over the past 12 months as non-LGBTQ+ adults.
• Visibility is slipping: More than half of LGBTQ+ adults (51.1%) report being less visible than a year ago. 40.1% of LGBTQ+ parents with school-aged children report being less visible at schools, the highest of all measured environments. 
• Outness is fading: Nearly half (47.5%) of LGBTQ+ adults report being less out somewhere in their lives over the last 12 months. This retreat cuts across workplaces (26.5%), healthcare (25.4%), and public spaces (28.3%).
• DEI rollbacks are harming LGBTQ+ workers: 57.4% of LGBTQ+ workers with employers that ended or scaled back DEI reported experiencing stigma and bias at work.
• Access to HIV care significantly harder: Among LGBTQ+ adults, those on Medicare/Medicaid are more than two times more likely to report barriers to HIV prevention or treatment care than LGBTQ+ adults with another form of health insurance coverage. 41.5% of LGBTQ+ adults earning less than $75,000 per year report the same difficulty accessing HIV care.

“Trump and his allies made no secret about their plans; they laid it out for all to see in Project 2025,” said Robinson. “Over the past year, his Administration has pushed forward efforts to eliminate civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ Americans—with funding cuts, regulatory changes, and bullying from the bully pulpit. Now, LGBTQ+ Americans are deeply hurting. Still, for all the pain Trump has caused, the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience drives our power. Together, we continue to fight for a future in which everyone has the freedom to be who they are. I, for one, believe that, together, we will come through this stronger, more united, and victorious.”

Today’s release builds on the momentum of HRC’s American Dreams Tour, which concluded last year after traveling to 10 cities and engaging more than 5,000 attendees through town halls, trainings, and community convenings. Across the tour, HRC partnered with local leaders to train storytellers, elevate lived experiences, and strengthen grassroots power—demonstrating that LGBTQ+ people and our allies are ready to lead, even in uncertain times.

HRC hosted an event at the National Press Club this morning, joined by U.S. Congresswoman Julie Johnson, MS NOW’s Jonathan Capehart, Reproductive Freedom For All President Mini Timmaraju, and Joey Teitelbaum from Global Strategy Group to unveil these new tools in the fight for equality and lay out the plan to ensure they get to those who need them. Already, the organization has hosted a series of briefings with pro-equality candidates, campaigns, and committees to equip them for the midterm elections and provide ongoing support as anti-LGBTQ+ attacks ramp up. 
 

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 3.6 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action—working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.