Over the past two years, more than 200 LGBTQ+ lawmakers across the country have been struggling to defend their community’s right to exist as a flurry of anti-gay and anti-transgender legislation is flourishing in state legislatures. The issue gained national attention last week when Montana Republicans voted to bar Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is transgender, from the House floor after a standoff over gender-affirming medical care for minors.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), there are nearly 470 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 16 states, most of which have Republican-controlled legislatures. Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Tennessee alone account for more than 125 such bills.
The emotions on both sides of the issue are ratcheted up, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gaining national attention for proposing and signing a bill to ban class discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity, which opponents have called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
The anti-LGBTQ+ bills have put pressure on LGBTQ+ lawmakers who are encountering opposition, misunderstanding, and even hate among their Republican colleagues. During a recent committee debate in Florida, Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby called trans people “demons,” “mutants,” and “imps,” while in Kansas, Republican Rep. Cheryl Helmer made headlines for saying in an email that she didn’t want to share a bathroom with a transgender colleague.
For LGBTQ+ lawmakers, the issue is deeply personal, with some members who have deep faith pitted against GOP members saying God doesn’t make mistakes and that there are only two genders. In Texas, there are three bills that would classify providing gender-affirming care to minors as a form of child abuse.
Despite the challenges, LGBTQ+ lawmakers are determined to fight hate with love. “It is not my job to hate them. It is not my job to do anything but love them,” said Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, the first Black gay lawmaker in the state.