Pride month is celebrated during the month of June as a remembrance of the Stonewall Riots, a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid on June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City.
Although society has progressed in its treatment of the LGBTQ community, we still have a long way to go. While survey after survey show that Americans support LGBTQ+ equality, there has been a dramatic increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation since 2020, particularly anti-transgender bills.
But cruel efforts like these can be stopped when we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Unions can ensure there is proper language in the Collective Bargaining Agreement to cover and protect the rights of all IAM members, including our LGBTQ+ siblings.
Unions also work with constituency groups like Pride at Work and other ally groups to make positive legislative changes that not only benefit the LGBTQ+ community, but benefit all workers in general.
The Bostock Supreme Court ruling of 2020 outlawed discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers across the United States. Previously, it had been legal to fire workers for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in 28 states.
But more protections are needed. You can help by telling your senators to pass the Equality Act, which would expand federal LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections beyond employment to other critical service areas such as education, housing, public spaces, health care, federally funded programs, and more.
Other acts currently being discussed include the following:
Customer Non-Discrimination Act – Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org)
GLOBE Act – Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org)
Gun Violence Prevention – Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org)
Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act – Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org)
That is why it is important now more than ever to make sure you VOTE to MAKE CHANGE!!! If you are not registered to vote you can do so here.
Sources:
https://www.hrc.org/resources/federal-legislation
https://www.aclu.org/legislation-affecting-lgbtq-rights-across-country
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