Resurgence of anti-LGBTQ+ bills at the state level has Congress weighing in on debate

A new report highlights growing anti-LGBTQ+ extremism nationwide.

The Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD tracked more than 350 incidents from June 2022 to April 2023. This includes harassment, vandalism, and assault.

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This comes as more anti-LGBTQ+ proposals are popping up across state legislatures and now Congress is taking a closer look.

“Despite being called a demon, a monster, or other despicable things, I love my life. I love my family. I love my friends and I’m happy,” Harleigh Walker said before Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

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Walker is a transgender teenage girl from Alabama. She said the journey wasn’t easy and initially, she faced intense bullying at her middle school.

“So much so that my parents decided I needed to go to online school, not because I wanted to, but the bullying got so bad it was getting close to violence and the school was doing nothing about it,” Walker said. “We worked with the school, and I eventually got to go back, but kids shouldn’t feel helpless at school against being bullied and discriminated against just because they are different.”

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She shared her experience with federal lawmakers and she’s urging them to support rights for the transgender community.

“I’m asking you to help us stop certain people from using the transgender community as a political pawn,” Walker said. “These are human rights hanging in the balance, help us communicate they are impacting people’s lives and our pursuit of happiness.”

But some believe transgender athletes may be negatively impacting women’s sports.

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“The number of female athletes who have been denied opportunities, traumatized, or hurt by policies that claim to promote “inclusion” is growing at an alarming rate,” said Riley Gaines, former NCAA athlete.

Gaines is a former 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and now she’s an advisor for Independent Women’s Voice, a conservative-leaning nonprofit organization that focuses on policy issues affecting women.

She argues women athletes are now facing a new disadvantage.

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“This is unacceptable, and the integrity of women’s sports is lost. It is unfair, it is discriminatory, and it must stop,” Gaines said. “Believing in biology is not bigoted and following the science that there are two sexes and that there are very real and important differences between the two sexes is not hateful, it’s fact.”

Turning to Congress, lawmakers are split on the issue.

“Right now, extremist politicians across America are targeting our LGBTQ+ youth along with the medical professionals who care for them and the parents who love them,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D – Illinois.

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Democrats believe these laws are harmful, while some GOP leaders argue states have the right to act.

“Is it OK for states to ban the transitions of a minor? I think it is,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, R – South Carolina. “I think the state has every interest in protecting minor children regarding a medical procedure that is life-altering.”

Recent FBI data also shows an 11% increase in hate crimes from 2020 to 2021. This includes incidents related to gender identity and sexual orientation bias.

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