Fighting For Our Pride

2026 Session Wrap Up
Join PFLAG National’s Advocacy Team on May 20th at 8:30 Eastern for our 2026 Legislative Session Wrap Up! Hear from our team as we review what passed, what didn’t pass, and the amazing work our PFLAG advocates did to fight for our Pride at statehouses around the country. The session will include a brief presentation, Q&A, and next steps you can take as this legislative season comes to an end. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend; whether you’re an expert advocate or just getting started in your advocacy journey, all can benefit from this webinar. We hope to see you on May 20th! Register today.

Take Action

Nationwide Action Alert
Tell your U.S. Representatives to vote NO on the “Don’t Say Trans” bill! 

The House could vote on H.R. 2616 — another bill attacking trans youth — within the next few weeks. If passed, it would strip federal funds from schools that acknowledge transgender people exist, whether it’s in coursework, a library resource, or even for using a student’s correct name and pronouns in the classroom. H.R. 2616 would effectively ban any books and other classroom materials that reflect the real lives and experiences of transgender and nonbinary students – as well as imposing forced outing policies on school districts around the country. 

Your member of Congress needs to hear from you NOW. Contact your Representative today and tell them to OPPOSE H.R. 2616 and get to work ensuring ALL students can get a quality public education!

New Hampshireites
Tell Gov. Ayotte to VETO anti trans bathroom bans! The state legislature is on track to pass SIX anti-trans facilities bans. These bills would allow both public and private entities to force transgender people to use the bathroom and other sex-separated facilities based on their sex assigned at birth, rather than their gender. We cannot allow any of these bills to become law. Reach out now and tell Governor Ayotte to VETO them when they reach her desk! 

South Carolinians
Tell Gov. McMaster to VETO H. 4756. Last week, the legislature passed H. 4756, an anti-trans facilities ban. It now awaits Governor McMaster’s signature. We need you to contact the Governor NOW and tell him to VETO this awful bill!

PFLAG in Action

PFLAG Danville-San Ramon Valley fights to keep Pride Flag flying in San Ramon, California. The San Ramon City Council voted 3-1 on April 14 to fly the Pride flag at City Hall this June, however the Council also voted to review its policy of raising commemorative flags after receiving public opposition to raising the Pride flag. Community members, including PFLAG Danville-San Ramon Valley, gathered at the April 28 council meeting to voice their support for continuing to raise the Pride flag, which has been an official practice in San Ramon since 2021.

State News

Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. You can share news from your state with [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

Idaho - Transgender Idahoans sue to block criminal anti-trans bathroom ban. The lawsuit, brought by six transgender Idahoans represented by attorneys with the ACLU’s Idaho chapter, Lambda Legal, and others, challenges HB 752, which imposes criminal penalties for transgender people who “knowingly and willfully” use the restroom or changing room that does not align with their sex assigned at birth. The suit aims to prevent the law from going into effect on July 1st, arguing HB 752  violates the due process and equal protection clauses in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. 

Indiana - Catholic high school fires gay teacher. Cathedral High School fired a teacher who is married to a same-sex spouse after the Archdiocese of Indianapolis announced that all personnel at Catholic schools should “abide by all Church teachings, including the nature of marriage.”

Maine - Superior Court orders Secretary of State to review certification of anti-trans ballot initiative. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows validated enough signatures last month to qualify an initiative for the November ballot which would ban trans youth from participating in school sports and using facilities aligning with their gender identity. A lawsuit alleges that thousands of those signatures were improperly validated, and a court ordered Bellows to examine new evidence and decide by May 26th if the measure still qualifies for the ballot. 

Missouri - Senate Committee weighs making anti-trans athlete ban permanent. The current law bans trans students from participating in sports through August 2027. The House passed a bill to make the athlete ban permanent, and on April 28th, the Senate Education Committee held a hearing to consider the bill. 

North Carolina - Anti-LGBTQ+ book ban bill introduced. HB 1043 would ban access to books containing themes on gender identity and sexual orientation from elementary school libraries statewide, expanding on existing legislation which limits “instruction” on sexual orientation and gender identity from Kindergarten through 4th grade.

Federal News

Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana Congressional map, narrows scope of Voting Rights Act. In a 6-3 decision issued on April 29th, the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map, which was drawn to include two African American-majority Congressional districts, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Justice Alito, who wrote the majority opinion, stated that “the Constitution almost never permits the Federal Government or a State to discriminate on the basis of race.” Justice Alito further wrote that, while Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 guarantees voters, including minority voters, an opportunity to cast a vote for their preferred candidate, a state only violates Section 2 when “the circumstances give rise to a strong inference that intentional discrimination occurred.” In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan said that the decision rendered Section 2 “all but a dead letter.”

State Department announces anti-trans bathroom ban policy. The policy was announced in a memo dated April 20th. The policy states that sex-segregated spaces within the State Department will be separated according to sex assigned at birth. 

House advances “Don’t Say Trans” bill. H.R. 2616 would strip federal funds from schools that acknowledge trans identity in their curricula or in their school libraries. The bill would also compel schools to adopt forced outing policies affecting their trans students.

Global News

Botswana - Government repeals colonial-era law banning same-sex sexual relations. The government announced the repeal of the ban on consensual same-sex sexual relations in the country’s penal code. The ban had been declared unconstitutional by Botswana’s High Court in 2019. 

Russia - Court brands Russian LGBT Network as an extremist organization. The Russian LGBT Network is Russia’s top LGBTQ+ rights group, and is known for rescuing gay people for arrest, imprisonment, torture, and “honor killings” in the Russian autonomous region of Chechnya. A court in St. Petersburg labelled the group as an “extremist organization,” which exposes the organization’s members to possible criminal prosecution.