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PFLAG Votes 2026: Turning Pride Into Power

Join us on Wednesday, August 12th for a virtual launch session of PFLAG Votes 2026!

This year’s PFLAG Votes campaign—Turning Pride Into Power—will include the resources you’ve come to rely on from PFLAG National, including a specialized Vote411 landing page, one-pagers with voting information by state, slide decks with voting information for chapter leaders to share in meetings, and virtual gatherings and training sessions all along the way. We’re also excited to share new resources and opportunities this year, expanding our reach and program to ensure we’re doing all we can to get out the vote for this year’s midterms! Additionally, you will hear from PFLAG chapters leading voter engagement efforts in their communities, as well as PFLAG National CEO Brian Bond, who will share what’s at stake in this election and why your vote matters. 

We invite you to join us on Wednesday, August 12 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT to learn all about the campaign, the timeline, and the incredible tools and resources we have available for you.  RSVP today!

PFLAG in Action

PFLAG National helps drive comments to the FCC opposing warning labels for LGBTQ+ television content. A coalition of over 40 organizations, including PFLAG National, drove public comments to the FCC after the agency released a proposal to add warning labels to television content containing "gender identity themes." 80% of the nearly 34,000 comments submitted opposed the proposal.

PFLAG Beaumont launches in California. Rev. Dr. Michael Curcuru, a founding member of the chapter said “PFLAG Beaumont is a community built on love, where LGBTQ+ people, their families, and their friends are welcomed exactly as they are…We open our doors to honest, compassionate conversation, and to the belief that every person deserves to be seen, valued, and cherished.”

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.

Alabama - University of Alabama erases sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as protected categories under nondiscrimination policy. University officials claim the change was made to comply with the current Administration’s interpretations of Title VII and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act.  

Arkansas - Federal appeals court allows state to enforce book ban law. Act 372 creates criminal liability for librarians who distribute content considered “obscene” or “harmful to minors” and gives city and county governments final say over which library materials will be available in unrestricted sections of the library. The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law can be enforced, as the court held that plaintiffs challenging the law lacked standing to bring the suit and failed to prove that the law was unconstitutionally vague. 

Kansas - Attorney General Kris Kobach writes letters demanding three cities repeal their bans on conversion “therapy.” The Attorney General sent letters to city officials in Lawrence, Prairie Village, and Roeland Park on July 30th demanding the cities repeal their ordinances banning conversion “therapy,” citing the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Chiles v. Salazar.  

Michigan - State agrees to stop enforcing ban on conversion “therapy.” Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties sued the State over its conversion “therapy” ban, which last year was ruled unconstitutional by the Federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Now, as part of an agreement filed with a federal court to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office announced it would no longer enforce the ban.

Federal News

Five federal workers file suit against Trump Administration challenging legality of exclusion of gender-affirming care coverage from healthcare benefits. The suit, which was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on August 3rd, claims the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directive requiring health insurance providers for federal and postal employee health programs to stop covering gender-affirming care violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.  

Justice Department (DOJ) accused of violating federal court order related to housing incarcerated transgender women. Attorneys for a group of transgender women currently held in federal prisons are claiming the DOJ violated a federal order not to transfer the women out of a women’s correctional facility by placing them in segregated housing under “conditions [that] are not in any way comparable to a women’s facility.” While attorneys for the DOJ claim the federal order only prevented the women from being transferred to a men’s prison, attorneys for the incarcerated women say that placing their clients in segregated housing violates the “spirit” of the court order and has led to emotional distress. 

Department of Education (DOE) to stop collecting data on bullying and harassment of transgender and nonbinary students. A rule approved in July eliminates DOE’s data collection on bullying, harassment, and assaults of transgender and nonbinary students, in addition to eliminating tracking anti-bullying policies schools put in place to prevent bullying and harassment of these students. The new rule also eliminates gender identity from the list of protected characteristics in the Department’s definition of rape. 

Scouting America eliminates spaces for gay youth, women, and people of color at National Jamboree following pressure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Secretary Hegseth threatened to cut all Defense Department funding and support for Scouting America unless the organization agreed to end its diversity initiatives “and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.” By late February, Scouting America dissolved its DEI committee and announced that membership in the scouts would be based on sex assigned at birth. The National Jamboree, a 10-day event which ends August 7th, had spaces in previous years dedicated for gay scouts, women, and scouts of color. Those spaces were eliminated for this year’s event.

Global News

Canada - Health Canada removes barriers for gay and bisexual men to be sperm donors. Health Canada announced that, beginning this fall, the agency will no longer ask potential sperm donors whether they have recently had anal sex with a new partner or one of multiple partners. 

Netherlands - Prime Minister Rob Jetten opens World Pride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam. Jetten, who is the first openly gay Prime Minister in Dutch history, opened his speech to the conference with an acknowledgment of the July 25 terrorist attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Parade and also acknowledged that this year marks 25 years since the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. 

United Kingdom - Guidance for sex-segregated spaces goes into effect. Access to bathrooms, changing rooms, and hospital wards must now be restricted by sex assigned at birth one year after the Supreme Court ruled that the words “women” and “sex” in the Equality Act meant “assigned female at birth” and “sex assigned at birth,” respectively.