The Next Prop 8: The Los Angeles LGBT Center Sounds the Alarm on Anti-Trans Ballot Propositions
LOS ANGELES, August 30— In response to far-right extremists targeting trans youth in a slate of new California ballot propositions, the Los Angeles LGBT Center issued the following statement:
“The nationwide backlash to the LGBTQ+ movement has officially arrived at California’s doorstep. Far-right bigots are capitalizing upon the demonization of transgender people to propose some of the most harmful anti-LGBTQ+ ballot initiatives that our state has seen since Proposition 8. Our movement learned the hard way that we cannot let hate reach the ballot ever again. It’s imperative that our voters decline to sign, and prevent discrimination from being codified into our constitution.
We need our community to come together to fight the grotesque misinformation campaign that is putting transgender people in harm’s way. We also need our media—especially our local news outlets—to stop airing the false hate speech of extremists and conspiracy theorists without fact checking or understanding our community. Unchecked hate has disastrous consequences for our people, as evidenced by Los Angeles’ recent spike in hate crimes and the uptick in violence against LGBTQ+ folks nationwide. This dangerous rhetoric has real-life consequences—especially for the clients of the Center.
Our organization is fully prepared to fight back against this attempt to legalize the discrimination of transgender people. We’ve won this fight against bigotry before—we are prepared to win again.” –Terra Russell-Slavin, Chief Impact Officer of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
About the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.