As the year comes to a close it’s time to reflect on the many recent advances our LGBTQ communities achieved around the world in 2022. Before we address pros & cons in the USA let’s address some marriage equality advances that were achieved globally including in the Dutch Caribbean where the Joint Court of Justice ruled that gay & lesbian partners in Aruba & Curaçao must be allowed to marry each other. In Mexico all couples gained the right to be married regardless of sexual orientation & finally in the US the landmark Respect for Marriage Act was signed. However, our global LGBTQ community is still under attack with anti-LGBTIQ laws proposed in places like Afghanistan, China, Ghana, Honduras, Hungary, Iraq, Malaysia, Poland & Uganda. Now some of the cons in this country include more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills were proposed this year by longtime anti-LGBTQ groups. Radical right politicians have had a field day smearing LGBTQ people & allies with false & repulsive slurs with a 406% increase of the slurs online as bills like “Don’t Say LGBTQ” passed in Florida. GLAAD has documented at least 141 attacks & increasing violence against drag events in 47 states including armed white supremacists terrifying children at drag story hours & good old Fox News continues to be busy filling the airways with anti-transgender fearmongering & disinformation. Then we have the book banning movement that has challenged or banned thousands of books with the majority about LGBTQ characters & this is just the tip of the iceberg. So, this is not a time to become complacent. We have work to be done in 2023.
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