The Resistance Brief: Where others fan fear, we show up for justice

The Resistance Brief: Where others fan fear, we show up for justice

Blog by Ricardo Martinez (he/him), Executive Director

My heart is heavy as I try to make sense of the moment we're living in. There is a clear - and troubling - pattern of political violence in this country. From the attempted kidnapping of Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, to the assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, to the murder of Charlie Kirk. Now, the deaths of Trey Reed and Corey Zukatis - both found hanging under suspicious circumstances in Mississippi - are a chilling reminder of the history of lawless violence in this country. These events, taken together, point to a climate of instability and unease that is difficult to ignore.

There's no easy way to process it all. It's like the temperature in the shower suddenly turned to full steam - overwhelming, blinding, disorienting. You know you must move, but it's hard to see where.

Political violence is wrong. It doesn't matter who it targets - it is a threat to all of us, to our democracy, and to any hope of shared justice. At the same time, it's possible - and necessary - to hold more than one truth at once. It is possible to acknowledge that someone's words cause harm to LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and communities of color, and to stand firm in the commitment that we respond to those statements within the political and legal systems that are the foundation of our democracy.

Witnessing political leaders exploit this violence to divide us even further is heartbreaking. Using tragic events to stoke fear, amplify misinformation, and double down on policies that scapegoat our community is making things worse in this country, not better.

While others fan the flames of fear, we remain grounded in empathy, not cruelty. In law, not retaliation. In justice, not retribution. In peace, not passivity.

And the critical work we focus on in the courts is about more than legal battles - it's about people: The teen who just wants to run track with her friends, a young person who deserves a therapist that helps, not harms, and families fighting every day for their kids' right to exist openly, safely, and with dignity.

However tense and unpredictable the moment, we cannot sit idly by while our rights are debated in court, and our lives are scapegoated and offered as political bait in the public square. That's why civil rights litigation remains essential - not only to stop harm but to affirm our dignity, our liberty, and our equality under the law.

As we head into the 2025-26 Supreme Court term, the legal and political landscape for LGBTQ people remains fraught - and deeply consequential.

This Supreme Court has agreed to hear three major cases directly impacting LGBTQ+ rights:

In Chiles v. Salazar, a licensed therapist in Colorado is challenging the state's ban on conversion therapy for minors, claiming it violates her First Amendment rights. This law exists to protect LGBTQ+ youth from dangerous, discredited practices that shame young people, blame parents, and tear families apart to change something that can't be changed - a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

What's at stake is a state's ability to protect LGBTQ+ youth from disproven "conversion therapy" practices that cause lasting trauma not just to individuals but to families and entire communities.

Hecox v. Little & B.P.J. v. West Virginia Board of Education are two pivotal cases about transgender girls' equal participation in school. In Hecox v. Little, a transgender and a cisgender student are challenging Idaho's 2020 law banning transgender girls from playing on girls' sports teams - and allowing sex testing to enforce it. In B.P.J. v. West Virginia Board of Education, a teenage transgender girl is challenging her state's ban under the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause.

What's at stake is whether states can ban trans students from participating in public life - and whether Title IX - and laws like it - protect LGBTQ+ people.

What's happening in the courts is part of a much broader strategy - one that seeks to shrink the circle of who gets to be protected, cared for, or even acknowledged.

Let's not sugarcoat what's happening. Across the country, lawmakers are exploiting fear and ignorance to turn LGBTQ+ lives into lightning rods for political gain. They're passing laws that criminalize accessing necessary care. They're threatening therapists and doctors with prison. They're making kids less safe because of who they are. And they continue to threaten to take away funding for HIV prevention and treatment - including programs that have saved countless lives among LGBTQ+ communities, communities of color, and people living in poverty.

We are living through a time of organized cruelty - but also extraordinary courage. Despite the climate and the risks, each day civil rights advocates, peaceful protestors, and everyday LGBTQ+ people throughout the country choose to show up. The fight for LGBTQ+ equality has never been easy. But every right we've won, we've earned through truth, solidarity, compassion, and relentless advocacy. Whatever the Court decides, we will continue to show up for our communities. We will fight to protect civil rights gains, engage with compassion and empathy, and build a just future together.

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What to know, what to do:

• Learn more about upcoming Supreme Court cases impacting LGBTQ+ rights at our Community Briefing featuring GLAD Law attorneys on October 9. Register today.
  
• Read powerful stories from conversion therapy survivors featured in GLAD Law's Chiles v. Salazar amicus brief (CW: religious and family trauma).
  
• Learn how we're fighting back against the Department of Education's harmful proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Read more editions of the Resistance Brief.