have been killed in anti-trans violence most of the victims were trans women of color, according to the Human Rights Campaign. So far this year, six transgender and gender-nonconforming people across the U.S. Panelists also called on members to denounce the epidemic of violence facing Black trans women.
Texas has also banned trans youths from participating on school sports teams that align with their gender identities. Greg Abbott released a directive calling on “licensed professionals” and “members of the general public” to report the parents of transgender minors who appear to be receiving gender-affirming care. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics have called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, banning classroom discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in the state’s public schools. Meanwhile, on the state level, Florida and Texas have recently been at the center of heated debates over LGBTQ rights. The Equality Act, which passed in the House in a 224-206 vote largely along party lines in February 2021, doesn’t have the 60 votes needed to bypass a filibuster in the Senate. More than 70 percent of Black LGBTQ adults are religious - either highly religious, 31.7 percent, or moderately religious, 39.3 percent - according to a 2020 report from the Williams Institute, a sexual orientation and gender identity research program at UCLA School of Law. “So this is the perfect moment to lift the voice of Black religious communities and Black religious leaders to say, ‘When we talk about LGBTQ concerns and issues, we’re talking about members of our own community.’”
“This is something that the church, I think, often is too reticent to do - to speak out in support of legislation that addresses historical discrimination against the LGBTQ community,” said Harmon, who identifies as same-gender-loving and has worked with religious leaders to advance LGBTQ rights. Harmon, the executive director of Many Voices, a Black church organization promoting LGBTQ justice, said in an interview that it’s a critical time for religious leaders to speak up in support of the Equality Act, a bill that would solidify nondiscrimination protections for the LGBTQ community. One of the experts on the panel, the Rev.