Welcome to our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community.
- In his first speech to the joint session of Congress, President Donald Trump spoke about banning transgender women in sports and declared “our country will be woke no longer.”
- The Census Bureau has requested permission from the Office of Management and Budget to remove questions about gender identity from the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey.
- On his new podcast, California Gov. Gavin Newsom referred to allowing trans athletes to compete as “deeply unfair.” Newsom’s episode featured Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. On the subject of transgender women playing sports, Newsom told Kirk they were “completely aligned.”
- U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5) held a town hall on March 5 and shared his support for the LGBTQ+ community, in particular the transgender community. Quigley said he wanted to “make it clear that we should never abandon our friends, and that’s not how you succeed.”
- Former California state Rep. Evan Low has been named the new president and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. The Victory Fund, which works to increase the number of LGBTQ+ candidates running for office around the country, has been led by former Houston Mayor Annise Parker since 2017.