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Join NowICYMI: Drag Artists Rally at Capitol Hill for LGBTQ+ Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As reported on “CNN News Central” and in The Hill, The Advocate, LGBTQ Nation, and the Washington Blade, MoveOn Political Action organized drag artists Jiggly Caliente, Brigitte Bandit, and Joey Jay at Capitol Hill yesterday for a Drag Lobby Day, to combat attacks from MAGA Republicans on the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community. They met with members of Congress to advocate the passage of the Equality Act and the Transgender Bill of Rights, which would extend access to civil and human rights to LGBTQ+ individuals.
“Trans people need and deserve access to gender-affirming care. The passage of the Equality Act and the Trans Bill of Rights would be pivotal for LGBTQ+ communities. I dream of a world where people just like myself can live authentically in their truth. Together, we can increase their chances to live a happy, fulfilled life where they and their communities thrive. I remember how I felt being able to change my gender marker on my ID. I can’t even fully describe the feeling of joy that lives in me from that day,” said drag artist Jiggly Caliente.
Said drag artist Brigitte Bandit, “We must protect trans people, drag performers, and queer youth from those in power seeking to use us as their political pawns. Protections on a federal level through legislative action like the Equality Act and Transgender Bill of Rights can help shield our community, especially those who are most vulnerable, from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, working towards an America that truly has liberty, justice, and freedom for all.”
Said drag artist Joey Jay, “Attacks on the drag and LGBTQ+ community are not productive for our country–it is a diversion with a much broader, bigger, and very coordinated plan. Behind closed doors, abortion access is being voted away, innocent Black civilians are murdered by police, trans women are going missing, gerrymandering is in full force, and the right to make decisions with our own bodies is being stripped away. The right’s attacks on drag and self-expression are using LGBTQ+ lives as political pawns. We see what’s happening, and we are here to speak up.”
“MAGA Republicans have been viciously assaulting the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community for far too long. It’s long past time for Congress to finally act, by passing the Equality Act and the Transgender Bill of Rights to enshrine protections against queer erasure and violence. Our bodies and lives are on the line, and we will not be silenced,” said MoveOn Political Action Campaign Director Nakia Stephens.
This event supports recent polling indicating that Americans across the political spectrum are concerned about the well-being of the LGBTQ+ community and are in favor of federal legislation protecting LGBTQ+ individuals. MoveOn members have been championing LGBTQ+ rights through MoveOn’s Generation Rainbow campaign and other actions, such as signing petitions demanding Target’s restock of Pride merchandise and demanding federal law enforcement’s protection against threats at Pride and drag events.
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MoveOn is celebrating 25 years of people-powered progress this year. For more than a generation, MoveOn has built independent political power and mobilized the left to elect Democrats and enact progressive change. MoveOn is a bulwark against the radical right, channeling our collective voices to drive progressive foreign policy, protect democracy, and advance justice for all.