This New Year brings new challenges for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, but also new opportunities. Last year’s elections that resulted in the loss of the US House of Representatives to an anti- equality leadership, along with more anti-lgbt senators, will certainly impede – but not entirely stop – pro-lgbt federal legislative efforts. looking at the states however, there are clear opportunities for advancing an equality agenda, including in the area of relationship recognition for same-sex couples. of course, anti-lgbt forces will to try to turn back the clock at every opportunity, and fair-minded americans will continue to be vigilant to preserve pro-equality laws across the country.

CONGRESS

As the new Congress is sworn in this week, there is no denying that pro-LGBT numbers have shrunk on Capitol Hill. A Human Rights Campaign analysis shows a pick-up of 53 House seats to anti-LGBT lawmakers as well as a 5 seat addition in the Senate. Not only do those opposing basic equality hold positions of power as House leaders and committee chairmen, their ranks have swollen to 225 – a solid majority of the chamber. This presents not just a roadblock to progress but also the threat of legislation that could be damaging to the community.

When anti-equality forces controlled Congress for a decade (1994-2005), they stymied any progress on LGBT issues, instead making attacks on our community part of their governing agenda. Among these were: attempting twice to amend the U.S. Constitution to deny marriage equality to same-sex couples nationwide; trying to strip federal courts of the authority to hear marriage equality cases; blocking DC’s local efforts to provide domestic partnership benefits to its employees; cutting funding for HIV prevention, research and treatment despite a growing epidemic, while pouring federal dollars into disproven abstinence-only programs that exclude or even denigrate LGBT youth; and standing in the way of openly-LGBT appointees.

Full Story from HRC

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