F*CK BANS
From abortion bans to book bans to bans on gender affirming care, Republicans are trying to divide and scare and distract people because their actual agenda (tax cuts for billionaires, pollution for the rest of us) stinks. But here’s the good news. These out of touch weirdos are in a bind. Because it turns out that threatening doctors, banning books, silencing gay teachers, obsessing over bathrooms in a pretty creepy way – none of these attacks on our basic freedoms are very popular. So let’s fight back.
Subprograms
DEFEND FREEDOM IN OHIO AND VIRGINIA
In 2023, the biggest abortion battlegrounds are in Ohio and Virginia. On November 7th, Ohioans will vote on a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom, which would stop Republicans’ ban from going into effect. That same day, Virginians will elect their legislators, and the only way to stop Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposed abortion ban is to protect the Democratic state Senate majority and take back the Virginia House.
The stakes in both states could not be higher. The conservative movement will be watching these fights and could use them as a blueprint for 2024.
What Can I Do?
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What’s my voter registration deadline?
Be A VoterOctober 10th. We know, it’s weirdly early, so register now!
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Can I vote by mail?
REQUEST YOUR BALLOTYes! You should apply for your ballot by October 31 (but we recommend doing it no later than October 24 to make sure your ballot has time to get to you). If you are mailing your ballot back, it must be POSTMARKED by November 6 and received by November 11. If you are returning your ballot in person, it must be RECEIVED by November 7 at 7:30 pm.
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Can I vote early?
Yes, early voting in-person runs from October 11 to November 5.
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Do I need an ID?
LEARN MOREYes, yes you do. Ohio’s voter ID requirement has gotten stricter, so be sure to double check to make sure you have an acceptable form of ID. Get all the details here from VoteRiders
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What if I’m voting on Election Day?
https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/Find your polling place below!
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What’s my voter registration deadline?
Be A VoterYour deadline is technically October 16th, but if you register after then (through Election Day), you can still cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted after the registrar verifies that you’re eligible. So why wait? Do it now. Do it do it do it dooo itdoitdoitdoit:
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Can I vote by mail?
REQUEST YOUR BALLOTYes! You must request your ballot by October 27th and return it by November 7th. Ballots must be postmarked or received by November 7. But the earlier you can submit, the better! (Please don’t keep us waiting. It stresses us out too much.)
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Can I vote early?
LEARN MOREYes! Early voting runs from September 22nd to November 4th.
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Do I need an ID?
LEARN MOREYes, yes you do. Get all the details below from VoteRiders.
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What if I’m voting on Election Day?
POLLING PLACE LOOKUPFind your polling place below.
FREEDOM TAKES WORK.
JOIN US TODAY.
Leave Queer Kids Alone
More than 400 bills have been introduced across the country attacking trans youth. These bills range from threatening to criminalize health care to banning trans youth from school activities. This rightwing onslaught is desperate and evil and destined to fail – but it’s up to us to make sure that happens. That means acting now to protect vulnerable people and that also means bringing as many people as we can into this fight – to build power and show these goons that they’re not just wrong and cruel – they’re losers too. Learn more about how you can fight back today.
What Can I Do?
Donate Fight back and organize
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Donate
Non-Profit
Support non-profit orgs directly providing resources and legal support to the trans and queer community, like the Trans Justice Funding Project (if you want to make a tax-deductible contribution or have a matching program at work, go wild). -
Donate
Political Impact
Take the fight right to the rightwing goons attacking LGBTQ rights, through orgs fighting in states where rightwing politicians are targeting trans people most aggressively (not tax deductible, but still a good time).
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Why are Republicans so focused on trans people, especially kids?
Great question. The right evidently has decided that they can use trans issues as a so-called “wedge issue.” The idea of a wedge issue is that it unifies your side and divides the other side, enabling you to fire up your base and attract persuadable voters. They seem to think that they can spark fear of change and distract from their incredibly unpopular economic agenda by focusing on things like gender-affirming care, trans youth playing sports, or using the bathrooms that match their gender identity. The thing is…these attacks on kids (and their families) aren’t actually popular.
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Didn’t you do this last year? I thought F*ck Bans was about abortion.
We thought it was too when we launched F*ck Bans in 2022. Turns out there are a bunch of bans, and they all suck. But these fights are related—the same states are criminalizing reproductive care and trans care. Ultimately, these are attacks on bodily autonomy and freedom, and we don’t leave anyone behind.
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These laws are mostly happening in red states where Republicans are in control. Can we actually do anything about it?
It’s not easy. But here are a few ways we can affect change, in the short, medium, and long term.
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What can we do right now?
In the short term, we can call and write to our representatives, show up to testify, and let progressives in those states know we have their backs. We can also support trans youth right now, through mental health resources, spaces for connections with other young queer people, and other resources. Scroll down for more on that.
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What’s the plan for stopping these creeps for good?
In the medium term, we can look ahead to 2024, when we’ll have the opportunity to replace some of the anti-trans legislators and defeat Republicans in statewide office and nationally who support the anti-trans agenda. Then, over the long term, we can fight for national legislation to protect queer and trans people and organize to build power in red and purple states. Join the VSA Community at the link below to be part of that work.
Learn More What kind of bans are we talking about here?
Source: ACLU
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Health Care
These types of bills aim to ban affirming care for trans youth, create criminal penalties for providing this care, block funding to medical centers that offer gender-affirming care, or block insurance coverage of health care for transgender people.
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Schools
These types of bills would ban trans students from participating in school activities like sports, force teachers to out students, prevent teachers from using a student’s preferred pronouns, or censor in-school discussions of LGBTQ people and issues.
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Public Accommodation
These bills would ban trans and gender nonconforming people from using facilities like public bathrooms and locker rooms.
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Drag
These bans are aimed at how and when LGBTQ people can express themselves, especially in performances like drag shows, and conflate drag and gender nonconformity.
Learn More Resources
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American Trans Resource Hub
By trans people. For trans people. They offer everything from scholarships to free binders to peer support. -
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project provides 24/7 information and support to queer youth. Talk to a counselor, explore resources, or get connected with other LGBTQ+ Youth. -
Trans Journalist Association
The Trans Journalist Association exists not only to support trans journalists and build safe workspaces, but also to provide guidance to newsrooms on how to cover trans issues, including the spate of anti-trans laws. -
Transgender Law Center
The Transgender Law Center is the largest trans-led, trans-specific organization in the United States. It collects resources and publications to guide trans people through common legal challenges and questions. -
Trans Lifeline
Trans lifeline provides direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis. They offer a peer-support phone service for trans people, as well as micro-grants to help cover the cost of changing government IDs. They do not involve police or emergency services without explicit consent. -
Gender Spectrum
Gender Spectrum provides education and support groups for trans youth and their families, as well as training for educators and medical and mental health professionals.
Fight Back Fight Back at the Ballot Box
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Kentucky Spotlight
The Kentucky legislature has introduced or advanced almost a dozen anti-LGBTQ bills in 2023. In March, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a Republican-led bill that would prohibit transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care, such as surgical procedures or the use of certain hormones. Unfortunately, the Republican-majority state legislature was able to override Beshear, something lawmakers also did last year after he vetoed an anti-trans sports ban. The ACLU is now suing to overturn major provisions of the bill. Beshear is up for reelection in November against MAGA candidate Daniel Cameron who has vowed to defend the ban against the ACLU’s lawsuit.
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Virginia Spotlight
This year, the Virginia General Assembly introduced the most anti-trans bills in its history, entirely from Republican legislators, and so far in 2023, the Democratic majority has defeated 12 anti-LGBTQ bills. Through executive action, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin reversed existing working policies and singled out a small population of vulnerable students for discrimination. If Virginia Republicans win a legislative majority this November, those bills could make their way to Gov. Youngkin’s desk and roll back years of progress in Virginia.
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2024 Spotlight
Republicans at every level of government are attacking trans kids. Beyond the hateful laws passed by state legislatures, many of which are the result of Republican supermajorities, conservatives are leaning hard on hateful rhetoric. Both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have taken the radical, anti-science stances of trying to ban gender-affirming care for minors. In 2022, Republicans spent more than $50 million on anti-trans ads. The numbers and the rhetoric will only get worse. That’s why we have to organize to stop this everywhere, from the state legislature to the White House.