Guest Column: A call to continue prioritizing LGBTQ+ rights

Editor’s note: The following is published at the request of LGBTQ+ Pride groups, including several noted below, ahead of Pride Month in June.

LGBTQ+ Pride groups across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, who represent thousands of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, along with our families, friends, allies and neighbors, call on local leaders, community groups and residents to stand with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ community this June and throughout the year, particularly as members of the community are under heightened threat.

We have seen 575 bills introduced this legislative season alone across the country that aim to strip us of our rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign; and are nine times more likely to be the target of a hate crime, according to the Williams Institute. The FBI has reported that hate crimes against LGBTQ+ Americans continue to rise, and at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people have been murdered in 2025 so far.

Our transgender and gender-expansive friends and neighbors have been disproportionately targeted and dehumanized, including by local, state and federal government and institutions that were meant to uphold the Constitution and the clearly stated tenet in our Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” We call on our leaders to condemn the criminalization of trans people, and link arms with us in the fight for trans people to be able to access basic civil rights and public services, including health care, legal documents that reflect who they are, equal access in schools, and in every aspect of civic life.

LGBTQ+ people contribute meaningfully to society as essential workers, artists, taxpayers, immigrants, parents, caregivers, teachers, and every facet of community life, yet we face disparities across every aspect of our lives, including financially, due to institutionalized discrimination and stigma.

We believe that our towns, cities, and country are stronger when we embrace the diversity of our communities and when we can live free from fear. We believe our local officials should use their platforms in every capacity to fight hate in all forms.

We call on our elected officials and communities across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to continue prioritizing LGBTQ+ rights, so that we may exist safely and be met with fairness and dignity and the same rights and protections as everyone else.

DEI BedfordNY — Bedford/Katonah Pride 

Lewisboro Pride

Pound Ridge Human Rights Advisory Committee