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On Sunday, May 14, a rally in Huntsville is being planned to protest anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation.
The rally is being organized by and will include community organizations, LGBTQ+ people, allies, and parents from Huntsville and the surrounding area. The event will take place at Big Spring Park East at 3:00 p.m.
The rally is specifically in response to the anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans bills that the Legislature passed during this session and last year’s session. The series of bills have caused multiple organizations like the ACLU and Human Rights Campaign, to condemn and warn about the harms the legislation could produce for trans and LGBTQ+ people.
The specific bills are:
- HB261 – relating to two and four-year higher education institutions and would require trans athletes to participate only on teams that align with their sex assigned at birth.
- HB405 also known as “LGBTQ+ Erasure Act” would prohibit LGBTQ+ people from bringing claims of sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination under state law.
- HB401 – would ban drag and “gender-oriented materials” in K-12 public schools, libraries, and public places where minors are present. It would also make it a misdemeanor to expose minors to drag and “gender-oriented materials” in other venues with fines of up to $10,000 or up to one year in jail.
- HB354 – known as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” this bill would provide that classroom instruction or discussions related to gender identity or sexual orientation may not be provided to public school students, K-8, and require state boards of education to adopt procedures for notifying a student’s parents of their gender identity or sexual orientation if they deem it necessary.
- HB7 – would prohibit certain public entities from promoting, endorsing, or requiring affirmation of certain “divisive concepts” relating to race, sex, or religion.
- HB312 – would prohibit training and education of “divisive concepts” relating to race, sex, or religion in K-12 and public higher education institutions.
The organizers hope the rally informs the community about how harmful and discriminatory the bills are.
A march on the Alabama State Capitol protesting the anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation is planned to be held on this upcoming Tuesday.
