As we close this challenging year, I write to you with a heart full of both determination and profound gratitude. While November's outcomes weren't what we hoped for, they showed us something significant – nearly 70 million Americans voted for a future where we all belong. They said yes to LGBTQ+ freedom, equality and dignity. Yes to our families. Yes to our dreams. That's not just a number — that's a revolution in waiting.

The challenges ahead are real, but we face them knowing we have broad and deepening support across the nation. Despite the headwinds we face, we made history. Sarah McBride will be the first transgender woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives.  Emily Randall will be the first openly lesbian Latina in Congress. Julie Johnson will be the first openly lesbian congresswoman from the South. Today, over 1,200 out LGBTQ+ elected officials serve across America, speaking our truth and protecting our rights.

Yet we must be clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. The progress we've made toward trans justice is at risk. But remember this: We are the inheritors of resilience. Our ancestors taught us how to see a better future and how to fight our way there. When cops were raiding our bars, we developed networks to keep each other safe. When the AIDS epidemic was ignored, we demanded action and created change. When our relationships went unrecognized, we fought all the way to the Supreme Court — and won.

As we enter 2025, the Human Rights Campaign's commitment remains unwavering. We will protect the most vulnerable among us. We will challenge discriminatory laws. We will tell our stories in every forum, from small-town papers to national networks. Most importantly, we'll continue the heart-to-heart conversations that have always been the foundation of real change.

Look at what we've built together: workplaces that respect LGBTQ+ workers, schools where our children have equal access to education, communities where we are more visible than ever before. And consider this hope-filled truth: 30% of Generation Z proudly claims their place in our family. They won't go back into the closet. They won't hide their light. They won't surrender their truth.

To every HRC member in this fight: You are part of this legacy. You are the descendants of pioneers and protesters, the children of rioters and revolutionaries. We don't just hope for a better world — we build it, brick by brick, heart by heart, victory by victory.

They may have won an election, but they will never take away our dignity, our pride or our love for each other. They cannot stop millions of Americans from believing in equality. They cannot erase the family we've built. And they cannot break a community that has turned pain into power for generations.

As we close this year, hold each other close. Take pride in how far we've come. And know that we will make it through this next chapter the same way we have always overcome hard times — together.

With pride and resolve,