WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — called upon leaders of the House of Representatives in the upcoming 118th Congress to uphold LGBTQ+ equality and to work with their colleagues in the Senate on behalf of all Americans.

“Voters have clearly repudiated extremism in this election, and the incoming House majority should think twice before pursuing any discriminatory or extremist legislation,” said Human Rights Campaign Government Affairs Director David Stacy. “A majority of voters of all political stripes – Democrat, Republican and independent – have shown in poll after poll and election after election that they support LGBTQ+ equality, and that support is only growing. Any elected official who attacks LGBTQ+ people should remember – voters will make them pay the price on election day.”

In the midterm elections this month, LGBTQ+ voters turned out in larger numbers than ever before in a nonpresidential election — helping to drive support for pro-equality, pro-democracy, and pro-choice candidates and reminding extremists that LGBTQ+ people are one of the fastest growing voting blocs in the country, expected to represent one-in-seven voters by 2030, and nearly one-in-five voters by 2040.

Polling from PRRI this year showed that support for the LGBTQ+ community is not nearly as partisan as extremist politicians and their backers would have the public believe. Majorities of Republicans (65%), independents (82%), and Democrats (89%) favor nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. Since 2015, support has increased among Democrats (78% to 89%), independents (73% to 82%), and Republicans (61% to 65%). More recently, a poll released by HRC this fall showed that about two-thirds (64%) of likely voters in 2022 battleground states supported a law “protecting the national right to same-sex marriage.”

The House of Representatives will have its work cut out for it in the next two years when it comes to matching the accomplishments of the pro-equality 117th Congress. During the term that will soon come to an end, lawmakers voted on a number of crucial measures, including the Equality Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation ensuring LGBTQ+ people have access to critical safety net programs, inclusive data collection, and global LGBTQ+ rights. The House also took important votes on issues including gun violence prevention, immigration reform, voting rights, and access to abortion.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.