Joint Statement from the LGBT+ Commission and Civil Liberties Commission of the Party of Communists USA
The Party of Communists USA recognizes a rise in attacks against people in the LGBT+ community. Unfortunately, most state legislatures have led these bigoted attacks under the guise of “family values.” All across the country, there are around 500 anti-LGBT+ bills that are advancing through state legislatures. Texas has the most anti-LGBT+ bills in the country, with over 50 advancing in the Texas State Legislature, following Missouri with over 45 bills and Oklahoma with over 30 bills.
A key example of this discrimination, besides in Florida and Montana, has been in the national spotlight as of recent. Tennessee Senate Bill 3, also known as the “Tennessee Drag Ban,” the first anti-Drag law to be passed in the United States, was signed into law on March 2nd, 2023 after passing the Tennessee State Legislature.
The law bans “adult cabaret performance” in public and defines such performance, among other things, as “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.” This vague law can be used against not only drag performers, but also transgender people and crossdressers. By defining “male or female impersonators” in a law, this sets the stage for a constitutional crisis on transgender rights.
As of April of 2023, the US District Court for the Western District of Tennessee has temporarily blocked the implementation of the law, stating concerns about violations of the first amendment. This was exactly what happened leading up to the overturn of Roe v Wade.
The Party of Communists USA condemns this oppressive legislation and stands with the LGBT+ community against these attacks on their civil rights and civil liberties.
This pattern of attacks against the LGBT+ community draws parallels to the Nazi persecution of homosexuals in the 1930’s, when ~15,000 homosexuals were sent to concentration camps and many of them perished.
These attacks are reminiscent of the scapegoating and racist oppression of black Americans in our own nation’s history. In “We Charge Genocide” by William L Patterson, he said “may we add as a final note that black people desire equality of opportunity in this land where their contributions to the economic, political and social developments have been of splendid proportions and in quality second to none. They will accept nothing less, and continued efforts to force them into the category of second-class citizens through force and violence, through segregation, racist law and an institutionalized oppression, can only end in disaster for those responsible.” We say the same for all oppressed communities in the United States, including those in the LGBT+ community. To defend the rights of LGBT+ people is American and the right thing to do.