At a time when D.C. and the LGBTQ+ group are below relentless assault, we can’t afford silence — or inaction. The DC LGBTQ+ Finances Coalition, a grassroots alliance of greater than 20 LGBTQ-led and LGBTQ-serving organizations and people, is asking on Mayor Bowser, the D.C. Council, and each degree of D.C. authorities to behave with urgency and function on this 12 months’s funds course of to put money into our group. Our lives, our futures, and our rights are on the road — not simply nationally, however right here at residence within the District. How D.C. as a metropolis responds within the face of hate sends a strong message to the remainder of the nation.
We shaped this coalition as a result of LGBTQ+ individuals within the District — particularly Black, Brown, trans, disabled, and low-income residents — deserve greater than token inclusion. We deserve insurance policies, investments, and management that heart our lived realities and ship on fairness. Whereas Congress tries to strip D.C. of residence rule and holds our funds hostage, our native authorities has the facility — and duty — to steer.
We aren’t a performative alliance. We’re a community-driven motion. From housing to healthcare to workforce growth, we imagine budgets are ethical paperwork — and D.C.’s funds should mirror the values of fairness, justice, and liberation.
Nationwide Context Calls for Native Motion
Simply this 12 months, members of Congress launched damaging laws to reverse D.C.’s residence rule, stripping District residents of the basic rights of self-governance loved by their very own constituents. Moreover, the White Home seeks to rule over us by govt order, issuing edicts to overturn our legal guidelines. Including additional insult to damage, extremists within the Home of Representatives are holding $1.1 billion of D.C.’s personal tax income hostage to their radical anti-democratic agenda.
Furthermore, this administration continues its assault on variety, fairness, and inclusion initiatives, undermining civil rights protections throughout the nation. We aren’t merely witnessing bureaucratic shifts; we’re standing on the fringe of a cliff, staring down a coordinated rollback of the very protections our communities have bled to safe.
Veterans of previous queer liberation fights remind us that we’ve been right here earlier than. From the Lavender Scare to Stonewall to ACT UP, from the combat for marriage equality to the continued battle for trans rights, queer warriors have lengthy identified what it means to outlive authorities neglect, societal backlash, and ethical panic. Their testimonies warn us: This second is extreme. This second is acquainted. And this second requires us to behave.
These should not theoretical assaults. They’re strategic, structural, and escalating. On this context, D.C. should function a mannequin for sanctuary, resilience, and resistance. Meaning investing in communities — not abandoning them.
We all know that our native management has, at instances, moved preemptively to adjust to federal govt orders — even when these directives run counter to our values. And whereas the mayor has publicly affirmed fairness, housing, and inclusivity as core priorities, this second calls for greater than phrases. We name on the mayor and District leaders to face agency in these said commitments and meet this second with the readability within the District’s funds. D.C. should not be a conduit for federal overreach, however a bulwark in opposition to it.
Our FY26 Priorities
On this 12 months’s funds, we’re calling for the D.C. authorities to guard focused investments in:
• Public Well being: Restore and develop native funding to fill the damaging gaps left by federal cuts to HIV prevention and psychological well being companies. Guarantee culturally competent look after LGBTQ+ residents, particularly these with disabilities and power well being circumstances.
• Employment and Financial Fairness: Maintain and develop workforce growth packages for trans and gender-diverse (TGD) residents. Develop partnerships with employers and help entrepreneurial coaching by and for the TGD group.
• Housing: Put money into long-term housing options, together with for LGBTQ+ youth and seniors, and defend packages like Emergency Rental Help Program (ERAP) and Tenant Alternative to Buy Act (TOPA) that maintain individuals residents housed.
• Security and Neighborhood Assist: Fund LGBTQ+ survivor shelters and IPV/SA companies, guarantee incapacity and language entry, and streamline authorities grant processes for community-based organizations.
We’ve outlined these and different priorities in our full FY26 Finances and Coverage Platform, lately delivered to the Mayor and D.C. Council. However we all know {that a} letter alone isn’t sufficient—we should take motion.
We’re Organizing — and We’re Not Alone
On this previous week, we launched a letter-writing marketing campaign to mobilize D.C. residents to induce their Council members to prioritize LGBTQ+ funds wants. We’re additionally releasing a citywide sign-on letter for companion coalitions and ally organizations to demand the identical.
Our members are displaying up at funds hearings, assembly with businesses, and organizing communities throughout all eight wards. And whereas we’re pleased with the momentum, we’d like our group to affix us. We’d like each resident, group, and elected chief to get on this combat.
How You Can Get Concerned
Right here’s how one can be a part of the motion:
• People: Signal our Motion Community letter to Council members and the Mayor.
• Testify or submit written testimony at funds hearings to uplift our priorities.
• Name and e-mail your Council members — demand full inclusion of LGBTQ+ wants within the FY26 funds.
Collectively, we will be certain that D.C.’s funds displays the lived realities and pressing wants of LGBTQ+ communities throughout all eight wards.
The query earlier than D.C.’s leaders is obvious: Will you select to look the opposite approach or will you be a part of us in taking motion?
Heidi Ellis is coordinator of the DC LGBTQ+ Finances Coalition. Erin Whelan is govt director of SMYAL (coalition member).
