It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, in honor of Pride Month, we were all happily celebrating considerable progress made from the Inflation Reduction Act and crucial clean air protections from the Environmental Protection Agency. Yes, the LGBTQ+ community still faces serious and disproportionate climate impacts, but the progress was historic and deserved commemorating.
But now is now, and unfortunately, we are fighting to keep any of our wins. Every day, we face new threats to revoke and roll back our numerous advancements. And those in power are choosing to attack the LGBTQ+ community as a go-to scapegoat, distracting everyone in the U.S. from the very real problems we’re facing—especially from intensifying climate impacts, like a year-round wildfire season, devastating hurricanes and superstorms, more insect-borne illnesses, and prolonged deadly heat waves.
Tell Congress: Protect Our Ability to Prepare for and Recover From Severe Weather Threats
While the news and attempted rollbacks are distressing, we have not been driven to collective apathy. All over the country, people across all walks of life are continuing to courageously stand up for clean air, clean energy, LGBTQ+ rights, and the future our kids deserve.
Still, this is hard work. And we all need a boost to help us feel empowered, to keep us fighting for the best world possible. So here are a few folks who inspire us, and hopefully you, to push ahead and be louder than ever in support for clean air, climate action, and the LGBTQ+ community this Pride month—and all months. As these amazing changemakers know, the more noise we make together, the less our movements can be silenced.
1. Congresswoman Emily Randall (she/her)
Recently elected to represent Washington’s sixth district, the Congresswoman is the first queer Latino in Congress. After being told numerous times she couldn’t win, she flipped the seat in 2024 and made history. She ran on a platform of investing in clean energy jobs and infrastructure and is now a key member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, standing up for her constituents, the LGBTQ+ community, and climate action. This year she will lead Seattle Pride as Grand Marshall.
2. Yessenia Funes (she/her)
An environmental journalist with a uniquely inclusive approach to storytelling, Yessenia has had bylines in Vox, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and The Guardian, and is editor-at-large at Atmos. She also writes a newsletter that explores of the intersection of global warming, queerness, and social justice.
3. Isaias Hernandez (he/they)
A notable content creator, speaker, and environmentalist, Isaias educates millions about global warming and its impact on communities across his platforms, @QueerBrownVegan, in a uniquely accessible way. Their breakdown of queer ecology has been particularly impactful, bringing where and how queerness and the natural world overlap to mainstream conversations.
Each of these changemakers radiate joy and fill their communities with hope despite the ongoing attacks on both their work and their identities as LGBTQ+ people. Their diversity of pathways and tactics make both movements stronger and more powerful always, and especially at this difficult moment in time.
Tell Congress: Protect Our Ability to Prepare for and Recover From Severe Weather Threats