Happy Pride. Every June, in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, people across the country come together to celebrate the lives and experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community. This year, that comes as a record number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. To learn more about the current state of LGBTQIA+ rights in the US, we spoke to GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

Q: You’ve been in your role since 2014. In that time, how have LGBTQIA+ rights changed?

I’ve seen some great accelerations and some setbacks. When I started, we did not have marriage equality yet, so I was able to help GLAAD and other organizations move that forward. And then we saw some great progress tied to that. A lot of hearts and minds changed. Now we see ourselves in a new day, in a new era, with a concerted effort to roll back the rights that we have been fighting for ... Anytime you see aggression towards your community, it makes it a less safe environment. It makes it a place where we look over our shoulder more often than not, and it really impacts — especially the trans community and families with trans youth in it — how they live their lives. I’ve met families who have moved out of states where aggressive laws were passed. I’ve met families who are considering to or can’t afford to. So it’s having a real impact on our community.

Q: What do you find most concerning? 

This year, we saw an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ bills proposed at the state level — over 500. That’s an enormous number and most target the trans community. We’ve also seen a real rise in violence against our community: GLAAD has tracked over 160 threats of violence or direct attacks on LGBTQ events in less than a year. So for me, there’s two things happening: One is this culture of hate and aggression against our community and the other is this extremist right wing political body that is using our community as a minority. Eighty-four percent of Americans say that the LGBTQ community should have equal rights. So even though there is this very small minority who is extreme and hateful, they are dominating the airwaves right now. As a community, we need to fight back and flood the airwaves with our stories and counter this misinformation campaign against our community. 

Q: In wake of the Target and Bud Light controversies, what’s your advice for companies that want to foster inclusivity?

There are plenty of companies, like North Face and Nike, who have been tested and threatened by these extremists, but they’ve stood with their values. And then these folks back off. Ultimately, the bottom line is that business has to embrace this next generation — because at least 20% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ. If you also count our allies, that’s a big population of consumers and employees. So you have to have the moral compass and the gravitas to stick with your beliefs. If you’ve been saying this is who you are as a company, when you get tested in these moments, you’ve gotta pass the test and stand up.

Q: What keeps you optimistic about the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights?

Our community. It is organized. We care deeply about each other. It has always been the foundation of the advances that we’ve made. And if you take a long view, you can see we’ve made a lot of advances in equality and acceptance. I know we’re committed to making similar advances in the next decades and we’re not going to be stopped … Get involved in an organization, whether local or national, that means something to you. Use your platforms and use your spaces. Be a voice for us in spaces where we might not be invited or allowed at this moment in time. You don’t have to take on the whole kit and caboodle — small acts have a huge impact.