As the Executive Director of the Abortion Liberation Fund of Pennsylvania, I have unfortunately witnessed firsthand how the same forces who are attacking abortion access are also coming for LGBTQ+ rights. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a coordinated assault on bodily autonomy, self-determination, and human dignity.
Look no further than Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s recent lawsuit to stop reproductive rights in the Commonwealth. This lawsuit does not just stop funding for abortion care but also hinders the rights for reproductive care which hurts LGBTQIA+ community the most. These tactics are not about “protecting life” or “religious freedom”; it’s about control. We must not forget that Justice Clarence Thomas has already signaled a need to overturn marriage equality and restrict our privacy rights.
Here’s the truth: the people who want to criminalize abortion are the same people who want to deny gender-affirming care, restrict HIV prevention services, stop trans athletes, and erase queer people from public life. When Sunday sues to block reproductive rights, he’s attacking the very foundation of bodily autonomy that protects all of us, queer and straight, cis and trans, rich and poor.
Every day at ALF, we see how these attacks intersect.
Queer and trans people already face discrimination in housing, employment, and education. Now, with upcoming changes to Medicaid, the risk of being denied reproductive health care that includes not just abortion, but also sex education, menopausal support, HIV education, cancer screenings, mental health services, and addiction treatment.
Pennsylvania claims to be a supportive enclave, but that is not the reality. While Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and other municipalities have passed some protective legislation to prevent discrimination based on sexuality and gender identity, statewide protections remain nonexistent despite the best efforts of the Pennsylvania House.
People in Pennsylvania are still being charged with crimes relating to abortion care and access. Needing abortion care in an already highly stigmatized society is made even more stressful for queer and trans people where pregnancy carries other layers of trauma, which is why it’s so important for elected officials to do more than talk about the needs of queer and LGBTQ people but also pass policies, invest, and actually make sure LGBTQ people have the healthcare they need and deserve.
This is about basic human rights; it is about our lives. As we celebrate Pride this month, we are also mourning the fall of Roe while trying to create a Pennsylvania that works for all of us. When Attorney General Sunday attacks reproductive freedom, he is attacking the health and dignity of all LGBTQ+ communities who depend on comprehensive, non-discriminatory care.
As such, the barriers remain, and with unnecessary attacks at the local level, coupled with the erosion of our rights by the federal government, people are not being educated about their bodies and rights, and are often forgotten and ignored.
Even our elders face discrimination and lack of competent care in retirement homes, and are often dealing with the inability to get gender and queer-affirming care for a second time.
The time for talking is over. We need concrete policies, real investments, and unwavering protection for all Pennsylvanians’ right to bodily autonomy, whether that means accessing abortion care, gender-affirming treatment, or any other health service we deserve.