Readout of Civil Rights Division’s Inaugural Quarterly LGBTQI+ Rights Community Stakeholder Meeting

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the division’s LGBTQI+ Working Group convened the inaugural quarterly meeting of LGBTQI+ Rights Community Stakeholders at the Justice Department.

Department leadership, including representatives from the Civil Rights Division, FBI, Office of Justice Programs and Office on Violence Against Women heard from attending organizations on an array of topics, including anti-LGBTQI+ violence and hate, legislation targeting the LGBTQI+ community, Title VI and grant funding concerns specific to the LGBTQI+ community and the need to increase intersex awareness. Representatives from other government agencies, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Energy and Housing and Urban Development were also in attendance.

This week’s meeting reinforces the Justice Department’s commitment to taking an all-of-department approach to protecting LGBTQI+ rights, including by engaging with organizations and stakeholders on issues affecting the LGBTQI+ community. The department’s recent work on LGBTQI+ rights issues includes statements of interest and lawsuits challenging state bans on gender-affirming health care for transgender minors in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. The department has also prosecuted hate crimes based on LGBTQI+ status, supported organizations serving LGBTQI+ victims and survivors, and educated the public about threats facing the LGBTQI+ community, including by hosting a virtual, nationwide community meeting addressing practical steps for protecting LGBTQI+ communities from hate-motivated attacks and threats of violence. These and other efforts by the department are summarized in a fact sheet released earlier in June in honor of Pride Month.