Human Rights Campaign declares "state of emergency" for LGBTQ+ Americans
CBSN
For the first time in its more than 40-year history, the Human Rights Campaign on Tuesday declared a "state of emergency" for LGBTQ+ Americans, issuing a guidebook alongside the national warning to help ensure safety for both LGBTQ+ residents and travelers alike. The news comes as LGBTQ+ Americans across the country begin to celebrate Pride Month.
The LGBTQ+ civil rights organization cited "an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults sweeping state houses this year" in issuing the warning. This year alone, more than 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been passed in the U.S. during the current legislative season — more than double the 2022 number, the organization said.
"LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency," said the HRC's president, Kelley Robinson. "The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived — they are real, tangible and dangerous."
Out of air and pinned by an alligator to the bottom of the Cooper River in South Carolina, Will Georgitis decided his only chance to survive might be to lose his arm. The alligator had fixed its jaws around Georgitis' arm and after he tried to escape by stabbing it with the screwdriver he uses to pry fossilized shark teeth off the riverbed, the gator shook the diver and dragged him 50 feet down, Georgitis told The Post and Courier.