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The Christopher Street Project, a new political group focused on building support for transgender rights within the Democratic Party, has announced its first slate of congressional endorsements as it moves to equip candidates with political and messaging strategies ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.Named after the New York City street where the 1969 Stonewall uprising began and founded in the wake of the 2024 election cycle that saw Republicans spend more than $200 million attacking transgender Americans, Christopher Street Project is endorsing 16 Democratic lawmakers. The slate includes prominent LGBTQ+ members, parents of trans children, relatives of transgender people, and high-profile allies such as Reps. Sarah McBride, Delia Ramirez, Sara Jacobs, Dina Titus, Katherine Clark, Maxwell Frost, Val Hoyle, Mark Takano, Becca Balint, Julie Johnson, Mark Pocan, Pramila Jayapal, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamie Raskin, and Melanie Stansbury.Related: Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego adopts anti-trans, far-right talking pointsOur mission is to build support for the trans community within the Democratic Party and take back the party as one that values people over power, Tyler Hack, the groups 20-year-old founder, told The Advocate in an exclusive interview. We understand that we need to build the playbook for how we win on trans issues over the next decade.Hack, who identifies as trans and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, said the Christopher Street Project was born from frustration after the 2024 elections, when some Democrats began to distance themselves from trans issues, fearing electoral backlash. Hack noted that since November, they had met with lawmakers who were at a loss for how to counter Republican attacks effectively.For all the thousands of PACs in Washington, there wasnt one dedicated specifically to trans people, Hack said. It was really important for us to build up that playbook in a time when Democratic leaders were doing what they thought was right, but were not always given guidance about how to go about that.Hacks vision is clear: Democrats must learn how to respond to Republican attacks and misinformation without abandoning core values. In 2024, Hack said, the party failed by attempting to deflect or move past attacks rather than confronting them head-on. Republicans, particularly the Trump campaign, bombarded Vice President Kamala Harris for her support of the trans community in several attack ads that claimed Kamala Harris is for they/them, Donald Trump is for you. After the Trump campaign bashed Harris for having expressed support for providing essential gender-affirming care to people in federal custody, Republicans painted her views as extreme. Ads attacked her for supporting taxpayer-funded transgender surgery for prisoners, even as Trump initiated that policy during his first administration. However, Democrats did not fight back and dismissed the line of attack.Related: Democrat Seth Moulton defends comments on trans athletes amid backlash (exclusive)We never, as any political party or candidate, won an argument by simply saying, Lets move on to the next question. Thats just not how the American electorate thinks, Hack said. People dont respond to that because its clear leaders are being evasive.Instead, Hack believes Democrats must call out the realities behind Republican proposals. They pointed to the so-called Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, warning it would lead to invasive policies like genital inspections for girls as young as four years old. Hack added, Theres no swing voter who wants genital inspections for girls as young as four.Hack argued that the Republican focus on transgender athletes is both a distraction and a moral failing, designed to exploit a tiny population for political gain. Trans-female athletes in the NCAAwere talking about fewer than 10 people, Hack said. Its really closer to five. These are actual human beings, and they have real consequences when they become political targets.Despite GOP attacks, Hack said Democrats can win if they frame trans rights as part of a broader fight against government overreach and cruelty. Theres no way to discriminate against transgender Americans without a gross government overreach on all people, Hack said. We need to reach people where theyre at, emphasize what these bills actually do.Hack stressed that the Christopher Street Projects goal isnt to demand that every candidate make trans rights their top issue in competitive districts. Most people are concerned about the cost of living, about their health care, Hack said. But when millions of dollars are attacking you, you need to have a response. You cant just immediately pivot because the electorate doesnt respond to that.The lawmakers on Christopher Street Projects initial slate, Hack said, have consistently shown up for the trans community, even when it wasnt politically convenient. These are people who have been standing up for the trans community time and time again, regardless of when its popular or when pundits are telling them to stop speaking about it, Hack said. They show up in their districts and do the work.Hack pointed to Titus of Nevada as an example of a lawmaker who has defended trans rights in a competitive district and successfully countered Republican narratives. She has been unwavering in her support of the transgender community, Hack said. Shes been a longtime supporter of the Trans Bill of Rights and is showing what it looks like to be a Democratic member who stands up for trans people and wins in their tough races.Related: Donald Trump unleashes torrent of transphobic ads in last leg of 2024 electionThe Christopher Street Project has already raised several hundred thousand dollars, Hack said, and has contributed financially to each of its endorsed candidates. The PAC will file its latest financial report soon, they said. Hack added that the group is working with lawmakers on legislative strategy, messaging, and campaign organizing. Were always looking for ways that we can make the biggest impact, they said, noting the groups support for candidates like Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late Rep. Ral Grijalva, who died in March, in Arizonas upcoming special election to fill her fathers seat.Hack also emphasized the Christopher Street Projects long-term vision of building political power to influence Democratic messaging heading into 2028. Its so important that we build this coalition from the ground up with members from across the country with a variety of experiences, and work to build a party that values transgender people, not just for their votes, but for their voices, they said.Among those endorsed, Frost of Florida told The Advocate he was honored to receive Christopher Street Project's support. Theyre doing the work every day to protect the LGBTQ+ community at a time when theyre under constant attack, Frost said. What were seeing from Trump and MAGA Republicans isnt just politics, its cruelty. Using trans people as political targets is wrong, and I wont stand by and watch it happen. In Congress, Ill keep fighting to protect our rights and build a country where everyone can live with safety, dignity, and pride.Hack said Christopher Street Projects mission remains urgent as Republicans prepare to keep transgender issues at the forefront of the culture wars leading into the next elections. Were determined to make sure Democrats dont leave trans people behind, and that they know how to fight back and win, Hack said.

House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, on Thursday muscled through President Donald Trumps signature domestic policy bill, voting to slash health and nutrition programs that millions of Americans, including large numbers of LGBTQ+ people, rely on, to extend tax cuts for the wealthy. The bill passed on a party-line vote of 218 to 214, with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky joining all Democrats in oppositionThe measure, which Trump demanded be named the One Big Beautiful Bill before Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, had the name stripped, cleared the House of Representatives after more than eight hours of delaying tactics by Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The bill cut funding for Medicaid, SNAP (the food stamp program), and other social safety net programs, and bars federal funds for Planned Parenthood. The vote capped weeks of bitter partisan fighting and set the stage for a political reckoning in the 2026 midterms.Related: How Trumps one big beautiful tax bill could impact women, children and LGBTQ+ AmericansThis disaster of a bill has always been about one thing: funneling more wealth to the ultra rich while hardworking Americans including LGBTQ+ people suffer, Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement after the vote. MAGA members of Congress voted to kick millions of people off their health care, jeopardize access to essential HIV prevention and treatments, and erode the ability of Planned Parenthood to continue to serve all who rely on it.The final bill dropped one of its most controversial provisions: a nationwide ban on federal funding for gender-affirming care under Medicaid and CHIP. That language was cut after Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that it violated the Byrd Rule, which bars unrelated policy changes in budget bills. Behind-the-scenes lobbying from lesbian U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first out transgender member of Congress, helped ensure its removal.LGBTQ+ advocates caution that the bill still threatens queer communities. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects nearly 14 million people will lose Medicaid coverage under the measure, a program that disproportionately serves LGBTQ+ Americans. According to the HRC, Medicaid covers 21 percent of transgender people and 40 percent of individuals living with HIV. It is also the largest single funder of HIV care in the nation.Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 45 minutes in an impassioned speech that broke the record for the longest continuous House floor address, condemned the legislation as an extraordinary assault on the health care of the American people. His remarks, delivered in the cadences of a Sunday sermon, framed the bill as both a moral and political crisis, warning that leadership requires courage, conviction, compassion and yet what we have seen from this administration and co-conspirators on the Republican side of the aisle is cruelty, chaos and corruption.The reductions extend to community health centers that serve LGBTQ+ communities, threatening services ranging from mental health care to STI testing and gender-affirming treatment. The legislations tightened rules around SNAP eligibility and benefits, advocates say, will also hit LGBTQ+ people particularly hard, given persistent disparities in poverty and food insecurity. Research cited by the HRC shows that over 27 percent of LGBTQ+ adults have struggled to afford food in the past year, with LGBTQ+ people of color and transgender people especially vulnerable.The bill also funnels $150 billion toward immigration enforcement, and adds $100 asylum fee for those seeking safety, a $550 fee for work permits, and expand ICE detention that would harm queer immigrants and those living with HIV, according to Immigration Equality.This bill is a roadmap to suffering. It turns asylum into a luxury, punishing LGBTQ and HIV-positive people fleeing persecution. LGBTQ people cannot wait out violence and discrimination in their home countriesand now they are being told safety in the U.S. comes with a price tag," said Immigration Equality's director of law and policy Bridget Crawford. "Asylum is a legal right, not a privilege. Rushing this bill through Congress today, before July 4, in the name of so-called patriotism, is a betrayal of this countrys core values. Instead of offering protection, America will be locking the door to asylum seekers behind a paywall.For Republicans, the legislation is a pillar of Trumps domestic agenda and a means to cement tax cuts enacted during his first term. The bill also funnels billions of dollars to fund immigration detention and deportation efforts. For Democrats, it is a potent symbol of what they describe as Republican extremism and a rallying point they hope to wield against vulnerable incumbents in the 2026 midterms.Related: Republicans pass Big Beautiful Bill banning federally funded gender-affirming care for trans peopleThe American people are not without power, Robinson said. In every district across the country, members of Congress need to hear from their constituents and be reminded that we will not forget this betrayal when it comes time to be heard at the ballot box.Trump is expected to sign the bill into law at a White House ceremony on Friday, the Fourth of July.