In response to the intense increase in anti-LBGTQ+ attacks on both a state and federal level, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) launched its American Dreams Tour: Equality Across America.
HRC President Kelley Robinson is collaborating with local LBGTQ+ leadership and advocates to increase awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and raise the alarms for much needed organization and policy change in a wider effort to bring equality to every corner of the country.
Through coordinated initiatives, the American Dreams tour looks to push back against the unprecedented wave of attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, from bans on gender-affirming care and curriculum censorship to anti-trans legislation and HIV funding cuts.
The tour has made stops thus far in red-state cities where LGBTQ+ individuals are facing the most hostility, but where hope shines through the hate.
This included an Atlanta stop which coincidentally coincides with the Atlanta Pride Festival weekend. Robinson joined alongside a pioneer in the Black Trans community, activist, and actress, TS Madison, sat down for an intimate kitchen table conversation about the importance of HIV prevention, care, and PrEP.
The kitchen table conversation was held at Ts Madison’s Starter House, a home for formerly incarcerated transgender women.
Robinson said as the fight for equality marches forward, the American Dreams Tour aims to up light the important message that there isn’t just one American dream, but there are many.
“The American dream has never belonged to just one kind of person. It has been built by people who dared to demand more, by women who marched, by workers who organized by Black folks who bled for Freedom, and by LGBTQ+ people who refused to disappear,” Robinson said. “Every time this country has tried to erase us, and we rebuilt something bigger with our stories, our truth, and our refusal to be silent.”
Ts Madison says you have been on the wrong side of history, encouraging the erasure of Trans women.
“Every time issues like this come up when you try to eliminate and erase people, they do it. They’re doing it to trans people now, they did it to people living with HIV and AIDS, they did it to gay people and black women,” she said. “We know we got on the right side, and that’s why what we do is important.”
Also, the Fiscal Year 2026 budget released by the Trump administration, which maintains funding for existing domestic HIV care, treatment, and PrEP programs, cuts HIV prevention and surveillance at the CDC, housing, and other programs, amounting to cuts of over $1.5 billion.
Some of the conversation between Robinson and Ts Madison centered on the Trump administration’s policies targeting HIV funding, trans identity, and the broader implications for marginalized communities.
“They are only worried about power. They are not worried about anybody’s safety. They’re only worried about them being in power and their children’s children being in power,” TS Madison said.
The tour also coincides with the launch of HRC’s “One Million Voices for Equality,” a nationwide campaign to engage one million LGBTQ+ people and allies. Among the planned stops, each stop features training by HRC Foundation’s Voices for Equality storytelling program to help people harness their private experiences as tools for change.
Robinson reiterated that the Trump administration is taking the American people’s tax dollars and using them to bail out billionaires and the governments of other countries, taking away access to health care that people look for.
“$3 billion has been cut from HIV prevention care, from mental health services, from the 988 hotlines,” she said. “We’ve got to see what’s happening and know that it’s not just about policies and numbers. It’s about the impacts that we’re starting to see right now and today in our communities, from Atlanta to Chicago, and everywhere in between, the real enemy is our government.”
She also says the problem isn’t in your neighborhoods, and you can do something about the real problem by not putting certain people in power.
Additionally, Ts Madison says the starter house is extremely important because the girls who step inside the house must be themselves and love themselves.
“In this house, you must tell the girls that you are trans. We want you to live completely aloud because we want you to stand in resilience,” she said. “Do not fall into this place of you have to hide now, I need to be safe. You got to resist and the only way you’re going to get through anything is in numbers and resisting stuff by saying no, we’re not going to let that happen.”
With the current climate and the attempted erasure of black successful transgender people like Ts Madison, she says the Trump administration and anyone who opposes basic human rights are going to have a fight on their hands.
“They are going to have a fight on their hands because I am a girl who knows how to unify people, and I know how to unify by being real and by telling people to fight and not lay down because the only thing that’s laying down is the floor and you can walk all over the floor,” she said. “You got to be a thick wall.”
“It’s our job to protect our people. They’re coming after Black women, especially black Trans women, and we must see it for what it is. They are attacking our power and our community,” Robinson said. “There is a place for healing and for accountability, but we must stand up and not allow the wrongdoings take place. We have a voice.”
Madison and Robinson criticize the administration’s tactics, suggesting they aim to distract and divide people of color by scapegoating trans individuals.
Also, Robinson emphasizes the importance of unity, resistance, and visibility for trans and Black individuals, advocating for active engagement and accountability from elected officials. The conversation concludes with a call to instill hope and strength in the community.
Overall, this conversation about the importance of fighting back for LGBTQ+ rights are instilled in the hope of people, Ts Madison says.
The importance of this conversation, she says, is for the LGBTQ+ community to fight back against hate and instill awareness that things and laws are changing.
“If you watch TV long enough, you will be extremely afraid. I remember when he first got in office, and I was so afraid at first thinking I needed to get an SRS surgery so I could blend, but then I shook it and told myself I am who I am,” Madison said. “You don’t need to chop it off to get through because they’ll get you with a hole. What we need to do is stand in who we are and rally the truth and line the hands up to build a forceful wall against them.”
She also says some people might be silent or “stealthy” but that might only be safe momentarily.
“Being open, loud, and in color, and being strong brings numbers, builds walls, keeps things right, and that’s what matters,” she said.
Ts Madison says she would like the Trans community to understand their importance and that their existence is a part of activism and ethics.
“Do not be afraid to exist. Don’t let what you see on TV make you fearful. Do not fear. If you want to live in stealth, that’s great, but the more we speak out about us being trans, there’s power in immunity,” she said. “Go after your dreams. You are a gift to your families, and a prayer was answered.”
In response to the intense increase in anti-LBGTQ+ attacks on both a state and federal level, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) launched its American Dreams Tour: Equality Across America.
The American Dreams tour is a bold, nationwide initiative to spotlight LGBTQ+ resilience, resistance, and joy.
HRC President Kelley Robinson is collaborating with local LBGTQ+ leadership and advocates to increase awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and raise the alarms for much needed organization and policy change in a wider effort to bring equality to every corner of the country.
Through coordinated initiatives, the American Dreams tour looks to push back against the unprecedented wave of attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, from bans on gender-affirming care and curriculum censorship to anti-trans legislation and HIV funding cuts.
The tour has made stops thus far in red-state cities where LGBTQ+ individuals are facing the most hostility, but where hope shines through the hate.
This included an Atlanta stop which coincidentally co-inside with the Atlanta Pride Festival weekend. Robinson joined alongside a pioneer in the Black Trans community, activist, and actress, TS Madison, sat down for an intimate kitchen table conversation about the importance of HIV prevention, care, and PrEP.
The kitchen table conversation was held at Ts Madison’s Starter House, a home for formerly incarcerated transgender women.
Robinson said as the fight for equality marches forward, the American Dreams Tour aims to up light the important message that there isn’t just one American dream, but there are many.
“The American dream has never belonged to just one kind of person. It has been built by people who dared to demand more, by women who marched, by workers who organized by Black folks who bled for Freedom, and by LGBTQ+ people who refused to disappear,” Robinson said. “Every time this country has tried to erase us, and we rebuilt something bigger with our stories, our truth, and our refusal to be silent.”
Ts Madison says you have been on the wrong side of history, encouraging the erasure of Trans women.
“Every time issues like this come up when you try to eliminate and erase people, they do it. They’re doing it to trans people now, they did it to people living with HIV and AIDS, they did it to gay people and black women,” she said. “We know we got on the right side, and that’s why what we do is important.”
Also, the Fiscal Year 2026 budget released by the Trump administration, which maintains funding for existing domestic HIV care, treatment, and PrEP programs, cuts HIV prevention and surveillance at the CDC, housing, and other programs, amounting to cuts of over $1.5 billion.
Some of the conversation between Robinson and Ts Madison centered on the Trump administration’s policies targeting HIV funding, trans identity, and the broader implications for marginalized communities.
“They are only worried about power. They are not worried about anybody’s safety. They’re only worried about them being in power and their children’s children being in power,” TS Madison said.
The tour also coincides with the launch of HRC’s “One Million Voices for Equality,” a nationwide campaign to engage one million LGBTQ+ people and allies. Among the planned stops, each stop features training by HRC Foundation’s Voices for Equality storytelling program to help people harness their private experiences as tools for change.
Robinson reiterated that the Trump administration is taking the American people’s tax dollars and using them to bail out billionaires and the governments of other countries, taking away access to health care that people look for.
“$3 billion has been cut from HIV prevention care, from mental health services, from the 988 hotlines,” she said. “We’ve got to see what’s happening and know that it’s not just about policies and numbers. It’s about the impacts that we’re starting to see right now and today in our communities, from Atlanta to Chicago, and everywhere in between, the real enemy is our government.”
She also says the problem isn’t in your neighborhoods, and you can do something about the real problem by not putting certain people in power.
Additionally, Ts Madison says the starter house is extremely important because the girls who step inside the house must be themselves and love themselves.
“In this house, you must tell the girls that you are trans. We want you to live completely aloud because we want you to stand in resilience,” she said. “Do not fall into this place of you have to hide now, I need to be safe. You got to resist and the only way you’re going to get through anything is in numbers and resisting stuff by saying no, we’re not going to let that happen.”
With the current climate and the attempted erasure of black successful transgender people like Ts Madison, she says the Trump administration and anyone who opposes basic human rights are going to have a fight on their hands.
“They are going to have a fight on their hands because I am a girl who knows how to unify people, and I know how to unify by being real and by telling people to fight and not lay down because the only thing that’s laying down is the floor and you can walk all over the floor,” she said. “You got to be a thick wall.”
“It’s our job to protect our people. They’re coming after Black women, especially black Trans women, and we must see it for what it is. They are attacking our power and our community,” Robinson said. “There is a place for healing and for accountability, but we must stand up and not allow the wrongdoings take place. We have a voice.”
Madison and Robinson criticize the administration’s tactics, suggesting they aim to distract and divide people of color by scapegoating trans individuals.
Also, Robinson emphasizes the importance of unity, resistance, and visibility for trans and Black individuals, advocating for active engagement and accountability from elected officials. The conversation concludes with a call to instill hope and strength in the community.
Overall, this conversation about the importance of fighting back for LGBTQ+ rights are instilled in the hope of people, Ts Madison says.
The importance of this conversation, she says, is for the LGBTQ+ community to fight back against hate and instill awareness that things and laws are changing.
“If you watch TV long enough, you will be extremely afraid. I remember when he first got in office, and I was so afraid at first thinking I needed to get an SRS surgery so I could blend, but then I shook it and told myself I am who I am,” Madison said. “You don’t need to chop it off to get through because they’ll get you with a hole. What we need to do is stand in who we are and rally the truth and line the hands up to build a forceful wall against them.”
She also says some people might be silent or “stealthy,” but that might only be safe momentarily.
“Being open, loud, and in color, and being strong brings numbers, builds walls, keeps things right, and that’s what matters,” she said.
Ts Madison says she would like the Trans community to understand their importance and that their existence is a part of activism and ethics.
“Do not be afraid to exist. Don’t let what you see on TV make you fearful. Do not fear. If you want to live in stealth, that’s great, but the more we speak out about us being trans, there’s power in immunity,” she said. “Go after your dreams. You are a gift to your families, and a prayer was answered.”
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