Happy Pride, friends!
Whether you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, know and love someone who is, or are a supportive ally, I hope you’ll join all of us at Square One in openly celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ+ community this Pride Month.
If you haven’t already seen me come through your inbox, my name is Ian Metzger. I joined the Square One team a year ago and primarily do fundraising work for Square One and our candidates. What drew me to Square One in the first place was the organization’s commitment to electing LGBTQ+ candidates in red districts and states like Wisconsin, my home state. Visibility matters to people who may not have anyone else in their corner — and as a lifelong Midwesterner and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, this work is personal to me.
And now to address the elephant in the room: We cannot pretend that this Pride Month arrives without a shadow over it. Since the beginning of 2026, 530 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation have been introduced in state legislatures across the country. 26 states and counting have placed bans on lifesaving gender-affirming care, a denial that will put children at risk. Books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and history have been pulled from school libraries. Federal civil rights protections have been rolled back. Funding for LGBTQ+ health programs has been cut. Pete Hegseth has spent the past 18 months purging women, Black, Latino, APPI, and LGBTQ+ service members from the military’s ranks. And since 2023, Human Rights Campaign President and Square One Board Member Kelley Robinson has warned that there is “an ongoing national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States.”
The message being sent from the highest levels of our government is clear: you do not belong here. Square One and our candidates reject that notion unequivocally.
In the midst of these vicious attacks on our neighbors, we are proud to stand with fearless LGBTQ+ leaders like Marni von Wilpert of California, Sharice Davids of Kansas, and JoAnna Mendoza of Arizona. They know that the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness belongs to all Americans, regardless of race, gender, identity, or sexual orientation. And they understand that it is critical to send representatives to Congress who will stand up for and serve everyone, especially those of us that our current administration is trying to silence and erase.
Pride Month serves as an expression of visibility, resilience, joy, and community — and it is an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come, show what work remains ahead, and give us all a chance to stand together in support of our LGBTQ+ friends and loved ones.
We’ve got less than five months until Election Day. We hope you’ll fuel our work to flip Congress this November and ensure that every American is able to live openly, safely, and with dignity going forward.
Happy Pride. Now let’s get to work.
Onward,
Ian Metzger
Development Associate, Square One
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