DA Italy Speaker Series: What's at stake for LGBTQ+ Americans and American Democracy in the 2026 Midterm Elections?

Event overview

In this discussion, we will explore how the current administration’s policies and anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) agenda are affecting LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities in the U.S. and abroad. We will also examine the broader threats these policies pose to democratic norms, institutions, and the rule of law.

Key topics

• The impact of the current administration’s policies and anti-DEI advocacy on LGBTQ+ communities and other minorities in the U.S. and globally.

• Whether Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision recognizing the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry, is at risk and how recent legal and political developments could threaten it.

• Lessons from the Freedom to Marry campaign—strategy, messaging, and coalition-building—that can be applied to other causes and contexts today.

• Beyond voting: concrete actions Democrats Abroad members and allies can take to resist this damaging and dangerous regime and to help reclaim and rebuild democratic power.

Presenter bios

Evan Wolfson is a lawyer and LGBTQ+ rights activist who founded and led Freedom to Marry, the campaign that helped win nationwide marriage equality in the United States in 2015. Widely regarded as the architect of the marriage equality movement, he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Biden in 2025 for his decades of leadership advancing the freedom to marry.

George Perlov is a Democrats Abroad Italy member and consultant who works with NGOs and foundations on research, strategy, and evaluation to strengthen their social impact. He has recently collaborated with Evan on advocacy efforts in support of LGBTQ+ rights campaigns in Central Europe.