The Resistance Brief: Defending the heart of civil society 

Blog by Ricardo Martinez (he/him), Executive Director

When my parents couldn’t afford to fill our Christmas tree with gifts, a local athletic league showed up with presents and joy. When we struggled with food insecurity, it was our local parish that made sure we had meals on the table. As a quiet, unsure middle schooler, Council for Unity helped me find my voice – teaching me leadership, self-expression, and the courage to speak up.

In college, I volunteered with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Suffolk County and raised funds for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. These weren’t just extracurricular activities or acts of charity – they were lifelines. They shaped me. They provided vital assistance to people in my community. They also taught me the meaning of service, and the transformative power of kindness. I saw how compassion could move people to act, how generosity could restore dignity, and how even the smallest act of care could change a life.

Nonprofit organizations have played a profound role in my life, as they have in the lives of so many Americans.

That’s why the recent push by the Trump administration to label certain nonprofit organizations – especially those serving immigrant, LGBTQ+, and Black and Brown communities – as domestic terrorism threats is outrageous.

No president has the right to target charities, civil rights organizations, or civil society groups simply because they challenge power or stand up for justice. And yet, that’s exactly what’s happening. These actions are not about keeping us safe. They are about suppressing dissent and chilling advocacy.

We’ve seen this before.

In the 1950s, McCarthyism destroyed careers and lives by branding artists, activists, and academics as threats to the State. J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI began a program of infiltrating and dismantling civil rights and Black liberation movements through COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), treating the pursuit of equality as a national security risk.

During this time, at the height of the Lavender Scare, the federal government systematically fired thousands of LGBTQ+ employees. These purges were driven by false claims that queer people were inherently untrustworthy and posed a risk to national security.

After 9/11, Muslim communities were surveilled, harassed, and detained – not because of crimes committed, but because of who they were. Entire congregations were treated like suspects. Families were torn apart. The trauma of that era still echoes today.

And in 2017, the Trump administration created the baseless category of “Black Identity Extremists” to surveil and intimidate Black activists, as was done throughout the Civil Rights movement. Now, that same tactic is being recycled – this time against a broader group of nonprofits, funders, LGBTQ+ groups, and those who dare to fight for justice.

Historically, vulnerable communities with limited power who are vocal and steadfast in their commitment to creating a just world have always been used as scapegoats in times of political fear. These attacks aren’t about justice. They are about intimidation: that being different, being visible, or standing up for your neighbors makes you a threat.

But we know better.

Demanding safety, equality, and dignity is not a crime. What is unlawful is the government’s throttling of free speech and our constitutionally protected right to advocate for our communities. What truly strengthens this country is the courage to speak up, to show up for each other, and to refuse to accept injustice as normal.

GLAD Law remains grounded in our unwavering belief that protecting fundamental freedoms must be rooted in empathy, not cruelty. We are committed to advancing justice guided by deep respect for human dignity and the interconnectedness of our diverse communities. We find strength in inclusion, and we work alongside others to ensure that the rights we all rely on are defended with compassion, integrity, and shared responsibility for a better future. We have not, and will not, stop fighting for the dignity, safety, and full equality of LGBTQ+ Americans.

And neither should you. 

For our nonprofits. For our neighbors. For the freedom to help, to care, and to hope.  

Because the organizations that fed me, taught me, and gave me my voice, those spaces of healing and empowerment – they should be celebrated. Protected. And defended with everything we’ve got. 

Now is the time to donate generously to the organizations that have shaped your life, volunteer your time, speak out, and show up.

Together, we can protect the rights and spaces that make our communities stronger and more just. Civil society depends on it.

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What to know, what to do:

• Sign up for our October 9 community briefing on what’s at stake in the new Supreme Court term.
• Learn about the nonprofits that have banded together, GLAD Law included, to say we will not be intimated or silenced in the face of Trump’s directive NSPM-7.
• Check out the good news! A federal judge just blocked a New Hampshire state law that would have banned important programs for ensuring equal educational access, in our case with ACLU and other partners.
• Read about Army Captain Gordon Herrero, who was placed on administrative leave from his West Point teaching position after the transgender military ban was implemented.

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