A Call to Action: Standing Against the “Big Beautiful Budget Bill”
By Terence Stewart
I am writing to you today with a heavy heart and a fire in my soul. As the President and CEO of Atlanta Black Pride, Inc., I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of community, advocacy, and the unwavering belief that every person deserves dignity, respect, and access to life-saving healthcare. Today, that belief is under direct attack.
Just hours ago, the House of Representatives passed the so-called “Big Beautiful Budget Bill” by a razor-thin margin of 218-214, sending this devastating legislation to President Trump’s desk. This is nothing short of a calculated assault on the most vulnerable members of our community. This legislation represents a breathtaking escalation in the war against LGBTQ+ Americans, people living with HIV, working-class families, and communities of color who depend on Medicaid for their very survival.
The Devastating Impact on Communities of Color
The timing of this legislation is particularly cruel. At a moment when our nation should be working to address centuries of systemic healthcare inequities, this bill threatens to widen the racial health disparities that have plagued our communities for generations.
The numbers are staggering and heartbreaking: nearly 42 million people of color—approximately one-third of all people of color in the United States—rely on Medicaid for healthcare coverage. In Georgia alone, communities of color make up a disproportionate share of Medicaid recipients, with Black and Hispanic families facing the most significant harm from these proposed cuts.
The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion helped reduce the uninsured rate among Black and Hispanic adults by more than 10 percentage points between 2010 and 2023. Today’s vote threatens to reverse every bit of that progress, potentially leaving millions of our neighbors without access to basic healthcare.
In the Atlanta Metro, where Black and Hispanic families already face higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic conditions, these cuts aren’t just statistics—they’re a matter of life and death. When families can’t afford their medications, when preventive care becomes a luxury, when emergency rooms become the only option for primary care, entire communities suffer.
An Attack on Our Transgender Family
What started as a targeted attack on transgender minors has now expanded to include ALL transgender adults. The bill now cuts off federal Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding for medically-necessary care for ALL transgender people–no matter their age. This isn’t just policy—this is cruelty disguised as governance.
In the Atlanta Metro area, home to one of the largest and most vibrant LGBTQ+ communities in the South, this legislation will devastate thousands of our neighbors. Research shows that 12% of transgender adults rely on Medicaid as their primary source of health insurance, almost twice as high as cisgender Americans. These are our friends, our family members, our colleagues—people who contribute to the rich tapestry of our city’s culture and economy.
For transgender women of color, who already face disproportionate barriers to healthcare, employment, and housing, this bill represents a death sentence by bureaucracy. In a region where we’ve fought so hard to build inclusive healthcare networks and affirming providers, this federal interference threatens to undo decades of progress.
The Intersection of HIV and Healthcare Access
The attack on Medicaid extends far beyond transgender healthcare. LGBTQ people—especially those living with HIV—are disproportionately reliant on Medicaid, and the LGBTQ community has a higher incidence of poverty than other demographics. In the Atlanta Metro, where we continue to battle one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the nation, particularly among Black gay and bisexual men, this legislation could be catastrophic.
Our community has made tremendous strides in HIV prevention and treatment. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Medicaid have been lifelines for thousands of Atlantans living with HIV. Any cuts to these vital programs don’t just threaten individual health—they threaten our entire public health infrastructure and the gains we’ve made in ending the HIV epidemic.
The Compounding Crisis for LGBTQ+ People of Color
The intersection of these attacks creates a perfect storm of discrimination and harm. LGBTQ+ people of color—who already face discrimination in healthcare settings, employment, and housing—will be hit hardest by these cuts. Black transgender women, who experience some of the highest rates of violence and discrimination in our society, will find themselves with even fewer resources and support systems.
In Atlanta, where we’ve worked tirelessly to build culturally competent healthcare providers and inclusive spaces, this federal interference threatens to undermine the very foundations of care that keep our community healthy and thriving. When you combine racism, transphobia, and poverty, the result is a healthcare system that abandons those who need it most.
Working-Class Families Under Siege
This bill doesn’t stop with targeting LGBTQ+ Americans and communities of color. It slashes Medicaid, restricts food assistance, and undermines the social safety net that working-class families depend on. In metro Atlanta, where the cost of living continues to rise while wages stagnate, Medicaid serves as a crucial bridge for families transitioning between jobs, dealing with medical emergencies, or simply trying to maintain their children’s health.
The intersectionality of these attacks cannot be ignored. Black and Hispanic families in our community are more likely to rely on Medicaid, more likely to be impacted by food assistance cuts, and more likely to face discrimination in healthcare settings. With communities of color representing nearly half of all Medicaid beneficiaries nationally, this bill compounds existing inequities and threatens to push our most vulnerable neighbors further into the margins.
In Georgia, where we have yet to expand Medicaid, these federal cuts will be particularly devastating. Families who were already struggling to access affordable healthcare will find themselves completely shut out of the system.
The Urgency of This Moment
What we witnessed in the House today—a 218-214 vote that will devastate millions of American families—is not just bad policy; it is also a devastating outcome. It’s a coordinated effort to erase the humanity of LGBTQ+ Americans, communities of color, and working-class families. By targeting healthcare access, food assistance, and basic dignity, this legislation seeks to force vulnerable communities back into the shadows.
As someone who has dedicated their career to lifting marginalized voices and building bridges within our community, I refuse to stand by while our neighbors are under attack. The “Big Beautiful Budget Bill” is beautiful only to those who profit from human suffering and ugly division.
Today’s vote represents a dark moment in American history, but it also represents an opportunity. An opportunity to show the power of coalition building, community organizing, and the unwavering belief that every person deserves dignity and care.
Our Path Forward
Atlanta Black Pride has always been about more than celebration—we’ve been about liberation, justice, and the radical act of existing authentically in a world that often tells us we shouldn’t. Today, that mission is more urgent than ever.
We must:
- Prepare for immediate legal challenges to the most harmful provisions of this bill
- Contact President Trump’s office to urge him to veto this legislation (though we know this is unlikely)
- Support local organizations providing direct services to LGBTQ+ individuals, families of color, and communities affected by these policies
- Mobilize our community for the long-term fight ahead, including the 2026 midterm elections
- Build coalitions across racial, economic, and geographic lines to resist these attacks
- Document and share stories of how these cuts impact real people in our community
- Establish mutual aid networks to support those who will lose coverage
- Advocate at the state level for policies that can mitigate federal harm
A Personal Message
To every transgender person reading this: You are seen, you are valued, and you belong. Your healthcare is not negotiable, your dignity is not up for debate, and your existence is not a political statement—it’s a human right.
To every person living with HIV: Your life matters. Your treatment matters. Your future matters. We will not let them drag us back to the dark days when an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence.
To every working-class family struggling to make ends meet: Your children deserve healthcare. Your family deserves stability. Your humanity deserves respect.
This is our moment to choose what kind of community we want to be. Will we stand together, or will we allow fear and hatred to divide us? Will we fight for justice, or will we accept cruelty as the new normal?
The answer, for me, is clear. Atlanta Black Pride stands with every person under attack. We stand with transgender Americans. We stand with people living with HIV. We stand with working-class families. And we will not be moved.
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice only when we dare to pull it in that direction. Today, we pull. Tomorrow, we pull harder.
In solidarity and struggle,
Terence Stewart
President and CEO
Atlanta Black Pride, Inc.