Politics are growing increasingly intertwined with the judiciary in a way that promotes discrimination against the LGBTQ community, according to lawyers and advocates at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s fifth annual Pride Seminar on Thursday in Atlanta.

“We are not able to ignore the news,” said Nelson Mullins associate and panel moderator Rose Collins. “We see that there are a lot of policies popping up nationwide against our community right now, [like] restrictions on medical access for trans adults and youth, drag bans, ‘don’t say gay laws’ and countless other policies that are intended to restrict and harm our presence and public expression.”