The rapid spread of mpox, formerly called monkeypox, in African countries constitutes a global health emergency, the World Health Organization declared on Wednesday.
This is the second time in three years that the W.H.O. has designated an mpox epidemic as a global emergency. It previously did so in July 2022. That outbreak went on to affect nearly 100,000 people, primarily gay and bisexual men, in 116 countries, and killed about 200 people.
The threat this time is deadlier. Since the beginning of this year, the Democratic Republic of Congo alone has reported more than 14,000 mpox cases and 524 deaths. Those most at risk include women and children under 15.
Vaccines to help curb an escalating mpox outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries may still not reach the central African country for months.
Africa CDC said last week it had been granted $10.4 million in emergency funding from the Africa Union for its mpox response, and its director general Jean Kaseya said on Tuesday there was a clear plan to secure 3 million doses of vaccine this year, without elaborating further.
However, sources involved in planning a vaccination roll-out in Congo said only 65,000 doses were likely to be available in the short-term, and campaigns were unlikely to begin before October at the earliest.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin will face far-right Republican Eric Hovde, a wealthy banker endorsed by Donald Trump, in the November 5 election after both won their primaries Tuesday.
Baldwin, who has been a senator since 2013, was unopposed in the Democraticprimary. She served in the U.S. House from 1999 to 2013 and was a Wisconsin state legislator before that. A lesbian, she was the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to be elected to either chamber of Congress while being out from the get-go; others, such as former U.S. Reps. Barney Frank and Jim Kolbe, came out while already in office.
Hovde won the Republican primary easily over Charles Barman, a construction manager, and Rejani Raveendran, a nurse and midwife. With 95 percent of the vote in, Hovde had 86.3 percent of the total to Barman’s 7.4 percent and Raveendran’s 6.3 percent.
Hovde had sought the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in 2012 but lost the primary to Tommy Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor and a Cabinet member under President George W. Bush. Thompson then lost to Baldwin in the general election.
Hovde is anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion, and he has made comments disparaging single mothers and nursing home residents. In the 2018 U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin, he endorsed and contributed to Baldwin’s unsuccessful Republican challenger, Leah Vukmir, who supported a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He has said that being transgender is “insanity” and has opposed allowing trans youth access to gender-affirming health care and to the restrooms and sports that comport with their gender identity.
“We don’t allow our children to drive an automobile until they’re 16. … We don’t allow our young people to vote until 18. We don’t allow our young people to drink alcohol until 21. And yet we’re allowing children 11, 12, 13 … to be transgender. Do you realize the highest rate of suicide in our country today are young people that went through a transgender?” he said at an event this year, presumably meaning some sort of gender-affirming care, in response to a question from a leader of the anti-trans group Gays Against Groomers. The truth is, the suicide risk is high for young LGBTQ+ people who are not accepted by their families or who are sent to conversion therapy.
He has accused Baldwin of earmarking federal funds “for a transgender-affirming clinic that doesn’t even tell parents that they’re doing that, with their own kids.” In reality, the funds are for mental health services for young people experiencing homelessness.
He has said he wanted to see Roe v. Wade overturned and has claimed to oppose abortion in all circumstances, although this year he endorsed exceptionsfor pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or that threaten the life of the pregnant person.
“Eric Hovde is an arrogant opportunist looking to grab at power and influence wherever he can find it for the sake of his own ego,” said a statement from Jared Todd, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Votes PAC. “He has shown time after time that he’s completely out of touch with Wisconsin voters. Attacking transgender people, stripping Wisconsinites of their reproductive health care choices, and proposing nothing to make Wisconsinites better off is not a winning agenda. Wisconsinites, including the state’s 1 million Equality Voters, will reject Hovde’s bigoted elitism at the ballot box and reelect Tammy Baldwin, a champion for Wisconsin families who puts their needs first.”
“Super straight” is a new term, coined by a TikTok user in 2021, that asserts one is “naturally” and “inherently” not attracted to transgender people. This new sexual identity attempts to distance super straights from being seen as transphobic while still enacting transphobia, or discrimination or violence against trans people.
In a paper published in the Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies, UC Riverside’s Brandon Andrew Robinson, chair and associate professor of the Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, analyzes dozens of Reddit discussions documenting how, in this moment of trans visibility, some people are ignoring social and cultural factors when talking about biological sex, “born this way” ideologies of sexual identity, and personal preference discourses to construct heterosexuality as superior. But gender, sex, and sexuality are not simple definitions nor identities. They have deep, complex, socially constructed roots. Robinson’s research situates these “super straight” discourses and strategies within white supremacist history.
Robinson analyzed over 200 online discussion threads on Reddit — the seventh most visited site in the United States and the 19th most visited site in the world. Robinson discusses this “Western invention” of sexual identities demonstrates the repercussions still seen today.
“Before heterosexuality gets coined, white colonizers and imperialists justified violence, genocide, and colonization on Indigenous communities and people in the Global South because the colonizers saw people of color as having expansive expressions of gender and sexuality that went against the Eurocentric gender binary and the man-woman-reproduction nuclear family norm,” Robinson states in the paper. “Through the transatlantic slave trade, the Eurocentric gender binary also gets constructed in and through whiteness, whereby Black people became ungendered — seen as not having a gender but only seen as a slave — and whereby only white people were seen as being a man or a woman.”
The University of California, Riverside is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California’s diverse culture, UCR’s enrollment is more than 26,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual impact of more than $2.7 billion on the U.S. economy. To learn more, visit www.ucr.edu.
Cases of mpox are increasing in LA County, and it is important for residents of Los Angeles County to take precautions against this contagious disease.
Spread by personal contact, mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is continuing to present as a sexually transmitted infection. Seventeen more cases have been reported by July 25th this year than had been reported by July 25th last year. (73 vs. 56 Year-to-Date reported cases).
Given the jump in cases since last year, officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health(Public Health) are urging residents to take precautions and reduce the risk of spread.
Sonali Kulkarni, Medical Director for Public Health’sDivision of HIV and STD Programs, said only 51% of the overall at-risk population for mpox has received the 2-dose regimenof the JYNNEOS vaccine, formulated to prevent transmission and reduce symptoms of infection. And of that population, only 22% of persons living with diagnosed HIV have received both doses.
Since its initial surge nationally in 2022, mpox has disproportionately affected gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Vaccination against mpox has shown to be protective against symptomatic mpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We’re seeing a slight increase in cases relative to last year locally and nationally. Over the last six months, we have seen an average oftwo cases per week, but in the last 3 monthswe’ve seen 3.5 cases per week.There’s a lot of room for improvement in the at-risk population to vaccinate against mpox and prevent further cases. The vaccine is now available commercially and available at different sites, including public health clinics and mobile outreach teams, community clinics, and pharmacies.” Kulkarni said.
JYNNEOS is a two-dose series vaccine available at Public Health’s STD clinics or at any walk-up Public Vaccinating site. Ideally, the vaccines will be taken 1 month apart. The mobile outreach team will be on site at community events and festivals in the Los Angeles area to administer the first or second vaccines.
“We don’t anticipate mpox going away completely, but it’s something people should be aware of, so they know to take precautions and recognize symptoms,” Kulkarni said.
“Mpoxcan be spread easily through touch. If you know you are going to have more physical contact with people, especially with increased social activity this summer, it’s important to consider getting vaccinated against the disease,” Kulkarni said.
Symptoms of mpox can range from mild to severe and appear in the form of a rash that may look like bumps, pimples, blisters, sores or scabs, anywhere on the body. Other flu-like symptoms may appear such as fever, chills, exhaustion, head or muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
If you are experiencing symptoms, it’s important to seek guidance from your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Cover all areas of the rash with clothing, gloves, bandages and wear a mask to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Avoid aggravating the rash by touching or scratching it — to reducethe chancesthat it will become infected.
“Generally, people who are healthy can expect lesions to improve on their own over the course of three to four weeks. We recommend most people are treated for the symptoms they are experiencing — fever reduction, numbing medications for mouth lesions, pain relief. For people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed, or have other vulnerabilities, this can be a really serious infection,” Kulkarni added.
For more information and to schedule an mpox vaccine appointment near you, visit myturn.ca.gov or call the Public Health Info Line at (833) 540-0473, 7 days a week 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Michelle Carranza, 22, did not want to be another trans woman murdered in her native Honduras.
“They don’t accept us there. They kill us, they discriminate us, they rape us,” Carranza said, speaking to NBC News and MSNBC against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty.
A year and a half ago, she fled Honduras with Gretta Mazariegos, 29, and Gretta’s younger brother, Isaac, 20, two friends who are also part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Michelle Carranza.Andres Gonzalez / NBC News
“To live in Honduras and be part of the LGBT community is all about survival,” Gretta Mazariegos said. “We were persecuted multiple times because we are part of the LGBTQ community.”
“We had to leave our country because of discrimination, beatings,” Isaac Mazariegos said.
Carranza said they were first harassed by members of street gangs known as Maras, after they refused to work for them. One time, the Maras broke into her apartment, destroyed her furniture and left her threatening messages with homophobic language, she said.
They say they were almost killed in a park in Honduras when they were chased by men with machetes who were yelling homophobic slurs.
“That’s when I told Gretta, ‘The best thing is for me to leave Honduras because I feel that here I will eventually be killed,’” Carranza said.
Facing deadly risks — and undertaking a dangerous journey
Gretta Mazariegos left Honduras to save themselves and their brother. When Isaac was 14 years old, their parents kicked them out of their house because they are LGBTQ+.
“I had to become a very resilient person for my brother,” Gretta Mazariegos said. “I could bear the yelling, the beatings, the tortures, but when I saw that my brother was also experiencing that, my role went from being his brother to being his father or mother.”
On Feb. 7, 2023, they left for Guatemala, eventually making their way to Chiapas, Mexico, and later to Tijuana, near the U.S. border.
“When leaving my country, I never imagined the number of dangers that I was going to face,” Carranza said as she dried her tears.
In Tijuana, a meeting with a man who had befriended Carranza turned violent.
“He said, ‘You’re going to die today. You’re not going to see the sunlight again. You will be dead in this hotel today,’” Carranza said. “And he then grabbed me by the hair and threw me on the bed … He almost killed me. That man raped me,” Carranza said.
Some time later, health officials arrived to administer HIV tests where Carranza was staying at the Garden of Butterflies shelter.
“I got tested regularly, but the man who raped me, he raped me without protection,” Carranza said. “I go outside with the nurse, and he said, ‘Your test came back positive.’” Later a doctor confirmed Carranza had contracted HIV.
These three friends survived, but many in the LGBTQ+ community do not.
The Organization of American States reports that the average life expectancy of trans women in Latin America is no more than 35 years of age.
In Mexico, activists have recorded at least 231 murders of LGBTQ+ people in the last three years.
Around the world, at least 67 countries have national laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults, and, in 12 countries, consensual and private same-sex sexual acts may even carry the death penalty, according toHuman Rights Watch.
In Tijuana, the three migrants waited for seven months for an appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app, which is used to schedule migrants and asylum-seekers to present themselves at a U.S. port of entry.
Their appointment was on June 8, 2024, just four days after President Joe Bidenannounced new border restrictions.
They entered the border legally in Calexico, California, where border officials documented their entry and released them with a preliminary court date for October 2024.
Hoping to request asylum, despite the hurdles
Carranza and her friends want to request asylum but cannot afford a lawyer, so they are now looking for free legal services. For now, they are trying to collect all the evidence they have of the abuse they faced.
Under U.S. law, persecution due to sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status are grounds for asylum, explained Bridget Crawford, director of law and policy at Immigration Equality, which represents LGBTQ+ migrants and asylum-seekers. The organization is currently reviewing their cases.
“An asylum-seeker must prove that they have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of a ‘protected ground.’ The protected grounds are your race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. LGBTQ status is widely recognized as meeting the definition of ‘particular social group,’” Crawford said.
“Typical evidence that might help an LGBTQ refugee prove their claim are things like police and medical reports detailing attacks or injuries, letters or declarations from partners or others who can credibly attest to the applicant’s LGBTQ status and the facts of their claim, membership in LGBTQ organizations, pictures and dating profiles, a psychologist’s evaluation, articles and reports about conditions for LGBTQ people in a person’s home country,” Crawford said.
Crawford said it is common for LGBTQ asylum-seekers to face barriers when collecting evidence and documentation, such as police reports and medical records.
“This might be because they couldn’t go to the police. It might be because police officers perpetrated the abuse. It might be that they had to flee so quickly, they couldn’t gather that type of evidence,” Crawford said.
Carranza said that after they were chased by men with machetes in Honduras, they went to the police.
“The police told us that if we didn’t have evidence, like video, photos or someone who could testify as a witness, then our word wasn’t worthy,” Carranza said. “In Honduras, the police and the narcotrafficking are all in collusion.”
The only official document they have is a complaint that a lawyer helped them file with the municipality of Villanueva in Honduras. They say they may have other conversations, images and videos saved on their phones that could help them prove their case.
Crawford said that Carranza and her friends would probably have to explain in their case that they were unable to get police reports because they were dismissed by the officers. “They would have to get affidavits from witnesses, ideally who would also be available to testify, corroborating what happened,” Crawford said.
“In theory, detailed, consistent and credible testimony alone is sufficient to prove a claim provided an applicant can explain to the judge why corroborating documentary evidence was unavailable, but this is often very hard to do, especially if an applicant is not represented by an attorney and trying to navigate the complicated immigration process in a language they don’t understand,” Crawford said.
Michelle, Gretta and Isaac now live in Trenton, New Jersey, with friends. They have new hope now that they are safe in the U.S. as they await their first court date.
Crawford said generally the first court appearance is a short hearing before a judge, in which the asylum-seeker tells the judge if they intend to apply for any relief, such as asylum. “This is not where an asylum-seeker will present evidence on their asylum case. That happens later at what is called an ‘individual hearing,’” Crawford said.
Gretta Mazariegos said there are “so many things I want to do,” so many plans. “I want to continue my studies — I want to collaborate with this country by working.”
Isaac Mazariegos said, “I feel protected to be here, because in my country I couldn’t be myself because of so much discrimination.”
As for Carranza, “we now feel liberated,” she said. “We are happy and emotional about being in this country.”
Team LGBTQ+ (i.e. all of the publicly out lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer athletes) have finished in 7th place in the medal count, with an impressive 42 medals, consisting of 15 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 14 bronze medals. Slay!
In the traditional medal count (gold-silver-bronze) ranking, Team LGBTQ+ would be in 7th place.
That’s ahead of every single country that criminalises being gay, reports OutSports.
Japan was just in front of Team LGBTQ+ with 45 medals, while Italy was close behind with 40 medals, and the USA was way out in front of everyone with 126. Show offs.
For context, last time round, Team LGBTQ+ won a grand total of 32 team and individual medals – 11 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze – placing 10th in the 2021 Tokyo Games.
This year, Team LGBTQ+ smashed that number with their most-ever medals won.
However, that number will no doubt continue to increase over the course of future games as more athletes feel comfortable sharing their identity with the world.
Carl Hester is part of the bronze medal-winning Dressage Team. (Mike Hewitt/Getty)
Bronze Medals
Laura Aarts, Netherlands, Water Polo – Laura Aarts secured a bronze medal in the pool, beating the US.
Amandine Buchard, France, Judo – Amandine Buchard went from silver in Tokyo to gold in Paris in the 52kg category.
Natalya Diehm, Australia, BMX Freestyle – Natalya Diehm won a bronze medal which marked her as Australia’s first ever Women’s BMX Freestyle medal winner at an Olympic Games.
Lauren Doyle, Alev Kelter, Steph Rovetti, Kristi Kirshe, USA, Rugby Sevens – Rugby Sevens’ US team was bolstered by their LGBTQ+ stars and secured a bronze medal.
Beatriz Ferreira, Brazil, Boxing – Beatriz Ferreira won her second Olympic boxing medal after a thrilling match.
Carl Hester, Great Britain, Equestrian – Carl Hester (and his horse, Fame) secured his fourth Olympic medal in Paris with a bronze in Team Dressage.
Gabi Guimaraes, Ana Carolina Da Silva, Rosamaria Montibeller, Roberta, Brazil, Volleyball – The Brazillian women’s indoor volleyball team beat Turkey in the bronze medal match.
Evy Leibfarth, USA, Canoe Slalom – 20-year-old Evy Leibfarth, the first American to compete in three canoe/kayak Olympic disciplines, came away with a bronze.
Cindy Ngamba, Refugee team, Boxing – 25-year-old Cindy Ngamba has won a bronze medal in boxing, becoming the first athlete from the Olympic Refugee Team to win a medal at the Olympics.
Nesthy Petecio, Philippines, Boxing – Nesty Petecio won a bronze medal in boxing and is planning to retire after the Paris Olympics.
Tabea Schendekehl, Germany, Rowing – Tabea Schendekehl competed in the women’s quadruple sculls team event where she won a bronze medal.
Lea Schuller, Sara Doorsoun, Felicitas Rauch, Ann- Katrin Berger, Germany, Soccer – With four out players, Germany’s soccer team beat Spain 1-0.
Rafaela Silva, Brazil, Judo – Rafaela Silva won bronze in mixed-team judo, she won Brazil’s first gold medal at Rio 2016.
Samantha Whitcomb and Amy Atwell, Australia, Basketball – Winning bronze, Australia’s women’s basketball team secured their first Olympic medal since 2012.
Tom Daley wins a silver with his diving partner Noah Williams. (Clive Rose/Getty)
Silver Medals
Olivia Apps, Sophie de Goede, Maddy Grant, Canada, Rugby Sevens – The Canadian team took home the silver medal in women’s rugby sevens.
Perris Benegas, USA, BMX Freestyle – Perris Benegas freestyled her way to a silver medal after knee surgery a few months earlier.
Tom Daley, Great Britain, Diving – Avid knitter and Olympic icon Tom Daleywon a silver medal in the 10-meter platform synchro competition, his fifth Olympic medal, while his husband and sons looked on.
Raz Hershko, Israel, Judo – Raz Hershko won a bronze in Tokyo and secured a silver in Paris in the +78kg Judo category.
Michelle Kroppen, Germany, Archery – After a bronze team medal in Tokyo, Michelle Kroppen earned silver in the mixed team event.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, Denmark, Equestrian – Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour was part of the Danish dressage team who won silver.
Marta, Adriana, Tarciane, Tamires, Luciana, Lorena, Taina, Lauren Leal, Brazil, Soccer – The Brazilian women’s soccer squad had the second most out, LGBTQ+ athletes of any team.
Emma Twigg, New Zealand, Rowing – Emma Twigg won a silver medal in single sculls, dethroned from her previous gold.
Sha’Carri Richardson, USA, Track & Field – Bisexual track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson won a silver medal in the 100-meter sprint.
Lauren Scruggs, USA, Fencing – Lauren Scruggs won silver in an all-American women’s individual final, she also won gold in a team event.
Maria Perez, Spain, Track & Field – Maria Perez proved queer people do walk fast; she got a silver medal in the 20km racewalk.
Marianne Vos, Netherlands, Cycling – From her first Olympics in 2008, Marianne Vos went on to win silver in the 2024 women’s road race.
Haleigh Washington, USA, Volleyball – Bisexual volleyball player Haleigh Washington was part fo the US women’s volleyball team who secured silver, the runners-up to Italy.
Alice Bellandi secures a gold medal for Team Italy. (Alex Gottschalk/Getty)
Gold Medals
Alice Bellandi, Italy, Judo – Alice Bellandi secured Italy a gold in Judo and to celebrate the win she smooched her girlfriend (fellow judo star Jasmine Martin, who competes for South Africa).
Amandine Buchard, France, Judo – Amandine Buchard was part of the mixed-team gold medal for a home crowd in France.
Svenja Brunckhorst, Germany, 3×3 Basketball – Svenja Brunckhorst is a professional basketball player in Germany and France who won gold for the German team.
Tierna Davidson, USA, Soccer – Tierna Davidson is currently the only out player on Team US, after winning a bronze in Tokyo she’ll now be taking home a gold.
Paola Egonu, Italy, Volleyball – With Paola Egonu’s triumphant performance, Italy won its first-ever gold Volleyball medal.
Kellie Harrington, Ireland, Boxing – Kellie Harrington is the first Irish female athlete to win gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. She is now looking forward to a quiet life with her wife Mandy.
Ana Patricia, Brazil, Beach Volleyball – With her World Championship teammate Eduarda Santos Lisboa, Ana Patricia secured the gold in a thrilling match against Canada.
Maria Perez, Spain, Track and Field – Maria Perez won gold in the marathon walk relay, after earning a silver medal in the individual 20km event.
Sha’Carri Richardson, USA, Track & Field – Sha’Carri Richardson added a gold in the 4×100-meter relay to sit beside her silver medal in the 100-meter sprint.
Lauren Scruggs, USA, Fencing – Lauren Scruggs won a team gold medal, after a silver in individual. Scruggs makes history as the first Black American woman and the first Black, out lesbian to win an individual medal in Olympic fencing.
Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, USA, Basketball – Over half of the Team USA women’s basketball team, including a couple of coaches and staff, are publicly out. The team narrowly beat France for the gold.
Anne Veenendaal and Marleen Jochems, Netherlands, Field Hockey –
Lara Vadlau, Austria, Sailing – Lara Vadlau and her dingy partner Lukae Maehr won the first Gold medal of this year’s Olympics for Austria.
Frederic Wandres, Germany, Equestrian – Frederic Wandres (and his horse Bluetooth) trotted his way to gold in the German team dressage event.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, New Zealand, Rugby Sevens – Portia Woodman-Wickliffe won gold, her third Olympic medal for New Zealand. Woodman-Wickliffe is married to fellow Black Fern and World Cup winner Renee Wickliffe.
Democrat politician and LGBTQ+ rights activist Kim Coco Iwamoto has made history by becoming Hawaii’s first transgender House representative.
Iwamoto ousted fellow Democrat Scott Saiki – who has been speaker of the house since 2017 – from the 25th district seat, in the primary elections on Sunday (11 August).
The district covers Honolulu and Kaka’ako, two areas where recent infrastructure booms have transformed the landscape.
As a civil rights attorney and former school board member, Iwamoto’s campaign hinged on progressive policies for addressing homelessness, exposing government corruption and promoting small businesses.
Kim Coco Iwamoto with two of her supporters. (Facebook)
She said she was “so happy”, but a bit shocked, to have won. She had lost out to Saiki in two previous elections.
“Given the last two [primaries], it feels great to have this experience, especially knowing that so many very powerful people endorsed him. I wasn’t just campaigning against him, I was campaigning against the entire Democratic establishment in some ways.”
Who is Kim Coco Iwamoto?
Born on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on 26 May 1968, Iwamoto’s life has been defined by her connection to America’s 50th state. Initially educated at Hokulani Elementary, she moved schools several times before graduating in 1986.
Shortly after finishing her undergraduate degree, Iwamoto became involved with volunteering and local community groups in New York, where she helped support homeless youngsters, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals, which was part of her motivation for attending law school.
She eventually completed a local government programme at Harvard University in 2011 and went on sit on the Hawaii State Board of Education, representing the island of O’ahu, becoming the highest-ranking out trans person elected to a government position in the US.
A federal appeals court just ruled that Iowa can its enact bill banning LGBTQ+ books from classrooms.
The ruling, from a three-judge panel of the Eight Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, decided that the preliminary injunction issued by a lower court was based on a “flawed analysis” of the law.
The bill, SF 496, requires parental consent before giving their child any book containing content relating to LGBTQ+ topics. This effectively censors LGBTQ+ books from youth living in antagonistic homes. It was signed into law last year by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R).
The bill was challenged in the court case Iowa Safe Schools, et al v. Reynolds.
The three-judge panel specifically ruled that the law can still be challenged in further court proceedings, and they invited more insight into the topic. The judges also rebuffed points made by Iowa’s state government that were considered dangerous by the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and legal firm Jenner & Block.
In a joint statement, the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and Jenner & Block criticized the ruling, saying, “Iowa families, and especially LGBTQ+ students who will again face bullying, intimidation, and censorship as they return for a new school year, are deeply frustrated and disappointed by this delay. Denying LGBTQ+ youth the chance to see themselves represented in classrooms and books sends a harmful message of shame and stigma that should not exist in schools.”
“We are, however, encouraged by the Eighth Circuit’s complete rejection of the State’s most dangerous arguments,” their statement continued. “The appeals court acknowledged that our student clients have been harmed by the law and have the right to bring suit. The court also rejected the State’s claim that banning books in libraries is a form of protected government speech. We will ask the district court to block the law again at the earliest opportunity.”
However, Gov. Reynolds celebrated the ruling in a statement, “Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit confirmed what we already knew—it should be parents who decide when and if sexually-explicit books are appropriate for their children. Here in Iowa, we will continue to focus on excellence in education and partnerships with parents and educators.”
While Reynolds and other Republican politicians have claimed that book bans seek to keep children from accessing “sexually-explicit” content, authors whose books are targeted by these bans are most frequently female, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+ individuals, according to the free-speech organization PEN America. Approximately 30% of the banned titles from the 2022-2023 school year included either characters of color or discussions of race and racism, and an additional 30% included LGBTQ+ characters or themes, the organization added.
Nevertheless, the Iowa attorney general, Brenna Bird, also celebrated the ruling, writing, “We went to court to defend Iowa’s schoolchildren and parental rights, and we won. This victory ensures age-appropriate books and curriculum in school classrooms and libraries. With this win, parents will no longer have to fear what their kids have access to in schools when they are not around.”
Joshua Brown, president of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), condemned the ruling. The ISEA was part of a separate lawsuit concerning this bill.
“Banning essential books in our schools is a burden for our educators, who will face punishment for not guessing which book fits into a supposed offensive category, and for our students, who are deprived of reading from great authors with valuable stories,” the ISEA wrote. “If Iowa’s elected leaders truly valued education professionals, they would leave important classroom decisions to the local school districts and the experts who work in them—not make what we teach our students a game of political football.”
The rapidly-approaching presidential election is going to have major ramifications for transgender people — and it’s weighing heavily on their minds.
In a year where 1 in 5 trans people lost access to healthcare due to anti-LGBTQ+ laws, 58 percent have considered moving to a different state, according to a new survey from FOLX Health. With the November elections on the horizon, 67 percent are proactively making plans to change their use of gender-affirming care.
9 in 10 respondents said that they believe the presidential election will have a “major impact” on healthcare for LGBTQ+ people, with 65 percent saying it will have a “major impact” in their state. Because of this, over two-thirds are either stockpiling their medications, or delaying or expediting their treatment.
Political discourse has affected the emotional well-being of 86 percent of respondents, led to strained familial relationships among 67 percent, and created fear for the safety of themselves and their loved ones among 67 percent. Over half (58 percent) reported the discourse leading to real-world bullying and harassment, with 58 percent also reporting online abuse related to politics.
92 percent said that the election discourse is causing them to feel anxious, and 2 in 3 are experiencing “frequent mental distress” because of it. The rates of mental distress are particularly alarming, as in 2021, just 33 percent of trans people reported frequent poor mental health days — approximately half of those reporting distress three years later.
Despite the widespread crisis, 55 percent said they were unable to access mental health treatment, with 46 percent saying could not find a provider inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.
However, mental health concerns have slightly improved since President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, with the respondents reporting lower rates of frustration (86 percent now compared to 95 percent previously), lower rates of uninterest (11 percent vs. 21 percent), and higher rates of enthusiasm (32 percent) and hopefulness (48 percent). Over 1 in 4 (28 percent) believe thatKamala Harris “very much so” addresses the concerns of the LGBTQ+ community.
“As we approach the 2024 election, it is essential to mobilize and empower the LGBTQ+ community to make their voices heard at the poll,” the report reads. “By fostering awareness and engagement, we can drive meaningful change and address the needs and concerns of the LGBTQ+ community.”
J.D. Vance evidently did some cross-dressing back in law school. On Sunday, a photo of the Ohio senator and Republican vice presidential nominee allegedly wearing a blonde wig and dressed as a woman was posted on X.
When The Daily Beast reached out to Vance to see if the photo was real, the campaign did not deny its authenticity and also refused to comment further.
While a funny photo of a politician in a Halloween costume from college normally wouldn’t be a big deal, Vance has a history of attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, using the “groomer” slur against critics of “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
Read the full article. And now there’s another photo.
