The Biden administration announced a new rule to protect LGBTQ+ youth in foster care, creating a system of designated placements for LGBTQ+ children as well as taking steps to address harassment and abuse against LGBTQ+ foster kids no matter where they’re placed.
To become a designated placement for LGBTQ+ youth, a care provider would have to receive training on the needs of LGBTQ+ youth, help the children get access to age-appropriate resources for their health, and “commit to establishing an environment that supports the child’s LGBTQI+ status or identity,” according to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) release.
“Every child deserves a safe and loving home,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “When any child comes into government care, they should have supports and services that meet their specific needs. By addressing the needs of LGBTQI+ children, this rule brings us one step closer to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to thrive.”
The rule doesn’t require any placement agency or caregiver to become a designated placement for LGBTQ+ youth. Instead, it requires all state and tribal governments to offer designated placement status for caregivers and to make sure that there are enough to handle LGBTQ+ children in their foster care systems who request such a placement.
The rule also includes language protecting foster agencies and caregivers who don’t want to get designated placement status, saying that nothing in the rule should be interpreted as authorizing a state or tribal government to penalize someone who doesn’t seek such designation. It also has language about “religious freedom.”
HHS said that LGBTQ+ kids are overrepresented in the foster care system, and those who are in the system face more bullying and harassment than cisgender/heterosexual kids do, leading to higher rates of mental health hospitalizations and homelessness.
The rule was proposed last year by the HHS Administration for Children and Families.
More states have announced lawsuits against the Biden administration over its new Title IX rules mandating anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students, bringing the total number of states suing the administration to 14.
Last week, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia filed a joint lawsuit against the administration, along with the Independent Women’s Network, Parents Defending Education, Speech First, and the Independent Women’s Law Center. In a separate lawsuit, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) also announced a challenge to the new rules.
Now the state of Tennessee is leading a lawsuit against the new rules and is joined by Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia in its complaint. A separate lawsuit has also been filed by the attorneys general of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Idaho.
The new rules interpret Title IX, which bans discrimination on the basis of sex in education, as a legal protection against anti-LGBTQ+ school policies. The idea is that it’s impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity without taking sex into account, a legal argument that the Supreme Court has already used in its 2020 Bostock v. Clayton Co. ruling with respect to job discrimination.
With these rules, any school that receives federal funding will no longer be able to discriminate against LGBTQ+ students. This could affect states and school districts with policies to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents or ban trans students from using bathrooms that correspond with their gender. The new rules could also give students who face discrimination recourse in federal courts.
In a press conference, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) invoked the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as justification for his fight to discriminate against trans youth.
“Title IX has protected women for 50 years,” Skrmetti said, as reported by The Tennessean. “It is a law… built around the idea of men and women, sex binary. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted, enduring differences between the sexes necessitate things like separate bathrooms, separate locker rooms, separate living facilities, separate sports teams. This is something that our law has recognized for decades.”
The rules, however, do not suggest that schools eliminate single-gender spaces. Rather, they simply require schools to include everyone who identifies as a boy in boys’ spaces and everyone who identifies as a girl in girls’ spaces.
While GOP attorneys general are up in arms about the effect the rules will have on athletics, they do not actually discuss transgender student-athletes and which teams they can play on. The DOE is reportedly planning to issue a separate rule regarding what Title IX means for sports participation.
Skrmetti, however, claimed that with the rules, “a boy can walk into a girl’s locker room at a school and if the girl complains that his presence makes her uncomfortable, she can be brought up for investigation and potential penalties for violating civil rights. The new rules is entirely inconsistent with the text of Title IX and its adoption violates the United States Constitution.”
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R) claimed in a press release that the rules will “ultimately prohibit schools from distinguishing between males and females in athletic and educational opportunities” as well as “put women at an unfair disadvantage” and “force boys and girls to share bathrooms, locker rooms, dorms, and even overnight lodging while on a school trip.”
He also said it is designed to “federally coerce schools into indoctrinating students in gender identity theories popular among progressive parents but that ignore science.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wrote on X that President Joe Biden is “abusing his constitutional authority to push an ideological agenda that harms women and girls and conflicts with the truth.”
“We will not comply,” DeSantis continued, “and we will fight back against Biden’s harmful agenda.”
Conservative parent organizations have also spoken out against the new rules. Fifty-three groups signed a letter led by Parents Defending Education (PDE) claiming trans inclusivity “poses a grave threat to the safety and opportunities of women and girls and thwarts students’ First Amendment rights” by forcing them to use accurate pronouns for trans and nonbinary students even if they don’t want to.
The letter also accused the Biden administration of pandering to “a small yet vocal group of extreme activists.”
On Monday, out White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she could not speak about the new rule too much due to the all the litigation. “So I’ll just say every student has the right to feel safe in school,” she said.
The new rules are set to take effect on August 1 and invalidate numerous anti-transgender policies developed under former President Donald Trump. The Trump administration spent four years fighting against the legal argument that laws that ban discrimination “based on sex” ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, particularly in schools. In 2017, then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued guidance to schools saying that Title IX did not protect LGBTQ+ students, shortly after she and Attorney General Jeff Sessions revoked a guidance from the administration of former President Barack Obama that said the opposite.
The Biden administration had promised to present the newly unveiled rules by January, but the DOE said its release was delayed due to an unprecedented number of over 240,000 comments submitted during the new rules’ 30-day public response period.
In contrast to the conservative backlash, LGBTQ+ organizations have celebrated the announcement, though they also say more is needed.
In a statement both celebrating and criticizing the newly unveiled rules, the National Women’s Law Center wrote, “As we celebrate this milestone, we recognize that this regulation does not go far enough in making the law’s protections clear for all student-athletes.” The statement was signed by 22 other organizations, including LGBTQ+ advocacy groups like GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG National, and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Out gay Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) wrote, “The Education Department and Biden Administration showed real courage today, delivering on a long-held promise to ensure that the federal government does more to protect all Americans—especially LGBTQ Americans—from discrimination. This groundbreaking rule is a major victory, but we still have much to do. We need to enshrine and expand its protections by passing the Equality Act because for too many Americans, their rights and protections depend on the zip code they live in.”
The queer community in Kenya can breathe a sigh of relief after a Mombasa court on Monday ruled clerics, politicians, and anti-LGBTQ groups cannot hold homophobic protests or engage in incitement.
The Mombasa High Court’s ruling, however, is temporary until July 24 when the court in Kenya’s second-largest city determines a petition on the issue.
Two petitioners — Mr. JM and the Center for Minority Rights and Strategic Litigation — last October sued Police Inspector General Japhet Koome for allowing religious leaders and lobby groups to hold homophobic protests whenever a court rules in favor of the LGBTQ community.
The petitioners’ effort to demand a ban on anti-LGBTQ protests in Kenya was in response to a series of homophobic demonstrations, particularly in Mombasa, after the Supreme Court last September affirmed an earlier decision that allowed the National Gay and Lesbian Rights Commission to register as an NGO.
Mombasa High Court Judge Olga Sewe in her Monday ruling also directed the petitioners and the respondents, who include Koome, two anti-LGBTQ activists and a national lobby group dubbed the “Anti-LGBTQ Movement” that organized protests, to file their witness lists and counter statements within 14 days of the July hearing.
“Pending the hearing and determination of this petition, this Honorable Court (does) hereby issue a conservatory order restraining the 2nd and 5th Respondents from calling on or inciting members of the public to carry out extra-judicial killing, lynching, punishing, stoning, forcible conversion, or any other means of harming LGBTQ+ identifying persons and their homes,” Sewe stated.
She also stopped the “Anti-LGBTQ movement,” Koome and any state agency from any attempted “expulsion from Kenya or any party of Kenya of LGBTQ+ identifying persons or closure of organizations serving LGBTQ+ identifying persons.”
The court’s directives come after the Center for Minority Rights and Strategic Litigation led a protest on April 11 against the “anti-LGBTQ Movement”‘s invasion of Mvita Clinic in Mombasa that “hateful misinformation” reportedly sparked because the facility also serves queer people.
“Mvita Clinic, like all healthcare providers, serves the entire community,” CMRSL stated. “Targeting them for LGBTQ+ inclusion is discriminatory and an attack on the basic right to health. Everyone deserves access to healthcare, and we urge an end to the spread of lies. Let’s promote inclusivity and ensure Mvita Clinic remains a safe space for all.”
CMRSL in response to Osewe’s ruling said it was a “major win for safety and equality in Kenya” because it allows the LGBTQ people to live with “greater peace of mind.”
The Initiative for Equality and Non-Discrimination, an LGBTQ rights group, meanwhile lauded the court’s decision as a reprieve to homophobic attacks on the queer community.
“There is some reprieve given the security incidents we witnessed during the protests on Sept. 15 last year,” INEND Communications Officer Melody Njuki told the Washington Blade.
“We had rescued LGBTQ+ folks in Mombasa, Kilifi, and Lamu, due to security incidents caused by the hatred the anti-LGBTQ movement mongered and the calling of violence towards people associated with the queer group and those identifying as members,” she added.
PEMA Kenya, a Mombasa-based gender and sexual minority organization, also applauded the court’s temporary injunction, describing them as timely in protecting the LGBTQ community against all forms of homophobic attacks.
“We welcome the ruling and we believe it will impact our members who for some time felt robbed of the freedom to express themselves,” PEMA Kenya director Ishmael Baraka told the Blade.
The Nature Network, a rights organization for refugees living in Kenya, also welcomed the Monday ruling which it termed “a positive step showing the courts’ commitment to upholding human rights for all.”
“Anti-LGBTQ Movement” Chair Salim Karama, however, declined to respond to the Blade’s questions about the ruling until determination of the petition’s status. He noted the organization is waiting for their lawyer to speak with them about the decision and the filing of counter statements that Sewe ordered.
As LGBTQ rights groups seek the queer community’s protection in Kenyan courts, parliament, on the other hand in is set to consider a petition that notes what it describes as the proliferation of homosexuality in the country.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on Feb. 27 referred the petition to the relevant parliamentary committee for inquiry after MP Ali Mohamed, a member of the ruling party and a vocal LGBTQ rights opponent, presented it in the National Assembly, the lower house of the Kenyan parliament, on behalf of a group of more than 70 Kenyans and religious organizations opposed to homosexuality.
The Biden-Harris administration announced Friday that it had finalized an essential update to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, significantly strengthening protections against discrimination in health care, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This pivotal rule change reverses prior rollbacks under the Trump administration and establishes a new benchmark for inclusivity in health care access. Advocacy groups have praised the move.
What is Section 1557?
Section 1557 of the ACA is a critical nondiscrimination statute prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs or activities. It plays a vital role in ensuring equity within the U.S. health care system. The definition of “sex” under this section has been subject to changes in interpretation, expanding and contracting under various administrations.
What did the Trump-era rules change?
The Trump administration’s 2020 amendments redefined “sex discrimination” to exclude gender identity and sexual orientation, effectively removing explicit protections for transgender and nonbinary people under federal law. This interpretation allowed health care providers and insurers to legally deny services based on an individual’s gender identity, significantly impeding access to necessary medical care for the LGBTQ+ community.
What is the rule change?
The Biden administration’s update to Section 1557 restores and expands protections that had been rescinded. It reaffirms that discrimination “on the basis of sex” includes sexual orientation and gender identity. This change not only counters previous setbacks but also explicitly incorporates protections against discrimination based on sex characteristics and sex stereotyping, crucial for intersex and transgender individuals, respectively.
The rule also strengthens protections for people with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency, ensuring more inclusive health care access. It requires all health programs and activities that receive federal funding and health insurers to comply with these nondiscrimination requirements.
How does the rule affect LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender people?
This rule change is a significant advancement for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender patients, who often encounter discrimination in health care settings — from denial of routine care to refusals of critical gender-affirming treatments such as hormone therapies or surgeries. The updated rule prohibits such discrimination under federal law, guaranteeing access to health care without fear of rejection due to gender identity.
Moreover, the rule mandates that services and coverage are provided nondiscriminatorily, including specific stipulations that insurance policies do not exclude care related to gender transition, addressing a prevalent barrier for transgender individuals in accessing necessary treatments.
What are advocacy groups and lawmakers saying?
Responses from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have been overwhelmingly positive, recognizing the updated rule as a vital move toward eliminating health care discrimination.
Lambda Legal counsel and health care strategist Omar Gonzalez-Pagan noted the significance of these restored protections.
“The rule released today restores critical regulatory nondiscrimination protections for those who need them most and ensures a legally proper reading of the Affordable Care Act’s healthcare nondiscrimination law,” he said in a statement. “This marks a significant reversal of the harmful, discriminatory policies set by the previous administration.”
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson praised the update: “Today we mark a crucial step forward by the Biden-Harris administration in the fight for complete health equity for LGBTQ+ Americans. This milestone underscores years of advocacy by HRC and our partners, steadfast in refusing any form of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.”
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis commented on the rule’s immediate impact.
“This reversal of Trump-era discriminatory rules that sought to single out Americans based on who they are and make it difficult or impossible for them to access necessary medical care will have a direct, positive impact on the day-to-day lives of millions of people,” Ellis said in a statement. “Health care is a human right that should be accessible to all Americans equally without unfair and discriminatory restrictions. LGBTQ Americans are grateful for this step forward to combat discrimination in health care so no one is barred from lifesaving treatment.”
The rule change marks the 334th action of the Biden-Harris administration in support of LGBTQ+ people, according to GLAAD.
The Congressional Equality Caucus also welcomed the update, with Chair U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a WisconsinDemocrat, affirming the rule’s importance.
“All people deserve to access healthcare without fear of discrimination,” Pocan said. “This rule’s explicit nondiscrimination protections for our community will improve health outcomes and ensure countless LGBTQI+ people are not denied care just because of who they are. I thank President Biden and Secretary Becerra for their steadfast commitment to LGBTQI+ health equity and look forward to continuing our work together to improve access to care for all Americans, regardless of their identity.”
In the summer of 2015, an 8-year-old Choctaw child named Twelve walked in their first Two-Spirit LGBTQ Pride parade, recognizing Native people with a male and female spirit within them. They wore their hair in braids and a black suit, their mother and auntie by their side. Out and proud adults waved hello to Twelve from their colorfully decorated floats. The streets of Oklahoma City were filled with music, dancing and drag performances. It was a celebration that seemed like a step toward a future of acceptance for Oklahoma’s Indigenous queer community.
“That memory sticks in my mind — seeing someone that young and seeing loving parents be so supportive,” said Auntie Sage, youth leader at Cousins, a group for queer Indigenous youth in the state. “I had not seen that in my lifetime.”
Nine years later, queer and Two-Spirit youth in Oklahoma have witnessed the introduction of more than 50 bills targeting LGBTQ people this year alone — more than any other state — from bans on gender-affirming health care to penalizing public school employees for asking a student their pronouns.
In addition, LGBTQ communities continue to reel from the death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old transgender student who lived on a Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma and reportedly faced bullying over their gender identity.
“With all these anti-LGBTQ bills going on right now, it is very dangerous and it is a very sad time for Oklahoma,” Auntie Sage said.
Today, Twelve is a member of Cousins, which has been offering a sanctuary for queer Indigenous youth in a time of rising anti-LGBTQ hostility. Through outdoor activities, out-of-state trips, theater shows, monthly counseling, group talks and mentor pairing, the group is cultivating a community.
“Cousins is a place of education, fun, community, support, love and all this good stuff,” Twelve said. “But at the end of the day, it’s also a safe space for kids who need it.”
Reeling from the death of ‘our relative’
Sarah Adams, the mother of Twelve, and Kendra Wilson Clements — both of whom are Choctaw and Two-Spirit — co-founded Cousins in 2022 after observing a lack of support systems in Oklahoma for queer Indigenous youth. That year, U.S. lawmakers proposed a record 238 bills that would limit the rights of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning (2SLGBTQ) Americans, including religious exemptions to discriminate against queer people, and limits on trans people’s ability to play sports and receive gender-affirming health care.
“We wanted it to be a safe place for us to be able to celebrate what it is to be LGBTQ in the Indigenous community,” Adams said. “When you feel safe, then you can be exactly who you are. You can remove all those masks that you put on from your day to day.”
Adams and Clements began reaching out to local queer leaders to find mentors and advocates for queer Indigenous youth. Mentors can share their experiences, show kids they are not alone and let them know they are supported.
“We want [our youth] to be strong. We want them to be inspired,” said Auntie Sage. “And we want them to know what it looks like to be visible and out and proud.”
Through word of mouth, the group has become home to over a dozen youth ages 12 to 22, representing numerous tribes. With the help of donations, grants and volunteers, the group goes hiking, takes self-defense classes and attends virtual meet-ups.
When Benedict died in February, it shook the community. Police bodycam video showed Benedict in a hospital bed recounting how they were attacked by three students after standing up to their bullying at school. The next day, Benedict died. A full autopsy report ruled the death a suicide.
Benedict’s death sparked global interest and criticism from LGBTQ advocates who link their alleged bullying to anti-LGBTQ legislation in Oklahoma and other states. In the weeks following Benedict’s death, the Rainbow Youth Project, a national LGBTQ nonprofit focused on youth suicide prevention, saw a 238% increase in crisis calls from Oklahoma. The Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health reported last year that 60% of Indigenous youth have experienced severe mental distress.
“I was already dealing with so much of my own mental health stuff, and then hearing [about Benedict’s death], it just made me hate so much more about the state we live in and the world we live in and how people don’t care until someone dies,” said Bear, 15, a Cousins member.
Cousins members say they are concerned about discrimination in their schools, which has only been highlighted by Benedict’s death.
“There’s no amount of safety here that can really make me feel confident enough in the public school system at this point, especially after what happened with Nex,” said Angelina Steinmeyer, 21, a Cousins mentor and member.
In response to safety concerns from the group, Dan Isett, director of communications at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, told NBCU Academy in an email: “The safety of every student in Oklahoma schools is prioritized equally, with equal care taken for all our students.”
Shortly after Benedict’s death, Adams brought in a grief counselor during Cousins’ monthly circle talks. Members learned how to recognize grief and how it might show up in their lives. Twelve said they were coping through writing.
“We wanted to help them through this moment, this terrible, horrible moment when we lost a relative,” Adams said. “Nex is our relative, that’s how I see it.”
Raising the next generation of leaders
To open up the lines of support, Cousins recently decided to make some of their events inclusive to all LGBTQ youth in the state, not just those who are Indigenous.
“My son said, ‘We don’t have the luxury of cherry-picking anymore. We have to make sure that everybody has spaces,’” said Adams. “And now we’re trying to figure out how we do that.”
In February, the group took a trip to San Francisco to participate in the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit Powwow. The event honored traditional Indigenous culture through song, dance, drumming and contests; it also offered a supportive gender-affirming experience for the diverse Two-Spirit community and allies.
“I was just like looking all around myself and I was like, ‘Wow, they made it,’” said Twelve. “‘Oh my God, there’s so many people like me around here.’”
Auntie Sage said she wants to take members away from spaces that often exclude 2SLGBTQ people and put them into environments where they can see possibilities and take pride in who they are.
“I hope they can have those kinds of stories for themselves one day,” Auntie Sage said. “They spread their little wings and they fly.”
In the meantime, the group will continue to host open conversations, expand its space and counsel queer Indigenous youth and others in the face of rising tensions in schools and opposition to 2SLGBTQ events in the state.
“If there were to be an end goal, I hope that the end is us breaking the cycle,” said Steinmeyer, adding that it’s important to “teach children what it’s like to be different.”
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are having a catastrophic effect on queer youth in the United States.
Between bans on gender-affirming care for minors and laws allowing for queer students to be misgendered, outed, or excluded, 90 percent of LGBTQ+ youth said their well-being has been negatively impacted by recent politics, according to The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People.
This legislation is affecting queer students’ safety in schools, as nearly half of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 (49 percent) said they experienced bullying in the past year. Those who reported bullying also reported significantly higher rates of attempting suicide.
These laws are also jeopardizing queer youth’s well-being in their own homes, as nearly half of transgender and nonbinary young people (45 percent) reported that their family has considered moving to a different state because of LGBTQ+ laws.
Overall, 39 percent of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year — including 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth, and 12 percent of all LGBTQ+ youth. Queer youth of color also reported higher rates than their White peers.
Despite these shocking rates, the survey found that 50 percent of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
More than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the U.S. in 2023, and 80 were passed into law. In 2024, 487 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced and 21 have passed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Many involve either curriculum censorship or discrimination against queer students by forced outing.
“Much of our efforts to address the public health crisis of suicide among LGBTQ+ young people are made that much harder by the ongoing wave of anti-LGBTQ+ policies pushed by extremist lawmakers across the country,” said Janson Wu, Senior Director of State Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. “With such striking numbers and families literally wanting to uproot their homes to seek safety, lawmakers must seriously reconsider the real and damaging impact that their anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric create. No ‘political victory’ should be worth risking the lives of young people.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said that his state wouldn’t comply with new rules intended to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ+ students.
“Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX,” he said in a video posted to social media. “We will not comply, and we will fight back.”
At issue are Title IX rules released by the Department of Education earlier this month that forbid discriminatory and harassing behavior against LGBTQ+ students. Title IX bans discrimination on the basis of sex, and the Biden administration based the rules on the legal argument that it is impossible to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people without taking sex into account, making anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination a form of sex-based discrimination. The Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock v. Clayton Co. decision relied on the same reasoning, but that case only applied to workplace discrimination.
The new Title IX rules do not address the issue of transgender student-athletes and what teams they can play on, with two unnamed sources telling the Washington Post that President Joe Biden wanted to avoid the issue during an election year. Still, DeSantis brought the issue up in his video anyway.
“We are not gonna let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities,” DeSantis said. “We are not gonna let Joe Biden undermine the rights of parents, and we are not gonna let Joe Biden abuse his constitutional authority to try to impose these policies on us here in Florida.”
DeSantis isn’t the first state elected official to call on schools to defy the federal guidelines. Louisiana’s Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley told schools to ignore the federal government. He said that the rules would “likely conflict” with two bills in the legislature: one allowing teachers to misgender and deadname trans students and a second forbidding discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in all grade levels.
Republican officials in South Carolina and Oklahoma have also spoken out against the rules. South Carolina Schools Superintendent Ellen Weaver wrote a letter to school districts this week that banning anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in schools “would rescind 50 years of progress & equality of opportunity by putting girls and women at a disadvantage in the educational arena.”
DeSantis has supported and implemented numerous laws attacking the rights of LGBTQ+ youth, including banning discussions of their identities in schools, banning gender-affirming health care for trans youth, and banning trans youth from participating in school sports.
While the ad is comical, online dating apps continue to provide an uneven experience for trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid users. Most dating websites and smartphone apps didn’t initially offer gender descriptions for these users to authentically present themselves to others. Even with expanded gender presentation options, non-cisgender users say that ignorance and transphobia continue to make online dating feel unsafe.
A brief (incomplete) history of LGBTQ+ online dating
The earliest days of LGBTQ+ online dating harken back to the late 80s and early 90s, when gay men used dial-up modems to connect through bulletin board systems (BBSs) like Backroom and Gay.net. Back then, some lesbians also used an e-mail listserv called Sappho and, later, the website lesbian.org, which contained personals, discussion forums, web links for lesbian-oriented non-profits, and even a lesbian literary journal called Sapphic Ink.
In the early to late 90s, web services like Compuserve and America Online (AOL) provided real-time M4M, W4W, and “transexual” chatrooms where queer love-seekers could connect, talk dirty, and spend hours uploading and downloading pixelated photographs of themselves via very-slow internet connections.
“I think LGBTQ+ people were always really early adopters to online dating,” Michael Kaye, the one-time director of brand marketing and communications for OkCupid told QSaltLake. “Speaking from experience, we are limited to the safe spaces that we have available.”
In the 2000s, some popular heterosexual dating sites like eHarmony didn’t allow gay and lesbian profiles, leaving queer users to look elsewhere like OkCupid, a personal ad site for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and cis-het people that appeared in 2004. OkCupid helped facilitate LGB dating by including a unique feature: It let users choose only to be visible to other queer folks, reducing the likelihood that gay men or lesbian women would receive messages from a bunch of eager and unwitting heterosexuals.
However, the biggest revolution in online dating occurred in 2009 with the advent of Grindr, one of the first third-party apps for Apple’s iPhone. While the app — and similar ones — facilitated countless quick hook-ups and longer-term relationships, the apps weren’t initially inclusive of trans, nonbinary, and gender-fluid users because they offered a limited range of self-identifying gender options and transphobic responses from other cisgender users.
Over time, trans-inclusive apps like Tser appeared. Tser specifically marketed itself as a place where trans people could find community and support, but trans users found that the app still contained transphobia: It categorized cis individuals as “men” and “women,” invalidating trans women and trans men as not “real” women and men. It also used the outdated term “transsexual.”
Expanding gender options is a good start, but not enough
In 2016, Tindr offered users the option of entering any term that best describes their gender identity for display on their profiles. Grindr and Hinge took similar paths by offering more gender description options — like “trans man,” “trans woman,” “non-binary,” “non-conforming” and “queer” — in 2017.
In 2023, eHarmony also began offering an expanded list of genders — including options like “agender,” “bigender,” “genderqueer,” “pangender,” “questioning,” “trans masculine/feminine nonbinary,” and “Two-Spirit.”
The app Bumble also expanded its options to be more inclusive of nonbinary users in 2022, but the app’s “women make the first move” feature — which was created to reduce creepy unwanted advances from men — didn’t allow nonbinary people to message others who identified as women.
“I applaud them for trying to be inclusive, but they’re just completely missing the point,” one user named Kay told NBC News. “I get that their whole shtick is women message first. But if that’s the case, don’t add the gender-inclusive options if you’re going to make nonbinary people feel like they are being squished into a woman or man category.”
Non-cisgender users of Tinder and Hinge also had another issue: after self-identifying as their preferred gender description, the sites would then reductively ask if they’d like to be paired with people who were looking for “men” or women,” the independent cultural site The Skinny reported.
Other users expressed frustration that dating sites often group people by gender rather than by sexuality, making it impossible for searchers to filter out heterosexual users. Others found that, even when apps and sites had inclusive gender options, they had very few non-cisgender users, making the dating “community” feel isolating.
Taking a stand against transphobia
In 2015, when the women’s dating app HER launched, founder Robyn Exton said, “All of the online platforms for women [before 2015] were just reskins of sites built for gay men but turned pink, asking you how much body hair you had, or straight sites that were filled with guys asking you [to have a three-way]. It felt crazy to me, at the time, that no one had truly made a dating product for women.”
HER eventually branded itself as a community and dating app for the FLINTA [female, lesbian, intersex, trans, and agender] community. In 2023, it used Lesbian Visibility Day to send out an announcement to all users reiterating its “no TERFs” policy against transphobes, something it felt was particularly important considering the rise of right-wing anti-trans laws and rhetoric.
“[Trans-exclusionary radical feminists’] harmful and transphobic mentality negates the experiences and identities of our trans and gender non-conforming community, fosters their marginalization, and contributes to discrimination and [harm],” the announcement declared. “Besides being sad, hateful clowns who spew out a lot of misinformation, TERFs are also a genuine threat to the LGBTQIA+ community. And that’s just not going to fly here.”
Despite the announcement, HER still found that its trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid users still faced challenges when using the app, including people expressing trans-exclusionary preferences, misgendering, invasive questions, different forms of fetishization, ignorance about the trans experience, and even other users maliciously reporting their profiles as somehow violating the app’s user policies.
Apps like Grindr, Scruff, and OkCupid have since expanded by allowing users to express the range of genders they’re attracted to, making their profiles easier for non-cis users to find.
Two other platforms, Taimi and Lex, take different approaches by centering non-cis users and not focusing solely on gender as a way of matching users. Taimi lets users say whether they’re looking for trans, intersex, or nonbinary users. Lex is a text-based app that’s primarily for “womxn, trans, genderqueer, intersex, two-spirit and non-binary ppl” where users can describe what kind of people and social interactions they’re craving.
As HER and other dating website and apps figure out how to be more welcoming for non-cis users, HER’s non-cis users said the app would feel safer if it provided more education about trans experiences, better profile filtering, more ways to self-identify one’s gender, better account verification methods, and better safety protocols to prevent and penalize transphobia.
“Even in spaces built for all queer folks, there is much work to be done,” Exton wrote.
The principal of a high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been replaced and multiple employees have been put on administrative leave as the district investigates a drag queen show that took place during prom.
Earlier this week, the chief of Albuquerque Public Schools, Channell Segura, sent a letter to parents confirming the performance occurred during April 20’s prom and said an investigation would determine how it happened and how it may have affected students.
Segura was unavailable for comment Friday. She did not say in the letter whether the replacement of Atrisco Heritage Academy High School’s principal was related to the drag performance.
In a video on TikTok, students can be seen gathering around the performer in thigh-high black boots and a matching body suit, as the performer is bending over, squatting and dancing provocatively.
Atrisco Heritage Academy High School in Albuquerque, N.M.Google Maps
Sahreen told the station that he previously worked with the Gay-Straight Alliance and was invited to perform at the prom. He did not say who invited him.
“Every staff member who knew anything about that disgusting spectacle at prom should be fired,” wrote a poster named Kristin Arnold Waide. “Immediately.”
Another poster, identified as Paul Miller, wrote, “How wicked and morally corrupt must people be to allow this? Whoever approved this should not be allowed anywhere near children.”
A poster named Robb Vann said the performance resembled grooming and predatory behavior.
“What do y’all teach the students there? Did not one person on staff stand up and say anything?” Vann wrote.
It was unclear whether the posters were parents of students at the school.
School district spokesperson Martin Salazar declined to say Friday whether the performance was approved by school officials or how many staff members were placed on leave.
“At this point, I do not have any other information to share,” he said.
The district this week named Anthony Lovato acting principal, he said. Former principal Irene Cisneros could not be reached for comment.
Women’s Weekend visitors stay at the nearby resorts or at one of the many area houses, apartments or rooms available for short-term rental. Please be aware that some locations have minimum stay requirements and most are booked well in advance.
Women’s Weekend attendees are responsible for their own accommodations.
We are also providing a forum to exchange housing needs and wants for Women’s Weekend attendees. Visit our Housing/Rides forum to inquire or offer a room to rent.
Host Hotels: R3 16390 4th Street Guerneville, CA 95446 707.869.8399
Approximately 75 miles north of San Francisco lies Guerneville, the largest town along the Russian River (population 3,500).
Within the three block square downtown, you’ll find restaurants, shops, taverns, a fully stocked Safeway supermarket and a health food store. A block or two off the main road, you’ll find a handful or resorts that cater specifically to gay clientele.
Transportation: To get to Guerneville, having a car is helpful. You can use public transportation, but it’s not easy or convenient. Once you are at ‘the River’ (as it is also known) you don’t necessarily need a car, but having one will help you explore the stunningly beautiful countryside. Rent a bicycle in town (available seasonally), but be aware that much of the terrain is very hilly and the roads are narrow. Visit the “how to get there” page for detailed instructions for driving or taking public transportation.
Accommodations: Women’s Weekend attendees stay at the nearby resorts or at one of the many area houses, apartments or rooms available for short-term rental. Please be aware that some locations have minimum stay requirements and most are booked well in advance. Women’s Weekend attendees are responsible for their own accommodations. Check out the “Lodging” page for suggestions.
