On the heels of a discriminatory gubernatorial order in Texas, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra released the following statement reaffirming HHS’s commitment to supporting and protecting transgender youth and their parents, caretakers and families. Secretary Becerra also announced several immediate actions HHS is taking actions to support LGBTQI+ youth and further remind Texas and others of the federal protections that exist to ensure transgender youth receive the care they need:
“The Texas government’s attacks against transgender youth and those who love and care for them are discriminatory and unconscionable. These actions are clearly dangerous to the health of transgender youth in Texas. At HHS, we listen to medical experts and doctors, and they agree with us, that access to affirming care for transgender youth is essential and can be life-saving.
“HHS is committed to protecting young Americans who are targeted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and supporting their parents, caretakers and families. That is why I directed my team to evaluate the tools at our disposal to protect trans and gender diverse youth in Texas, and today I am announcing several steps we can take to protect them.
“HHS will take immediate action if needed. I know that many youth and their supportive families are feeling scared and isolated because of these attacks. HHS is closely monitoring the situation in Texas, and will use every tool at our disposal to keep Texans safe.
“Any individual or family in Texas who is being targeted by a child welfare investigation because of this discriminatory gubernatorial order is encouraged to contact our Office for Civil Rights to report their experience.”
New HHS Actions Announced by Secretary Xavier Becerra:
HHS is releasing guidance to state child welfare agencies through an Information Memorandum that makes clear that states should use their child welfare systems to advance safety and support for LGBTQI+ youth, which importantly can include access to gender affirming care;
HHS is also releasing guidance on patient privacy, clarifying that, despite the Texas government’s threat, health care providers are not required to disclose private patient information related to gender affirming care;
HHS also issued guidance making clear that denials of health care based on gender identity are illegal, as is restricting doctors and health care providers from providing care because of a patient’s gender identity;
The Secretary also called on all of HHS to explore all options to protect kids, their parents, caretakers and families; and
HHS will also ensure that families and health care providers in Texas are aware of all the resources available to them if they face discrimination as a result of this discriminatory gubernatorial order.
If you believe that you or another party has been discriminated against on the basis of gender identity or disability in seeking to access gender affirming health care, visit theOCR complaint portal to file a complaint online.
If you have questions regarding patient privacy laws, please reach out to the Office for Civil Rights email: OCRPrivacy@hhs.gov or call Toll-free: (800) 368-1019
Resources for kids, parents, caretakers and families:
· SAMHSA supports the Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity, which provides behavioral health practitioners with vital information on supporting the population of people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, two-spirit, and other diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions. The Center’s website includes a recorded webinar on Gender Identity, Expression & Behavioral Health 101. Upcoming webinars will include topics such as: How to Signal to Youth that You are an LGBTQ+ Affirming Provider; How to Respond When a Young Person Discloses their SOGIE; Supporting Families of LGBTQ+ Youth; and Safety Planning for LGBTQ+ Students.
· A Practitioner’s Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children is a resource guide developed by SAMHSA that offers information and resources to help practitioners throughout health and social service systems implement best practices in engaging and helping families and caregivers to support their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) children.
The majority of teachers have a trans pupil in their class, with many saying they would like more help with how to support them, a new study has found.
Research by LGBT+ young people’s charity Just Like Us found that 55 per cent of teachers in England have at least one pupil who has come out as transgender, and 78 per cent say they would like more resources supporting them.
The study, which surveyed 6,394 teachers across England, also said that 87 per cent of secondary school teachers have had at least one trans student.
“Trans young people across the country are in schools with teachers who are crying out for the right resources to support them,” said Dominic Arnall, chief executive of Just Like Us.
Arnall added that a “small but vocal” anti-trans population can make it tough for students to grow up as trans, and that teachers with positive resources can make all the difference.
He added: “While we understand some might feel nervous about this there is really no reason to be.
“You don’t need to be an expert in gender to support trans young people.
“With a small but vocal minority of anti-trans individuals, it’s often a tough and terrifying time for young people growing up trans, so it’s very encouraging to see that the majority of their teachers want to support their pupils to be themselves and feel safe while learning, and we will do everything we can to help them with that journey.”
Isaac, a 22-year-old ambassador for Just Like Us, said: “I’m a transgender man who went to a girl’s school.
“I think the main obstacle to providing that support for trans young people is hesitance, for fear of getting it wrong. But I feel so much better when I know that a teacher is trying, even if they get it wrong sometimes, than if they don’t want to try at all.
“It sets an example for the young peers of trans pupils as future allies.”
The ban by Girls Day School Trust, a group of 25 independent schools in England and Wales, was implemented because, the group claims, to let trans girls become pupils would jeopardise the schools’ status as single-sex.
A spokesperson for the Trans Legal Project said: “Our strong view is that admitting a trans girl does not jeopardise the single-sex status of a girl’s school and the GDST is wrong about this.”
Many trans women are not being permitted to flee Ukraine, it has been reported, with one woman describing Russia’s invasion as a “war within a war” for trans folk.
Kyiv’s mayor said Wednesday (2 March) that Russian forces are gathering “closer and closer” to the capital – but that “Kyiv stands and will stand”.
One citizen who remains in the capital is Zi Faámelu, a musician best-known in Ukraine for competing in the competition show Star Factory. She has been hiding in her Kyiv apartment as gunfire and missiles get closer.blob:https://www.gaysonoma.com/8970d02c-4d1b-4aed-adc7-f9c106da0c82
She is starting to run out of food, she told CBS News, but is scared to leave home not just because of war – but also because she fears for her safety as a trans woman. Faámelu described life as a trans person in Ukraine as “bleak” and fears that the violence could easily turn transphobic.
“Many people have guns and weapons… It can be an excuse for violence,” she said. “This is a very scary situation.”
Faámelu fears that even if she managed to reach the Ukrainian border, she would not be allowed to cross because her passport does not align with her gender.
Activists on the ground told the TGEU (Transgender Europe) network that trans people with documents that don’t their gender “cannot pass internal check-points”, and that trans women of fighting age with a male gender marker on their passport are being made to stay in the country as potential recruits.
“This is not a very rainbow-friendly place… Lives for trans people are very bleak here,” Faámelu added.
“If you have a male gender in your passport, they will not let you go abroad. They will not let you through… [It’s] a war within a war, truly.”
However, she added that she still has faith that Ukrainian forces can defeat Russia.
She said: “There’s something about Ukrainians, they are very optimistic and joyful people… They never give up.
“You don’t know if you’re going to be alive the next morning. So what are you going to do? I just prefer to dance in the kitchen, to be honest.
Because if this is the last moment of my life, I just want to celebrate. I just want to dance.”
Until 2017, Ukraine required a diagnosis of “transexuality” for trans people to change their legal gender. This meant spending a month in a psychiatric hospital so a board of mental health professionals could make the diagnosis.
Although the process has since been simplified, it is far from easy. Being trans is still considered a psychiatric disorder, and a diagnosis through outpatient appointments is still required.
A rush of LGBT+ volunteers in Ukraine are preparing for combat after the Russian invasion.
Veronika Limina, from Lviv, has been running a camp which teaches volunteer LGBT+ cadets basic combat and paramedic skills, the Daily Beast reports.
Limina, who works for an NGO promoting equal rights for LGBT+ people in the military, told the news outlet that she has signed up for Lviv’s territorial defence force and is prepared to fight as Putin’s forces move into the west of the country.
“I am angry… We will kill Putin,” she told the Daily Beast.
Andrii Kravchuk works at the Nash Svit Cente in Kyiv. He said a Russian occupation of the country could lead to “total lawlessness and repressions”, and that he knows of many LGBT+ people who are joining the territorial defence forces, as well as LGBT+ veterans who are returning to service.
He told the Daily Beast: “Now we have only two options: either we defend our country, and it will become a part of the free world, or there will not be any freedom for us and will not be Ukraine at all.
“LGBT+ people who served in the army and military volunteers are ready to come back to their service. We are doing the same as the rest of the nation.”
The threat of Russian occupancy brings an additional danger to queer Ukrainians: Putin and his regime are intensely and violently anti-LGBT+, and reports suggest LGBT+ people are among those whose names are on “kill lists” drawn up ahead of the invasion.
South Korean activists and Ukrainians attend a rally against Russia attacking Ukraine (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
A Ukrainian delegation is due to meet Russia on Monday morning (28 February) after a terrifying and uncertain weekend of fighting, which saw Vladimir Putin moved Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces to high alert.
Though not a declaration of intent to use nuclear weapons, Putin’s latest escalation has been forcefully condemned and was followed by a new raft of EU sanctions.
The Guardian reports 352 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia’s invasion of the country.
According to the UN, at least 368,000 people have fled the country with many thousands more displaced internally.
However, there have been widespread reports of Black people, including African migrants, encountering racism as they attempt to flee.
Videos shared on Twitter appear to show Ukrainian officials blocking Black people from boarding trains to leave the country, while a group of 24 Jamaican students were forced to walk 20km to Poland after being denied entry to a bus. At the border, there have been reports of Polish official refusing Black people asylum.
In the UK, Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure to waive visa rules for Ukrainians. Over the weekend the government announced that family members of Brits will be able to apply for a free visa, however the scheme only covers spouse and civil partners, unmarried partners of at least two years, children under the age of 18, parents or their children if one is under 18, and adult relatives who are carers.
Speaking with LGBT+ radio station GlitterBeam, director of Kyiv Pride Lenny Emson said the situation in Ukraine is one of “panic” and “anxiety”, urging listeners to provide “international political support”
“Of course, there is some anxiety, there is some panic, we’re all people, but first of all, we’re angry and we’re ready to fight. We want this to end. We want peace,” he said.
Emson explained that while “we would not say that we [the LGBT+ community in Ukraine] are totally fully accepted in society”, the country has made progress in terms of LGBT+ rights, which an invasion by Russia could strip back.
“We understand that LGBT+ Pride will be the first target for Russia… but we believe in the Ukrainian army that has been fighting already for 24 hours holding Russia back. We want to hope and we want to believe that the international community will stand up and help us in this fight.
“We don’t want to believe that Ukraine will be Russia. There is no space for human rights in that country. We don’t want Ukraine to be the same, and we are going to fight against it.”
“I love gay people,” activist and playwright Larry Kramer proclaimed at the outset of a 2004 speech in New York City. “I think we’re better than other people. I really do. I think we’re smarter and more talented and more aware.”
A new study making waves among LGBTQ-focused academics lends empirical credence to the iconic Act Up co-founder’s prideful claims — not to the supposed sweeping superiority of gay men, rather to the more narrow assertion that this group is remarkably inclined to excel academically.
But the paper, which was published in the American Sociological Review on Feb. 20, comes to starkly opposing conclusions about how growing up gay appears to affect the academic performance of males versus females.
University of Notre Dame sociologist Joel Mittleman.Courtesy Amy Levin
Joel Mittleman, a University of Notre Dame sociologist and the paper’s sole author, found that on an array of academic measures, gay males outperform all other groups on average, across all major racial groups. Conversely, he concluded that lesbians perform more poorly in school overall and that Black gay women have a much lower college graduation rate than their white counterparts.
“This article is focusing a lens on what we do to all kids,” Lisa Diamond, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, said of the societal pressures that appear to impede lesbians in schooleven as these stressors possibly unnerve gay males into compensating for homophobia through academic striving. “And the most vulnerable kids are going to show it first.”
In recent years, academics, lawmakers and journalists alike have sounded an increasingly urgent alarm that on balance, American males are stuck in a scholastic funk. As the economic gap between those with and without a college degree has widened, women’s college graduation rate has risen in tandem, but men’s rate has remained largely stagnant for decades. Today, women comprise 59.2 percent of college students, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.
Mittleman’s research indicates that this characterization of the educational gender gap is critically lacking in specificity. It is, in fact, straight males who tend to be mired in a scholastic morass. And the considerable academic progress that young women have charted since the advent of second-wave feminism has been largely restricted to the heterosexuals among them.
Benefit of adding sexuality questions to surveys
Mittleman was able to reach his striking research findings thanks to a move during President Barack Obama’s second term to add questions about sexual orientation to a trio of federally funded, nationally representative surveys. These major annual surveys — which focus on health, drug use and crime victimization — provided the sociologist with information regarding nearly half a million Americans’ diplomas.
Additionally, the National Center for Education Statistics’ High School Longitudinal Study posed questions about sexuality for the first time to the cohort it followed between 2009 and 2017. From this, Mittleman mined a trove of data including 15,270 students’ high school and undergraduate transcripts.
The three surveys of American adults consistently indicated that gay men are far more likely than straight men to have graduated from high school or college, with just over half of gay men having earned a college degree, compared with about 35 percent of straight men. Some 6 percent of gay men have a Ph.D., J.D. or M.D. — a rate 50 percent higher than that of straight men. Mittleman found that gay men’s considerably higher levels of educational attainment hold even after taking into account differences in men’s race and birth cohorts. What’s more, gay men’s college graduation rate dramatically bests even that of straight women, about one-third of whom have a bachelor’s degree.
The longitudinal survey showed that compared with their straight male peers, gay males earned higher GPAs in high school and college, enrolled in harder classes, took school more seriously, had more academically minded friends and had a much lower rate of ever dropping out for a month or more. In stark contrast, these performance disparities were largely reversed when comparing lesbians with straight girls. Most strikingly, 26 percent of lesbians reported at least one dropout period, compared with 15 percent of heterosexual females.
The U.S. lesbian population’s overall college graduation rate, which ranged between 41 percent and 47 percent in the three survey studies, is significantly higher than that of straight women. But Mittleman found this advantage was limited almost entirely to white lesbians, and among women born more recently, gay women’s educational edge has eroded.
Historically, girls have received better grades than boys. But during much of the 20th century, societal constraints — including the predominant expectation that young women would become wives and mothers and not pursue careers — suppressed their graduation rates. In theory, this left lesbians with an advantage. But as constrictions on women’s potential have eased since the 1960s, straight women’s college graduation rate has risen to the point of statistical parity with lesbians among today’s young adults.
The Nancy Drew effect
Searching for the drivers of these differences in school performance between straight and gay students, Mittleman used a machine-learning algorithm to identify response patterns to survey questions that predicted being male versus female among members of the longitudinal cohort. In turn, he found that being atypical for their gender in survey responses helped explain at least part of the gay students’ GPA variation.
This suggested that not just sexual orientation, but its intersection with gender affectation could have influenced how well the gay and lesbians students did in school.
Seeking to explain the sociocultural dynamics possibly at play in these complex equations, Mittleman pointed in his paper to the feminine archetype, long a prized ideal in white, middle-American culture, of the demurely diligent student. (Think Nancy Drew.)
Characterizing masculinity as a fragile and insecure state, Mittleman argued that the long-standing anti-intellectual bias that plagues many American boys is driven in large part by their urge to assert their masculinity by differentiating themselves from the good-girl archetype.
Gay boys, however, appear willing — even eager — to flout gender norms in academics.
“To the extent that it’s feminine to study and appreciate validation in an academic sphere, the gay boys will have an advantage,” Yale School of Public Health psychologist John Pachankis said.
On the flip side, young lesbians may be disinclined to identify with the femininity intrinsic to the good-student ideal, Mittleman suggested. Moreover, by tending to present as more masculine, lesbians may be slapped with a “bad girl” label by educational authorities, subjected disproportionately to school punishment and generally discouraged academically. This could hold especially true for Black girls, whom white authority figures already tend to stereotype as masculine, according to previous research.
“Girls who present as masculine are seen as troublemakers, are seen as suspicious in some way,” Mittleman said.
The ‘Best Little Boy in the World’ phenomenon
An additional factor that Mittleman argued drives the average gay boy to surpass even the average straight girl academically is what’s known in queer psychology as the “Best Little Boy in the World” phenomenon. This refers to the title of the 1973 memoir by former Democratic National Committee treasurer Andrew Tobias, in which he chronicled his youthful crusade to appease his internalized homophobia through admission to Harvard University and other feats of superlative achievement.
In a 2013 paper published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology, psychologist Mark Hatzenbuehler, now of Harvard University, and Pachankis found evidence suggesting that gay male college students indeed sought to compensate for anti-gay stigma by deriving their self-worth in part through academic mastery and other forms of competition.
This psychological paradigm also comprises the bedrock of “The Velvet Rage,” psychologist Alan Downs’ go-to bible for queer men, published in 2005, on “overcoming the pain of growing up gay in a straight man’s world.”
From a young age … I was determined to become a doctor so I could prove to everyone that I could be successful even though I was gay.
DR. CHRIS REMISHOFSKY
While Mittleman is straight, he said he was nevertheless bullied as a child for “not being sufficiently masculine.” His brother, Dr. Chris Remishofsky, is gay and said the findings of Mittleman’s paper closely reflect his personal experience.
“From a young age,” said Remishofsky, a dermatologist in Sterling Heights, Michigan, “I was determined to become a doctor so I could prove to everyone that I could be successful even though I was gay.”
An analysis by the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project published in January found that gay male couples earn $30,000 more annually than lesbian couples.
Ilan Meyer, a researcher at UCLA’s Williams Institute, expressed intrigue over the story Mittleman’s paper tells of many gay men apparently overcoming considerable odds. Meyer pointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance reports that have chronicled the myriad stressors lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people weather in school and the litany of deleterious impacts, including depression and suicidality.
Indeed, Mittleman found that on the whole, lesbian, gay and bisexual young people reported feeling more unsafe in school and suffered higher levels of discrimination and what’s known as minority stress than their straight peers.
“The effect of resilience to override effectively all stressors is quite amazing,” Meyer said. “We’re basically saying gay boys have a terrible school environment, but still, on average, they’re doing fantastically well. To me, that is still a major question — how does that work?”
The price queer youth pay
Brian Mustanski, a professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University, cautioned that the relative success of gay men could amount to a double-edged sword.
“While certainly, it’s good news for the young gay men that they’re able to succeed well academically, I do have some real concerns about what kind of pressure they’re putting on themselves,” he said.
Suggesting that feverish academic striving in search of validation can come at a steep cost to mental and physical health, Mustanski pointed to his own research findings that gay men have disproportionately high levels of chronic inflammation. He hypothesized that this physical effect is fueled by minority stress and that it could raise the risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease.
“We need safe and inclusive policies that protect all students from bullying and differential treatment by school staff regardless of the student’s sexual orientation or gender expression,” Clark said. She called for special support for “those students who may be most likely to face difficulties in school, including sexual minority girls.”
While joining the other experts in praising what he called a “beautifully done study,” UCLA psychologist Patrick Wilsonnevertheless expressed concern that Mittleman’s findings may lead the public to paint student-achievement trends in overly broad strokes.
Noting what an overwhelmingly unsafe place school still is for many queer kids, Wilson further cautioned the public not to conclude, for example, “that a poor Black gay boy living in Montgomery or Mobile, Alabama, feminine-presenting and gender-nonconforming, is actually succeeding in high school right now.”
The Bisexual Resource Center (BRC), America’s oldest national bisexual organization, will celebrate the 9th annual Bisexual+ Health Awareness Month (#BiHealthMonth) social media campaign throughout March 2022.
#BiHealthMonth, founded and led annually by the BRC, raises awareness about the bisexual+ (bi, pansexual, fluid, queer, etc.) community’s social, economic and health disparities; advocates for resources; and inspires actions to improve bi+ people’s well-being.
This year’s #BiHealthMonth theme is “Connection.” This theme has been chosen to highlight the importance of connecting bisexual+ people to each other, to supportive communities and to health care resources that are affirming of their identities.
While there are many different ways that bi+ people can connect, the goal of connection is to build safe, inclusive spaces — in-person and online, locally and globally — for bi+ people to share their experiences and create meaningful relationships. When bi+ people are connected, it greatly improves their physical, mental and social health, particularly for bi+ people living in historically oppressed, marginalized or isolated communities.
“This year’s #BiHealthMonth is all about connection,” said Belle Haggett Silverman, president of the Bisexual Resource Center. “How are we connected as people? As communities? As a movement? We know that, while connection comes in many forms, it is always crucial for people to thrive individually and collectively. When we create spaces for bi+ people to come together and support each other, we can build a healthier, happier bi+ community and improve health outcomes for bi+ people worldwide.”
Throughout the month of March, the BRC will partner with a diverse array of leading organizations, including #StillBisexual, AIDS United, Athlete Ally, the Battered Women’s Justice Project, BiArtsFestival, Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago, Bi Women Boston, Fandom Forward, Fenway Health, Howard Brown Health, Human Rights Campaign, LGBT Center of Wisconsin, Los Angeles Bi Task Force, Magic City Acceptance Center, Mini Productions, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, NARAL, North Shore Pride, the NYC LGBT Center, PFLAG National, the National LGBTQ Task Force, SAGE, SpeakOUT Boston, Step Up For Mental Health, TAIMI, the Visibility Impact Fund and others to feature engaging and informative content, events, research, resources and actions. The BRC invites individuals, organizations, media outlets, companies and anyone interested to participate all month long by posting online using #BiHealthMonth, hosting local community events, donating to the Bisexual Resource Center and more.
Some #BiHealthMonth highlights this year include a screening of the short film “Treacle,” hosted by April Kelley; panels on bi+ health featuring conversations with BRC board members Gabby Blonder, Andrea Holland, and River McMican; new, original content from bi+ advocates, including Robyn Ochs; and a full calendar of BRC-hosted online events including a Bisexual Social and Support Group (BLiSS) meeting (March 2), a Bi+ Crafternoon (March 6); and an in-person Bi/Pan Guyz+ Social Night (March 23).
For more on #BiHealthMonth, follow the Bisexual Resource Center on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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The Bisexual Resource Center works to connect the bi+ community and help its members thrive through resources, support, and celebration. Through this work, we envision an empowered, visible and inclusive global community for bi+ people. Visit www.biresource.org for more information.
Singapore’s highest court on Monday upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss three challenges to a law that criminalizes sexual relations between men.
While delivering the judgment, given by a bench of five judges, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon of the Singapore Court of Appeal said that the appeals are not about “whether (Section) 377A (of the penal code) should be retained or repealed, that being a matter beyond our remit.”
“Nor are they about the moral worth of homosexual individuals,” said Menon. “In the words of our prime minister, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, homosexual individuals are ‘part of our society’ and ‘our kith and kin.’”
The appeal court went ahead and said the appeals are also “not about the fundamental nature of sexual orientation, whether immutable or not, which is an extra-legal question well beyond the purview of the courts.”
The court also suggested that political resolution of the issue is more appropriate than litigating it. The chief justice said that the advantage of the political process is its ability to accommodate divergent interests and opinions, while litigation is “not a consultative or participatory process.”
“This is so for good reason because litigation is a zero-sum, adversarial process with win-lose outcomes,” said Menon. “The political process, in contrast, seeks to mediate — it strives for compromises and consensus in which no one side has to lose all.”
The chief justice also said that it is “unnecessary” for the court to address a constitutional issue.
“They do not face any real and credible threat of prosecution under 377A at this time,” said Menon while delivering the judgment. “Therefore, (they) do not have the standing to pursue their constitutional challenges to that provision.”
“We, as organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ equality in Singapore, are disappointed with the Court of Appeal’s landmark ruling on Section 377A, which comes as a setback for all who were hoping for a resounding conclusion to this decades-long fight for equality,” said Ready4Repeal, a Singapore-based LGBTQ rights group, in a press release. “Despite recognizing the current situation as deeply unsatisfactory for the LGBTQ+ community, the Court of Appeal has still decided to retain the law, albeit with legal assurances on its unenforceability.”
Last year, three men, DJ Johnson Ong Ming, retired general practitioner Roy Tan Seng Kee, and Bryan Choong Chee Hoong, the former executive director of Oogachaga, an LGBTQ non-profit organization, decided to appeal against a Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss their cases against Section 377A.
“While this is a small step in the right direction, this simply does not go far enough to provide real protection to the LGBTQ+ community, who continue to be impacted by the cascading effects of Section 377A,” said Ready4Repeal. “The judges themselves acknowledged that even with the assurance of unenforceability, homosexual men will still be left open to police investigations as if a crime had been committed.”
Ready4Repeal started a petition in 2018 to pressurize the Singaporean government on repealing the colonial-era law. The petition has received 51,047 online signatures.
Section 377A is a highly debated law in Singapore that prohibits sexual relationships between two men. According to the law, any man in public or private who commits an act of gross indecency with another male shall be punished with to years in prison.
Last year, Home Minister Affairs K Shanmugam said that everyone in Singapore will be protected regardless of community and social, religious, or sexual beliefs. He also said that the government’s position is clear. He also said that amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act make it an offense to urge violence on the grounds of religion or religious belief against any person or group.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong last year reiterated that different sections of the society have valid concerns, and it needs to be addressed.
“Tribalism is inherently exclusionary, and it’s based on mutual hate: ‘us’ versus ‘them,’ ‘friend’ vs ‘foe,’” said Wong. “Once this sort of tribal identity takes root, it becomes difficult to achieve any compromise. Because when we anchor our politics on identity, any compromise seems like dishonor.”
Ankush Kumar (Mohit) is a freelance reporter, who has covered many stories for Washington Blade and Los Angeles Blade from Iran, India, and Singapore. Recently covered story for The Daily Beast. He can be reached at mohitk@opiniondaily.news.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services appears to have removed resources for LGBTQ youths from its suicide prevention webpage.
On Feb. 1, the webpage included a subhead for the Trevor Project, describing it as “the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning young people under 25.” The section provided the organization’s website, phone number and text line.
A few days later, on Feb. 5, the section was gone. Of the four suicide prevention phone or text lines, only The Trevor Project was removed.
Now, there are three crisis lines listed: the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Veterans Crisis Line and the Crisis Text line. The Trevor Project’s phone number is still included in a PDF of resources under “Parent and Youth Suicide Prevention” as it was previously, but it isn’t as easily accessible as the section that was removed was, and doesn’t state that The Trevor Project is an LGBTQ-specific organization.
The Health and Human Services Department has not returned a request for comment.
Sam Ames, director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, said mental health is not a partisan issue, and removing suicide prevention resources from a government website “because they are specific to LGBTQ youth is not only offensive and wrong, it’s dangerous.”
“We’re talking about a group of young people who are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers,” Ames said, citing Trevor Project research. In another survey, the group found that more than 80 percent of LGBTQ youths said it was important that a crisis line include a focus on young LGBTQ people.
“Especially during this time of unprecedented political attacks against LGBTQ youth, we encourage all youth-serving organizations and government agencies to learn more about The Trevor Project’s lifesaving crisis services and to publicize them to the youth and families who most need support,” Ames said.
This isn’t the first time Texas officials have removed suicide prevention resources for LGBTQ youths — and The Trevor Project, specifically — from state websites.
In August, following criticism from one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Republican primary challengers, Texas officials removed a webpagetitled “gender identity and sexual orientation” and a page devoted to Texas Youth Connection, a program run by the Department of Family and Protective Services, which included a link to The Trevor Project.
The page on sexual orientation and gender identity still shows an error message. The Texas Youth Connection website also displays the same message that it did in October: “The Texas Youth Connection website has been temporarily disabled for a comprehensive review of its content,” the website says. “This is being done to ensure that its information, resources, and referrals are current.”
Patrick Crimmins, the director of communications for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said in October that the review of the webpages “is still ongoing” and would not provide further comment about why the pages were removed. He has not responded to a request regarding when or whether the pages will be restored.
Cameron Samuels, a senior at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, near Houston, and an activist, said the removal of LGBTQ-specific resources from state websites is “part of this larger attack on LGBTQ youth in Texas.”
As an example of this “larger attack” — which Samuels, who uses gender neutral pronouns, said is causing widespread fear among trans people in Texas — they cited a directive issued last week by Abbott that called on the state’s child protective services agency to investigate the parents of minors who are receiving gender-affirming medical care for child abuse. Abbott’s directive also called on “licensed professionals” and the general public to report the parents of trans minors if it appears that they are receiving gender-affirming medical care.
Samuels has also fought censorship of LGBTQ websites within their school district, the Katy Independent School District.
After student activism, they said the district removed its block on the website for the Montrose Center, a local LGBTQ group in the state, in December. In January, it removed restrictions on websites for three national organizations: the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the country; GLSEN, which advocates for LGBTQ students; and PFLAG, which supports LGBTQ people and their families, among other sites.
Samuels said the district has “remained insistent” that The Trevor Project continue to be blocked due to its chat function. But they noted that the chat feature is what allows students to message a trained counselor.
The district has not returned a request for comment, but an official told the Houston Chronicle in January that the Children’s Internet Protection Act has a requirement of “ensuring safe communications including electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications.”
“The Trevor Project website has a community space to ‘get advice and support within an international community for LGBTQ young people ages 13-24,’ which is available to anyone who chooses to ‘join now,’” said Maria Corrales DiPetta, manager of media relations for the district. “Minors communicating with adults, unmonitored, online is an area of concern for communication and chat rooms as outline in CIPA.”
Samuels said it’s disappointing to see Health and Human Services officials making decisions that “are very harmful to students and youth who they represent.”
“And this is in addition to the governor’s efforts to investigate parents of trans youth for child abuse and to remove LGBTQ books from school libraries,” they said. “It’s really concerning and disturbing to see this.”
CORRECTION (March 2, 2022, 3:50 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the month that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services removed two webpages with resources for LGBTQ youths. It was August, not October.
Hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ people and allies from around the world make the City of West Hollywood their destination for Pride season and this year, the tradition continues under a new name.
From May 22 to June 30, 2022, the WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival will take place — formerly known as the One City Once Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival — at various locations throughout the city. The city’s inaugural WeHo Pride Weekend event commences in June celebrating “With Liberty, Diversity, Inclusion and Progress for All,” as this year’s theme.
During the weekend of June 3, WeHo Pride Weekend commences to celebrate a diverse array of LGBTQ+ community groups for visibility, expression and celebration at West Hollywood Park (647 N. San Vicente Boulevard) until June 5.
Community groups can participate in one of two ways, according to a press release from the City of West Hollywood:
Activate a designated space in the event area for WeHo Pride Weekend during June 3-5
Request City funding for a unique event produced by your group
Applications will be reviewed by the City of West Hollywood and a limited number of approved groups will be chosen as participants. The application deadline to receive funding is 5 p.m. on March 31. If an organization or group would like to host a parade, upload a proposal for consideration. City staff will then follow up with a supplemental application. Parade proposals and supplemental applications must be received and completed by 5 p.m. on February 28. To apply, fill out a submission form here: w.eho.city/applywehopride.
The WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival runs for 40 days from Harvey Milk Day to the end of Pride month, organized by the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division with input from the City’s Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board, Transgender Advisory Boards, Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission and community partners.
Projects are funded by the City’s Arts Grant Program.
For more than three decades, West Hollywood has been home to the largest Pride celebrations in Southern California. Home to the “Rainbow District” along Santa Monica Boulevard, concentrated with historic LGBTQ club, restaurants and retail shops, West Hollywood consistently makes the top list of “most LGBTQ friendly cities” in the nation.
Since 1984, the city has become one of the most influential cities for its outspoken advocacy on LGBTQ issues and measures that support LGBTQ individuals in efforts to gain and protect equality for all people on a state, national and international level. More than 40% of its residents identify as LGBTQ, according to The Los Angeles Blade.
As one of the first municipalities to form a Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board and a Transgender Advisory Board, the city has a Transgender Resource Guide available online, which provides information and resources in the Greater Los Angeles area including legal, health and social services.
For more information on WeHo Pride, contact Megan Reath, event services supervisor for the City of West Hollywood, at 323-848-6495 or mweath@weho.org. For more information on the WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival, please contact Mike Che, arts coordinator for the city, at 323-848-6377 or mche@weho.org.
A full calendar of events and brochures with times and locations will be available in the coming weeks at WeHo.org/Pride. Last year’s program is available to watch online at bit.ly/OCOYouTube.
Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call TTY 323-848-6496.
Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday night approved legislation that would bar transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
The bill mandates K-12 schools require students to use multi-person restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex on their original birth certificate. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 74-24 for the bill after two hours of contentious debate where Republicans said it would address an ongoing problem in public schools but opponents said it targets trans youth to score political points. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.
“Right now, you’ve got males who are dressing up as females, who are identifying themselves as females, and wanting to use the female bathrooms,” Republican Rep. Scott Stadthagen of Hartselle told lawmakers.
Stadthagen said some schools are now being asked to accommodate transgender students who request to use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity. He said the bill is also about protecting girls’ privacy and safety.
“All you are doing is demonizing an already vulnerable population. It’s all under the guise of protecting children just to win cheap political points. That’s all it is,” Rep. Neil Rafferty, a Democrat from Birmingham, said during debate on the bill.
Rafferty said schools in his Birmingham district have handled accommodations for transgender student, “without targeting vulnerable youth that are already having issues with suicide, mental illness, bullying.”
Stadthagen, in urging support for the bill, cited sexual assaults that have happened in school bathrooms. But opposing lawmakers challenged him to name any bathroom assault where a transgender individual was the attacker.
“How many of those cases involved a transgender woman?” Rep. Merika Coleman, a Democrat from Pleasant Grove, asked. Stadthagen replied he didn’t know.
Similar policies in other states have resulted in litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court last year rejected a Virginia school board’s appeal to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban, handing a victory to transgender rights groups and a former high school student who fought in court for six years to overturn the ban.
The full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear oral arguments Tuesday in the case of a transgender student in Florida who was blocked from using the boy’s bathroom.
Republicans who spoke in favor of the bill said teachers and parents in their districts have expressed discomfort over transgender students using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
Rep. Andrew Sorrell, a Republican from Muscle Shoals, said there is a transgender student using the girl’s bathroom at a high school in his district. Sorrell said he would not let his now infant daughter attend that school in the future without this bill.
“I think this is such a commonsense bill. I understand and appreciate that you are trying to protect our daughters,” Sorrell told Stadthagen.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, condemned the passage of the bill.
“Today, the Alabama State House of Representatives took steps to discriminate against transgender students who deserve the fundamental human dignity of being able to use the bathroom without being discriminated against or humiliated,” Human Rights Campaign Alabama State Director Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey said in a statement.
The Alabama bill is the second targeting LGBTQ youths to advance in legislative committee this year. A Senate committee last week advanced a bill that would outlaw the use of puberty-blockers, hormonal treatments and surgery to assist transgender youth 18 and younger in their gender transition.
Last year, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a bill to block transgender girls from playing on female sports teams at public schools.
