Alex Bollinger

Out Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) will chair the Congressional Equality Caucus (CEC), the group of Congressmembers that advances LGBTQ+ equality. Out Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) was the previous CEC chair. “Over the next several years, we will see a constant barrage of attacks on the rights and dignity of the queer community — especially against our transgender siblings — by the Trump administration and the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate,” Takano said in a statement.  “As Chair of the Equality Caucus, I will lead our coalition of openly-LGBTQI+ members and our allies in the fight to both […]

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 […]

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 […]

While many state legislatures across the country are scrambling to pass anti-LGBTQ+ legislation this year, Massachusetts is going in the other direction. The state’s senate passed a bill yesterday — unanimously, as in, even the chamber’s Republicans voted for it — that repeals the state’s ban on gay sex as well as a law known as the “walking while trans” law. “I’m just really happy that it passed. And I hope that it will pass seamlessly in the house. There’s absolutely no reason for it not to pass,” Tanya Neslusan of MassEquality told the Washington Blade.  The state’s criminal code bans “the abominable […]

Democrats introduced a bill that would require colleges and universities to fight anti-LGBTQ+ harassment on campus. The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act would require colleges and universities that receive federal funds – which is almost all of them – to enact an anti-harassment policy that specifically addresses harassment based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex (which includes sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, and religion. The policies would also have to address cyberbullying. The appeals court ruled evidence “tainted the jury’s verdict on the remaining charges, depriving defendant of his constitutional right to a fair trial.” “No one […]