Erin Reed

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Federal judge in Texas rules LGBTQ+ people can be discriminated against at work

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On Thursday, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk—a far-right federal judge in the Northern District of Texas with a record of aligning with the GOP’s most extreme legal positions—issued a ruling declaring that Title VII no longer protects LGBTQ+ people from workplace discrimination. The decision directly contradicts the Supreme Court’s landmark 2020 ruling inBostock v. Clayton County, which held that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is, by definition, sex discrimination. Kacsmaryk’s ruling marks one of the most alarming judicial rollbacks of LGBTQ+ rights in recent memory—and sets up a direct legal challenge to one of the foundational civil rights protections for queer and trans people […]

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Adult trans bathroom ban heard in Montana — first anti-trans hearing of 2025

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In 2025, the targeting of transgender people in bathrooms has emerged as a top Republican priority. Following the 2024 election, Congresswoman Nancy Mace launched an aggressive hate campaign against the first transgender congresswoman, Sarah McBride. Over several days, Mace posted hundreds of demeaning comments about McBride on social media, demanding that she be banned from using women’s restrooms. Her efforts culminated in Speaker Mike Johnson adopting a policy barring McBride from using such restrooms. Now, Montana Republicans are taking this crusade even further: they have announced that one of the first bills to be considered in 2025 will be a bathroom ban for transgender adults in […]

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120 anti-trans bills have already been filed across the United States before 2025 has even started

After a record-breaking year for anti-trans legislation, 2025 is shaping up to be even more challenging for transgender and queer people across the United States. A legislative tracker maintained by Erin In The Morning and other volunteers has found that nearly 120 anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ bills have already been filed in states nationwide ahead of the 2025 legislative season. This far surpasses the 80 bills filed by this time in 2023, signaling another historic wave of legal attacks on the ability of transgender people to move, live, and exist freely as themselves in public. The bulk of the bills so far come from Texas […]

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Republicans file 32 anti-trans bills on first day in Texas

Texas wasted no time escalating its attacks on transgender people as the state GOP prefiled 32 anti-trans bills on the first day of the 2025 legislative session’s prefiling period. In recent years, Texas has become a hotbed for anti-trans legislation, with each session delivering harsher crackdowns. Last session alone, the state passed six anti-trans laws, including a criminal ban on drag (currently enjoined in court), sports bans, a youth healthcare ban, and DEI restrictions. Following a national ad campaign which saw hundreds of millions poured into demonizing transgender people, Republican-controlled states are now under scrutiny over their future plans for transgender residents. Texas GOP lawmakers have made […]

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Ohio passes sweeping college trans bathroom ban, first in nation after election

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On Wednesday, Ohio’s legislature became the first in the country to pass an anti-transgender law post-2024 election. The bill, SB104, originally aimed to help dual-enrolled high school students earn college credits, but a provision was added to bar transgender people from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity on college campuses. Now, Ohio’s legislature has passed the bill on the first day of a lame-duck session. With this move, Ohio joins a small number of states in passing a transgender bathroom ban that includes adults—following a $215 million anti-trans ad campaign, many of whose ads ran heavily in the state, targeting transgender rights. The […]

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7 steps for transgender people preparing for federal crackdowns under Trump

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In the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president, transgender people are left wondering what lies ahead. For this vulnerable community, a Trump administration signals potential disaster: the candidate just won his election after$215 million in anti-trans ads targeting this small minority—a staggering amount that eclipsed spending on other issue-based ads. Now, transgender individuals are searching for ways to protect themselves under a federal government that may view them as top “enemies from within,” a term Trump has used to describe those on the left. I spoke with experts in transgender care and dozens of transgender individuals to identify steps the community can take now […]

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Tim Walz defends queer and trans youth at length in interview with Glennon Doyle

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On Thursday, Governor Tim Walz sat down for an interview with author Glennon Doyle, her partner Abby Wambach, and her sister Amanda Doyle during a taping of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast. The conversation touched on key election issues such as abortion and gun violence. However, midway through the podcast, the discussion shifted to queer youth, specifically transgender kids. Rather than shying away from the topic, Walz delivered a passionate, several-minute-long defense of LGBTQ+ rights, including transgender healthcare. He outlined his vision for the administration’s role in protecting these rights. The question came from Abby Wambach, who turned to the topic after discussing Walz’ founding […]

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6th Street Playhouse 2024-25 Season Tickets Available Now

Traditional Subscriptions On Sale TODAY! Get excited! In our 2024-25 Season, we will visit cafés in Pennsylvania, a rockin’ courthouse in Massachusetts, have Christmas in Vermont, eat cheeseburgers in Paradise and join the Pirate King and his merry band of bumbling pirates in Cornwall. You won’t want to miss a single minute! Lock in your seats today and you’ll get…Tickets to 8 fantastic 6th Street Playhouse shows! 20% off our regular ticket prices!The same seat for every performance in both our GK Hardt Theater and our Monroe Stage!Limited time offer! Ends May 31st!Single Tix and “Pick Any” Subscriptions On Sale June 1st! SUBSCRIBE & SAVE TODAY! Need help? Our Box Office is here […]

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Southern states push forward with bills ending legal recognition for trans people

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The pace of anti-transgender legislation has slowed in recent weeks, with several states, known for previously targeting transgender individuals, failing to pass any such laws. However, a different dynamic is emerging across the Gulf South, where three states are advancing bills that would cease the legal recognition of transgender individuals, potentially having significant repercussions for their trans residents. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are introducing bills to define sex in a manner that excludes transgender individuals, potentially affecting birth certificates, driver’s licenses, bathroom access, and more. The bills, dubbed the “Women’s Bills of Rights” by their supporters, fall far short of actually protecting women’s rights. They fail […]

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Debunked: This misleading NYT anti-trans column relies on pseudoscience

In an article published in the opinion section of The New York Times, opinion columnist Pamela Paul wrote a 4,500-word article filled with factual errors and unfounded assumptions about transgender care and the lived experiences of transgender people. Although the article is presented as a piece on detransitioners, the interviews serve as vehicles through which Paul packages inaccuracies and disinformation with faulty citations and claims that are not supported by the evidence she presents. The article is the latest in a seriespublished by The New York Times to do so, and a simple fact check of the claims presented easily debunks the article’s central premises […]