Mira Lazine

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In a major win for trans students, New Jersey court rules against forced outing policies

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This week, the New Jersey Superior Court’s Appellate Division issued twounanimous rulings blocking forced outing policies in school districts across Morris and Monmouth counties. In mid-2023, Hanover Township Public Schools in Morris County, Marlboro Township Public Schools in Monmouth County, Middletown Public Schools in Monmouth County, and Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District in Monmouth County implemented policies mandating the disclosure of a student’s transgender status to their parents. The policies varied in scope—some required notification only if a student formally changed their gender identity at school, while others mandated disclosure if a student merely mentioned being transgender in counseling sessions. Shortly after the policies were enacted, […]

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Meta employees speak out against new anti-LGBTQ+ & anti-DEI policies

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New policies from tech giant Meta are enabling bigots to claim that LGBTQ+ people have a “mental illness.” Concurrently, the company announced on Friday that it is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments, sparking backlash from queer employees. The first set of policy changes came on Tuesday, after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would be removing content moderators and fact-checkers and loosening restrictions on their hate speech policies. Meta’s new guidelines state, “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious […]

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House Republicans reveal their top legislative priority: Attacking transgender rights

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Earlier this week, Republicans in the United States House of Representatives released their new rules package, which will allow anti-trans legislation to be fast-tracked. Listed under section 5, the anti-trans provision is listed as one of several bills that will be considered and debated within the House during the upcoming session, to be voted on “as read”; that is, no amendments that could slow down the voting process. No bill number is given, but the description of the bill in the rules package reads, “The bill to amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance […]

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Ohio Senate passes “shameful” bill that would force schools to out LGBTQ+ kids to their parents

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The Ohio Senate and House have now both passed a bill that would forcibly out LGBTQ+ students to their parents and also allow parents to opt their child out of “sexuality content” at school.  House Bill 8 defines sexuality content as “any oral or written instruction, presentation, image, or description of sexual concepts or gender ideology provided in a classroom setting,” with exceptions granted for STI and abuse discussion, as well as “incidental references” to sexual concepts or “gender ideology.” There is also a total ban on “sexuality content” in grades three and below, with all other grades facing a requirement […]

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High Court rules in favor of men tortured for alleged homosexuality in victory for LGBTQ+ Ugandans

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Last week, the Ugandan High Court of the Civil Division awarded $40,000 (the equivalent of 150 million Ugandan shillings) to 20 men who were tortured by police after their 2020 arrests for alleged homosexuality. “They assert that on the morning of the said date their residence was invaded by a mob, among which were the respondents, that subjected them to all manner of torture because they were practicing homosexuality,” Justice Douglas Singiza reportedly stated.  “The alleged actions of torture include beating, hitting, burning using a hot piece of firewood, undressing, tying, biding, conducting an anal examination, and inflicting other forms of […]

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Fact Check: Does Kamala Harris support “taxpayer-funded sex changes” for prisoners & immigrants?

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Former President Donald Trump’s campaign released a new ad centered around the claim that Vice President Kamala Harris “supports taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners and illegal aliens.” The ad highlights this claim while showing pictures of her with a trans person, a nonbinary person, and a drag queen. “Kamala is for they/them,” the 30-second ad says. “President Trump is for you.” LGBTQ Nation evaluated the ad to see whether it holds up to scrutiny. Kamala’s History While not explicitly stated within the ad, the core of the claim refers to a 2019 questionnaire sent out from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asking […]

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Missouri “experts” defending gender-affirming care ban exposed as quacks

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In the midst of an ongoing legal battle over Missouri’s ban on gender-affirming care, so-called expert witnesses in favor of the ban have had their credibility called into question, meaning their testimonies may either be thrown out or given little weight in the court’s decisions. John Michael Bailey, a fringe psychologist who promotes the debunked theory of autogynephilia, was called by Missouri’s Attorney General as an expert witness in support of the legislation, The Missouri Independent reports. Autogynephilia refers to the idea that trans women transition either due to the act of transitioning being a sexual fetish or to lure straight men […]

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GOP state officials are so mad that doctors support trans healthcare that they’re intimidating them

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Earlier this week, 20 Republican attorneys general banded together to send a letter to the leadership of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the national professional association for pediatricians, accusing them of breaking the law for supporting age-appropriate and life-saving gender-affirming care for trans youth.  The letter accuses the organization of violating consumer legal protections for allegedly deceiving the public on the reversibility of puberty blockers while also seeking detailed information on their internal evidence assessments and communications. The letter was sent by Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador.  According to journalist Erin Reed, this letter holds no legal weight, and as such, the […]

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HRC blames anti-LGBTQ+ politicians for national rise in hate crimes

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Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes have been on the rise in the past year, standing in stark contrast to the overall downward trend of violent crime, according to the FBI’s most recent annual crime reports. The Human Rights Campaign says that anti-LGBTQ+ politicians are contributing to the violence. In 2023, over 2,402 incidents of sexual orientation-based hate crimes were reported within the past year, a figure that is 500 higher than the amount reported in 2022. In 2023, there were 401 reported gender identity-based hate crimes, with 146 targeting someone who was gender non-conforming.  These figures stand in contrast to the overall trend […]

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Despite new protections, LGBTQ+ people face massive discrmination in the workplace

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LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience discrimination at work in spite of laws against it, according to reporting from The 19th. A study released by the Williams Institute last year shows that 17% of LGBTQ+ adults received harassment and discrimination on the job within the past year of reporting. 47% have experienced it at some point in their lives. “You would hope things have gotten better,” said Brad Sears, the founding executive director of the Williams Institute and a co-author of the report Many report having to stay in the closet at work out of fear of reprisal for their identities. Almost […]

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