Poppy-Jay St. Palmer

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India passes limiting trans protection bill that redefines who qualifies as trans

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The Lok Sabha, also known as India’s House of the People, has passed a new bill that limits the rights of transgender people in the country.

Passed on 24 March, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 makes amendments to the previous 2019 law that pertains to the rights and wellbeing of trans people.

The amendments redefine who qualifies as trans people and therefore who is protected by the law, and also introduces a new system for identity certification and stricter punishment for offences against the trans community.

Under the new bill, a medical board will be formed to determine identity with district magistrates issuing new ID cards to the trans people that qualify.

Punishments for those that cause harm to the protected trans people will also be graded for different offences, with the maximum jail term for the most serious offences increasing from two years under the 2019 bill to 14 years.

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar explained that the rewriting of the bill was to ensure that “only those who face social boycott due to biological issues” were protected, according to India Today.

He said: “To ensure that transgender persons can avail themselves of the benefits of this Act, it was necessary to provide a precise definition.”

Through the bill, the Indian government has insisted that trans identity cannot be based solely on “personal choice or claimed self-perceived identity” in case it is misused beyond its original intent.

The new bill has come under fire from opposition parties, which have argued that the amendments undermine the right to self-identification as recognised by the country’s Supreme Court.

India Today reports that Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria said: “If the bill is for their welfare, why are they opposing it on the streets?” referencing the fact that it is being protested by members of the trans community.

Other opposition politicians have called the amendments “draconian”, “regressive”, and “a brazen attack on the Constitutional rights and identity of transgender people”.

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Leigh Ryswyk makes history as the first AFL player to come out as gay

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Leigh Ryswyk has made history as the first male Australian Football League (AFL) player to come out as gay.

Speaking on radio show GayFL on 25 March, Ryswyk shared that he has been out to close friends for the last five years.

“There will be people though, if they do listen to this, it will be the first time they know about this,” he said. “I’m a very private person, so it’s not all over my social media, and things like that, and that’s fine.”

He continued: “It can be a bit of a shock to some people, they might not know what, but that’s life right? In the end, the people who are nearest and closest to me know, and that’s what’s most important.”

Ryswyk also shared that both of his parents had been very supportive of his sexuality which he shared the news with them.

“When you come out to your family it’s always a massive experience, there’s a lot of things going on in your head,” he said. “It took me a little while where I was comfortable enough to do this, probably a three-year period to be honest, so there was a lot of the mental side of things going through at the same time.”

Leigh Ryswyk and David Hill of North Adelaide tackles Mathew Clarke
Leigh Ryswyk and David Hill of North Adelaide tackles Mathew Clarke of Labrador during the round nine Foxtel Cup AFL match between Labrador and North Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on May 21, 2011 in Adelaide, Australia. (Morne de Klerk/Getty Images)

Ryswyk is retired, having played for the Brisbane Lions from 2005 before suffering a quad injury and being delisted from their senior side. He then went on to play 226 games in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) before receiving a rib injury and fully retiring in 2018. He has since been inducted into the AFL Queensland Football Hall of Fame.

Ryswyk followed in the footsteps of Mitch Brown, who came out as bisexual last year after he retired from the AFL.

There is yet to be an active AFL player to come out as LGBTQ+, but Ryswyk believes whoever does will receive massive support. “I think the AFL, and the community, will wrap their arms around that player,” he said. “I think the community itself, obviously the queer community, the fan base, I think in the whole they will celebrate that when the time comes.”

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Kentucky to pass bill that would declare trans people mentally ill

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Kentucky is on track to pass a new bill that would declare transgender people mentally ill and ban trans teachers from working.

State senator Gex Williams proposed the amendment to House Bill 759, which relates to teacher certification.

The amendment itself does not mention trans people specifically, but would forbid the certification of teachers who have been diagnosed with or treated for any “disorder that is excluded from the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990”.

The ADA sets out a list of “disorders” that are not protected by law, including “gender identity disorders”. Other listed disorders include transexualism, pedophilia, kleptomania, compulsive gambling and voyeurism, amongst others.

Speaking to the Herald-Leader on 9 March, Williams said: “Those who continue to promote such transitions and gender confusion or are themselves confused should not have teaching certificates giving them the privilege of having care, custody and control of Kentucky’s most valuable asset, our children.”

The amendment will also require doctors licensed in Kentucky to “diagnose the disorders [excluded from the ADA] based on the disorder definitions in the DSM III”.

This means doctors will need to utilise outdated terms like “transexualism” and “gender identity disorder” instead of gender dysphoria and reclassify being trans as a mental illness for the first time since 2013.

Following a session on 28 March, Senate Republican leadership put the bill on the consent orders for 31 March, which is a fast-tracked process meant for “uncontroversial bills”, Transitics reported.

This fast track means that the bill will be voted on without being debated beforehand. It will be passed as default if no other Senators oppose Williams’ amendments.

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Man sentenced after defrauding gay men on dating apps for over £28,000

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A man who coerced gay men on dating apps and defrauded them for a total of £28,488 has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Between July 2022 and November 2024, 26-year-old Thomas Godden was found to have tricked three men into thinking they were in romantic relationships with him.

He then exploited them to send him money for what they thought were day-to-day costs, travel expenses and more, and ensured them that he would repay them. One of the men he victimised sent him more than £26,000.

An investigation carried out by the City of London Police found that Godden used Tinder and Bumble to target his victims, presenting himself as a gay man looking to get into a serious relationship.

Unbeknownst to his victims, Godden is heterosexual and was already in a relationship at the time.

Detective Constable Melissa Morgan, who works on the Fraud Operations team for the City of London Police, said of the case: “Godden deliberately targeted men who were seeking companionship and a genuine emotional connection. He abused their trust, manipulated their vulnerabilities and caused significant financial and emotional harm.”

She continued: “This was a calculated pattern of offending, not a misunderstanding or a civil dispute, but a clear case of fraud by false representation.”

When the victims challenged Godden about repaying the money, he became “hostile, made excuses, or threatened to cut off contact”, according to a statement from the City of London Police. In some instances, he “used emotional blackmail, including threats of self-harm, to maintain control and continue receiving funds”.

The investigation also found that Godden used the dating apps solely to procure money, and that his internet search history included questions like: ‘Can you go to jail for romance scamming?’ and ‘Can you go to the police if someone owes you money?’

Godden pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud by false representation in December 2025 and was sentenced to three years in prison on 17 February 2026 at Canterbury Crown Court.

A spokesperson for Bumble said: “We are deeply concerned about anyone taking advantage of our community, and are saddened to hear of these experiences. The safety of our members is our top priority and fraudulent activity is not tolerated on Bumble.”

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Kind strangers raise $90k for trans man’s college tuition after parents cut him off

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Hundreds of kind strangers have helped raise $90,000 so an MIT student could complete his college education after his parents cut him off for being trans.

Matthew N, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lost his student housing when his parents financially cut him off when he came out as transgender.

A GoFundMe for Matthew, which was set up by his friend and fellow MIT student Irene Dong, has surpassed the target of $81,100, meaning he will be able to graduate. One anonymous supporter even donated $10,000.

“Matthew’s parents cut off their financial support after discovering he is transgender,” Dong wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “Since then, he has worked multiple jobs, maxed out on loans, and exhausted every option to stay afloat. Our goal is to raise money to fund his senior year’s tuition and housing, to allow him to graduate this spring.”

When the fundraiser was set up, Matthew was just weeks away from graduating but being evicted from his student housing meant that he would have been forced to leave MIT before completing his degree in physics.

MIT’s policy around financial aid being dependent on students’ parents’ financial status meant that Matthew wouldn’t have qualified for assistance, the fundraiser states.

“Despite submitting statements from therapists, psychiatrists, and an organization supporting LGBTQ+ students without parental support (the Wily Network), his appeals for independent financial status have been repeatedly denied,” it continues. “Now, as he approaches the finish line of his MIT education, Matthew has run out of options.”

Matthew hopes to pursue a career in astrophysics after graduation.

“I have known Matthew for three years, and I can personally say that he is one of the kindest, most generous, and most amazing people I’ve ever met in my entire life,” Dong continued.

“I have watched him struggle for years against his family and with MIT Student Financial Services – towering forces that do not care for his health or his future, but nonetheless wield an immense degree of control over his life.”

Following the incredible response to the fundraiser, Matthew himself left an update expressing his gratitude to all who supported his cause.

“Thank you so much to everyone who has donated,” he wrote. “I’m amazed at how many people have come together to support me! I was forced to move out of my dorm this morning, but I am safe and have a place to stay temporarily. I’m in the process of late registering for the fall and the spring, and I am still keeping up with my classes. It looks like I am on track to graduate this May.”

He continued by confirming that any additional donations will be put towards helping him pay off his existing loans.

“I am in awe of the immense kindness and generosity of everyone who donated, reached out, and helped to spread my story,” he continued. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. I am incredibly excited to graduate!”

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Man sentenced to prison for cyberstalking gay men since 2016

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A man from North Carolina who targeted gay men, stalked them and sent them death threats since 2016 has been sentenced to three years in federal prison.

David Ryan Winters, aged 40, was convicted on cyberstalking charges after targeting men in the Raleigh-Durham area.

The court heard that Winters himself was gay, and that he volunteered at Raleigh’s LGBT Center in 2013 and 2014.

However, the News & Observer reported that “his behavior there bothered others to the extent staff told him he could visit but no longer volunteer”.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said that Winters was “enraged at the gay community” for rejecting him and targeted his victims by looking up personal information about them and sending them threatening messages online.

Court documents outlined how Winters went to some of his victims’ homes, sent them pictures of their houses and even threatened to kill them. He reportedly wanted to make headlines by repeating the Pulse nightclub mass shooting that took place in Orlando in 2016.

US Attorney Ellis Boyle said: “We believe in protecting all citizens who deserve to live their lives in peace. This antisocial behavior cannot fester without serious attention and prevention.

“Thanks to our dedicated law enforcement partners for taking this very seriously and putting this criminal behind bars.”

Boyle also told the court that “the evidence that the defendant selected the victims in this case because they are gay is overwhelming”.

Notably, one of Winters’ victims was out gay Raleigh City Council member Jonathan Lambert-Melton.

Speaking to WRAL News, the council member said: “I have probably pages of accounts I’ve blocked that are all him, and he just makes new ones. There were some messages that were sent to people in my network who don’t even live in North Carolina, suggesting that I should die.”

In his impact statement at Winters’ sentencing, Lambert-Melton said: “I felt like I was under a weighted blanket. The only time that weight was lifted was while he was incarcerated.”

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Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles bans trans folk from changing gender on ID

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The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will no longer accept court orders or medical documentations recognising transgender residents’ gender changes, effectively banning trans people from changing their gender markers on state ID.

The change was announced in a small post on the BMV’s website on 9 February and went into effect on 12 February, meaning people had just three days to act.

In a statement released on 9 February, LGBTQ+ advocacy group Indiana Youth Group said: “Denying people the ability to update the gender marker on their identification is not only discriminatory; it is dangerous. In an increasingly hostile climate, mismatched identification can expose individuals to harassment, threats, and violence. It can also create serious barriers to employment, housing, and access to essential services.”

It continued: “For many LGBTQ+ young people – like those served by IYG – affirming identification is more than paperwork. It is a matter of safety, dignity, and basic recognition by their state.”

The change had been proposed twice before in July and November 2025, but both times it was criticised by the people of Indiana.

“The people of Indiana spoke clearly and repeatedly against this policy, and the BMV chose to ignore them,” said IYG CEO Chris Paulsen.

“Quietly implementing a rule that puts transgender Hoosiers at risk – while offering no transparency or meaningful notice – is not governance. It’s cruelty,” they continued. “Our young people deserve a state that protects their safety and dignity, not one that deliberately puts them in harm’s way.”