The 19th

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How Republicans Manufactured Anti-Trans Backlash to James Talarico

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Texas’ Senate race has become one of the most-watched elections of the year. MAGA Republican nominee Ken Paxton pulled off a rare primary defeat against a well-established 24-year incumbent, while challenger James Talarico has been polling well enough to ignite hopes of electing a Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate for the first time since 1993. This election could have a major impact on issues like education and healthcare prices, which rank as Texas voters’ top priorities. But an outsized amount of coverage of the race has centered instead on transgender people. Paxton’s campaign and its supporters have run several AI-generated ads attacking Talarico’s pro-trans positions. That focus […]

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In Georgia, 2 Trans Candidates Believe Voters Are Ready for Them

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Bentley Hudgins is a 33-year-old democratic socialist who spent the past three years advocating for LGBTQ rights in the Georgia statehouse. Bella Bautista is 10 years younger, the first transgender woman to win a legislative primary in Georgia and head of a nonprofit distributing supplies to at-risk young adults. Both are running for a spot in the Georgia House of Representatives, part of a cohort of Democrats who hope to shrink or end Republicans’ hold on the chamber. Both would make history as the first trans members of the body. Neither wants to discuss identity politics or pronouns—they want to […]

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DOJ, HHS, FTC, FDA: The alphabet soup of efforts to restrict gender-affirming care

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The United States is using the full power of the federal government to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. The American Psychological Association has accused the Trump administration of ignoring science and undermining mental health through its anti-trans policies. Groups including Planned Parenthood, AIDS United and the Human Rights Campaign see these tactics as a serious threat to the private medical information of everyone, not just trans people. If doctors can’t provide treatment without fear of political retaliation, these advocacy groups say, […]