The Advocate

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History-making Rep. Becca Balint on finding hope in divisive times as a queer member of Congress

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Democratic U.S. Rep. Becca Balint shattered historical barriers with her 2022 election, marking the first time Vermont sent a woman and out LGBTQ+ person to Congress. Through her tenure in Vermont’s legislature and notably as the state Senate’s president pro tempore, Balint, 55, crafted a legacy underscored by her commitment to progressive values — from staunch advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights to proactive stances on climate change and housing affordability. Her election to the U.S. House in 2022 not only shattered historical barriers, marking the first time Vermont sent a woman and out LGBTQ+ person to Congress, but also underscored the evolving dynamics of American political representation. […]

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Florida mom of trans student sues school district, claiming retaliation and violation of rights

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Jessica Norton, a Florida school employee and mother of a transgenderdaughter, is suing the Broward County schools and the Florida State Department of Education, saying they violated her rights by investigating and ultimately disciplining her in retaliation for filing an earlier lawsuit challenging the state’s trans-exclusionary sports law. Norton had been an employee at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek since 2017; the school is part of the Broward County School District. She was hired as a library media clerk and was promoted to information specialist in 2022, and she received positive reviews along the way, according to the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court […]

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs and vetoes LGBTQ+ legislation

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, provided the local LGBTQ+ community with a mixed response to a series of bills approved by the California state legislature in recent days. Newsom signed two bills providing IVF coverage for the community and another banning censorship of LGBTQ+ books in school libraries, but he vetoed two bills that would have created an expedited process for licensing out-of-state doctors who provide gender-affirming care. Here’s a quick explanation of all four bills, with responses from their authors and Newsom. SB-729 Health care coverage: treatment for infertility and fertility services Authored by State Senator Caroline Menjivar (D – San […]

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NFL donates $100k to Trevor Project on National Coming Out Day

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The National Football League is donating another $100,000 to the Trevor Project, gay former NFL player Carl Nassib announced Friday, National Coming Out Day. “I’m happy to announce that the NFL is continuing their support by making a $100,000 donation to the Trevor Project,” Nassib said on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football.“So for those who don’t know, young LGBTQ people are actually four times more likely to harm themselves, and so the Trevor Project provides lifesaving support to these kids, and so this $100,000 is going directly to that organization to continue that work. So huge, huge thank you to the NFL … it’s a really positive step.” […]

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Black trans woman Honee Walker killed in hit-and-run in Rochester, N.Y.

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Honee Walker, a 37-year-old Black transgender woman, was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Rochester, N.Y., last Wednesday. Walker has been misgendered and deadnamed in local media reports. The accident occurred just before midnight. Walker was a pedestrian, and the driver who hit her left the scene, TV station WHAM reports. She was pronounced dead soon afterward. The driver and vehicle have since been identified, but no arrests have been made, and the accident remains under investigation. After the incident, Walker’s family gave her name to media outlets, but some have not corrected their reporting. The latest WHAM story, however, states her correct name and refers to her as a […]

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Karine Jean-Pierre promoted to Joe Biden’s innermost circle as senior presidential adviser

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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoted to senior adviser to the president.  ABC News reported on Monday that she will maintain her current role as she adds the new title to her portfolio. Jean-Pierre, who became the first Black woman and the first out LGBTQ+ person to hold the press secretary position in 2022, now joins the president’s inner circle as one of his most trusted advisers. Jean-Pierre’s promotion reflects the confidence President Joe Biden has placed in her since the beginning of his term. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients praised her as “a trusted adviser to the president and all of us here […]

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90% of trans kids get support from parents but half face bullying at school, new report finds

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Transgender and nonbinary youth in the U.S. are usually receiving support from their parents or guardians, but they suffer disproportionately from bullying in school, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The findings are from the foundation’s 2024 Report on the Experiences of Parents of Transgender and Non-Binary Children, which highlights the struggles trans youth continue to face despite increased parental support, released Thursday along with its first Supporting Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Expansive Children guide, created by the foundation’s Parents for TransgenderEquality National Council. The foundation is the educational arm of HRC. More than 92 percent of parents surveyed were supportive of their child’s trans identity, notes the report, […]

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This Supreme Court case could change gender-affirming care in the U.S. forever

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The controversy over gender-affirming care for trans minors is coming to the U.S. Supreme Court in its new term, which begins Monday — the first Monday in October. A hearing date has not been set, but the case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, over a Tennessee ban on such care, will surely attract much attention when it comes to the court. The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups representing the Tennesseans who sued over the law, predicts the hearing will be scheduled for December. Here’s what you need to know about the case, which is the high court’s first opportunity to rule on the issue. What is the U.S. […]

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Texas sues Biden admin over requirement for LGBTQ-affirming foster care placements

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Ken Paxton, the notoriously homophobic and transphobic attorney general of Texas, is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, and other members of the Biden–Harris administration over a rule requiring that LGBTQ+ youth in federally funded foster care programs be placed in affirming homes. The rule was finalized in December. Under it, to be considered a designated placement for LGBTQ+ and intersex children, the foster care provider must commit to establishing an environment that supports the child’s status or identity; and be trained with the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of the child related to the child’s self-identified sexual […]

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LGBTQ+ people are at a higher risk of ‘adverse brain health:’ study

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LGBTQ+ people are at a noticeably higher risk of “adverse brain health outcomes” in comparison to their straight and cisgender peers — and discrimination could be having an impact.  LGBTQ+ adults are at a 15 percent higher risk of composite brain health outcomes, including dementia, strokes, and late-life depression, according to a new study published in Neurology. Transgender women in particular were found to have higher odds of having strokes. The study examined data from 393,041 participants with available information on sexual orientation and gender identity, of whom 39,632 (10 percent) identified as some form of LGBTQ+, with 38,528 (97 percent) belonging to a sexual minority […]

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