The Advocate

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Think transgender women have an advantage in sports? A new study disputes the idea

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A new study out of the U.K. undercuts the idea that transgender women have an advantage over cisgender women in sports — and suggests that trans women are less like cis men than many suppose. The study was funded by the International Olympic Committee and conducted at the University of Brighton in England. It was published in April in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The participants consisted of 23 trans women, 21 cis women, 19 cis men, and 12 trans men. They all were involved in competitive sports, although not at the national or international level, or did physical training at least […]

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Anti-DEI laws are forcing universities to grapple with a mass exodus of LGBTQ+ professors: study

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A newly-published report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law unveils significant challenges facing LGBTQ+ faculty in higher education. Nearly half of those surveyed are considering relocating or leaving their academic roles due to anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, laws. According to the report, these laws, already enacted in nine states and under consideration in many others, are drastically reshaping these academics’ professional and personal landscapes. Specifically, states like Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have passed legislation affecting higher education DEI efforts. These laws vary significantly in their specifics but share common restrictions, including prohibitions on mandatory DEI training for faculty, […]

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Who is Jane Rigby, the lesbian scientist who just received a Medal of Freedom?

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Out astrophysicist Jane Rigby, chief scientist at the world’s most powerful telescope, has received a Presidential Medal of Freedom. The acclaimed scientist, who is an out lesbian, was one of 19 people to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor Friday. The medal is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House. Rigby is a civil servant astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as well as the senior project scientist at the James Webb Space […]

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How did the Biden administration just make health care fairer for LGBTQ+ people?

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The Biden-Harris administration announced Friday that it had finalized an essential update to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, significantly strengthening protections against discrimination in health care, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This pivotal rule change reverses prior rollbacks under the Trump administration and establishes a new benchmark for inclusivity in health care access. Advocacy groups have praised the move. What is Section 1557? Section 1557 of the ACA is a critical nondiscrimination statute prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs or activities. It plays a vital role in ensuring equity within […]

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Anti-LGBTQ+ laws lead to ‘public health crisis’ with higher suicide rates among queer youth

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Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are having a catastrophic effect on queer youth in the United States. Between bans on gender-affirming care for minors and laws allowing for queer students to be misgendered, outed, or excluded, 90 percent of LGBTQ+ youth said their well-being has been negatively impacted by recent politics, according to The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. This legislation is affecting queer students’ safety in schools, as nearly half of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 (49 percent) said they experienced bullying in the past year. Those who reported bullying also reported significantly higher rates […]

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Meet the transgender minister representing LGBTQ+ rights in Georgia

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The Republican-controlled Georgia legislature ended its session in March without passing any anti-LGBTQ+ bills — and a groundbreaking transgenderminister believes she contributed just a little to that outcome. Rev. Andi Woodworth has been co-pastor of Neighborhood Church, a United Methodist congregation in Atlanta, since 2016. This year, on March 11, she became the first out trans clergy member to address the Georgia House of Representatives during its morning prayer. She had been invited by her state rep, Democrat Saira Draper. “My hunch is just being there humanized me and humanized my community,” Woodworth says. Georgia lawmakers had been considering several pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ and specifically […]

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Over 90% of trans youth live in states pushing anti-trans legislation: report

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Over 90 percent of transgender youth in the United States are living in states that have either passed or proposed legislation restricting their rights, according to a new study. The alarming report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that 93 percent of transgender minors ages 13 to 17 — approximately 280,300 people — live in states that have considered or enacted laws restricting their access to health care, sports, and school facilities. There are only an estimated 300,100 children ages 13 to 17 in the U.S. who identify as transgender. A large percentage of trans youth live in states where […]

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Climate change has a bigger impact on LGBTQ+ couples than straight couples

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Same-sex couples are at greater risk of climate change-related threats than their heterosexual peers, a new study has found. Because LGBTQ+ people disproportionately live in coastal areas and cities, as well as areas with poorer infrastructure and less access to resources, they are more vulnerable to climate hazards, according to a report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.  Among the 15 counties researchers surveyed with the highest proportions of same-sex couples, all were coastal or urban. Several were low-income, making them “less prepared to respond and adapt to natural hazards and other climate disruptions.” Climate change “exacerbates existing disparities among individuals […]

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Iraq postpones vote on bill punishing gay sex with death

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Iraq’s Parliament on Monday postponed voting on an anti-prostitution bill that contains an amendment penalizing same-sex sexual relations and wife-swapping with life imprisonment or death, Reuters reported. The proposed legislation encountered widespread international condemnation along with warnings of “catastrophic consequences” for diplomatic and trade relations if signed into law from unnamed sources. A vote on the bill was listed as the second item on the legislature’s agenda before it was postponed. Two unidentified lawmakers told Reuters the delay was due to time constraints and disagreement on amendments, although some speculated the vote was postponed to avoid controversy ahead of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s […]

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Black trans woman África Parrilla García shot to death in Puerto Rico

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África Parrilla García, a 25-year-old Black transgender woman, was killed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in February, and details of her life and death are just now coming to light after she was deadnamed and misgendered in early news reports. She was shot several times about 1 a.m. February 2 on a San Juan street, according to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día. She was impoverished and experiencing homelessness. “A lot of trans women are on the streets and are made invisible because many people believe that their lives are worthless,” LeQueen, a trans artist and friend of García’s, told the paper. “They don’t give […]

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