Features

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Many alleged suicides of Black trans women are in fact modern-day lynchings, report finds

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A new report is raising questions about how U.S. law enforcement agencies across the South classify the deaths of transgender women, arguing that some cases ruled suicides may warrant deeper scrutiny. The story, in too many Southern towns, begins with speed. A body is found. Authorities announce no foul play. A ruling is entered. The case, advocates argue, was closed before it was ever truly opened. Jill Collen Jefferson has spent years in the gap between what official records say and what families believe happened. The founder of social justice organization JULIAN, she has reviewed hundreds of deaths across seven Southern states, […]

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17 states consider cutting assistance for HIV meds as prices increase

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States across the U.S. have either implemented or are considering measures that limit access to life-saving medications for tens of thousands of low-income people living with HIV. The moves, experts warn, are likely to lead to economic and public health crises. According to new data published this week by the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), 17 states and D.C. have already taken steps to cut costs for their AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP), while five others are considering similar measures. Since 1996, federally funded ADAPs have helped low-income, uninsured, and underinsured people afford HIV and AIDS medication, primarily […]

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An entire generation of AIDS survivors is now struggling with a hidden epidemic

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Tez Anderson decided to get tested for HIV after he moved to San Francisco in 1986 at the age of 25 and began dating his new boyfriend. When the results came back positive two weeks later, the doctor told Anderson he had 18 to 24 months to live. It was two days after his 26th birthday. Devastated by the news, Anderson began planning his death. But decades later, he remained relatively healthy while watching many friends and acquaintances die of HIV-related illnesses. As he approached age 50, Anderson realized, “Oh, my God, I’m going to be an old man with […]

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Federal workplace rights agency says Trump’s government can limit transgender employees’ bathroom usage

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The federal government’s chief workplace civil rights agency has reversed course on one of its most consequential transgender rights precedents, allowing federal agencies to bar trans employees from using restrooms that align with their gender identity. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reversed a key portion of its 2015 landmark transgender rights ruling, narrowing protections for transgender federal employees and intensifying a growing clash between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats over the future of workplace equality. In a 2–1 decision issued February 26, the EEOC ruled against a transgender federal employee who filed a discrimination complaint after being denied access to the women’s restroom at work. The […]

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Trans man jumps in frigid lake & saves baby from drowning: “I wasn’t going to let that baby die”

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30-year-old trans man Lio Cundiff has been hailed as a hero for jumping into Chicago’s frigid Lake Michigan to save a baby whose stroller was blown into the water by a strong gust of wind.  Cundiff recounted hearing the mother scream and then observing her being frozen in shock. “And so I just jumped in,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “My only thing was, ‘You got to get this baby out of here.’ If she’s going down, I’ll go down with her, but the goal is to get us both up.” Cundiff told ABC 7 Chicago that the mother was clearly “too panicked to do […]

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Florida suddenly cuts off 12,000 people from receiving their HIV meds

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HIV patients and advocates in Florida are reeling after the Department of Health’s sudden move to cut off about 12,000 people from receiving affordable HIV medication, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. The Department utilized an “11th hour” legal loophole on Tuesday, just one day before a hearing in a lawsuit filed against the state by AIDS Healthcare Foundation over changes to its AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Louise Wilhite-St. Laurent, an attorney representing AHF, was one of […]

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We Spoke to 8 Trans Inmates. They Say the Bureau of Prisons Is Illegally Denying Them Care

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On his first day back in office, President Trump signed Executive Order 14168, which contains several provisions rolling back trans rights including a ban on the use of federal funds for gender-affirming health care in prisons. The following month, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) issued a memo outlining their compliance with the order and that they would be removing nearly all accommodations for trans people. This would include access to gender-affirming hormones, clothing and other items like razors and chest binders. In March 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Transgender Law Center (TLC) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over these […]

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‘They better take away duct tape’: Trans men say they’ll keep binding despite FDA crackdown

In the early 1980s, Jamison Green needed to bind his chest so that he would be less likely to be perceived as female when he walked down the street or went into the men’s restroom at work.  Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. He first tried ACE bandages, but those didn’t work. The clips would sometimes come off in the middle of meetings, and the fabric was just too loose. Ultimately, he made do with girdles he bought through the Sears catalog. Each one […]

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Lyft steps in to offer rides after Kansas voids transgender residents’ driver’s licenses

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As Kansas began abruptly voiding certain transgender residents’ driver’s licenses under a new Republican-backed law, rideshare company Lyft is drawing praise from national LGBTQ+ advocates for offering people affected a discounted ride. On Saturday evening, the rideshare company posted on Threads, “If you live in Kansas and need a new way to get around, use code TRANSJOY for 50% off a ride this week,” with a pink heart and trans Pride flag emoji. In a follow-up post, Lyft added: “valid through 3/9/26, up to $10 total discount. Supplies are limited.” The promotion marks one of the first visible corporate responses to the law’s immediate practical impact. The offer came […]

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Too Afraid to Leave Home: ICE’s Toll on Latino HIV Care

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For two weeks, Ablé Sanchez didn’t leave their house in South Minneapolis. “[I was] forced into survival mode,” Sanchez told Uncloseted Media and Rewire News Group (RNG). “I felt like there was an invisible wall [to the outside world] that I couldn’t cross unless I really wanted to put myself in a place where there was a chance that I might not be able to come back.” Queer and Mexican American, Sanchez was afraid of being targeted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in their neighborhood, even though they are a U.S. citizen. “Every day is a risk,” […]

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