Features

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Maine judge upholds block of anti-trans initiative on November ballot

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On Thursday, a Superior Court judge upheld the block of a referendum on transgender athletes from its November ballot, according to Maine Public. The proposal, launched by Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine, aimed to restrict transgender school athletes to compete only on teams that match their gender assigned at birth, or on co-ed teams. Further, it would enforce the use of separate “male” and “female” locker rooms, restrooms, and showers. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. The campaign gained momentum in February, when the group submitted a […]

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Microsoft Celebrates Pride While Allowing Hate Speech and Dropping DEI

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Julius Shan remembers sitting at his desk last August and opening an email that caught him by surprise: “Please find attached the memo terminating your employment with Microsoft, effective immediately.” “It was kind of a shock, but it was also kind of a relief to be fired,” he told Uncloseted Media. Shan, a 28-year-old gay man, had been on the outs with his employer for over a year. When he joined Microsoft in 2020, it felt like a good environment for LGBTQ employees. But over time, he grew disillusioned as he watched the company ignore criticisms from him and his […]

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Republicans derail women’s history museum with anti-trans rule

The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum has been years in the making — and now, transphobia is threatening to derail the whole thing.  A bill to approve construction of the museum failed to pass on a 204-216 vote, with House Democrats voting in opposition. The Democratic Women’s Caucus pulled support after Republicans amended the legislation to require that the museum exclude transgender women.  That rule would exclude trans women like Lynn Conway, an American computer scientist who guided the microchip design revolution of the 1980s, and Rachel Levine, former assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who helped coordinate the national COVID-19 pandemic response — not […]

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Senators clash over whether parents or politicians should decide on trans youth care

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A Senate hearing on gender-affirming care for minors on Wednesday became a fight over who gets to make decisions for transgender children, whether politicians should override doctors and parents, and whether the Trump administration’s escalating campaign against gender-affirming care is rooted in concern for children or hostility toward transgender people. The hearing, convened by Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, came as the administration has intensified efforts to restrict care, including Justice Department subpoenas seeking records from providers that treat transgender minors. The committee listed three witnesses, including Dr. Kurt Miceli, chief medical officer of anti-trans and anti-diversity activist group […]

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Trans teens who receive hormone therapy are less likely to run away from home

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Transgender teens who received hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are less likely to run away from home, according to a new study. Researchers at Southern Oregon University and Rutgers University examined data from about 1,101 respondents to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey who began receiving HRT between the ages of 14 and 18. The survey asked respondents whether they had ever received HRT and whether they had run away from home because of their trans identity. The survey asked respondents who answered yes to either question their ages when both incidents occurred. Researchers then compared the answers of those who received HRT […]

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Notre Dame Cites Pope Leo In Pride Month Message

“In keeping with Notre Dame’s Spirit of Inclusion and in light of Pope Leo XIV’s call for a Church that ‘strives to be close’ to our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, we embrace our LGBTQ students, faculty, staff, and alumni.  “Let us continue to work together to ensure that every person in this community experiences a true sense of belonging.  “The University of Notre Dame strives for a spirit of inclusion among the members of this community for distinct reasons articulated in our Christian tradition. We prize the uniqueness of all persons as God’s creatures.  “We welcome all people… precisely because […]

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Trans woman found dead near Houston bayou identified as Persia Amarra Conway

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The transgender woman whose body was discovered near Brays Bayou in Houston last Monday (25 May) has been identified as 33-year-old Persia Amarra Conway. Conway’s identity was first confirmed by Blaque Out magazine on Friday (29 May), citing social media posts from her family.  In a Facebook post shared on Friday morning, her mother, Michelle P. Simmons, described Conway as “kind-hearted,” “funny,” and “headstrong like her mama,” while mourning what she described as the loss of her daughter at the hands of “a monster.” “Persia was not just my daughter. She was a light. She was a force. She was […]

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Mamdani Marks Pride Month With Pro-Trans Campaign

Yahoo News reports: To kick off Pride Month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the New York City Commission on Human Rights announced the launch of a public awareness campaign dedicated to the safety of transgender and gender-nonconforming people. In partnership with the newly established Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs as well as the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, the “Trans Rights Are Human Rights” campaign will highlight existing protections for trans and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers covered by the city’s Human Rights Law. Throughout June, informational graphics and banners designed by artist Dez Stavracos will be displayed on public transit, paper advertisements, and […]

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Appeals Court Upholds Block On Booting Trans Troops

Scripps News Group reports: A federal appeals court on Monday largely upheld a lower court ruling blocking the Trump administration from removing transgender service members from the military, while allowing the administration to continue enforcing its policy against new recruits. The lawsuit was filed by a group of transgender active-duty service members and prospective recruits challenging an executive order signed by President Donald Trump and a subsequent Pentagon policy issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The court found that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the policy violates equal protection guarantees under the Constitution. The ruling is […]

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These queer seniors organized for visibility & connection

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or Chicagoan David Zak, a longtime LGBTQ+ activist and veteran of community and arts programming in the Windy City, “visibility itself can be a form of activism, especially when it gives voice to people or experiences that haven’t always been represented.” Take, for instance, the trolley ride that his social club, Chicago PrimeTimers, takes every year in the city’s Pride Parade. “I think there’s something especially moving for people about seeing older LGBTQ+ adults proudly participating in Pride,” Zak tells LGBTQ Nation of the annual ride. “Sometimes, younger people along the route will stop cheering and suddenly become emotional when they realize […]

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