Experts at NYU Langone Health who focus on the spread of contagious rashes document the first reported case in the United States of a sexually transmitted fungal infection that can take months to clear up, even with treatment.
The first report, which published online on June 5 in the journal JAMA Dermatology, describes a man in his 30s who developed tinea on his penis, buttocks, and limbs after returning home to New York City from a trip to England, Greece, and California.
Genetic tests of fungal samples collected from the patient’s rashes revealed that the infection was caused by the species Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMVII). This sexually transmitted form of ringworm has been increasingly diagnosed throughout Europe, with 13 instances reported in France in 2023, mostly in men who have sex with men.
Notably, the man in the current study said he had sex with multiple male partners during his travels, none of whom reported similar skin issues.
Read the full article. There’s much more. The story has been picked up by the far-right Epoch Times and you can guess how that’s going on social media.
Each year for the last six, gay advocacy group Out Leadership has produced an index gauging the business climate for gay and transgender people state by state, mapping out where they can live and work with the least discrimination and hardship.
Last year as anti-LGBTQ+ bills swarmed statehouses across the country, the average score for all 50 states dropped for the first time.
New York was the highest-ranking state in LGBTQ+ equality for the fourth year in a row, scoring 93.67 out of a possible 100 points. Arkansas was the lowest-ranking state for the second straight year, scoring an all-time low of 27 points.
2024 alone, over 500 anti-LGBTQ laws were introduced in state legislatures across the nation. Even more alarmingly, for the second year in a row, the Out Leadership State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index has found that the political, social, and economic standing of LGBTQ+ Americans has declined.
The changes in this year’s Index reflect prevailing trends in American politics and culture. As we enter an election year, the political and cultural environment in the United States has become increasingly polarized with LGBTQ+-friendly states becoming increasingly inclusive while the worst states for equality become evermore hostile to equality and freedom.
Now, more than ever, businesses need to leverage their economic power to propel LGBTQ+ equality forward in the states in which they conduct business. In doing so, businesses will simultaneously benefit from the favorable business conditions created by a free and inclusive economy.
Launch Video
Six years ago, Out Leadership launched its first State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index in the US. This index provides leaders with a roadmap to better understand the many challenges still facing LGBTQ+ Americans. In 2024 alone, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ laws were introduced nationwide.
Before the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, there was no single factual source that served to explain both the issues at hand and their impact. The Index highlights the issues, demonstrates the economic cost of discrimination, and, more importantly, highlights the economic opportunity enjoyed by states that are more LGBTQ+ inclusive.
The climate index ranks all 50 US states across 5 key categories, and measures them in every US state. The categories are:
Legal and Nondiscrimination Protections
Youth and Family Support
Political and Religious Attitudes
Health Access and Safety
Work Environment and Employment
Each section totaled 20 points and accounted for 1/5 of the Index total.
Our scoring process is transparent and meaningful. All the data used in the study is publicly available and objective. We are grateful to our key partners: the Movement Advancement Project and the Williams Institute who graciously shared this data.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that the federal Office of Personnel & Management (OPM) had discriminated against a transgender man who worked with the Federal Bureau of Prisons by denying him hormone replacement therapy. The ruling took over eight years.
Marc Lawrence had his first experience with discrimination in 2013 and filed a complaint with the EEOC over a decade ago in May 2014.
Lawrence is currently a retiree, but he worked at the Federal Bureau of Prisons working for over almost 30 years. He received coverage through the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan, and tried to get his insurance to cover three doctor’s visits and hormone replacement therapy.
His plan denied him this coverage, saying they exclude gender-affirming care entirely.
After taking two years to rule on the case, an administrative judge in 2016 ruled in favor of OPM. Lawrence appealed to the EEOC appealed, leading to an eight-year wait for a final decision.
Last week, a judgment was made on the appeal – ruling in Lawrence’s favor.
“It’s been a long journey, it’s a relief knowing that others won’t have to face the same blatant discrimination I first encountered in 2013. My case will serve as an affirmation of the rights that transgender individuals have under the law, and I’m deeply grateful for that,” said Lawrence.
Lawrence was represented by attorneys from Lambda Legal and Gilbert Employment Law, P.C.
“This is a huge win for transgender employees, confirming what a number of courts across the country have determined — that blanket exclusions for gender-affirming care target transgender people for discrimination and violate Title VII,” said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Tara Borelli.
“It took eight years, but at long last Marc Lawrence has gotten the justice and coverage he never should have been denied.”
Lawrence’s lawyers argued that this constituted discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans job discrimination because of sex. While his insurance plan removed the exclusion in 2016, he was still pursuing relief for the denial of care.
This care was granted to cisgender men who needed it and the gender-affirming care policy only applied to transgender people.
Shannon Leary, partner at Gilbert Employment Law, said, “The EEOC’s decision solidified a particularly salient protection under Title VII, as transgender individuals face a slew of discriminatory legislation across the country.”
“It’s clear that Marc Lawrence, like all transgender employees, deserves medical care just as much as his colleagues, and we hope that federal agencies, and all employers, take this as a sign of their obligation to treat transgender employees with fairness.”
Two Texan professors have filed a lawsuit against the United States government, arguing for their right to discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and abortion history.
The plaintiffs in the suit — Daniel A. Bonevac, a philosophy professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and John Hatfield, an economics professor at the same school — are represented alongside Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on behalf of the state.
The two professors are backed by America First Legal (AFL), a large conservative legal organization that files hundreds of lawsuits to whittle away LGBTQ+ discrimination protections.
The professors claim that the Department of Education is infringing on their rights by enforcing nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and those receiving reproductive care.
They allege that this infringes on their rights to free speech, Texas’s right to sovereignty, and is a misinterpretation of rulings like Bostock v. Clayton, the 2020 Supreme Court decision that declared anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination as a form of sex-based discrimination forbidden by federal law.
“Bostock allows discrimination against homosexual or transgender individuals, so long as it is done pursuant to rules or policies that apply equally to both sexes and would lead to the same result if the individual’s biological [sex] were different,” AFL wrote in its lawsuit.
Bostock is widely interpreted as protecting against any and all discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, and has been interpreted as such in the vast majority of court cases across the country.
The professors further argue that discrimination against individuals on the basis of their gender identity and sexual orientation does not constitute a violation of Title IX, a landmark 1972 law that protects people from discrimination on the basis of sex. The law is widely used to protect LGBTQ+ individuals as well as people’s reproductive rights.
“A teacher or professor… may refuse to accommodate a transgender or nonbinary student’s demands to be referred to by the singular pronoun ‘they’ — so long as the teacher or professor refuses demands for such pronoun usage on equal terms from a biological male or a biological woman and would equally refuse to honor the transgender or nonbinary student’s request if that student’s biological sex were different,” the lawsuit states.
The administration of President Joe Biden has said that Title IX protections extend to discrimination against those who have received an abortion.
Hatfield and Bonevac, however, argue that those who receive abortions are “criminals” and as such should not receive accommodations in class, and that they should be able to reject any teaching assistant on the basis of whether they have received an abortion.
“Plaintiffs Hatfield and Bonevac do not intend to accommodate student absences from class to obtain abortions—including illegal abortions and purely elective abortions that are not medically required,” the lawsuit states.
“Nor will Plaintiffs Hatfield and Bonevac hire a teaching assistant who has violated the abortion laws of Texas or the federal-law prohibitions on the shipment or receipt of abortion pills and abortion-related paraphernalia,” the lawsuit continues.
Additionally, they lawsuit argueS against “cross-dressing,” a term they use to refer to transgender students and teaching assistants.
The two filed their lawsuit in Amarillo, Texas — nearly 500 miles away from Austin. This is most likely due to the proximity to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump-appointee known for pushing an extremist conservative perspective on sexual issues. In April 2023, Kacsmaryk issued a ruling saying that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should pull the abortion drug mifepristone from pharmacy shelves.
The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into incidents of violence inVirginia against bothtransgender and Latino students at Norview High School in Norfolk. The investigation follows reports of harassment and physical assaults that school officials allegedly failed to address adequately.
Norfolk public radio station WHROreports that the DOJ contacted one mother, Melissa Corrigan, regarding her transgender son, Matt, who faced severe harassment and violence due to his gender identity. According to Corrigan, her son was subjected to escalating harassment that included a sexual assault in a school bathroom and a physical attack during class. Despite Matt reporting these incidents to the school administration, she said no effective action was taken, and school officials did not inform Corrigan. Feeling unsafe, Matt eventually left Norfolk Public Schools and is now struggling with his education outside the traditional school environment.
In addition to the violence against transgender students, the DOJ is also investigating attacks on Latino students. WHROreported earlier this year that Latino students at Norview High School were allegedly targeted and assaulted based on their race. One incident involved Martin Martinez-Bautista, a first-year student who was attacked by a group of 15 middle school students, leaving him injured. The attackers reportedly told him they were targeting him because he was Hispanic, the station reported. Some families of Latino students have expressed frustration over the school officials’ inadequate response to these attacks, with some fearing retaliation due to their immigration status.
Before Matt left the school, Corrigan emailed the DOJ in the spring of 2023, hoping to get help. She initially had a brief conversation with someone from the agency but assumed it was a dead end after receiving no follow-up. However, nearly a year later, an attorney contacted Corrigan in March and met with her and her son for two hours. The attorney informed her that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was investigating whether Norfolk Public Schools adhered to protocols for handling student violence. He indicated that the DOJ had found sufficient evidence of non-compliance by the district to warrant a thorough investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia is investigating whether Norfolk Public Schools followed appropriate protocols in dealing with student violence.
Norfolk Public Schools Superintendent Sharon Byrdsong declined to comment on the investigation. The district’s spokesperson, Madeline Curott, stated that the district “is not aware of any Department of Justice investigations regarding concerns from the Hispanic community,” without addressing the transgender-specific allegations.
The Eastern Virginia District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not confirm the investigation’s existence but acknowledged the seriousness of such allegations in an email to WHRO.
As the DOJ continues its investigation, the spotlight remains on Norfolk Public Schools to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, regardless of their race or gender identity.
The landscape on health care access for transgender Americans seemingly shifts by the day. Here’s a summary of the most recent movement in state legislatures and the courts:
On Tuesday, May 21, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed into law one of the most extreme anti-transgender laws in the nation. H. 4624 bans health care for transgender youth under 18. Alarmingly, it also imposes severe restrictions on access to health care for transgender adults under major insurance plans and health care providers who receive public funds.
“Anti-transgender extremists claimed that their surge of attacks against basic access to health care were in the interest of protecting children,” said GLAAD President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis. “With South Carolina’s discriminatory expansion of restrictions into transgender adults’ personal health care, it’s clearer than ever that the goal is to eradicate the ability of transgender people to live and thrive in any aspect of their lives.” https://www.instagram.com/p/C7SbS5NxdNG/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=1080&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fglaad.org&rp=%2Fthe-status-of-health-care-for-transgender-people-successful-legal-challenges-and-a-dangerous-expansion%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A770%2C%22ls%22%3A223%2C%22le%22%3A763%7D
South Carolina’s new law also goes against this so-called “protect children” motivation, with additional threats to the safety of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming students. The law encourages school officials to disclose authentic names or pronouns to parents without the students’ permission, which could endanger students from unaffirming homes. At least 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ, many forced out of their homes when they came out or were outed.
The law goes into effect immediately, making South Carolina exactly the 25th state to pass a ban on health care for transgender Americans since the legislative attacks first began in 2021. Health care for transgender people and youth is supported by every major medical association and leading world health authority. Statements from 30+ organizations, here.
Chase Glenn (he/him), a leader in the SC United for Justice & Equality coalition and the Executive Director of Alliance for Full Acceptance, said, “Across the state, from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, South Carolinians are mourning the passage of H.4624, which will make it immeasurably harder for transgender youth and many adults to access the life-saving healthcare that they need and deserve. But let me be clear: This loss does not crumble a movement. Our movement supporting transgender people in South Carolina is louder and stronger than it’s ever been. We’ve marched at the State House, we’ve told our stories, and we’ve made sure our lawmakers heard from us. Now, we will do everything in our power to support our community through this crisis.”
This past week in Ohio, the doubly discriminatory HB 68, which bans transgender youth from medically-necessary health care and from school sports, remains on hold. The Supreme Court of Ohio rejected a request by the state to narrow a temporary restraining order against Ohio’s health care ban for trans youth. The legal challenge moves ahead and a trial is set for July 15th. The ACLU of Ohio filed the challenge, noting the bill violates four sections of the Ohio Constitution, including the “single-subject rule” requiring that bills not encompass more than one area of restrictions.
“The state’s request was egregious,” ACLU of Ohio’s legal director, Freda Levenson, told Ohio Capital Journal. “The scope of the temporary restraining order was necessary and appropriate to prevent the constitutional violations and other irreparable harm that would immediately occur if HB 68 were permitted to take effect. Our legal battle will continue until this cruel restriction is permanently overturned.”
Multiple federal courts have struck down health care bans as unconstitutional or barred them from enforcement as legal proceedings take place. At least seven rulings have blocked bans from Arkansas to Florida to Ohio and Montana; and include rulings by three Trump-nominated justices.
At the end of April, a ruling by the full 4th Circuit Court of Appeals — which covers Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maryland — noted multiple areas of discrimination:
bans on health care for transgender people under Medicaid and state-based plans are unconstitutional;
transgender people are a protected class;
categorical exclusions constitute discrimination based on sex.
The ruling dealt a blow to state bans that had passed in West Virginia and North Carolina.
The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on the question of transgender health care for the first time only last month when it granted a temporary partial stay on Idaho’s ban on medically necessary health care for transgender youth. The Court’s order didn’t address the constitutionality of such bans, but it may have the opportunity to do so soon.
In addition to movement in the 4th Circuit, attorneys working for LGBTQ rights in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals — covering Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and Tennessee — are asking the high court to take up the question of whether Tennessee’s ban on transgender health care is unconstitutional.
On a closely related topic, the 4th Circuit issued yet another ruling earlier this year in favor of transgender Americans, stating that a West Virginia policy preventing transgender youth from participating on school sports teams is a violation of Title IX, which ensures equal opportunity in education. This marks the first time a federal court has struck down a ban on transgender sports participation, setting a positive precedent for other states with sports bans. As the appeal process continues, the Supreme Court may opt to hear this case as well.
Of more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this session, more than 200 have been defeated, while approximately two dozen have been signed into law. Current Gallup polling indicates record-high support for nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people (84%). More than 7% of U.S. adults are out as LGBTQ, including 20% of Gen Z, the most out generation in history. A projected 14% of voters will be out as LGBTQ by 2030.
71% of Americans say they have never met a transgender person. Well, here they are.
GLAAD, in collaboration with GROUND Media, an award-winning strategic storytelling studio, launched Here We Are, a campaign that aims to combat misinformation about the transgender community.
The campaign features transgender people from Ohio and Florida alongside supportive family members. This is especially important in a time when anti-transgender rhetoric from politicians and some in the media continues to rise.
Here We Areincludes 6 one minute long videos that feature transgender adults living in the U.S. with their unconditionally supportive loved ones.
Their stories will premiere online at www.herewearenow.com and will also air nationally through paid ad buys and donated ad space from major networks including Comcast NBCUniversal, with focus on states where anti-LGBTQ bills heavily target transgender people and healthcare.
“At a time when anti-transgender rhetoric and legislation are growing at alarming and dangerous rates, it is crucial that Americans hear from transgender people about their lives and how the current political and cultural climate can be harmful to them,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Most Americans are exposed to trans issues through media-biased narratives. GLAAD and GROUND Media’s new campaign dispels these misconceptions to introduce Americans to transgender people and their supportive families who showcase that trans identity is real and that everyone deserves to be who they are and live safely.”
The first story being told is Nadya‘s. Nadya is a 19-year-old college student studying performing arts and fashion design, and she is passionate about creative expression. Watch her story here:
“When Nadya came out in her transition, I was very unfamiliar with the whole process. I knew that for me to keep her in my life I needed to be able to change. I needed to be able to learn.” her father shares.
“What’s at stake right now are people’s lives,” Nadya says. “I want to be happy, I want to be healthy. I want to have people by my side that will always be there for me.”
“There’s so much to say about Nadya. She has an amazing heart. She brings us so much joy,” Nadya’s mother says. “We want her to be able to succeed, to be her authentic self,” her father continues.
“We all have the right to be ourselves with out fear, help us share our story,” Nadya concludes.
Next, audiences are introduced to Gio. He is a 38-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran and community advocate. He’s a brother, athlete and an avid sneaker geek. Watch his story here:
“As transgender people, we sometimes forget the journey is not just ours,” Gio explains. “My family, no matter what, we always loved each other.”
“It wasn’t hard for me to accept my brother,” Gio’s sister Chantille says. “We can all live freely if we respect and honor one another.”
“Trans people are just people, we’re joyful and we just want to live and thrive and be.” Gio states.
Lastly, meet Ashton. Ashton is a 32-year-old LGBTQ advocate, speaker and consultant who loves to hike and kayak with his dad, play guitar and cook. Watch his story here:
“People can be incredibly mean, and I’ve faced harsh judgment just for being myself,” Ashton says. “I’ve lost friends, have worried about losing family, and about being able to pursue my dreams.”
He continues, “But I know that there is more love in this world than hate and I just want to be able to live my life free from fear to simply be who I am.”
At the bottom of the first page of the program for Spelman College’s Baccalaureate Service held on May 18, 2024, at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, a southwest suburb of Atlanta, is the last sentence in baccalaureate speaker Bishop Yvette A. Flunder’s bio, and perhaps for some the most jarring. It reads: “Bishop Flunder is a proud mother and grandmother and recently celebrated 40 years of commitment and marriage to her partner in ministry and life—Ms. Shirley A. Miller, a renowned Gospel music artist.” It is not unusual for queer people to exist in conservative Black religious spaces, whether parishioners or clergy. However, it is rare to encounter a faith leader like Flunder who has repeatedly chosen to tell the truth about her sexual orientation when, at the bare minimum, Black church politics can often demand adherence to a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell policy.’
A San Francisco native and third-generation preacher, Flunder is ordained in the United Church of Christ and the Metropolitan Community Church. Flunder founded the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in 1991 and is also the Presiding Bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, a multi-denominational fellowship of 110 primarily African American Christian leaders and laity representing 56 churches and faith-based organizations from all parts of the United States, Mexico, and Africa.
“You have to understand that when I come, I bring my whole self,” Flunder said as she settled into her seat across from me in the large conference room inside the Convention Center following her baccalaureate address.
Bishop Yvette A. Flunder enters the Georgia International Convention Center for Spelman College’s Baccalaureate Service on May 18, 2024. (Image: Darian Aaron)
The selection of Flunder by Spelman College to preach during a religious ceremony traditionally held the day before commencement, for some, is a radical choice in conservative Historically Black College and University (HBCU) culture. Spelman has a organized presence of queer students on campus including its LGBTQIA organization Afrekete! and various sexual orientations and gender identities were represented in the 2024 graduating class. But Spelman’s invitation to Flunder is not just a reflection of Spelman campus diversity, it is also about elevating the experience of LGBTQ students at Spelman and other HBCUs. Flunder spoke directly to the queer Spelman woman who will face the triple discrimination of racism, sexism, and homophobia.
“Embrace yourself—your understanding of your importance and the fact that you were born with this incredible gift that only a percentage of people in the world have is itself, in my thinking, a gift,” Flunder told me. “This community is overrepresented with gifts and skills— music, art, food, decoration—the ones who dress the pastor’s wife and beautify the churches,” she added.
A renowned gospel singer as well, Flunder provides lead vocals on Walter Hawkins and the Family and the Love Center Choir’s 1990 classic, “Thank You.” She sang with the Spelman College Glee Club before delivering her baccalaureate address. Flunder tells GLAAD that Gospel music wouldn’t exist without LGBTQ people.
Bishop Yvette A. Flunder sings Walter Hawkins classic “Thank You” with Spelman College Glee Club during Baccalaureate Service. (Image: Screenshot via YouTube)
“Half of the tenors, a quarter of the altos—Gospel music wouldn’t exist—absolutely would not exist without the contributions [of LGBTQ people],” she said. “And I think that it begins with our thanking God, thanking our understanding of the divine to have been chosen because not everybody can handle this.”
A home for ourselves
Flunder is clear that God has appointed and anointed her to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And while the Black church still wrestles internally with sexism, misogyny, patriarchy, and homophobia, other religious denominations have formally embraced LGBTQ members and clergy within its community. The United Methodist Church recently voted to repeal its decades-long ban on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings. Flunder, who co-created the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries 22 years ago, tells GLAAD the same is possible for the Black church.
“We have to have the courage to create something of our own,” she said. “One of the first things we did was create a home for ourselves. We all went to seminary and theological school, so we would know what we’re talking about.”
In the early years, Flunder also tells GLAAD that the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries simultaneously connected to affirming organizations, like the United Church of Christ. However, they were predominantly heterosexual, and the worship experience was far from her Pentecostal roots.
“I thank the Lord for them, but they clap on the one and the three, and I clap on the two and the four, and I just can’t,” Flunder said jokingly. “And I like good gospel music that sounds like jazz but with church lyrics.”
Using a more serious tone, Flunder discusses why she encourages people to attend affirming churches.
“Spend some time around theological education. It’s too many books out there now that are written by people who are either gay-affirming or gay,” she said.
“Nobody has an excuse now not to read and understand what is in the text. Just like the Bible says, ’slaves obey your masters.’ You don’t bit more believe that than the man on the moon. And the Black preacher who told you you’re going to hell for being gay, well, you’re going to hell ’cause you’re not a slave. Because the Bible says, ’slaves obey your masters.’ How come you can leapfrog over that? But you can condemn me? How is that conceivably possible? Obviously, some things have to do with a certain time and culture. They shift and change. Take the girdle off the Bible,” she said. “You don’t take everything literally. Just the stuff that you want.”
Some so-called Christians may believe that by elevating the perceived “sins” or shortcomings of others, in this case, LGBTQ people, their sins will be overlooked. It’s a harmful practice rooted in toxic theology that encourages bondage instead of freedom through Christ—a pill prescribed to Flunder that was too bitter for her to swallow.
“When they realized that I was gay in the church, one of the missionaries came to me, she said, ‘Now baby, we see you. We know who you are.’ She said, ‘You just need to get you a little husband,’” Flunder recalls. “She’s trying to tell me if I’m going to move [up] in the church, I need to find a pliable, reasonably obedient man. Not only do I not want to do that to myself. I don’t want to do that to him. I don’t want to pick a man and say, all I need you for is window dressing,” she said. “I’m in love with my partner. The air she breathes. And that’s the truth. You don’t stay with somebody for 40 years if you don’t mean it. That’s the kind of love I want. I don’t want to play house or church. And I told her, hell no, I’m not doing that.”
Bishop Yvette A. Flunder pictured with her wife of 40 years, Mother Shirley A. Miller. (Image: Instagram)
Mother [Shirley A. Miller], often travels with Flunder but did not accompany her to Atlanta for Spelman’s baccalaureate service due to mobility issues.
“We are the othered ones, but the spirit has called the othered ones,” Flunder told the graduates towards the end of her baccalaureate address. “Change the direction of religion. It’s not supposed to be a private social club. It’s time for the disinherited, the demeaned, the excluded, the diminished to stand up, speak up, and move up to the table—it’s time.”
GLAAD, which describes itself as the world’s leading LGBTQ media advocacy organization, and America’s Blood Centers, a national organization of community-based independent blood donation centers, announced on May 22 they have launched an LGBTQ supportive “Summer of Giving” national blood donation drive campaign.
The announcement says the campaign is aimed at encouraging “businesses to host blood drives and all eligible individuals to donate blood in support of the recent FDA eligibility changes that promote fairness and inclusivity in the donation process while maintaining the safety of the blood supply.”
The joint announcement was referring to the final revised blood donation rules issued in May 2023 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that replaced a previous policy requiring men who have sex with men to abstain from sex for three months before they would be eligible to donate blood.
The previous policy was among the gradual changes made by the FDA from its original policy in the 1980s of automatically banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood due to their perceived risk of HIV infection. LGBTQ activists called that policy discriminatory because it banned all gay and bisexual men from donating blood even if they were not as individuals at risk for HIV infection.
The new policy, adopted in May 2023, according to a statement released by the FDA, put in place a screening process that asks all prospective donors regardless of their sexual orientation to answer a series of individual, risk-based questions to determine their eligibility for donating blood.
The FDA statement said implementation of the new policy “will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community” as stated by Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
“The ‘Summer of Giving’ is a celebration of the LGBTQ community and decades of work to remove the stigma too many potential donors have to endure,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in the joint statement. “Removing discriminatory barriers and following facts and science will ease the critical national blood shortage,” Ellis said, adding, “This campaign sends a long-needed message that LGBTQ people are welcome and can generously contribute to their communities to help save lives.”
Kate Fry, CEO of America’s Blood Centers, said in the statement that her organization is proud to join GLAAD to promote the facts surrounding the FDA’s change in blood donor policy, which she said, “prioritizes the safety of the blood supply while bringing more equality to the donation process.”
Fry added, “The Summer of Giving campaign is a unique opportunity for individuals and businesses to donate blood and host blood drives in support of a new era of blood donor eligibility. Together we can help save lives during a time of critical need for the blood community.”
The joint statement announcing the LGBTQ supportive blood drive says it would take place from May 28, 2024, through National Blood Donation Day on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, “in recognition of the critical need for blood donations during the summer months.” According to the statement, “Despite the ongoing demand for blood products, donations typically decline during this period due to travel and the lack of school-based blood drives.”
Under the revised FDA blood donation policy, as was the case with the previous policy, anyone who tests positive for HIV is not eligible to donate blood. The new policy includes these restrictions, which apply to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or gender:
• Any individual who has had a new sexual partner in the past three months and has engaged in anal sex in the same period is deferred for three months from the most recent sexual contact from donating blood.
• Any individual who has had more than one sexual partner in the past three months and has engaged in anal sex during that same period is deferred for three months from the most recent sexual contact.
• Any individual who has taken any oral antiviral medication to prevent HIV (PrEP or PEP) is deferred for three months from the most recent dose. These medications may delay detection of HIV and result in false negative test results.
• Any individual who has taken any long-lasting antiviral medication by injection to prevent HIV (PrEP or PEP) is deferred for two years from the time from the most recent injection. These medications may delay detection of HIV and result in false negative test results.
• Any individual who has ever taken any mediation (i.e., ART) to treat an HIV infection is permanently deferred.
GLAAD and America’s Blood Centers say further details about the new FDA blood donation policy and to find the nearest community blood center, interested persons should access glaad.org/tag/summer-of-giving.
The United Kingdom’s government just issued an emergency order to temporarily ban and criminalize the usage of puberty blockers for transgender minors, independent journalist Erin Reed reports.
This criminalization is unprecedented and has not been seen in any other country. It could lead to prison sentences of up to two years, Jo Maugham of the Good Law Project told Reed.
Notice of the policy was sent out on Wednesday, when the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care announced restrictions on puberty blockers as an emergency order from Conservative Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins.
The restrictions on puberty blockers include a grandfather clause for minors who are currently prescribed them by U.K.-based medical providers. However, this will effectively end transitional care for many. Due to the notoriously long waitlists from the National Health Service, the majority of those transitioning are doing so through private care via GenderGP, a private practice based in Singapore, Reed reported.
The emergency order bans the following medications: buserelin, gonadorelin, goserelin, leuprorelin acetate, nafarelin or triptorelin. The ban applies to England, Scotland, and Wales. It does not apply to Northern Ireland.
The ban starts on June 3, 2024 and will end on September 3, 2024.
Additionally, the ban does not apply to hormone replacement therapy, only puberty blockers.
Today, NHS England sent a letter to patients currently on the waiting list for puberty blockers outlining the restrictions. The letter stated, “It will also be a criminal offense to possess these medicines, where the individual had reasonable cause to know that the medicine had been sold or supplied in breach of the ban.”
This type of emergency prohibition is extremely rare. The last time it was used was 25 years ago, when a herb in Chinese medicine was linked to two deaths and had many experts from the UK government weighing in.
The restrictions follow others implemented in England, Scotland, and Wales earlier this year which paused additional prescriptions of puberty blockers. These prescriptions only applied to the NHS and allowed for private doctors to prescribe them still, something now voided by the current restrictions.
The NHS in England placed additional restrictions on the prescription of puberty blockers, continuing a trend in previous national legislation.
These restrictions are the result of the Cass Review, an infamous non-governmental review put out by Dr. Hillary Cass, a pediatrician who has never worked with a transgender patient. The review claimed that puberty blockers have minimal scientific backing proving their effectiveness.
Cass has met with officials appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to discuss Florida’s policies on gender-affirming care. She had Dr. Rittakerttu Kaltiala as an advisor to her review, a conservative media darling who has been making appearances in news outlets and courtrooms across the world to oppose gender-affirming care.
The Cass Review has been widely criticized for inaccurately representing the science on puberty blockers and gender-affirming care as a whole, particularly in regards to its dismissal of many studies within its literature review.
Cass dismissed the AAP as “left-leaning,” claiming they’re biased in their views. The AAP is a widely regarded medical organization, and Cass cited no evidence of its alleged political bias.
The Good Law Project is planning on a legal challenge to the emergency order, and is currently soliciting donations.
Former prime minister Liz Truss said to Sky News that she “welcomed” the ban.
Representatives from the government called it a “landmark decision” and claimed it was in children’s best interests.
Trans healthcare advocates in the U.K. are outraged at the government’s decision.
Dr. Jo Hartland, an ex-NHS doctor, said, “I cannot understand the medical community’s silence and complicity in the direction trans healthcare is going If you aren’t campaigning for your trans patients I better not see a single one of you at Prides sharing some sh*t about ‘love=love’”
LGBTQ advocacy group LGB With The T said, “In an act of abuse and cowardess [sic], the Conservatives have decided that trans kids are worthless and do not deserve the same treatment as kids who aren’t trans.”
“They have banned trans kids from puberty blockers, whilst allowing kids who aren’t trans to carry on taking them.”
GenderGP said in a statement, “GenderGP are shocked at the attitude and behavior of the U.K. government in targeting trans youth. Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under The Equality Act 2010, and it stands that every trans adult was once a trans child and we know that gender-affirming care has proven benefits.”
“We know that the interference in medicine and healthcare by the government will lead to serious harm for millions of patients and even death including those within the trans community. We remain committed to working with the government and the community to find solutions to prevent harm wherever it exists,” Gender GP added.