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Black & Decker becomes latest firm to face a boycott over DEI – but what is Consumers’ Research?

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Tool company Stanley Black & Decker is the latest US firm to face right-wing criticism and calls for a boycott for having diversity, equality and inclusion policies (DEI) in place Consumers’ Research, which describes itself as an independent educational organisation which dates back to 1929, and which boasts that it targets “wokeness” in businesses, has called out the Connecticut-based company for supporting racial equality, LGBTQ+ causes and net-zero climate goals.  The not-for-profit organisation was originally set up to test consumer products and report the results, a bit like Which? – the United Kingdom organisation that promotes informed consumer choice by testing products. However, in […]

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Trans teen brutally beaten by classmates who were later “proud” of their violence on social media

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A late-night party in a wooded area frequented by teens in Gloucester, Massachusetts, was the scene of a brutal beating over the Labor Day weekend that left a trans high school junior with bone fractures and nerve damage. Sixteen-year-old Jayden Tkaczyk was transported to a local hospital emergency room after police responded to the area known as Dogtown. “One second, I was having fun. The next minute, I was on the ground getting my face stomped and beat,” said Tkaczyk after his release from the hospital. Tkaczyk told reporters he’s dealt with being bullied for years over his trans identity and is […]

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Judge partially halts Idaho’s anti-trans care law

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A federal judge Wednesday granted a partial injunction against Idaho’s law prohibiting the use of public funds and facilities to provide gender-affirming careand certified a class of transgender inmates to challenge the law in court. The lawsuit Robinson v. Labrador was filed by two trans inmates, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho and the national ACLU, to challenge House Bill 668. The lawsuit argues that the denial of gender-affirming care to incarcerated citizens is a violation of their Eighth Amendment rights prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment. A federal judge in Boise narrowly ruled against the law and granted class action status to the plaintiffs. “Plaintiffs have […]

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The Trevor Project receives $5M grant to support LGBTQ+ youth mental health in rural Midwest

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The Trevor Project and the Helmsley Charitable Trust announced on Tuesday the trust awarded Trevor $5 million to support a campaign in support of LGBTQ+ youth in the rural Midwest. It comes after the Trevor Project found young queer youth are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide in rural areas than their peers. Across the country, every 45 seconds, it’s estimated that at least one LGBTQ+ youth attempts suicide, according to the group. The Trevor Project found that 55 percent of LGBTQ+ youth in Montana considered suicide, compared to 45 percent nationwide. In South Dakota, 19 percent of young people […]

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HRC criticizes companies for ending DEI programs under right-wing pressure

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The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has criticized companies like Molson Coors, Ford, and others for “abandoning their values and backtracking from commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)” following right-wing pressure campaigns. The HRC concurrently released new survey data showing that rollbacks on DEI from large corporations in recent years are wildly unpopular with LGBTQ+ individuals and alienating many consumers. This data comes in response to far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Robby Starbuck allegedly causing numerous prominent companies — including Ford, Lowe’s, and Harley-Davidson— to significantly scale back their DEI efforts via public pressure campaigns. Starbuck, who reportedly believes that chemicals in tap water […]

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Mpox has been detected at a US prison – here’s everything you need to know 

Mpox, the highly infectious disease previously known as monkeypox, has been detected at Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, a prison in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC) has stated that there has been at least one case of Mpox located at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. “We’re actively managing the situation with robust health measures,” IDOC Chief of Staff Paul Cornelius said in a statement to the Des Moines Register, initially reported by KCCI-TV. “Affected individuals are receiving care, and enhanced sanitation and isolation protocols are in place to prevent further spread.” It remains unconfirmed how many of the 1,251 inmates have caught […]

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American Bar Association files brief supporting legal challenge to Tennessee’s transgender health care ban

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The American Bar Association has filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the challenge to Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors. “Equal protection forbids differential treatment in the exercise of important constitutional rights absent the strongest justification, and Tennessee’s [Senate Bill 1] cannot withstand scrutiny under that standard,” says the ABA brief, filed Tuesday. It adds, “The ABA has recognized in its past policy statements, state policy denying any individual access to needed medical care for reasons wholly unrelated to any medical justification — as SB1 does — is inimical to equality and equal dignity before the law.” “The right […]

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Donald Trump claims schools are performing gender-affirming surgeries on transgender kids

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Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, continued to push his transphobic rhetoric during an appearance at the annual Moms for Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Speaking with Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice, Trump criticized the growing acceptance of transgender Americans in society and opposed transgender inclusion in sports and health care. During the hour-long discussion, Trump reiterated his belief that transgender women should be barred from participating in women’s sports. He also lied about access to gender-affirming care for minors.  “Think of it, your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation,” Trump falsely claimed, misrepresenting the complex and […]

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Anti-transgender laws may complicate access to the ballot for trans voters

Member support made it possible for us to write this series. Donate to our nonprofit newsroom today to support independent journalism that represents you. In Kansas, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union have drafted a letter reminding election workers that a gender marker on a person’s identification does not need to match or correspond to a voter’s gender expression. Staff for the organization have also held clinics elsewhere to prepare trans Americans for the identification requirements they will have to navigate. In eight battleground states, the nonprofit VoteRiders is on the ground helping voters get the identification they need to cast ballots […]

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Major US insurer becomes first to expand fertility treatment cover to LGBTQ+ people

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A major US health insurance company is making artificial insemination available on all its eligible plans – regardless of sexual orientation or partner status. Aetna, a subsidiary of CVS Health, announced the landmark change its intrauterine insemination (IUI) policy on Tuesday (27 August). Members can access the benefit as a test of fertility and, in some cases, to increase the chances of pregnancy.  “Expanding IUI coverage is yet another demonstration of Aetna’s commitment to women’s health across all communities, including LGBTQ+ and unpartnered people,” the company’s chief medical officer, Cathy Moffitt, said. “This industry-leading policy change is a stake in […]

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