Features

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United Methodists remove anti-gay language from official teachings on societal issues

United Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a 52-year-old declaration from their official social teachings that deemed “the practice of homosexuality … incompatible with Christian teaching” — part of a wider series of historic reversals of the denomination’s long-standing disapproval of LGBTQ activity. The historic vote came as delegates also approved a new definition of marriage as a covenant between “two people of faith” while recognizing the couple may or may not involve a man and a woman. That replaces an exclusively heterosexual definition of marriage and followed a debate that exposed tensions between some U.S. and international delegates. The 523-161 […]

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University investigating after trans woman filmed and confronted in campus bathroom

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Western Carolina University in North Carolina is investigating after a student confronted and filmed a trans woman in toilets on the campus grounds. In the clip, which was filmed on the Western Carolina University (WCU) campus, the person behind the camera can be heard asking the trans woman what she is doing in the female toilets.  “Going to the bathroom,” the trans individual responds.  “Why are you in the girls’ bathroom?” the camera operator probes, continuing to challenge the trans woman’s presence.  In response, the person being questioned replies that she is a trans girl, to which the woman retorts: […]

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Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ customers

Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ customers in need of fertility treatment. Under the deal announced Friday, the insurer will make coverage of artificial insemination standard for all customers nationally and work to ensure that patients have equal access to more expensive in-vitro fertilization procedures, according to the National Women’s Law Center, which represented plaintiffs in the case. Aetna, the health insurance arm of CVS Health Corp., covers nearly 19 million people with commercial coverage, including employer-sponsored health insurance. The insurer will set aside a $2 million fund to reimburse people who […]

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Arkansas trans community center vandalized for 5th time in past year, advocates say

An Arkansas transgender advocacy group’s community center was vandalized this week for at least the fifth time in the past year, the group’s executive director said. InTRANSitive, the only trans community center in the state, has become increasingly visible in recent years due to its activism against a wave of state legislation targeting trans people, Rumba Yambú, the founder and executive director, said. InTRANSitive’s Little Rock-based community center has seen repeated acts of vandalism since it opened in December 2021, said Yambú, who uses they/them pronouns. Starting last year, someone has damaged the pipes outside of the building at least […]

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14 states sue the Biden administration for the right to discriminate against trans kids

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More states have announced lawsuits against the Biden administration over its new Title IX rules mandating anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students, bringing the total number of states suing the administration to 14. Last week, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia filed a joint lawsuit against the administration, along with the Independent Women’s Network, Parents Defending Education, Speech First, and the Independent Women’s Law Center. In a separate lawsuit, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) also announced a challenge to the new rules. Now the state of Tennessee is leading a lawsuit against the new rules and is joined by Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, […]

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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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How queer Indigenous youth are finding safety and support after Nex Benedict’s death

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In the summer of 2015, an 8-year-old Choctaw child named Twelve walked in their first Two-Spirit LGBTQ Pride parade, recognizing Native people with a male and female spirit within them. They wore their hair in braids and a black suit, their mother and auntie by their side. Out and proud adults waved hello to Twelve from their colorfully decorated floats. The streets of Oklahoma City were filled with music, dancing and drag performances. It was a celebration that seemed like a step toward a future of acceptance for Oklahoma’s Indigenous queer community.   “That memory sticks in my mind — seeing someone that […]

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How dating apps have tried to become more trans-inclusive over the years

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Transgender actress Patti Harrison recently appeared in a comedic advertisement for the dating app Hinge’s “Designed to be Deleted” campaign. In the ad, Harrison plays an angelic receptionist at the Gate of the Afterlife who welcomes deleted Hinge app icons after newly and happily united couples delete the app from their phones. While the ad is comical, online dating apps continue to provide an uneven experience for trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid users. Most dating websites and smartphone apps didn’t initially offer gender descriptions for these users to authentically present themselves to others. Even with expanded gender presentation options, non-cisgender users say […]

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New Hampshire votes to kill anti-trans bill after powerful testimony from transgender teen athlete

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A transgender high school athlete has told a New Hampshire state legislature that she did not join women’s sports with the goal of “dominating competition” in powerful testimony. 16-year-old trans high jump state champion, Maelle Jacques, told politicians that sports had become a place that allowed her to “be seen as normal,” and that rescinding her right to compete would be devastating. “If banned from sports teams and locker rooms, joining male teams wouldn’t be a choice for me,” she said. Her speech came during a Tuesday (23 April) debate on a bill which would have forced New Hampshire trans […]

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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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