Features

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Gender refugees overwhelm sanctuary states & face long waitlists for gender-affirming care

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As Republican-led legislatures have limited or banned access to gender-affirming care for trans people across the country, states like New Mexico are witnessing a large influx of “gender refugees” seeking healthcare. Over the past two-plus years, nearly two dozen states have instituted limits or bans on gender-affirming health care for trans youth and adults. While trans people in red states seek out alternative sources of care and places to live, larger states and metropolitan areas like San Francisco and New York can prove prohibitively expensive. So smaller states like New Mexico, Minnesota, Colorado, Vermont, and Washington, with prohibitions on restricting gender-affirming health care and a lower […]

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This State Tried To Pass Anti-Trans Laws For Years. Then A Right-Wing Media Star Got Involved.

Last September, Riley headed to their clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which was usually brimming with chatter about the day’s research and patient needs.  But that fall morning, Vanderbilt was thrown into chaos, and the clinic for gender-affirming surgeries, which serviced both trans youth and adults, had been shut down for the day. The health care worker, who is using a pseudonym in fear of retaliation from their employer, said the atmosphere among their colleagues in the trans health clinic was a mix of “fear and concern.”  Riley’s clinic remained open, and their colleagues debated whether they were safe at work […]

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Retired gay couple awarded for launching organization supporting LGBTQ+ elders of color

On November 12, Paul Glass and Charles D. Evans of Falmouth were honored with this year’s AARP Andrus Award for Community Service. It’s AARP’s most prestigious and visible state volunteer award for community service. They are the first married and Black gay couple in AARP’s history to receive the award. AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons,  is one of the largest organizations in the country. With a membership of over 38 million members as of 2018, it focuses on issues affecting Americans over the age of fifty. The AARP Andrus Award for Community Service is an annual awards […]

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At least 33 transgender and gender-nonconforming people were killed in the past year, report finds

The nation’s largest LGBTQ rights group released its latest data on fatal attacks on transgender and gender-nonconforming people, describing an “epidemic of violence” targeting the community, especially young Black trans women.  The Human Rights Campaign found that at least 33 transgender and gender-nonconforming people have been killed in the United States since November last year. Of those deaths, 26 have been recorded so far this year, following a total of 41 recorded deaths last year. The annual report was released Monday to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance.  “The epidemic of violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people is a national embarrassment,” Human Rights […]

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Experts Weigh in on the Realities of Gender-Affirming Care and the Dangers of Disinformation

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n the wake of numerous discussions, panels, and speeches at PFLAG’s National Convention in Arlington, VA. last month, a notable conversation took place to illuminate the shadows cast by disinformation on trans healthcare. The ambiance within the Crystal Ballroom at DoubleTree Crystal City was anything but cold as attendees gathered for a crucial dialogue on trans healthcare. The session, “Courageous Love in Trans Healthcare,” moderated by writer and activist Charlotte Clymer, featured a panel of health experts, including Admiral Rachel L. Levine, the assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, the […]

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Teachers and students grapple with fears and confusion about new laws restricting pronoun use

Indianapolis high school senior Caston Peters had used they and them or he and him pronouns at school for three years without a problem, but they came home a few days into this school year and told their mother that the situation had changed. Peters, 18 and nonbinary, heard from a teacher that a new state law meant they wouldn’t be able to use those pronouns, or the first name they’ve used for years, without explicit permission from a parent because the pronouns and name don’t correspond with their sex assigned at birth. This was news to Caston’s mother, Kim Michaelis-Peters, who […]

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Here’s why gay & bi young people smoke more than their straight peers

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Gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people are more likely to use alcohol, e-cigarettes, cannabis, and tobacco than their heterosexual peers, a new study has found. Researchers say that stress from sexual orientation-based discrimination is to blame. The study — published this autumn in the American Medical Association’s open-access medical journal, JAMA Network Open — looked at data on the habits of 28,291 middle and high school students taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey. About 4.5% of student respondents self-identified as gay or lesbian, and 11.8% self-identified as bisexual. These percentages represent about […]

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What it means to be an active ally to your LGBTQ+ co-workers

The act of ‘coming out’ is often done in steps and, for many, can be an ongoing process. For myself, I came out in stages, first to a small group of select friends in 1991, then to family in 1993. Over the following years, I came out to more and more of my friends. However, it wasn’t until many years later — in 1998 — that I came out at work. When I did, the CFO in our Corporate & Investment Bank — someone I’d worked with for years — said to me: “What could I have done better over […]

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How to Produce ‘Gender Euphoria’ for Trans and Nonbinary Youth

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Much is said about the struggles young transgender people face. But there’s less information about what makes them happy. The Trevor Project is adding to that info, however, with a new research brief, “Affirming Actions and Gender Euphoria Among Transgender and Nonbinary Young People,” released Wednesday for Transgender Awareness Week. “Gender euphoria is defined as satisfaction or joy caused when one’s gendered experience aligns with their gender identity,” the brief notes. The term “gender euphoria” has been around since 1976 but has been studied little. The Trevor Project has drawn on its 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People “to examine actions other […]

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New antibiotic shows promise for drug-resistant gonorrhea

A new antibiotic has proven as effective as the last remaining recommended treatment for gonorrhea, helping to assuage mounting fears among public health experts about the emergence of drug-resistant strains of the sexually transmitted infection. Gonorrhea is the second most common STI in the U.S. and has developed resistance to all antibiotics used to treat it, except for the recommended combined therapy of an injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone with one dose of azithromycin pills. In recent years, ominous reports have suggested that this antibiotic arsenal might not maintain its robust effectiveness against the fast-evolving pathogen for much longer. On Wednesday, results […]

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