National

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Joe Biden takes a swing at trans health care bans: “No state should be able to do that”

In a Now This Presidential Forum, President Biden lambasted state lawmakers who want to ban gender-affirming health care. Biden was being interviewed by trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, who has been publicly documenting her transition with a series called Days of Girlhood.  Mulvaney asked Biden if states should have the right to ban gender-affirming health care. “I don’t think any state or anybody should have the right to do that,” Biden responded. “As a moral question and as a legal question, I just think it’s wrong.” He continued, “Sometimes they try to block you from being able to access certain medicines, being able […]

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Genital exams for schoolgirls called out in Ohio political ads

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Two hard-hitting ads are being aired in Ohio that blast Republicans’ attempt to pass a bill banning transgender girls from participating in school sports. In June state house Republicans passed H.B. 151, which contained a measure to ban transgender girls from participating in school sports. It said that if a female student-athlete is “accused” or “suspected” of being transgender, then she can be made to undergo an examination of her genitalia, hormone levels, and DNA. “This is truly bizarre medically and nonsensical, but looking at it practically, this bill means that if anyone decides to question a child’s true gender, […]

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Trump judge upholds Don’t Say Gay law because bullying is “a fact of life”

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For the second time, a Trump-appointed judge has upheld the legality of Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law. Lambda Legal, the Southern Legal Counsel, and the Southern Poverty Law Center joined together with a group of LGBTQ students and their families to advocate for a preliminary injunction on H.B. 1557 – which prohibits K-3 teachers from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity issues with their students. The lawsuit argued that the law restricts free speech and encourages bullying. ADVERTISING But U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger dismissed their request. “Plaintiffs have not directed this Court to any fact that would lead […]

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Florida Puts Raging MAGA Moms on Book-Banning Council

In the name of “curriculum transparency,” Florida’s Republican-controlled state government has appointed several anti-gay and anti-mask conspiracy theorists to take charge of a new effort at public schools: banning books. This hastily assembled censorship council—tasked with retraining public school librarians to abide by new restrictions—is the latest ploy in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ crusade to upend the state’s education system. But the council was also staffed under suspicious circumstances, with the state Education Department ignoring its own call for official candidates from local school districts and instead filling most of the slots with right-wing activists who have a history of proposing […]

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Out Dem. Robert Zimmerman wants to be a warrior for LGBTQ rights in Congress

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When asked to confirm his age, Out Democrat Robert Zimmerman replied with an easy and emphatic laugh: “No.” For the record, the out Long Island Democrat – who is running for an open seat to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District – is 68. It’s not a young age to hold elective office for the very first time, let alone to fight off an unrepentant MAGA opponent, who, at 34, is exactly half Zimmerman’s age. But the New York native, who graduated cum laude from Brandeis University and earned an MBA at Fordham, is a seasoned politico and strategist. He […]

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Social Security now allows individuals to self-select gender

Individuals will be allowed to make sure that their records with the Social Security Administration align with their gender identity under a plan announced Wednesday. The action, which is part of the agency’s “Equity Action Plan,” follows through on a March announcement to do so by the agency’s acting commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi. Kijakazi said the move is part of a “commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the Social Security Number card application process.” It’s also part of a larger Biden administration-wide effort to increase acceptance of gender identity. […]

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Federal ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Introduced by House Republicans

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Republicans in the House of Representatives introduced legislation based on a right-wing conspiracy theory and proposed what critics are calling a federal “don’t say gay” bill. The bill prohibits using federal funds for programs or events that contain “sexually-oriented material” geared toward children under 10, such as drag queen story hours, which have attracted the attention of conservative politicians and right-wing activists. On Tuesday, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson introduced the bill with more than 30 House Republican co-sponsors. The introduction of this legislation is a reaction to far-right conservative outrage over innocuous drag performances that have included the presence of children […]

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The man who won LGBTQ job protections nationwide settles his case with former employer

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Gerald Bostock – the namesake for the 2020 historic Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County that made anti-LGBTQ discrimination illegal in the workplace – has finally settled his own discrimination lawsuit. Bostock spent over ten years working for Clayton County, Georgia as an advocate for victims of child abuse and neglect. He was abruptly fired in 2013, six months after he joined a gay softball league and subsequently endured homophobic comments from colleagues. When he was let go, his employer cited “conduct unbecoming a county employee” as the reason. Bostock believes his termination was directly related to his sexual orientation. In conjunction with two others, […]

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Biden administration expands veteran survivor benefits for same-sex spouses

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A major policy change from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) allows certain same-sex spouses of veterans to qualify for survivor benefits. The VA requires couples to be married for one year for surviving spouses to qualify for survivor benefits and eight years for a higher rate of benefits. Prior to the policy change, which was announced last week, many surviving spouses of LGBTQ veterans did not meet those requirements due to bans on same-sex marriages prior to the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S. According to the VA, “This wrongly […]

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Rent control is quickly becoming an election issue for LGBTQ voters in urban areas

In three weeks, voters across the country will cast their ballots in congressional, mayoral, and local elections. For many candidates, housing issues form a crux of their campaign platforms, tapping into their constituents’ frustrations from lack of affordable housing and skyrocketing rents.  According to a 2020 report conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, every $100 increase in median rent is associated with a 9% increase in the estimated homelessness rate. This situation disproportionately affects the LGBTQ community, in which 17% of queer adults have experienced lifetime homelessness, more than twice what was found in a general population study.  ADVERTISING […]

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