Have you ever wondered what to do with the piles of Advocate or Out magazines you’ve collected through the years? Or swag you’ve collected at Pride events that you keep in storage boxes in closets? What about those ticket stubs to Melissa Etheridge concerts you kept religiously? LGBTQ+ archives throughout the country seek to create a home for those artifacts to help preserve queer history.
Archives can help people understand that they aren’t alone, archivists say, allowing them to see that queer identities have always been around and are a part of history, even if some of that history has been lost or erased.
A proud lesbian at the first Stonewall anniversary march in NYC in June 1970.
Collecting physical pieces of history is Invisible Histories’ mission. It’s a queer community archive working to preserve LGBTQ+ history in the Deep South. Maigen Sullivan and Joshua Burford are the cofounders and co-executive directors. Their work is finding people and organizations willing to donate their items to help preserve the region’s LGBTQ+ legacies.
Seeing a queer historic record can be enlightening, Burford says. It’s evidence that counters the “misconception that queer identity is only for young adults,” he adds, and it can help bridge generational gaps. Queer history provides an “antidote to the isolation and invisibility” that’s been historically experienced by LGBTQ+ people, while also providing accessible records and a more complete picture of community history beyond major events, Burford says. Archives illustrate that queer people have always been here, surviving, thriving, and existing.
Donations to Invisible Histories have included flyers from the Boybutante Ball, a drag event that began raising funds for the Georgia organization AIDS Athens in 1989. The group also has digitized and transcribed oral histories recorded on cassette tapes by southern LGBTQ+ activist Donna Jo Smith, who interviewed a number of fellow queer rights advocates in the ’80s and ’90s.
A child holds a sign at the L.A. Pride Parade in West Hollywood, California, in June of 2019.
Items of value to archives don’t have to be decades old, Sullivan and Burford say. “We are in an incredibly acute historical moment. And so your everyday is also really historically significant both now and in the future,” Sullivan says.
Showing “existence and resistance through archival work” is key to fighting authoritarianism, she adds. “We can go into the archives and show you, ‘Look at all these amazing people and what they did.’ Now, what would you like to do with this information? What would you like to do with this power that we’ve given you to imagine the future?” Burford says.
It’s something that Olivia Newsome, a special collections coordinator with the Lesbian Herstory Archives, echoes. This volunteer-run archive has existed since the early 1970s, with a mission to preserve lesbian history. The organization recently featured on social media a scrapbook showing a woman’s membership card to the Gay Activists Alliance as well as a letter from her mother about accepting her daughter.
Wildrose has been a mainstay of LGBTQ+ nightlife in Seattle, Washingon, since 1984.
“Archiving lesbian history, queer histories, as they are being forcibly removed by fascist regimes … is important to remind people that we exist. Archiving your own life and the lives of those around you can be a radical moment of self-actualization. In a world which tells you not to exist, you can engage in the radical act of literally putting yourself into a broader historical context,” Newsome explains.
Sullivan points out there’s also concern that under the Trump administration — which has made news for erasing queer and trans identities from government web pages and policy — could go after archives in academic spaces. That possibility has spurred Invisible Histories to seek to collaborate with academic archives to ensure these collections remain safe and available for years to come.
Ultimately, donating to and learning from archives can be done by anyone, especially in the current political moment. “Archiving isn’t just for famous people, the wealthy, or for white cishet men,” Newsome says. “Archiving is for us all — your life matters and deserves to be remembered.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an alarming Request for Information (RFI) to attack the field of gender-affirming care—a safe, effective, and medically necessary practice grounded in decades of research and clinical expertise—as an “unfair and deceptive practice.”
The FTC’s actions are not grounded in evidence and are a distortion of the agency’s mission to protect the public from actual deceptive practices. Instead, they reflect a deep-seated bias against transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex people.
What’s Happening?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an alarming “public inquiry” to attack the field of transition-related healthcare (gender-affirming care)—a safe, effective, and medically necessary practice grounded in decades of research and clinical expertise—as an “unfair and deceptive practice”.
Under Sections 5 and 12 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the FTC has the authority to launch investigations into misleading, unfair, and deceptive trade practices and issue enforcement orders based on their findings, whenever they deem necessary and appropriate. RFIs such as this are likely intended to inform who they investigate and how. This authority extends to the ability to investigate and issue enforcement orders against those marketing and advertising various health products.
Why Does it Matter?
The Trump administration has continued to push false narratives about the transgender community. The FTC’s RFI is their latest effort to discredit our essential health care. Gender-affirming care is a safe, effective, and medically necessary field of medicine grounded in decades of research and clinical expertise. The provision of this healthcare to trans youth is overseen by well-trained clinicians utilizing staged and evidence-based clinical guidelines, that prioritize informed consent and open communication between providers, patients, and their families. For trans people, this care can be lifesaving.
This RFI will also impact intersex adolescents and adults whose healthcare needs significantly overlap with gender-affirming care, and whose identities have also previously been attacked by this administration. Adolescent and adult patients with intersex variations face similar consequences as they often depend on these same medical providers, who treat transgender patients, when seeking care.
The FTC’s actions are not grounded in evidence and distort the agency’s mission to protect the public from actual deceptive practices. Instead, they reflect a deep-seated bias against transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex people. The FTC should focus on stopping real consumer harm—not undermining trusted medical care that saves lives.
Read below for special instructions on how to submit your comment, what to include, and what not to include. Find a template from A4TE to write your comment here.
What You Need to Know Before You Submit
This portal will enable Advocates for Trans Equality to submit your story, on your behalf. This ensures that your submission is not traceable back to the computer or device you used to submit your comment. This “air gap” is a protective measure for our community and our allies. Because Advocates for Trans Equality is submitting your comment on your behalf, you may not notice your comment in the portal right away. We commit to submitting comments by the RFI’s deadline, September 26. Antagonistic, hateful, and threatening comments submitted through this portal will be omitted. If for any reason we encounter difficulty in submitting your comment, we will make every effort to contact you to resolve the issue. We will also retain a copy of your comment securely in our internal records.
Remember Your Audience
We encourage all submitting parties to consider the nature of the actions described in their comments, related to the FTC’s hostile framing of gender-diversity and the provision of gender-affirming care. Given this hostility, the information that you provide should be measured, free of identifying information, and provided in such a manner as to not put yourself or others at risk.
This portal will enable you to submit to the FTC Request for Information (RFI) with a reduced risk of identification than you may have if you were to make your submission directly to the Federal Regulations Portal.
As you draft your comment, depending on your experiences with and relationship to transition-related healthcare, also called “gender-affirming care”, there are certain pieces of information you should consider sharing as well as pieces of information you should highly consider omitting.
Legal Disclaimer: As an intermediary party in your submission, Advocates for Trans Equality and Advocates for Trans Equality Action Fund take no responsibility for comments, statements, or actions described in your submission; nor does our delivery of your submission to the FTC represent an endorsement of said statements, attitudes, or actions.
By submitting text to this portal, you are consenting to having the exact, unedited text of your comment uploaded to the FTC’s Regulations.gov comment portal. If you include your name or other identifiable information, we will include this in your submitted comment.
BEFORE YOU SUBMIT A COMMENT, PLEASE READ:
Tips for your Safety
All submitting individuals should read the following guidelines closely to minimize community risk. Don’t see yourself listed below? That’s okay! You can still submit a comment. Reviewing the information below can still help you craft a comment that is safe and helpful!Expand allCollapse all
All Submitting Individuals
These comments will be viewable by the general public as well as this administration’s Federal Trade Commission. Accordingly, we highly recommend that regardless of your experiences, you withhold and avoid disclosingany identifying information. This includes:
Your full name (consider using a pseudonym);
Your date of birth, social security number, or other identification numbers;
The name of your patients, children, or medical providers;
The state you currently reside in and where transition-related care was received;
Your address;
The exact location, including the name of the clinic or hospital, where you or your child received care;
Where you work
Again, all submitting parties should withhold the information above, as well as any similar identifying information.
Parents and Caregivers of Trans and Gender-Diverse Youth
Great Information to Share
This RFI is seeking information regarding your experiences accessing and navigating the clinical provision of transition-related healthcare with your minor child. The RFI is looking for information from the public regarding how that care was described to you and your child, as well as the conditions under which it was provided. In that regard the following types of information are excellent to share in your submission:
Any barriers to accessing this care;
The ways in which potential adverse effects of various treatments were described to you;
The materials you received about this care;
The depth of the discussion and the number of appointments that pre-dated the first treatment;
How your child was diagnostically assessed;
Your oversight of the treatment process;
The strength of your child’s understanding of their gender identity;
The psychological and mental health support that your child received both before and alongside this care;
The positive effects and benefits of this care for your child;
Your provider’s professionalism;
The deliberate and gradual nature of how this care was provided;
The clinical guidelines that your provider utilized;
Your role in supporting your child in their transition;
The extensive nature of the counseling you and your family received regarding this care.
What to be Cautious of Sharing
This administration, including the FTC, has demonstrated a hostility towards gender-diversity itself as well as the field of transition-related care. Accordingly, the information that you provide has a high potential to be taken out of context and distorted. Within the context of the FTC’s authority to investigate this healthcare, parents/caregivers are likely to be considered “consumers”, much like patients. This, however, is an informed guess and we encourage parents/caregivers to exercise caution with what they communicate in their submission. Some considerations:
Avoid characterizing experiences as quick or brief;
Avoid downplaying providers’ disclosures of potential adverse effects;
Do not share the names of your providers, nor any identifying information about them;
Be cautious regarding how you describe the informed consent process.
Medical and Behavioral Health Professionals
Great Information to Share
This RFI is seeking information regarding how adolescents and their families accessed transition-related healthcare. As healthcare professionals you play an integral role in this process, ensuring that transgender adolescents can access the potentially lifesaving medical care that they need to thrive and lived authentic and fulfilling lives. Your role in this care is also under particular scrutiny by the RFI, and as a result you should carefully consider the information you share and how you share it. We have provided a list of recommended Do’s and Do Not’s for you to take into consideration while your draft your comment
DO:
Keep your submission HIPAA compliant.
Do ensure all information about you and your patients is de-identified.
Do share general, high-level descriptions of your experience and expertise.
For example: “As a pediatric endocrinologist who has treated gender-diverse patients for over 23 years…” or “I am a licensed psychotherapist who has treated over 2,000 adolescents during my career…”.
Describe the depth and length of conversations with patients and their parents in equal measure and weight.
Describe the depth and length of your discussions with families regarding the benefits, common adverse effects, and potential adverse effects of treatment.
Describe the procedures related to policy development within professional medical and behavioral health.
Describe the rigor of the informed consent process.
Describe the evidence-based nature of the care you provide.
Feel free to share articles from peer-reviewed journals.
Describe the materials you provide to parents and patients.
Describe the benefits of treatment that you’ve witnessed for patients and their families.
Describe the staged and intentional nature of your clinical approach.
Describe the length, rigor, and depth of your professional training.
Present evidence-based, peer-reviewed statistics and information regarding the patient population.
Keep information focused on the patient/family relationships, to the exclusion of administrative procedures and practices.
DO NOT:
Provide information about the state you practice medicine in.
Provide identifying information about your practice or your patients.
Provide your name.
Provide the exact name of the institutions where you were trained.
Provide the name of your practice, hospital, or clinic where you practice.
Provide license numbers.
Cite op-eds as substantiating evidence regarding this care.
Downplay your expertise.
Adults Who Received Care as a Minor Adolescent
You are likely to be considered a “consumer” by the FTC, you should still carefully consider the information you share in your comment, as well as how you share it.
Great Information to Share
Any barriers to accessing this care;
The ways in which potential adverse effects of various treatments were described to you and your parents;
Your ability to understand and consent to care;
The materials you received about this care;
The depth of the discussion and the number of appointments that pre-dated the first treatment;
The depth and strength of your understanding of your gender-identity prior to initiating care;
The psychological and mental health support that you received alongside this care;
The positive effects and benefits of this care;
Your provider’s professionalism;
The staged nature of how this care was provided;
The clinical guidelines that your provider utilized;
Your parents’ role in supporting your child in their transition;
The extensive nature of the counseling you and your family received regarding this care.
What to be Cautious of Sharing
Avoid characterizing experiences as quick or brief;
Avoid downplaying providers’ disclosures of potential adverse effects;
Do not share the names of your providers, nor any identifying information about them;
Be cautious regarding how you describe the informed consent process.
Ready to submit your comment? Click below to tell your story.
In this rapidly changing landscape, MAP’s LGBTQ Equality Maps provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of LGBTQ laws and policies in the United States. See below for a listing of state and local level policy changes, plus MAP’s bill tracking and policy research updates, as of August 25, 2025.
▸▸ State Policy Updates Ongoing developments with gender marker changes on identity documentsIn Kansas, residents’ ability to change the gender marker on their driver’s licensesremains contested. After a 2023 law was enacted defining “sex” throughout state law to enable discrimination against transgender people, the state’s attorney general successfully sued the state’s license-issuing agency to force them to stop issuing gender marker changes for transgender people — something the state had been permitting, without issue, since at least 2007.This June, a Kansas appeals court ruled that gender marker changes on driver’s licenses should resume, and that the state’s attorney general had failed to prove any harm would be caused by allowing such gender marker changes. But despite the court ruling, the state’s attorney general instructed the state’s licensing agency to continue to refuse to process gender marker changes while he appeals the ruling and the litigation continues.In Indiana, the state issued a proposed rule — not yet in effect — that would prevent people from changing the gender marker on their birth certificate. For justification, the administrative rule refers to a March executive order from the governor defining “sex” throughout state law in exclusionary and discriminatory ways. Public comments were accepted through July 18, with a tentative effective date in October 2025.
Note: MAP will update the Equality Maps if and when either of these developments are in effect.
“Shield” or “refuge” laws protecting transgender health careSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June 20: Delaware’s governor issued an executive order to protect both patients and providers of medically necessary care for transgender people. Delaware is now one of three states with a “shield” executive order that protects access to transgender health care.
Regulating gender to allow discrimination against transgender and nonbinary peopleSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.
In 2025 alone, eight states total have enacted a new law (7) or executive order (1) defining “sex” throughout state law. To date, 18 states total have such a policy, and more than one in four transgender people (28%) across the country live in these states.June 20: Texas became the 16th state with a law or executive order defining “sex” throughout state law.June 30: Ohio became the 17th state to enact a law, after lawmakers used the state’s budget process to insert and force through multiple anti-LGBTQ provisions. While the governor vetoed some of these provisions, he did not veto this gender regulation/sex definition provision.July 29: North Carolina became the 18th state to enact a law, following the legislature’s override of the governor’s veto.
“Don’t Say LGBTQ” curriculum censorship lawsSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June 20: Texas became the 12th state with a “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law. It applies to all grades pre-kindergarten through 12. The same bill also banned DEI-related programs and activities in schools, student groups about sexual orientation or gender identity (such as gay-straight alliances [GSAs]), and more. ACLU has already announced they will sue to challenge unconstitutional aspects of the bill.
Bans on medical care for transgender youthSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here, including a chronology and details on effective dates, exceptions, lawsuits, and more.July 17: Puerto Rico became the first U.S. territory — joining 27 U.S. states — to ban medically necessary care for transgender youth. Unlike other state bans, Puerto Rico’s law explicitly applies up to age 21, making it the farthest-reaching such ban to date. The law also creates criminal penalties for medical providers, with up to 15 years in prison if convicted.August 1: New Hampshire expanded its existing ban on some forms of surgical care for transgender minors to now include both additional forms of surgical care and prescription medication for transgender youth. The expansions will not go into effect until January 1, 2026, and there is a grandfather clause allowing youth who begin prescription medication prior to January 1 to continue receiving that medical care.
Changes in MAP’s policy score categorizationsSee our Overall, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity Policy Tally maps here, summarizing states’ scores across all the 50+ laws and policies we track.Virginia’s undermining of its own law against conversion “therapy” dropped the state to “Fair” on our Overall Tally.
▸▸ Local Policy Updates Conversion “therapy” ordinancesSee our Equality Map with local-level data here and state-by-state listings at each state’s profile.June 23: Columbia, South Carolina, repealed its ordinance protecting LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion “therapy.” This repeal was effectively forced by a development in June, when the state enacted a first-of-its-kind law withholding state funds from any municipality that has a local-level law protecting minors from conversion “therapy.” Because the state’s capital, Columbia, was the only city in the state with these protections, this law effectively targeted Columbia, threatening to withhold nearly $4 million in state funding from the city unless they repealed their ordinance.August 19: Whitehall, Ohio, enacted a new ordinance protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion “therapy.” Whitehall is the 14th municipality in Ohio with such an ordinance.Nondiscrimination ordinancesSee our Equality Maps with local-level data here and state-by-state listings at each state’s profile.August 19: Whitehall, Ohio’s new ordinance protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion “therapy” also prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing, and public accommodations. While the state lacks similar statewide protections, Whitehall is the 40th municipality in Ohio with fully inclusive, local-level nondiscrimination protections.▸▸ LGBTQ Bill Tracking UpdatesTo continue highlighting trends across the country, included below are our current bill tracking counts for anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures.Note: these counts may differ from other organizations or public counts for a variety of reasons, and this work is greatly facilitated by the work of other organizations including the ACLU, Trans Formations Project, and the Equality Federation and their member state groups.
As of August 7, 2025, MAP tracked over 715 anti-LGBTQ bills that were introduced across 49 states — i.e., every state but Vermont — in the 2024–2025 legislative sessions.
Click here to learn more about how the LGBTQ policy landscape has evolved over the last year and how to support on-the-ground changemakers in the fight for equality. ▸▸ MAP Policy Research UpdatesIn July, and in partnership with The Trevor Project, MAP published a new report,LGBTQ Policy Spotlight: Laws Protecting LGBTQ Youth From Conversion “Therapy.”
With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear a case (Chiles v. Salazar) in late 2025 challenging the legality of laws protecting LGBTQ youth against these dangerous and discredited practices, this timely analysis details the history of these laws, the present and shifting landscape of both protective laws and counter-efforts to undermine these protections, and the importance of continuing to protect LGBTQ youth.
To schedule an interview with a MAP researcher or for questions, please contact Dana Juniel at dana@mapresearch.org. # # # About MAP: MAP’s mission is to provide independent and rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. www.mapresearch.org
Beau Lamarre-Condon, 30, entered a plea of not guilty on Tuesday to two counts of domestic violence-related murder and one count of breaking and entering with the intent to commit an indictable offense. He stands accused of killing Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in February, 2024 at the couple’s shared house in Sydney.
Police believe that Lamarre-Condon used his service Glock firearm to fatally shoot the two shortly before 10 a.m. on February 19. Lamarre-Condon was reportedly previously in a sexual relationship with Baird, with investigators theorizing that Lamarre-Condon killed the couple because he was angry Baird ended their relationship.
Lamarre-Condon was arrested four days later on February 23 following a nationwide manhunt. He revealed the location of Baird and Davies’ bodies to law enforcement, leading to their discovery on February 27 at a remote rural property in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales (NSW). The two had been stuffed into surfboard bags and hastily covered with debris.
Baird, a television host and red carpet reporter for Network 10’s morning show until its cancellation, and Davies, a flight attendant for Qantas Airlines, were beloved within the local LGBTQ+ community. Their murders took place during Mardi Gras, the Australian version of Pride Month, which commemorates the violent police raid of a gay Mardi Gras celebration in 1978.
The event has been likened to the Stonewall Riots and is considered the beginning of the country’s modern queer rights movement. In response to the murders, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board asked NSW not to march in the 2024 parade, saying that their presence “could intensify the current feelings of sorrow and distress.”
If convicted, Lamarre-Condon could face a sentence of lifetime imprisonment for each murder, plus an additional penalty of up to 20 years in prison for breaking and entering.
Join us for eventsthroughout the month of September, from the Teen Film Festival premiere to Salsa dance lessons. All events are free and you don’t need a library card to attend; registration is required for select events. See you soon!
Kids
Santa Rosa Firefighters Story HourJoin your local firefighter for an exciting book reading and check out one of the fire department’s special emergency vehicles! For grades K-3. At three libraries: Rincon Valley, Roseland, and Northwest Santa Rosa.
The Imaginists: SueñosWhere do we go when we sleep? Find out in Sueños, the Imaginists’ new bilingual show exploring the fantastical world of dreams. For grades K-6. At five libraries: Central Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park Cotati, Northwest Santa Rosa, and Windsor.
Teens
Teen Film Festival PremiereJoin us on the red carpet for an in-person screening and awards ceremony at the Rincon Valley Regional Library on Wednesday, September 10, at 5:30 pm! Enjoy the short films while you snack on popcorn and refreshments. All are welcome to attend.
Make Your Own EarringsLearn technical skills and use quality beading materials to make—and take home!—a pair of drop dangle earrings. All supplies included. For grades 7-12. At four libraries in September: Rohnert Park Cotati, Northwest Santa Rosa, Windsor, and Sonoma Valley.
Adults
Computer Basics: Mouse & KeyboardDo you or someone you know need help navigating computers? In our Computer Basics: Mouse & Keyboard workshops, participants will learn various mouse clicks, basic command keys, and how to navigate a computer keyboard. Computers provided. At six libraries in September: Windsor, Sonoma Valley, Cloverdale, Rincon Valley, Petaluma, and Sebastopol.
History of Salsa & Dance LessonDiscover the history and influences of Salsa dancing, then learn basic steps while listening to top hits! No dance experience required. Join the fun at three libraries: Rincon Valley, Windsor, and Petaluma.
Celebrate Latin American Roots in September and October—and all year long!—with Sonoma County Library, where celebrating our community is more than a month. Explore books for kids, teens, and adults here.
A Reminder from Your Library
All libraries will be closed on Monday, September 1.We look forward to seeing you when we reopen on Tuesday, September 2!
Library News
The History & Genealogy Library will close temporarily in September for HVAC work. The library will close at the end of the day on September 13 and reopen on October 7. For more information, visit sonomalibrary.org/HistoryGenealogy
Thank you for being a member of the Sonoma County Library community. Visit us online or in person at one of our libraries. Be sure to check out open jobs at Sonoma County Library here. Questions? Please call your local library or click here to send us a message. Eventos en septiembre Acompáñanos a disfrutar de eventos durante todo el mes de septiembre, desde el estreno del Festival de Cine para Jóvenes hasta las clases de baile salsa. Todos los eventos son gratuitos y no necesitas una tarjeta de biblioteca para asistir; es necesario registrarse para ciertos eventos. ¡Nos vemos pronto!
Niñes
Cuentos con los bomberos de Santa Rosa¡Acompaña a tu bombero local en una emocionante sesión de lectura y explora uno de los vehículos de emergencia especiales del departamento de bomberos! Para grados K–3. En tres bibliotecas: Rincon Valley, Roseland y Northwest Santa Rosa.
Los Imaginistas: Sueños¿Adónde vamos cuando dormimos? Descúbrelo con Sueños, el nuevo espectáculo bilingüe de los Imaginistas que explora el fantástico mundo de los sueños. Para grados K–6. En cinco bibliotecas: Central Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park Cotati, Northwest Santa Rosa y Windsor.
Jóvenes
Estreno del Festival de Cine para Jóvenes¡Acompáñanos en la alfombra roja para una proyección presencial y la ceremonia de premiación en la Biblioteca Regional de Rincon Valley el miércoles 10 de septiembre a las 5:30 pm! Disfruta de los cortometrajes comiendo palomitas de maíz y tomando refrescos. Todas las personas están invitadas.
Crea tus propios aretes¡Aprende técnicas y utiliza materiales de calidad para crear unos aretes colgantes que podrás llevarte a casa! Todos los materiales serán proporcionados. Para grados 7–12. En cuatro bibliotecas durante septiembre: Rohnert Park Cotati, Northwest Santa Rosa, Windsor y Sonoma Valley.
A man has thanked his followers for their support as he battles to free his boyfriend from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.
Eric Duran has been recording his efforts to free boyfriend Juan since 21 July. In a TikTok posted on Sunday (31 August), he said Juan, with whom he has been in a relationship for more than a year, is being held in Louisiana, having been moved from Colorado and Arizona.
“I got a call from someone whose brother-in-law is with Juan and shared they were transferred to this facility,” Duran wrote. “I was then able to confirm through the ICE locator as his information finally showed in the system. Thank you again for all the support.”
He then mentioned the GoFundMe that has been launched to “help us with legal fees, making sure he has money in there, and potentially setting up to live in a different country”.
Ninety per cent of $5,500 (£4,000) target has already been raised.
‘Physically exhausting and labour-intensive’
“This is all an intentional and calculated effort by the system to make sure he doesn’t get his due process, because Tuesday was his bond hearing and they moved him before that,” Duran went on to say.
The system isn’t there to “support in any way, shape or form,” and nobody truly knows where these individuals are. And at one stage he was told his boyfriend had been “sent home”, Duran claimed.
“The only human experience out of all of this is being able to build a community and being able to show up and support each other. That was truly how I was able to know and confirm that Juan was at the Louisiana facility.
“It’s on us to make sure we know where our loved ones are. All this has been so costly, all this is so physically exhausting and labour-intensive and mentally taxing. I’m so happy there is a community that wants to support in any way they can, so thank you again.”
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ICE officials reportedly ‘burnt out’ by Trump’s immigration crackdown
According to reports, ICE officials are facing “burnout and frustration” as president Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown continues.
Reuters claimed that agents had complained about White House demands for high arrest quotas, said to be as high as 3,000 a day – 10 times the number under president Joe Biden.
“The demands they placed on us were unrealistic. It was not done in a safe manner or the manner to make us most successful,” one official is quoted as saying.
A former ICE agent was initially told by colleagues that they were happy the “cuffs are off” but several months later, he told Reuters that they were now “overwhelmed” by the arrest numbers and “would prefer to go back to focused targeting”.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and a group of LGBTQ+ and student rights organizations are suing to block a new state law that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in K-12 public schools. “Senate Bill 12 is a blatant attempt to erase students’ identities and silence the stories that make Texas strong,” said Brian Klosterboer, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas. “Every student — no matter their race, gender, or background — deserves to feel seen, safe, and supported in school.”
Because of SB 12’s ban on discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms, opponents have compared it to Florida’s “don’t say gay” law, which attracted widespread media attention in 2022 due to its far-reaching impacts in public schools. Civil rights lawyers sued to block it, saying the law violated free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. The Texas Education Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
SB 12 author state Sen. Brandon Creighton [photo] last appeared here in June 2025 for his bill requiring students to produce an ID in order to participate in campus protests.
Also in June 2025, Creighton appeared here for his bill that would defund blue cities over “liberal policies” such as LGBTQ rights.
He appeared here in April 2025 for his bill that would force colleges to rewrite history texts to remove mentions of “social, political or economic inequalities” in the United States.
Creighton first appeared on JMG in 2019 for his bill seeking to overturn LGBTQ protections enacted by Texas cities.
In March 2023, he appeared here for his bill that would deny the prospect of tenure to newly-hired university professors.
Creighton has spearheaded the Texas campaign to protect Confederate monuments. He appeared here in August 2023 for his bill that forced the closure of the University of Houston’s LGBTQ Resource Center.
Creighton may soon leave the Texas Senate to become chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.
Texas state troopers now follow Democratic lawmakers’ every move to ensure they vote on redistricting. So one out lawmaker led police to a Dallas drag room.
Texas state Rep. Venton Jones, the Texas House Democratic Caucus whip and one of the few out lawmakers in the Lone Star State, met with fellow Democratic state Rep. Terry Meza at the Rose Room, a gay bar in Dallas’s Oak Lawn gayborhood, according to Chron.
The lawmakers were there to meet with the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, but their attendance meant dragging police escorts into the venue.
“We are always happy to have Reps. Meza and @VentonJonesTX at meetings of @StonewallDalCo!” Todd Hill, secretary of the Stonewall Democrats chapter, posted on X. “We also hosted Congresswoman @juliejohnsonTX and her Capitol Hill police officer. We appreciate everyone’s service and support of the LGBTQ+ community.”
The escorts were ordered after lawmakers left the state, denying a quorum to Republican legislative leaders for a time to thwart a mid-decade redistricting, an effort spearheaded by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to manipulate the makeup of the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm election.
Jones was among those who left the state earlier this month. He has been outspoken against the maps. He has criticized the heavy-handed tactics used by Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows to make sure Texas Democrats don’t stall the political manipulation of boundaries any farther.
“So the Speaker of the Texas House has just elected to hold members hostage until, not flood relief is addressed, but until racist maps are voted on,” Jones posted on X last week. “Flood relief was never the mission. It was these maps. These maps can only be created by diluting the representation and voices of Black and Brown people. NOW law enforcement is continuing to be used against duly elected members force a vote.”
The June Mahmoud Vs Taylor Supreme Court Ruling has an effect on our school districts and our LGBTQIA+ youth, families and staff. Below and here is an advocacy letter template that you can use, share and send out to your local school superintendents, administrators, teachers and board members; to advocate they proceed forward in the most inclusive way. Within the letter, please note that there are helpful sample annual general notification and opt out forms as well.
The school districts that this advocacy letter has already been sent to currently are: Old Adobe Union School District, Petaluma City Schools, Waugh School District, Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District, Santa Rosa City Schools and Harmony Unified School District.
We appreciate you all joining us to support our LGBTQIA+ community, especially those who are trans and who are being especially targeted. Love and advocacy do and will win.
Hola a todes,
Espero que estén teniendo una buen fin de semana. El fallo de la Corte Suprema en el caso Mahmoud Vs Taylor de junio tiene un impacto en nuestros distritos escolares y en nuestra juventud, familias y personal LGBTQIA+. A continuación y aqui, encontrarán una plantilla de carta de incidencia que pueden usar, compartir y enviar a sus superintendentes escolares locales, administradores, maestros y miembros de la junta; para abogar porque sigan adelante de la manera más inclusiva posible. Dentro de la carta, tengan en cuenta que también se incluyen ejemplos útiles de notificación general anual y formularios de exclusión.
Los distritos escolares a los que ya se ha enviado esta carta de incidencia son: Old Adobe Union School District, Petaluma City Schools, Waugh School District, Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District, Santa Rosa City Schools y Harmony Unified School District.
Agradecemos que se unan a nosotros para apoyar a nuestra comunidad LGBTQIA+, especialmente a las personas trans que están siendo particularmente atacadas. El amor y la defensa ganan y seguirán ganando.
Dear Wonderful Superintendents and Administrators,
I hope the school year is off to a good start for you all.The Supreme Court Mahmoud vs Taylor ruling in June has led to some myths about what is not allowed anymore in schools and how schools must proceed. We wanted to share the inclusive action that the Howell Mountain Elementary school district in Napa County recently took and ask that you all consider following suit.Howell Mountain Elementary school district voted not to adopt an opt-out form specifically for LGBTQIA+ curriculum. Instead, the board directed the superintendent to send a general annual notice (example annual notice) reminding parents of their right to request, in writing (example religious opt out request), that their child be excused from any curriculum they believe conflicts with their religious beliefs. This notice did not single out LGBTQIA+ instruction. The board’s decision came in response to community concern that singling out LGBTQIA+ content with its own opt-out form would be stigmatizing and discriminatory. The statement emphasized that the district “respects and values the LGBTQIA+ community” and chose not to adopt a form targeting them. Also, one annual general notice versus many throughout the school year relieved the workload for school administrators and teachers.Here is a helpful resource from the ACLU, Equality California, National Center for Youth Law and Public Counsel. Following are more helpful resources and guidance from the CDE, F3 Law Firm and CSBA to ensure our schools are a safe and welcomed space for all, after the Mahmoud ruling.The above resources note:Existing state law still stands – Public schools in California must still provide a welcoming and inclusive education for all students. This includes, but is not limited to, compliance with affirmative inclusive education requirements such as the FAIR Education Act, the California Healthy Youth Act, AB 1078 and Ethnic Studies requirements. California law mandates that instructional materials “accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society” including the role and contributions of LGBTQIA+ people and ensures the continued use of adopted curriculum even when containing inclusive and diverse perspectives. California’s antidiscrimination laws, including protections on the basis of gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, also remain in effect. Schools requirements to provide religious opt-outs and how to proceed – Any notices informing parents of their right to religious opt-outs or associated forms must be content-neutral and should not single out LGBTQIA+-related content or otherwise stigmatize LGBTQIA+ identities. If schools elect to annually notify parents about their general practices of providing inclusive curriculum, they should do so holistically and not single out LGBTQIA+-related content. Appropriate opt-out processes will require parents to take affirmative steps to exercise their right to religious opt-outs, such as notifying the school of their religious objection in writing. What types of “instruction” this decision impacts – Mahmoud focused specifically on the use of books for “instruction.” The decision does not require any censorship of books on the shelf in the classroom or in the library, including LGBTQIA+ inclusive books or books containing potentially religiously objectionable topics. Censorship of materials in school libraries and classrooms based on LGBTQIA+ content is still prohibited by California law. Additionally, nothing about this decision impacts students’ long-standing rights to be themselves at school, to talk about LGBTQIA+ related issues, or to form LGBTQIA+ themed student clubs on the same terms as other extracurricular student clubs.This decision providing the right to religious opt-out accommodations in public schools is not only applicable to LGBTQIA+ related content – While Mahmoud involved LGBTQIA+ inclusive storybooks, the Court’s decision is not limited to LGBTQIA+ inclusive content. Therefore, school leaders should aim to craft general religious accommodation opt-out processes that do not focus on LGBTQIA+ content, nor should they “silo” LGBTQIA+ content within the curriculum. The dire truth is that our LGBTQIA+ students, especially those who are transgender, are under attack. Basic rights, health care access and now representation in schools are trying to be stripped away, with a goal being, the erasure of the transgender community. It is California law and the role of our school leaders and mission of our school districts to ensure all students feel safe and thrive.Thank you for your time. At your convenience, please let us know if you will proceed to follow suit of Howell Mountain Elementary school district to ensure LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families are not stigmatized, discriminated against and singled out.Con amor,Amor Para Todos (APT)Sage Casey FoundationCompass Parents Rainbow Families ActionCelebrate Love CRPPositive ImagesOn The Margins, IncCentering Disability Love and Light SoCoLGBTQ ConnectionPFLAG Santa Rosa/Sonoma Co
Estimados Superintendentes y Administradores,
Espero que el año escolar haya comenzado bien para todos ustedes.La decisión de la Corte Suprema en el caso Mahmoud vs. Taylor (junio) ha generado ciertos mitos sobre lo que ya no está permitido en las escuelas y cómo deben proceder los distritos escolares. Queremos compartir con ustedes la acción inclusiva que tomó recientemente el distrito escolar Howell Mountain Elementary en el condado de Napa y pedirles que consideren seguir su ejemplo.El distrito Howell Mountain Elementary votó por no adoptar un formulario de exclusión (“opt-out”) específico para el plan de estudios relacionado con LGBTQIA+. En su lugar, la mesa directiva instruyó a la superintendenta a enviar un aviso anual general (ejemplo de aviso anual) recordando a los padres su derecho de solicitar, por escrito (ejemplo de solicitud de exclusión religiosa), que su hijo/a sea dispensado/a de cualquier contenido que entre en conflicto con sus creencias religiosas. Este aviso no señalaba de forma aislada la instrucción LGBTQIA+. La decisión de la mesa directiva respondió a la preocupación de la comunidad de que destacar específicamente los contenidos LGBTQIA+ con su propio formulario de exclusión sería estigmatizante y discriminatorio. En su declaración, el distrito enfatizó que “respeta y valora a la comunidad LGBTQIA+” y decidió no adoptar un formulario dirigido únicamente a ellos. Asimismo, un aviso general anual en lugar de muchos a lo largo del año escolar alivió la carga de trabajo de los administradores y maestres.Adjuntamos un recurso útil preparado por la ACLU, Equality California, National Center for Youth Law y Public Counsel. A continuación incluimos también más recursos y orientación del CDE, F3 Law Firm y CSBA para asegurar que nuestras escuelas continúen siendo espacios seguros y acogedores para todos después del fallo Mahmoud.Los recursos anteriores señalan lo siguiente:La ley estatal vigente sigue en pie – Las escuelas públicas en California aún deben ofrecer una educación inclusiva y acogedora para todos los estudiantes. Esto incluye, pero no se limita a, el cumplimiento de los requisitos de educación inclusiva y afirmativa, como la FAIR Education Act, la California Healthy Youth Act, la AB 1078 y los requisitos de Estudios Étnicos. La ley de California exige que los materiales de instrucción “representen con precisión la diversidad cultural y racial de nuestra sociedad”, incluyendo el papel y las contribuciones de las personas LGBTQIA+, y garantiza el uso continuo de planes de estudio adoptados aun cuando contengan perspectivas inclusivas y diversas. Las leyes estatales antidiscriminación, incluyendo protecciones basadas en el género, identidad de género, expresión de género y orientación sexual, siguen en vigor.Requisitos escolares para proporcionar exclusiones religiosas y cómo proceder – Cualquier aviso a los padres sobre su derecho de exclusión religiosa o formularios asociados debe ser neutral en cuanto al contenido y no debe señalar específicamente los temas relacionados con LGBTQIA+ ni estigmatizar a las identidades LGBTQIA+. Si los distritos eligen notificar anualmente a los padres sobre sus prácticas generales de ofrecer un currículo inclusivo, deben hacerlo de manera integral y no destacar de forma aislada el contenido LGBTQIA+. Los procesos de exclusión apropiados requieren que los padres tomen medidas afirmativas para ejercer su derecho a la exclusión religiosa, como notificar a la escuela por escrito sobre su objeción religiosa.Qué tipo de “instrucción” se ve afectada por esta decisión – El caso Mahmoud se enfocó específicamente en el uso de libros como parte de la “instrucción”. La decisión no exige la censura de libros disponibles en los salones o bibliotecas, incluyendo libros inclusivos LGBTQIA+ o libros con temas que puedan resultar objetables desde un punto de vista religioso. La censura de materiales en bibliotecas escolares y salones basada en contenido LGBTQIA+ sigue prohibida por la ley de California. Además, nada en esta decisión afecta los derechos ya existentes de los estudiantes a ser ellos mismos en la escuela, a hablar sobre temas relacionados con LGBTQIA+ o a formar clubes estudiantiles temáticos LGBTQIA+ en igualdad de condiciones que otros clubes extracurriculares.La decisión sobre el derecho a exclusiones religiosas no se limita al contenido LGBTQIA+ – Aunque el caso Mahmoud involucró libros inclusivos LGBTQIA+, la decisión de la Corte no se limita a ese contenido. Por lo tanto, los líderes escolares deben diseñar procesos generales de exclusión religiosa que no se enfoquen en temas LGBTQIA+ ni los aíslen dentro del currículo.La dura realidad es que nuestros estudiantes LGBTQIA+, especialmente quienes son transgénero, están bajo ataque. Se intenta despojarlos de derechos básicos, del acceso a la atención médica y ahora también de su representación en las escuelas, con el objetivo de borrar a la comunidad transgénero. La ley en California, así como el papel de nuestros líderes escolares y la misión de nuestros distritos escolares, es garantizar que todos los estudiantes se sientan seguros y prosperen.Gracias por su tiempo. Cuando sea posible, les pedimos que nos informen si procederán a seguir el ejemplo del distrito Howell Mountain Elementary para asegurar que los estudiantes, el personal y las familias LGBTQIA+ no sean estigmatizados, discriminados ni señalados.
Hundreds of people marched along Washington Avenue on Sunday in a protest against Florida’s order to remove rainbow-painted crosswalks, a move critics say targets LGBTQ+ pride and local control.
The demonstration, called the “Forever Proud March,” was organized by Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez and the Greater Miami LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Marchers carried rainbow flags and signs, chanting, “This is what democracy looks like” and “Pride rights are human rights.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who was at the protest, said the state’s directive to strip away the crosswalks was arbitrary and harmful, arguing that the designs make intersections safer for pedestrians and serve as symbols of inclusion. She called the order “about erasing people’s identity” and said it undermines local authority.
