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Families and doctors sue Alabama over cruel ban on ‘life-saving’ trans healthcare

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The families of trans teens and doctors are suing Alabama over the state’s new law banning gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth. On Friday (8 April), governor Kay Ivey signed two bills targeting young trans people and classroom discussions of LGBT+ identities. One bill, Senate Bill 184 (SB 184), makes it a felony for healthcare workers to provide gender-affirming treatments – including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries – to trans youth.  If convicted, medical professionals face up to 10 years in prison and a hefty fine for providing what researchers argue is ‘life-saving’ care to trans minors. Ivey’s signature makes Alabama the latest […]

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Ukrainian trans people struggling to access vital healthcare: ‘We need medication and hormones’

A trans woman in Ukraine has said the community is struggling to access essential healthcare as the Russian war rages on. Anastasiia, director of Cohort NGO, an organisation for transgender people in Ukraine, has chosen to remain in the country – though many trans people have had that choice taken away from them, and are unable to flee. “I’m empowered by the opportunity to help people,” Anastasiia told Gaydiohosts Dave Cooper and Paris Munro. She explained that many trans women are unable to leave because they have male gender markers in their passports. The same is true for cis queer men, and […]

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Tennessee’s anti-gay marriage bill sparks bipartisan criticism

Amid several bills introduced in Tennessee that have attracted national attention this year, none has sparked as much alarm among both Republicans and Democrats as a proposal that would create a new marriage contract specifically designed to exclude same-sex couples. Supporters argue the measure is needed to give religious officials, couples and others opposed to gay marriage an option that wouldn’t conflict with their beliefs. Critics say it’s a deliberate effort to circumvent the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling legalizing gay marriage and could lead to costly legal battles. Many have noted that the bill initially failed to include a minimum […]

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In Iraq, Hair Can Set Off Anti-gay Violence

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Karar Nushi, an Iraqi model well known for his long blond hair and flamboyant clothing, was found dead in Baghdad on July 2, 2017. Nushi was reportedly tortured and stabbed, and his body mutilated. His attackers also cut his hair. Indeed, friends of Nushi believe he was murdered by an armed group because of his long hair. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, who are often pushed to the social margins, hair can be an especially significant form of self-expression. Styling can signal group affiliation, or simply distance from the mainstream. But in repressive settings, hairstyles can also be […]

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Alabama governor signs ‘most anti-transgender legislative package ever’ into law

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Alabama governor Kay Ivey signs sweeping legislation banning gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth and prohibiting discussions of LGBT+ topics in schools. The Republican governor signed into law two controversial bills, House Bill 322(HB 322) and Senate Bill 184 (SB 184), just a day after the state legislature approved both measures.  SB 184 makes it a felony for anyone to provide gender-affirming care – including puberty blockers, hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries – to trans youth. Anyone convicted under the proposed legislation face a 10-year prison sentence and a steep $15,000 fine, ABC News reported.  The bill also means that Alabama is now the first state in […]

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New York City LGBTQ bar set ablaze in arson attack

A bar serving LGBTQ New Yorkers has closed after an arson attack over the weekend, the New York City Police Department confirmed Wednesday.  At approximately 9 p.m. on Sunday, a man walked into the Rash Bar in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood with a bottle of flammable liquid, poured it on the bar’s floor, lit a match and set the venue ablaze, according to the NYPD. Police said the suspect fled as the bar became engulfed in flames. Jake Sillen, one of the bar’s owners, told NBC News on Wednesday that they are still in shock.  “It’s so hard to believe and […]

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Florida High School student defies DeSantis & teaches a class in LGBTQ+ history

Student organizer and activist Will Larkins decided that since LGBTQ American history is not taught in Florida’s public schools, he took it upon himself to explain the events of the Stonewall Uprising to his 4th period U.S. history class at Winter Park High School. Although Larkins’ lesson was only, in his words, a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation for the history class of which he posted an excerpt on Twitter, there was a resulting torrent of hateful comments some of which took aim at the fact that Larkins gave his PowerPoint presentation in a rather fetching red dress. The actions that […]

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Mike Pence thinks transphobia will get him back in the White House

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Former US vice president Mike Pence has launched a list of policy suggestions ahead of the midterms and of course, plenty of them are anti-LGBT+. Pence recently published his “Freedom Agenda” –  his blueprint for Republicans to win future elections, which reads like a prelude to a 2024 run. It’s essentially a Republican bingo card, with everything from pulling taxpayer funding for abortions to banning “anti-American, racist ideologies like Critical Race Theory” in schools. Tightening border controls was also top of the list. And guns. A lot on guns, as well as stopping the government from “interfering with our First […]

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LGBTQ educators fear fallout from new FL school law

Last month, a group of parents in Orlando, Florida, demanded “consequences” against sixth grade science teacher Robert Thollander. His crime? Thollander acknowledged his marriage at school. “He married a man. This alone is not an issue. Sharing the details … with all his 6th grade students is the issue,” the parents wrote in a letter sent to their children’s school board, which was shared with NBC News. “It was not appropriate. Many of these students felt very uncomfortable with the conversations and shared this with their families.” Had Thollander just “said he will be out for a few days because […]

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