News

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European Parliament declares trans women are women

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Europe’s parliament has agreed to a resolution declaring that trans women are women. The resolution, adopted last week, made a host of recommendations for the EU to pursue at the 70th annual UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is set to take place next month. Among the recommendations was a proclamation emphasising the “importance of the full recognition of trans women as women, noting that their inclusion is essential for the effectiveness of any gender-equality and anti-violence policies”. Other proclamations referencing LGBTQ+ people included the need for a “comprehensive tool to monitor and counter democratic backsliding and backsliding […]

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Manhattan Borough President Vows To Battle Trump’s Ban On Rainbow Flag At Stonewall National Monument

The New York Times reports: A large Pride flag has been removed from a flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan, weeks after the Department of the Interior issued federal guidance on displaying “non-agency” flags in the National Park System. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Manhattan borough president, said that the directive from the Trump administration, issued on Jan. 21, led to the removal of the flag from the Greenwich Village monument. Mr. Hoylman-Sigal criticized the decision in an interview. “The mean-spiritedness of the Trump administration seems to know no bounds,” said Mr. Hoylman-Sigal, who is gay. “But we as a community are […]

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Trans teen school friends die by suicide just 10 months apart

Two transgender teenagers who were close friends at the same California high school have died by suicide less than a year apart. Summer Devi Mehta, 17, died on 3 February, 10 months after her classmate Ash He, 15. Both attended Palo Alto High School in the Bay Area. Mehta, a junior, left a note expressing hope that her death would raise awareness of the suicide crisis affecting the trans community. In a tribute and fundraising page Summer’s family created for The Trevor Project, they said: “The world was a scary place for her, as a transgender, autistic woman. It should not have been. […]

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LGBTQ+ and disability hate crimes to become aggravated offences in new UK law

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Hate crimes targeting people on the grounds of their sexuality, gender identity or disability would be made an aggravated offence, under a proposed new law.  If passed, an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would see hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ and disabled people brought in-line with racially and religiously aggravated hate crimes, meaning they too will carry a higher maximum sentencing penalty.  The bill is currently progressing through the House of Lords and is intended to tackle anti-social behaviour alongside crimes including offensive weapons, sexual offences and stalking and public order.  Stonewall CEO Simon Blake described the amendment a “major step in the journey […]

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Taking the Fight to the Statehouses in 2026: Overview of LGBTQ-Related Bills and Current Activations

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State legislative session has begun in many parts of the U.S. this month, offering opportunities for state- and local-based activations for LGBTQ people, their families, and their allies. State legislative attacks on LGBTQ people have dramatically increased in recent years, but according to the Movement Advancement Project, advocates have consistently defeated an average of 92% of proposed anti-LGBTQ bills every year over the past 15 years. Kansas Early action at statehouses include passage of a disturbing bill in Kansas that ultimately seeks to strip personal liberties from transgender people, banning them from accessing restrooms that match who they are in government buildings […]

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Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles bans trans folk from changing gender on ID

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The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will no longer accept court orders or medical documentations recognising transgender residents’ gender changes, effectively banning trans people from changing their gender markers on state ID. The change was announced in a small post on the BMV’s website on 9 February and went into effect on 12 February, meaning people had just three days to act. In a statement released on 9 February, LGBTQ+ advocacy group Indiana Youth Group said: “Denying people the ability to update the gender marker on their identification is not only discriminatory; it is dangerous. In an increasingly hostile climate, […]

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When feminists feared the ‘lavender menace’ of lesbians — and how those lesbians fought back

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In the late 1960s and early 1970s, second-wave feminism, a.k.a. women’s liberation, was gathering steam, but it still didn’t have widespread support. Many Americans wondered why feminists would protest the revered Miss America pageant, as they did in 1968. “Women’s lib” was a punch line for comedians, and TV shows often presented feminist characters in a negative light. Amid all this, some feminist leaders were worried that their movement would have an image problem because of the presence of … lesbians. Betty Friedan was one of the feminists particularly worried about lesbians. Friedan authored The Feminine Mystique, a 1963 book that revealed the dissatisfaction many […]

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US is undermining LGBTQ+ rights worldwide, new report claims

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A new human rights report has claimed the US is undermining LGBTQ+ and wider human rights across the world, with the second Trump administration marked by a “blatant disregard for human rights and egregious violations”. The report from Human Rights Watch, entitled World Report 2026, examines the state of human rights in countries across the globe, with a focus on key events that happened throughout 2025.  “The global human rights system is in peril,” Philippe Bolopion, executive director at Human Rights Watch, said in the introduction to the report.  “Under relentless pressure from US President Donald Trump, and persistently undermined by China and […]

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TN Advances Bills To Legalize Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination

Nashville’s NPR affiliate reports: Tennessee lawmakers have advanced a host of anti-LGBTQ bills that would run counter to U.S. Supreme Court precedent. Two measures, both proposed by Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Franklin, would challenge landmark cases that legalized same-sex marriage and established protections for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, questioned the legality to going against Bostock v. Clayton County, which established that LGBTQ people are protected from discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Tom Lee, member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Pride Chamber, spoke against the bill, arguing that it could allow […]

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New York City Council advances resolution opposing Stonewall Pride flag removal

The New York City Council has advanced a resolution urging Congress to protect LGBTQ history at Stonewall National Monument after the Trump administration ordered Pride flags to be removed from the site. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Resolution 269 passed the council’s cultural affairs committee 6-0 on Wednesday morning, and now awaits consideration from the full chamber. Lead sponsor Chi Ossé told The Advocate that the resolution marks a step toward combating President Donald Trump’s anti-LGBTQ agenda. “These attacks that we’re seeing on LGBTQ history [are] … […]

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