Although HIV transmission rates have declined from 201 to 2022, one demographic is seeing a rising share in new HIV infections: young Latino men, the Associated Press reported.
Young Latino men are the most at risk for HIV infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This demographic recently accounted for nearly 33% of new HIV infections even though they only make up 19% of the United States population.
African-American men still have the highest rate of new infections from HIV. However, Latino gay and bisexual men accounted for the largest amount of new HIV cases in 2022. Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina have the highest rates of these new diagnoses.
The finding comes at a time when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is three years into a federal initiative to end the U.S. HIV epidemic.
HHS seeks to increase access to HIV treatment and information by allocating funding into areas that have the highest infection rates. HIV rates declined 23% from 2012 to 2022, but there are still currently 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., including those who don’t know they’re infected.
In 2022, Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina saw the highest rates of new diagnoses among Latinos. But in South Carolina, there is enough funding for only four community health workers focused on HIV outreach, some of whom are not bilingual; leaving Latinos who only speak Spanish cut off from healthcare resources.
Public health advocates say that the federal government should redistribute funding to focus on HIV prevention, including access to testing and pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP), a medication that greatly reduces the likelihood of HIV transmission. Only 4% of the almost $30 billion dollars in federal funding for HIV healthcare has gone to prevention.
Advocates say that outreach efforts at churches, training bilingual HIV testers, and testing at clubs on Latin nights could all help decrease new HIV infections in Latino communities.
“HIV disparities are not inevitable,” Dr. Robyn Neblett Fanfair, director of the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, in their call for additional funding and awareness around this disparity.
The aforementioned study also noted that although South Carolina saw HIV infection rates double among Latinos from 2012-2022, the state has not yet expanded HIV mobile testing in rural areas, where the need is greatest.
Likewise, in Shelby County, Tennessee the Latino HIV diagnosis rate rose 86% from 2012 to 2022, yet health department director Dr. Michelle Taylor said, “There are no specific campaigns just among Latino people.”
Shelby County received $2 million in initiative funding in 2023, setting forth a response plan that acknowledges Latinos as a target group for HIV treatment and outreach.
TheHuman Rights Campaign is pioneering a new frontier in the fight againstHIVstigma and health disparities. The organization’s GENERATE initiative, part of HRC’s celebrated “My Body, My Health” campaign, is a beacon of hope and empowerment for Black and LatineLGBTQ+ young men living with HIV.
Launched in 2023 with a blend of advocacy, storytelling, and education, GENERATE is more than a program—it’s a lifeline. “This initiative is about transforming lives,” says Torrian Baskerville, the dynamic director of HRC’s HIV and Health Equity program. “We are equipping these young men with the tools to not only survive but thrive.”
The program promises a transformative six-month journey for its eight lucky participants. The most recent application period closed at the end of May. The trans and cisgender men selected will be flown toWashington, D.C., for an immersive weekend of workshops and networking events. Participants will delve into the complexities of mental health, especially as it intersects with HIV, under the guidance of a licensed mental health therapist who shares their lived experiences.
“Access to mental health services has always been a significant barrier,” Baskerville notes. “We’re tackling this head-on by embedding mental health support into every facet of the program.”
After their initial training, participants return to their communities armed with knowledge and a renewed sense of purpose and community. Regular check-ins and ongoing support are in place to ensure they stay on track with their personal goals, whether it’s achieving viral suppression or excelling in their careers. The significance of this continuous support cannot be overstated, as these young men often face isolation and stigma that can hinder their progress. Baskerville says that the GENERATE initiative is committed to their success every step of the way.
The initiative also responds to the pressing need for tailored support within marginalized communities. Baskerville, himself a Black man living with HIV, emphasizes the importance of representation and relatability in this work. “When participants see themselves reflected in their mentors and peers, it creates a powerful sense of belonging and motivation,” he explains. The program provides critical resources and fosters an environment where participants can share their experiences and learn from one another.
The cohort members will be announced later this month, and the program will officially begin in July. The stakes are high, but so is the potential for impact. Baskerville says, “If even one participant walks away with a clearer path to a healthier, more empowered life, we’ve succeeded.”
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ leaders to public office, endorsed 36 more out candidates for state and local office around the country. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has endorsed 290 candidates for the 2024 election cycle.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorses the following candidates:
ALASKA Andrew Gray (he/him) State House of Representatives, District 20
ARIZONA Paul Bixler (she/her) Liberty Elementary School Governing Board, District 25
Kathy Kinsella (she/her) Sedona City Council, At-Large
CALIFORNIA Austin Bruckner Carrillo (he/him) Hayward Unified School Board, At-Large
Bubba Fish (he/him) Culver City Council, At-Large
Nasreen Johnson (she/her) State Center Community College District Trustee, Area 2
Mario Trujillo (he/him) Downey City Council, District 5/At-Large
COLORADO Wyatt Schwendeman-Curtis (he/him) Larimer County Clerk & Recorder
Brianna Titone (she/her) State House of Representatives, District 27
FLORIDA Ashley Brundage (she/her) State House of Representatives, District 65
Steven Glassman (he/him) Ft. Lauderdale City Commission, District 2
Wes Hodge (he/him) Orange County Supervisor of Elections
Claudia Thomas (she/her) Sanford City Commission, District 4
KENTUCKY Kate Farrow (she/her State House of Representatives, District 48
MAINE Ellie Sato (she/her) State House of Representatives, District 109
In the face of hate and opposition to equality in Florida, LGBTQ activists and members of the community across the Sunshine State came together for an annual four-part event at the Center for Health Equity called, “Pride Amplified: Navigating LGBTQIAA+ Spaces” in St. Petersburg Florida.
Rocky Butler, founder and executive director of 9 Colors Initiative, and Joshua Bean, innovation officer of Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, collaborated to convened activists for an “enlightened” and “impactful” event. This year, The GLAAD Media Institute – GLAAD’s research, training, and education leg – was invited to help participants “hone [their] media skills to amplify [their] voice for LGBTQIAA+ representation and advocacy.” GMI’s presentation came alongside others on DEI inclusivity, nonprofit development resources, and a BIPOC LGBTQ–led panel titled “Let’s Talk About It Part Two.”
The 9 Colors Initiative works towards equity within the lesbian, gay, trans, queer, intersex, androgynous and asexual (LGBTQIAA+) and allied communities, by eradicating biases through education, fighting against LGBTQ oppression, and fighting for equity. Together with the GLAAD Media Institute (GMI) and GMI alumni, The9 Colors Initiative, and the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, gave participants of the Pride Amplified community event the tools and resources needed to activate effectively during Pride month.
“This year we [introduced] a new facet to Pride, and we are bringing Caribbean culture, which is a part of my life,” Butler told the audience. Butler believes it’s necessary and needed to celebrate the cultural diversity of LGBTQ people at St. Petersburg Pride. Otherwise known as the largest Pride in the state of Florida, according to St. Pete’s Pride. For Butler his work with 9 Colors Initiative is about building that inclusivity through action.
“I create spaces or work with organizations to create spaces [for] 14-year-old me, 18-year-old me, 22-year-old me, 23-year-old me, 24-year-old me to go past what 50-year-old me would,” said Butler.
As pride events continue to roll on through the end of June, good news is unfurling in Florida. A federal judge on Tuesday called the 2023 Florida law that banned transgender, nonbinary, two-spirit, and gender nonconforming healthcare for minors, and severely restricted such treatment for adults unconstitutional. The law is no longer in the state of Florida, and as of March, Floridian students and teachers can discuss LGBTQ topics in schools.
“Transgender opponents are of course free to hold their beliefs. But they’re not free to discriminate against transgender individuals just for being transgender,” Senior Judge Robert Hinkle said in his 105-page decision. The judge also said that “[s]ome transgender opponents invoke religion to support their position, just as some once invoked religion to support their racism or misogyny.”
Outside of the state legislature, discrimination persists. Joshua Bean told the crowd that it’s imperative to fight that discrimination through education and action.
“As we approach Pride Month, it is time to celebrate all LGBTQIA+ folks in St. Petersburg,” said Bean whose organization works to achieve racially equitable health outcomes and improve the determinants that shape them. The organizer continued saying that “while instituted discrimination exists for the entire LGBTQIA+ community, we must take a deeper look for the intersection of race and more accurately examine those who continue to feel the greatest burden of nationwide discriminatory efforts.”
The event held space for numerous LGBTQ trailblazers in Florida, including Sam(ira) Obeid the founder and CEO of Poetry is Activism. Obeid is an internationally renowned spoken word poet. Additionally, she is a reputed educator on intersectionality, systemic discrimination and resistance, and a local activist.
The poet describes herself as a masculine, Indian lesbian raised Hindu on her mother’s side and Muslim on her father’s side. When Sam moved to the U.S. in 2007 she earned her second and third masters degree in Multimedia Journalism and Women’s & Gender Studies.
“Like my bio said, I am Indian born and raised. I’m currently an immigrant. If you have ever been through or know anyone that has been through the immigration process, you know it is very broken, very flawed, or maybe it is perfectly created to make you feel that way,” Obeid said as Pres. Biden’s recent unlawful executive order denies most asylum claims. Obeid then went into her next poem.
“There is compulsory misogyny
“that comes with this identity that feels so blinding
“you completely missed the point
“so quick to label me in your own image
“all of the sudden I am not woman enough to understand.”
Obeid passionately enunciated.
The poet continued to read poems while talking to the crowd. She told the crowd that she moves through this world by combining her greatest passions: spoken word and anti-discrimination education.
Before joining Obeid, and others in the “Let’s Talk About It Part Two” Panel, Butler honored J. Carl DeVine with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
DeVine is an 80-year-old AIDS/HIV LGBTQ activist living in St. Petersburg. As a student, he partook in non-violent civil rights sit-in demonstrations. DeVine also organized Kwanza and Juneteeth celebrations, and is said to have gotten arrested with Martin Luther King, Jr.
“1993 Juneteenth Original Committee.”
“Carl’s journey is one of inspiration and achievement,” said Butler. “Through his work, he has touched countless lives, always striving to make a difference and improve the world around him.”
When DeVine joined Butler on stage he said “this is quite an honor.”
People throughout the city of Tampa honored DeVine’s more than 50-year-long dedication.
Before this award, Mayor Ken Welch ordered a proclamation of Oct. 19 as J. Carl DeVine Day in the City of St. Petersburg. A younger generation of LGBTQ people awarded DeVine. That younger generation, looks up to DeVine for his legacy in building equity, LGBTQ equality, and racial justice.
“I do it because it needs to be done,” DeVine told the audience of GLAAD Media Institute alumni. “You stated that I have done something special, but I am just being a good neighbor.”
The Utah Public Auditor has been “unable to substantiate” a single violation of the state’s anti-transgender bathroom ban out of over 12,000 complaints.
The state auditor released a form in May for the public to report transgender people who use the changing rooms and restrooms that align with their gender identity to state authorities. The form was meant to be a method of enforcing a recently enacted state law that levies criminal penalties against people who use “changing rooms” that do not align with their biological sex in government-owned and run buildings.
HB 257 changed the state’s legal definitions of “female” and “male,” defining the terms based solely by one’s reproductive organs. It defines a “women’s bathroom” and “men’s bathroom” as spaces exclusively designated for females and males, respectively. Government facilities impacted include public schools, courthouses, libraries, recreation centers, airports, and some sporting arenas.
The form was quickly flooded with memes and joke reports upon its launch. Now, nearly two months later, the form still has not led to a single substantiated complaint after over 12,000 filings. Only five reports were deemed “plausible” enough to investigate, and each inquiry turned up nothing, the Utah Public Auditor announced in a statement Wednesday, via the Salt Lake Tribune.
The state auditor’s office has struggled with how to enforce the bathroom ban since its passage, noting in its statement that it still does not have a “privacy compliance plan” in place. Privacy violation has been a key concern since the law’s passage, as the form enables people to upload pictures to provide evidence of “incidents” while requiring the submitter’s name and email address.
Despite the overwhelming failure, the Utah Public Auditor insisted it would keep the form up and continue to investigate the few reports it deems serious.
“During June, almost all of the complaints we received were also frivolous complaints,” the statement continued. “We have completed our investigations and are not investigating any other complaints at this time. As we identify credible or good-faith complaints, we will investigate those pursuant to the statutory requirement.”
A recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling deemed frozen embryos to be children under state law. This led most clinics in the state to immediately halt in vitro fertilization (IVF) due to fears of legal repercussions under Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. This ruling is just one in a series of attacks on reproductive rights in the United States that affects both queer and heterosexual people aspiring to parenthood.
The ruling also compounded existing inequalities in access to fertility treatment faced by queer women, single women and transgender men, in particular. A 2023 Human Rights Watch investigation found that heterosexual couples are covered by at least three major U.S. insurance companies’ fertility policies, while lesbian couples face significant hurdles and must demonstrate multiple failed rounds of self-funded fertility treatments to qualify for coverage. In what one woman aptly described as a “queer tax,” this makes fertility treatment cost up to $30,000 more for queer couples.
Discrimination against queer and single women who want to start and protect their families is a global issue.
In Japan, parliament recently considered a draft law that would restrict access to fertility treatment to women who have a husband, explicitly discriminating against single women and lesbians. In both the U.S. and Italy, the authorities have taken steps to remove non-gestational lesbian mothers from their children’s birth certificates. In February 2023, an Oklahoma court removed Kris Williams from her son’s birth certificate, ruling the sperm donor is the child’s second legal parent. In an eerily similar attack on queer motherhood, a state prosecutor in Italy ordered the cancellation and re-issuance of 33 birth certificates of lesbian couples’ children in January 2023, removing the non-gestational mother. Though a court ruled in March 2024 that the government could not simply remove women from their children’s birth certificates, a similar case in Milan indicates that a precarious, back-and-forth legal battle may ensue.
Despite the barrage of bad news and court cases, the British government committed in 2022 to a 10-year strategy to end discrimination against “female same-sex couples” seeking fertility services. This change, thanks in large part to queer women’s activism, would remove the requirement that lesbians seeking publicly funded fertility treatment prove infertility by self-funding 12 rounds of artificial insemination, including 6 in a clinical setting. Doing so has historically cost lesbian couples around £26,000 – yet another queer tax – while heterosexual couples could prove infertility by simply attesting to having had two years of unprotected sex. The strategy does not, however, define “same-sex” or “couple,” leaving it unclear if those in civil partnerships, as well as transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people qualify. It is also silent on the treatment of single women.
The lack of policies around the globe to protect single and queer women who wish to become parents points to the grim reality that many rights – parental and otherwise – are still allocated to women based on their proximity to men.
Doctors in several U.S. states still ask women for “spousal consent” before performing hysterectomies. Almost half of countries limit women’s property rights, and 44 countries prioritize sons in land inheritance, meaning that a woman’s only path to generational wealth is often through a husband. To add insult to injury, even for women who do marry men, more than 100 countries still deny them the right to inherit their husband’s land. Several countries allow fathers to prevent unmarried daughters from traveling abroad, and some ask women to produce evidence of a male guardian’s “permission” to rent an apartment.
A lesbian activist in Kyrgyzstan told me she was coerced into marrying a man at 19 and wasn’t allowed to move out of her parents’ home until then. Paradoxically, she explained, “there is no path to freedom if you don’t marry a man.”
Around the world, attaching oneself to a man legally, financially, and socially is a prerequisite for a host of rights.
It would be easy to assume that fertility treatment is a privileged woman’s issue, something lesbian and trans activists would only advocate after they had achieved other, more seemingly foundational LGBTQ+ rights. Traditionally conceptualized, this would include the decriminalization of same-sex conduct and marriage equality. However, in interviews I conducted across 26 countries, I found that queer women raised fertility, parental rights, and women’s rights in custody battles as often or more than they did police abuse, criminalization, marriage equality, and employment discrimination.
Lesbians in Kenya and Malawi, two countries without marriage equality and where same-sex conduct is a criminal offense, told me that having children and protecting their rights as legal guardians was “what kept them up at night.” They questioned not only why their ability to become parents was dependent upon marrying a man but also why it had to follow a normative LGBTQ+ rights advancement ladder.
Governments should reform discriminatory fertility laws, introduce anti-discrimination legislation, and remove disproportionate barriers to accessing reproductive treatments. States should also abolish laws that prevent single women and unmarried couples from adopting, and pass queer-inclusive parental recognition bills that explicitly recognize the legal parenthood of non-gestational lesbian parents.
As LGBTQ+ advocates and allies globally, we also need to center women’s autonomy, including advocacy on behalf of single women, in the struggle for queer justice. The LGBTQ+ rights advancement playbook, as we normally speak of it, doesn’t tell the whole story for queer women.
Erin Kilbride is a researcher with the LGBT rights and Women’s rights programs at Human Rights Watch.
As theDemocratic National Convention approaches, set to take place inChicagofrom August 19-22, an undercurrent of inclusivity runs through its planning stages.
According to a convention spokesperson, over 20 percent of the Democratic National Convention Committee staff identify asLGBTQ+, with five department directors among them. This is not just a statistical footnote; it’s a deliberate manifestation of the Democratic Party’s values of diversity and inclusion, the organizers say.
Senior director for communications Matt Hill is one of the key architects of this inclusive vision. Hill has a storied history with the President Joe Biden’s team, having served as a spokesperson on Biden’s 2020 campaigns and as a senior spokesperson for the Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee. His role now involves overseeing thepress, surrogates, and studio teams, ensuring that the convention’s narrative is crafted and disseminated effectively.
“We are changing a lot of the ways we do things here at the convention to make sure we have the opportunities for the Democratic family to create content and meet people where they are,” Hill explained in an interview with The Advocate. His team’s efforts include welcoming 15,000 media members to Chicago and providing equal access to content creators. Hill’s strategy is forward-thinking, aiming to integrate traditional media with digital influencers to reach a broader audience.
Then there’s Liz Stovall, the venue technology project manager. Managing everything from construction to printing, Stovall is also the heartbeat behind ChiPride, the DNCC’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group. “I’ve been a leader in the queer community for years, and stepping into this role felt like a natural progression,” she shared with The Advocate.
ChiPride is more than just a resource group; it’s a sanctuary for support, advocacy, and shared experiences. Under Stovall’s leadership, it’s become a beacon of inclusivity within the DNCC, Stovall said.
“There’s a lot of desire to make people feel like they belong here,” Stovall said.
The convention’s commitment to LGBTQ+ representation extends to its business partnerships. Revel Global Events, a local women and LGBTQ+-owned business, has been tapped to manage the convention’s events, showcasing the best of Chicago’s vibrant enterprise scene. Additionally, the Chicago 2024 Host Committee is championing local LGBTQ+ businesses through a meticulously curated vendor directory and venue map.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Stovall is a proud Chicagoan and an advocate for the city’s rich queer history. “Chicago hosted the first Pride parade, and our Gerber/Hart Library and Archives is a treasure trove of our history,” she said.
Other notable LGBTQ+ staff members include Gino Generelli, the lead systems administrator with over 20 years of experience in the Apple technology ecosystem and Chicago’s small business community. Mario Parker-Milligan, the associate director for constituency & allied groups, hails from Portland, where he managed the state party’s caucuses and constituency groups. He has extensive experience in student voter registration and progressive candidate recruitment. Damon Ngô, associate director for allied group outreach, previously managed coalitions at the Democratic National Committee, focusing on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders and youth and climate outreach and engagement.
Hill and his team are not just resting on their laurels but innovating. “We are creating state-of-the-art studios inside the United Center, where surrogates can talk to battleground state press, content creators, or tape their digital content,” Hill explained. This forward-thinking approach is designed to meet audiences where they are, making the convention’s message more accessible than ever.
The stakes are high, and the DNCC is poised to deliver a narrative that underscores the achievements of the Biden administration, particularly its pro-LGBTQ+ policies. “This administration is the most pro-LGBTQ in history, and we’re proud to showcase that,” Hill asserted. The convention will highlight past accomplishments and draw a stark contrast with the opposing party’s stance on important issues, including LGBTQ+ issues.
The Biden-Harris administration has a notable track record on LGBTQ+ rights, including signing comprehensive executive orders to prevent discrimination, reversing the ban on transgender service members, and signing the Respect for Marriage Act. The administration also established the White House Gender Policy Council and appointed the first LGBTQ+ Cabinet member, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Biden’s team put forth ADM Rachel Levine as the first transgender person confirmed by the Senate to an administration position and appointedKarine Jean-Pierre as White House Press Secretary.
Volunteers are being called upon to join this historic effort. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Stovall said. “Being part of the DNC, especially with such high stakes, is truly remarkable.”
Hill said the DNCC’s inclusive approach and innovative strategies promise to make the Democratic National Convention in Chicago a landmark event.
“It’s your chance to be a part of history, especially since the stakes are so high with this election,” said Stovall.
Roberta Kaplan, a legendary lawyer in the realm of LGBTQ+ rights and feminism, has resigned from the firm she founded “after clashing with her partners over her treatment of colleagues,” The New York Timesreports.
She opened New York-based Kaplan Hecker & Fink in 2017 after 25 years with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, a major corporate law firm. She once said Kaplan Hecker & Fink operated “on the principle that there always must be someone to stand up to a bully,” according to the Times.
Kaplan told the Bloomberg news service she was leaving the firm because “it grew in size and complexity beyond what I had in mind, and I wanted to get back to something nimbler.” She is starting a firm called Kaplan Martin with Tim Martin, a partner in Kaplan Hecker & Fink, and two other friends, Steven M. Cohen and Mitra Hormozi, both former federal prosecutors.
But the Times story details tensions at Kaplan Hecker & Fink. “Her departure was announced after The Times informed her personal lawyers that it was preparing to publish an article about Ms. Kaplan that would shine a light on complaints about what some employees said was an unprofessional office culture that she presided over,” the paper reports. Kaplan had been removed from the firm’s management committee, according to the Times.
“Several people whom she worked with told The Times that she had insulted employees, inappropriately commented on their looks and threatened to derail people’s careers,” the article continues. Kaplan’s lawyers said this was not the case. They also told the Times, “There is nothing more unremarkable than trial lawyers using colorful language, criticizing their peers and representing diverse clients with no expectation of ideological purity.”
Kaplan herself gave a statement to the paper, saying, “The work I do is high-stakes and challenging, requiring both toughness and precision.” Because she had fought “some of the world’s biggest bullies, there are people who don’t like me, which comes with the territory, particularly when you are a woman,” she added. “I am proud of my record as a lawyer, colleague and mentor.”
She has been involved in controversies before. In 2021, she resigned as cochair of the board of Time’s Up, an organization founded to assist survivors of sexual harassment and assault, after it was revealed that she had advised then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on his response to allegations that he had sexually harassed employees. Kaplan helped found Time’s Up and its legal defense fund in 2017. Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after a report from New York State Attorney General Letitia James found the accusations against Cuomo credible and concluded that he and his associates had committed unlawful retaliation against one of his accusers. Both Cohen and Hormozi have “close ties” to Cuomo, Bloomberg reports.
Kaplan Hecker & Fink will be renamed Hecker Fink as of Monday. “It was Robbie’s decision to leave the firm,” partners Julie Fink and Sean Hecker said in a statement to the Times. “We wish her the very best and look forward to working with her and her new firm in the future.”
Aiden Cordero, 18, was suspended from her Florida high school in February for using the girls’ bathroom.
Cordero is a transgender girl and a senior at Frank W. Springstead High School, in a suburb of Tampa, where, she said, she’s been using the girls’ restroom for the last three years without issues. However, one of a few laws targeting LGBTQ students or topics Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May 2023 requires that she use either the boys’ restroom or the single-occupancy restroom in the school’s clinic, which she said is far from her classes.
In February, she had an emergency, so she went to the nearest bathroom, which was the women’s restroom, she said. When she returned to class, she said, two classmates told an administrator she had used the girls’ restroom, and she wassuspended for the day.
As a result of her suspension, Cordero said, she wasn’t allowed to join the rest of her classmates on a senior trip, which she had paid $180 for. Before the incident, Cordero was considering staying in Florida for college, because she was awarded a Bright Futures Scholarship, which would have paid partial tuition at an in-state university. Due to her experiences in high school, as well as the passage of state legislation targeting LGBTQ rights, she decided to leave Florida and attend college in New York, even though doing so would mean additional expenses.
“I feel like if I went to college [in Florida], I would have to face that for four more years. If I stayed in a dorm out here, I have to be in a male dorm, using male bathrooms,” she said, referring to a Florida Board of Education rule implemented last year that broadened the May 2023 law.
A spokesperson for the Hernando County School District declined to comment on Cordero’s suspension, citing student privacy.
Aiden Cordero, 18, was suspended from her Florida high school in February for using the girls’ bathroom.Bill Angelucci / NBC News
NBC News spoke with Cordero and other students, teachers and parents in Hernando County throughout the most recent school year about effects of laws targeting the LGBTQ community, including what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which was expanded in May 2023.DeSantis signed the first version of the law, the Parental Rights in Education act, in May 2022. The original law prohibited “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
The expanded measure prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity instruction in prekindergarten through eighth grade, restricts reproductive health education in sixth through 12th grade and requires that reproductive health instruction “be age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” The law applies to both public and charter schools.
The LGBTQ students and teachers who spoke with NBC News said the resulting climate has been one of confusion about what exactly violates the law and increased hostility toward anything LGBTQ-related.
Hernando County School District Superintendent John Stratton sent out an email in May 2023 that said teachers should familiarize themselves with the Parental Rights in Education law, according to a copy of the email shared with NBC News. He sent another email shortly thereafter, which was also shared with NBC News, that directed school staff members not to “display any items that can be considered classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity (flags, posters, stickers, etc.).”
Florida teacher Ian Wald removed a rainbow sticker that was behind his desk at the end of the 2022-23 school year.Bill Angelucci / NBC News
Ian Wald, a digital cinema production teacher at Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville, about 50 miles north of Tampa, said he removed a rainbow sticker that was behind his desk at the end of the 2022-23 school year, shortly after Stratton’s email was sent out.“I wasn’t trying to convert anybody; I was just trying to let students know that they were safe in my classroom,” said Wald, who doesn’t identify as LGBTQ.
However, teachers who are a part of the LGBTQ community, like Alyssa Marano, said the expanded law made them feel they had to hide who they are. Marano, who was also a teacher at Nature Coast, left her job at the end of the 2022-23 school year because of the political climate surrounding LGBTQ issues in Hernando County and at the state level and got a job as a marketing manager at a local gym.
After having missed the first half of the school year, she returned to the classroom in January.
“When I decided to leave at the end of last year, there were so many emotions, and it was really just a heavy time,” she said. “So I had to put it down.” Now, she added, she’s picking her teaching career back up, hopeful that it will be “a little lighter.”
Alyssa Marano missed the first half of this past school year because of the political climate surrounding LGBTQ issues.Michael Gemelli / NBC News
In March, Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys reached a settlement in a lawsuit challenging the parental rights law that allows students and teachers to speak freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms as long as it’s not a part of class instruction. The settlement will also allow schools to create anti-bullying policies related to sexual orientation and gender identity and create LGBTQ clubs, such as gender-sexuality alliances. In April, a judge in a separate lawsuit temporarily blocked the restriction on teachers’ use of pronouns that don’t align with their birth sexes. However, that injunction blocks enforcement of the law only against two of the teachers who sued.The settlement doesn’t affect the part of the parental rights law that bars teachers from using names and pronouns for students that don’t align with their sexes assigned at birth or the law restricting trans students’ bathroom use.
Florida has also passed a number of other bills targeting trans youth, including one that restricts trans students’ participation in school sports. Several of the state’s LGBTQ-related bills, however, have been temporarily or permanently blocked in court, including a measure that restricted gender-affirming care for minors and adults, which a judge largely struck down this month. In an emailed statement, DeSantis’ deputy press secretary said the governor’s office plans to appeal the ruling.
Some Floridians have moved out of the state or considered moving as a result of the so-called Don’t Say Gay law. In a report published in January, before the law was expanded, the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that 56% of 133 LGBTQ parents surveyed in Florida said they had considered moving out of the state because of the measure. Another Williams Institute report, which was conducted in March 2023, when the bill’s expansion was being debated, surveyed 106 Florida parents, both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ, and found 40% said they had considered moving out of the state as a result of the law.
Jon Harris Maurer, the public policy director at Equality Florida, an LGBTQ advocacy group founded in 1997, said that this year the organization heard concerns from more parents and families than ever before.
“Families were afraid to send their children to school because protections had been eliminated, bullying was on the rise, and teachers were being forced back into the closet,” he said. “On top of that, school districts were telling teachers to remove ‘safe space’ stickers and to strip books off the classroom and library shelves.”
School board members from one-third of school districts in the state, representing the majority of Florida’s student population, also reached out to Equality Florida during the 2023-24 school year to say their districts had struggled to interpret the laws and that the state is “refusing to clarify them, amplifying confusion and fear,” Harris Maurer said.
Cordero, who graduated in May and decided to pursue college in New York City, said that though New York isn’t perfectly safe, she hopes to be able to live her “best life” there.
“I’m able to use the women’s bathrooms, I’m going to be able to stay in women’s dorms — just be myself basically,” she said. “When I’m in New York, I’m going to be free.”
The 2025 Tokyo Marathon will allow athletes to select nonbinary as their gender identity instead of male or female during registration. Now, all six Abbott World Marathon Majors — a circuit of the largest, most renowned marathons across the globe — have a nonbinary category for athletes.
“The Tokyo Marathon Foundation is committed to promoting DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and aims to be the most inclusive race in the world,” the foundation, which organizes the Tokyo race, said in a news release on Monday.
In 2019, the Tokyo Marathon Foundation signed a pledge to promote gender diversity in sporting events with Pride House Tokyo, an organization that aims to create a safe space for LGBTQ athletes in Japan. Pride House Tokyo has been advising the foundation on best practices to accommodate athletes outside of the gender binary.
In addition to allowing participants to register under a nonbinary category, the next Tokyo Marathon, which will take place on March 2, will provide gender-neutral restrooms and changing areas located at the start line, finish and along the course. There will also be seminars on LGBTQ issues for volunteers and administrators working the event.
Activist and runner Cal Calamia has been a part of a growing effort to bring gender inclusivity into major races since 2022, when they fought for medals to be awarded to the top nonbinary finishers of San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers course. Calamia, who uses both he and they pronouns, has gone on to petition the world’s largest marathons, such as Boston and New York, to enact change.
He has competed in every U.S. Marathon Major since a nonbinary category was established in each.
“I felt a wave of relief and pride when I woke up to an email from my contact at the Tokyo Marathon Monday morning,” Calamia said. “Now, nonbinary marathoners can pursue our dreams of running all of the World Marathon Majors, just as men and women have been able to do for a long time.”
The other five World Marathon Majors — Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and New York — added their own nonbinary categories in the last few years, starting with New York in 2021. New York made history in 2022 being the only World Marathon Major to award prize money to its nonbinary top finishers.
In its race guidelines for the 2025 marathon, Tokyo did not indicate whether there will be prize money awarded to any of its nonbinary competitors.
Since introducing a nonbinary field, participation of gender-diverse athletes in World Marathon Majors has grown. New York saw a doubling of its nonbinary competitors from 45 participants in 2022 to 96 in 2023. Meanwhile, London had a turnout of over 100 nonbinary competitors in 2023, its first year offering the category.
“The recognition of nonbinary athletes at Tokyo represents the power of the collective in advocating for our inclusion and will have effects across the globe that reach far beyond the running world,” Calamia said. “It’s imperative that these divisions do more than just exist.”
