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Arkansas trans community center vandalized for 5th time in past year, advocates say

An Arkansas transgender advocacy group’s community center was vandalized this week for at least the fifth time in the past year, the group’s executive director said. InTRANSitive, the only trans community center in the state, has become increasingly visible in recent years due to its activism against a wave of state legislation targeting trans people, Rumba Yambú, the founder and executive director, said. InTRANSitive’s Little Rock-based community center has seen repeated acts of vandalism since it opened in December 2021, said Yambú, who uses they/them pronouns. Starting last year, someone has damaged the pipes outside of the building at least […]

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Judy Shepard will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Judy Shepard, the longtime LGBTQ+ activist and mother of anti-gay hate crime victim Matthew Shepard, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Shepard will receive the award, the U.S.’s highest civilian honor, from President Joe Biden at the White House today along with 19 other recipients, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Al Gore, journalist and talk show host Phil Donahue, and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. “These nineteen Americans built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better. They are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields. They consistently demonstrated over their careers […]

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LGBTQ+ foster kids just got some help from the Biden administration

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The Biden administration announced a new rule to protect LGBTQ+ youth in foster care, creating a system of designated placements for LGBTQ+ children as well as taking steps to address harassment and abuse against LGBTQ+ foster kids no matter where they’re placed.  To become a designated placement for LGBTQ+ youth, a care provider would have to receive training on the needs of LGBTQ+ youth, help the children get access to age-appropriate resources for their health, and “commit to establishing an environment that supports the child’s LGBTQI+ status or identity,” according to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) release.  “Every […]

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14 states sue the Biden administration for the right to discriminate against trans kids

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More states have announced lawsuits against the Biden administration over its new Title IX rules mandating anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students, bringing the total number of states suing the administration to 14. Last week, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia filed a joint lawsuit against the administration, along with the Independent Women’s Network, Parents Defending Education, Speech First, and the Independent Women’s Law Center. In a separate lawsuit, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) also announced a challenge to the new rules. Now the state of Tennessee is leading a lawsuit against the new rules and is joined by Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, […]

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Kenyan court bars homophobic protests

The queer community in Kenya can breathe a sigh of relief after a Mombasa court on Monday ruled clerics, politicians, and anti-LGBTQ groups cannot hold homophobic protests or engage in incitement. The Mombasa High Court’s ruling, however, is temporary until July 24 when the court in Kenya’s second-largest city determines a petition on the issue. Two petitioners — Mr. JM and the Center for Minority Rights and Strategic Litigation — last October sued Police Inspector General Japhet Koome for allowing religious leaders and lobby groups to hold homophobic protests whenever a court rules in favor of the LGBTQ community. The petitioners’ effort […]

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How did the Biden administration just make health care fairer for LGBTQ+ people?

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The Biden-Harris administration announced Friday that it had finalized an essential update to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, significantly strengthening protections against discrimination in health care, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This pivotal rule change reverses prior rollbacks under the Trump administration and establishes a new benchmark for inclusivity in health care access. Advocacy groups have praised the move. What is Section 1557? Section 1557 of the ACA is a critical nondiscrimination statute prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs or activities. It plays a vital role in ensuring equity within […]

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How queer Indigenous youth are finding safety and support after Nex Benedict’s death

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In the summer of 2015, an 8-year-old Choctaw child named Twelve walked in their first Two-Spirit LGBTQ Pride parade, recognizing Native people with a male and female spirit within them. They wore their hair in braids and a black suit, their mother and auntie by their side. Out and proud adults waved hello to Twelve from their colorfully decorated floats. The streets of Oklahoma City were filled with music, dancing and drag performances. It was a celebration that seemed like a step toward a future of acceptance for Oklahoma’s Indigenous queer community.   “That memory sticks in my mind — seeing someone that […]

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Anti-LGBTQ+ laws lead to ‘public health crisis’ with higher suicide rates among queer youth

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Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are having a catastrophic effect on queer youth in the United States. Between bans on gender-affirming care for minors and laws allowing for queer students to be misgendered, outed, or excluded, 90 percent of LGBTQ+ youth said their well-being has been negatively impacted by recent politics, according to The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. This legislation is affecting queer students’ safety in schools, as nearly half of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 (49 percent) said they experienced bullying in the past year. Those who reported bullying also reported significantly higher rates […]

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Ron DeSantis says Florida isn’t going to follow Joe Biden’s new LGBTQ+ supportive rules

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said that his state wouldn’t comply with new rules intended to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ+ students.  “Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX,” he said in a video posted to social media. “We will not comply, and we will fight back.” At issue are Title IX rules released by the Department of Education earlier this month that forbid discriminatory and harassing behavior against LGBTQ+ students. Title IX bans discrimination on the basis of sex, and the Biden administration based the rules on the legal argument that it is impossible to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people without taking sex […]

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How dating apps have tried to become more trans-inclusive over the years

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Transgender actress Patti Harrison recently appeared in a comedic advertisement for the dating app Hinge’s “Designed to be Deleted” campaign. In the ad, Harrison plays an angelic receptionist at the Gate of the Afterlife who welcomes deleted Hinge app icons after newly and happily united couples delete the app from their phones. While the ad is comical, online dating apps continue to provide an uneven experience for trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid users. Most dating websites and smartphone apps didn’t initially offer gender descriptions for these users to authentically present themselves to others. Even with expanded gender presentation options, non-cisgender users say […]

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