Top Stories

/ /

Biden administration urged to add gender-affirming care to proposed abortion rights protections

,

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Trevor Project, are asking the White House to add gender-affirming care to new rules under consideration by the Department of Health and Human Services, strengthening health privacy protections related to abortion. The proposed changes to HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, would bar law enforcement officials from accessing information about abortion across state lines in pursuit of prosecutions in states where the procedure has been drastically limited. Like the right to abortion, access to gender-affirming care for minors has been severely curtailed or legislated out of […]

/ /

Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Law Targeting Books & Librarians

,

A federal judge in Arkansas temporarily stopped a new law in the state that would have authorized criminal prosecution of librarians and bookstores who provide juveniles with “harmful” materials, the Associated Press reports. Judge Timothy L. Brooks enjoined the law, which would have constructed a new process for contesting library materials for relocation to locations not accessible by children. Former TrumpWhite House Press Secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the measure earlier this year, with an August 1 effective date. Libraries and booksellers would be chilled from carrying titles that could be challenged if they fear prosecution under the law, according […]

/ /

Ron DeSantis gaslights LGBTQ+ people: I’m not “demeaning” anyone!

,

Gov. Ron DeSantis – one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ governors in history – has yet again stood behind his widely mocked anti-LGBTQ+ campaign video by claiming he is not in favor of “demeaning” anyone.  While speaking to Bret Baier on Fox News, DeSantis took “responsibility” for the ad and yet also continued to defend himself. He said the issues the video brings up (like the fact that Donald Trump expressed support for trans people once, years before he was president) are “totally legitimate.”  “I don’t believe in demeaning anybody, and we have not done that since I’ve been governor,” he said. “These […]

/ /

Oklahoma Gov. signs executive order defining male & female as sex assigned at birth

,

Oklahoma’s Republican governor signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at limiting the rights of transgender people in the state, and trans women in particular. Known as “The Women’s Bill of Rights” by supporters, the order requires state agencies to define the words “female” and “male” based on a person’s sex assigned at birth. Specifically, it defines a female as a “person whose biological reproductive system is designed to produce ova” and a male as a “person whose biological reproductive system is designed to fertilize the ova of a female,” the Associated Press reports. It also defines the words “man,” “boy,” Oklahoma’s […]

/ /

Florida effectively bans AP Psychology course over LGBTQ content, College Board says

Florida “effectively banned” Advanced Placement Psychology classes in the state due to the course’s content on sexual orientation and gender identity, the College Board said Thursday. The state’s Department of Education informed the College Board that its AP Psychology class is in violation of state law, the higher education nonprofit said in a statement. Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, restricts the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s classrooms. “The state’s ban of this content removes choice from parents and students,” the College Board said in a […]

/ /

Judge rules in favor of trans students after parents’ rights group sues for the right to misgender

,

A federal judge has ruled on the side of trans rights after a conservative group tried to overturn an Ohio school district’s anti-bullying policy.  The national conservative group Parents Defending Education (PDE) tried to get a preliminary injunction passed on the Olentangy Local School District’s prohibition on misgendering trans students. The policy includes students, teachers, and parents and it applies to out-of-school hours and social media as well.  PDE’s lawsuit claimed the policy is unconstitutional because “they compel speech, discriminate based on content and viewpoint, and are unconstitutionally overbroad.”  U.S. District Chief Judge Algenon L. Marbley disagreed, writing in his opinion that “ultimately, […]

/ /

Pediatricians’ group reaffirms support for gender-affirming care amid growing state restrictions

The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed its support for gender-affirming medical care for transgender children on Thursday, even as the treatments face a growing push for bans and restrictions from Republican lawmakers across the U.S. The board of directors for the group, which represents 67,000 pediatricians, unanimously voted to reaffirm its 2018 position on the treatments. The board also voted to provide additional documents to support pediatricians, including clinical and technical reports, and to conduct an external review of research regarding the care. “The additional recommendations also reflect the fact that the board is concerned about restrictions to accessing evidence-based health care for young people […]

/ /

Connecticut Native Kevin Maxen Becomes First Openly Gay Male NFL Coach

Kevin Maxen, associate strength coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, came out on Thursday and is believed to be the first openly gay NFL coach, as reported by WFSB.com. Hailing from Southbury, Connecticut, and an alumnus of Pomperaug High School, Maxen’s journey from a star football player to an NFL coach is marked by determination and hard work. Maxen said, as quoted by Outsports, “I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore. I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing or why I am living with someone else. I […]

/ /

Federal appeals court upholds trans rights in Indiana school bathroom case

,

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has ruled in favor of three transgender students who were forbidden by their schools from using bathrooms matching their gender identities. The circuit court upheld a lower court’s preliminary injunction that said the schools have to let trans students use facilities associated with their genders.  “Students who are denied access to the appropriate facilities are caused both serious emotional and physical harm as they are denied recognition of who they are,” said ACLU of Indiana lawyer Kenneth Falk. “They will often avoid using the restroom altogether while in school. Schools should […]

/ /

Texas Sued Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Drag Ban by ACLU

,

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the Texas Attorney General and other defendants on Wednesday to prevent Senate Bill 12 from taking effect on September 1. It would ban drag performances in most public venues if permitted to move forward. In the ACLU’s lawsuit, the group asserts that SB 12, which includes a ban on drag performances, violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and threatens Texans’ livelihoods and free expression. For artists and those who support them, the ban targets any performance that could be construed as “sexual” and imposes criminal penalties, including a year in jail.  Many constitutionally protected performances could be censored by […]

«‹ 226 227 228 229›»