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Students in Iowa are organizing to circumvent state’s anti-LGBTQ laws

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Students around the nation are pushing back on Republican attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. They’ve stood up for teachers and coaches, walked out en masse, and this week, a Missouri university reopened a student resource center after students protested. But high schoolers in Iowa are taking a different approach to defy the state’s laws. They’ve heckled the state’s anti-LGBTQ+ governor, and instead of relying on teachers and faculty for support, they’re providing it themselves. State law bans healthcare professionals from providing any medical treatment that attempts “to alter the appearance of, or affirm the minor’s perception of” a gender other than the minor was assigned […]

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Delaware Becomes 17th State to Outlaw ‘Gay and Trans Panic’ Defense

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Delaware has become the 17th state to ban the “gay and trans panic” defense.  Gov. John Carney signed a bill to this effect into law September 24. It states in part, “In any prosecution or sentencing for an offense, a defendant is not justified in using force against another based on the discovery of, knowledge or belief about, or the potential or actual disclosure of the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, or sex assigned at birth.” State Rep. Eric Morrison, a gay man, was chief sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives, and Sen. Sarah McBride, a transgender woman, […]

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Lesbian says she was passed over for Starbucks promotion because she’s “gay” & “looks like a boy”

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Just months after coffee colossus Starbucks was accused of erasing Pride from store locations across the country, the company is being sued by a lesbian and gender non-conforming employee who claims she was passed over for promotion because she is “gay” and “looks like a boy.” Jahmelia “Jay” Peters is suing Starbucks, claiming the company denied her a promotion at a White Plains, New York store despite previous experience in the role due to her sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression.  One store manager allegedly threw out Pride decorations rather than display them. The store manager promoted a woman he […]

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LGBTQ+ activists sue Florida over ‘relentless’ trans bathroom ban

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A group of trans and non-binary activists have filed legal claims against Florida’s bathroom ban in an effort to brand it “unconstitutional.” The Center for Constitutional Rights announced on Friday (29 September) that Six activists and a feminist group had, with help from legal counsel, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against Florida’s bathroom ban. If passed, the restraining order would allow plaintiffs and other members of the community to use the bathroom while protesting against transphobia at the National March to Protect Trans Youth in Orlando on 7 October. Trans woman and member of the organisation Women […]

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Fake HIV medication “kingpin” pled guilty. He could be going to prison for years.

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The second of two Florida men identified as the “kingpins” in a massive scheme to supply counterfeit HIV medication to U.S. pharmacies, suppliers, and patients has pleaded guilty. Armando Herrera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, the Department of Justice announced earlier this week. The scheme was to find discarded HIV pill bottles, fill them with fake meds, and reseal them before selling them to unsuspecting victims. According to the DOJ, Herrera and his co-conspirator, Lazaro Roberto Hernandez, set up companies in Florida, Texas, Washington, and California, which they used to primarily […]

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3 anti-LGBTQ+ groups are behind 86% of all book bans across the U.S.

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Approximately 86% of all book bans across the nation have occurred in school districts with a local chapter of one of three anti-LGBTQ+ groups: Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF), and Parents’ Rights in Education, according to a new report from the free speech organization PEN America.  According to their report, the groups have used a variety of tactics, including the promotion of state laws and rhetoric against so-called “sexually explicit,” “harmful,” and “age-inappropriate” “porn in schools”; the taking over school boards; the enlisting of parents to threaten public pressure or civic penalties against school boards, educators, and librarians; and […]

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Michigan Supreme Court says state judges must respect pronouns in court

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In a 5-2 vote, the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that all judges in the state must respect the pronouns of the parties that come before their court. The rule will be implemented beginning on January 1. While it prevents judges from disrespecting a person’s pronouns, it does allow them to refer to a party as “attorney” or “plaintiff” along with their last name should they want to avoid pronouns altogether.  “Courts must use the individual’s name, the designated salutation or personal pronouns, or other respectful means that is not inconsistent with the individual’s designated salutation or personal pronouns,” the decision stated.  […]

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Vivek Ramaswamy describes being transgender as a ‘mental health disorder’

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US presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has caused uproar among the public after describing being transgender as a “mental health disorder.” The comment, which came during Wednesday night’s (27 September) second GOP debate, completely disregards official guidance from all major medical and mental health associations. As transphobic rhetoric continues to sweep across the United States, it was likely that the topic of LGBTQ+ rights was going to crop up at some point during the presidential election run, but those tuned into the debate were disgusted to hear the Republican candidate’s views. Candidates were asked their opinions on the contentious parental rights debate, which has seen a […]

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Tennessee & Kentucky bans on gender-affirming care for minors upheld by appeals court

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Both Tennessee and Kentucky have been given the go-ahead by a federal appeals court to outlaw gender-affirming care for minors. Earlier in 2023, both states passed legislation to restrict a number of rights for transgender youth, including access to gender-affirming care. Both were challenged in court by the families of transgender children in each state and the American Civil Liberties Union, who had argued that bans on gender-affirming care discriminated on the basis of sex. Trial court judges initially blocked both the Tennessee and Kentucky ban, but the 6th Circuit court ruled in July that Tennessee’s ban would be permitted to take effect while it considered […]

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Uganda’s anti-gay law causing wave of rights abuses, activists say

The consideration and passage by Uganda’s government of one of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws have unleashed a torrent of abuse against LGBTQ people, mostly committed by private individuals, rights groups said on Thursday. The Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which was enacted in May, prescribes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts. At least six people have been charged under it, including two accused of the capital offense of “aggravated homosexuality”. But the report, authored by a committee of the Convening for Equality (CFE) coalition, said the main perpetrators of human rights abuses against LGBTQ people this year — including torture, rape, arrest […]

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