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Gender-affirming surgery in the U.S. nearly tripled before pandemic dip, study finds

The number of gender-affirming surgeries in the U.S. nearly tripled from 2016 to 2019 before dropping slightly in 2020, according to a study published Wednesday. The increase likely reflects expanded insurance coverage for transgender care after the Obama administration and some states actively discouraged discrimination based on gender identity, lead author Dr. Jason Wright of Columbia University said. The dip in 2020 can be attributed to the pandemic. About 48,000 patients underwent such surgeries during the five years studied, with about 13,000 procedures done in 2019, the peak year, and 12,800 in 2020. A little more than half the patients […]

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Far-right leaders are decimating LGBTQ+ rights to distract from their own incompetence

With a pronounced Roman accent and a confidently assertive demeanor, a petite figure stands before an enthusiastic crowd. The people cheer as the figure emphasizes the importance of Christian values, the role of women in traditional family settings, and the threat posed by immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, associating them with the decline of what was once home to the great Roman Empire. You may, for a moment, be reminded of figures like Mussolini, Hitler, or Franco. But the figure is actually in power today. She is Italy’s first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. Her rallying cry, “I am a mother, I […]

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Catholic schools tell trans kids to act like “their biological sex”

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Catholic schools in Worcester, Massachusetts have issued a new policy that orders students to use their names and pronouns assigned at birth and conduct themselves in a manner “consistent with their biological sex,” according to a statement issued by the local diocese on August 15. The policy affects more than 5,000 students in 21 schools in the city 45 miles west of Boston. While the guidance claims that bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity “will not be tolerated,” the policy goes on to say that “students may not advocate, celebrate or express same-sex attraction in such a way as to […]

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Queer Woman Sha’Carri Richardson Is Now Fastest Woman in the World

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In a glorious comeback after being banished from the Tokyo Olympics in 2022 for testing positive ahead of the games for THC, one of the active components of cannabis, out American runner Sha’Carri Richardson won the 100-meter world title at the World Athletics Championships in Hungary on Monday. Delighting crowds at the National Athletics Center in Budapest, Richardson ran a personal best time of 10.65 seconds, making her the fastest woman in the world. The achievement proved her personal mantra, “I’m not back. I’m better.” In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding her exit from the Tokyo games, the world champion said […]

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Republicans are using trans kids to try to trick people into voting against abortion

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Support for abortion access remains high among both Democratic and Republican voters, and as such, Republicans have resorted to trying to trick people into voting for anti-abortion measures – and they’re using anti-trans fearmongering to do it.  In several states, Republicans have tried to convince voters that ballot measures seeking to restrict reproductive rights will also protect youth from Democrats – who they say are trying to force children into gender transitions.  A recent report from Slate detailed how Republicans have (unsuccessfully so far) used this tactic in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  In Michigan last year, Republicans spent millions of dollars trying to […]

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Transgender adults are worried about finding welcoming spaces to live in their later years

Rajee Narinesingh faced struggles throughout her life as a transgender woman, from workplace discrimination to the lasting effects of black market injections that scarred her face and caused chronic infections. In spite of the roadblocks, the 56-year-old Florida actress and activist has seen growing acceptance since she first came out decades ago. “If you see older transgender people, it shows the younger community that it’s possible I can have a life. I can live to an older age,” she said. “So I think that’s a very important thing.” Now, as a wave of new state laws enacted this year limit […]

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Four arrested for “acts of homosexuality” in Uganda

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Four people have reportedly been arrested in Uganda in the Buikwe district, located in central Uganda along Lake Victoria. Police told the AFP that that four people – two of whom were women – were arrested after receiving a tip that “homosexuality” was happening at a massage parlor in the area.  “The police operation was carried out following a tip-off by a female informant to the area security that acts of homosexuality were being carried out at the massage parlor,” said police spokesperson Hellen Butoto. The arrests come just months after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the country’s new Anti-Homosexuality Act, which […]

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Alabama can enforce felony ban on transgender care for minors, court says

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Alabama can enforce a ban outlawing the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender children, the second such appellate victory for gender-affirming care restrictions that have been adopted by a growing number of Republican-led states. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a judge’s temporary injunction against enforcing the law. The judge has scheduled trial for April 2 on whether to permanently block the law. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall called the ruling a “significant victory for our country, for children, and for common sense.” “The […]

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LGBTQ fears grow in Malaysia as Islamists shatter reform hopes

Artist Carmen Rose used to perform regularly in Malaysia, until a police raid last year put an end to the veteran drag queen’s act and fueled the fears of the LGBTQ community at a time when Islamists are rapidly gaining political clout. Since the raid, during which several party-goers were arrested, Rose has stopped doing shows, and rarely ventures out in public in costume. “It’s always a risk going out in drag. If there was a raid, who do we call? Do we bring our boy clothes just in case?” said Rose, who declined to disclose her non-drag identity due […]

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Judge partially blocks Georgia ban on hormone therapy for transgender minors

A federal judge has blocked the state of Georgia from enforcing part of a new law that bans doctors from starting hormone therapy for transgender people under the age of 18. In a ruling issued Sunday, U.S. District Judge Sarah Geraghty granted a preliminary injunction sought by several transgender children, parents and a community organization in a lawsuit challenging the ban. “The imminent risks of irreparable harm to Plaintiffs flowing from the ban — including risks of depression, anxiety, disordered eating, self-harm, and suicidal ideation — outweigh any harm the State will experience from the injunction,” the judge wrote. An email to […]

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