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Police killed a transgender mother of two while conducting a mental health wellness check

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One night, someone called 911 to ask police in Malvern, Pennsylvania to conduct a mental wellness check on Maddie Hofmann, a 47-year-old transgender woman. The caller said that Maddie had sent an email that sounded like a suicide letter. When police checked on Hofmann, they ended up shooting her three times inside her own home. She died from the injuries. Her death left behind her wife, Rebecca Hoffman, and their two children, ages 9 and 4. Her wife and family are still searching for answers and accountability. “[My wife] belonged on medication, not on a shelf,” Rebecca told The Philadelphia Inquirer, referring […]

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Reckless NY Times reporting fuels disinformation about trans youth

While public sentiment toward transgender people in the U.S. continues to warm, anti-transgender campaigners are exploiting the public’s uncertainty about trans youth to promote Florida-style bans on gender-affirming care. Claims about the irreversible dangers of transition-related care were once the bread and butter of far-right pundits, they have officially entered the mainstream with Monday’s front-page story in The New York Times: “Pressing Pause on Puberty. Drugs Can Buy Time for Trans Youth. Is There a Cost?” And the stakes couldn’t be higher. Boston Children’s Hospital has been on the receiving end of at least three bomb threats this year due to misinformation about health care for transgender […]

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Same-sex marriage protections clear key Senate hurdle, signaling GOP support for passage

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The Senate voted Wednesday to open debate on a bill that would codify federal protections for same-sex marriage, signaling that the legislation has sufficient Republican support to pass. Lawmakers advanced the legislation in a 62-37 vote days after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed to proceed on an updated version of the measure released by a bipartisan group of senators. A dozen Republicans voted with Democrats to advance the legislation: Sens. Roy Blunt, of Missouri; Richard Burr, of North Carolina; Shelley Moore Capito, of West Virginia; Joni Ernst, of Iowa; Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming; Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska; Rob Portman, of Ohio; Dan […]

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Gay New Yorkers share accounts similar to robberies that left two dead

The cases were weeks apart and eerily similar: Two young men at popular New York City gay bars. They each left with at least one mysterious person. They were both found dead. Both of their bank accounts were drained. And they may not be the only ones. More gay New Yorkers are coming forward for the first time with accounts that share notable similarities to the unexplained deaths this spring of Julio Ramirez, 25, a social worker, and John Umberger, 33, a political consultant. The biggest difference so far: They survived. NBC News spoke to two people who described harrowing experiences that […]

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Coloradans Hold Vigil After Mass Shooting At Gay Club; 5 Killed; Suspect Grandson of MAGA Pol

Hearts around Colorado and the country are hurting and mourning the loss of five lives in a mass shooting in a LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs.  Hundreds showed up outside All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Colorado Springs for a community vigil on Sunday morning. The church was standing-room only, so organizers held the vigil in waves to keep up with demand. Gov. Jared Polis and his husband, Marlon Reis, spoke to the crowd via Zoom.  “My heart breaks,” said Polis, who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Polis spoke with the owners of Club Q this morning. He described the nightclub […]

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Analysis: Voters repudiate attacks on trans youth in midterms

The results of this year’s midterm elections showed a tendency among American voters to rebuke extremism from the right, whether it took the form of denying the results of democratic elections or denying women’s reproductive freedoms. For the LGBTQ community and its allies, it was also a repudiation of attacks from some far-right GOP candidates on trans people, particularly trans youth. Virginia would not have reelected Democratic Reps. Jennifer Wexton and Abigail Spanberger “if transphobic attacks that are geared toward and about kids were an effective message and an effective persuasion message,” Virginia Delegate Danica Roem told the Washington Blade […]

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Trans Day of Remembrance a time to celebrate life

Communities around the country gather to honor Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on Nov. 20. Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a trans activist, created TDOR as a vigil for Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was murdered in 1998. Since 1999, TDOR has become a national memorial to those whose lives were stolen from them because of transphobia and anti-trans violence.  Local activist, community leader, and founder of Baltimore Safe Haven, Iya Dammons, is preparing for the day with a week of activities that honor the trans community’s fight against violence while also paying homage to victims who were failed by […]

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At least 32 trans Americans have had their lives violently taken in 2022 as ‘epidemic of violence’ continues

At least 32 trans people have been violently killed in America this year alone, as anti-trans rhetoric continues to fuel violence. Sunday (20 November) marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honours the memory of those whose lives were cut short by anti-trans violence.  Ahead of the date, LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation Human Rights Campaign(HRC) released a report reflecting on the causes of this violence, as seen over a year of documenting. The report confirmed that at least 32 trans and gender non-conforming people have been violently killed in the United States (US) since the start of 2022.  They are: Amariey Lej, Duval Princess, Cypress Ramos, Naomie […]

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Data Emerges Identifying Alarming Intersection of Monkeypox (MPV), HIV, and Homelessness

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While monkeypox (MPV) cases are declining nationally, health officials are learning new details about who’s at greater risk and why. It’s shining urgent new light on known challenges to health and well-being and how they’re not only a risk to a person but to public health overall. Alarming data has emerged linking severe cases of MPV in people living with untreated HIV who are also experiencing homelessness. In a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), outlined in an early release of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on October 26, 82% of study participants with severe MPV were also people […]

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Texas GOP looks to restrict transgender health care and drag shows

Texas Republicans introduced several bills this week that target the transgender community, including at least two measures seeking to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors and one looking to prevent children from attending drag performances. Although the Legislature doesn’t officially begin its next session until mid-January, Monday was legislators’ first chance to file their bills for the coming term, potentially foreshadowing the state’s political priorities for the coming year. GOP legislators are barreling ahead with an updated party platform, officially unveiled over the summer, that defines homosexuality as an “abnormal lifestyle choice” and is opposed to “all efforts to validate transgender identity.” At […]

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