Abortion LGBTQ

New Year, New Laws on Gender and Abortion

As we celebrate the beginning of 2024, many states are kicking off the new year with new laws going into effect, many focused on gender and abortion rights.  There was a record-breaking number of anti-LGBTQ legislation introduced by Republican state legislators in 2023, with the American Civil Liberties Union recording at least 508 bills targeting […]

LGBTQ

North Carolina’s GOP controlled state legislature overrides vetoes to pass anti-trans laws

On Wednesday, Republican supermajorities in the North Carolina House and Senate overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto on three anti-trans bills, stripping transgender youth of their rights to access gender-affirming healthcare, to play sports, and to learn about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.      House Bill 808- “Gender Transition Procedures on Minors” The first […]

LGBT Rights LGBTQ

Charlotte Passes Nondiscrimination Ordinance to Protect LGBTQ Community

On Monday, Charlotte, North Carolina’s city council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that extends nondiscrimination protections to LGBT people. The new ordinance protects several new classes from discrimination in employment, public accommodations, and passenger vehicles for hire and procurement. It prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, […]

Courts LGBT Rights LGBTQ

Human Rights Campaign Sues Tennessee over Anti-Transgender “Bathroom Bill”

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ civil rights organization, filed a lawsuit Tuesday to challenge Tennessee’s latest anti-transgender law. The “bathroom bill” prevents trans students from using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. The law was signed in May by Tennessee governor Bill Lee and went into effect July 1. It requires that […]

Courts LGBT Rights LGBTQ

U.S. Court of Appeals Rules Against Web Designer Seeking License to Discriminate Against LGBTQ+ Couples

On Monday, the Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals maintained a lower court’s decision to reject a Colorado web designer’s request to discriminate against LGBTQ+ couples. Lorie Smith, the owner of the web design business 303 Creative LLC, challenged the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) by suing to request that her business be allowed to deny […]

Activism Global LGBT Rights LGBTQ

Thousands of People Celebrate Pride in Hungary Despite Anti-LGBTQ Legislation

On Saturday, 300,000 people marched in Budapest for the annual Pride parade to both celebrate Pride and protest the Hungarian government’s recent homophobic legislation. The Hungarian Parliament passed a law in June that restricts media seen to promote homosexuality or gender nonconformity. Content that is considered to do so must be labeled as “not recommended […]

Courts Health LGBTQ Sports

Anti-Trans Laws in Arkansas and West Virginia Blocked by Federal Judges

On Wednesday, federal judges blocked two anti-trans state laws from going into effect. The first, an Arkansas law, would prohibit physicians from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth. The second, a West Virginia law, banned transgender girls and women from playing in women’s public-school sports. The Arkansas law would ban doctors from offering necessary gender-confirming […]

Activism Courts LGBTQ

Supreme Court Dismisses Transgender Rights Case, Maintains Victory for Student Gavin Grimm

On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case over transgender students’ right to use school bathrooms, leaving intact a lower court decision that allows transgender students to use the restrooms that match their gender identity. While this does not mean that the Supreme Court agrees with the lower court’s decision, it does maintain […]

Global LGBTQ Sports

Laurel Hubbard to Become the First Openly Transgender Olympian

Laurel Hubbard, a New Zealand weightlifter, will become the first ever openly transgender individual to compete at the Olympics. She has been selected as a member of the New Zealand women’s weightlifting team for this summer’s Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.  Hubbard will compete in the 87-kilogram women’s category. She suffered a potentially career-ending arm injury […]

Education LGBT Rights LGBTQ

LGBTQ+ Students Protected Under Title IX, Says Education Department

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education released a notice saying that Title IX’s protections against sex discrimination also forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This interpretation of the 1972 Title IX law, which prohibits sex discrimination in “any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,” will protect gay […]

Courts Health LGBTQ

Supreme Court Rules to Uphold Affordable Care Act, Decides Catholic Adoption Agency has Right to Prevent LGBTQ+ Couples from Fostering Children

In a 7-2 decision Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled to leave Affordable Care Act intact, dismissing a challenge made against the ACA by several states led by Texas.   The challenge claimed that the ACA’s individual mandate was unconstitutional. The plaintiffs had hoped that a ruling of the individual mandate as unconstitutional would declare every other provision of the ACA, and the entire law itself, unconstitutional as well. This is the third challenge to have been made against the ACA since the […]

LGBTQ

Florida Governor Signs Anti-Trans Bill into Law

On Tuesday, the first day of Pride month, Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law that bans transgender women and girls from playing on public secondary schools’ and colleges’ sports teams. Florida becomes the 8th state to enact such a law this year. South Dakota, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Montana and […]

LGBTQ

Tennessee Passes Bill Targeting Transgender People

On Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law a bill to require government facilities and businesses to post signage letting the public know if they allow transgender people to use bathrooms associated with their gender identity. The law is the first of its kind, and will go into effect on July 1. A few […]

Health LGBTQ

Texas Legislature Debates Anti-Trans Youth Bill

On Wednesday, the Texas House heard testimony debating HB 1399, a bill which would ban gender-affirming care for transgender young people. The bill would prohibit doctors from providing evidence-based, best practice medical care for transgender young people under 18. Many parents of transgender children spoke on Wednesday about the danger of this bill. One parent […]