3+ week, 5+ day ago (225+ words) People holding flags and signs in support of transgender youth being able to receive gender-affirming care at Boise, Idaho protect transgender youth rally (February 24, 2023). A new bill in Wisconsin would allow gender-affirming care patients to sue their doctors. Wisconsin state legislators have introduced a bill that would allow civil lawsuits against health care practitioners that provide gender-affirming care to youth. Dozens of community members spoke against the bill at the Senate Committee on Health hearing Wednesday, including Abigail Swetz, Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin. The organization also collected and submitted thousands of pages of written testimony from people across the state speaking to why the bill would be harmful for transgender youth. Related: What is gender-affirming care, who uses it, and do they regret it? Gender-affirming surgeries have one of the lowest regret rates of any major surgery. Only 0.3 percent…...

4+ week, 19+ hour ago (880+ words) As the Trump administration targets the transgender community at the federal level, there are cities looking to protect trans youth. Attacks on transgender rights didn't start with Donald Trump " but neither did the movements resisting them. Since 2022, 25 states have banned most gender-affirming care for trans youth, six of which make it a felony for doctors to provide the treatment. Two have banned surgery only. While only 14 and the District of Columbia have shield laws protecting the care, a small but growing coalition of "sanctuary cities" for trans people are filling in the gaps. Many may know the term in reference to municipalities that limit cooperation with federal authorities like Immigration and Customs Enforcement that target immigrant communities, but "sanctuary cities" is also used to describe these places that aim to help transgender people. These cities " of which there are an…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (912+ words) A candlelight vigil on Trans Day of Remembrance. "If we are not protecting the most marginalized of us, then who is protected at all?" asked Bahari Thomas, A4TE's director of public education. As Transgender Day of Remembrance approaches on November 20, a stark new report from Advocates for Trans Equality reveals the extent of the violence, erasure, and institutional abandonment confronting transgender Americans and the resilience of a community determined to survive it. The 2025 Remembrance Report, prepared by A4TE's public education team and seen exclusively by The Advocate, documents 27 violent deaths of transgender and gender-nonconforming people over the last year and 21 deaths by suicide, a devastating pattern that has become grimly familiar. Related: No LGB without the T " queer community protests Trump's transgender erasure at Stonewall "We are in an extraordinary moment in the fight for trans lives," the report warns,…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (488+ words) Delaware U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride speaks on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The Global Respect Act has 119 cosponsors. In a rare show of bipartisan unity amid intensifying global hostility toward LGBTQ+ people, Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, a Democrat, on Thursday reintroduced the Global Respect Act, human rights legislation designed to hold accountable the individuals who carry out torture, imprisonment, and violence against LGBTQ+ communities worldwide. McBride, the first out transgender member of Congress, unveiled the bill alongside Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican. Together, they secured 119 original cosponsors. Related: Democrat Sarah McBride on her approach to expanding trans acceptance in Congress " and America The bill empowers the U.S. government to identify and sanction foreign individuals responsible for human rights abuses targeting LGBTQ+ people, restrict their access to the United States, and publicly disclose their actions. It also strengthens State Department reporting on…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago (460+ words) Dragan Kurbalija (left) and Kevin Graham (right) "It does not appear to be an accident," Kevin Graham told The Advocate. "You look up and down the roadway, and everywhere else is completely clear. The trash is only at our entrance." The incident happened overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday, the same night Democrats notched decisive victories across Virginia, including Abigail Spanberger's historic election as the state's 75th governor. Republicans had spent millions on anti-LGBTQ+ messaging by targeting Spanberger with inflammatory anti-trans ads. The timing, the couple said, was impossible to ignore. Related: These queer farmers and ranchers are boycotting Tractor Supply and want you to join them Gardening Gays Farm, owned by Kevin Graham, 44, and his husband, Dragan Kurbalija, 47, is situated along U.S. 301 in King George County, a conservative enclave located about halfway between Richmond and Washington, D.C. The 27-acre property, which the couple…...

6+ day, 10+ hour ago (588+ words) A rally against hate crimes in Brooklyn, New York, 2020 More than 100 members of Congress have written to Attorney General Pam Bondi about the situation, while 11 community organizations are suing over the loss of a conflict resolution service. Hate crimes no longer appear to be a priority for the U.S. Department of Justice, especially those based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender. Now members of Congress and activist groups are pushing back. "We write to express our significant concerns that the Department of Justice is refusing to properly enforce federal hate crime statutes and to urge you to prioritize the Department's work to prevent, respond to, and prosecute hate crimes against all marginalized communities," said a letter sent to Bondi this week by 105 members of Congress. They were led by Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Mark Takano, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (196+ words) A doctor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia examines a young patient. Attorney General Pam Bondi, under Donald Trump, has tried to force hospitals to give the government access private health information of children. Transgender youth in Pennsylvania and their families are celebrating a significant legal victory. A federal court in Philadelphia has rebuffed the Department of Justice's sweeping attempt to obtain highly personal medical records from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia about children receiving gender-affirming care. Related: Pennsylvania families fight Trump Justice Department subpoenas for their trans kids' private medical records Families in Pennsylvania had filed separate motions to quash subpoenas issued by the Trump administration in July that alleged fraud in gender-affirming care. As The Advocate reported, the subpoenas demanded exhaustive data on minors, including "intake forms, consent paperwork, and parental authorizations for puberty blockers and hormone therapy....

4+ week, 1+ day ago (1440+ words) Here are both Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo's complete track records on LGBTQ+ rights. This story was originally published in Uncloseted Media, an LGBTQ-focused investigative news outlet. Analysts argue that this race could have significant implications for the future of the Democratic Party. If Mamdani wins, it will represent New Yorkers" desire for a politician who leans further left than the party"s traditional values. These implications extend to LGBTQ rights as well, as discourse surrounding trans people has permeated discussions of the party"s future since last year"s presidential loss. With that in mind, here are both candidates" track records on LGBTQ issues. Andrew Cuomo allegedly runs a whisper campaign during his father Mario"s run for New York City mayor against Ed Koch. He uses the slogan "Vote for Cuomo, Not the Homo," referencing Koch"s sexuality....

1+ week, 6+ day ago (254+ words) He's echoed Trump and Vance's lies about Haitian immigrants eating pets, among other things. Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, the lone member of Congress to vote against release of the files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has a long record of anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigrant, and racist stances. Higgins said he voted against the bill ordering release because innocent people would be injured by revelation of their names and personal information. However, "survivors" personal information and other sensitive material can be withheld or redacted with explanations to Congress," CBS News notes. Related: Getting personal with Robert Garcia, who"s been leading the Democrats' release of the Epstein files Higgins has represented Louisiana"s Third Congressional District, located in the southwestern part of the state, since 2017. He had previously served in the Army and worked as a police officer. He has received…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (1154+ words) California U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters and former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Barney Frank hold the PFLAG National Champion of Justice Award. The former Massachusetts congressman praised California U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters for her decades of LGBTQ+ allyship at a recent PFLAG awards ceremony. With LGBTQ+ people facing intensifying political hostility, PFLAG National gathered about 100 supporters Tuesday evening at the American Federation of Teachers headquarters in Washington, D.C., for its annual "Love Takes Justice" reception. Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, a gay political icon, made a rare public appearance to celebrate a friend he knew from his time in Congress. Related: How PFLAG is changing hearts as the Supreme Court considers conversion therapy bans But this year's reception unfolded under a dramatically darker national climate, with speakers repeatedly invoking the second Trump administration's policies and the fear reverberating through families, schools, and statehouses. She then introduced…...