LGBT+ News and Discussions

[caltrek]

The LGBT+ are making quite the progress compared to 20 years ago. Really odd ain't it?

As with others, with progress comes backlash. there always seems to be a group that wants to continue their hateful ways and resent the progress they see being made. Donald Trump's success is one big mammoth backlash against a number of beneficiaries of "progress."

[weatheriscool]

California will try to enshrine right to same-sex marriage

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, a U.S. trendsetter for progressive policies and a state where the current governor once made news issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in San Francisco before it was legal, will attempt to enshrine marriage equality in the state constitution.

The effort comes 15 years after a voter-approved initiative, Proposition 8, banned the state from recognizing same-sex marriages. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California. The constitutional amendment is still on the books, however, and that worries advocates who think the high court may revisit the 2015 case that legalized gay marriage nationwide.

“It’s absolute poison, it is so destructive and it’s humiliating that this is in our constitution,” said Scott Wiener, a state senator who represents San Francisco.

Wiener and Assembly Member Evan Low of Silicon Valley, both Democrats and members of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, introduced legislation Tuesday to rescind Proposition 8. The measure would need to be approved in the Legislature by a two-thirds vote, and then it will ultimately fall to voters to decide via a referendum.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-t ... 57017.html

[weatheriscool]

Spain approves menstrual leave, teen abortion and trans laws
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/16/11574809 ... trans-laws
February 16, 202312:14 PM ET

The Associated Press

Spain's Equality Minister Irene Montero looks down during a press conference in Madrid on Jan. 27. Spain's parliament passed laws on Thursday expanding abortion and transgender rights for teenagers, while making Spain the first country in Europe entitling workers to paid menstrual leave.
Manu Fernandez/AP

MADRID — The Spanish parliament on Thursday approved legislation expanding abortion and transgender rights for teenagers, while making Spain the first country in Europe that will entitle workers to paid menstrual leave.

The driving force behind the two laws was Equality Minister Irene Montero, who belongs to the junior member in Spain's left-wing coalition government, the "United We Can" Party.

The changes to sexual and reproductive rights mean that 16- and 17-year-olds in Spain can now undergo an abortion without parental consent. Period products will now be offered free in schools and prisons, while state-run health centers will do the same with hormonal contraceptives and the morning after pill. The menstrual leave measure allows workers suffering debilitating period pain to take paid time off.


In addition, the changes enshrine in law the right to have an abortion in a state hospital. Currently more than 80% of termination procedures in Spain are carried out in private clinics due to a high number of doctors in the public system who refuse to perform them — with many citing religious reasons.


The abortion law builds on legislation passed in 2010 that represented a major shift for a traditionally Catholic country, transforming Spain into one of the most progressive countries in Europe on reproductive rights. Spain's constitutional court last week rejected a challenge by the right-wing Popular Party against allowing abortions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

A separate package of reforms also approved by lawmakers on Thursday strengthened transgender rights, including allowing any citizen over 16 years old to change their legally registered gender without medical supervision.

[weatheriscool]

here are 12 studies regarding the "transgender brain"


>A female-sized BSTc was found in male-to-female transsexuals. The size of the BSTc was not influenced by sex hormones in adulthood and was independent of sexual orientation. Our study is the first to show a female brain structure in genetically male transsexuals and supports the hypothesis that gender identity develops as a result of an interaction between the developing brain and sex hormones

A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality - Nature

>We showed for the first time that INAH3 volume and number of neurons of male-to-female transsexual people is similar to that of control females. The female-to-male transsexual subject had an INAH3 volume and number of neurons within the male control range, even though the treatment with testosterone had been stopped three years before death.

A sex difference in the hypothalamic uncinate nucleus: relationship to gender identity - PubMed

>The absence of serotonin transporter asymmetry in the midcingulate in MtF transsexuals may be attributed to an absence of brain masculinization in this region.

Cerebral serotonin transporter asymmetry in females, males and male-to-female transsexuals measured by PET in vivo - PubMed

>FtMs showed evidence of subcortical gray matter masculinization, while MtFs showed evidence of CTh feminization. In both types of transsexuals, the differences with respect to their biological sex are located in the right hemisphere.

Cortical thickness in untreated transsexuals - PubMed

>We found that the sex difference in responsiveness to androstadienone was already present in pre-pubertal control children and thus likely developed during early perinatal development instead of during sexual maturation. Adolescent girls and boys with GD both responded remarkably like their experienced gender, thus sex-atypical.

Hypothalamic Response to the Chemo-Signal Androstadienone in Gender Dysphoric Children and Adolescents

> Results revealed thicker cortices in MTF transsexuals, both within regions of the left hemisphere (i.e., frontal and orbito-frontal cortex, central sulcus, perisylvian regions, paracentral gyrus) and right hemisphere (i.e., pre-/post-central gyrus, parietal cortex, temporal cortex, precuneus, fusiform, lingual, and orbito-frontal gyrus).

>These findings provide further evidence that brain anatomy is associated with gender identity, where measures in MTF transsexuals appear to be shifted away from gender-congruent men.

Increased Cortical Thickness in Male-to-Female Transsexualism - PubMed


> The number of neurons in the BSTc of male-to-female transsexuals was similar to that of the females (P = 0.83). In contrast, the neuron number of a female-to-male transsexual was found to be in the male range. Hormone treatment or sex hormone level variations in adulthood did not seem to have influenced BSTc neuron numbers.

>The present findings of somatostatin neuronal sex differences in the BSTc and its sex reversal in the transsexual brain clearly support the paradigm that in transsexuals sexual differentiation of the brain and genitals may go into opposite directions and point to a neurobiological basis of gender identity disorder.

Male-to-female transsexuals have female neuron numbers in a limbic nucleus - PubMed

>These data suggest a pattern of activation away from the biological sex, occupying an intermediate position with predominantly female-like features. Because our MFTRs were nonhomosexual, the results are unlikely to be an effect of sexual practice. Instead, the data implicate that transsexuality may be associated with sex-atypical physiological responses in specific hypothalamic circuits, possibly as a consequence of a variant neuronal differentiation.

Male-to-female transsexuals show sex-atypical hypothalamus activation when smelling odorous steroids - PubMed

>MTF transsexuals show a significantly larger volume of regional gray matter in the right putamen compared to men. These findings provide new evidence that transsexualism is associated with distinct cerebral pattern, which supports the assumption that brain anatomy plays a role in gender identity.

Regional gray matter variation in male-to-female transsexualism - PubMed

>When comparing MTF transsexuals with male volunteers, activation patterns similar to female volunteers being compared with male volunteers were revealed

>We revealed a cerebral activation pattern in MTF transsexuals compared with male controls similar to female controls compared with male controls during viewing of erotic stimuli, indicating a tendency of female-like cerebral processing in transsexualism.

Specific cerebral activation due to visual erotic stimuli in male-to-female transsexuals compared with male and female controls: an fMRI study - PubMed

>Our results show that the white matter microstructure pattern in untreated MtF transsexuals falls halfway between the pattern of male and female controls. The nature of these differences suggests that some fasciculi do not complete the masculinization process in MtF transsexuals during brain development.

The microstructure of white matter in male to female transsexuals before cross-sex hormonal treatment. A DTI study - PubMed

>All the genetic, postmortem, and in vivo scanning observations support the neurobiological theory about the origin of gender dysphoria, i.e., it is the sizes of brain structures, the neuron numbers, the molecular composition, functions, and connectivity of brain structures that determine our gender identity or sexual orientation. There is no evidence that one's postnatal social environment plays a crucial role in the development of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Sexual differentiation of the human hypothalamus: Relationship to gender identity and sexual orientation - PubMed

[weatheriscool]

Library Board Votes to Keep LGBTQ+ Books After Queer Author's Mom Speaks
George M. Johnson's mother and aunts at a New Jersey library board meeting and the cover of All Boys Aren't Blue
https://www.advocate.com/news/library-v ... gbtq-books
She came with her two sisters as backup to support her child's work.
Christopher Wiggins
February 17 2023 11:22 AM EST

A New Jersey library board held a meeting earlier this month to discuss banning certain books, including queer Black author George M. Johnson’sAll Boys Aren’t Blue, but an outpouring of support brought on by an appearance of their mother and aunts resulted in a surprising result: a unanimous vote to keep the books on shelves.

Glen Ridge United Against Book Bans, a group fighting against right-wing efforts to remove books about race and sexual orientation from public access, invited Johnson to attend its board of trustees meeting to appeal against a book ban, BuzzFeed News reports.

However, they had another obligation in Texas and sent their mother, Kaye Johnson, 65, and her sisters, Stephanie Elder, 51, and Sarah Elder, 57, to represent them in their stead.

The three women live 20 minutes from the library.

Johnson’s mother spoke at the meeting, reading a prepared statement her child had written.

[ººº]

Identity politics at its finest.

[wjfox]

Andorra legalises same-sex marriage in landmark win for LGBTQ+ rights

17 February, 2023. Written by Alice Linehan.

The country's amended Family Code also regulates the process of legally changing gender and name for trans people.

[...]

Andorra is the latest country to achieve marriage equality, with Slovenia also doing so earlier this month. The latter made history on February 1, becoming the first Eastern European nation to legalise same-sex marriage.

https://gcn.ie/andorra-same-sex-marriage/

[wjfox]

South Korea court recognises same-sex couple rights for first time

51 minutes ago

A South Korean court has recognised the legal rights of same-sex couples in the country for the first time.

In a landmark ruling, the Seoul High Court found a government health insurer did owe coverage to the spouse of a customer after the firm withdrew it when it found out the pair were gay.

The men had held a wedding ceremony in 2019, however same-sex marriage is not recognised in South Korea.

Activists say the ruling is a leap forward for LGBT rights in the country.

However, the case verdict may be further challenged in the country's Supreme Court.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64714625

[weatheriscool]

2023 Wave of Bills Is Fueling a Political "War Against LGBTQ+ People,"

The volume and speed of anti-LGBTQ+ bills advancing through state legislatures has already defined 2023 as a historically challenging and frightening year, advocates say.

In a new report, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), which tracks LGBTQ+ policy, describes the current political landscape as a “war against LGBTQ people in America and their very right and ability to openly exist.” It is a culmination of efforts: gender-affirming care bans for trans youth becoming law in states where such bills were previously blocked, growing efforts to restrict how students learn about LGBTQ+ subjects in schools, an increase in dehumanizing rhetoric that could lead to harassment or violence.

“I’ve been working in the movement for 15 years,” said Naomi Goldberg, deputy director and LGBTQ program director at MAP. “To me, this is a different moment. … It is hard to see this as anything but a full-out attack and full-out war on LGBTQ+ people when you look at all of the areas of life, at all of the parts of our communities that are being attacked.”

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the country’s largest LGBTQ+ organization, sounded similar alarm bells earlier in the week. The organization has so far tracked 340 introduced anti-LGBTQ+ bills, including the most anti-transgender bills ever filed that the group has seen.

https://www.them.us/story/2023-anti-tra ... lls-record

How sickening.

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Trans Activists Score Major Victory In Wyoming, Defeat Healthcare Ban In A Red State For The First Time In 2023
This year, it has felt like anti-trans legislation has moved unimpeded. In Wyoming though, activists successfully pushed back and became the first red state to defeat a trans healthcare ban.
Erin Reed
34 min ago
Wyoming State Capitol from the Wyoming Department of Health Website
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/p/tr ... or-victory

This year, it has seemed like healthcare bans for transgender youth have been moving unimpeded through state houses. Already, four states have banned gender affirming care in 2023 for transgender people under 18 years old: Utah, South Dakota, Mississippi, and Florida. Several more states have seen bills fly through committees and legislative chambers, leaving activists to wonder if anti-trans healthcare bans could be defeated in any state with a Republican trifecta. That question was answered by activists in Wyoming, who scored a huge victory and made Wyoming the first state controlled by Republicans to block an anti-trans healthcare ban.

Wyoming SF0144 was a bill that would have banned gender affirming care for transgender youth in the state. It would have prevented insurance policies from covering gender affirming care for trans youth and would have stripped the licenses of any doctors offering such care. The bill would have threatened mental and physical essential healthcare as spelled out by 29 different medical organizations that support gender affirming care. Like several other bills moving in multiple states, it would have immensely harmed transgender youth.

Unlike other states though, Republicans balked at the far reaching nature of the bill and sharply questioned the sponsor. When presenting his bill, Senator Anthony Buchard (R) could not get past the second page before Republicans on the committee noted extreme problems with the bill. Representative Lloyd Larsen (R) pointed out that the bill could threaten mental healthcare and counseling for trans youth, and Senator Buchard indicated that he would be fine with that. Representative Clark Stith (R) indicated that the bill could put federally regulated insurance plans on the health insurance marketplace at risk, threatening all of Wyoming’s providers and raising premiums. The state insurance commissioner acted as an informational witness and raised the same concerns. The entire committee, made up mostly of Republicans, seemed to express dissatisfaction with the inclusion of hormone therapy and puberty blockers in the bill.

[caltrek]

Hormone Therapy for Gender Dysphoria May Raise Cardiovascular Risks
February 23, 2023

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) People with gender dysphoria taking hormone replacements as part of gender affirmation therapy face a substantially increased risk of serious cardiac events, including stroke, heart attack and pulmonary embolism, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology.

Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s gender identity conflicts with the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender affirmation therapy, part of a process known as transitioning, includes a variety of medical, psychological and behavioral interventions to help individuals, many of whom identify as transgender, acquire secondary sex characteristics that align with their gender identity. Recent data suggest about 1 million to 1.6 million people identify as transgender in the U.S. and that hormone therapy use is rising rapidly, especially among teens and young adults.

The current study is the largest to date examining the cardiovascular risks of gender affirmation therapy in this historically understudied population. Previous research on hormone-modulating medications has primarily focused on younger women using hormone-based birth control or on older women following a hysterectomy or during menopause. In these populations, long-term hormone replacement therapy has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, stroke and blood clots.

Researchers retrospectively examined rates of cardiovascular events in over 21,000 people with gender dysphoria from a national database of hospital records, of whom 1,675 had used hormone replacement therapy. Typically, people assigned male at birth receive estrogen and people assigned female at birth receive testosterone. Overall results found hormone replacements were associated with higher rates of cardiac events, mostly related to dangerous blood clots, but were not associated with higher rates of death.

“It’s all about risks and benefits. Starting transitioning is a big part of a person’s life and helping them feel more themselves, but hormone replacement therapy also has a lot of side effects—it’s not a risk-free endeavor,” said Ibrahim Ahmed, MD, a third-year resident at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, Pennsylvania and the study’s lead author.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980465

caltrek’s comment: From other readings on this subject, I think many who are told of the possible negative side effects of the treatment still want to go ahead because the benefits

[weatheriscool]

Hormone Therapy for Gender Dysphoria May Raise Cardiovascular Risks
February 23, 2023

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) People with gender dysphoria taking hormone replacements as part of gender affirmation therapy face a substantially increased risk of serious cardiac events, including stroke, heart attack and pulmonary embolism, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology.

Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s gender identity conflicts with the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender affirmation therapy, part of a process known as transitioning, includes a variety of medical, psychological and behavioral interventions to help individuals, many of whom identify as transgender, acquire secondary sex characteristics that align with their gender identity. Recent data suggest about 1 million to 1.6 million people identify as transgender in the U.S. and that hormone therapy use is rising rapidly, especially among teens and young adults.

The current study is the largest to date examining the cardiovascular risks of gender affirmation therapy in this historically understudied population. Previous research on hormone-modulating medications has primarily focused on younger women using hormone-based birth control or on older women following a hysterectomy or during menopause. In these populations, long-term hormone replacement therapy has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, stroke and blood clots.

Researchers retrospectively examined rates of cardiovascular events in over 21,000 people with gender dysphoria from a national database of hospital records, of whom 1,675 had used hormone replacement therapy. Typically, people assigned male at birth receive estrogen and people assigned female at birth receive testosterone. Overall results found hormone replacements were associated with higher rates of cardiac events, mostly related to dangerous blood clots, but were not associated with higher rates of death.

“It’s all about risks and benefits. Starting transitioning is a big part of a person’s life and helping them feel more themselves, but hormone replacement therapy also has a lot of side effects—it’s not a risk-free endeavor,” said Ibrahim Ahmed, MD, a third-year resident at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, Pennsylvania and the study’s lead author.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980465

caltrek’s comment: From other readings on this subject, I think many who are told of the possible negative side effects of the treatment still want to go ahead because the benefits

Birth control for cis woman cause about 4 times as much blood clots and such. Bio-estrogen causes about 1-1.5 over cis-male levels....It isn't very dangerous. Of course, non-bio estrogen is 5-9 and most studies that said it is dangerous were based on permin/diane-35 and horse piss.

[weatheriscool]

Bills would let transgender people seal name-change requests
https://apnews.com/article/district-of- ... 037c1b0fd0
By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, SOPHIE AUSTIN and MANUEL VALDESFebruary 25, 2023

Maia Xiao poses for a portrait in the library of radio station KEXP where she volunteers in Seattle, Feb. 17, 2023. A letter from Xiao prompted a Washington state lawmaker to introduce a bill that would keep out of the public record petitions of name change for gender expression and identity. Public name changes can lead to harassment of transgender people. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

SEATTLE (AP) — You can change your name, but in many states you can’t completely shed your old one — something that’s of particular concern to transgender people and that legislators in at least two states are trying to change.

A bill in Washington would allow gender expression and identity as reasons to seal, or keep out of the public record, a future petition for a name change. And a California bill would require the sealing of petitions by minors to change their name and gender on identity documents.

In states where such petitions aren’t sealed, transgender people can be susceptible to cyberbullying or even physical violence because their previous names, and by extension their lives, are an open book in the public record, advocates warn. Students, for instance, can and do easily find and share such records when they are looking for background on a new kid in town, one advocate noted.

[weatheriscool]

Iowa students to leave class Wednesday in statewide protest over LGBTQ bills - Des Moines Register

Students at 14 Iowa public school districts and one university are planning to walk out of class Wednesday to protest bills introduced in the Iowa Legislature that they say discriminate against the rights of LGBTQ people.

Several controversial bills centered on LGBTQ youth have been introduced this legislative session. Student organizers are particularly concerned about bills that would require educators to notify parents and guardians if a student is transgender, as well as a bill prohibiting the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation to students through sixth-grade.

Lawmakers are also considering legislation that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors this session.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has pushed a "parental control" agenda for public education, saying "woke" policy decisions by school districts are undermining parents. "Parents are the decision-makers for their children," Reynolds said at a talk for the free market Cato Institute. "I think it’s so sad that we have to codify that in today’s environment, but the fact of the matter is we have to."

Link: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story ... 949776007/

[weatheriscool]

Both of South Dakota's anti-drag bills have now been defeated

The Senate education committee killed a bill Tuesday morning that took aim at preventing events like a recent drag show hosted by a student organization at South Dakota State University from ever happening again.

House Bill 1116, which would have prohibited the use of state resources in hosting lewd or lascivious content, failed on a motion that would’ve sent the bill to the Senate with a recommendation that it pass, with a 3-4 vote. Then, the Senate committee passed a motion to kill the bill on a 4-3 vote.

Drag originated in 19th century British theater and has heavy roots in modern LGBTQ+ culture. It is a form of performance and entertainment that challenges assumptions of gender identity and expression.

Sens. Steve Kolbeck (R-Brandon), Tom Pischke (R-Dell Rapids) and Jessica Castleberry (R-Rapid City) voted in favor of the legislation, while Senators Shawn Bordeaux (D-Mission), Sydney Davis (R-Burbank), Tim Reed (R-Brookings) and Kyle Schoenfish (R-Scotland) voted against it.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/both-south-d ... 52894.html

[weatheriscool]

Trans powerlifter JayCee Cooper wins discrimination suit against USA Powerlifting
| A Minnesota judge rules the governing body violated her civil rights by denying trans women a opportunity to compete.
https://www.outsports.com/2023/2/28/236 ... ans-rights

[weatheriscool]

Michigan Senate votes to add LGBTQ+ protections to Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act
Published March 1, 2023 12:53PM
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/michig ... larsen-act

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Michigan Senate voted Wednesday to expand the state's Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect LGBTQ+ people.

Last month, the State Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety advanced the bill to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the act, which protects people from discrimination on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Jeremy Moss in January.

Twenty-three lawmakers voted for the bill, while 15 voted against it. Co-sponsors praised the passage of the bill.

Article

Statement from Progress Michigan's Sam Inglot:

Sam Inglot, the deputy director of Progress Michigan. released a statement after the vote:

"For decades now, LGBTQ+ lawmakers, activists and their allies have worked to expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, and the Republican Party stopped them at every turn. But with our new, hard-won progressive majority, the wait for equal protections under the law for the LGBTQ+ community is almost over. LGBTQ+ Michiganders are valued members of our communities who deserve to be able to live openly and authentically without fear of discrimination and they have been denied these freedoms for far too long. We hope this bill moves quickly through the rest of the legislature and gets to Gov. Whitmer’s desk as soon as possible. Expanding the ELCRA is an enormous win delivered by generations of lawmakers and advocates who have worked tirelessly to make our state more inclusive, and we join the majority of Michiganders in celebrating it—but our work doesn’t end here. We remain committed to fighting back against anti-LGBTQ+

propaganda and supporting safe, inclusive education in our schools, and we will not let LGBTQ+ people in other states be left behind."

[weatheriscool]

Alaska drops policy banning discrimination against LGBTQ individuals
Source: Anchorage Daily News

In June 2020, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity was illegal, Alaska quickly moved to follow suit.

It published new guidelines in 2021 saying Alaska’s LGBTQ protections now extended beyond the workplace to housing, government practices, finance and “public accommodation.” It updated the website of the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights to explicitly say it was illegal to discriminate against someone because of that person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

-snip-

But a year later, the commission quietly reversed that position. It deleted language from the state website promising equal protections for transgender and gay Alaskans against most categories of discrimination, and it began refusing to investigate complaints. Only employment-related complaints would now be accepted, and investigators dropped any non-employment LGBTQ civil rights cases they had been working on.

An investigation by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found the decision had been requested by a conservative Christian group and was made the week of the Republican primary for governor, in which Gov. Mike Dunleavy was criticized for not being conservative enough. The commission made the change on the advice of Attorney General Treg Taylor and announced it publicly via its Twitter feed — which currently has 31 followers — on Election Day.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2023/03 ... dividuals/

[weatheriscool]

Amid debate over transgender rights, New Mexico House OKs expanded protections
https://www.abqjournal.com/2578266/amid ... tions.html
By Dan McKay / Journal Staff Writer

SANTA FE — Legislators confronted each other in testy, personal debate Friday as they moved forward with legislation to protect transgender rights in New Mexico.

The proposal won House approval on a 47-20 vote and moves next to the state Senate as lawmakers enter the final two weeks of the session.

The bill would prohibit school districts, government agencies and public contractors from discriminating on the basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, among other categories, when providing services.

But much of the debate focused on transgender teachers and students.

“They simply want to live their lives as who they are,” said Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil, an Albuquerque Democrat who supported the bill and described herself as the step mom of a transgender individual.