LGBT+ News and Discussions

[caltrek]

Trans youth healthcare ban killed in Louisiana, giving LGBTQ+ community a rare win

...

https://lailluminator.com/2023/05/24/tr ... -rare-win/

I take exception to the use of the word "rare." See this report:

Minnesota to Join at Least 4 Other States in Protecting Transgender Care This Year
by Dana Ferguson, Scott Maucioner, Bente Birkeland, Rick Pluta, Colin Jackson, and
Acacia Squires
April 21, 2023

Introduction:

(NPR) This year, at least 12 states have passed legislation to limit or ban gender-affirming health care for young people, adding to several already on the books. In Missouri, restrictions announced last week by the state attorney general would apply to people of any age. With legislative sessions pressing on across the country, more restrictions could be on the way.

At the same time, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico and Minnesota have passed bills designed to shield transgender health care through legal protections, health care coverage and access. Friday, the Minnesota legislature passed protections for youth and parents who seek health care and for the providers that give it. Gov. Tim Walz, who championed the bill, says he will sign it.

"We are going to lead on this issue," said Walz, a second-term Democrat at an LGBTQ rights rally last week. "And I want to make note, not only do you belong here, you are needed here, you're part of the fabric that makes Minnesota the best place in the country to live."

Last year, California passed a similar bill, calling itself a "refuge" state for transgender youth and their families. Also this year, Oregon Democrats are proposing a constitutional amendment to protect care. Washington State and Vermont have their own protective bills. (Hyperlinks are provided in the cited article for each of the states mentioned in this paragraph – caltrek).

Read more here: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/21/1171069 ... -illinois

[weatheriscool]

Bombshell Louisiana Report Led To Republican Senator Rejecting Youth Trans Ban
https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/bomb ... ort-led-to

The trend of banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth was gaining momentum in conservative-leaning states, leading many to fear that the entirety of the Southeastern United States would follow suit. However, on Wednesday, Louisiana bucked this trend. Louisiana became the only state in the Southeast and one of only four states with Republican trifectas to defeat such a ban in its legislature. This defeat provides transgender individuals, particularly those in neighboring states where such care is banned, with a vital source for their medical needs. Coupled with court blocks on similar bans in other Southeastern states, those who must cross state lines for their care likely feel a sense of relief. Without a doubt, transgender individuals in Louisiana are among those breathing easier.

House Bill 648, which had already passed the Louisiana House of Representatives with a 71-27 vote, faced strong opposition during the committee hearing. Aware that it could be their last opportunity to quash the bill, family members and allies delivered impassioned testimonies. Louisiana Trans Advocates played a crucial role in these efforts, holding private meetings with Senators to provide education on the treatment in question. The deciding moment arrived when Republican Senator Fred Mills broke ranks and voted against the bill. His unexpected decision prevented the bill from reaching the Senate floor for a full vote, surprising advocates across the nation and effectively halting the bill's progression.

When asked why he voted against the bill, he cited a Louisiana Department of Health report commissioned in 2022 and released earlier this year that returned strong findings in support of gender affirming care.

“My decision was really, really based on the numbers. All the testimony I heard by the proponents that children are getting mutilated, I didn’t see it in the statistics,” Mills said in an interview.

[wjfox]

British Cycling to ban transgender women from competing in female category

By Dan Roan
BBC sports editor
3 hours ago

British Cycling is to ban transgender women from the female category of its competitions following a nine-month review and consultation.

Under a new participation policy that the governing body said was "predicated on fairness", such athletes will compete in an 'open category' with men.

Female races will be "for those whose sex was assigned female at birth".

The changes will prevent riders such as Emily Bridges potentially being part of the British women's team.

Last year Bridges - the country's highest-profile transgender cyclist - was stopped from competing in her first elite women's race by the UCI, cycling's world federation, despite meeting the rules at the time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/65718748

[Time_Traveller]

British Cycling to ban transgender women from competing in female category

By Dan Roan
BBC sports editor
3 hours ago

British Cycling is to ban transgender women from the female category of its competitions following a nine-month review and consultation.

Under a new participation policy that the governing body said was "predicated on fairness", such athletes will compete in an 'open category' with men.

Female races will be "for those whose sex was assigned female at birth".

The changes will prevent riders such as Emily Bridges potentially being part of the British women's team.

Last year Bridges - the country's highest-profile transgender cyclist - was stopped from competing in her first elite women's race by the UCI, cycling's world federation, despite meeting the rules at the time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/65718748

Perhaps, we'll have only specific sports with transgender people in them in the near future.

[wjfox]

I'm a huge supporter of LGBT+ rights, but I agree with British Cycling's decision. From a scientific perspective, it makes sense.

[weatheriscool]

Vermont's GOP Governor Shock: Protects Trans Care, Abortion Rights
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott
https://www.advocate.com/law/vermont-pr ... ransgender
Gov. Phil Scott signed legislation protecting access to gender-affirming care and abortion.
Trudy Ring
May 26 2023 3:13 PM EST

Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, is going against his party by protecting access to gender-affirming care and abortion instead of restricting or banning the procedures.

Without much fanfare, this month Scott signed two bills into law that safeguard access to this care. House Bill 89 and Senate Bill 37 offer “the most comprehensive protections to date” for both gender-affirming care and abortion, according to GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, a legal nonprofit based in New England.

“Access to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming health care services is a legal right in this State,” reads HB 89. “Interference with legally protected health care activity, whether or not under the color of law, is against the public policy of this State.” That includes civil suits and criminal prosecutions from out of state.

[weatheriscool]

I'm a huge supporter of LGBT+ rights, but I agree with British Cycling's decision. From a scientific perspective, it makes sense.

Hormones greatly makes the male body closer to the female body so it isn't that far. That is supported science.....

[weatheriscool]

..The North Face doubles down on 'Summer of Pride' campaign amid backlash from right-wingers

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani ... r-AA1bMCBH

The North Face is standing strong against right-wing criticism of its latest Pride campaign, which features a drag queen as the spokesperson for the outdoor gear company.

In an Instagram post this week, which has its comments turned off, drag performer Pattie Gonia invited viewers to "come out" into the wilderness as part of The North Face's "Summer of Pride" campaign.

"Nature lets you be who you are," The North Face began its caption.

The campaign quickly drew ire among conservatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who chimed in to criticize The North Face and call for a boycott of the brand following the release of the collection, accusing the company of "grooming our children" in a tweet.

. . .

"We are honored and grateful to support partners like Pattie Gonia who help make this vision a reality," a VF Corporation spokesperson said. "The Summer of Pride series, now in its second year, has helped foster a more accessible and welcoming environment for individuals from all backgrounds to gather and experience the joy of the outdoors."

This is Gonia's second year as spokesperson for The North Face's "Summer of Pride" tour, which will stop in various cities, according to the Instagram post. Conservatives have been particularly vocal about retailers launching campaigns in support of the LGBTQ community, with many calling for boycotts against the brands this year.

[lechwall]

I'm a huge supporter of LGBT+ rights, but I agree with British Cycling's decision. From a scientific perspective, it makes sense.

Once someone has gone through male puberty you have permanent advantages such as a larger heart so the correct decision from a medical perspective.

[weatheriscool]

Uganda passes law allowing death penalty for gay people
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ug ... 023-05-29/

[weatheriscool]

[wjfox]

Japan government under renewed pressure to end same-sex marriage ban

Tue 30 May 2023 10.59 BST

Pressure is building on Japan’s government to legalise same-sex unions after a court ruled that a ban on them was unconstitutional.

Rights advocates said the ruling on Tuesday by Nagoya district court was a step forward in the campaign to end Japan’s status as the only G7 country not to fully recognise same-sex unions.

It is the second time a court in Japan has ruled the ban unconstitutional, while two other courts have decreed the ban is in line with the postwar constitution, which defines marriage as based on “the mutual consent of both sexes”.

But the Nagoya court, ruling on a lawsuit filed by two men who are in a relationship, rejected the couple’s demand that the state pay each of them 1m yen (£5,715) in compensation for denying them the right to marry.

“This ruling has rescued us from the hurt of last year’s ruling that said there was nothing wrong with the ban, and the hurt of what the government keeps saying,” the couple’s lawyer, Yoko Mizushima, told journalists and supporters outside the court.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... rriage-ban

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[wjfox]

Surprised it's that high. I thought it was closer to 3-5%.

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Same-Sex Marriage Support Holds at 71% High

https://politicalwire.com/2023/06/05/sa ... t-71-high/

"SNIP.......

Gallup: “Seventy-one percent of Americans think same-sex marriage should be legal, matching the high Gallup recorded in 2022. Public support for legally recognizing gay marriages has been consistently above 50% since the early 2010s.”

.......SNIP"

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Federal Court Halts Enforcement of Florida Transgender Health Ban Against Challengers

A federal district court today issued an order blocking enforcement of Florida state Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine rules banning established medical care for transgender adolescents as well as provisions in SB 254 that codify those rules into state law with added criminal and civil penalties. Today’s order allows Florida parents challenging the ban to access necessary medical care for their transgender children while the legal challenge to the bans continues.

“My husband and I have been heartbroken and worried sick about not being able to care for our daughter in the way we know she needs. I’m sure most any parent can imagine the sense of powerlessness that comes from being unable to do something as basic as get medical care for your child. Today my entire family is breathing a huge sigh of relief knowing we can now access the treatment that we know will keep Susan healthy and allow her to continue being the happy, confident child she has been,” said Jane Doe, who is challenging the ban on behalf of herself and her daughter, Susan.

https://www.glad.org/post/federal-court ... allengers/