Texas state Rep. Julie Johnson, the early front-runner in the race for a U.S. House seat left open by departing Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), is on track to become the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from the Lone Star State. She’d also be the first elected from the entire American South, where the…
Author: Brooke Migdon
House Republicans eliminate funding to LGBTQ community centers after tense hearing
House Republicans voted Tuesday to eliminate funding to three LGBTQ community centers during a contentious House Appropriations subcommittee meeting that one member characterized as “political theater.” Tensions boiled over Tuesday after Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) introduced an amendment to the annual funding bill covering the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development to eliminate $3.62…
Californians to vote on repeal of same-sex marriage ban in November 2024 elections
A proposed amendment to remove language eliminating same-sex marriage rights from California’s state constitution will appear on the ballot in next year’s November elections after the measure cleared its final legislative hurdle Thursday with bipartisan support. The amendment, known as ACA 5, would officially strike a provision from the state’s constitution that “only marriage between…
Texas families, doctors file lawsuit challenging state’s gender-affirming care ban
Five Texas families with transgender children and three medical providers are suing the state over a new law preventing minors from accessing gender-affirming health care, arguing in a lawsuit filed this week that the measure “threatens the health and wellbeing” of transgender young people. Texas Senate Bill 14, scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, prohibits health…
CNN apologizes for misgendering trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney
CNN apologized Wednesday for misgendering transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in a segment aired this week touching on Mulvaney’s role in a right-wing boycott against Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch. Bud Light has faced months of conservative backlash over a brief partnership with Mulvaney in March that involved a sponsored Instagram post. Sales of…
LGBTQ conservatives say they feel misled by DeSantis
LGBTQ Republicans say they feel misled by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) after the GOP presidential hopeful’s “war room” shared a bizarre video widely seen as inflammatory. The video bashed former President Donald Trump’s (R) support for the LGBTQ community and leaned into conservative state policies passed under DeSantis this year that were criticized as…
Supreme Court weakened Colorado’s nondiscrimination law. What’s next for LGBTQ rights?
The Supreme Court in an expected move on Friday ruled that Lorie Smith, a Colorado-based Christian web designer, is not beholden to a state law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations and may legally refuse services to LGBTQ people. The ruling, which states that Colorado’s anti-discrimination law violates Smith’s First Amendment rights by requiring her to create…
Here are five lawmakers to watch in the fight for LGBTQ equality
It has been a difficult year for gay rights advocates in and out of Congress, with 2023 already shaping up to become the worst year on record for anti-LGBTQ state legislation. More than 490 bills targeting LGBTQ rights have been introduced in 44 states, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). At least 77…
Biden’s promise to safeguard gender-affirming care falls short amid red-state attacks
One year ago this month, President Biden in an executive order promised to safeguard access to gender-affirming health care for transgender Americans, charging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with promoting “expanded access” to care in every state. Today, 20 states and counting have passed laws that heavily restrict or ban gender-affirming medical care, including 17 that…
New York is latest ‘safe haven’ for gender-affirming care
New York on Sunday became the latest in a growing list of states to pass legislation protecting access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors as more than a dozen other state governments have moved to ban treatments including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. New York’s new “safe haven” law bars state courts from enforcing the laws…