Trans News Now 2/20/23

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Chris Mosier

The Ironman competition announced that they will create an open category alongside “male” and “female” categories. Chris Mosier, Patti Flynn, and Megan Tobin tell Triathlete how they think that the policy is wrong.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order which directs the federal government to pursue equality, with a special emphasis on racial minorities and LGBTQI+ people, particularly transgender people. The Advocate has this story.

Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Sara Jacobs were named co-chairs of the Transgender Equality Task Force, a part of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. This story comes from The Washington Blade.

Brianna Ghey of Cheshire, Britain, was murdered by two teens. She was 16 years old. Vigils were held across Britain for two days. PinkNews has this story.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed that state’s ban on medical or surgical treatments for gender dysphoria in minors. South Dakota joins Utah as the two states to pass such bans so far this year. This story comes from CNN.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is being sued by a transgender group. It seems that she cancelled a contract with the Transformation Project on her own authority. The Associated Press has this story.

Drag performers in Missouri went to the state house to rebut the anti-drag laws legislators are pushing. They pointed out to the panel of legislators that drag performers are taxpayers too. And many if them have spent years building a career that the anti-drag laws would take away. Learn more from the American Theater website.

The Oklahoma state Senate passed its bill to ban gender-affirming care for gender dysphoria in young people. The bill provides up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine for violation, plus a detransitioner who received care as a minor could sue as late as age 44. The state House of Representatives is working on their version of the bill, and it would also forbid the state from paying for gender-affirming care for any patient at any age. This story comes from The Advocate.

The Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine have tightened their restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors in the state. The ban even covers clinical trials. the Advocate has this story.

Even before the ban takes full effect, many Florida clinics which used to serve transgender youth are no longer accepting new patients under the age of 18, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

The Florida High School Athletic Association met and decided to remove questions about menstruation from a questionnaire for female student athletes. This story comes from The Advocate Channel.

Nonbinary director D.W. Waterson.

Elliot Page is producing a movie which tells the story of a queer cheerleader. D.W. Waterson, who wrote the story, will also direct. Out.com has this story.

Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Jim Banks have introduced a measure which, if signed into law, would again ban transgender people from openly serving in the U.S. military. The bill is unlikely to get to the floor of the Senate, and certainly would not be signed by President Biden. The Hill has this story.

Florida university students are protesting interference by Governor Ron DeSantis. One of the things that has upset them is the way that universities shared information about transgender students. This story comes from Them.

The Second U.S. Court of Appeals has agreed to reconsider the decision in favor of transgender athletes en banc. The decision came in the case where four cisgender runners complained that the presence of two transgender competitors hindered their chances of getting scholarships. The Associated Press has this story.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that he would sign a bill extending that state’s ban on transgender athletes to cover college athletics. Texas’s ban only holds for K-12, as college and university sports are typically governed by NCAA rules. This story comes from the Texas Tribune.

We reported last week that the Missouri Attorney General is investigating a clinic for transgender youth. The New York Post has a rundown of the allegations against the clinic, while The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that the whistleblower has chosen a highly partisan law firm as legal counsel.

Roughly 200 contributors to The New York Times have signed an open letter which criticizes the paper’s coverage of transgender issues. The paper has tried to present both sides of the issues, but often seems to give extensive voice to the anti-transgender people, and refuses to state how they have poor science on their side. This story comes from NPR. Thanks to Shelley Baker for pointing to the story.

In response, The New York Times editors said that the paper “will not tolerate” a protest from their contributors. The Hill has this story.

Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina, has announced her candidacy for the presidency. She could have distinguished herself from other Republicans by being less strident on social conservative issues, especially on anti-LGBTQ matters. Instead, she has said that Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law does not go far enough. In doing so, she took a swipe at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis from the right. She has a history of anti-LGBTQ statements, as PinkNews points out.

Transgender woman Darren Merager will go on trial, charged with five felony counts of indecent exposure for using the women’s changing room at Wi Spa in Los Angeles. Testimony held that she had an erection at the time, which the judge said was enough to order a full trial. The Advocate has this story.

Several state legislatures are considering anti-drag bills. But, according to an article in Them, the legislation is so broad in its definition that it could cause legal problems for transgender people.

Shelley Baker told us about a proposed law in Kentucky that would make drag shows within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and homes illegal. Get the story from NBC News.

The results from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey show that queer teen girls, including transgender girls, are facing record amounts of sadness and violence, all of which is concerning. This story comes from CNN Wire.

Micah Louwagie

Many Christians have been very unkind to transgender people. However, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota, has installed a transgender pastor, Micah Louwagie. Inforum has this story.

The U.S Women’s Soccer Team joined the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team to protest for gender equality and trans rights. The U.S. team has frequently said they are underpaid compared to the men’s team, while Canada’s team has non-binary player Quinn. CNN Wire has this story.

Emma Corrin will play the villain in Deadpool 3. While Emma said that they, “would love to play nonbinary, new parts,” it is unclear if this role is a new, nonbinary villain. This story comes from Them.

Trace Lysette stars in the new film Monica, where she plays a trans woman. The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival last year, and now, some are talking about it as a possible Academy Awards nominee. She has started a GoFundMe campaign, to raise money to hire a publicist, to help her get a nomination. This story comes from Out.com.

J.K. Rowling is starting a new podcast, entitled “The Witch Trial of J.K. Rowling.” She talks about her views on transgender people in the first episode. She claims that she never set out to upset anyone, although it’s hard to believe that she didn’t think her views would upset transgender people. PinkNews has this story.

If you are looking to play a magical game, but don’t want to support Hogwarts Legacy, there are alternatives. Kritiqal came up with 69 video games, tabletop games, and other works. They call the bundle, “Trans Witches Are Witches.” This story comes from Them.

Jinkx Monsoon

Tickets for the musical Chicago on Broadway have been in demand since Jinkx Monsoon took over the role of Matron “Mama” Morton. Out.com has this story.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has resigned. She denies that the battle over the reform of the Gender Recognition Act was what drove her to resign, but did not mention controversy over the placement of transgender women in prisons with cisgender women. This story comes from BBC News.

Lee Anderson, the Conservative Party’s deputy chairman, has said that the party will fight the next election in part on “trans debate and culture wars.” The calendar says that there will be an election next year, although the Conservatives could call the election early if they feel they would have a better chance to win. PinkNews has this story.

Spain’s Parliament has passed its transgender rights reform. The reform includes an easier path to legally change one’s gender, which can now be done without medical supervision. This story comes from the Associated Press.

Trans News Now is assembled by Cecilia Barzyk with additional content and editing by Angela Gardner.

Tags: featured, Transgender

Category: Transgender Community News