Trans News Now 5/29/23

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Sarah Ashton-Cirillo wounded in combat.

The transgender journalist who went to Ukraine to cover the war ended up enlisting in the Ukrainian army. She was deployed as a combat medic and was injured when an enemy shell went off near her position. She was wounded in February but has fully recovered and been given a promotion. Learn more from The Washington Blade.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbes vetoed a bill which would have prohibited schools referring to students by a pronoun which does not reflect the student’s “biological gender.” More proof that elections do matter. Metro Weekly has this story.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, signed a bill to protect gender-affirming medical care in his state. He also signed legislation to protect access to abortion. This story comes from The Advocate.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed legislation making her city a “sanctuary city” for transgender people. The mayor urged her city’s officials and departments to not assist in efforts to limit access to gender-affirming health care and to opportunities to participate in sports. St. Louis Public Radio has this story.

Transgender people in Kansas are afraid of what will happen next. Their state legislature has already approved a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, and overrode a veto by the governor. Many are unsure of what to expect as that law takes effect, since politicians made different statements about what was and what was not part of the law. This story comes from the Kansas News Service.

Transgender people in Missouri are worried that adults may soon be unable to access gender-affirming medical care, according to a story by St. Louis Public Radio.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has signed a ban on gender-affirming surgery for minors into law. The legislation also allows the state’s chief medical officer to ban puberty blockers or hormones. You will recall that some Democratic state senators had filibustered to keep this law from getting a vote. The Advocate has this story.

State bans on gender-affirming care for minors are often nearly direct copies of model legislation from groups such as The Family Research Council, according to The Associated Press.

The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund is suing the State of Tennessee for denying transition-related health care to members of Tennessee’s health care plan. The suit has been filed on behalf of two transgender women who were denied medically necessary surgery. Lean more on the TLDEF website.

Another group which has proposed these bans is Do No Harm, a conservative group who fails to realize the Orwellian doublespeak contained in their name. They are profiled by The Associated Press.

A crossdresser being arrested in the ’50s.

Kate Redburn is a legal historian who had an essay about the history of anti-trans legislation. It’s not a new thing but something we had hoped was left in the past. You can find the essay in The New York Times.

Texas Children’s Hospitals announced that they will stop offering gender-affirming care. The hospitals will take some months to implement this change. KTRK-TV has this story.

Louisiana state Senator Fred Mills, who is also a pharmacist, voted against a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, saying that he trusts physicians to make the right decisions fo their patients. The measure failed by one vote, as PinkNews notes.

LGBTQ Nation reports that New Mexico has quietly become a new home for many families with transgender children, who are fleeing bans on medical care in other states. Some transgender adults are moving there as well. The Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico is doing its best to help the new residents.

Minnesota has made itself a sanctuary state as well. Minnesota Public Radio talked with a leader for Avenues for Youth, a non-profit which tries to find families to host transgender children who are moving from unfriendly states.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a ban on Drag Queen Story Hour into law. The Advocate has this story.

Do you want fries with that lawsuit?

Hamburger Mary’s is suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his ban on drag. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte also signed into law a measure designed to enforce the gender binary. The state will not include any designation other than “male” or “female” on birth certificates, driver’s licenses, or state ID cards. The governor’s non-binary child publicly pleaded for a veto of this legislation, but it was signed into law, as CBS News reports.

The Human Rights Campaign and Equality Florida issued a travel advisory regarding Florida, in light of the recent anti-LGBTQ legislation signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. The legislation especially targets transgender people. Senator Rick Scott responded with a travel warning of his own, claiming that the state is hostile to “socialists.” Florida actually tends to rely on a pair of government programs known as Social Security and Medicare, both opposed as “socialist.” LGBTQ Nation has the story.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a warning of possible violence during Pride months. Given the current deep division in the nation, and current trends in social media chatter, this is completely believable. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Jessica Watkins is a transgender woman, a veteran of the U.S. Army, and a member of the Oath Keepers. She was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison, for her part in the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This story comes from The Daily Mail.

Stories about transgender people are in the news. Columbia Journalism Review has some tips on how to write a story about transgender people, and points out some common mistakes.

In response to numerous requests from conservatives, some of whom have been filming themselves in stores and even damaging some of the merchandise, Target has removed some of its Pride-related items, and given them less prominent placement in some stores. This story comes from Them.

Sarah McBride

Senator Tom Carper of Delaware has decided not to run for a fifth term in Congress. Delaware’s U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester is likely to run for the seat, leaving a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives open. Sarah McBride is expected to run for Congress. If elected she would be the first openly transgender member of Congress. Bloomberg Government has this story.

Starbucks India has a new ad, in which a parent takes a transgender child to a coffee shop, to test out a new name. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Wanda Sykes volunteered to call out Dave Chappelle. This story comes from The Advocate.

Sarah Paulson bought out the Violet Crown Cinema showing of Monica for the whole day Sunday, and gave out the tickets for free. The Advocate has this story.

The Trans Safety Network has been uncovering evidence that the Equality and Human Rights Commission of the U.K. Government has been very cozy with anti-transgender groups. This story comes from PinkNews.

Mexico has announced that it will allow a non-binary gender designation on passports. PinkNews has this story.

Pride In London announced that their 2023 events are dedicated to transgender people. They declared, “We stand with you.” This story comes from PinkNews.

At the DC trans prom.

200 transgender students from 17 states attended a transgender prom in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday. This story comes from The Hill.

Last week, we reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers had uninvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from their Pride Night celebration. In response, the mayor of Anaheim, Ashleigh Aitken, invited the Sisters to the Pride Night with the Los Angeles Angels. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

The Los Angeles Dodgers reversed themselves and extended an invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to join them on Pride Night. The Advocate has this story.

CNN reports that a judge in Mississippi refused to issue an emergency injunction which would have allowed a transgender girl to wear a dress to her high school graduation. She was left with the choice of dressing as a boy or not attending.

The Washington Post has a story about people who were older when they realized that they are transgender.

We have all been hearing of new uses for artificial intelligence programs, including research and writing. Saved Memories is using AI to correct the gender of childhood pictures of transgender people. The Daily Mail has this story.

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

Tags: featured, news, Transgender

Category: Transgender Community News