Decade long Study Shows 97% of Transgender Youth are happy with HRT

Trans families and allies protesting anti-trans laws/photo Kelli Busey / Planet Trans  

A 10-year study of 220 adolescents who at 12 years of age were prescribed puberty blockers and or gender-affirming hormones indicates that 97% are satisfied with the results and continue with trans-affirming medical care.

The study published 10/21/2024 in the Journal of American Medical Association Pediatrics(JAMA) to determine Levels of Satisfaction and Regret With Gender-Affirming Medical Care in Adolescents, was first reported on by Erin in the Morning, who noted that it "is likely to become the most significant pieces of evidence countering critics who argue for banning transgender care."

Key Points:

• Question  How satisfied and/or regretful are youth after receiving puberty blockers and/or hormones provided as part of their gender-affirming medical care?
• Findings  In this survey study, the experiences of 220 youths who had accessed puberty blockers or hormones were detailed by the youth and/or their parents as part of an ongoing decade-long study of transgender youth. At a mean of 4.86 years after beginning blockers and 3.40 years after beginning hormones, they reported very high levels of satisfaction and low levels of regret; the overwhelming majority (97%) continued to access gender-affirming medical care.
• Meaning  The findings suggest that most youth accessing gender-affirming medical care in adolescence are highly satisfied.

Of these 220 respondents in the main sample, 9 were regretful of having received blockers (n = 8) and/or hormones (n = 3; 2 of these individuals reported regret with both), of whom 4 have stopped all gender-affirming medical care and 1 has continued to receive blockers but plans to stop. The 4 others have continued care, suggesting that regret is not synonymous with stopping care.

Tim Walz defines what the Harris-Walz administration will do to protect trans youth

Photo / Kamala Harris/ Meet Tim Walz

With less than a month until the 2024 presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris has been much quieter on LGBTQ+ issues than she has throughout her storied political career. Despite presenting a robust slate of LGBTQ+ policies in 2020, Harris has seldom addressed queer and trans equality on the campaign trail, and her current LGBTQ+ platform is far more modest.

This left the trans community feeling vulnerable while under the vicious attack by the Republicans. We had begun to wonder if the Harris-Walz would be just another do-nothing Democrat administration.

Listen to Democrat Vice President nominee Tim Walz on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast as he is questioned about what he envisions the Harris-Walz will do to protect trans youth. Granted he doesn't craft the agenda but he was selected by Kamala Harris for a reason.

As first reported by LGBTQ Nation:

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz answered questions the other Democrats sidestepped including:

• WHO should be making decisions about women's bodies;
• HOW the Harris-Walz administration plans to protect queer kids and feed all kids; and
• WHAT they'll do to make our schools safe from gun violence.

“We need to appoint judges who uphold the right to marriage, uphold the right to be who you are, making sure that’s the case, uphold the right to get the medical care that you need,” Walz said. “We should not be naive. Those appointments are really, really important. I think that’s what the vice president is committed to.”

He then pivoted to talking about the harms that anti-trans ads shown across the country have been doing. Such ads have been a strong focus of former President Donald Trump while campaigning as the Republican presidential nominee.

“We see it now: The hate has shifted to the trans community,” Walz said. “They see that as an opportunity. If you’re watching any sporting events right now, you see that Donald Trump’s closing arguments are to demonize a group of people for being who they are.”

We’re out there trying to make the case that access to healthcare, a clean environment, manufacturing jobs, and keeping your local hospital open are what people are really concerned about,” he continued. “They’re running millions of dollars of ads demonizing folks who are just trying to live their lives.”

Listen as Tim Walz Defends Trans and Queer Kids against the GOP Attack Ads

Not Losing You: Heartrending PSA supporting trans youth during this divisive election

Jurist News reports that a study collected survey data between 2018 and 2022 and found that suicide attempts for transgender and non-binary (TGNB) youths increased by seven to 72 percent a year after the enactment of anti-transgender legislation. 

Do you know what it feels like to be watching an NFL game with friends and family and being blindsided by a hateful ad targeting your soul?

The pain is nearly unbearable. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and others know what they are doing. They are killing us. That is why this PSA is so important. 

notlosingyou.com

EU High Court Rules that Denying Trans Healthcare to Prisoners is a violation of their human rights

Image by Ka Schmitz | Pudelskern Source

In a Major Win for trans rights, the EU High Court ruled that denying transgender prisoners HRT is a violation of their human rights.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in the case of W.W. vs Poland that denying hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to a trans woman in a Polish prison violated her rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This decision is a major win for trans people in prison, who often face barriers to trans-specific healthcare, reports Transgender Europe (TGEU)

Key takeaways:

• First of its kind: This ruling marks the first time the Court has explicitly recognized the importance of HRT for trans people in prison, affirming it as essential, life-saving healthcare.
• A positive step for trans rights: The decision underscores that States are obliged to provide access to necessary trans-specific healthcare, including in prison settings.
• A need for systemic change: The case reveals the systemic barriers and discrimination faced by trans people in prison, from delays in accessing care to the broader issue of transphobia within institutions.

TGEU is a member-based organisation committed to fostering strong trans movements. Read more about this ruling at the Strasbourg Observers

Court Ruling A "Monumental Victory" for Transgender Rights in the European Union

Photo / IGLA

The European Union Court of Justice ruled yesterday that a transgender man with dual citizenship must have his legal identity recognized by both countries.

Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi, a transgender man with Romanian and British citizenship, filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in Romania against Romanian authorities over their refusal to recognize his male name and gender identity acquired in the United Kingdom (while still treated as an EU Member State). The lawsuit, which raised fundamental questions under EU law, was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg, according to a press release from the IGLA.

TGEU Expert Advisor, Richard Köhler, said in a joint statement with the IGLA: “The CJEU’s ruling in the Mirin case is a monumental victory for trans people in Europe! Arian was forced to navigate a legal nightmare, facing the prospect of conflicting passports and demands for sterilisation to match his legal gender on Romanian and UK documents. Member States must recognise each other’s decisions—this is about equality and dignity. Romania, it’s time to act: Arian deserves his passport now, and the country needs a legal framework for recognising foreign gender identities.”

ILGA-Europe’s Senior Strategic Litigation, Marie-Hélène Ludwig added: “Today’s ruling confirms that without mutual recognition of legal gender recognition from one Member State to another, the right to freedom of movement and residence is not guaranteed for trans people in the EU. It is a great victory that shows the power of strategic litigation in the EU. This judgement will have an immensely positive impact, increasing legal protection for all trans people in the EU, all the more as certain EU countries like Romania still do not provide a legal framework for legal gender recognition conforming with European Court of Human Rights’ standards.”

Fact Check: Texas DPS Isn't currently reverting Gender Markers On Driver Licenses of Transgender residents

Photo / DPS website

A poorly written headline of an article by Erin Reed on Substack suggests that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) may be reverting the gender maker on transgender Texans' driver's licenses. This added undue stress to many in the community who trust Reed explicitly most of whom don't read past the headline.

That headline stopped me, a transgender Texan, from reading the article but for other reasons. Having previously read the letter from McCraw and being well-informed about the process, that headline looked like clickbait and honestly, my stress level is high enough already.

As you know the DPS without allowing for a public comment period as required changed a major department policy on August 20, 2024.

Nearly a month later Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asking if the DPS has the authority to ignore court orders and revert driver licenses to the sex they were before they were changed. The first three questions in the letter are all telling:

McCraw inadvertently pointed out in the letter that they didn't have legal or a legislative mandate to stop accepting court-ordered gender marker changes presently, so how could the DPS change drivers' licenses that had already been changed?" Paxton may have told him to do that, and McCraw, now retiring, passed the buck back to his boss.

I know cruelty is the point for Paxton. He has played a part in raising the suicide rate of transgender people living in Republican states to 7-72% higher in comparison to Democrat-governed states. It doesn't matter to him if his attacks on minorities ultimately fail. To Paxton, cruelty is the point.

Texas DPS isn't accepting court orders changing gender markers and yes, the DPS is keeping a list of those who were in the process of doing it.  But no, Texas isn't currently reverting Gender Markers On Driver Licenses of Transgender residents.

Now look for the Legislature to pass a bill in the upcoming session defining sex. They have tried and failed to do that in the past sessions. They must also pass a bill directing the DPS to act on Governor Gregg Abbott's insatiable hatred of diversity. That is likely what the DPS needs to begin reverting the gender on transgender licenses. 

(edited for clarity 10/5/24)

Study Shows 72% increase of Trans Youth Suicides in Republican States

According to a just-released study, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, Idaho's governor, and the legislature are responsible for a 7 to 72% increase in Transgender suicides. Photo from the article "Idaho AG accuses pediatrics academy of possible consumer violations over gender care policies" (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

A study published in Nature Human Behavior shows a significant increase in suicide attempts by trans and non-binary youth in states following the enactment of anti-transgender laws.

Jurist news reports that the study collected survey data between 2018 to 2022 and found that suicide attempts for transgender and non-binary (TGNB) youths increased by seven to 72 percent a year after the enactment of anti-transgender legislation. The study wrote, “For TGNB young people, anti-transgender laws may signal a broader societal rejection of their identities, communicating that their identities and bodies are neither valid nor worthy of protection.”

Related: 22 Republican AGs Threaten To Make It Illegal For The American Academy of Pediatrics To Endorse Trans Care.

The report continues:

"Furthermore, there is empirical evidence that proposed anti-transgender laws may cause indirect harm to TGNB young people, such that perceived support for the legislation among people in their social network was associated with greater rumination, depressive symptoms, physical health symptoms and fear of disclosing one’s identity to others."

"One of the most contentious areas of this legislative push involves access to gender-affirming healthcare. Advocates of these anti-transgender laws often cite concerns about the potential negative health effects of gender-affirming healthcare on TGBN young people."

However, gender-affirming healthcare has well-established benefits (for example, improved mental health and well-being16–19), and restricting access to such care disregards the autonomy of TGNB young people, and frequently their caregivers, in making informed decisions about their health.

The study wrote

"Legislators and other involved parties must consider negative impacts of these laws on TGNB people when enacting similar future legislation, while prioritizing legislation that fosters acceptance of TGNB people and equity. With the understanding that anti-transgender laws can directly impact the lives of TGNB people, we argue that increasing access to gender-affirming care, resources and facilities could be lifesaving for TGNB people, especially TGNB minors."

Video: Trump Caught Vote Buying at Grocery Store

Screen Capture of Video

  A video has emerged of GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump handing (presumably) money to a grocery shopper at a checkout and telling her "It's going down a little bit...it just went down a hundred bucks. We'll do that for you for the White House, alright".

Is that legal?

Pretty sure the FEC would like a word because you betcha there’s a federal law that prohibits this type of undue financial influence
18 U.S. Code § 597 - Expenditures to influence voting
“Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the… pic.twitter.com/bEsJzKXNXg

— File411 (@File411) September 23, 2024

UK Based Anti-Trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen to visit Australia Again?

Screenshot Shaun youtube / Background art by Skutch:   / skutchdraws  

Anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen AKA Posie Parker intends to be at the CPAC Australia in Brisbane between October 5th and 6th.

Image Lucy Martinez

Keen, a self-identified white nationalist infamously known to welcome anyone who opposes trans rights, including nazis to her events and violently eject anyone she perceives as likely to speak compassionately about transgender people is quietly attempting to obtain a visa.

Kelli-Jay Keen is a one-issue campaigner. She is coming to Australia to vilify, dehumanize, and degrade transgender people. It's what she does, and nothing else.

Please consider signing the Trans Justice Project petition asking Minister Tony Burke to use his powers under the Migration Act to deny her entry into Australia.

The requirements set out under section 501 of the Migration Act 1958 state that a person may not meet the criteria of being of ‘good character’ if it is deemed that there is a risk that while you are in Australia you would:

• harass, molest, intimidate or stalk another person
• vilify a segment of the Australian community
• be a danger to the Australian community or a part of it
• incite discord in the Australian community or in a part of it

FACT CHECK: Yes, transgender people were victims of the Holocaust

Source: The Forgotten History of the World's First Trans Clinic Credit: Ullstein Bild and Getty Images

FACT CHECK: Yes, transgender people were victims of the Holocaust. by Lucy Martinez

Moira Deeming's lawyer allegedly claimed that LGBTQ+ people did not exist in 1940’s Germany and implied trans people were not victims of Nazis.

Read on Substack

Parents protesting transgender soccer player given no trespassing order

The pink armband that the protesting parents wore are reminiscent of the pink triangles of the Nazi era and have the same effect. Images / (R) NH Journal - pink armband worn by protesters / (L) THEM Prisoners accused by Nazis of Non-homonormativity Ravensbrück concentration camp.

An extraordinarily courageous transgender high school soccer player showed up for her team Tuesday. She did this knowing that her mere presence would likely by protested by parents from the opposing team.

A law that went into affect in July banning transgender student participation in sports had been challenged in court and was put on hold while it worked it's way through the system. So until there is a final ruling, or when there is a final ruling, this transgender soccer player is free to play.

Image / NH Journal

Those who received the no trespassing orders ignored a email warning spectators to not disrupt the game. They were banned from district school property because they achieved their goal of "intimidating, threatening, harassing, and discouraging" the transgender student from playing.

They stopped the game, demanded the pink armbands be removed, and issued police-enforced “No Trespassing” orders against at least two parents, the The right-leaning NH Journal reports.

“My daughter’s playing in the homecoming game this weekend, and I’m banned until the 23rd,” said Anthony Foote of Bow, N.H. “I can’t watch her play in homecoming — which is ridiculous.”

Sarah McBride Wins her Primary Posed to be the first Transgender US Representative

Sarah McBride / Instagram

Sarah McBride has won her primary and is posed to become the first transgender woman to be elected to the US Congress.

She was asked in an interview about her primary win, "How do you balance the work you want to do – which is broad, and covers a lot of different policies — with the demand to be a spokesperson for trans people?"

State Senator McBride answered, "Well, I’ve been a spokesperson for the movement, and there are people doing that work. To do right by the LGBTQ community, I need to simply be the best member of Congress that I can be, and show that when you elect trans people or LGBTQ people or people of any underrepresented background, they can do the job as well as anyone else.

Being the best that she can be means looking out for everyone. Sarah McBride did that in the video below by holding the author of an anti-trans bill accountable.

McBride won Tuesday’s primary over businessmen Earl Cooper and Elias Weir, AP Reports neither of whom reported raising any money for their campaigns. Cooper is a political newcomer, while Weir finished dead last in a 2016 congressional primary with less than 1% of the vote.

McBride, meanwhile, raised almost $3 million in contributions from around the country. McBride achieved national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the United States.

McBride will face Republican James Whalen IIII, a retired state police officer and construction company owner from Millsboro, who won the GOP primary race against Donyale Hall, a Dover businesswoman and a Gulf War-era veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Democrats have held the seat since 2010.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sarah McBride (@sarahemcbride)

While serving as a Delaware State Senator Vote Right shows that McBride:

• Cosponsored a bill that requires all health benefit plans provided by medicaid to cover abortions and the termination of women's pregnancy in Delaware.
• Voted to pass a bill that authorizes the prescription of PREP and other preventative HIV medications in the state of Delaware.
• Voted to pass a bill that requires the state electoral college delegates go to the winner of the popular vote count.

 

I’m ready to be a bold changemaker in Congress, but I need your help. Can you help us make history by become a Founding Donor today?https://t.co/Dnj3FKQG4l

— Sen. Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) June 26, 2023

That Librarian: One Louisiana Librarian fights back against censorship

A school librarian who faced online harassment and death threats from conservatives for speaking out against book bans wrote her own book documenting her fight to defend herself. Louisiana librarian Amanda Jones, author of “That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America,” joins Joy Reid with her story.

My take on Book Bans: I was ever so fortunate to have someone come into my life and spark my interest, wonder, and amazement. This person in my case was my English teacher who lifted me from failing to an A+ literature student. Thankfully this was long before books were being taken off shelves by right-wing extremists or it would never have happened. We owe Amanda Jones the same degree of gratitude for inspiring many others to take a similar stand against book bans.

Meanwhile in Florida.....

Unpacking Trump Debate Claim Kamala Harris will perform transgender operations on prisoners

Kamala Harris reacts to Trumps Transgender Surgery rant

Debate fact check: Trump says Harris wants to perform ‘transgender operations on illegal aliens’ in prison.

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“She did things that nobody would ever think of,” Trump claimed in the Sept. 10 debate. “Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison. This is a radical left liberal that would do this. She wants to confiscate your guns, and she will never allow fracking in Pennsylvania. If she won the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one.”

Harris, in 2015 as California Attorney General sought to deny a transgender woman who was incarcerated gender-affirming health care.

Kamala Harris as San Fransico District Attorney General opposed the decriminalization of sex work, which in 2015 many trans people resorted to to survive. Harris's presidential campaign website makes no mention of transgender rights.

Evidently, Kamala Harris has evolved.

Trump’s claim about “transgender operations” can likely be traced back to a 2019 survey from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which the organization says it sent to all presidential candidates that year, CNN’s KFILE reported on Monday. In that survey, candidates were asked if they would use presidential authority to ensure that all trans people, including incarcerated people and undocumented immigrants, received “comprehensive treatment” for their transition “including all necessary surgical care.” Harris said she would do so.

The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual treatment of prisoners.

Source: American Medical Association Journal of Ethics: As outlined in Estelle v Gamble (1976), the 8th Amendment to the US Constitution requires that states provide adequate care for people who are incarcerated—but what constitutes “acceptable” care under professional guidelines is frequently at odds with the standard of care used by clinicians outside of carceral facilities. Outright denial of standard care runs afoul of the Constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

Trump keeps pushing anti-trans horror stories at his rallies #Project2025 #transgender https://t.co/EgVINfYeMo via @msnbc

— Planet Trans (@kellibusey) September 11, 2024

Evidently. Trump has devolved. He was once a uge transgender supporter.

In 2012 Trump advanced transgender rights immeasurably when he overruled the rejection of a transgender beauty queen. Businessman Donald Trump overturned a decision by the Miss Universe Organization, which he owned, to disqualify a Canadian transgender beauty pageant contestant because she was not a "naturally born" female. Jenna Talackova, a tall blonde who underwent gender-reassignment surgery at age 19 and holds legal documents affirming her identity as a woman, wants pageant organizers to go further and drop eligibility rules she calls discriminatory.

On the claim that Harris "wants to confiscate your guns,” fact-checking site, PolitiFact, which has partnered with PBS News this election season, says the claim is mostly false. In 2019, Harris said that she supports "a mandatory gun buyback program" for assault weapons. but not all weapons.

White supremacist Leaders charged with soliciting assassination of LGBT people and others

Screenshot / Reuters 

The Justice Department announced today that Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Matthew Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho — leaders of the Terrorgram Collective, a transnational terrorist group — were charged with a 15-count indictment for soliciting hate crimes, soliciting the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Humber and Allison were arrested on Friday by law enforcement officials.

“Today’s indictment charges the defendants with leading a transnational terrorist group dedicated to attacking America’s critical infrastructure, targeting a hit list of our country’s public officials, and carrying out deadly hate crimes — all in the name of violent white supremacist ideology,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a press release Monday.

“The defendants solicited murders and hate crimes based on the race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity of others,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. “They also doxed and solicited the murder of federal officials, conspired to provide material support to terrorists, and distributed information about explosives that they intended to be used in committing crimes of violence.

The Justice Department has charged two people in California who were alleged leaders of a white supremacist group that wanted to ignite a race war in the U.S.@PierreTABC reports, speaking exclusively with DOJ officials. pic.twitter.com/Iht2orNLFx

— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) September 10, 2024

The indictment charges Humber and Allison with a total of 15 counts, including one count of conspiracy, four counts of soliciting hate crimes, three counts of soliciting the murder of federal officials, three counts of doxing federal officials, one count of threatening communications, two counts of distributing bombmaking instructions, and one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

If convicted of all charges, Humber and Allison each face a maximum penalty 220 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

View the indictment here.

UK Govt. Removes Affirming Trans Guidance from "Keeping Children Safe In Education 2024"

Photo: Steve Russell / Glamour UK

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) Youth Student Organisation (IGLYO) has issued a statement condemning the UK government for removing affirming transgender guidence from the legally binding draft "Keeping Children Safe In Education 2024".

The IGLYO statement was drafted with input from UK Members and inclusive education experts, and was endorsed by ILGA-Europe and Transgender Europe (TGEU).

Takeaways from the IGLYO statement:

• The updated guidance refers to children and young people being LGB in affirming ways but has removed parallel references for trans children and young people.
• the UK government continuously refuses to recognise trans identities in young people as real, conflating such terminology with ‘gender questioning’ throughout its guidance. This rejects the idea that young people can be trans. 
• The UK government cross-references guidance that is in draft form and in consultation to reinforce its harmful messaging.
• The “Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024” guidance uses the Cass Review as an evidentiary basis for this policy change, despite its poor and inconsistent use of evidence, pathologising approaches, and exclusion of service users and trans healthcare experts. 
• The “Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024” guidance recommends that families are involved in social transition in schools, despite the potential safeguarding risks of outing students to their caregivers. Research by Galop (2022), UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, noted that 2 in 5 trans or non-binary people had experienced abuse at the hands of family members, with the majority experiencing this before they turned 18 and often in relation to their gender identity.
• The guidance as it stands now recommends that schools encourage parents to seek “clinical help and guidance”, which is not only dehumanising and pathologising, it is also virtually impossible due to the UK government’s restrictions on gender-affirming care.
• The guidance conflates being trans with mental illness and autism.

On the guidance, Alex Feis-Bryce (He/him), Executive Director of our UK Member Diversity Role Models noted: “I am very concerned about the lack of clarity this update provides teachers and school leaders on their return to school and the impact it could have on trans young people. The proposed changes, that remain under review, could strip young trans people of their agency. To keep children safe in education and ensure that their right to privacy is protected, any education policy should recognise the challenges young trans people currently face in education, including bullying on the basis of their real or perceived difference, not introduce additional barriers.”

The “Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024” guidance is just another step in the deeply worrying march toward the attack against trans people in the UK. We urge our members across the Council of Europe region to take note and prepare for similar attacks in their home nations.

Texas suddenly stops allowing gender maker updates on Birth Certificates

Texas is now the 8th state to have discriminatory policies or laws banning trans people from updating Birth Certificates. 

On Friday, August 30, 2024, the Texas Department of Vital Statistics without notice blocked trans people from updating their Birth Certificates.

That came just days after the state removed a single line from the drivers license policy blocking court ordered gender marker changes on Driver Licence.

The archived webpage shows how the policy used to read before August 30.

Texas law permits changes to birth certificates if proven “by satisfactory evidence to be inaccurate.” However, it doesn’t allow state agencies to make substantive policy changes without 30 days’ notice and a public comment period.

Johnathan Gooch with Equality Texas, an LGBTQ rights organization, said that this change will affect transgender Texans' ability to carry out everyday, necessary tasks like opening a bank account.

"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has bullied state agencies into denying the specific types of updates that transgender Texans need," Gooch added. "Ironically, that means the state’s top legal officer has instructed state agencies to deny court orders from state judges. So, what should be a simple administrative task has now become a nightmare."

Non-Binary Trans Person Speaks against Book Banning as Huge Man Lunges forward threateningly

JoJo, a queer non-binary person speaks at a book ban (rally/hearing?) against banning books in a video shared on Reddit as first reported on by Detroit Free Press.

This person's bravery cannot be understated but becomes more evident in a picture shared on Riddit of JoJo while making their presentation.

Unbeknownst to JoJo, a huge man seated behind them stood up threateningly as if to attack them and had to be restrained by police. This is bravery exemplified.

Thank you Jojo for taking such a couragous stand against bigotry and ignorance.

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A post shared by Kelli Anne Busey (@planet_trans)

Transgender Massachusetts Teen Beaten in Possible Hate Crime

Jayden Tkaczyk / NBC video screenshot

“One second, I was having fun, the next second, I was on the ground getting my face stomped and beat up,” Jayden Tkaczyk, 16, said. His mother said the attack was her worst fear and described the attack as a hate crime.

Trigger warning. Vivid descriptions of violence.

The Gloucester Police Department said in a press release that the "parties involved in this incident are known to one another."

A detective trained in civil rights investigations had been assigned to lead the case, police said, and a spokesperson for the department confirmed to ABC News the incident is "being investigated as a possible hate crime."

"The investigation remains ongoing and no determination has been made at this stage," the police spokesperson said.

The teen has previously faced bullying for being trans, Rourke said.

Jayden, who attends a local vocational high school, joined the Gloucester High School football team last year but quit after only a few practices because the "bullying got so severe," according to Rourke.

Trump tells moms for liberty that schools are performing sex change operations on children

Screenshot / Erin in the morning

Trump in an address with Moms for Liberty lied implying that children under the Biden administration were undergoing sex change operations at schools without their parent's knowledge.

The nativist former president is aware he is losing badly in the polls and has resorted once again to telling outright lies hoping to enrage his base.

It is truly disgusting that Trump said this it is equally appalling that he told this lie at a meeting of the Moms of Liberty a group designated by the SPLC as right wing extremist anti-goverment for its words and deeds.

Related: A nonpartisan voter registration group saw a 700% surge in young voter registrations in key battleground states. Young voters overwhelmingly vote Democratic. 

Singapore's Pride Qatrisha Zairyah, advances in Miss Universe Pageant

Background Pixabay on Pixels/ Qatrisha Zairyah Instagram

Transgender woman Qatrisha Zairyah has advanced to the top 15 finalists who are vying for the title of  Miss Singapore. Once achieving this, the winner goes on to represent Singapore at the Miss Universe Pageant.

Ms. Zairyah is endeavoring to be the first trans woman to represent Singapore at the Miss Universe Pageant and after that, Miss Universe!

View this profile on Instagram

Qatrisha Zairyah 🇸🇬 (@qatrisha_zairyah) • Instagram photos and videos

Because she is transgender Qatrisha Zairyah has additional obstacles to overcome, some physical, but often the most hurtful are verbal and written.

Contestants from Singapore must meet the qualifications set by Miss Universe one of which is to be legally recognized as a woman in their country. In an interview with The Straights Times, Ms. Zairyah confirmed that she had met that criteria by undergoing gender confirmation surgery, a condition set by Singapore, and underwent humiliating visits to doctors to verify her womanhood, so she could participate.

Ms Qatrisha credits her confidence and poise to having taken part in other pageants for transgender women. The 1.8m-tall stunner even clinched the first runner-up spot at the biggest and most prominent one – Miss International Queen 2023 held in Pattaya, Thailand.

“It’s about time I can represent my community on the MUS stage,” she says. “MUS is a good opportunity for me to share about my life, my struggles, failures, fears, fighting discrimination, and how I’m achieving my dreams to become a successful trans woman.”