Bill forcing Trans Texans to detransition (or leave) goes to Abbott for signing

RDNE Stock project / Pexels

Thursday, around midnight, the Texas Senate passed a bill that will destroy transgender people's lives, without having the word "transgender" appear in the bill.

HB 229 requires state IDs to reflect the sex assigned at birth, empowering the State Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to retroactively invalidate driver's licenses, IDs, and Birth Certificates that have had gender markers changed by court orders.

I use the term "detransition" for brevity to describe the actions that will occur come September first when this becomes law. Many trans Texans, like myself, went through the arduous process of, thearpy, obtaining a "carry letter," finding a endocrinologist for hormones, spending a year of "real life experences" and if we found ourselves happy in our authentic gender, begin the the proccess of legaly updating our state ID to reflect our authentic gender.

Then, and only then, after years of preparation, did I feel right about using the ladies' room. This bill was specifically written to force me to use the men's room or get out of Texas.

The word "transgender" does not appear anywhere in the bill, making it the most insidious attack on our community that I have ever seen.

The Texas Tribune article reporting on this bill correctly states that there are no criminal penalties written into HB 229. The state's first attempt to force a bathroom bill in 2017 was met with opposition from Mayors and state law enforcement who unequivalently stated that there was no need for it, as there had never been a transgender person arrested for trespassing in a restroom.

It took the state eight years and Abbott's right-wing radicalizing of the legislature, but they finally figured out how to write an anti-transgender bill and use existing law to enforce it.

It is a sad day for freedom of expression, but it's not over yet. There is another bill that will force medical providers to use conversion therapy instead of gender affirming care for those diagnosed with gender dysphoria. And a bill has been introduced to make it a state felony to present oneself as a gender other than the one we were identified at birth.

Regardless of how much Abbott and his thugs hate me, I will always be recognized as female, as I have since the 70s. It's just who I am. For myself and a lot of other Texans, this leaves us with one option, which is the true endgame of the fascists: to force us to leave Texas for a state where our existence isn't a felony.

So it's with a heavy heart that I bid adieu to the Blue Bonnet State. Goodbye to you.

Space Force Colonel Bree Fram, I have been - and always shall be - your friend.

Colonel Bree Fram / Facebook

Colonel Bree Fram is, quite coincidentally, also a fan of Star Trek!

Growing up in a patriarchal family, beaten by a misogynistic father, I spent hours as a child during the 60s alone fantasizing in my bedroom that my closet door was a warp engine. (20 years before I heard the phrase "coming out of the closet!) And I alone controlled its power to one day escape my hell and join James Kirk's crew in space, to go boldly where no woman had gone before.

Ever since the decision by the Supreme Court in opposition to not just one but two federal court judgements, allowing trump to discharge honerably serving American Trans military members, I have been watching Star Trek to once again escape hate, to a place where anything is possible.

Colonel Fram gave me hope by bringing the Enterprise home. I hope she does that for you as well.

Bree Fram wrote:

"On Friday, through tears, the Enterprises came home.

There are only a few moments in life that truly change everything. One of mine came when I was nine or ten, sitting with a friend who insisted I watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. My dream of being a paleontologist shifted to being an astronautical engineer. I wanted to be Geordi La Forge. I wanted to keep the warp engines humming, help humanity expand into the stars, and to boldly go.

But it was more than warp cores and fighting the Borg. What I didn’t realize at the time is that I was absorbing the culture I needed to see: a future where diversity wasn't just accepted, it was essential. The crew came from different worlds, literally and figuratively, and yet they tackled the universe’s hardest problems. Star Trek isn’t about a utopia immune to struggle, it’s about striving to be better, together. Even in the darkest time, empathy, cooperation, and relentless hope would see the crew through.

That message stayed with me. Through every iteration of the series, that vision of collective strength and wisdom, exploration, and perseverance remained. Whether you're aboard the Enterprise or spinning through space on this pale blue dot we call Earth, we’re in this together.

Before I started my first assignment at U.S. Space Force Headquarters, I bought this plaque of the Enterprises. It was a quiet reminder of the future we were trying to build: a 21st-century military culture capable of reaching a 24th-century ideal. Our core —courage, character, connection, commitment—were meant to foster authenticity, inclusion, and innovation. To help us boldly go where no military service had gone before. For me, it was a dream come true. And the Enterprises proudly hung on my wall as inspiration.

But now, for me and many others, that dream is ending—in a nightmarish way. In less than two weeks, I’ll be forced to take off the uniform. Not because I can’t do the job. Not because I lack the will or the skill. But because of who I am. I've been told I’m no longer worthy of being part of the crew.

That kind of rejection is soul-crushing. But it’s not the first time I’ve had to pivot, and I know it won’t be the last. I’ll be okay. What keeps me up at night isn't just what this means for me—it's what it means for the culture we were trying to build. Can we still attract the best and brightest to serve in one of the most technically demanding missions our nation has? If they come, will they find a culture that sees them, supports them, develops them?

For now, the Enterprises hang in my home office. Not as a relic of what’s lost, but as a promise of what’s still possible. Of where we need to go. Of who we still can be. I still believe in a bright future—but we won’t reach it by clinging to a sanitized version of a less than idyllic past. The past, with its flaws included, is there to inspire us to a better future. We won’t get there by bullying our way there or by fearmongering directed at the most vulnerable. That future must be for everyone. I’m hopeful it will be.

Hope isn't naïve optimism; it's the discipline to choose the good, even when it's hardest, and the courage to face the consequences when we fall short. It’s standing firm in the darkness and refusing to let go of the light. Star Trek often hope not by avoiding the abyss, but by confronting it—and then choosing to climb out while guided by the better angels of our nature.

Though I may no longer wear the uniform, I hope you’ll join me in confronting the darkness. I hope one day those Enterprises will once again hang in a public place… where they can remind others, as they reminded me, that our best future is still out there.

And it’s worth fighting for.

3 Minutes Coverage for 74 transgender Americans Murdered in 2024

The major news networks spent a total of 3 minutes reporting on the 74 transgender Americans who were murdered during 2024. Just 5 national TV news segments included mentions of fatal anti-trans violence last year, amounting to a total of 3 minutes of airtime in all of 2024. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC were largly silent on trans murders Media Matters reports.

MSNBC aired four of these mentions, while CNN included just one. According to the Media Matters review, ABC, CBS, and NBC each failed to air any coverage. Fox News also failed to include any coverage of the topic—a departure from 2023, when segments on the network often included mocking or dismissive commentary about victims of anti-trans violence.

Of the 5 mentions, 3 referenced systemic or political drivers of anti-trans violence (all 3 aired on MSNBC). Only 1 mention, on CNN, made reference to a specific but unnamed victim, and no mentions included the actual names of the victims.

This is the road to fascism as the major networks have complied in advance with Trump's demands by being silent about transgender murders.

Transgender Women Protest Topless at the Scottish Parliament

“If the Supreme Court can see these women legally as men, then they’ll have zero issue with them going tops off,” lamented one protester.

On May 17 a group of transgender women gathered at at the Scottish Parliament to protest its decision that as of Monday May 12, 2025, use of “all facilities designated as male or female” will be based on biological sex, to put Scottish law in line with the UK Supreme Court judgement excluding trans people from the Equality Act of 2010”.

The move was branded “rushed” and “unworkable” by Scottish Trans people who said it would “exclude trans people from participating in Scottish democracy, whether as staff or as visitors to the parliament." They felt betrayed by their government and believed, rightfully so, that the Scottish Government should appeal that decision instead of complying in advance and making the situation untenable.

Transgender women were not allowed to defend their rights and forced to sit silently as For Women Scotland, a gender critical Trans exclusionay Radical Feminists (TERF) group, made the case for their exclusion.

One protester at the topless demonstration, Sugar, said the court ruling was “not just a setback of humanitarian rights, it’s an act of erasure”, adding: “It sends a truly saddening message that trans people’s fears, dignity and lives do not matter in the eyes of the Supreme Court. Trans voices were ignored in that decision.

For indepth reporting please read Pink News Topless trans protest outside Holyrood a ‘public act of grief, resistance and solidarity’

On IDAHOBIT 2025: American Transgender Adults Live in Fear

For some Americans, commemorating May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), means living in fear. Some transgender adults are rationing gender afirming medications in fear that the Trump regime will end their access to these life-saving medications, Stephanie Stahl reports.

There's growing fear in the transgender community that the Trump administration will restrict their access to needed medications. Many states already have laws against minors getting gender affirming drugs. There are currently no restrictions on trans adults getting their prescriptions. Stephanie Stahl reports that many are worried it could happen.

For some Transgender Americans, commemorating IDAHOBIT is just another day living in fear that Trump will curtail their access to life-saving medications. That fear is sadly justified as the report by HHS on gender dysphoria that was just released calls for the end of gender affirming medical treatments and replacing that with conversion therapy, a process that is outlawed in 27 states.

AAP Speaks Out Against The HHS Report on Transgender Care

Anti-vaxer HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifying before a Senate committee Wednesday. / Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Zuma

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) joined five other medical organizations representing 600,000 physicians and medical students have said in a press release that they are "deeply alarmed" by the report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on medical care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals."

"President Donald J. Trump called for the report in a Jan. 28 executive order on gender-affirming care, which he refers to as “chemical and surgical mutilation.” An April 28 update on actions taken since the order was signed touts the elimination of $477 million in related research grant funding, making plans to remove gender-affirming care as a covered benefit for the children of federal employees and exploring ways to increase access to detransition care."

(The term "gender mutilation" was used 16 times in the HHS report, and "detransition care" is Trump speak for conversion therapy, a damaging, unethical practice that is banned in 27 states.)

"The update follows an April 22 memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi threatening physicians with felony charges for providing certain types of gender-affirming care."

The AAP joined five other medical organizations representing 600,000 physicians and medical students opposing infringements on the patient-physician relationship.

Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement that the AAP "was not consulted in the development of this report, yet the AAP's policy and intentions behind our recommendations were cited throughout in inaccurate and misleading ways. The report prioritizes opinions over dispassionate reviews of evidence."

She urged policymakers to consider the “full breadth of peer-reviewed research” and said the AAP would continue to support pediatricians and the well-being of all children.

"This report misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care," she said.

"As we have seen with immunizations, bypassing medical expertise and scientific evidence has real consequences for the health of America's children. AAP was not consulted in the development of this report, yet our policy and intentions behind our recommendations were cited throughout in inaccurate and misleading ways. The report prioritizes opinions over dispassionate reviews of evidence."

"We urge government officials and policymakers to approach these conversations with care, humility, and a commitment to considering the full breadth of peer-reviewed research. The AAP remains focused on supporting pediatricians in delivering the best possible care to every child, informed by science and the lived experiences of patients and families. We will continue to support the well-being of all children and access to high-quality care that meets their needs," the statement concludes.

Planet Trans informed our readers prior to the publication of the HHS report that it would likely be a political hit job similar to the Cass Review. In tone and form, NPR reports, the HHS report mirrors the Cass Review, published in the U.K. last year and commissioned by the National Health Service. The name "Cass" is cited 149 times in the HHS report, according to NPR.

This isn't the first time the AAP has taken a stand against governmental interference.

Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP, who was president of the AAP in 2022, issued a statement in support of gender-affirming care, as have 30 other American medical associations, when laws were being passed at the state level denying such care to adolescents.

Related: In war against Trans healthcare, Trump Threatens Medical Publications

The AAP joined five other medical organizations representing 600,000 physicians and medical students, condemning the HHS Document.

Texas Advances Bill to Force Transgender People to Detransition

The blood of transgender people will be on Abbott's hands

The Texas House advanced HB 229 on Saturday, which defines men and women based on the reproductive organs they were born with, and orders state records to reflect this binary. The bill, titled the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” lays out the “biological truth for anybody who is confused,” said author Rep. Ellen Troxclair, an Austin Republican.

The House and the Senate passed HB 1257, which requires medical insurers to cover the cost of detransitioning, I.E., conversion therapy.

HB 229 is expected to pass its third and final reading next week and then be sent to the Senate, which has introduced bills with similar intent.

The Texas legislative session ends on June 2, and Gov. Abbott hasn't called a special session to pass the Senate bill, but if he does, this draconian assault on our humanity will be law on September 1, 2025.

Since neither the House nor Senate bill included a criminal penalty, House republicans introduced HB 3817, a bill to make identifying oneself as transgender to employers or police a state felony. While HB 3817 remains in committee, that most likely is by design. By my estimate, it will be brought to a floor vote at a later session as it will give Texas AG Paxton a means to jail gender variant people, something he craves to do.

When this bill becomes law, Texas Tribune Reports, trans Texans would be forced to be defined in state records by the sex they were assigned at birth, rather than the gender they identify as, even if they’ve already legally changed their birth certificates and driver’s licenses, or had gender affirming surgeries.

So, how did we get here?

As you may recall, Texas AG Ken Paxton issued an opinion on March 14, 2025, instructing state agencies to retroactively revert gender markers on drivers' licenses, state IDs, and birth certificates to that of the individual's sex at birth.

The 19-page opinion was issued after DPS stopped accepting Court-Ordered Gender Updates for Driver's Licenses and in response to a letter sent by then Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw to Paxton asking if the DPS had the authority to ignore court orders and revert driver licenses to the sex they were before they were changed.

Former Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw was correct in questioning the legality of Paxton's directive. That's why the bills you see now are making their way through the legislature.

Ending transgender people in Texas has long been a top priority of Governor Abbott. When Trump published his executive order stating that there are only two sexes, Abbott officially put the state on notice of his terrible intentions.

These bills have no rational reason to exist and will destroy thousands of lives. Trans people who remain in Texas will no longer be able to drive their cars, work, or pay rent, unless they comply. It is a commonly stated position among trans people who aren't able to leave Texas that they would die before detransitioning. I am among that number.

Updated 5/15/2025.

The US Supreme Court just Delivered a Beatdown to Transgender Military Members

When asked by the Trump administration to put an emergency injunction on a case in which the military had been barred from discharging a military member, the conservatives on the "Supreme Court" did one better. They allowed the government to proceed with discharging 13,000 transgender military members and banning new enlistments while trump lawyers fought the court case.

This despite absolutely no evidence to support Trump's assertions that transgender people are unfit to serve.

For the Supreme Court, this isn't about justice, it's about payback. It's about bigotry and hatred. It's the Supreme Court agreeing with trump that transgender people are worthless, immoral, and that we do not deserve rights. It's the "supreme court" giving the transgender community advanced notice that every time a court case makes it's docket to expect another beatdown.

How did we get to this horrible situation? The New York Times breaks it down:

On March 27, 2025 the US District Court for Western District of Washington issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking implementation of the transgender military ban.

The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit refused to block Judge Settle’s ruling while it considered the administration’s appeal.

The administration then sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court, saying that “the district court’s injunction cannot be squared with the substantial deference that the department’s professional military judgments are owed.”

At a minimum, the government said the Supreme Court should limit Judge Settle’s ruling to the plaintiffs in the case and lift the balance of the nationwide injunction.

The court opted for the broader approach, pausing the injunction entirely.

Justice Sotomayor, Justice Kagan, and Justice Jackson Justice Sotomayor, Justice Kagan, and Justice Jackson would have denied the application.

In war against Trans healthcare Trump Threatens Medical Publications

 Image /Reuters

By now, everyone is aware of the junk science 404 page, AI-generated, unsigned document that the Trump administration plans to use to end transgender affirming healthcare and institutionalize conversion therapy for transgender youth.

But why do all of that? Why don't medical associations now free of "leftist ideologies" come out in favor of conversion therapy and end the "sexual mutilation" of children?

Because the American Medical Association actually cares about the health of its patients, and remains unbowed by this fascist regime's attempts to do them harm.

Statements from 30 major American Medical Associations affirming their support of gender affirming healthcare remain online, infuriating Trump.

This is a major roadblock in Trump's war against gender variant people. The Trump administration understands that if it can force medical journals into publishing anti-science, it can be sure Americans only know what it wants them to.

But wouldn't this violate the freedom of the Press, which is protected by the First Amendment? Yes, it does, however, Trump has stated he isn't bound by the Constitution.

Last week, at least three scientific journals received a letter from a top U.S. attorney asking it to respond to alleged bias. Now, one of the world’s leading medical journals has received a similar inquiry as well.

The New England Journal of Medicine’s editor in chief, Eric Rubin, received a letter from the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Edward R. Martin Jr. in recent days in which the prosecutor asked six questions, largely about alleged bias in the decision to publish unspecified content. The journal told STAT it responded by affirming its commitment to evidence-based recommendations and editorial independence.

“As practicing physicians, our editors recognize our responsibility to doctors and patients. We use rigorous peer review and editorial processes to ensure the objectivity and reliability of the research we publish,” Rubin wrote in his response. “We support the editorial independence of medical journals and their First Amendment rights to free expression. The Journal actively fosters scholarly scientific dialogue and remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting authors, readers, and patients.”

The Trump regime is now using US Attorneys to intimidate academic journals by sending them letters demanding they explain how they ensure ‘viewpoint diversity.’ Journal editors should be public about this and coordinate to refuse to comply with these fascist tactics.

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— Eric Reinhart (@eric-reinhart.com) April 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM

Pittsburgh's P Town Bar Raided During Drag Show Friday Night

photo Google Map

P Town Bar, an LGBTQ establishment in Pittsburgh, was “raided” by approximately 20 Pennsylvania State Police officers and undercover agents during a drag event Friday night, Q Burgh reports.

Approximately 70 patrons were forced out into the street at 11:30 pm to wait as the agents performed an unspecified inspection of the premises. Police at the time of the raid didn't say why the raid took place, and have not responded to inquiries made by Q Burgh.

Several people commented on Facebook that 3 other Pittsburgh hetero bars were also raided Friday and that the LGBT community may not have been targeted specifically.

P Town Bar shared a statement on Facebook:

"Hi everyone! (For now just a short post) I'm sure yall heard about the unfortunate situation last night, however we want to assure you we are OPEN for business and remain steadfast in our promise to provide a safe and welcoming space to our LGBTQ+ community!!!! So come on in, have a drink or 3 and enjoy the night!"

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A post shared by Q Burgh (@qburgh)

Happy World Press Freedom Day

Image / Economic Times

As Trump's unrelenting and illegal attacks against the press continue, I would like to commemorate World Press Freedom Day with you.

If Trump were able to stifle international independent news sources like the Associated Press, it would be just a matter of time before his goons went after blogs like this.

Judge orders Trump administration to lift its ban on The Associated Press covering White House events

World Press Freedom Day. So what is it?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in Windhoek in 1991.

Trump Agrees to Stop Starving Maine's 172,622 Students and at Risk Adults

Youtube wmtwtv

The Trump administration has agreed to end the retaliatory action, suspending Maine's federal child nutrition program, in exchange for the state dropping its lawsuit, which Maine had already won a temporary injunction.

Trump took this unprecedented action when Maine Governor Janet Trafton Mills refused to bow to his authoritarian demand that it disallow two transgender children from participating in sports.

President Trump clashes with Maine Gov. Janet Mills at the White House #... https://t.co/ytDvinnxvQ via @YouTube

— Planet Trans (@kellibusey) May 3, 2025

Between 2013 and 2021, 54 transgender students made requests to the Maine Principals’ Association to compete in the sport that aligned with their gender. Four trans girls made a request during that time, but only two girls were playing, according to the Bangor Daily News.

In retaliation, Trump cut off food for 172,622 students.

“It’s unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations,” Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement. “But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults.”