LGBTQ rights

Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people flock to Florida for Gay Days festival

By Mike Schneider, Associated Press

The slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have championed aren't stopping organizers from encouraging visitors from around the world to come to Orlando.

Why a proposed Texas mandate to ‘wean’ trans youth off their meds contradicts medical science

By Theresa Gaffney, STAT

Experts say that taking trans kids off of gender-affirming drugs in a "safe and medically appropriate" way is impossible.

Here is a look at the laws DeSantis has passed as Florida governor, from abortion to guns

By Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press

With the help of GOP supermajorities in the statehouse, the Republican has been able to push through an aggressive agenda that forms the base of his White House run.

GOP lawmakers pass new standards to ban books from Texas schools

By Associated Press

Critics say the standards set in the Texas bill are too vague, will snag books that are not inappropriate, and that materials dealing with LGBTQ+ subject matter are more likely to be targeted for bans.

Montana bans people dressed in drag from reading to children in schools, libraries

By Amy Beth Hanson, Associated Press

The bill specifically bans people dressed in drag from reading to children in public schools or libraries. Under the law, such events can be banned even if there is no sexual component.

AP report: Many bills restricting trans health care came from handful of far-right groups

By Jeff McMillan, Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press, Kavish Harjai, Associated Press/Report for America

At least 17 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. An Associated Press analysis found that often those bills sprang not from grassroots or constituent demand, but from the pens of a handful of conservative…

Nebraska lawmakers pass 12-week abortion ban, restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors

By Margery A. Beck, Associated Press

An emergency clause attached allows the measures to take effect as soon as that happens. The bill's passage was a blow to opponents, who strongly objected to both bans.

Why youth activists in Louisiana say they’ll ‘no longer stay quiet’

By Roby Chavez

As Republican state lawmakers in Louisiana have pushed a barrage of bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights, a new wave of youth activism has been awakened.

Beijing LGBTQ Center shuttered amid crackdown in China

By Huizhong Wu, Associated Press

An advocacy group that served as a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Beijing has been shut down as part of a government pressure campaign against gay rights groups.

Why Nebraska conservatives might combine abortion, trans health care bans

By Margery A. Beck, Associated Press

Conservative Nebraska lawmakers are taking what could be an all-or-nothing bet by proposing to merge two of the legislative session's most contentious proposals — one to restrict abortion access and another that would ban gender-affirming care for minors.