LGBTQ rights

Spain parliament approves menstrual leave, teen abortion and transgender protections

By Jennifer O'Mahony, Ciarán Giles, Associated Press

Spain's parliament has approved laws expanding abortion and trans rights for teenagers, while making Spain the first country in Europe entitling workers to paid menstrual leave.

Kansas push to define sex decried as erasing transgender people

By John Hanna, Associated Press

A bill in Kansas and similar legislation in at least seven other states have LGBTQ-rights advocates worrying about a sweeping Republican-led effort to erase the legal existence of transgender men and women.

New Florida bill could spell end of Disney's control over resort

By Mike Schneider, Associated Press

Some see it as punishment for Disney's opposition to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Hong Kong transgender men win appeal over ID status change

By Zen Soo, Kanis Leung, Associated Press

Hong Kong's top court has ruled that full sex reassignment surgery should not be a prerequisite for transgender people to have their gender changed on their official identity cards.

How Utah's new ban on gender-affirming care for minors is affecting trans teens in the state

By Orion Rummler, The 19th

The law’s passage has also dealt a blow to trans teens’ faith in Gov. Spencer Cox, who invoked the importance of acceptance while vetoing the state’s anti-trans sports bill last year.

Scotland vows to challenge UK in court over gender recognition law veto

By Jill Lawless, Associated Press

Scotland's leader says she will take the British government to court over its decision to block a law that makes it easier for people in Scotland to change their gender on official documents.

Republican states aim to restrict transgender health care in first bills of 2023

By Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press

More than two dozen bills seeking to restrict transgender health care access have been introduced across 11 states — Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia — for the legislative sessions beginning in…

WATCH: Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act, protecting same-sex and interracial marriages

By Chris Megerian, Associated Press

President Joe Biden signed gay marriage legislation into law Tuesday before a crowd of thousands, a ceremony that reflected growing acceptance of same-sex unions.

How the Respect for Marriage Act protects same-sex marriage rights, and where it falls short

By Kate Sosin, The 19th

If the Supreme Court reverses marriage equality, the landmark legislation offers protections for LGBTQ+ couples but does not amount to a national mandate.

LISTEN: Supreme Court hears arguments on website designer refusing services for same-sex couple

By Jessica Gresko, Associated Press

The Supreme Court's conservative majority sounded sympathetic to a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, a dispute that's the latest clash of religion and gay rights to land at the highest court.