LGBTQ rights

Michigan Supreme Court orders judges to honor pronouns of parties in court

By Ed White, Associated Press

The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered all judges to address people in court by the pronouns they use or by “other respectful means.”…

Montana judge temporarily blocks law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors

By Amy Beth Hanson, Associated Press

A Montana state judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a law to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors.

Federal judge rules Texas university that canceled drag show didn’t violate free speech rights

By Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press

The U.S. district judge argued Thursday that drag shows are "sexualized content" and can be subject to more regulations.

Pentagon working to restore benefits to LGBTQ+ veterans forced out under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

By Tara Copp, Associated Press

Under the policy, service members who had other than heterosexual orientation could serve — as long as they kept it quiet. That led to years of discrimination, undue pressure, discharges and lost benefits.

Democrats retain narrow control of Pennsylvania House after special election

By Brooke Schultz, Associated Press/Report for America

Voters on Tuesday elected former congressional aide Lindsay Powell, bringing the partisan split to 102-101. Powell defeated Republican challenger Erin Connolly Autenreith in the heavily Democratic district.

Census Bureau wants to test asking about sexual orientation and gender identity on community survey

By Mike Schneider, Associated Press

The bureau wants to test the wording, response categories and placement of gender identity and sexual orientation queries on the questionnaires for the American Community Survey.

Kansas to no longer change transgender people’s birth certificates to reflect gender identities

By John Hanna, Associated Press

The state health department's announcement Friday cited a new law that prevents the state from legally recognizing those identities.

Billie Jean King on her legendary career and fight for equal pay in women’s sports

By Amna Nawaz, Anne Azzi Davenport

Today, some women’s tennis players are among the highest-paid athletes in the world. But that wasn’t always the case. Equal pay was a long battle fought by the same women playing the game, including the legendary Billie Jean King. Amna…

Continue watching

Kansas officials are no longer required to change transgender people’s birth certificates, judge says

By John Hanna, Josh Funk, Associated Press

A U.S. district judge on Thursday approved a request from Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach to block birth certificate changes because of a new state law defining male and female as the sex assigned at birth.

Canada issues travel advisory warning LGBTQ+ community about U.S. laws that may affect them

By Rob Gillies, Associated Press

The country's Global Affairs department did not specify which states, but is advising travelers to check the local laws for their destination before traveling.