Three bills have passed the Utah house that will affect youth gender medicine in the state: one completely bans all hormonal prescriptions to alter gender identity for minors (Utah previously had only a moratorium on new prescriptions), another forbids all publicly funded employers from offering insurance that covers such procedures, and a third requires insurance […]
(Small) Court Victories for LGBTQ in Some Unexpected Places
In a significant development, The Philippines, a conservative Catholic country which does not recognize same-sex marriage or even allow divorce, has seen a partial victory for same-sex couples thanks to its Supreme Court. It ruled that they may co-own property, but only if they live together and both contributed to its purchase. The ruling came […]
From Stonewall to Disney: Diminishing Queer Visibility
The trans community isn’t the only cohort of the wider LGBTQ+ community seeing civil rights being pulled away. The ACLU maintains a map tracking attacks on LGBTQ right in US state legislatures. Two such bills in the Tennessee legislature are seeking to delegitimize gay marriage and eliminate employment discrimination protections. As if to illustrate the […]
Bi-partisan Consensus: Sex Offenders Better Off Dead
A bill to impose the death penalty in child sex abuse cases passed the Alabama State Senate by a resounding bi-partisan vote of 33-1, and Gov. Kay Ivey has indicated she will sign it. Like a law passed in Florida in 2023, this directly seeks to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2008 prohibition of the death […]
What Will They Think of Next?
Our beloved state legislators in the US continue to distinguish themselves by silliness when it comes to sex and gender. An Arizona legislator has proposed a bill to make it a felony to bring a minor to an event where people may be dressed in drag. A state senator in Illinois has introduced a bill […]
LGBT Persecution Ramps Up in Asian Autocracies
Across former (and current) Communist states in Asia, the news is not encouraging for sexual and gender minorities. In Azerbaijan, over 100 patrons of a gay-friendly night club were arrested by police, compelled to stand outside in the cold, and then detained unless willing to pay a bribe. In detention, they were beaten, forced to […]
Orthodox Judaism Rejects Conversion Therapy
On a positive note, 75 Rabbis and Rabbaniyot have signed a public letter warning against treatments that claim to change a person’s sexual orientation. The letter states that “It is difficult to imagine a greater denigration…than the degradation and suppression that bring many victims of so-called conversion therapy to the brink of suicide, self-harm, or […]
Trans Refugees Flee US to Claim Asylum
In 2025, 76 Americans fled to The Netherlands to claim asylum based on fears of persecution due to their gender identity, including those who held professional jobs and resided in progressive jurisdictions like San Francisco and Massachusetts. They are detained in a fenced refugee camp alongside other asylum-seekers, mainly from Africa and the Middle East. […]
“Cohabitation” in Poland
Long known as one of the European countries least friendly to gay rights under its previous right-wing government, Poland has seen some progress under the current ruling coalition. While stopping short of sanctioning same-sex marriage, the government has approved a bill allowing for notarized “cohabitation contracts” that can cover housing rights, joint tax filing, and […]
Can Teachers Discuss Gender Identity with Parents?
A federal district judge in San Diego ruled in favor of two teachers who claimed that school district policy forced them to “lie” to parents about their student’s preferred gender identity and thus infringed upon their 1st amendment rights. However, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed the judge’s order […]