Tennessee elects its first transgender lawmaker — "Olivia Hill’s historic election to the Nashville Metro Council will make her the state’s first transgender lawmaker, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund." Read more.
New California law bars schoolbook bans based on racial and LGBTQ topics — "California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Monday prohibiting school boards across the state from banning books, instructional materials or curricula categorized as inclusive or diverse. Under the new law, which went into effect immediately after its signing, the state can fine schools that would block textbooks and library books that allow students to learn about diverse communities." Read more.
Federal judge rules Texas drag ban unconstitutional — "District Judge David Hittner, who had temporarily halted the state’s ban a day before the law was set to take effect in August, in a ruling on Tuesday wrote it represented “an unconstitutional restriction on speech” and barred state officials, including the attorney general, from enforcing it." Read more.
Most states in South have banned gender-affirming care for trans youth — "Since 2021, lawmakers in 12 of the 16 states considered regionally South by the U.S. Census Bureau have passed legislation that prevents medical professionals from administering gender-affirming health care to transgender youths, accounting for more than half of bans enacted nationwide." Read more.
Boston No Longer Requires Gender on Marriage Certificates — "City officials pitched the changes as a way to mitigate the discrimination and marginalization that LGBTQ residents can face, particularly transgender and nonbinary people of color." Read more.
Census Bureau wants to test asking about sexual orientation and gender identity on community survey — "We can learn about health, economic, housing and other outcomes that might be worse for LGBT people because of the stigma and discrimination that they face, and we can track changes over time to see if laws and policies are leading to more equality," Read more.
Many states don’t require schools to teach sex ed. A new bill hopes to change that. — "By creating federal funding for high quality sex ed, the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act (REAHYA) encourages states nationwide to provide students with evidence-based instruction and sexual health services that are comprehensive, equitable, medically accurate, culturally responsive, trauma-informed and resilience-oriented, among other criteria." Read more.