Texas universities – particularly within the Texas Tech University System – are implementing sweeping restrictions that effectively ban professors from acknowledging the existence of transgender people in classrooms. These informal, often unwritten directives prohibit discussion of transgender, non-binary, and intersex identities, the use of chosen names or pronouns, and even the display of pride flags or safe space stickers.
There is one promising sign for LGBTQ+ people in all this: Democrats, by refusing to cave to Republican demands on both the full-year appropriations bills and the continuing resolution, have shown a degree of backbone critics often accuse them of lacking.
A former South Carolina Republican representative, RJ May III, who backed drag and trans healthcare bans “to protect childhood innocence”, has pleaded guilty to distributing sexual abuse material involving children.
Indya Moore has made an impassioned plea to Ryan Murphy and other members of the LGBTQ+ community, calling on them to stand up for the trans community in these troubling times.
Zack Polanski, newly elected leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, has pledged unwavering support for LGBTQ+ rights, especially trans inclusion, amid growing political disenfranchisement among queer voters.
In an interview with PinkNews, Polanski criticized Labour’s retreat from progressive trans policies and condemned the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from Reform UK. He emphasized the Green Party’s commitment to self-ID for trans people, reversing bans on puberty blockers, and centering trans voices in policymaking.
Sixteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging its threats to withdraw funding for sex education programs that include references to gender diversity.
Alberta’s plan to invoke the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to uphold new laws restricting transgender rights is facing strong resistance from doctors and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. A leaked memo revealed Premier Danielle Smith’s government intends to apply the clause this fall to three controversial laws regulating school pronouns, female sports participation, and access to gender-affirming health care.
Two of these laws are already being challenged in court by Egale and Skipping Stone, alongside affected youth and families, who warn of devastating consequences for trans children. The Canadian Medical Association and Alberta physicians have also launched a separate constitutional challenge, arguing the legislation violates medical ethics and the physician-patient relationship.
