| | Tell your Senator to vote NO on the NDAA! The House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – which funds everything we need for our military to function, including healthcare for service members and our families – with a vicious provision that would prevent military families with transgender kids from getting care. If the NDAA passes the Senate with this provision, it will have devastating consequences for trans youth, for the military families who love them, and even for America’s military readiness and morale. The vote on the NDAA is expected as early as MONDAY. Call and email your Senators – both of them – and tell them to Vote No, because military families with trans kids sacrifice so much, and they’ve more than earned our support. Please consider sharing Branden’s family’s story with your Senators, family, and friends to let others know about families like his. Ohioans: House Bill 8, also coined the “Unsafe Students Act,” is up for a hearing on December 10th. If passed, the bill would restrict how so-called “sexuality content” can be taught in schools and would potentially put students’ safety at serious risk, particularly LGBTQ+ students. Tell your Senators to vote NO today! Have you signed up to receive Action Alerts from PFLAG National? In the immediate future, more and more work will be done in rapid-response mode, and we hope to have every one of our members and supporters engaged. |
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|  | | Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. You can share news from your state with [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future newsletter. Florida - Trans prisoners subjected to policy akin to “conversion therapy.” The Florida Department of Corrections policy states that prisons will only provide psychotherapy to inmates with gender dysphoria, not gender-affirming care, except “in rare instances.” The policy goes on to argue that “unaddressed psychiatric issues and unaddressed childhood trauma could lead to a misdiagnosis of gender dysphoria,” similar to arguments which practitioners of so-called “conversion therapy” make. Michigan - House committee votes to repeal state’s dormant anti-sodomy law. The Michigan House Criminal Justice Committee passed legislation that would repeal a currently unenforceable law that criminalizes sodomy. The Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that such laws were unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas. The bill now moves to the full House for consideration. Montana - State Supreme Court rules that anti-trans healthcare ban is unconstitutional. The Court ruled that the 2023 ban on medically necessary care for trans and non-binary youth is unconstitutional under the Montana Constitution’s privacy clause. New Jersey - Governor Murphy signs anti-book ban bill into law. The “Freedom to Read Act” prohibits public schools and libraries from banning books and protects librarians who obey state law. Lawmakers in at least 13 states this year have introduced legislation to disrupt library services or limit their materials. South Carolina - Darlington Mayor apologizes for using anti-gay slur during city council meeting. Mayor Curtis Boyd used an anti-gay slur when speaking to a city resident during a public comment period during a city council meeting. The Mayor apologized for using the word and clarified that he was repeating back what the resident had said to him and did not mean to denigrate anyone. Tennessee - Williamson County Schools ban three books. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Where the Crawdads Sing were all banned during a special school board meeting on December 9th. |
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| | | Supreme Court rejects appeal from Wisconsin parents’ group challenging supportive policy for trans students. By rejecting the appeal, the Supreme Court leaves in place a lower court ruling that held that the parents’ group has no standing to sue the Eau Claire School District as there is no evidence that their supportive policies actually affect the parents in question. Justices Alito, Kavanaugh, and Thomas let it be known that they would have taken the appeal. Federal judge orders Alabama city to allow Pride group to participate in Christmas parade. U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. ruled that the City of Prattville violated Prattville Pride's 1st and 14th Amendment rights when the city banned the group from running a float in the annual Christmas parade one day before the event was set to take place. The Judge ruled that Prattville Pride must be allowed to participate in the parade and the city must provide at least two police officers to escort the float throughout the parade. |
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| | | | United Kingdom - Government indefinitely bans puberty blockers for trans and nonbinary youth. The decision, which will be revisited in 2027, goes against standards held by medical groups elsewhere, including the European and World Professional Associations for Transgender Health, as well as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Vatican City - Vatican includes event for LGBTQ+ Catholics in Holy Year calendar. A pilgrimage by the Italian group "La Tenda di Gionata" (Jonathan's Tent), set for next September, is listed among the hundreds of events planned for the Holy Year Jubilee. La Tenda di Gionata is a group which promotes welcoming LGBTQ+ people into the church. |
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| | | Nikki Giovanni dies at 81. The renowned poet was a leading Black literary figure, publishing dozens of poetry collections, with a final book, called THE LAST BOOK, set to be released next year. She is survived by her wife, Virginia Fowler. Troy Masters (63), founder of Gay City News and the Los Angeles Blade, dies. "Troy Masters is a pioneer who championed LGBTQ rights as well as best-in-class journalism for our community," read a statement from The Blade management team. First legally recognized gay rights group in the US founded 100 years ago. On December 10, 1924, Henry Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights in Chicago. Gerber was a German immigrant and postal worker. In his native country, he had been expelled from school and lost several jobs for being gay, and in the US he was institutionalized and arrested. Denver one of three finalists to host the 2030 Gay Games. Denver is competing against Perth, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, to win the rights to host “the world’s premier LGBTQ+ sporting and cultural event” in Colorado. LPGA adopts new policies for transgender athletes. The Ladies Professional Golf Association and the U.S. Golf Association adopted policies which state that trans women may only compete in LPGA events if they never went through male puberty. The policies take effect in 2025. |
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