Take Action

Tell your Senators to vote NO on the anti-trans athlete ban! The House recently passed H.R. 28, a federal anti-trans athlete ban. The Senate may consider the bill as early as next week. We need everyone to call and write their Senators NOW and tell them to vote NO. 

Georgians

Tell your State Representatives to vote NO on HB 267. The Georgia State House is a bill to ban trans kids from school facilities matching their gender identities and to ban them from school sports. This dangerous and discriminatory bill spreads harmful stereotypes and endangers children and their ability to fully participate in important extracurricular activities. Contact your Representative TODAY and tell them to vote NO on this harmful bill! 

Iowans

Tell your State Representative to vote NO on HSB 242. Yesterday, the Iowa House introduced the Iowa Civil Rights Removal Act (HSB 242), a cruel and discriminatory piece of legislation aimed at making life harder for transgender Iowans in nearly every aspect of the law. This bill would remove transgender Iowans’ civil rights protections, impose a bathroom ban, and more. Tell your Representative to vote NO on HSB 242.

Missourians

Tell your State Senator to vote NO on SB 10. Legislators added anti-trans amendments to this previously unrelated bill, and now SB 10 would make Missouri’s anti-trans athlete and healthcare bans permanent. Tell your Senators to protect trans kids and vote NO on SB 10!

North Dakotans

Tell your State Representative to vote NO on HB 1430. Legislators are trying to repeal regulations banning conversion therapy. Using bogus appeals to “freedom of speech,” they are trying to subject LGBTQ+ kids to this dangerous and discredited practice. Those who peddle this junk “medicine” take advantage of well-meaning but misinformed parents and families and harm their children by inflicting sometimes severe psychological and even physical trauma. Tell your state representatives to protect LGBTQ+ kids and vote NO on HB 1430!  

State Matters

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.

Alabama - Gov. Ivey signs trans and intersex erasure bill into law. The Governor signed SB 79 into law on February 13th. The law enshrines an inaccurate understanding of sex and gender into state law which discredits the existence of intersex and transgender people. 

Arizona - Scottsdale Unified School District bans 16 books. The decision comes after a coalition of conservative groups called for the removal of 18 books from school library shelves in July 2024. 

Colorado - Bill introduced to define intentional “deadnaming” as harassment. Rep. Lorena Garcia (D-Adams County) introduced the measure, which would allow transgender individuals to file a complaint under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act if they are intentionally deadnamed. 

Indiana - State House passes anti-trans athlete ban. The House passed HB 1041, which would expand the state’s existing anti-trans athlete ban to apply to college sports. 

Iowa - Proposed bill would apply obscenity laws to schools and libraries. HF 271 would repeal the exemption for educational institutions and libraries that exists in current obscenity laws. This would likely result in many books being removed from the shelves in public libraries. 

Kansas - Legislature overrides Gov. Kelly’s veto, enact ban on medically necessary care for trans and nonbinary youth. SB 63 bans youth under 18 from accessing puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, or gender-affirming surgery. The House and Senate overrode the Governor’s veto of SB 63 during unscheduled votes on February 18th.

New York - Five individuals charged in the death of Sam Nordquist, a Minnesota trans man. Police have charged the group of five with second degree murder with depraved indifference in connection with Nordquist’s death, which is being investigated as a homicide and a possible hate crime. 

Utah - Gov. Cox signs bill banning trans students from dorms aligning with their gender identity. HB 269 requires trans students to be assigned a room based on their sex assigned at birth or in a dorm that is gender neutral.

Virginia - State House passes resolution to repeal defunct anti-marriage equality amendment from state constitution. The House approved SJ 249 on a bipartisan vote of 58-33. The measure must pass two successive legislatures and then be approved by voters before it takes effect. 

Court Matters

Federal judge holds hearing over trans military ban executive order. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes said the order was "arguably rampant with animus" towards the trans community and likely was unconstitutionally discriminatory, though she did not make any rulings. 

Second federal judge halts enforcement of Trump executive order seeking to halt federal funding and support for medically necessary care for trans and nonbinary youth. U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Administration from enforcing the order after the attorneys general of Washington state, Oregon and Minnesota sued the Administration.  

Federal Matters

In addition to other federal issues, this section includes ongoing activity regarding the executive orders (EOs) signed by President Trump since January 20, 2025. Please know that EOs do NOT override the United States Constitution, federal statutes, or established legal precedent. EOs are required by law to follow a process before changes can be implemented, and for many of these EOs, litigation is not only expected but is also already happening, such as PFLAG v Trump (see above). 

To inform your activism, advocacy, and media work, please use our explainers and resources web page, which is updated frequently as we gather information from our many trusted partners.

LGBTQ+ people disproportionately impacted by Trump executive orders affecting federal workers and contractors. A study conducted by the Williams Institute showed that about 10% of LGBTQ+ adults work in the public sector, with higher numbers working for the Federal Government and government contractors. The President’s orders firing government workers – and, more directly, banning transgender servicemembers – could have a large impact on LGBTQ+ workers. 

Department of Education investigating trans-inclusive policies in five Northern Virginia school districts. The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William County schools for trans-inclusive policies which the Administration claims violate Title IX and the President’s executive order banning schools from promoting “gender ideology.” 

Global Matters

India - State of Tamil Nadu proposes pro-LGBTQ+ policy. Tamil Nadu, in southern India, is proposing a policy which would protect the LGBTQ+ community from violence and conversion therapy, as well as calling on educational institutions to raise awareness of issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, among other changes. 

South Africa - First openly gay imam killed. Muhsin Hendricks was shot while visiting the southern city of Gqeberha on February 15th. Police have not established a motive for the killing, but Hendricks was notable for having started a mosque in Cape Town for gay Muslims and called for members of the LGBTQ+ community to be welcomed into Islam.

Media Matters

LGBTQ+ Identification in U.S. Rises to nearly 10%, with bisexual identification most common. Gallup’s latest update represents an increase of more than a percentage point versus the prior estimate, from 2023. Longer term, the figure has nearly doubled since 2020 and is up from 3.5% in 2012, when Gallup first measured it.

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe arrested protesting MAGA activities and anti-trans policies. Kluwe, who was honored for his allyship with the Straight for Equality in Sports award by PFLAG National in 2013, was arrested in California after performing an act of civil disobedience at the Huntington Beach City Council meeting.

Wendy Guevara becomes first openly trans presenter on national television in America. Univision announced that Guevara is the new host of the afternoon talk show, “Desiguales.” 

Kennedy Center cancels concert by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC. The concert was planned for May 21st as part of WorldPride. 

Book by actress Julianne Moore banned from schools serving children of military personnel. Freckleface Strawberry, a children’s book about a girl who dislikes her freckles but learns to live with them, is being “reviewed” as part of an examination of library books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics.”

PFLAG National
(202) 467-8180 | [email protected]

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