| | Yesterday afternoon (Thursday, February 13th), in a victory for transgender youth, their families, and their medical providers, a federal district court issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of a Trump administration executive order attempting to shut down access nationwide to gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under 19. The decision by Judge Brendan Hurson was issued from the bench with a written order to come soon. The nationwide restraining order prohibits federal agencies from conditioning or withholding federal funding based on the fact that a healthcare entity or health professional provides gender-affirming medical care to a patient under nineteen. In case you missed it, our CEO Brian K. Bond, issued the following statement immediately following the ruling: “Good and decent parents of transgender kids should never be in the frightening position of having their child’s prescribed, medically necessary care canceled at the whim and threat of a politician. But that’s exactly what President Trump’s executive order did to PFLAG families with trans youth and young adults nationwide. Today’s decision rights a grievous wrong to our nation's families and children, and PFLAG families will be vigilant to ensure our transgender loved ones receive the healthcare they need—as this legal ruling demands.” For any questions—and the most timely updates—on PFLAG v Trump, please visit our FAQs page at pflag.org/resource/pvt-faqs/. And for information and resources on additional Executive Orders—including identity documents and passports—please visit pflag.org/resource/executive-orders/. |
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| | |  | | 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. Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary. The Senate voted to confirm Kennedy on an almost entirely party-line vote of 52-48. Kennedy, who is an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and on the record in support of a national ban on abortion, will now be in charge of an expansive, $1.7 trillion agency that oversees—among other things—pandemic preparedness, government-funded health care, and vaccine and pharmaceutical drug development. References to transgender and queer removed from Stonewall National Monument website. The page used to say "LGBTQ+," according to an archived version of the National Park Service's website. It now only says "LGB." Stonewall was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016, according to this linked NPS page which, interestingly, still retains the “T” in “LGBT,” at least as of 11am ET today. Pentagon announces trans individuals banned from joining military; gender-affirming care procedures for military personnel and their families paused. On February 7th, Defense Secretary Hegseth filed a memo with the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC stating that “all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused,” and that “all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused.” Education Department moves to end support programs for trans and nonbinary students. Education Department employees received an email on February 7th stating that “programs, contracts, policies, outward-facing media, regulations, and internal practices” will be reviewed and cut in cases where they “fail to affirm the reality of biological sex.” Foreign aid suspensions force HIV treatment and prevention programs to close. Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed State Department personnel to stop nearly all U.S. foreign aid spending for 90 days in response to an executive order President Trump signed after his inauguration. While Secretary Rubio later issued a waiver that allows “life-saving humanitarian assistance” programs to continue operating, an initiative to combat HIV in Kenya has been shut down due to lack of US funding, forcing the layoffs of 700 staff and the closure of 150 clinics that offer HIV treatment. |
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| | | Minnesota, Oregon, Washington AGs announce lawsuit against President Trump’s executive order seeking to ban medically necessary care for trans and nonbinary youth. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, and the Attorneys General have requested that the Court approve an emergency order to temporarily block the executive order. Trump administration changes government position in U.S. v Skrmetti case before the Supreme Court regarding Tennessee's medically necessary healthcare ban. The Administration notified the Supreme Court that it believes Tennessee’s law banning medically necessary care for trans and nonbinary youth is constitutional, contrary to the position the Biden Administration took when the case, U.S. v Skrmetti, was argued before the Court in December. Despite this, the Trump Administration is urging the Supreme Court to issue its ruling on the case to resolve the equal protection question at the heart of the dispute. Seven trans, nonbinary people file a lawsuit against President Trump’s executive order banning X gender-markers on passports. The plaintiffs are represented by the ACLU, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and Covington & Burling LPP. |
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