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PFLAG National Chapter Award Nominations Close TODAY!

Today is the last day to submit a PFLAG chapter—whether your own or another chapter—for a PFLAG National Chapter Award.

Hundreds of PFLAG chapters across the country, run by thousands of volunteers, have been working overtime within their communities over the last two years. Now, we want to hear from you: tell us how YOUR local chapter has shown up for you and your community.

All chapters in good standing are eligible for this award, which will be presented at Learning With Love: The 2025 PFLAG National Convention in Chicago, October 10-12. Please note that at least one member of a winning chapter must be present to receive the award at the convention. 

Visit https://pflagnation.al/2025ChapterNoms today and tell us all about the PFLAG chapters that are creating an equitable, inclusive world where every LGBTQ+ person is safe, celebrated, empowered, and loved.

Honorees will be announced on Tuesday, September 9th. 

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.

New Hampshire - Gov. Ayotte signs anti-trans healthcare bans into law. Governor Kelly Ayotte signed two bills banning gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary youth into law on August 1st. New Hampshire is the first and, to date, only state in the Northeast to adopt such laws. 

New York - New York City to open country’s first publicly funded homeless shelter for trans and gender-nonconforming people. Ace’s Place in Long Island City, Queens, will have 150 beds to facilitate transitional housing for trans and gender-nonconforming people experiencing homelessness. The shelter will also offer specialized support services, including counseling and employment assistance. 

Wagner College agrees to ban trans athletes. The private liberal arts college on Staten Island agreed to comply with the Trump Administration’s executive order on trans athletes after the school was investigated for having a trans woman on their women’s fencing team. 

Texas - Senate approves anti-trans facilities ban. SB 7 would ban trans people from using bathrooms matching their gender identity in government buildings, including schools. The bill also would mandate housing prisoners in facilities matching their sex assigned at birth and would ban trans women from women’s domestic violence shelters. However, the State House currently lacks a quorum, and therefore the House cannot conduct any business, including consideration of this bill.

Court Matters

16 states and DC sue Trump Administration over investigations into providers of medically necessary care for trans and nonbinary youth. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts and argues that the Administration is exceeding its authority by attempting to effectively ban gender-affirming care nationwide without Congressional authorization.

Federal Matters

To inform your activism, advocacy, and media work, please use our Executive Order explainers and resources web page.

U.S. Air Force denies early retirement option and benefits to trans servicemembers. According to a memo released August 7th, trans service members in the Air Force with between 15 and 18 years of service will not be granted early retirements. Instead, this group of service members can either quit with a lump sum offered to junior troops, or be removed from the service with no retirement benefits.

Trump Administration bans trans women athletes from receiving “extraordinary ability” visas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would change its visa policies to block trans women from obtaining visas to compete in women’s sporting events in the U.S. 

Senate rejects proposed elimination of HIV prevention programs. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted down a Trump Administration budget proposal to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) HIV prevention programs, as well as rejecting the proposed elimination of the Housing and Urban Development Department’s (HUD) Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS initiative. The committee also voted to allocate $542 million for the Ending HIV Epidemic initiative and to maintain most of the funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program.

Senate confirms co-founder of anti-LGBTQ+ Catholic group as ambassador to Vatican City. The Senate confirmed Brian Burch to the ambassadorship on a 49-44 vote. Burch co-founded Catholic Vote, which endorsed Tennessee’s ban on medically necessary care for trans and nonbinary youth. Burch himself also criticized Pope Francis for allowing priests to bless same-sex couples. 

FBI releases data showing that the incidence of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes remains high despite overall declines in violent crime rates. According to 2024 data, 17% of all hate crimes were motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation. Another 4% were motivated by the victim’s gender identity.

Global Matters

Netherlands - Amsterdam Pride includes celebration and protest. The weeklong event included 80 boats sailing through the city’s canals and protests over cuts to AIDS funding from the U.S.

Media Matters

LGBTQ+ and AIDS advocate Lori Cannon dies at 74. Cannon, who lived in Chicago, was an early volunteer for Chicago House, which was the first agency in the city that provided housing for people with AIDS. She also helped found the Chicago chapter for the NAMES Project, which is the organization that created the AIDS Memorial Quilt. 

Theater director and playwright Robert Wilson dies at 83. Wilson, who was openly gay, collaborated with numerous artists including composer Philip Glass and Lady Gaga to stage innovative plays. 

Orthodox rabbinical school ordains first openly gay rabbi. Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, which is an all-male Orthodox Jewish rabbinical school in Riverdale, New York, ordained Tadhg Cleary, who is openly gay, as a rabbi. This comes just six years after the same school refused to ordain another openly gay student.

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

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