Court Matters The Supreme Court has blocked a citizenship question from being added to the 2020 census for the time. The bitter controversy centers around whether the administration can ask all recipients a citizenship question on the 2020 census for the first time since 1950 -- a move that could impact the balance of power in states and the House of Representatives, which are based on total population. Adding the question, critics say, could result in vulnerable communities including LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and people of color being undercounted. Matthew Kacsmaryk, a conservative lawyer who signed onto a letter calling transgender people "delusional", was confirmed by the Senate to a lifetime federal judgeship in Texas. A federal court allows Trump Administration to effectively defund Planned Parenthood. Ninth Circuit allows Trump's gag rule that bans Title X recipients from performing or supporting abortion as a method of family planning can go into effect immediately. Title X provides reproductive care to millions, including women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, people with a low income, and more. State Matters Connecticut - Connecticut’s expansive paid leave plan wins praise from LGBTQ+ activists for broad definition of family. The bill, once signed by Governor Ned Lamont, will pay workers for up to 12 weeks of leave to deal with a medical issue or to care for an ailing loved one or new baby. The legislation has been praised for its broad definition of who would be covered under the policy: in addition to spouses, siblings, grandparents, it includes anyone “equivalent to a family member,” not just those related by blood or marriage. Kansas - Kansas City police were investigating a possible homicide Tuesday morning. Officers said a transgender person was found dead on the front steps of a vacant home. Police have not been able to determine the exact cause of death but said there are obvious signs of foul play. Kansas to allow transgender residents to change gender on birth certificate. Kansas will allow transgender people to change their birth certificates to reflect their gender identities under a legal settlement that Governor Laura Kelly's administration and LGBTQ-rights advocates announced earlier this week. Maine - Maine has begun to make it easier to receive coverage for transgender health services. Maine Public reports that the state Department of Health and Human Services is removing transgender-specific health services from the list of non-covered procedures under the state's Medicaid program. New York - Gay-panic defenses are now banned in New York. People can no longer claim temporary insanity for violence against an LGBTQ+ person. Washington, DC - Zoe Spears, a 23-year-old trans woman, was shot and killed in Fairmount Heights, Md. on June 13, mere blocks away from the spot where another black trans woman, Ashanti Carmon, was killed in March. Now, her community is left mourning two losses in short succession, and grappling with fear for the safety of other trans women of color living in the D.C. area. Global Matters Guatemala - Aldo Dávila set to be Guatemala’s first openly gay congressman. Local media reports say the results of Sunday’s national elections indicate Aldo Dávila of the Winaq Movement, a leftist party, an indigenous human rights activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, won enough votes to secure a seat in Congress. Kenya - LGBT refugees allege they have been harassed by police in recent weeks in Kenya, which is a rare regional haven for the gay community and yet maintains that intamate relations between same sex partners is illegal. It is the only East African nation where someone can seek asylum and be registered as a refugee based on their LGBT status, the United Nations refugee agency says. Japan - Japan prefecture to recognize partnerships for LGBT couples. This week marks a new milestone in the progress of LGBT rights in Japan, as Ibaraki prefecture said that next month it will start issuing partnership certificates for LGBT couples, the first prefectural-level government in Japan to do so. New Zealand - Gender inclusive questions introduced to better reflect New Zealanders. For the first time the Household Economic Survey, which measures the financial well-being of New Zealanders, will allow respondents to describe their gender identity, be it male, female or a non-binary gender. There is also another question regarding sex-assigned-at-birth will also allow the survey to count transgender people. Media Matters PFLAG National and Verizon’s video Love Calls Back, continues to be shared and we’ve now launched pflag.org/lovecallsback, which is a page that provides resources on reconnecting with LGBTQ+ loved ones. A number of cool “influencers,” from American Idol’s Rayvon Owen, to Bridegroom’s Shane Bitney Crone, and more have now shared the video as well as their own personal stories of reconnection. Visit Twitter to see them all! Janet Mock is making history. The “Pose” director, producer and writer has signed a sweeping deal at Netflix, making her the first out transgender woman empowered to call the creative shots at a major content company. The three-year multimillion-dollar pact gives the streaming giant exclusive rights to her TV series and a first-look option on feature film projects. Nearly half of all LGBTQ+ employees aren't out at work, according to a survey from the Human Rights Campaign. A majority of respondents admitted they'd heard homophobic jokes at work, but most said they didn't report them, usually because they didn't believe their workplace would do anything to fix the issue. Mastercard announced on June 17, its True Name™ card initiative, which will allow for chosen names to appear on the front of consumers’ cards. Many members in the LGBTQ community, particularly trans and non-binary people, have run into issues purchasing items with a credit card and been faced with discrimination. Zanele Muholi captures powerful portraits of South Africa's LGBTQ community.
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