Fight back against anti-LGBTQ+ censorship! Join PFLAG National and Red, Wine & Blue for one of two PFLAG National-exclusive sessions of RWB’s Troublemaker Training: Book Ban Edition on May 3rd and May 7th. Hear from those on the ground already doing the work, learn effective organizing practices, and discover new ideas to make your voice heard in your community. PFLAG National and Red Wine & Blue are partnering for this great opportunity so you can show up for your local school board meetings and advocate for accurate and inclusive education.

Register now for the session that works best for your schedule; both sessions will have the same content:

Tuesday, May 3rd, 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT

Saturday, May 7th, 1:00pm ET/10:00am PT

Court Matters

Lawsuits to block new Alabama transgender healthcare ban law dropped, expected to be refiled. Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the suit to give themselves time to process the potential impacts of the new law, SB184, which Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law on April 8th. The attorney for one of the plaintiffs said that they will refile soon.

Legislators push to instate a code of ethics for the Supreme Court. Congressional legislators introduced two new bills proposing a code of ethics for the Supreme Court. This comes in response to pressure for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any cases regarding the January 6 insurrection.

Federal judge orders first gender-affirming surgery for a prisoner. A federal judge from the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons to secure gender-affirming surgery for Cristina Nichole Iglesias, a transgender inmate. Iglesias has been fighting to receive the procedure for six years.

Federal Matters

US Airforce commits to protecting LGBTQ+ personnel and families. A press release from the Air Force said that LGBTQ+ service members and their families will have access to help with screening, treatment, and mental health concerns, as well as the Exceptional Family Member Program, which is designed to assist families with special needs with medical, legal, and educational support. PFLAG National has newly released a publication for military families with LGBTQ+ kids. Learn more at pflag.org/AtEase.

Lawmakers ask State Department to urge countries to recognize same-sex partners of US Diplomats. Lawmakers wrote to Secretary of State Antonly Blinken on April 18, 2022, imploring the State Department to advocate for LGBTQ+ US Diplomats to have their same-sex spouses recognized in other countries. The letter says that diplomats and their family members should receive full diplomatic protections in any country in which they serve.

Report documents abuse of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers by ICE agents. A recent report released by Human Rights First documents verbal abuse and other mistreatment of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers by ICE agents, including being denied HIV medication, access to their attorneys, excessive detention, and refusal to provide care for potential COVID-19 symptoms.

Biden administration reveals “Equity Action Plans” to make federal services more accessible. The intention behind the plans is to address systemic barriers that prevent members of marginalized communities from accessing federal programs. Plans have been released in more than 90 federal agencies.

State Matters

In the last year, we’ve seen a marked rise in anti-LGBTQ+ action in state and local governments. Many states are introducing legislation targeting trans youth, and local schools and libraries are being pressured into censoring LGBTQ+ history and stories. Visit pflag.org/protecttranskids to take action against anti-trans bills in your state today. 

Want to take action and not sure where to start? Please contact Patrick Cochran, Advocacy and Policy Engagement Senior Coordinator.

Florida - Governor DeSantis signs bill targeting Disney Corporation. The new law removes the self-governing authority granted to Disney for the special tax district of Reedy Creek. Disney has been responsible for its own infrastructure, including roads, buildings, and even its own fire department, since 1967. Now, these services will have to be provided by the surrounding counties, which could potentially raise local property taxes by 20-25%.

State Department of Health releases guidance against gender-affirming healthcare for trans kids. The Florida Department of Health released a new guidance statement on April 19, 2022 about gender-affirming healthcare, which directly conflicts with guidance from the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Medical Association. The statement states that minors should not receive hormone therapies, puberty-blocking drugs, or gender reassignment surgery, however the guidance is not enforceable nor actionable. If you need immediate mental health services, there are hotlines available to offer you support.

Kansas - Gov. Kelly's veto of trans athlete ban sustained. For the second year in a row, Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a discriminatory trans athlete ban the state legislature sent to her desk. This week, the State Senate voted to override the Governor's veto of SB160, the trans athlete ban, but on Thursday, April 28th, the House fell several votes short of doing the same, meaning the Governor's veto will stand. Please thank Gov. Kelly for her veto and her continued commitment to #ProtectTransKids.

Massachusetts - Parents file lawsuit  against school district for allowing students to use pronouns that match their gender identity. Two sets of parents filed suit against the Paul R. Baird Middle School in Ludlow, MA, claiming that allowing transgender and gender fluid students to use gender-affirming pronouns and names violate parents’ civil rights.

Missouri - Lawmakers advance bills on transgender health care and sports. HB 2649 was pushed through a House committee, which would prohibit health care professionals from providing gender-affirming care to minors. An amendment was also added to HB 1973 which would prevent transgender students from participating in sports teams that match their gender identity.

Montana - Judge temporarily blocks law that would make it more difficult to change gender markers on birth certificates. The law would require transgender individuals to undergo a “surgical procedure” in order to change their sex on their birth certificates. District judge Michael Moses ruled that the law is unconstitutionally vague, but did not further analyze the constitutionality of the law.

New Jersey - Efforts continue across the state to ban books from school libraries. The New Jersey Association of School Libraries have seen a rise in book challenges across the state recently. The books primarily targeted for removal are largely books about LGBTQ+ people or issues and books assumed to be connected to Critical Race Theory or Black Lives Matter. Attend a Red, Wine, & Blue Troublemaker training on May 3 or May 7 to learn how you can fight these challenges.

New York - NY Public Library allows access to banned books through online app for everyone. The initiative, called Books for All, allows any reader 13 and older to access commonly banned books with no fines and no wait online, without a library card, through the end of May.

Oklahoma - Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs ban on nonbinary birth certificates. Effectively immediately when signed on April 27th, the law made permanent an executive order that blocked the state Health Department from issuing gender neutral birth certificates.

Pennsylvania - Deja Alvarez could become the first openly transgender, Latina state legislator. A LGBTQ+ public health official in Philadelphia, Alvarez is running for a State House seat currently held by Representative Brian Sims. If elected, she would be the first openly transgender, Latina state legislator in the country.

South Carolina - Bill restricting gender-affirming care for minors introduced in Senate. S1259 would prohibit doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones to transgender and nonbinary youth as part of gender-affirming care.

Tennessee - Governor signs bill into law that can punish schools allowing transgender students to play on sports teams aligning with their gender identity. The new law allows the state to withhold funds from schools that allow transgender students to participate on gendered sports teams that do not match the sex indicated on their original birth certificate.

Transgender pronoun bill passed by House of Representatives. SB 2777 would allow school staff to misgender transgender students and protect them from any disciplinary actions for doing so.

Texas - Child welfare workers quit over transgender directive. Many child welfare workers in Texas are resigning because of the directive from Governor Greg Abbott requiring them to investigate parents of transgender children for child abuse.

Global Matters

Canada - Canada removes ban on blood donations for men who have sex with men (MSM). Canadian health officials removed a ban on blood donations from MSM; Health Canada called the move "a significant milestone toward a more inclusive blood donation system."

India - Tamil Nadu government will create policy to improve living conditions of transgender citizens. The Chief Minister, M K Stalin, has promised the transgender welfare board that the government has been working on a policy intended to aid transgender citizens and improve their socio-economic standing.

Norway - Government officially apologizes for previous anti-gay law. Between 1902 and 1950, 119 individuals were jailed for violating the law that criminalized same-sex relationships between men. Norway decriminalized homosexuality in 1972, and now the government is issuing an official apology for the law.

Russia - Court orders dissolution of St. Petersburg LGBTQ+ rights organization. In February, Russia’s Justice ministry filed a lawsuit to disband and dissolve Sphere Foundation, claiming their activities contradict “traditional values.” On April 21, Judge Tatiana Kuzovkina ruled in favor of the Justice Ministry.

Court fines Tik-Tok and Instagram for “Gay Propaganda.” Judge Timur Vakhrameev found Tik-Tok guilty of violating the requirements of the Gay Propaganda law requiring the company to delete offending materials. Another court case found that Meta, which owns Instagram, also violated this requirement of the law.

South Korea - Supreme Court overturns convictions of gay soldiers. The Supreme Court of South Korea threw out a military court ruling convicting two gay soldiers for having relations outside of military facilities. They determined that this was an unlawful stretch of the country’s military sodomy law, which is widely criticized by human rights advocates.

Media Matters

On- and Off-Broadway plays center LGBTQ+ stories. This theater season features many productions that feature LGBTQ+ stories and characters, including Take Me Out and To My Girls, both of which center the Black queer experience.

LGBTQ+ and disabled artists impacted by Etsy fee increase participate in strike. Many LGBTQ+ artists and artists with disabilities make a large portion of their income from Etsy. More than 17,000 Etsy sellers decided to strike in protest of increasing fees associated with selling items on the site, which have created financial hardship for them.

Manchester Pride Parade will return after two-year hiatus. Manchester Pride has announced that they will revive their annual pride parade this summer. For the past two years the event has been canceled due to the pandemic, and will return this year with “March for Peace” as its theme.

Ariana DeBose to star in queer rom-com. DeBose will star in and produce Two and Only, written by Latina and LGBTQ+ writer Jen Rivas-DeLoose. She described the project as My Best Friend’s Wedding with an Afro-Latina cast.

International Dublin Gay Theater Festival returns. After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Dublin Gay Theater Festival will return in-person from May 1-15, and will host 23 productions and 4 free readings of queer theater from both local and international playwrights.

Queer pirate romcom Our Flag Means Death streaming on HBO Max. The show centers on queer characters in a historic rom-com, written by David Jenkins and produced by and starring Taika Waititi.

Green Arrow’s son to come out as asexual in new comic. The DC Pride Anthology 2022 will feature a storyline Think of Me in which Green Arrow’s son, Connor, will come out to his mother as asexual. The storyline was created by a team of creators on the asexual spectrum, and follows a common interpretation by fans of Connor’s character being asexual.

Taco Bell partners with performer Kay Sedia to arrange Drag Brunch tour. The events will take place in five cities from May 1 through June 26. The concept was developed by Live Más Pride, Taco Bell’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group, which was started in 2020 to provide support and awareness for LGBTQIA+ communities within the company and in the wider community.

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover might cause LGBTQ+ exodus. Musk, who is a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” purchased Twitter on April 25 for $44 billion. Many LGBTQ+ Twitter users are considering leaving the platform in the wake of Musk’s acquisition of the company, as they are concerned that he will re-platform accounts that were banned for violating hate speech rules.

The PFLAG National Advocacy, Policy, and Partnerships Team is always here to support you with your work, so please don't ever hesitate to reach out to us for assistance.

Yours in PFLAG power,

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