Take Action

Protect LGBTQ+ Youth; Support Title IX by Monday, September 12th. PFLAG National is partnering with GLSEN and other leading civil rights organizations to support the Administration's revised regulations on Title IX.  Take action today to fight back against states and locales creating laws and executive actions that create barriers for— and risk harm to—LGBTQ+ youth in schools. Visit pflagnation.al/TItleIXComments to submit your public comment NOW, and don’t forget to say that you are a PFLAGer, so that each and all of our voices are filed and noted as PFLAG voices. 

PFLAG Chapter Leaders, sign your chapter on to the organizational support letter to the Department of Education’s proposed Title IX rule by Friday, September 9th. Read the organization letter and sign on at pflagnation.al/PFLAGTitleIX

Court Matters

Yeshiva University asks Supreme Court to block court order requiring school to recognize Pride Alliance club. A lower court ordered Yeshiva to recognize the Pride Alliance, an LGBTQ+ student club, but in Yeshiva’s request to the Supreme Court for a stay of the lower court’s ruling, the University argued that complying with the lower court would “violate its sincere religious beliefs about how to form its undergraduate students in Torah values."

Supreme Court allows New York City vaccine mandate to remain in place. Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied a request to halt the mandate while a lawsuit over its constitutionality goes through lower courts. New York City requires all city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Biden administration asks Supreme Court not to take up Samoan citizenship case. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar filed a brief on August 29th arguing that Congress should make citizenship decisions about those born in American Samoa. Many advocates are disappointed with this brief, arguing that the Supreme Court should take the opportunity to overrule a series of century-old rulings called the Insular Cases, which held that American Samoans do not have citizenship rights.

Federal Circuit Court rules Arkansas cannot enforce its gender-affirming care ban. The Circuit Court upheld a lower court ruling which enjoined enforcement of the 2021 law banning trans youth under 18 from accessing gender-affirming care, holding that the law discriminates on the basis of sex.

9th Circuit Court rules that school district must recognize club which excludes LGBTQ+ students. The Court ruled that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a national organization with clubs around the country, was unfairly targeted for its religious beliefs by the San Jose Unified School District in its enforcement of its anti-discrimination policy.

Federal Matters

White House to provide additional MPX vaccine and support to Louisiana, Georgia, and California before events attracting large numbers of LGBTQI+ individuals. On August 30th, HHS and CDC said they will replenish the stock of MPX vaccines as well as harm reduction information to offer at Southern Decadence in New Orleans, Atlanta Black Pride and Oakland Pride and Pridefest, working closely with state and local health officials. For major events like these, residency is not required, and the beta for large event care was at Charlotte Pride. For more helpful and accurate information on MPX, visit pflag.org/MPX.

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. Visit pflag.org/fightingcensorship to take action in support of accurate, honest, and inclusive education and reading.

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

Florida - LGBTQ+ teachers struggle to adapt to so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law. LGBTQ+ educators in Florida are unclear as to the extent they need to hide their own identities, limit discussion of LGBTQ+ people and history, or if they must notify parents if a student comes out to them. Implementation of the Florida law could portend the future in other states as they consider similar legislation.

Idaho - Librarian resigns after receiving threats from far-right groups. Kimber Glidden resigned as library director of Boundary County, Idaho after extremist groups threatened her over LGBTQ+-related books the library does not carry. The groups began targeting Glidden after she said that contested books would not be placed on different shelves or given warning labels and after she had the county rejoin the American Library Association. 

Indiana - School board tables proposed changes to student name and pronoun change policies after community pushback. The Penn-Harris-Madison school board proposed rules requiring parental consent in order to change a high school student’s desired name and pronouns. Both pro- and anti-LGBTQ+ groups opposed the rule change and the school board tabled discussion on the policy change until the spring.

Kentucky - State’s sole out trans athlete banned from school sports. Fischer Wells, 13, played field hockey before the state’s trans athlete ban went into effect for the current school year.

Louisiana - Lafayette Parish librarian’s job threatened after creating display including LGBTQ+ books. Library board president Robert Judge informed Cara Chance that her employment would be discussed at the library board meeting, saying that her display violated library policy forbidding “cultural displays.” Following an outpouring of support from the community, however, discussion of Chance’s employment has been tabled at the library board. Help keep banned books on the shelves of your local library at our Read with Love webpage.

Michigan - Patmos library seeks additional finances after defunding vote. Jamestown Township in western Michigan voted to strip the Patmos library of 85% of its budget after a dispute over keeping “Gender Queer: A Memoir” and other LGBTQ+-themed books on the shelves. A crowd-sourced funding campaign has raised $150,000 so far. 

Nebraska - Administrators shut down school newspaper following edition with articles on LGBTQ+ issues. The Saga newspaper at Northwest high School in Grand Island had won awards for its reporting. Officials shut down the paper after its June edition featuring an editorial criticizing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law and the paper’s staff published by-lines with their pronouns. 

Texas - Grapevine-Colleyville school board passes anti-LGBTQ+ policies. The school board voted to give teachers the right to not respect a students personal pronouns, to ban trans students from bathrooms which align with their gender identity, and to ban discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity until 6th grade. LGBTQ+ students and advocates urged the board to abandon these policies, walking out in protest. 

Utah - Brigham Young University pulls LGBTQ+ resource pamphlets out of welcome bags for incoming freshmen. LGBTQ+ groups had a contract with the school to include the resource pamphlets with the welcome bags, but school administrators made a “unilateral decision” to pull the pamphlets, ultimately throwing most of them away rather than returning them to the LGBTQ groups that put the pamphlets together.

Vermont - Becca Balint likely to become Vermont’s first female and first openly gay member of Congress. Balint previously served as the state Senate president and won the primary election to replace retiring Congressman Peter Welch. 

Washington, DC - Children’s National Hospital becomes target for harassment for providing gender-affirming care. Right-wing social media accounts shared false reports that the hospital offered hysterectomies to minors.

Global Matters

Japan - Court rules that trans woman is not the legal parent of one of her children. The woman has two children, both conceived with her sperm and her female partner’s eggs. A Japanese court ruled that the woman is not the legal parent of her younger child, born post transition. The decision is being appealed. 

Peru - Activists protest government response to trans Peruvian man’s death in Indonesia. Rodrigo Ventosilla died in Bali in police custody after being arrested for alleged cannabis possession. Protesters gathered in response to the Peruvian foreign ministry’s statement on Ventosilla’s death, which did not demand an investigation from the Indonesian government.

St. Kitts and Nevis - Court strikes down colonial-era sodomy law. On August 30th, The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court struck down a colonial-era law against same-sex conduct in St. Kitts and Nevis, noting that gay people on the twin-island nation have avoided medical care for fear of job loss, assault, prosecution, or stigmatization by health care providers and the government.

Singapore - Prime Minister announces repeal of sodomy law. Prime Minister Loong announced the repeal of the 377A, which banned same-sex relations between men. Loong also announced that the government would take steps to prevent legal challenges to allowing legal recognition of same-sex marriages. 

Vietnam - Health Ministry announces it will no longer recognize homosexuality as a “disease.” The ministry also announced it would outlaw conversion therapy.

Media Matters

Queer bars joining fight against monkey pox. A pilot program has begun in New York City sending health workers to community spaces, including queer bars, and schedules customers for vaccine appointments they may have difficutly scheduling themselves. For helpful and accurate information on MPX (monkeypox), visit pflag.org/MPX

LGBTQ+ youth in military families have higher attempted suicide rates than those in civilian families. A Trevor Project study found that 23% of LGBTQ+ youth in military families attempted suicide in the previous year, compared to 14% of LGBTQ+ youth in civilian families. In addition to stress related to COVID, military families have additional stressors such as frequent moves and separation from loved ones. Having a supportive parent in their lives was shown to significantly reduce mental health issues in LGBTQ+ youth, however. We encourage military families to check out our publication “At Ease: Support for Military Families with LGBTQ+ Children and Teens,” also available in Spanish.

R&B artist Tevin Campbell comes out as gay. The singer, known for hits such as “I’m Ready” and “Can We Talk” opened up about his sexuality in an interview with People Every Day.

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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