Court Matters

18 Attorneys General file amicus briefs challenging Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Several Florida families are bringing the lawsuit against the new law, arguing it violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. 

11th Circuit Court upholds Florida school disctrict’s anti-trans bathroom ban. The 7-4 decision, released on December 30th, ruled that the St. John’s County School Board did not violate federal civil rights laws by requiring a trans boy to use the girls’ restroom, as prohibitions against sex discrimination apply only to biological sex, not gender.

Federal Matters

Patty Murray (D-WA) elected first female Senate Pro Tempore. The Senate Pro Tempore is the second more senior presiding officer of the Senate, after the Vice President. The office is also third in line to the Presidency, after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. 

House of Representatives fails to elect a Speaker. For the first time since 1923, the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot. As of this writing, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) has failed to win a majority vote of House members 11 times, despite his party holding the majority of seats. No other House business, including swearing in new members, can proceed until a Speaker is elected.

State Matters

2022 sees record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures. Lawmakers around the country introduced 238 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, the majority of which targeted trans and non-binary people, particularly youth. This sets a new record for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, which was previously set in 2021 with 191 such bills.  

Illinois - Attorney General writes letter urging enforcement of anti-discrimination protections. Attorney General Kwame Raoul wrote that many public officials in the state are concerned about safety at LGBTQ+ -themed public events, but that the Illinois Human Rights Act requires that LGBTQ+ people have their right to safely access public spaces protected. 

Kentucky - Child of State Senator dies by suicide. PFLAG National mourns our HRC colleague Henry Berg-Brousseau, who died in Arlington, Virginia at age 24. His mother, State Senator Karen Berg, said the “vitriol against trans people…[has] real-world implications for how transgender people view their place in the world and how they are treated as they just try to live their lives." 

Missouri - Bill introduced to allow teaching of LGBTQ+ history. State Rep. Doug Mann introduced HB507 on January 4th, which would give schools the option to teach students about the contributions of LGBTQ+ people to the history of the United States. 

Ohio - State Senate elects first openly gay minority leader. State Senator Nickie Antonio became the first openly gay person elected to the State Senate in 2018 and now leads the minority Democratic Party in that chamber. 

Oklahoma - Pre-filed bill would ban gender-affirming care before age 26. The bill threatens felony charges and revocation of medical licenses for healthcare providers administering or recommending puberty blockers, hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgeries, and gender-affirming medical care for patients younger than 26 years old.

Global Matters

India - Delhi elects first out trans councilor. Bobby Kinner, a trans woman, won a December election to the city council of Delhi. 

Ireland - Government announces intention to ban so-called conversion therapy. Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth Minister Roderic O’Gorman announced a bill to ban the practice would be introduced in Irish Parliament this year, and he hoped it would pass by the end of 2023. 

Israel - President Herzog calls for protecting LGBTQ+ rights. Israeli President Isaac Herzog had a phone call with incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 26th in which he voiced concerns over proposed changes to Israel’s non-discrimination laws. "A situation whereby citizens of Israel fear threats against them based on their identity or values runs counter to the basic democratic and ethic[al] principles of Israel," Herzog announced on Twitter. 

Spain - Parliament approves bill to make officially changing one’s gender easier. The bill, which is now headed to the Senate, allows people older than 16 to legally change their gender without medical supervision or a judge’s approval, removing previous requirements that applicants provide a doctor’s diagnosis of gender dysphoria and additional proof that they have lived as their gender identity and undergone hormone treatment for the past two years. 

United Kingdom - Church of England ordains first openly non-binary priest. Bingo Allison serves as a priest in Liverpool.

Media Matters

Openly gay NFL player dating former Olympian. Carl Nassib, a linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the first openly gay NFL player, announced on Instagram that he is dating Danish Olympic swimmer, Søren Dahl. 

Oxford English Dictionary adds LGBTQ+ related words. Eighteen LGBTQ+ related words were added to the dictionary in 2022, including “gender-affirming,” and “enby.”

Mel C cancels concert appearance in Poland. The former Spice Girl pulled out of the New Year's Eve performance over anti-LGBTQ+ policies in Poland.  

Conversion therapy documentary to be released this month. Conversion, a documentary directed by Zach Meiners, will premiere at Chicago’s Landmark Century Centre Cinema on January 12th. It will feature stories by conversion therapy survivors, including Meiners’ own story. 

Black Eyed Peas show support for LGBTQ+ community in concert performance. Will.I.Am addressed a crowd at a New Year’s Eve concert in Poland before performing “Where Is The Love?,” dedicating the song to anyone in the world who had felt hate in the year 2022, including the Jewish community, Black people, and the LGBTQ+ community.

PFLAG National 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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