California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is a longtime LGBTQ+ ally, but he vetoed a pro-trans rights bill. What would that bill have done?
Require judges to consider a parents' affirmation of their child's gender identity when determining custody and visitation
In a statement, Newsom said that he still has “a deep commitment to advancing the rights of transgender Californians” but that he urges “caution when the executive and legislative branches of state government attempt to dictate — in prescriptive terms that single out one characteristic — legal standards for the judicial branch to apply.”
“I’ve been disheartened over the last few years as I watched the rising hate and heard the vitriol towards the trans community,” said Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D), who introduced the bill. “My intent with this bill was to give them a voice, particularly in the family court system where a non-affirming parent could have a detrimental impact on the mental health and well-being of a child.”
Which state supreme court ruled this week that judges are required to respect people's pronouns in court?
Michigan
In a 5-2 vote, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that all judges in the state must respect the pronouns of the parties that come before their court. While it prevents judges from disrespecting a person’s pronouns, it does allow them to refer to a party as “attorney” or “plaintiff” along with their last name should they want to avoid pronouns altogether.
“We serve the entire public and are required to treat those who come before us with civility and respect,” said Justice Elizabeth Welch. “The gender identity of a member of the public is a part of their individual identity, regardless of whether others agree or approve.”
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The video-sharing app TikTok recently started working with which government to censor LGBTQ+ content within its country's borders?
Kenya
TikTok is working with the Kenyan government to ban LGBTQ+ content in the country. The app is doing this in order to follow the country's recently passed Section 165, a part of the national legal code that bans consensual same-sex sexual relationships.
The app has already deactivated the accounts and demonetized the content of Kenyan users who share “inappropriate or restricted content.” TikTok has also committed to developing artificial intelligence tools to detect such content and deactivate the accounts behind them.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed which state's anti-LGBTQ+ book ban to go into effect this week?
Texas
Texas’ anti-LGBTQ+ book ban was allowed to go into effect by a three-judge panel on the appeals court. The court neither offered an explanation for its decision nor any ruling on the law's constitutionality. The law requires bookstores to rate the sexual content within any books they sell to public schools — books with such content will either be restricted or banned.
The appeals court's decision overturned a lower court decision in which the judge pointed out that even lawyers for the Texas state government couldn't answer basic questions about how the law is supposed to function.
Why did a California City Council remove the plus sign from its LGBTQ+ Pride proclamation?
Council members thought it promoted BDSM
The City Council of Temecula, California voted on Tuesday to remove the plus sign from LGBTQ+ in its proclamation recognizing LGBTQ+ Pride Month after council members decided it promoted inappropriate queer subcultures to children. One member claimed that her research taught her the plus sign refers to BDSM.
“Are we okay with condoning subcultures such as BDSM?” she asked at the meeting. “Are we okay with promoting that to our children?”
This week, a Florida "kingpin" pled guilty in federal court to illegally selling what?
Fake HIV medication
Armando Herrera pleaded guilty to selling fake HIV medication. He and his accomplice illegally obtained medications and repackaged them for sale, creating false documentation to make it look like the drugs were acquired legitimately. The pills actually contained potentially dangerous drugs, like the powerful antipsychotic Seroquel.
On the House floor, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) recently went on an anti-trans tirade about the highest-ranking transgender official in the Department of Defense. Who is that official?
Shawn Skelly
Skelly is the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Boebert's speech on the House floor included misgendering her and denigrating her trans identity while introducing an amendment calling for her salary to be decreased to a single dollar.
Boebert said Assistant Secretary of Defense Shawn Skelly, a trans woman, is “failing at his job and the basic responsibilities” before calling her a “delusional man thinking he is a woman” who “embodies and espouses the woke-ism that’s causing significant harm to our military readiness and troops’ morale.”
Olivia Hill made history this month by becoming the first out transgender person elected to public office in Tennessee. But a harsh anti-trans law in the state is making her fear what while doing her job?
That she won't be allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds with her gender identity
Senate Bill 1440/House Bill 239, which went into effect on July 1, essentially erases trans Tennesseans’ existence by defining folks exclusively by their sex assigned at birth. The law defines “sex” as ” a person’s immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person’s biological sex.”
It goes on to say government-issued IDs are one example of “evidence” that should “accurately reflect a person’s sex listed on the person’s original birth certificate.”
Elton John blasted the U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman for her comments on asylum. What did she say?
That discrimination against LGBTQ+ people shouldn't be enough to qualify for asylum
Braverman said that court decisions since the 1951 Refugee Convention have made it too easy for people to seek refugee status and specifically mentioned women and LGBTQ+ people as only facing "discrimination" in other countries and not actual "persecution."
"We are very concerned about the UK Home Secretary’s comments stating how discrimination for being gay or a woman should not be reason enough to qualify for protection under international refugee laws,” John and his husband David Furnish said in a statement. "Nearly a third of all nations class LGBTQ+ people as criminals and homosexuality is still punishable by death in 11 countries."
Who called transgender identity "a mental health disorder" during the second Republican presidential debate?
Vivek Ramaswamy
When asked about trans-inclusive public school policies, Vivek Ramaswamy replied, “I have to be very clear about this. Transgenderism, especially in kids, is a mental health disorder." He then pledged to pass a federal parent's rights bill that would force educators to out trans kids to their potentially unsupportive parents.
Ramaswamy also supports signing a federal bill that would ban minors from accessing gender-affirming healthcare and said that, as president, he would remove trans military members from all combat roles. Ramaswamy is currently polling 51.5% behind former President Donald Trump in national polls, according to Real Clear Politics.
