Transgender Rights

WASHINGTON — A District of Columbia council member on Tuesday introduced a bill that would ease the requirements of transgender D.C. residents seeking to legally change their gender on birth certificates and other legal documents.

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Education on Friday issued directives for handling transgender students, including allowing them to use the bathrooms or play on the sports teams that correspond to the gender with which they identify.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill that would ban anti-transgender discrimination in the workplace, housing and public accommodations.

RICHMOND, Va. — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Monday ruled in favor of a transgender inmate, saying the state of Virginia violated her constitutional rights by not evaluating her for gender reassignment surgery.

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — An official says Nepal’s government will begin issuing citizenship certificates with the category “third gender” for people who do not wish to be identified as male or female.

Regulators in Oregon and California have quietly directed some health insurance companies to stop denying coverage for transgender patients because of their gender identity.

AURORA, Ill. — After over two months of contentious debate, controversy and uncertainty, the East Aurora School District 131 has called off the creation of a new policy that would add protections for transgender and gender nonconforming students. After hearing over 30 members of the local community — about 40 miles west of Chicago — […]

The future of an Ad Hoc committee charged with creating protective policy for East Aurora School District transgender students is in question after its chairman declined to schedule further meetings due to intense opposition from local religious groups and residents. The brouhaha over the creation of a policy that would create protections for transgender and […]

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Common Council on Monday approved a bill to amend the existing Syracuse Fair Practices Law — which was passed in 1990 to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation — to include gender identity and expression as protected categories.

AURORA, Ill. — An Ad Hoc committee of the East Aurora School District 131 convened for the first time Thursday to discuss its plans to create a new policy for protecting transgender students after a previous district policy was rescinded late last month.

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Health Commission, the governing and policy-making body of the city’s Department of Public Health, announced Tuesday its intent to remove transgender exclusions from the “Healthy San Francisco” health access program.

The Civil Rights Agenda, a Chicago-based LGBT rights and policy advocacy group, announced Sunday the launch of a new project that will bring greater focus to advancing the rights of transgender and gender-variant communities in Illinois.

A right-wing, Tea Party organization called “True the Vote” is training their volunteer poll watchers to target transgender voters, claims the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE).

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A liberal arts college in Washington state has received a warning letter from the Arizona-based religious liberties legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom, advising that the college’s decision to allow a transgender female student to use a woman’s locker room could put the school in legal jeopardy.

Following its controversial decision to rescind a policy that would have added protections for transgender and gender nonconforming students in its schools Oct. 19, the East Aurora School District announced Monday that it is forming a committee to work on an all new “inclusive policy.”

Christine Jorgensen was the first nationally known transgender American. She used her fame to speak out on behalf of transgender people.

Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, a statewide advocacy organization, commented Saturday on the decision by the East Aurora school board to rescind policy that supported transgender and gender nonconforming staff, faculty, and students.

AURORA — In a special meeting Friday evening, the East Aurora School Board voted to repeal a policy that would create protections for gender nonconforming students that they quickly and unanimously passed just five days ago.

AURORA, Ill. — An Illinois school board is considering rescinding a transgender rights policy it adopted Monday after after receiving emails and letters from outraged residents and anti-gay organizations across the state.

TORONTO, Ontario, Canada — The Toronto District School Board announced Thursday that it has introduced a new set of guidelines to ensure transgender equality for students and staff in the district’s 600 schools.