Issue 1  January 31 2023

Transgender Kenyans seek refuge amid backlash over activist's death | OPENLY

Transgender Kenyans seek protection of safe houses over the past week as a backlash against lesbian, gay and transgender Kenyans has flared following the death of LGBTQ rights activist Edwin Chiloba

Trans and LBQ sex workers most hit by sexual violence, Uganda report says

A baseline assessment on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues affecting sex workers in Uganda has revealed that transgender, lesbian, bisexual and queer sex workers are more prone to sexual violence compared to heterosexual female sex workers (FSWs), male sex workers (MSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM).

LBQ organisation protects sex workers from Ebola virus in Uganda

The Organization for Gender Empowerment and Rights Advocacy (OGERA Uganda) with support from American Jewish World Service (AJWS) ran a successful campaign to fight the spread of the Ebola virus in Uganda through ‘Peer Navigators’ who spread awareness in different hotspots on the ground and online.

The AP Interview: Pope says homosexuality not a crime | AP News

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

'Not a real schism': Four years later, UMC exodus less a gush, more a trickle

An analysis of departing churches suggests the country’s second-largest Protestant denomination will be weakened, but it is unlikely to break.

Rise in Violence Accompanies Rise in Hate Speech on Twitter

A rise in anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-Semitic commentary on Twitter has correlated with an increase in physical attacks, according to a study by the Network Contagion Research Institute, which it shared with The Washington Post prior to publication.

Physical attacks track spikes in hate speech on Twitter, researchers say - The Washington Post

New research to be released later this month by the misinformation tracker Network Contagion Research Institute suggests a connection between real-world incidents and variations of the word “groomer,” often aimed at gays and suggesting that they are adults bent on seducing children. Although polls indicate a significant minority of the population believes otherwise, gay people are not more likely to be predators than straight people.

Queer bars offer sacred space for LGBTQ community

For as long as LGBTQ folks have gathered in bars and nightclubs, such spaces have hosted weddings, birthed churches and been called “heavenly.” But November’s Club Q shooting was a grim reminder that even today gathering in queer clubs isn’t without risk. Amid a barrage of anti-LGTBQ legislation and hate crimes, many LGBTQ people of faith say it’s essential to protect the places they see as sacred.   

'Drag is art': Drag artists, LGBTQ community and allies rally against GOP vitriol

Xira Flores, a member of LGBTQ migrant advocacy group Trans Queer Pueblo, said the proposed laws are a modernized version of cross-dressing bans from decades ago, and said they were masquerading as religious freedom to erase trans and queer identities. Kavanagh’s pronoun bill has been sold as a protection for teachers who have moral or religious objections to preferred pronoun use. 

After a Grueling 2022, Anti-Trans Legislation Is Set to Get Worse in 2023 | Them

Bans on healthcare for trans adults. Attacks on drag performances. Following a historic year of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, advocates are bracing for new fights.

G.O.P. State Lawmakers Push a Growing Wave of Anti-Transgender Bills - The New York Times

Four states could ban transition care into young adulthood. Lawmakers in several others want to restrict drag shows in ways that could affect transgender performers broadly. It’s part of a long-term plan.

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Judge rules against LGBTQ students in Title IX college discrimination suit

A federal judge sided with religiously affiliated universities in a case where LGBTQ students alleged Title IX exemptions allowed them to face discrimination.

Nearly 9 in 10 trans youth say recent wave of anti-LGBTQ policies negatively affected their mental health, poll says ｜ New York Daily News

The recent explosion in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric across the country is dramatically affecting LGBTQ youth — especially transgender and nonbinary kids and young adults — according to a poll released Thursday.

Opinion | Trans Kids Deserve Private Lives Too - The New York Times

the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the school did the right thing. Teenagers deserve a measure of privacy and autonomy to work out their identities, gender or otherwise, even if some of their choices and decisions seem like bad ideas to the adults in their lives.

Ashley Diamond Won a Legal Victory to Protect Incarcerated Trans People in 2016. Now, She’s Suing Again | Them

in 2022, she launched another lawsuit against the department, asserting that the Georgia Department of Corrections once again violated her 8th and 14th Amendment rights when they failed to provide her adequate health care or protect her from sexual assault after a second incarceration

In North Carolina, Your License Plate Can Now Read GAY, QUEER and LESBIE | Them

“We are happy to see that the DMV listened to the public and reevaluated restrictions on LGBTQ+ phrases, but we hope to see all phrases that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community removed from the list and for inclusion to extend fully to this area,” said Equality North Carolina director Kendra Johnson in a statement obtained by the Observer. 

U.S. court split over N.C. health plan exclusion for transgender workers | OPENLY

North Carolina and at least 15 other states including Texas, Florida, Ohio and Georgia explicitly exclude coverage for gender transition-related procedures in their employee health plans. The lawsuit against North Carolina by a group of state employees is the first of its kind to reach a federal appeals court.

DeSantis Demands Information on Gender-Affirming Care Provided by Schools

It seeks information on how many students have received puberty blockers, hormones, surgeries, and other types of gender-affirming treatment over the past five years. It also asks how many patients were diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The data is due by February 10.

Florida teachers told to remove books from classroom libraries or risk felony prosecution

Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being told to make their classroom libraries — and any other "unvetted" book — inaccessible to students, or risk felony prosecution. The new policy is part of an effort to comply with new laws and regulations championed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R). It is based on the premise, promoted by right-wing advocacy groups, that teachers and librarians are using books to "groom" students or indoctrinate them with leftist ideologies. 

Over Half Of LGBTQ Parents Consider Leaving Florida - Joe.My.God.

Nearly six out of 10 parents surveyed by the Williams Institute said that the enacting of the legislation commonly known as “Don’t Say Gay” led them to consider moving to a different state — while 17% have already taken steps to do so.