Latest news with #MovementAdvancementProject
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
More states pass laws restricting transgender people's bathroom use
A transgender activist clasps her hands while Kentucky state senators vote in 2023 on a bill restricting gender-affirming care for minors. So far in 2025, at least eight states have passed or expanded laws restricting which bathrooms transgender people are allowed to use. () Nineteen states now have a law or policy banning transgender people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity. About 1 in 4 transgender people live in states with some form of bathroom restrictions, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit research group that tracks LGBTQ+-related legislation. So far this year, at least eight states have passed new transgender bathroom laws or expanded existing ones. In March, Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed a pair of Republican-sponsored bills restricting the use of bathrooms and locker rooms in public buildings. The House bill requires public school students and anyone in a government building to use the bathroom or locker room corresponding with their sex assigned at birth, regardless of their gender identity, appearance or the gender on their legal documents. The Senate's bill, which requires public school students to use facilities that align with their sex at birth, was introduced after a local school board called on lawmakers to restrict bathroom use. SC senators approve K-12 mandate that 'a boy will use the boys' bathroom' Wyoming Republican Rep. Martha Lawley, who sponsored the House bill along with another one restricting transgender girls' participation in sports, called them 'commonsense measures.' 'As the first state to grant women the right to vote, we showed the nation that Wyoming leads when it comes to equal opportunity,' Lawley wrote in an op-ed she published online ahead of the legislative session. 'Now, we can lead again, ensuring our daughters and granddaughters can pursue their dreams with the same sense of fairness and security.' Earlier in the session, a local Wyoming basketball coach who is a transgender woman spoke against the bill because she said it would require her to share a restroom with teenage boys, WyoFile reported. Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and West Virginia have also passed or expanded similar bathroom laws this year. South Carolina renewed its K-12 bathroom law this year as part of the state budget. The mandate — initially inserted into the budget last year during the Senate's floor debate — applies to multi-stalled school restrooms and places where students undress, to include locker rooms and gym showers. Such directives attached to South Carolina's state spending package — called provisos — are officially one-year laws. But they roll over from one year to the next indefinitely, unless legislators vote to take them out. There was no debate at all this year on the bathroom rule, which carries over into the fiscal year that starts Tuesday. A lawsuit challenging it was filed in federal court last November on behalf of a transgender middle school student in Berkeley County. Attorneys for the national nonprofit Public Justice have asked for the law to be suspended pending the case's outcome, but nothing has been decided. In Arizona, the legislature passed a bill in May that would have restricted school bathrooms and changing rooms, but Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed it, along with two other GOP-backed bills targeting transgender people. Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@ SC Daily Gazette Editor Seanna Adcox contributed to this report. Like the SC Daily Gazette, Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@
Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Same-sex marriage anniversary spotlights what's at stake in Texas
Texas is one of 32 states where bans on same-sex unions could snap back into place if Obergefell v. Hodges — the landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality 10 years ago on Thursday — were overturned. Why it matters: A decade later, the milestone for marriage equality remains fragile, particularly in states with pre-existing bans like Texas. By the numbers: About 60% of LGBTQ+ adults live in states where marriage rights would be at risk if Obergefell were struck down, per the Movement Advancement Project. Reality check: Congress codified same-sex and interracial marriage in 2022 with the Respect for Marriage Act, but the law doesn't prevent states from restricting those rights if Obergefell falls.
Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Arkansas could ban same-sex marriage if Obergefell is vacated
More than two dozen U.S. states have laws that would limit marriage equality if the Supreme Court overturned its legalization of gay marriage, yet it's not clear how that would play out in Arkansas Why it matters: Today is the 10th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that legalized same-sex marriage, and access to marriage equality faces increasing opposition today. Zoom in: Arkansas Lawmakers banned same-sex marriage in 1997, but a lawsuit was filed in 2013 and the ban was overturned by a district judge in 2014. That ruling was temporarily stayed while the state appealed the judge's decision. The state Supreme Court dismissed the appeal in 2015 after the federal ruling, declaring it moot. Both sides could resume legal arguments before state courts if the Supreme Court overturned the federal ruling. By the numbers: Nationally, 32 states have constitutional and/or legislative bans on marriage equality — currently unenforceable because of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling. This means about 60% of LGBTQ+ adults live in states where access to marriage equality would change if Obergefell were struck down, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Driving the news: Republican lawmakers this year have backed ballot measures to undermine same-sex couples' right to marry. Measures seeking to reverse the Obergefell decision have been introduced in Idaho, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, NBC News reported in February. In Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, lawmakers have introduced bills that don't explicitly refer to the Supreme Court ruling but would create a category called "covenant marriage" for one man and one woman. The other side: Ballot initiatives have cropped up in Idaho, Nebraska, Virginia and Arizona to let voters decide on marriage equality in 2026 elections — in response to anti-same-sex marriage efforts. Context: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in 2022, in overturning Roe v. Wade, said the court"should reconsider" its opinions protecting same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. Thomas, one of the court's conservative justices, wrote in a concurring opinion that they should revisit other precedents decided under substantive due process to "correct the error."
Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Here's where same-sex marriage would be banned without Obergefell
More than two dozen U.S. states have trigger laws that would limit marriage equality if the Supreme Court overturned its legalization of gay marriage. Why it matters: On the 10 year anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, access to marriage equality faces increasing opposition. By the numbers: 32 states have constitutional and/or legislative bans on marriage equality — currently unenforceable because of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling. This means about 60% of LGBTQ+ adults live in states where access to marriage equality would change if Obergefell were struck down, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Driving the news: Republican lawmakers this year have backed ballot measures to undermine same-sex couples' right to marry. Measures seeking to reverse the Obergefell decision have been introduced in Idaho, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, NBC News reported in February. In Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, lawmakers have introduced bills that don't explicitly refer to the Supreme Court ruling but would create a category called "covenant marriage" for one man and one woman. The other side: Ballot initiatives have cropped up in Idaho, Nebraska, Virginia and Arizona to let voters decide on marriage equality in 2026 elections— in response to anti-same sex marriage efforts. Context: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in 2022, while overturning Roe v. Wade, said the court"should reconsider" its opinions protecting same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. Thomas, one of the court's conservative justices, wrote in a concurring opinion that they should revisit other precedents decided under substantive due process to "correct the error."
CNN
18-06-2025
- Health
- CNN
What is gender-affirming care? Your questions answered
The right of transgender minors to access gender-affirming care has sparked debate across the United States. With a US Supreme Court ruling upholding Tennessee's ban on the practice, experts say, activists will probably be emboldened to enact even more restrictions. Currently, about 40% of trans youth live in a state that restricts access to gender-affirming care, according to KFF, a health policy and research organization. Major medical associations support access to such care at all ages, saying it can be lifesaving. Tennessee is among the 27 states that have passed bans on gender-affirming health care for transgender children and teenagers, according to a CNN analysis of data from the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank that advocates for LGBTQ rights. Until this year, the federal government described early gender-affirming care as 'crucial to overall health and well-being' for trans and nonbinary children and adolescents. But the Trump administration has been cracking down on access. Soon after President Trump took office, he issued an executive order called 'Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.' It characterized gender-affirming care as 'immoral, unjust, and disproven' and ordered the US Department of Health and Human Services to complete a review of evidence used to support its practice. That report – which was created by authors whom HHS refused to name – was issued May 1. That month, HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. sent a letter to health care establishments telling them to ignore long-held science-based professional guidelines and instead rely on the his agency's review even though the document says that 'it is not a clinical practice guideline.' The HHS review was highly critical of the science used to inform the practice of gender-affirming care. When it was released, the American Academy of Pediatrics said it was 'deeply alarmed,' and organization President Dr. Susan Kressly said it 'misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care.' Additionally, at the start of LGBTQ+ Pride month, the FBI tweeted the number for a tip line to report providers that offer certain gender-affirming care services for minors. Gender-affirming care is a multidisciplinary approach that includes medically necessary and scientific evidence-based practices to help a person safely transition from their assigned gender – the one a clinician assigned them at birth, based mostly on anatomic characteristics – to their affirmed gender – the gender by which the person wants to be known. Although the term gender-affirming care came into the public's lexicon fairly recently, Dr. Madeline Deutsch, director of the UCSF Gender Affirming Health Program, said the practice has been around for some time and is based on decades of scientific research. Major mainstream medical associations – including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry – have affirmed the practice of gender-affirming care and agree that it's the gold standard of clinically appropriate care that can provide lifesaving treatment for children and adults. 'While we are always assessing the strength of the evidence for this kind of care, every major US medical association has found that the medical evidence is strong and in support of centers that provides this kind of care and have been doing so for decades,' said Dr. Kellan Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Institute, a health care organization that works on LGBTQ+ issues. Last year, an extensive but controversial research review in the UK called the use of puberty-delaying medications into question, saying that the rationale for early puberty suppression was 'unclear' and that any benefit for mental health was supported by 'weak evidence.' Although the review — known as the Cass Review for Dr. Hilary Cass, the pediatrician who conducted it — has come under sharp criticism from several scholars and practitioners, it prompted the UK to ban puberty blockers for use in trans patients. Other children who enter early puberty still have access to the medication. The process typically starts with a conversation between a clinician and the individual. If the patient is a child, the conversation will also include the caregivers when possible. 'It's to really get a better sense of what's bringing them into the clinic,' said licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Melina Wald, who co-founded the Gender Identity Program at Columbia University Medical Center. 'We are also looking to understand the child's understanding of their own gender, gender expression and a history related to that.' After experts determine what the person needs, a multidisciplinary group of clinicians will design a plan just for them. Depending on the person's age, care can include mental health care and support groups, legal help and sometimes medical help like hormones or surgery when a person is past puberty. 'This is individualized care, not some one-size-fits-all-plan,' Baker said. A transition plan can be as simple as offering support to someone when they start using different pronouns, change their hairstyle or clothing, or use a different name. 'When we support and allow people to do these things, their lives get better,' Deutsch said. Mental health care: Often, gender-affirming care will include counseling. A 2018 study found that the prevalence of mental health problems among transgender youth was seven times higher than among their cisgender peers. Mental health problems don't necessarily stem from a person's identity; a growing number of studies show that they often occur because of social discrimination and what's known as minority stress. Stigma, marginalization, discrimination, bullying, harassment and violence can lead to feelings of isolation and rejection. People who identify as transgender may also need mental health help just to determine what their identity is, to come to terms with it and to find self-acceptance. Mental health care can also help people come out to their family and friends and develop coping mechanisms so they can be who they are in a world that isn't always friendly or accepting. Gender-affirming care, studies show, lowers a person's odds of depression and suicidality and is associated with improved well-being. Medication and surgery: Some people may also receive age-appropriate medical care like hormone treatments, puberty blockers, voice and communication therapy, gynecologic and urologic care and reproductive treatments. Typically, surgeries are offered only to adults. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health's guidelines, which are considered the gold standard for gender-affirming care around the world, say this kind of care should provide a person 'safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves with the aim of optimizing their overall physical health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment.' When children get to a certain stage of puberty – diagnosed by a medical provider – and still have a persistent, well-documented sense that their gender does not align with the sex assigned at birth, doctors and family may decide to move forward with reversible pubertal suppression, commonly called puberty blockers. Although not all patients choose this treatment, some research shows that gender-incongruent youth may feel increased distress when they start to develop secondary sex characteristics. These gonadotrophin-releasing hormone drugs were first used to delay puberty for people with what's known as precocious puberty, when a child's body changes into that of an adult too soon. Puberty blockers can keep secondary sex traits from developing for a few years, to give the child time to access support, explore their gender identity and develop coping skills, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. If a patient decides to stop treatment, puberty resumes. 'That just basically puts everything on pause, and children can be on that for a couple of years without any ill effects, and it's totally reversible,' Deutsch said. 'If it's stopped, then everything just continues where you left off.' Studies show that puberty blockers can reduce the distress that may happen when a child develops secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, an Adam's apple or voice changes. Studies show that transgender adolescents who used puberty blockers were less likely to have suicidal thoughts than those who wanted the treatment but did not get it. Puberty blockers can also make a transition later in life easier, since the person did not develop these secondary sex characteristics. At this stage in the gender-affirming care process, after a thorough evaluation by a medical professional, a patient may also receive hormone therapy that can lead to gender-affirming physical change. Puberty blockers can carry some risks, and more long-term studies are needed, according to the Pediatric Endocrine Society. Long-term studies on fertility and bone health are limited and provide 'varied results,' according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health guidelines say that before giving puberty blockers, the provider must make sure the person has demonstrated a sustained and persistent pattern of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence; they must have the emotional and cognitive maturity to provide informed consent; any coexisting mental health problems that could interfere with treatment or consent need to be addressed; the person needs to be told that there could be reproductive effects, and fertility preservation options should be discussed; and the child must have reached Tanner Stage 2 of puberty, which is when a girl starts to develop breast buds and a boy's scrotum and testicles begin to increase in size. A pediatric endocrinologist must agree with this decision. Professional medical guidelines, with some rare exceptions, do not recommend puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgery for children who have not gone through puberty. If such treatment is indicated, the clinician would first do a thorough evaluation in collaboration with the patient and their caregiver to understand the child's unique needs. 'I think one of the big myths out there is that there's a sense that kids are rushed into decisions related to medical care, like hormone therapy or surgery. That's just not the case,' Wald said. Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and the former Baltimore Health Commissioner, told CNN's Pamela Brown that the 988 suicide prevention hotline service should be a " bipartisan, nonpartisan initiative to get services to as many people as need them, including LGBTQ individuals." The administration is considering eliminating the service as a way to cut back on funding for next year's discretionary budget for mental health, according to an internal document reviewed by CNN. Deutsch agreed: 'Kids don't make stuff up about this, wanting to become trans because it's trendy or something,' she said. 'Trans youth and trans people in general do not have access to a hormone vending machine.' Some critics point out that youth who take puberty blockers may change their minds about their gender identity later in life. Several studies have shown most people who opt for gender-affirming care don't later regret their choices — including an October 2022 study in the Netherlands that found 98% of transgender youth who had started gender-affirming medical treatment in adolescence continued to use those hormones around five or six years later in adulthood. Among 3,306 UK Gender Identity Development Service patients included the Cass Review analysis, fewer than 10 patients detransitioned to their birth-registered gender. Questions about the benefits of puberty-blocking medications gained fresh attention in October when the author of a federally funded study was quoted as saying she had delayed publication of some of her results because of fears that they would be 'weaponized' in a heated political climate. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, medical director at the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, said that in the study, which she helped lead, puberty blockers did not appear to improve the mental health of 95 children ages 8 to 16 who were followed for two years to understand their mental and physical functioning as doctors used the medications to delay the physical changes associated with puberty. Some advocates for gender-affirming care for youth said this is a typical level of caution taken by researchers to carefully present and interpret scientific data. However, researchers said it remains critical to publish data; puberty blockers may have prevented a decline in mental health, even if they didn't lead to improvement in mental functioning, but it's impossible to know if the data isn't released. If a child identifies as transgender or gender-diverse, research suggests that they know their gender as clearly and consistently as their peers who identify as cisgender or the gender they were assigned at birth, even if it conflicts with other people's expectations about what a typical 'boy' or 'girl' is. Some critics of the process suggest that children should wait until adulthood to transition, but the American Academy of Pediatrics says in its guidelines that this approach is 'outdated,' in part because it assumes that gender identity becomes fixed at a certain age, and the approach is based on 'binary notions of gender in which gender diversity and fluidity is pathologized.' The group also argues that the approach was based on early studies with methodological flaws, limited follow-up and validity concerns. More recent research shows that 'rather than focusing on who a child will become, valuing them for who they are, even at a young age, fosters secure attachment and resilience, not only for the child but also for the whole family.' Wald says that waiting to transition can create additional psychological distress for a child and can raise their risk of depression, suicidality, self-harm or substance misuse. 'Withholding intervention means that the child is going to go through a puberty that is discordant with their gender identity and would ultimately mean that later, at the age of 18, there would be changes to their body that they would make it even more difficult,' she said. 'These children and teens can be incredibly resilient,' Wald added. 'With support and access to care, they will thrive and can be just as successful as any kid.' A 2022 analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and its Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that a tiny fraction of people in the United States – about 0.6% of those 13 and older, or about 1.6 million people – identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA Law that provides scientific research on gender identity and sexual orientation. While the percentage of adults who identify as transgender in the US has remained basically the same, the number of young people who identify as such doubled – to 300,000 – from the last time the Williams Institute did the research in 2016 and 2017. A 2022 Pew Research Center survey determined that 5.1% of adults younger than 30 are trans or nonbinary. It may not be a direct comparison, however, as the Williams Institute's previous survey did not have survey data for younger teens and had to use statistical modeling to extrapolate based on adult data. The report cannot explain why more young people may be identifying as transgender, but it notes that more data has become available about this population. CNN's Brenda Goodman, Meg Tirrell and Kristen Rogers contributed to this report.
