Hello beautiful people!
I am back from some incredibly restorative time with family, hiking around the woods in Acadia national park, and I’m thrilled to be bringing you yet another packed round up of good queer news!
Before we get into the news, I want to spend a second debriefing some things I've seen floating around the internet about hope, resistance, and all that good stuff. Apologies in advance for the extra sass in this—something something Mercury's in gatorade?
This week's good news recap is a real win for the people who read the other chapters of the book On Tyranny. I know plenty of us read a screenshot of the first page and have been very excited to point out the people who are "complying in advance", but the rest of the book does an even better job mapping out exactly what resistance has, can, and must look like in the face of an authoritarian regime.
For what it’s worth, "don’t comply in advance" doesn't just refer to institutions—it means that this government only has as much power as you give to them. When we treat every executive order as law and act like they’ve already overturned Obergefell, when we treat their power as infinite and tell each other "we're cooked", and "we should give up", we make it true. Doomerism is also complying in advance. Hope is a battle tactic.
Last week when I posted about Obergefell, I had a lot of people respond to me and defending their panic using phrases like "I need to stay vigilant". I agree! Staying vigilant means attending school board meetings to stop anti-queer policies before they start. Staying vigilant means helping with the midterm campaign of a progressive politician on a state or national level who can help stop the far-right’s agenda. Staying vigilant means balancing being informed with knowing when and how to meaningfully act and sustaining your energy such that you actually do act.
Staying vigilant does not mean righteously breaking your own heart so they can’t do it for you. Staying vigilant, does not mean amplifying misinformation and click bait, engineered for your engagement so that it reaches even more of our most vulnerable and frightened queer youth. It does not mean cherry picking every historical defeat we've had while ignoring any successful resistance and saying "I know our history!".
I’ll close this thread for now with a reminder from Steve Alagna, a Missouri-based lawyer:
"If the headlines about Kim Davis’s cert petition are what woke you up and motivated you to fight for LGBTQ+ equality, that’s great! We have plenty of battles to fight. But at least for now, Kim Davis’s cert petition isn’t one of them."
Here’s his full article if you want some more fantastically reasoned legal insights.
Let's focus on taking the actions our community needs us to now!
Actions to Support our Community!
You’ve heard me say it before, and I’ll say it again. The best queer news is the news you make, and we are the heroes we have been waiting for. There is no right person, there is no right time. There is only you, now.
1. Join Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) in submitting a comment to the FTC on gender affirming healthcare. A4TE has created a robust FAQ to make sure your comments are as effective as possible while also keeping you and your family safe. Trans folks, allies, parents, doctors, etc. all welcome!
(P.S. If you're thinking "does it matter if I do it? Will they listen?" my answer is that I don't know! BUT consider this: how much more emboldened will they be if we stay silent? How much more cruel will they be when they know we've given up on standing up for ourselves?)
2. Participate in research! A trusted friend of mine from college is doing a study focused on trans/nonbinary development, social support, and wellbeing that seeks to approach things from a non-heteronormative perspective. Trans and nonbinary research participants are wanted, and the survey shouldn't be more than 15 minutes.
The Front Page: The Biggest Wins
There are a LOT of big wins and beautiful stories this week, and I want to pull out a couple of the ones that are bringing me the most joy this week:
According to The Downballot, Iowa has had a second major election upset this year, with a second deep red seat flipping to Democrat Caitlin Drey. With this victory, they have broken the Iowa GOP's supermajority! In all three special elections in the state since last November, Democrats have dramatically outperformed margins of Trump's victory there. I love to see the tides turning for local progressive candidates. (The Downballot)
It was devastating that Ron Desantis ordered the Pulse Memorial Rainbow Crosswalk be painted over, but Orlando refused to take that lying down and folks immediately came together to draw the crosswalk back with chalk. When they washed it away a second time, local businesses have begun painting additional rainbows in their parking lots and driveways. As the states attempts to force cities to remove all street artwork, many city councils and mayors have shared a steadfast commitment to make even more murals and art displays around their city to replace them. Florida's resistance is strong—which shouldn't come as a surprise after advocates defeated every single anti-LGBTQ+ bill proposed this session!
Illinois, continuing to be one of the leading states fighting for their LGBTQ+ residents, has announced a new free legal hotline with advice regarding housing, discrimination, healthcare access, identity documents, safety, and more! (LGBTQ Nation)
Court Wins
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is not going along with Trump's HIPAA-violating subpoenas and is challenging the request in court to protect their patients as much as possible. Now, the judge has ordered the DOJ to give more information about their goal with the subpoenas. (Law Dork)
A judge has sided with a trans-inclusive sorority for the second time at the University of Wyoming, ruling that they can continue to include transgender women! (LGBTQ Nation)
A judge in Rhode Island has temporarily blocked new requirements for grant recipients under the Violence Against Women Act, which would have forced recipients to align with the Trump administration's cruelty towards trans folks and DEI. (The Rhode Island Current)
The Trevor project just released a great recap of legislative victories for queer youth! Check it out here.
A federal judge in Florida agreed with a transgender teacher that state law prohibiting teachers from telling students their preferred pronouns discriminated based on sex and altered her employment conditions, violating federal law. (The Tallahassee Democrat)
A Pennsylvania judge has thrown out a lawsuit from a high school athlete over the inclusion of trans athletes in track and field, stating that "Her Amended Complaint is devoid of any factual allegations that she was subject to purposeful discrimination." (NBC Philadelphia)
The Miccosukee tribe in the Everglades has successfully sued to close Alligator Alcatraz on the grounds of terrible environmental impact and inhumane prisoner conditions! Construction must stop immediately, and they are not allowed to accept any new prisoners and must begin to transfer detainees to other locations. (NPR)
Resistance Continues!
The Ohio State Board has agreed to allow organizers to begin collecting signatures for two ballot initiatives aimed at cementing equal protections for LGBTQ+ people in the state! If you're in Ohio, reach out to local organizers to get involved with the campaign! (Dayton Daily News)
Despite federal funding threats, five major school districts in Virginia—Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William—are refusing to remove their trans-inclusive school policies. (LGBTQ Nation)
Texas powerhouse Nicole Collier spent 24 hours on the house floor in protest of Texas Republicans attempting to force her to have a 24/7 police escort until they held a vote on the state's gerrymandered maps. It was a powerful display of courage. (CNN)
In Saskatchewan, a family woke up to find their garage had been graffitied with a homophobic message. They decided to turn it into a mural about love and inclusion. (CTV News)
What has resistance looked like in your community lately? I want to hear about it!
International Wins!
Pope Leo Will Receive a Pro-LGBTQ+ Catholic Group at the Vatican for the First Time! (Them.us)
Italy's constitutional court ruled in favor of queer couples last week when it determined that the nonbiological mother of a baby was entitled to parental leave! (NBC)
The German parliament attempted to ban flying the pride flag from on top of the parliament building. In response, the Berlin pride fest was bigger than ever and over 200 pride events are scheduled across the country. Try all you might, queer folks and our allies are not going anywhere. (LGBTQNation)
A trans woman has won a landmark court victory in Kenya, after a judge ruled in her favour and ordered the government to pass legislation to protect transgender men and women. (Pink News)
Smart People who make me hopeful
There are a few articles this week that have made me both smarter and more hopeful. I encourage you to pick one or two and give them a read through!
An article from
about the strength and culture shift of rural Missouri—and how democrats need to adapt their strategy to work for everyone. at Tertium Quid (a cool summer camp for trans kids and their families!) about how to provide more impactful emotional support to the trans kids we love right now, and on how to talk to people about why they should care about trans healthcare.A writeup on Free DC’s model of resistance in response to Trump’s authoritarian takeover of the city.
Some excellent reflections from brilliant author and activist Rebecca Solnit on exactly how to find hope right now, and why it matters.
That’s all folks!
That’s all I’ve got for you today! I’m working on a longer writeup to come out this weekend or early next week, would you take a moment to vote in this poll and let me know which of these topics would be most interesting or helpful for you?
That’s all for now. Keep looking for hope. Keep fighting for joy. It is out there if we choose to find it, hold it close, and build it up as much as we can.
Until next time, with all my love, Ben.
After UofM discontinued gender-affirming care for trans people under 19, Michigan's AG Dana Nessel called it a "cowardly acquiescence to political pressure" and reminded them that it is likely illegal in the state to do this, threatened to sue them. https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/michigan-ag-warns-um-hospitals-not
Thank you, Ben! That was much-needed good news!