Take Action

Floridians: 

  • HB901 would restrict free speech by banning Pride flags from public buildings. Tell your state rep. to vote NO!
  • The “Trans Erasure bill” (HB 1639) is a sweeping new assault on the rights and dignity of transgender Floridians that seeks to further disenfranchise the community, create new barriers to accessing lifesaving care, and increases Floridians' insurance premiums, LGBTQ or not. Tell your lawmakers to vote NO on HB1639! 

Kentuckians:

Ohioans:

  • The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services recently released a draft of proposed regulations regarding gender transition care, alongside an amendment impacting program requirements. While some revisions have been made, concerns persist about the potential harm these regulations could inflict on transgender individuals' access to essential healthcare. Your comments can make a crucial difference in shaping these regulations. By sharing your perspective, you can advocate for policies that respect the autonomy and well-being of transgender individuals and ensure access to affirming and inclusive healthcare. Submit your comments to protect healthcare access TODAY!

South Carolinians:

Tennesseans: 

Federal Matters

Senate votes to proceed to debate on emergency foreign aid bill. The 67-32 vote on February 8th allows the chamber to consider the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. This comes just one day after the Senate rejected a broader border security and foreign aid package. It remains unclear if the foreign aid bill will succeed in a vote for final passage, however.

LGBTQ+ asylum seekers face hardships in their home countries and in their journeys to the U.S. Persecution due to sexual orientation is grounds to apply for asylum in the U.S., however asylum seekers face long wait times to process their requests to stay in the U.S. and mistreatment by Border Patrol officers. 

CDC releases report showing rise in cases of syphilis, especially among gay men. Syphilis cases rose 17% between 2021 and 2022, and increased 80% over the last five years. Gay men account for 29% of all syphilis cases, according to the CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance Report.

State Matters

Self-care note: While some of the following stories celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, many cover legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans and nonbinary youth. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. 

Advisory: State news is representative but not exhaustive due to space constraints; feel free to forward news about your state to advocacy@pflag.org to consider for inclusion.

California - Governor Newsom signs bill increasing access to PrEP and PEP. The Governor signed SB339 into law on February 6th, which, in an effort to combat HIV/AIDS, requires health plans to cover up to a 90-day supply of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) prescribed by a pharmacist, and an ongoing supply if the patient does follow-up care and testing. The new law also allows pharmacists to dispense PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) without a prescription. 

Iowa - Parents sue Southeast Polk school officials, claiming they ignored homophobic bullying. The suit alleges an elementary school student was relentlessly bullied and even assaulted by his fellow students for his perceived sexual orientation and that teachers did not protect the student despite being aware of the bullying. 

State House advances anti-trans bill. The House Education Committee voted on February 6th to advance HSB649, which would narrowly define “sex” in order to allow trans exclusion from sex-segregated spaces. The bill also requires a transgender person’s sex assigned at birth to be listed on their birth certificate alongside with any gender reassignment. The committee did, however, vote to remove a provision in the bill which would have required driver’s licenses issued to trans people to list both sex-assigned at birth as well as the person’s gender identity, which seriously concerned trans advocates.

Ohio - State agencies back off proposed rules restricting medically necessary care for trans and non-binary adults. The Department of Health (ODH) and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (ODMHAS) revised proposed rules governing healthcare for trans Ohioans to only apply to patients under 18 and eased other proposed restrictions on such care. The revised rules still require that minors receive at least six months of mental health counseling before they can receive gender-affirming medications or surgeries. 

South Dakota - State issues apology and payment to trans advocacy group. The Transformation Project’s contract with the state Department of Health to provide community health services to the LGBTQ+ community was abruptly canceled on December 16, 2022. The Transformation Project sued, claiming the cancellation was discriminatory. The state settled the suit, agreeing to issue an apology from the Department of Health and a payment of $300,000. 

Washington - State LGBTQ Commission condemns Liquor and Cannabis Board inspections of Seattle gay bars. The LGBTQ Commission called on the Liquor and Cannabis Board to conduct a review of their enforcement activity, and determine whether LGBTQ+ venues are disproportionately targeted in review efforts. The commission also stated that state enforcement agencies must build stronger relationships with the queer community. 

West Virginia - State House considers several anti-trans bills. HB5243 would effectively erase trans, non-binary, and intersex West Virginians from state recognition by defining “sex” very narrowly in the state code and removing references to “gender.” HB4233 is also being considered; that bill would prohibit a non-binary option for birth certificates.

Global Matters

Canada - Prime Minister condemns Alberta anti-trans policies. Prime Minister Trudeau called the new policies, which would place restrictions on medically necessary care and sports participation for trans and non-binary youth, an attack on vulnerable Canadians. 

Japan - Court approves gender change for trans man. This marks the first time that a Japanese court has ruled in favor of an official gender change for someone without requiring them to undergo “sterilization” surgery first. 

Russia - First known arrests made under anti-LGBTQ+ activism policy. At least three people have been jailed or fined for displaying rainbow-colored items. 

United Kingdom - Prime Minister criticized for making anti-trans comments in Parliament while father of trans murder victim was present. Prime Minister Sunak accused Labour leader Keir Starmer of u-turning on “defining a woman,” adding "Although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn," during Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament on February 7th. Mr. Starmer called the comments shameful and demanded that the Prime Minister apologize to Brianna Ghey’s father, who was in the chamber at the time. The Prime Minister did not apologize but did say that Brianna Ghey represented “the very best of humanity.”

Buckingham Palace announces the King has cancer. King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer. His Majesty is stepping back from public-facing engagements while he receives treatment. 

Vatican City - The Pope criticizes “hypocrisy” in some reactions to his decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples. In an interview released on February 7th, the Pope said "Nobody gets scandalized if I give my blessings to a businessman who perhaps exploits people, and this is a very grave sin. But they get scandalized if I give them to a homosexual."

ICYMI

NCTE releases Early Insights Report from 2022 U.S. Trans Survey. The survey of over 90,000 trans and non-binary Americans is the largest of its kind, and PFLAG National served on the Outreach team that encouraged participation. The Early Insights Report notably showed that people who receive medically necessary gender-affirming care are overwhelmingly more satisfied with their lives. Another finding showed that nearly half of all respondents had thought about moving to another state because of anti-trans policies where they live.

Media Matters

 

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs duet “Fast Car” at Grammy Awards. The performance at the February 4th awards ceremony has catapulted Chapman’s 1988 studio recording of “Fast Car” as well as “Tracy Chapman” - the album on which “Fast Car” appears - to the number 1 spot on iTunes.

 

PFLAG National
(202) 467-8180 | love@pflag.org

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