| | Join our partners at Alliance for Justice on Wednesday, March 26 at 1pm ET for Holding Court: From Visibility to Victory—Defending Trans Rights. This virtual conversation will feature Meghann Burke (she/her), Executive Director of the National Women's Soccer League Players Association; Shayna Medley (they/she), Senior Litigation Staff Attorney at Advocates for Trans Equality; and PFLAG National board member Paul Spivey (he/him). Panelists will delve into the current state of trans rights in the United States, including the Trump administration’s attempts to erode trans rights. Register for this important discussion today! |
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| |  | | Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. You can share news from your state with advocacy@pflag.org for possible inclusion in a future newsletter. California - Porterville City Council votes to table two anti-LGBTQ+ ordinances. One ordinance would have required educators to out trans students to their parents, in violation of state law, while the other ordinance would have banned trans women from women’s restrooms and locker rooms in the city. Both ordinances have been tabled for now, but the vice mayor left open the possibility that they would be reconsidered at a later date. Florida - Nine anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislature. The bills include restrictions on DEI policies, and proposals to protect employees who intentionally deadname and misgender their coworkers. Georgia - House Committee considers anti-trans healthcare ban bill. SB 30, which passed the Senate, would bar doctors from prescribing puberty blockers for trans and nonbinary youth. After hearing testimony on March 18th, the House Public and Community Health Committee adjourned without taking a vote on SB 30. Kentucky - The House of Representatives passes gender-affirming care Medicaid funding ban. At 11pm on March 14th, the Kentucky House voted to add a ban on Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care to HB 495, a bill which nullifies Governor Beshear’s 2024 executive order banning conversion therapy. The amended bill passed on a 67-19 vote. Ohio - State appellate court rules gender-affirming care ban unconstitutional. A three-judge panel on the Tenth District Court of Appeals ruled that HB 68, Ohio’s law banning gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary youth, is unconstitutional, due to its infringement on parents’ rights. The court held that the suit must return to a lower court, where it should be permanently enjoined. North Carolina - New LGBT community center to open in Raleigh. The new space will open downtown this summer. North Dakota - State Senate rejects resolution calling for overturn of Obergefell v Hodges. The Senate rejected a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to overturn the 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide on a bipartisan vote of 16-31. Texas - Attorney General Ken Paxton calls on state agencies to ignore court orders to change gender markers on state documents and IDs. The Attorney General wrote a non-binding opinion stating that state agencies should not update birth certificates and IDs with an updated gender marker, even with a court order. He also wrote that state agencies should revert gender markers which have been changed on these documents and IDs back to the person’s sex assigned at birth. The opinion is non-binding and the Attorney General does not have the authority to compel state agencies to take these actions. |
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| | | Federal judge blocks trans military ban. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s trans military ban from taking effect. In her ruling, Judge Reyes found that the ban violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution by discriminating based on trans status and sex and because the policy “is soaked in animus [towards trans people].” |
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| | | In addition to other federal issues, this section includes ongoing activity regarding the executive orders (EOs) signed by President Trump since January 20, 2025. Please know that EOs do NOT override the United States Constitution, federal statutes, or established legal precedent. EOs are required by law to follow a process before changes can be implemented, and for many of these EOs, litigation is not only expected but is also already happening, such as PFLAG v Trump (see above). To inform your activism, advocacy, and media work, please use our explainers and resources web page, which is updated frequently as we gather information from our many trusted partners. Trump signs executive order aiming to close Department of Education. The order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” PFLAG National is responding to and combating this effort to dismantle public education; stay tuned to PFLAG National channels for updates. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) limits gender-affirming care to current GAC-receiving veterans. Trans veterans not receiving GAC will no longer be able to begin receiving hormone therapy through the VA, the department announced on March 17th. While patients who were already receiving this care can continue with their hormone therapy, no additional veterans will be able to get hormone therapy through the VA in the future. Trump Administration considering closing HIV prevention agency. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering closing the HIV Prevention Division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thirteen organizations that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, HIV treatment and prevention, and public health condemned the proposed closure, saying it would have a “devastating effect” on the country’s progress in fighting HIV/AIDS. Administration announces intention to withhold $175 million in funding to UPenn, citing university’s trans athlete policy. A university spokesperson said that they were aware of media reports about the withheld funds but that university officials have not received any official notice or details. The spokesperson further said that the university “has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams." Administration claims Maine Department of Education and related organizations violated Title IX. The March 17th announcement from the HHS Office for Civil Rights stated that the Maine DOE, the Maine Principals’ Association, and a high school in the state violated Title IX by allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports. HHS gave those entities 10 days to resolve the claimed violation or risk action from the Department of Justice. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finds University of Maine to be in compliance with Trump Administration interpretation of Title IX. On March 19th, the USDA announced an update to its Title IX investigation of the University of Maine, stating that the University does not have any trans women athletes and does not allow trans women to compete on women’s sports teams, and is thus in compliance with the Trump Administration’s interpretation of Title IX. |
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| | | | Author Felice Picano dies at 81. Picano, who was openly gay, wrote several novels, including The Lure, Eyes, Onyx, and The Book of Lies, as well as nonfiction works like The Joy of Gay Sex. Harvey Fierstein announces his works have been banned from the Kennedy Center. In an Instagram post published on March 18th, Fierstein wrote that his plays and musicals—including Kinky Boots, La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, and others—have been banned from being performed at the Kennedy Center. |
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