Warning: While some of the following stories describe legislative actions to celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, many cover legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans and non-binary youth. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. Alabama - Retired lawmaker to start state LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. Former State Representative Patricia Todd, the first out gay lawmaker in state history, created Alabama Equality, a group that will conduct advocacy training with a focus on “empowering young leaders” in the state. Alaska - State considers bill to ban discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. In a public hearing, 38 of 40 testifiers spoke in support of the bill, which was introduced by Rep. Jennie Armstrong, to fill the gap in protections created by the state Attorney General removing anti-discrimination rules covering LGBTQ+ people. Arkansas - Governor Sanders signs anti-trans student bathroom ban. She signed the ban into law on March 21st, making Arkansas the 4th state in the country to prevent trans people from using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity in K-12 public schools. California - Legislation introduced to safeguard LGBTQ+ foster youth. State Senator Scott Wiener introduced SB 4017 on March 17th. The bill would require the Department of Social Services to ensure that LGBTQ+ foster children are placed in LGBTQ+ affirming homes. Florida - LGBTQ+ groups will file suit against state ban on gender-affirming care. The Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Southern Legal Counsel, and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders have announced that they will challenge Florida’s law criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors in court. Author of “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida faces fraud charges. On March 21st, former lawmaker Joseph Harding pleaded guilty in federal court in the Northern District of Florida to one count of money laundering, one count of making false statements, and one count of wire fraud. Georgia - Gov. Brian Kemp signs gender-affirming care ban for youth into law, effective July 1st. The law, SB 140, bans licensed medical professionals from providing gender-affirming care related to gender transition including hormone replacement therapy and surgery for people under the age of 18; a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is not among the few medical conditions that are exempted. Minors who started or will start receiving hormone replacement therapy prior to July 1st of this year can continue getting treatment. Idaho - Bill to ban gender-affirming care heads to State Senate. The bill, HB 71, sponsored by Senator Lori Den Hartog, would make it illegal for doctors to provide life-saving treatments ranging from hormone therapy to gender-affirming surgery to minors. Iowa - Gov. Kim Reynolds signs gender-affirming care ban, anti-trans bathroom ban, into law. Despite meeting with a group of trans youth about their concerns with both bills, Governor Reynolds signed them into law on March 23rd. The gender-affirming care ban will require doctors to halt live-saving care for trans youth in six months, while the bathroom ban bars trans students from using the bathroom associated with their gender identity. Kentucky - Kentucky poised to adopt gender-affirming care ban. In addition to preventing doctors from providing new patients with life-saving gender-affirming care, Senate Bill 150 also mandates forcibly de-transitioning patients currently receiving this care. Governor Andy Beshear has indicated he will veto the legislation, but the bill’s supporters most likely have the votes to overturn his veto. Michigan - Michigan adopts LGBTQ+ discrimination protections. The bill was signed into law on March 13th by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, codifying a recent state Supreme Court ruling that expanded anti-discrimination protections in employment, housing, and public accommodations to LGBTQ+ people. The law also includes new anti-discrimination protections for gender identity and expression. Missouri - Attorney General announces "emergency" gender-affirming care ban. Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office issued an emergency regulation that classifies gender-affirming care as “experimental treatment” and therefore illegal for minors under state law. Once promulgated, Attorney General Bailey’s emergency regulation will not be permanent; rather it will last 30 legislative days or 180 days, whichever is longer. Minnesota - Free program matches queer youth with mentors. A group called the QUEERSPACE collective lets LGBTQ+ youth in the Twin Cities area pair with LGBTQ+ adult mentors as a way to improve the mental health of young LGBTQ+ people. Pennsylvania - Advocates found state equality organization. Queer leaders in Pennsylvania are forming a group called Keystone Equality which will help create and facilitate statewide LGBTQ+ initiatives, with a focus on community building. Families of LGBTQ+ crime victims seek justice and closure. Parents, siblings and other family members of LGBTQ+ murder victims gathered in Philadelphia to ask for justice and public assistance in solving the murders of their LGBTQ+ loved ones. Tennessee - State rejects federal HIV prevention funds rather than affirm LGBTQ+ people’s rights. Governor Bill Lee refused over $8 million in HIV prevention funds from the CDC. Advocates are working diligently with the CDC to make an alternative funding stream. Texas - Austin to host World LGBTIQ+ Conference for Criminal Justice Professionals in August 2025. The conference, which has been held three times before, will be a collaboration between the Austin Police Department and the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association. This will be the first time the conference will be held in the United States. Utah - Gov. Spencer Cox signs conversion therapy ban for minors into law on March 23rd. The law prohibits licensed professionals from subjecting LGBTQ+ minors from the discredited practice of attempting to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. Wisconsin - Legislature votes to allow so-called conversion therapy to continue in the state. The State Assembly voted on March 14th to continue suspending a conversion therapy ban passed by the state’s Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board in December. The suspension of the rule will continue until the end of the current legislative session in 2024. Wyoming - State judge blocks enforcement of abortion ban. Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens reasoned that the ban, which prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest that’s reported to police, or to save a woman’s life, violates the a state constitutional provision stating that adults have a right to make their own healthcare decisions. | 
