| | Reminder: Submit a Workshop Proposal for the 2025 PFLAG National Convention Taking place in Chicago from October 10-12, Learning With Love: The 2025 PFLAG National Convention will gather PFLAG members, chapter leaders, supporters, and partners from across the country. Everyone has a voice in this fight, and we would love to have yours in the mix by presenting a workshop. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, April 30th, so now is the time to get started. Workshop submissions should focus on educating and empowering our diverse audience of attendees to achieve PFLAG’s mission and deliver the tools needed in this moment of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-diversity opposition and action. Let’s gather together, in courageous love and learning. Submit your application at pflagnation.al/2025ConventionRFP. State Actions Mainers LD 233, LD 868, and LD 1134 would keep trans kids from playing sports and ban them from bathrooms, locker rooms, and other school facilities. Tell your legislators to respect trans kids and vote NO on these bills! Tennesseeans Legislators are moving anti-trans bills, including bills to protect intentional misgendering and to narrowly redefine “sex” in the state code to erase trans, nonbinary, and intersex Tennesseans. Join our partners at Tennessee Equality Project to help defeat anti-trans bills! Texans Legislators are considering HB 239 and SB 240, which would ban trans people from using bathrooms and other sex-separated spaces in government buildings, including schools. Contact your state rep and your state senator and tell them to vote NO on these dangerous and discriminatory bills! |
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|  | | Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. You can share news from your state with advocacy@pflag.org for possible inclusion in a future newsletter. Alaska - State House passes budget including limitation on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care. The amendment passed 21-19 on a strict party-line vote. The budget must be approved by the Senate and signed by the Governor before it takes effect. Arizona - Mesa Public Schools proposes anti-trans “Gender Dysphoria Policy.” The proposed policy includes a forced-outing provision and a provision which would segregate school sports and facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms according to sex assigned at birth. Students, teachers, parents, and others attended a school board meeting to oppose the policy. Colorado - Gov. Jared Polis signs bill repealing dormant statutory ban on same-sex marriage. The state legislature passed a bill banning same-sex marriage in 2006, and voters approved a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage that same year. Voters repealed that amendment, which had been dormant since the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Massachusetts - Legislature considers “shield law.” The State Senate is considering a bill which intends to shield providers of abortion care and gender-affirming care from out-of-state legal threats. North Carolina - Tarheel Swimming Association (TSA) requires trans swimmers to compete based on their sex assigned at birth. Their decision to ban trans swimmers from competing based on their gender identity is counter to the standards established by USA Swimming. Washington - Spokane City Council considers ordinance protecting trans residents. The proposed ordinance includes adding anti-discrimination language to the city code, preventing city resources from being used to investigate or detain an individual for seeking gender-affirming care, and preventing the release of information about a person’s sex assigned at birth. West Virginia - Curriculum censorship, forced outing bill awaits Governor’s signature. SB 299 passed the House on April 11th and the Senate concurred on April 12th. If signed into law, the bill would restrict teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity, and would force teachers to out trans pupils to their parents. |
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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. To inform your activism, advocacy, and media work, please use our Executive Order explainers and resources web page, which is updated frequently as we gather information from our many trusted partners. Trump Administration proposes rule restricting some ACA healthcare plans from covering gender-affirming care. PFLAG National filed a public comment opposing the rule. Trump Administration orders National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study regret and detransition rates among those who have received gender-affirming care. An internal NIH memo from Acting Director Mark Memoli said that the NIH must study the impact of “regret” and “detransition” among youth and adults who have medically transitioned. Stay tuned for updates. Trump nominee for HHS Assistant Secretary for Health has history of making anti-trans statements. Trump nominated Brian Christine, a urologist from Alabama, to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS, the position held by Adm. Rachel Levine under President Biden. Christine has publicly opposed gender-affirming care for trans youth and said gender dysphoria should be treated with “corrective care,” including counseling and “pastoral care.” |
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