Supreme Court to review case involving access to common abortion pill. Mifepristone, which was first approved by the FDA in 2000, is currently available through the mail and prescriptions can be obtained via telehealth appointments. Plaintiffs argue that the FDA exceeded its authority when it made the pill easier to access; when it was first approved, Mifepristone had to be prescribed in person, over three visits to a doctor.
Supreme Court allows Illinois’ semiautomatic weapons to remain in place. By declining to accept an appeal from the Seventh Circuit Court, the Supreme Court allowed the lower court’s ruling that banning such weapons is constitutional to stand. The ban was enacted after a gunman killed seven people and wounded 48 others with an AR-15 on July 4th, 2022.
House members intend to introduce a second anti-trans athlete ban. The bill, which will be called the “Save Women’s Sports Act” would require schools K-12 schools and colleges which receive federal money to designate sports teams based on sex assigned at birth, rather than gender identity.
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.
Morocco - Child victim of sexual assault jailed for violating law criminalizing same-sex relations. A boy from Ouarzazate was sentenced to six months in prison and fined $200 after a muezzin, an authority figure in a mosque, raped him. The muezzin was sentenced to eight years in prison. A Moroccan LGBTQ+ advocacy group called TALAY’AN NGO called for the child’s immediate release and the repeal of laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
United Kingdom - Openly gay Member of Parliament says he no longer feels safe in the country. Sir Chris Bryant, the MP for Rhondda in southern Wales, said in a speech to Parliament that he feels less safe in the UK as a gay man than he did a few years ago, in part due to the rhetoric Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch has used in parliamentary debates.
LGBTQ+ book sales reach new records. LGBTQ+ fiction book sales increased 7% this year, which represent a 200% increase from 2019. Total fiction sales, by contrast, decreased by 3% this year.
Cis woman cyclist defends two trans women who beat her in championship race. Kristen Chalmers penned an open letter with dozens of other cisgender women who competed at the Illinois State Cyclocross Championship defending their transgender counterparts. Chalmers also criticized media coverage suggesting that trans women being included in the race was unfair.
