Here are the top 5 LGBTQ+ stories of the week to help you catch up on what you may have missed.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s anti-trans health care bill advances in House
What the bill does: Imposes criminal penalties on doctors who provide gender-affirming care to trans youth, bans federal health care programs from covering gender-affirming care for trans adults, bans medical schools from teaching about gender-affirming care, and bans doctors from immigrating to the U.S. if they practiced gender-affirming care
What the bill doesn’t do: Stop gender-affirming genital surgeries forced on intersex babies
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Why this matters: This bill could take away life-saving health care from lots of people in the community.
Olympic medalist Simone Biles apologizes to transphobic activist Riley Gaines
Key quote: “I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”
Why this matters: The two exchanged barbs on social media. While the Olympian defended trans equality, she ultimately apologized to the anti-trans activist for getting personal. The whole thing disappointed Biles’ fans, as Gaines took the apology as a sign that she won the argument.
Trump booed at Kennedy Center while drag queens cheered while protesting the MAGA takeover
Why they were protesting: Trump turned the Kennedy Center into the cultural arm of the MAGA movement and targeted drag performances in particular. Drag queens protested just by showing up.
Why this matters: Authoritarians don’t just want victories in the legal arena; they also want to control culture. The booing and cheering show that artists are still willing to speak out against Trump.
Oregon just passed a law stopping schools from banning books just because LGBTQ+ people wrote them
In one of the bill’s supporters’ words: “You can remove a book if the content is too graphic. You can remove it if it’s not age-appropriate, but you can’t remove it just because the author is gay or Muslim or Black or because the story centers someone that makes you uncomfortable.”
Why this matters: Even as Republicans control everything at the federal level, many states are still standing up for LGBTQ+ freedom of expression.
Doechii uses award speech to slam Trump’s “ruthless” anti-protestor & anti-immigrant raids
What she said: “There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?”
Why this matters: Out LGBTQ+ artists and celebrities are continuing to use their platforms to speak out against the current administration.
Here’s a picture
Mieke Miller of Thousand Oaks, California, wears a Pride flag at an LGBTQ+ town hall meeting called to discuss the president’s attacks on LGBTQ+ rights.
And here are some interesting queer and trans reads.
Obergefell & Hodges’ unlikely friendship: The story of a marriage crusader & a reluctant defendant
LGBTQ Nation’s Greg Owen talked to Jim Obergefell and Rick Hodges — 10 years after the Supreme Court case named after them legalized marriage equality in the U.S. — to talk about how they became friends and what Americans can learn about respecting one another.
Chasten Buttigieg never thought he’d be a dad. Now his hit children’s book stars his own family.
LGBTQ Nation Deputy Editor Molly Sprayregen sat down with author Chasten Buttigieg to talk about his new book and what it’s like to be a dad after growing up during a time when that seemed impossible for many gay people.
Why did this Republican chairwoman say that same-sex marriage is rife with fraud?
LGBTQ Nation is looking back at the anti-marriage movement and the predictions that it made about what would happen if marriage equality were legalized. Here’s a look at how Republicans said that men and women would marry their friends just for the benefits if same-sex couples could get married.
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