U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) introduced a bill to legally erase transgender people, entitled the Defining Male and Female Act of 2024, LGBTQ Nation reported. He claimed that the bill will stop what he called the Biden administration’s attempt to “replace biological sex with dangerous radical gender ideology.” Marshall, who’s also a physician, claims this bill would prevent transgender people from participating in school sports and would ensure that “restrooms, locker and dorm rooms, prisons and shelters for victims of sexual assault” would have “sex separation.” Marshall’s bill is unlikely to pass as Democrats still control the Senate; however, introducing the bill now could be a sign that he plans to introduce it next session, when Republicans will control the chamber.
Truthout stated that, in Texas, the state GOP introduced 32 anti-trans bills on the first day of the 2025 legislative session’s pre-filing period. One measure, HB1123, would impose stricter laws on sports by requiring every athlete in the state to undergo a chromosome test while House Bill 239 mirrors Florida’s adult bathroom ban and would ban trans individuals from using facilities in any publicly owned building in Texas—including park bathrooms, rest stops, schools, state-run hospitals and even major airports like Dallas-Fort Worth. In addition, Texas HB 1075 would allow any individual performing in drag in the presence of a minor to be sued for up to $5,000.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a measure that will ban transgender students from kindergarten through college from using multi-person bathrooms that fit their gender identities, the AP reported. DeWine signed the law over the objections of Democrats, teachers’ unions and civil-rights groups, which had hoped that his balk to a ban on gender-affirming care for minors last year would carry through and prompt another veto. This new Republican-backed measure—called the “Protect All Students Act”—takes effect in 90 days.
Out gay U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres will conduct a tour of New York as he considers a run for governor—and as he criticizes fellow Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Politico noted. “I will confess that I’m hardly an expert on every county in New York. But I look forward to traveling throughout the state,” he told the news outlet. “I hope to embark on a listening tour and find out about the needs of New York state.” As for the current governor, Torres has said, “I fear that Hochul may be the new Biden. She may be in denial about the depth of her vulnerabilities in 2026. In the case of Biden, instead of speaking out early, we waited until it was too late. Let’s avoid repeating history and let’s avoid sleepwalking toward disaster and defeat.” Hochul currently suffers from low favorable ratings with voters statewide, and some feel she could be vulnerable in a possible race against GOP U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler.
U.S. Health Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on HIV and other health issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community have raised concerns about how he would lead the agency if his nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, The Washington Blade reported. During an interview last year, RFK Jr. said endocrine-disrupting chemicals in drinking water are responsible for homosexuality and gender dysphoria among young people—a claim that scientific evidence has not supported. He has also falsely claimed that HIV does not cause AIDS—saying that the culprit is, rather, the “gay lifestyle,” including the recreational use of amyl nitrate (poppers) by men who have sex with men—and proposed that health officials take a “break” from studying infectious diseases.
In Ohio, the Cincinnati City Council plans to spend $500,000 on all forms of healthcare for transgender youth, according to an LGBTQ Nation item that cites the Cincinnati Enquirer. The original motion aims to prioritize gender-affirming care for minors within the city. This amount will come out of the overall $22.1 million budget for the Cincinnati Health Department and will be allocated over two years. City Council member Mark Jeffreys, who has a transgender child, helped pass the bill, saying, “I believe now is the time for us as a city to say that transgender youth are human beings and deserving of basic dignity. There’s just a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety out there in this community.”
The Atlanta City Council approved a feasibility study proposed by Mayor Andre Dickens for the city’s first LGBTQ Community Cultural, Educational and Recreational Center, according to Rough Draft Atlanta. Legislation sponsored by Councilmembers Amir Farokhi, Jason Winston, Matt Westmoreland and Alex Wan allows Dickens to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority for one year to conduct and fund the study with $150,000. “Atlanta has one of the largest and most thriving LGBTQ communities in the nation, and the city deserves a thoughtful and tangible place to honor the legacy and contributions LGBTQ Atlantans have made to our culture,” Dickens said in a statement.
LGBTQ+ advocates say bystanders cheered as two trans women were attacked in Minneapolis, according to LGBTQ Nation. Minneapolis police told The Independent that the two women—identified only as Dahlia and Jess—confronted a group of people who were making derogatory remarks about them at a downtown Minneapolis light rail station on Nov. 10, leading to a “physical altercation.” CBS News noted that Dahlia and Jess moved to Minnesota from Iowa because of the state’s Trans Refuge law. Introduced by state Rep. Leigh Finke (D)—Minnesota’s first out trans legislator—and passed in March 2023, the law prevents out-of-state statutes from interfering with people seeking gender-affirming care in Minnesota.
Walmart—the nation’s largest private employer—is the latest company to make changes to its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives under pressure from conservative activist Robby Starbuck, USA Today reported. The retail giant said it would not renew a racial equity center it created following the 2020 murder of George Floyd and it would no longer participate in an annual benchmark index from LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign. Starbuck said he warned Walmart last week he was working on a report about “wokeness.” According to Starbuck, the company then engaged in “productive conversations” to make changes.
In California, more than 50 people gathered at the Gala Pride & Diversity Center evening to mourn the loss of Todd Pinion—a San Luis Obispo County man killed in an alleged hate crime last month, The Tribune reported. Pinion, 34, was found dead Nov. 3 in a remote area near Tassajara Creek about a week after he had been reported missing. (Spock, his dog, was also found dead at the bottom of the Cuesta Grade Oct. 31.) With Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel” playing, attendees including Pinion’s mother Melody Pinion, members of the Pinion family, District Attorney Dan Dow and other members of the San Luis Obispo County community raised candles.
As of Nov. 21, Celena Morrison-McLean—who previously served as executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs—is no longer employed by the city, Philadelphia Gay News reported. “The LGBTQ+ community matters greatly to Mayor [Cherelle] Parker and this administration, and the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs plays a critical role in serving this community and all of Philadelphia,” a statement released by the Parker administration read. Morrison-McLean was the city’s first openly trans person to head a Philadelphia office or department, and is possibly the first to do so in any U.S. city. However, her time in the role was not without controversy. Immediately following the Pride flag-raising event at City Hall in June 2023, a group of trans people of color voiced concern for what they called a lack of leadership from Morrison-McLean.
Planned Parenthood has partnered with a New Jersey school to teach sex education and healthcare to students with disabilities, PinkNews noted. Students with disabilities at American History High School in Newark are set to learn about healthy relationships, sexuality and LGBTQ+ inclusivity as well as other healthcare-related topics. Parents do not need to provide consent for their children to participate in the workshop, according to district communications director Paul Brubaker. Planned Parenthood’s workshops also cover internet safety, consent and self-esteem.
With Republicans set to take control of the Michigan House in January, Democratic lawmakers are racing to pass bills that would protect LGBTQ-themed books in public libraries from censorship, The Latin Times noted. The proposed Freedom to Read Act was introduced in November, seeking to standardize policies for public library book challenges, Bridge Michigan reported. The proposed “Freedom to Read Act” was introduced in November, seeking to standardize policies for public library book challenges, Bridge Michigan reported.
In Illinois, Jonna Cooley, executive director of Springfield’s LGBTQ+-focused Phoenix Center, announced her retirement after being in the role for 18 years, the Illinois Eagle reported. “It’s official—I have retired from Phoenix Center after 18 years and social services after 38 years,” she wrote on social media. “The last few years have been hard for me, losing my wife after years of battling cancer, identity theft, and losing my nephew this summer- it has all taken a toll on my physical and mental health. My doctor said I need to take care of me and spend more time with my Granddaughter!” The Phoenix Center organizes Springfield’s annual PrideFest along with services throughout the year.
Two years after opening on Salt Lake City’s main thoroughfare, the queer bar Club Verse announced it has “made the difficult decision to permanently close” its doors, per The Salt Lake Tribune. The statement was signed by the co-owners, couple Riley Richter and Michael Repp, along with the Club Verse team. “It is with the heaviest of hearts and deepest sadness that we announced the indefinite closure of Club Verse,” the statement begins. “Due to circumstances beyond our control—both personal and financial—we have made the difficult decision to permanently close our doors.” Club Verse has become a safe space and place of gathering for many in the LGBTQ+ community in Utah; on its opening day two years ago, the bar welcomed about 1,600 visitors.
In New Jersey, the Manchester Township School District in Ocean County is facing mounting legal challenges, including a lawsuit filed by former superintendent John Berenat—who alleges he was wrongfully terminated because he is gay, according to Out in Jersey. Berenato claims the Manchester Board of Education orchestrated a targeted campaign to remove him due to his sexual orientation—and the move has led to outcry throughout the state. Joining Berenato in pursuing legal action are former district employees Bridget Antonucci and Lori Burns, who have also filed complaints against the Manchester Board of Education and specific officials, including newly hired superintendent Diane Pedrosa.
In Maryland, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate reportedly ripped down a tattoo shop’s Pride flag and put it in the trash, ABC News noted. Dapper Dog Tattoo Shop co-owner Charlie Garrett told police that the store had been vandalized, adding it was the third time someone had removed the flag, which reads, “ABIDE NO HATRED.” In response, Garrett said he installed a security camera. Closed-circuit video footage showed a man walking toward the store before he “forcefully ripped” the flag from above the shop’s awning. Police wrote in documents that the suspect is a Dallas resident who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and graduated from the academy, The Baltimore Sun reported. According to a Marine Corps spokesperson, he served from 2004 to 2013.
A group of masked demonstrators waved Nazi flags outside a production of The Diary of Anne Frank in Howell, Michigan, per ABC News. Witnesses said the five individuals were heard shouting racist and antisemitic slurs in the parking lot of the American Legion Post 141, where the play was being held. Livingston County Sheriff Michael J. Murphy said the department was called to respond to a “disturbance.” After the demonstrators were asked to leave the property, they continued protesting across the street, at which point “a subject then approached them, and an argument ensued.”
In California, the San Jose LGBTQ+ community continues to deal with the scandal surrounding now-former Councilmember Omar Torres, who now awaits a Jan. 31 plea hearing regarding several charges, per The San Jose Spotlight. Police filings made public revealed that Torres not only asked for sex with minors in 2022, but admitted to molesting an underage relative in the 1990s; authorities are now trying to uncover more potential victims. “We’ve already seen the resurgence of anti-LGBTQ forces,” Shane Patrick Connolly, the openly gay chair of the Santa Clara County Republican Party, told San José Spotlight. “Then something like this happens.” And a statement from Silicon Valley Pride’s board of directors—Qmunity Foundation President Nathan Svoboda and BAYMEC Community Foundation Executive Director Ken Yeager—read, “Incidents like this, regardless of the individuals involved, fuel harmful stereotypes and misrepresentations about the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.”
Also in California, an arrest has been made in connection with a burglary at the landmark SF Eagle Bar in San Francisco—and the owner said he recognized the suspect as the boyfriend of a woman who’s part of the cleaning crew, according to KTVU. “This type of situation is really demoralizing, devastating, really,” said owner Lex Montiel. “It makes me super-sad, and I’m angry and frustrated, and so many other feelings.” Surveillance video showed two men walking up to the bar. They used keys or copies of keys to get inside without forcing entry and used a code to disable the alarm, and used a hand-truck to wheel out a safe containing up to $25,000 and checks for bartenders. Maupin said the burglary has hit staff hard, because they take pride in holding fund-raising events to support queer nonprofits.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced many of the stamps it will release in 2025—and two of them involve LGBTQ+ icons, per a press release. This new Love stamp will honor the universal experience of love with a work by artist Keith Haring (1958–1990) while there will also be the Betty White that will celebrate the Golden Girls actress and animal-rights activist who worked in show business for seven decades. Regarding the Betty White stamp, Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration based on a 2010 photograph by Kwaku Alston; Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp. Other stamps honor Black Heritage: Allen Toussaint, Lunar New Year: Year of the Snake, the luna moth, the Appalachian Trail and winter landscapes, among other items and people.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Tom of Finland Foundation is presenting the Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival 2024: Art Speaks Through Us, supported by Diesel, in LA during Nov. 29-Dec. 1, per a press release. Among other things (from a mural presentation to a rope-bondage demo), there will be an awards ceremony highlighting winners from the Tom of Finland Emerging Artist Competition and other honorees like Artist Hall of Fame winner Holly Johnson, Dedication Award winner Jim Neuman, and Cultural Icon Award-winners Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato of World of Wonder (which is behind the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise).
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic delayed a scheduled resentencing hearing for Lyle and Erik Menendez at the brothers’ first hearing since they were sentenced to life in prison for murdering their parents in 1989, CNN reported. Jesic said at a Nov. 25 status hearing that the resentencing date, originally scheduled for Dec. 11, would be pushed to Jan. 3 to give the new district attorney time to review the case. Current Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón was voted out of office and will be replaced by Nathan Hochman the first week of December.
The post NATIONAL Anti-trans bills, Ritchie Torres, RFK Jr., Cincinnati City Council appeared first on Windy City Times.