All articles tagged with #lgbtq rights
Farah, a 21-year-old Moroccan lesbian who fled violence and sought U.S. asylum, was denied asylum but received a protection order, then deported via a third-country deal first to Cameroon and later to Morocco, highlighting dangerous gaps in due process for LGBTQ migrants under U.S. third-country removals.
The Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan was quietly removed after a January memo from the Trump administration directing that only federally authorized flags be flown at National Park Service sites, signaling a broader push to curb diversity displays; officials say the action complies with policy, while activists and local leaders vow to push for the flag’s return and continued visibility of LGBTQ history at the site.
U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn said she will limit her social-media use after a "scary amount" of hate and threats followed remarks urging LGBTQ+ people to stay strong during a difficult period for the community; the pansexual athlete, the first openly out woman to compete in Olympic figure skating, spoke at a Milano Cortina Winter Games press conference and said she would keep using her voice while protecting her wellbeing.
Trump-nominated Darin Smith, a former Wyoming state senator with no federal or criminal litigation experience, is awaiting Senate confirmation to become Wyoming’s US attorney and has drawn Democratic criticism as unqualified and potentially discriminatory; he has served as interim US attorney since his initial nomination, has faced questions about his January 6 Capitol presence (he says he was on the grounds but did not enter), and his confirmation is being weighed amid partisan dynamics.
The Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index shows a 65% drop in Fortune 500 participation, from 377 companies in 2025 to 131 in 2026. Of 1,450 participating firms, 534 earned a top score of 100, representing nearly 6 million U.S. employees. The decline mirrors a broader anti-DEI movement, with major names like Walmart, Ford, and Lowe’s exiting, citing political climate and contracting considerations.
Prosecutors in Hungary charged Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony with organizing and leading a public gathering despite a police ban on Budapest Pride, accusing him of defying authorities as thousands joined the march and the event became a focal point of resistance to Orbán's government and its rollback of LGBTQ+ rights ahead of parliamentary elections.
The Oscar-shortlisted documentary Cashing Out traces how viatical settlements—private investors buying dying AIDS patients’ life-insurance policies for cash—shaped a morbid market, told through Greg and Scott Page and activists like DeeDee Chamblee; it reveals the relief and dignity it offered some, the costs for others, and how antiretroviral therapy shifted fortunes, highlighting ongoing healthcare precarity and systemic inequality.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority signaled skepticism toward arguments that state bans on transgender athletes competing in women's sports violate the Equal Protection Clause.
The US Supreme Court is considering state bans on transgender students competing in school sports in West Virginia and Idaho. With about 27 states having bans and 20+ maintaining pro-LGBTQ+ policies, five trans youth and their families describe how athletics has given them community and a sense of belonging, while highlighting the real-world stakes for their rights. A ruling against trans participation could set a broader national precedent affecting LGBTQ+ rights beyond sports.
A new gender-neutral Chinese pronoun, represented by the character X也, has been added to Unicode, potentially allowing easier typing and broader recognition for non-binary individuals in Chinese-speaking communities, marking a significant step in linguistic and cultural acknowledgment amidst ongoing LGBTQ+ rights challenges in regions like Hong Kong and China.
A Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, arguing it was unconstitutional and that courts lack authority to recognize such rights, aiming to challenge the legal recognition of gay marriage and influence future judicial rulings.
The ACLU is challenging the Trump administration's efforts to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and prohibit transgender federal employees from using restrooms aligned with their gender, arguing these policies are unconstitutional, discriminatory, and harmful to transgender individuals' rights and well-being.
The Trump administration announced plans to eliminate gender-affirming medical care for minors in the US, including banning Medicaid coverage and restricting hospital treatments, citing concerns about safety and legality, which has faced widespread criticism from health experts and LGBTQ+ advocates.
A federal appeals court blocked Michigan's ban on conversion therapy for minors, ruling it violates therapists' First Amendment rights by restricting speech based on viewpoint, and set aside a lower court's decision, with the case potentially impacting nationwide policy.
House Republicans are advancing sweeping anti-trans bills, including measures that could jail doctors for providing gender-affirming care to minors and ban such care altogether, amid concerns about their impact on families and youth mental health, though the bills are unlikely to become law.