Some Texans are realizing, “this town ain’t big enough ” and are making their exit from the state to newfound homes in some unexpected places.
“The U.S. is among the most mobile countries in the world, but our rates of moving have slumped in recent decades. In 2019, for example, a lower percentage of Americans changed residence than any year prior since 1947 when migration statistics were first gathered by the Census Bureau,” Stacker said.
Check out the top ten places Texans are moving to, according to Stacker. The number one spot… will definitely surprise you!
A group of Republican attorneys general has issued a warning letter to Target regarding its Pride merchandise. The letter raises concerns about the messaging and content of the products, suggesting that they promote a “radical agenda” and may violate consumer protection laws. Target has not yet responded to the letter, but it has faced criticism from conservative groups in the past for its inclusive marketing campaigns.
Seven U.S. state attorneys general sent a letter to Target on Wednesday warning that clothes and merchandise sold as part of the company’s Pride month campaigns might violate their state’s child protection laws.
Republican attorneys general from Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and South Carolina signed the letter, writing that they were “concerned by recent events involving the company’s ‘Pride’ campaign.”
The attorneys said that they believed the campaign was a “comprehensive effort to promote gender and sexual identity among children,” criticizing items like T-shirts that advertised popular drag queens and a T-shirt that said ‘Girls Gays Theys.’ They also highlighted merchandise with “anti Christian designs such as pentagrams, horned skulls and other Satanic products.”
The letter also criticized Target for donating to GLSEN, an LGBTQ+ organization that works to end bullying in schools based on sexual and gender identity. The company stated in a 2020 guide that school staff should not tell parents about a child’s gender or sexual orientation without consulting the child first, something the attorneys general said undermines “parents’ constitutional and statutory rights.”
The letter did not include any specific demands nor did it outline how they believe the campaign could violate child protection laws, but the attorneys general did suggest that Target might find it “more profitable to sell the type of Pride that enshrines the love of the United States.”
The attorneys general also said they believed Target’s Pride campaign threatened their financial interests, writing that Target leadership has a “fiduciary duty to our States as shareholders in the company” and suggesting that company officials “may be negligent” in promoting the campaign since it has negatively affected Target’s stock prices and led to some backlash among customers.
Target shares have declined 12% this year, but the company is facing issues far beyond the backlash to its Pride collection, which included onesies, bibs, and T-shirts for babies and children. Like many retailers, the company is struggling with a pullback in consumer spending because of high inflation, which has weighed on its profits.
But Target is also facing scrutiny for its merchandise selection, including its Pride line, with its stores removing some of the items in May after facing threats. At the time, the company didn’t specify which products were being removed, although Target has faced criticism online over swimsuits advertised as “tuck-friendly” with “extra crotch coverage” in its Pride collection.
“Target’s management has no duty to fill stores with objectionable goods, let alone endorse or feature them in attention-grabbing displays at the behest of radical activists,” the attorneys general wrote. “However, Target management does have fiduciary duties to its shareholders to prudently manage the company and act loyally in the company’s best interests.”
Backlash to the Pride campaign did involve threats of violence to Target stores and workers. Some merchandise was relocated to less popular areas of the store, and other pieces, including the swimsuits criticized by the attorneys general, were removed.
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement earlier in June. “Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”
(KFF Health News)- Hal Dempsey wanted to “escape Missouri.” Arlo Dennis is “fleeing Florida.” The Tillison family “can’t stay in Texas.”
They are part of a new migration of Americans who are uprooting their lives in response to a raft of legislation across the country restricting health care for transgender people.
Missouri, Florida, and Texas are among at least 20 states that have limited components of gender-affirming health care for trans youth. Those three states are also among the states that prevent Medicaid — the public health insurance for people with low incomes — from paying for key aspects of such care for patients of all ages.
More than a quarter of trans adults surveyed by KFF and The Washington Post late last year said they had moved to a different neighborhood, city, or state to find more acceptance. Now, new restrictions on health care and the possibility of more in the future provide additional motivation.
Many are heading to places that are passing laws to support care for trans people, making those states appealing sanctuaries. California, for example, passed a law last fall to protect those receiving or providing gender-affirming care from prosecution. And now, California providers are getting more calls from people seeking to relocate there to prevent disruptions to their care, said Scott Nass, a family physician and expert on transgender care based in the state.
But the influx of patients presents a challenge, Nass said, “because the system that exists, it can’t handle all the refugees that potentially are out there.”
In Florida, the legislative targeting of trans people and their health care has persuaded Arlo Dennis, 35, that it is time to uproot their family of five from the Orlando area, where they’ve lived for more than a decade. They plan to move to Maryland.
Dennis, who uses they/them pronouns, no longer has access to hormone replacement therapy after Florida’s Medicaid program stopped covering transition-related care in late August under the claim that the treatments are experimental and lack evidence of being effective. Dennis said they ran out of their medication in January.
“It’s definitely led to my mental health having struggles and my physical health having struggles,” Dennis said.
The law, enacted this year over the veto of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, prevents transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
Protesters of Kentucky Senate Bill SB150 rally at the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., on March 29.
By The Associated Press
A federal appeals court is allowing Kentucky to enforce a recently enacted ban on gender-affirming care for young transgender people while the issue is being litigated.
The 2-1 decision Monday from the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is not unexpected. The same three-judge panel ruled the same way earlier this month on a similar case in Tennessee.
The Kentucky law, enacted this year over the veto of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, prevents transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
At least 20 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. Most of those states face lawsuits. A federal judge struck down Arkansas’ ban as unconstitutional. In other states, judges have issued disparate rulings on whether the laws can be enforced while the cases are being litigated.
In Kentucky, U.S. District Judge David Hale had initially blocked Kentucky from enforcing the ban. But he lifted that injunction July 14, after the Sixth Circuit issued its ruling in the Tennessee case.
Seven transgender children and their parents have sued to block the Kentucky law. They argue that it violates their constitutional rights and interferes with parental rights to seek established medical treatment for their children.
In Monday’s ruling, judges Jeffrey Sutton, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, and Amul Thapar, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said that the issues in the Kentucky case are essentially identical to those in Tennessee.
In the Tennessee case, the judges wrote that decisions on emerging policy issues like transgender care are generally better left to legislatures rather than judges. They offered a similar rationale Monday in the Kentucky case.
“The people of Kentucky enacted the ban through their legislature,” the judges wrote. “That body — not the officials who disagree with the ban — sets the Commonwealth’s policies.”
The dissenting judge, Helene White, noted that Kentucky’s ban does not include a grace period for patients who are already receiving care to continue treatment, as Tennessee’s law did.
As a result, White said the need for an injunction blocking the ban in Kentucky is even greater than it was in Tennessee.
“It seems obvious that there is a tremendous difference between a statute like Tennessee’s that allows flexibility regarding treatment decisions and time to explore alternatives and one like Kentucky’s that forces doctors to either discontinue treatment immediately or risk losing their license,” wrote White, who was first nominated by former President Bill Clinton and later nominated by Bush.
The Florida medical board has approved an emergency rule regarding transgender care for both children and adults. The rule is seen as a positive step towards ensuring access to necessary healthcare for transgender individuals in the state. It is aimed at preventing discrimination and ensuring that medical professionals provide appropriate and affirming care to transgender patients. This decision by the medical board reflects a growing recognition of the importance of transgender healthcare and the rights of transgender individuals to receive gender-affirming treatment. The rule marks a significant development in the ongoing efforts to improve healthcare access and inclusivity for the transgender community in Florida.
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine on Tuesday approved an emergency rule that will allow transgender children and adults to continue obtaining gender-affirming treatments under certain conditions.
Physicians will be able to renew orders for puberty blockers and hormone therapy so long as no changes are made to the prescriptions.
The state Board of Medicine on June 8 also approved the rule, which will allow continuation of treatment while the medical boards draft other regulations to carry out a new law that makes it harder for trans adults and children to obtain gender-affirming care.
The law, championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, prohibits doctors from ordering treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for children but includes an exception for children already using the treatments.
The law also imposes new restrictions on adults seeking gender-affirming care by requiring that such treatment be ordered by physicians, not nurse practitioners.
Medical experts providing gender-affirming care to trans adults estimate that at least 80 percent of prescriptions for treatment such as estrogen and testosterone are ordered by advanced practice registered nurses, not doctors.
The new law also mandates that the medical boards create “informed consent” forms that patients must sign to receive the care.
Under the rule approved by the medical boards, doctors can renew prescriptions for transgender patients if the prescriptions do not change doses or types of treatment.
The rule will allow some patients to continue receiving care while the new informed consent requirements are being developed. Board of Osteopathic Medicine Chairwoman Tiffany Di Pietro said during Tuesday’s meeting that a joint committee of the two medical boards is scheduled to consider the informed-consent forms on Friday.
The full boards are slated to vote on the proposed forms on June 30. The law, which went into effect when DeSantis signed it on May 17, sparked uncertainty about the rules.
Samantha Cahen, program director for trans and nonbinary care for Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida, said in an interview last week with The News Service of Florida that the boards’ decision to allow doctors to renew prescriptions while the informed-consent regulation is under development provides “more clarity” to health-care providers.
“Since we didn’t want to provide care without consent, because that would be against the law, at least it’s allowing us to continue the care for our patients. Although we may not be able to alter the prescriptions, it gives us some type of leeway. At least it puts our patients back on track to providing care for them,” Cahen said.
People are fleeing states that have passed anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ laws for states like Illinois where their rights and medical care are protected.
Illinois (WLS) — Some people are leaving states with anti-trans or anti-LGBTQ+ laws and relocating to LGBTQ+ friendly states like Illinois. They said it’s an issue of safety.
A realtor and some local organizations said they’ve seen an uptick in people looking to move to the Land of Lincoln to escape anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in other states. That includes one father who told the I-Team his family is moving to Illinois because he believes it will help ensure his son’s well-being and safety.
“As a parent, you have one job, love your kid. That’s your only job and your kids telling you something over and over and over again. If you love them. You believe them,” said Mark, who asked that his last name not be used.
His family is moving to Illinois for the sake of his 7-year-old son, who is transgender. To protect his son’s identity, Mark is using another name, Connor.
“Connor just wants to be a boy. And so, you know, we weren’t dismissive, but we were sort of quiet about it the first couple times Connor said this. And we would listen to him and say, you know, ‘We can deal with that later. You’re a little young.’ But it became sort of a common thing. Maybe once a month, that maybe once a week,” Mark said.
A federal appeals court has temporarily reversed a lower court’s ruling that had prohibited Tennessee from enacting a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth
Advocates gather for a rally at the state Capitol complex in Nashville, Tenn., to oppose a series of bills that target the LGBTQ community, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. A federal appeals court has temporarily reversed a lower court’s ruling, Saturday, July 8, that had prohibited Tennessee from enacting a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth can go into effect — at least for now — after a federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily reversed a lower court ruling.
Last month, a district court judge in Tennessee found that the state’s new law banning transgender therapies like hormone blockers and surgeries for transgender youth was unconstitutional because it discriminated on the basis of sex. The judge blocked large swaths of the law from taking effect.
On Saturday, however, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati granted an emergency appeal from Tennessee. In a 2-1 ruling, the majority wrote that decisions on emerging policy issues like transgender care are generally better left to legislatures rather than judges.
“Given the high stakes of these nascent policy deliberations — the long-term health of children facing gender dysphoria — sound government usually benefits from more rather than less debate,” wrote Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton, an appointee of former President George W. Bush.
Tennessee’s attorney general, Jonathan Skrmetti, praised the ruling, saying the ban can now be fully enforced. “The case is far from over, but this is a big win,” he said in a statement.
A judge has temporarily halted a law proposed by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, that aimed to restrict drag performances in the state. The law, which drew significant criticism from the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights advocates, would have imposed new regulations and requirements on drag performers, including fines and potential penalties for violations. The judge’s decision to halt the implementation of the law is seen as a victory for those advocating for freedom of expression and equal rights. The ruling acknowledges the importance of protecting artistic and creative performances and underscores the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Chris duMond/Getty Images
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suffered his third high-profile legal setback in the past month today as Judge Gregory A. Presnell of the Federal District Court in Orlando issued a preliminary injunction blocking a new DeSantis-backed law that prohibits businesses from allowing children to attend “adult performances.” DeSantis signed the bill into law just last month.
The Florida governor, who is running for the Republican nomination for president, has been an outspoken proponent of restricting LGBTQ+ rights. Of course, a big part of that has been the tug-of-war with Disney over his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which has cost the state about 2,000 relocated jobs and a $1 billion construction project that Disney had in the works.
In a recent ruling, a judge in Tennessee has rejected the request of transgender plaintiffs to change their birth certificates. This decision has sparked controversy and raised concerns about the rights and recognition of transgender individuals. The plaintiffs had sought to update their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity, a step that is crucial for their personal identity and everyday life. The judge’s ruling underscores the ongoing challenges faced by the transgender community in obtaining legal recognition and highlights the need for continued advocacy for transgender rights.
The plaintiffs had sought to overturn a 1977 law that generally prohibits such changes. They said it unconstitutionally discriminates against transgender people and the sex designation on their certificates is inaccurate because it does not reflect their gender identities.
The lawsuit also argued that the policy is harmful, saying that when transgender people show their birth certificates for identification, the mismatch between the documents and their gender identities exposes them to possible harassment and even violence.
U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson wrote in his decision to dismiss that while there are varying definitions of “sex,” the term “has a very narrow and specific meaning” for the purpose of birth certificates: “external genitalia at the time of birth.”
Based on that limited definition, the designation does not later become inaccurate “when it is eventually understood to diverge from the transgender person’s gender identity,” Richardson said.
The plaintiffs had argued that “sex” should be defined by gender identity.
Lambda Legal, which brought the lawsuit on their behalf, criticized the ruling in a statement and said it was evaluating possible next steps. It said the decision comes as Tennessee’s Republican supermajority is targeting transgender rights.
Such efforts include banning gender-affirming care for minors; protecting teachers who don’t use transgender students’ pronouns from lawsuits; definining “male” and “female” in a way that prevents driver’s licenses and birth certificate changes; and banning private schools from letting transgender girls compete on female sports teams.
Richardson sought to sidestep politics in his decision, writing that the case “is not grist for a broad-based discussion” about transgender rights but rather “a discrete legal dispute over the constitutionality of a specific alleged policy” of the state.
Lead plaintiff Kayla Gore said she was devastated by the ruling denying her and her fellow complainants an opportunity to even plead their case.
“Tennessee’s discriminatory birth certificate policy has not only gravely impacted my life, but also presents a roadblock for all transgender Tennesseans,” she said in a statement.
When the suit was filed in 2019, Tennessee was one of three states that did not let transgender people change the sex designation on their birth certificates. Since then, federal courts in the other two, Kansas and Ohio, have found those policies unconstitutional.
Meanwhile states including Montana, North Dakota and Oklahoma have adopted policies like Tennessee’s, according to Lambda Legal.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The oldest historically Black collegiate fraternity in the U.S. says it is relocating a planned convention in two years from Florida because of what it described as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration’s “harmful, racist and insensitive” policies towards African Americans.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity said this week that it would move its 2025 convention from Orlando to another location that is yet undecided. The convention draws between 4,000 and 6,000 people and has an economic impact of $4.6 million, the fraternity said.
The decision comes after the NAACP and other civil rights organizations this spring issued a travel advisory for Florida, warning that recently passed laws and policies are openly hostile to African Americans, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Willis Lonzer, the fraternity’s general president, said in statement on Wednesday that the decision was motivated in part by Florida’s new education standards that require teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”
“Although we are moving our convention from Florida, Alpha Phi Alpha will continue to support the strong advocacy of Alpha Brothers and other advocates fighting against the continued assault on our communities in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis,” Lonzer said.
An email seeking comment on Saturday about the fraternity’s decision was sent to Jeremy Redfern, the governor’s press secretary and the governor’s office.
DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has come under fire this week over Florida’s new education standards. Among those criticizing the Florida governor on Friday was a rival for the Republican nomination, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the sole Black Republican in the Senate.
Responding to the criticism, DeSantis said Friday that he was “defending” Florida “against false accusations and against lies. And we’re going to continue to speak the truth.”
In May, the NAACP joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state’s largest job sectors. The groups cited recent laws that prohibited state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as critical race theory, and the Stop WOKE Act that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses.
They also cited laws that they say made life more difficult for immigrants in Florida and limited discussions on LGBTQ topics in schools.
At least nine other organizations or associations have pulled the plug on hosting conventions in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, two of the state’s most population convention cities, because of Florida’s political climate, according to local media reports.
Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. More than 137.5 million tourists visited Florida last year, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency. Tourism supports 1.6 million full-time and part-time jobs, and visitors spent $98.8 billion in Florida in 2019, the last year figures are available.
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