What are the safest places for gay and trans people? See where your state ranks

*This is reported by USA Today.

As Oklahoman legislators push to restrict trans rights and overturn the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage, Zane Eaves says his identity as a transgender man has put a target on his back in his home state.

One of 18,900 trans adults in Oklahoma, Eaves has received death threats as has his wife of 10 years and their two children.

“All the hatred and political stuff going on” are driving this Oklahoma lifer from the place he was born and raised, Eaves, 35, said. He has only crossed the state line three times in his life, but in recent weeks, he made the difficult decision to move his family to North Carolina to be closer to friends and allies.

“I am just trying to stay alive and keep my marriage,” Eaves said.

Oklahoma ranks 44th in the nation on a list released Monday of the most and least welcoming states for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans.

More and more, the question of where LGBTQ+ people feel safe is one of blue vs. red, according to advocacy group Out Leadership.

LGBTQ+ equality fell across the board for the third straight year, according to Out Leadership’s State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index shared exclusively with USA TODAY. But the sharpest declines came in Republican-led states.

While progressive strongholds championed supportive policies and protections, conservative states elected a slate of leaders who openly oppose gay and trans rights and sponsored an unprecedented wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Out Leadership CEO and founder Todd Sears said.

So-called “Don’t Say Gay” bills, religious exemptions and other legislation tanked the rankings of 19 red states in the Out Leadership index, according to Sears.

Today, the divide between states that roll out the welcome mat and less hospitable parts of the country is wider than ever, he said.

The least and most welcoming LGBTQ+ states

Each year for the last seven, Out Leadership has released the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index to gauge the overall climate for gay and transgender people state by state, mapping out where they will face the most and the least discrimination and hardship.

Out Leadership’s index measures the impact of state government policies and prevalent attitudes about the LGBTQ+ community, weighing factors such as support for young people and families, health access and safety, political and religious attitudes, work environment and employment and nondiscrimination protections.

The Northeast had six of the 10 highest-ranked states, while the Southeast had six of the lowest-ranked.

Massachusetts, led by the nation’s first openly lesbian governor, Democrat Maura Healey and New York, which guaranteed gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ refugee protections, tied for first place in this year’s index, with Connecticut and New Jersey close behind.

The least LGBTQ+ friendly state was Arkansas, which ranked last for the third straight year. South Carolina, Louisiana, South Dakota and Alabama also received low scores.

The states that had the largest gains in the index were Kentucky and Michigan, which Out Leadership attributed to “pro-equality” leadership from governors Andy Beshear and Gretchen Whitmer, both Democrats. The steepest declines were in Ohio, Florida and Utah, all led by Republican governors.

Where are the safest places to live?

The Out Leadership index was created as a LGBTQ+ inclusion reference guide for business leaders. But gay and trans people soon began using it to figure out where they should – and should not – live and work, never more so than now as rights rollbacks from the Trump administration and red statehouses hit close to home.

Opposition to transgender rights was a central plank in Trump’s presidential campaign and since taking office he has signed a series of executive orders recognizing only male and female genders, keeping trans athletes out of women’s sports, banning trans people from serving in the military and restricting federal funding for gender-affirming care for trans people under age 19.

Even states seen as safer for LGBTQ+ people have been navigating these edicts around trans athletes. Trump threatened to cut federal funding to California if a trans girl competed in a state track and field event held Saturday.

AB Hernandez, a junior from Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, shared first place in the high jump and triple jump and second in the long jump. She shared the awards podium with her cisgender competitors under a new rule drafted by state athletics officials days before the event to mollify critics.

Republican-led states have been in the vanguard of anti-trans legislation, causing greater geographic polarization and prompting fears among LGBTQ+ residents, even those who live in liberal cities.

Jordan McGuire, a 27-year-old gay man in North Dakota, said the years he spent living in the Deep South taught him about the repressive discrimination routinely faced by gay and genderqueer people.

At the same time, socially progressive cities in conservative states like Fargo and Grand Forks are no longer the safe havens they once were, he said.

Now that his fiancee is transitioning to female, the couple is exploring a move to a “sanctuary” state that will be safer for them.

“It feels like five or 10 years ago, trans people were not under the same microscope they are now and that has definitely influenced our move,” McGuire said. “Yeah, people were prejudiced but it wasn’t a witch hunt. They weren’t looking for people in bathrooms and schools. But now things are so polarized.”

That rising anxiety was captured in a post-election survey from UCLA’s Williams Institute which found that nearly half of transgender people had already fled unsupportive communities and nearly 1 in 4 were considering uprooting their lives.

The most frequently cited reasons for wanting to move were concerns about LGBTQ+ rights – 76% – the sociopolitical climate – 71% – anti-trans rhetoric and climate – 60% – and anti-trans laws and policies – 47%.

LGBTQ+ Americans on the move

Interest in relocating to friendlier states is even higher today than it was after Trump’s reelection, say nonprofit workers who aid trans and gender-diverse people relocate to more liberal states with broader protections.

So far in 2025, Rainbow Railroad in Canada has received more than 3,000 requests from LGBTQ+ people living in the United States, up more than 1,000% from the same time last year, according to communications director Timothy Chan.

Nearly all requested international relocation support. For now, Rainbow Railroad can’t aid Americans with resettlement services because of immigration restrictions, Chan said.

TRACTION has heard from a record number of people from states as far away as Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas with many of them reporting being threatened or feeling unsafe in their homes and neighborhoods, said Michael Woodward, the executive director of the trans-led organization in Washington state.

Trans and gender-diverse people historically face financial hardship due to systemic oppression and discrimination, and need assistance finding jobs and housing as well as with interstate moving expenses that can run tens of thousands, Woodward said.

TRACTION used to get a few applications a week until Trump won a second term. In the two weeks following the election, “we received as many requests for assistance as we’d received in the entire life of the project thus far,” he said.

After the inauguration, TRACTION started getting three to five applications every day. With one employee and a handful of volunteers, his organization is struggling to keep up with demand, Woodward said.

June 4, 2025 0

Jonathan Joss Dead at 59; Husband Alleges Hate Crime

*This is reported by Instinct.

Actor Jonathan Joss, best known as the voice of John Redcorn in King of the Hill, has died following a fatal shooting in San Antonio, Texas. He was 59. The tragic news was first reported by TMZ, citing a dispute between neighbors as the initial cause of the altercation.

Joss, also known for his role as Ken Hotate on Parks and Recreation, was shot on the afternoon of June 1 near his home on Dorsey Drive. According to a police report from the San Antonio Police Department, officers were dispatched to the scene in response to an active shooting. When they arrived, they found Joss with gunshot wounds to the neck and torso. Witnesses say three shots were fired. He later succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect, identified as Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, was alleged to have shot Joss after what appeared to be an altercation. Though early police statements cited a disagreement as a possible motive, Joss’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has since claimed the shooting was a hate crime fueled by ongoing homophobic harassment.

In a heartfelt public statement shared via Joss’s official Facebook page, Tristan detailed the harrowing moments leading up to the shooting. He wrote that the two were at the site of their former home, which had burned down earlier in January. While retrieving mail, the couple came across the skull and harness of one of their beloved dogs, sparking visible grief.

“We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” Tristan said. “While we were doing this, a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired.” Tristan claimed Joss saved his life by pushing him out of the way.

Tristan went on to describe years of harassment from individuals in the area and repeated threats to burn their home down, which he says were reported to law enforcement but not acted upon.

The San Antonio Police Department, however, has publicly stated that there is currently “no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.” The statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) emphasized that SAPD investigators “handle these allegations very seriously” and will reclassify the charges if new evidence supports a hate crime motive.

Still, the area’s residents noted that Joss had struggled publicly in recent months. SAPD confirmed that they had responded to at least 40 calls involving Joss’s residence since January 2024, ranging from mental health checks to neighborhood disturbances and a house fire. Yet between February and the fatal June incident, no additional calls were logged.

Despite these complexities, many neighbors expressed sadness over Joss’s death. One long-time resident told San Antonio News,

“He was just very loud, very loud. But we knew how he was… we wouldn’t disturb him. Even if he looked at us, talked mess to us, we just ignored him because we knew that’s how he was.”

For fans around the world, Joss will be remembered as a cultural icon who gave voice to underrepresented communities. His performances — rich, bold, and deeply human — left a mark on television history. His husband’s words paint a picture of a man who, despite personal struggles, deeply valued love, community, and legacy.

“He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get,” Tristan said. “Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.”

Joss’s death is currently under active investigation.

June 3, 2025 0

Moving company employee terminated after attacking trans woman in Nashville

*This is reported by WSMV 4. We have removed the repeated misuse of the word “allegedly” from the story.

A Nashville moving company has confirmed to WSMV4 that it has terminated one of its employees after a recent attack against a transgender woman.

Black Tie Moving released a statement on Monday confirming the employee’s termination and condemning the assault.

“We were made aware of an incident that took place over the weekend at a storage facility in Nashville, TN, involving one of our employees and another individual, a member of the LGBTQ+ community,” Black Tie Moving said. “Security footage captures a physical altercation that is deeply troubling and entirely unacceptable.”

Black Tie Moving added that the employee was immediately terminated and the company is fully cooperating with the Metro Nashville Police Department’s investigation into the incident.

Following the incident, MNPD confirmed that its Specialized Division is investigating the attack at the Extra Space Storage facility on Charlotte Avenue on Friday.

Extra Space Storage confirmed to WSMV4 that it’s turned over the security camera footage of the incident to police for the Specialized Division’s investigation.

“While the property has security features like video surveillance, cylinder locks, and coded doors and gates, we do not have on-site security. At the time, the store was staffed by a single employee,” the facility told WSMV4.

The victim also made the following post about the assault:

June 2, 2025 0

A trans teen is fleeing the country after enduring years of hate for being good at track

*This is reported by LGBTQ Nation.

A teenage trans athlete is fleeing the country with her mother after experiencing severe bullying and harassment by right-wing media, fellow athletes, and politicians.

11th grader Ada Gallagher currently runs on the girls’ track team at Portland, Oregon’s McDaniel High School. She first became part of the national debate over trans athletes in 2023 when she won the state championship in the 200-meter race. A report from that time said the crowd met her victory with a chorus of boos, a sentiment that quickly spread across the country as the anti-trans right got its hands on the story.

Gallagher, who now competes with a security guard by her side, has endured years of death threats and vile insults, and she has also been a focal point of conservative media outlets.

Most recently, a video of Gallagher winning a March 19 400-meter race in a landslide was shared widely among conservatives. She also won the 200-meter race at the same meet.

Prominent anti-trans activist Riley Gaines – who has built an entire career off of tying for 5th place with a trans athlete three years ago – shared the video on X and misgendered Gallagher, writing, “Does he have no shame? Do his PARENTS have no shame?”

Gallagher’s mother, Carolyn, was not able to celebrate her daughter’s win like any mother should, as she knew the hate it would bring. She told Oregon Live she thought, “I know the optics of this are going to be horrible.”

But she wished people understood that the meet consisted of a total of three schools and that neither of the other two had strong competitors in the race Gallagher won so easily. She also wished people knew that, despite what Fox News claimed, Gallagher did not set a season record in the 400-meter race and actually ran a massive five seconds slower than she did in the same event at state the previous year, where she got second place.

For as long as she could, Gallagher tried to rise above it all, to keep her head in the game and just do what she loves: run.

But it has finally become too much.

“When they call me a predator, that’s the worst one. I hate it so much,” Gallagher told Oregon Live.

Only six days after Gallagher’s victory in March, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights began investigating Portland Public Schools and the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), alleging the organizations are violating Title IX by allowing trans athletes to participate in sports on the teams that align with their gender (OSAA policy states it “endeavors to allow students to participate for the athletic or activity program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students”).

A statement from Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong in the wake of the lawsuit expressed a dedication to protecting vulnerable students.

“I stand firm in our legal responsibilities, and I deeply value every student’s right to be treated with dignity, safety, and respect. PPS is in full compliance with Oregon state law, which may differ from federal guidance. We are actively working with our legal and state partners to navigate this complex legal landscape.”

“While I am limited in what I can share at this time due to the sensitive nature of the matter and our duty to protect student privacy, I want to be clear: my commitment—and our district’s commitment—to doing what’s right for all students, especially those most vulnerable, remains unwavering.”

But Gallagher and her mother hope all the noise will quiet down once they leave for Canada, where Carolyn was born and raised, despite the fact that Gallagher is devastated to leave her team, her friends, and especially, her girlfriend.

As Oregon Live states, Gallagher “joined the track team last spring not because she believed she would win, not out of some desire to manipulate the system and compete where she could win, but because her friends urged her to. Because they wanted her there.”

Now the team captain, she says the team is “the only place where people really know me.”

“I think people think I want to be this spotlight for trans people,” she said. “Not at all. I just like running.”

While competing is what also leads her to endure all this hate, she said it all goes away during the 23 or so seconds she is running.

“You hear the feet around you hit the ground,” she said. “Senses are heightened. There’s nothing to think about, it’s just track.”

June 2, 2025 0

Democrats lash out as Texas Legislature bans school clubs that support gay teens

*This is reported by the Texas Tribune

Democrats took to the floor of the Texas House on Saturday to label a ban on clubs that support gay teens the work of “monsters” and to say the ban endangers children and strips them of their dignity.

The Democratic representatives grew emotional in opposition to a bill that would ban K-12 student clubs focused on sexuality and gender identity.

Senate Bill 12, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, won final legislative passage Saturday after lawmakers in both chambers adopted the conference committee reports that specifically clarified that schools will be banned from authorizing or sponsoring student clubs based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Backers proclaimed that the bill enshrines a parent’s rights and puts the parent not just at the table, but at the head of the table where the child’s best interests are decided. They also targeted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, claiming that they project ideologies on students and put too much focus on race, sexuality and gender identity instead of the quality of education.

Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, emphasized that these clubs exist because of a long history of oppression against the LGBTQ+ community. He warned against demonizing students and teachers for discussing gender and sexuality.

“The real monsters are not kids trying to figure out who they are,” Wu said during the House discussion. “The monsters are not the teachers who love them and encourage them and support them. They are not the books that provide them with some amount of comfort and information. The real monsters are here.”

Lawmakers shared personal stories about LGBTQ+ youth. Rep. Rafael Anchía said his daughter was a vice president of a pride club at her school. He stressed that these clubs “are no more about sex than 4-H or ROTC or the basketball team.”

“It wasn’t a sex club,” Anchía said. “They’d get together and they’d watch movies. They’d color. They’d go to musicals. It was about a kid who felt weird who found her people and everything about it was good. I don’t know why grown-ups in this body are so triggered with my daughter getting together with her classmates in a school-sponsored activity.”

Anchía also told the Texas Tribune he “didn’t sign up for five anti-LGBT bills this session.”

Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, shared her experience as a Black woman and a lesbian, saying she didn’t come out until the age of 50 because she knew “the world wasn’t safe.” She warned that banning LGBTQ+ clubs could worsen bullying.

“And we have the nerve to say that we care about mental health,” Jones said. “We’ve passed bill after bill about access to care, about youth suicide, about prevention and treatment. But this bill makes kids sicker, sadder, more alone. This bill doesn’t protect children. It endangers them. It doesn’t give parents more rights. It strips children of their dignity.”

SB 12 is often referred to as the “Parental Bill of Rights” because it claims to give parents more control over their children’s schools. But Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, addressed those who are “afraid that your kids or your grandkids might grow up queer,” warning that the bill could harm family relationships.

“Getting silence in schools from the LGBTQ community, which is what this bill is designed to do, will not stop your kids from being gay,” Zwiener said. “It will just make them afraid to come out. It will make them afraid to live their lives as their full selves. It will make them afraid to tell you when they figure out that they’re LGBTQ and it might damage your relationship with them forever.”

Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, argued that allowing religious organizations in schools but banning “clubs that allow students to be who they are, is a double standard that flies in the face of the principles you say you support.”

“An LGBTQ person can’t change who they are any more than the fact that I can’t change that I’m Black,” Collier said. “What you’re saying to students today is that you will be accepted as long as you are who we say you should be.”

If signed by the governor, the bill will become law on Sept. 1.

May 31, 2025 0

Texas Senate approves bill strictly defining man and woman based on reproductive organs

*This is reported by The Hill.

The Texas Senate has sent legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) that would strictly define genders across state law based on male and female reproductive organs — potentially creating new hurdles for transgender and intersex Texans whose gender identity would revert to the sex they were assigned at birth in state records.

Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday that the governor plans to approve the measure.

“The State of Texas recognizes only two sexes — male and female,” Mahaleris said. “Governor Abbott looks forward to reaffirming this universal truth and signing HB 229 into law.”

Supporters of the legislation said that it follows a directive Abbot issued earlier this year that state government in “Texas recognizes only two sexes — male and female.”

Abbott cited in the directive an executive order that President Trump signed shortly after his January inauguration that designates male and female as the only sexes recognized by the federal government and on a biological basis.

“All Texas agencies must ensure that agency rules, internal policies, employment practices, and other actions comply with the law and the biological reality that there are only two sexes—male and female,” Abbott wrote in his January letter to state agencies.

The latest Senate-approved bill, dubbed the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” defines sex as “an individual’s biological sex, either male or female.” Under the legislation, a woman or female is an “individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova” and a male or man is “someone whose reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.”

Additionally, it defines “mother” as “a parent of the female sex.”

Critics of the measure argue that the bill oversimplifies sex, gender and a broad spectrum of personal experiences.

“If a law forces non-binary Texans, who are real people, into categories that don’t reflect their lived experiences or identities … that would actually become discrimination in practice,” state Sen. José Menéndez (D) said during the floor debate on the bill before its passage. “That’s a concern that I have.”

State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R), who sponsored the bill, said that it would preserve women’s designated spaces, like restrooms and prisons, based on “biological reality.” He noted that it carries no criminal or civil penalties.

“For our entire history we never had to define this because common sense dictated we didn’t, but unfortunately, that seems to have changed,” he said in the floor debate.

Abbott has previously pushed back against past criticism for signing laws that target LGBTQ people. He approved legislation in 2023 and 2021 to bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls sports in Texas schools and colleges.

May 31, 2025 0

Trans man says he was detained after using women’s restroom in South Carolina

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Trans man says he was detained after using women’s restroom in South Carolina

Sand Dollar Social Club (left) and Luca Strobel

Anti-trans lawmakers want to force trans men to use the women’s restroom. Here’s what happened when one did.

*This is reported by The Advocate.

A 25-year-old South Carolina trans man has gone viral on TikTok, saying he was accosted in a bar by staff, called slurs, and detained by police after using the women’s restroom.

Luca Strobel, who posts under the Tiktok handle @FulltimeCowboy, said he had gone to pick up his friend, Caroline Frady, also 25, at Sand Dollar Social Club in Folly Beach on the night of Friday, May 16, to be her “sober ride” home.

After a lengthy drive to the bar, Strobel said he stepped inside to use the men’s room. However, there were no stalls—only urinals, rendering it inaccessible to him as a trans man.

At first, an employee warned both Strobel and his friend against entering the bathroom of the “opposite” sex, but after a brief back-and-forth, Strobel said he believed he had permission to do so. He also said he and Frady were the only two people in the restroom, which Frady confirmed to Erin in the Morning.

That’s when a man who said he was the bar owner burst into the women’s room, peering over the stall to look at Strobel as he used the restroom.

“They’re looking over the top of the stall at me without my clothes on,” Strobel said in the video. “They can fully see me naked other than me having my shirt on, and they just start screaming that there’s ‘a man’ in here.”

He said the owner and employee ejected him and his friend from the bar — grabbing and pushing them out as they reportedly called Strobel anti-trans slurs. The police were waiting at the door, Strobel said.

The officer cuffed him “so tight that I can’t even feel my fingers,” Strobel said. “I still have a bruise on my knuckle.” Meanwhile, his arresting officer allegedly kept calling him a “little girl.”

“We didn’t get booked, but we did get cuffed, and when we got to the station, we were asking a bunch of questions that they refused to answer,” Strobel said. “They just kept saying, ‘Take it up in court, take it up in court, take it up in court.’”

Sand Dollar Social Club could not be reached for comment. The Folly Beach Public Safety Department did not respond to a request for comment.

In a follow-up video, Strobel said he was released on $500 bond, hit with a trespass notice barring him from entering Sand Dollar Social Club, and issued a ticket for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Frady said she received the same.

In an interview with Erin in the Morning, Strobel emphasized that he had not consumed a single drink — he was there for the sole purpose of being the designated driver. He says officers did not breathalyze him.

There is no state law in South Carolina preventing a trans man (or any man) from using the women’s room in public accommodations, such as a bar. However, there has been an avalanche of anti-trans bills nationwide seeking such mandates, including in South Carolina, where lawmakers enacted a version of this policy targeting schools in 2024, and re-introduced it in 2025.

In other words, Strobel was using the bathroom that many conservative lawmakers and anti-trans pundits want to force him to use — and he got arrested anyway, seemingly because of the panic surrounding gendered bathrooms.

This kind of harassment is no stranger to trans and gender nonconforming people—in April, a trans girl in Florida was arrested for using the women’s bathroom in an act of protest against that state’s anti-trans bathroom bill. She washed her hands in the sink before being escorted out by police. In February, cisgender lesbian in Arizona made headlines after documenting her own experience having police interrogate her gender while she was using a women’s restroom.

Erin in the Morning’s 2025 anti-trans legislation risk map designates South Carolina as a “high risk” state to travel to. Last year, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster signed a trans-affirming health care ban for minors into law.

Strobel says he believes the bar staff knew he was trans because his shirt revealed his top surgery scars. Nonetheless, he said he refuses to “go stealth,” or hide his trans identity, because he believes that trans visibility in the South is important.

“Of course my safety is important to me, but at the end of the day, I want people to know that we exist,” Strobel told Erin in the Morning. “I want people to know that it’s OK, that just because you live here doesn’t mean that you can’t be who you are.”

On the other hand, Strobel said this recent incident has made him feel that he may no longer have a choice; that the risk of further transphobic violence is too great to remain. Strobel said he is raising funds to relocate somewhere that he can finally, after all these years, not just feel authentic, but be safe.

May 30, 2025 0

Trans Activism in Real Estate – LGBTQ REALTORS Discuss Red States ,Blue States and Better Countries

What happens when real estate meets resistance, advocacy, and identity? In this candid conversation, LGBTQ+ real estate professionals Callen Jones, Bob McCranie, Kimber Fox, and Leslie Wilson sit down to discuss the evolving challenges of being openly queer in an industry—and a country—facing political pushback.

🏳️‍🌈 Topics covered include: How anti-LGBTQ+ legislation affects clients and agents The role of advocacy in real estate Why “just doing business” isn’t neutral anymore Personal stories from the frontlines of inclusion in housing

📍 Whether you’re an agent, ally, or advocate, this video unpacks the real stakes of LGBTQ+ visibility in today’s market.

May 28, 2025 1

LGBTQ nursing home bill passes in Connecticut

*This is reported by the Hartford Courant

The fear includes having to hide who you are, if you become ill, or as you age in Connecticut.

Now, the state Senate passed legislation in a 26-10 vote that prohibits long-term care facilities and their staff from discriminating against residents including those in the LGBTQ+ community and also requires cultural competency training focused on residents who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or gender nonconforming or are living with HIV.

“This bill is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that Connecticut remains a place where seniors feel safe and respected as they age,” said Sen. Jan Hochadel, D-Meriden in a statement. “No one should fear being treated differently or unfairly based on who they are. This law will send a clear message that everyone in Connecticut deserves dignity and compassion in their later years.”

Several Republicans cited concerns with the bill, particularly about how cases of discrimination would be adjudicated, with Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, proposing an amendment to remove the DPH from the bill in being the final arbitrator of the penalties of facilities.

That amendment failed along party lines.

“The language that is included in here has an intent to politicize the notion of discrimination, almost like a DEI bill frankly,” said Sen. Rob Sampson R-Wolcott.

“Almost in an effort to try to dig us into the discussion about DEI once again and frankly I don’t want to go there. I am just as much against discrimination as anyone else is but to try and go ahead and create these training materials that will ultimately force people that work in these institutions to have to accommodate other people’s worldviews I think is offensive frankly,” he said. “The desire to impose penalties on facilities and maybe individuals because they participate in a training where they are exposed to different worldviews they disagree with and have them imposed upon them and adjust and respond to a woke understanding of the world is quite frightening frankly.”

Sen. John Kissel, R- Enfield, also spoke against the bill and his disappointment that the amendment failed.

“I have great concern when we turn too much power over to a commissioner,” he said. “We do not want discrimination. I got to be honest if I am dealing with some 85-year old woman that is in frail health and if she feels uncomfortable in a room because someone next to her is having a lifestyle choice that impedes and interferes with her quality of life, that is an interesting question. By this underlying bill we are saying we are always going to side with the person that is being overly expressive in asserting themselves in their sexual determinations.”

One couple hoping for the bill’s passage is Janet Peck and her wife, Carol Conklin. The couple faces a tough transition as they consider long-term care facilities for Conklin, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Peck said she is concerned that the couple, who celebrate 50 years together this September, will no longer be able to live openly, fearing discrimination at a long-term facility after hearing stories from friends in such facilities.

“We have never lived in the closet and we do not ever intend to and it would be pretty awful if (Carol) would have to feel she would have to do that and if I visit her that we would feel like we would have to hide that we are together,” she said.

But Peck said she has hopes for HB 6913.

“I think this bill helps to ensure that at least there is training for staff about LGBTQ+ cultural issues,” she said. “I think the biggest concern is that we would not be comfortable if staff is not trained. We would not be comfortable to be out.”

While transitioning Conklin to a long-term care facility is not immediate, Peck said it is not far fetched as she was diagnosed with cancer.

“Although I am doing well and hope to continue, it may be contrary to what we have been planning for if she outlives me,” she said. “My dying wish is that Carol would be able to get the care that she is due like anyone else and that people would understand that she is a lesbian and that she be treated respectfully.”

HB 6913 passed the House 124-19 on May 8 after the adoption of a bipartisan amendment negotiated by Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee. The amendment struck a provision stating a transgender patient has a right not to be refused a room due to gender identity and to not be forcibly transferred.

Peck said she was disappointed that the bill “got rid of the rights of trans people.”

Rep. MJ Shannon, D-Milford, a 24-year-old gay man, said during the debate on the bill in the House, another change included is that it broadly refers to prohibiting discrimination against anyone, not just those in the LGBTQ+ community as the bill was originally written.

“The biggest pushback was (questioning) why this certain group gets to have a special law made for them,” Shannon said, explaining that lawmakers could not get over that hump so they revised the language to include everyone.

Shannon said the bill is crucial, especially the training component. He said he has also heard about discrimination of LGBTQ+ individuals in long-term care facilities from Mairead Painter, the state’s long-term care ombudsman.

“As a young gay person I know that these folks in these facilities have literally been fighting their entire lives for equal rights and equal opportunities for themselves and now that they are at the end of their life they should be able to be an old person and be in a nursing home,” he said. “They are facing discrimination just because of who they are and that is just not right.”

Shannon continued: “It is important that our LGBTQ+ elders or anyone living in these homes be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve and they age the rest of their lives gracefully and without fear of anything.”

Painter told the Courant that the state’s long-term care ombudsman’s office was looking to see this bill passed in order to ensure that “individuals receiving long-term services and supports know that in a very forward way their rights will be protected if they are in these settings.

“We really want to see them have the opportunity to live their best life and be their authentic self,” she said.

Painter said her office has seen some cases related to discrimination, harassment and isolation faced by LGBTQ+ residents within skilled nursing facilities.

“We have not seen an increase in these cases but just the fact that they have come up and part of it is a lack of awareness on some individuals’ part,” she said. “With education, outreach and by ensuring that people know that they have these rights and are protected, we are hoping as a package all around it will support the ability for everyone to live a high-quality life with respect and dignity in a long-term care setting.”

She added that surrounding states have passed similar bills.

Matt Blinstrubas, executive director of Equality CT, cited nationwide reports of incidents of discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in skilled nursing facilities including incidents of isolation, shunning and misgendering of people.

“I have talked to couples who have had to go back in the closet effectively and are worried about what happens when one partner is in a facility and the other is visiting,” he said. “I have heard reports of trans folks being isolated by other residents and staff and I think in one case somebody actually left Connecticut and moved to a facility in New York City as a result of this. It is also a huge concern for same-sex couples where one partner needs to enter long-term care and (fear of discrimination) makes that decision difficult and complicated. There is palpable fear about how they might be treated.”

Blinstrubas continued: “This bill is a crucial step in providing the training and guidance necessary to providers to help them meet their needs and the needs of residents and to make sure nursing homes and long-term care facilities are welcoming to everybody.”

Waterbury Alderman Bilal Tajildeen, who also serves on the board of Equality CT, said he knows of cases of older adults in long-term care facilities in Waterbury that do not disclose that they are gay or lesbian because they fear discrimination.

He said the bill is critical.

“We are talking about a group of people, a specific age of older LGBTQ+ adults who have spent almost the majority of their life experiencing discrimination,” he said. “The challenge with long-term care facilities is you have so many employees that come from so many different lives and traditions that the risk of having a caretaker that has very adverse reactions to your lifestyle is actually quite high.”

Peck recalled a story of a friend whose partner was dying in a long-term care facility and told her partner not to show affection to her in the open.

“In the end state of an illness, you do not feel comfortable that your wife can show affection to you,” she said. “That should never happen.”

May 26, 2025 0

Hockey star kicked out of women’s restroom by ‘gender police’ who thought she was a man

*This is reported by Outsports.

Hockey star Madison Packer played in five All-Star Games and is the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier Hockey Federation, which was the forerunner to the National Women’s Hockey League.

Packer is widely recognized as an icon of women’s sports. Yet not for the first time, Packer recently found herself being misgendered as a result of gender policing she believes is escalating in line with heightened anti-trans rhetoric.

Two weeks ago, the 33-year-old posted an Instagram story to say that in late April she had been “forcibly removed” from a women’s bathroom stall in a Florida nightclub.

She was prompted to go public after learning of a woman who was kicked out of a Boston hotel bathroom, having been ordered by an attendant to “prove” she was female.

Packer, who spent eight seasons with the Metropolitan Riveters in the NWHL and PHF, wrote “sounds familiar” when sharing an article about the incident on social media.

She describes her own experience in Florida as “humiliating” and connects it directly to the ongoing discourse in society that suggests trans people pose a threat in women’s spaces.

“The entire bathroom situation is absurd,” Packer tells Outsports.

“The fear-mongering and outright propaganda we have perpetuated against the trans community in this country is pathetic.”

Packer says she had been with her wife and their friends at the club in Naples, Fla., when she left them to visit the restroom.

“Upon walking in, the female bathroom attendant several times said, ‘Sir sir,’ as to get my attention,” recalled Packer. “I am a cis female. I don’t respond to ‘sir.’”

During her playing days, the former power forward was a vocal leader on and off the ice, partnering with You Can Play on the organization’s LGBTQ advocacy initiatives.

She ignored the attendant and headed into a stall.

It was then that Packer felt the attendant pulling her backwards by the shoulder.

“Again, she addressed me as ‘sir’ and told me I was in the wrong bathroom. We proceeded to argue over the bathroom I was in until I showed her my driver’s license.”

In Florida, trans people are prohibited by law from using public bathrooms and gendered facilities that align with their gender identity in all government-owned buildings, including K-12 schools and colleges.

The law applies only to facilities run by the state, but there have been several reports of trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming people being challenged when using restrooms inside private businesses.

The Movement Advancement Project lists five other states — Arkansas, Montana, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming — as having passed bathroom bills similar to that of Florida.

For women like Packer, who in her own words is “masculine presenting,” the chances of being confronted in a restroom are by no means limited to certain states.

She says that a few years ago, she was also involved in a physical altercation with a male bouncer in the bathroom of a bar in Connecticut.

It’s natural for her to speak out about the damage done by gender policing. After announcing her retirement from hockey last November, Packer and her wife, Anya Battaglino, started a podcast called “These Packs Puck” in which they discuss queer parenthood and navigating life after pro sports.

Battaglino is also a former NWHL player. She came out as gay via an Outsports essay in 2018; the couple married the following year, and they now have two kids together.

On the latest episode, they talk about how being challenged in Florida left Packer “very upset” on what was, by coincidence, Lesbian Visibility Day. The couple had posted to Instagram to mark that awareness day, using an old photo taken in a Palm Springs restroom to make a point.

Anya wrote the caption: “Minding mine. (Wish the government would do the same).”

A little over a week later, Packer shared more details of her confrontation after reading online about what had happened in the Boston hotel.

In its reporting of that incident, CBS News quoted the executive director of PFLAG Greater Boston, Nina Selvaggio, who said: “For gender nonconforming lesbians, women in general, being harassed in public restrooms is a tale as old as time.

“I do think the surge in national anti-trans rhetoric is contributing to an increased policing of women’s bodies and their expression of gender.”

Packer told Outsports she agrees “wholeheartedly” with Selvaggio’s comments.

“I find it infuriating that we’re now going as far as to dictate or try to regulate what ‘female’ looks like.

“I’ve shared locker rooms and bathrooms with straight men, gay men, gay women, straight women, trans men, and trans women… I’ve never once had an altercation or inappropriate exchange with a trans person.

“I think we’re concerning ourselves with the wrong groups when it comes to restroom safety.”

May 21, 2025 0