A patient at Syracuse VA Medical Center died by an apparent suicide outside the top of the hospital’s parking garage Monday.
Witnesses said the person was wrapped in a body-length transgender pride flag.
The transgender veteran hanged themselves by jumping from the garage, according to a notification the VA gave government officials. The veteran had been discharged from the VA’s inpatient psychiatry unit on Jan. 21, according to the notification.
Passers-by spotted the body at the garage next to the hospital and across the street from Syracuse University’s JMA Wireless Dome at about 11:15 a.m. Monday. That day, syracuse.com reported that a body had been found.
Anne C. Bellows, a professor of food studies, said she was walking back to her office on the top floor of the Falk College building when she and other SU faculty saw the body.
She said the person was wrapped in a body-length flag that was light pink, light blue and white — which she confirmed to be the trans flag.
The Syracuse VA officials declined to answer questions from Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard about the death. A VA spokesperson issued a statement that only confirmed a veteran had died at the VA Monday. It said officials will not provide more details, citing respect to the veteran’s family and an ongoing investigation.
Several members of the SU community reported seeing the body Monday, according to a university community alert.
***
Do you have information about the incident Monday? Did you know the veteran and would like to share their story? Please contact Rylee Kirk at 315-396-5961 or rkirk@syracuse.com or Greta Stuckey at 484-379-7395 or gstuckey@syracuse.com.
***
Where to get help
If in crisis, help is available by calling, texting or chatting with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
For a Veteran specific crisis line dial 988 and press 1 or text 838255.
For a transgender-specific crisis line, call the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860.
For an LGBTQ+ specific crisis line call 866-488-7386 or text 678678.
Staff and patients at the Department of Veterans Affairs say impacts of Trump administration changes to the agency go beyond erasing diversity programs and affect care for LGBTQ patients.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to cut as many as 80,000 employees, which it says won’t affect healthcare or benefits. Still, VA staff and patients are concerned that a policy ending diversity programs will affect care for LGBTQ veterans. Here’s Steve Walsh with WHRO in Norfolk, Virginia.
STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: Mary Brinkmeyer put in her resignation after receiving emails from management in the wake of President Trump signing executive orders targeting DEI.
MARY BRINKMEYER: It was just a really upsetting and shocking change for me from feeling as if the program was supported to suddenly having people being told they have to take every Pride magnet out of their office. And it felt like that happened just overnight and without a lot of thought.
WALSH: Until recently, the psychologist was the LGBTQ+ veteran care coordinator for the Hampton VA. A few days after the inauguration, employees at her VA were told to take down any outward signs referencing LGBTQ veterans, including flyers printed by the VA.
BRINKMEYER: Less than 24 hours after everything had been taken out of the main hospital, I was speaking to a gay veteran who said, oh, I heard about how y’all took everything down. I guess that shows what they think of us.
WALSH: Rainbow-colored Pride lanyards, which say the VA serves all who serve, had been a strategy to make veterans feel safe. They were banned from the building, she says.
BRINKMEYER: A lot of LGBTQ veterans don’t feel safe coming to the VA because their experiences in the military were so unsafe.
WALSH: Brinkmeyer says she decided to resign when she said she was told to stop attending employee orientation. A large part of her job had been training other providers in ways to ask the right questions. A transformation is underway at the VA, but it’s unclear how large the change will be. VA Secretary Doug Collins announced the change to the VA’s flag policy.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DOUG COLLINS: For all of us who served in uniform, that American flag is on our uniform. It’s what unites us. So we’ve changed the policy. At the VA, you’re only going to see the American flag and the POW flag. That’s what’s going to be flying in front of our facilities.
WALSH: John Rogers with the Hampton VA says they are working to execute the executive order, and there will be no changes to services and benefits for veterans and VA beneficiaries until a formal order is issued. Banners and posters advertising the VA’s outreach for LGBTQ+ veterans came down very quickly at the Hampton VA in Virginia. Amanda Volk is a patient at the Hampton VA. She served under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 1995 and got out 18 months later after a sexual assault.
AMANDA VOLK: For those of us that lived through Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, we were there. We saw it. We marched. We fought. We thought we had our rights. And now it’s – you know, we’re back to the ’80s with people being scared.
WALSH: In New York state, one mental health practitioner says posters remain up at his VA, but he’s still seeing a chilling effect among veterans. NPR agreed to withhold his name as he fears retaliation.
UNIDENTIFIED HEALTH PRACTITIONER: I think, you know, veterans are kind of hesitant, and some veterans I know have decided they’re not willing to come in person. It’s more on the veteran side of things that there’s this uncertainty of kind of what care actually is going to look like.
WALSH: Adding to the tension, in late January, a transgender veteran killed themselves in the parking garage of the Syracuse VA Medical Center, wrapped in the transgender flag – an indication, he says, that this shift has a high potential to impact patient care at the VA.
For NPR News, I’m Steve Walsh.
MARTÍNEZ: If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Two public school districts and several parents have sued the state in a bid to undo anti-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people in Pennsylvania, saying that the two-year-old regulation is illegal because it goes beyond what lawmakers intended or allowed.
The lawsuit, filed in the statewide Commonwealth Court late Thursday, comes amid a debate in Pennsylvania and nationally over the rights of transgender high school athletes to compete in women’s sports.
If the lawsuit is successful, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission would no longer be able to investigate complaints about discrimination involving sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The plaintiffs’ lawyers also say a favorable ruling in court would bar transgender student athletes from competing in women’s high school sports in Pennsylvania.
The plaintiffs include two districts — South Side Area and Knoch, both in western Pennsylvania — and two Republican state lawmakers, Reps. Aaron Bernstine and Barbara Gleim, as well as three parents and seven students.
The lawsuit names Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, which investigates complaints about discrimination because of someone’s race, sex, religion, age or disability in housing, employment and public accommodations.
Shapiro’s office said it had no immediate comment Friday and the commission did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the lawsuit Friday.
The lawsuit is aimed at the definition of sex discrimination that the commission expanded by regulation to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
The regulation was approved in late 2022 by a separate regulatory gatekeeper agency, and it took effect in 2023.
The plaintiffs contend that the state Supreme Court has interpreted the term “sex” as used in the Pennsylvania Constitution to mean either male or female.
They also contend that the state Legislature never gave permission to the Human Relations Commission to write regulations expanding the legal definition of sex discrimination, making the regulation a violation of the Legislature’s constitutional authority over lawmaking.
The commission has justified the expanded definition by saying that state courts have held that Pennsylvania’s anti-discrimination laws are to be interpreted consistently with federal anti-discrimination law. The commission can negotiate settlements between parties or impose civil penalties, such as back pay or damages.
For years, Democratic lawmakers tried to change the law to add the terms sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to the portfolio of complaints that the Human Relations Commission could investigate. Every time, Republican lawmakers blocked the effort.
If you have a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of your sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity or other membership in a certain social group, you may be a refugee and have the right to protection in Sweden. This is stated in the Refugee Convention, Swedish law and EU rules.
Asylum application and rules
Persecution can be threats or violence against your life or health. It can also be about laws and regulations or people’s views that mean that you are subjected to serious violations because of your sexual orientation. It can be, for example, punishment or extensive discrimination such as not being able to go to school, choose a job or receive healthcare.
The right to express yourself and engage politically without fear of persecution regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation are also examples of what can give you the right to stay in Sweden.
It does not matter whether the persecution comes from the authorities of your home country or if your family or other people threaten you. The Swedish Migration Board will then investigate what could happen to you if you return to your home country in the future and whether the authorities there are unable or unwilling to protect you against the persecution that you say you are at risk of.
The Swedish Migration Board will register you as an asylum seeker with the name, date of birth and legal gender that appears on your identity documents. Swedish law does not allow us to register you with a different name, but if you wish to use a different address or pronoun, you should tell us so that we can make a note of this.
Investigation
When the Swedish Migration Board decides whether you need protection and can therefore be granted a residence permit in Sweden, an investigation will be carried out with you to understand what your life has been like and why you are afraid of returning to your home country. If the reason is your sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity, it is important that you tell us as early as possible.
The Swedish Migration Board knows that it can be difficult to tell someone you have never met about such things. It may even be the first time you have talked about it with someone and the boundaries of what feels personal and private are different for everyone. It is important that you still tell us as much as possible about all your reasons for asylum. The more details you can talk about, the better basis the Swedish Migration Board has for its decision. The investigator will also ask questions about your sexual orientation, your gender expression or gender identity, the thoughts and feelings you have had about it and your relationships with family, friends and the society you have lived in. We are bound by confidentiality and do not tell people who are not working on your case about what you tell us.
If you feel that the officer conducting your investigation does not understand what you are saying, or if you have information that the officer does not ask for, you must tell them as soon as possible. Do not wait until you have received a decision on your case.
You have the opportunity to express your gender preferences for the interpreter, caseworker and assistant so that you feel safe during the asylum process, and the Swedish Migration Board will then try to help you with your preferences. If you are over 18 years of age, you will meet your assistant and your caseworker alone without other co-applicants. You can request an assistant with special knowledge of the situation of LGBTQ people if you know of, or receive help in finding, such an assistant.
If you are under 18 years old
The Swedish Migration Board must listen to all children seeking asylum and find out whether the children need protection here. It is therefore important that you tell the Swedish Migration Board about your life in your home country and what you think would happen to you if you went back there. If you are under 18 and have guardians with you in Sweden, the Swedish Migration Board must ask them if we can talk to you without them being in the room. If you do not have your parents with you in Sweden, it is your guardian who decides whether we can talk to you alone. If you want to talk to your case officer without your parents or guardian, it is important that you say so.
The interpreter
Words and concepts in Swedish and your own language can mean different things. The most important thing is that you describe your own feelings and experiences and explain how they relate to why you are afraid.
If you do not understand the interpreter or if you think the interpreter may not be translating everything you say impartially, you should speak up. Also, keep in mind that the interpreter may not always know the specific words used to talk about sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. It may therefore be a good idea to also explain to the interpreter what the words you are using mean to you.
Accommodation
In most of the Swedish Migration Board’s accommodation, two or more people of the same gender share a room. The wait during the asylum process can make the accommodation situation stressful and conflicts can arise in the accommodation.
It is important that you tell us as soon as possible about what you need or if you feel unsafe where you live. If there are problems in the accommodation that you need help solving, you must tell us. Speak to the caseworker at the reception unit or the staff at the accommodation where you are registered.
Health
In some cities there are clinics for, for example, sexual health and counselling for specific target groups. Examples of target groups could be women, young people or LGBTQ people. Ask your caseworker for more information.
Voluntary organizations
You always have the right to contact voluntary organisations during the asylum process for advice and support. The more information you have about your rights and possible options, the better prepared you are for the different stages of the asylum process. RFSL is one such voluntary organisation that works for LGBTQ rights, providing special support and social meeting places for LGBTQ asylum seekers.
The City of Richmond has issued a joint statement standing in solidarity with a number of LGBTQ+ organizations. The statement, posted to the City’s official Instagram on Tuesday, is in response to a political climate that has challenged the protections of members of these communities.
This safe haven has since been disrupted by measures targeting the LGBTQ+ community, prompting the city to amplify their voices.
“They [the city] actually reached out to us and said, ‘How can we help?’” said James Millner, Pride Director of Diversity Richmond — the organization featured in the shared Instagram post. “We invited them to participate in the work that we’re doing to send a strong message to the community that Richmond is a welcoming and inclusive space for LGBTQ people, and it will remain so regardless of what is happening at other levels.”
While the statement does not name any specific legislation, it acknowledges that a coalition of LGBTQ+ organizations is working alongside the City of Richmond to advocate against “harmful policies.”
Recently, sweeping legislation has targeted LGBTQ+ protections — from an executive order banning transgender people from serving in the military to the suspension of certain gender affirming care.
“It’s no secret that the LGBTQ community is under attack,” said Millner.
The statement sets expectations for policymakers and highlights organizations that are taking action. Millner says the city’s bold stance and support are a step in the right direction.
“We are incredibly fortunate that we have a city government that recognizes us, sees the LGBTQ community, celebrates the LGBTQ community — that, in this particular environment, is an anomaly right now,” Millner said.
The statement did not mention any specific action, but Millner said there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes and that this is just the first step of their efforts.
The post ends with a call to action, encouraging people to stay engaged by advocating for LGBTQ+ protections and donating or volunteering with local LGBTQ+ organizations.
Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a GOP-led bill that would ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions.
The bill’s failure to advance highlights the limits of Republicans’ narrow margins in Congress, despite control of both chambers. The party still needs support from Democrats in the Senate for most legislation to clear a 60-vote threshold. The party line vote was 51-45.
The Senate vote comes as GOP-led states across the country continue to put forward anti-trans measures, including bills intended to keep transgender students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
Republicans put attacks over transgender issues front and center in competitive races during the last election cycle, including at the top of the ticket in the presidential race. In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s White House win, some Democrats have said their party must do more to address potential voter concerns.
The bill seeks to amend federal law to require that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” for the purpose of determining compliance with Title IX in athletics, according to the legislative text.
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities that receive funding from the federal government, and applies to schools and other educational institutions.
Republicans have argued that transgender women hold a physical advantage over cisgender women in sports and thus their participation could consequentially limit opportunities for others.
Democrats have said that policies to restrict transgender athletes’ participation in team sports adds to the discrimination that trans people face, particularly trans youth. And they argue that Republicans are seeking to undermine the rights of LGBTQ students by advancing the bill.
Senate Republicans have 53 seats. Typically, that would mean that at least seven Democrats would need to vote with Republicans to hit the 60-vote threshold to advance a bill subject to a filibuster.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa moved to remove gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code Thursday despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.
The Iowa House approved the bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, less than an hour after the state Senate backed the legislation. First introduced last week, the measure raced through the legislative process.
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates streamed into the Capitol rotunda on Thursday waving signs reading “Trans rights are human rights” and chanting slogans including “No hate in our state!” There was a heavy police presence, with state troopers stationed around the rotunda. Of the 167 people who signed up to testify at the public hearing before a House committee, all but 24 were opposed to the bill.
Protesters that watched the vote from the House gallery loudly booed and shouted “Shame!” as the House adjourned. Many admonished Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt, who floor managed the bill and delivered a fierce defense of it before it passed.
The bill would remove gender identity as a protected class from the state’s civil rights law and explicitly define female and male, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and “shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.”
The measure would be the first legislative action removing nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, said Logan Casey, director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank.
Supporters of the change say the current law incorrectly codified the idea that people can transition to another gender and granted transgender women access to spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that should be protected for people who were assigned female at birth.
The legislation now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has been supportive of efforts to limit gender identity protections.
The Iowa lawmakers’ actions came on the same day the Georgia House backed away from removing gender protections from the state’s hate crimes law, which was passed in 2020 after the death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Iowa’s current civil rights law protects against discrimination based on race, color, creed, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability status.
Sexual orientation and gender identity were not originally included in the state’s Civil Rights Act of 1965. They were added by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2007, also with the support of about a dozen Republicans across the two chambers.
Iowa Republicans say their changes are intended to reinforce the state’s ban on sports participation and public bathroom access for transgender students. If approved, the bill would go to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who signed those policies into law. A spokesperson for Reynolds declined to comment on whether she would sign the bill.
V Fixmer-Oraiz, a county supervisor in eastern Johnson County, was the first to testify against the bill at the public hearing. A trans Iowan, they said they have faced their “fair share of discrimination” already and worried that the bill will expose trans Iowans to even more.
“Is it not the role of government to affirm rather than to deny law-abiding citizens their inalienable rights?” Fixmer-Oraiz said. “The people of Iowa deserve better.”
Among those speaking in support of the bill was Shellie Flockhart of Dallas Center, who said she is in favor as a woman and a mother, a “defender of women’s rights” and someone “who believes in the truth of God’s creation.”
“Identity does not change biology,” Flockhart said.
About half of U.S. states include gender identity in their civil rights code to protect against discrimination in housing and public places, such as stores or restaurants, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Some additional states do not explicitly protect against such discrimination but it is included in legal interpretations of statutes.
Iowa’s Supreme Court has expressly rejected the argument that discrimination based on sex includes discrimination based on gender identity.
Several Republican-led legislatures are also pushing to enact more laws this year creating legal definitions of male and female based on the reproductive organs at birth following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
*This is being reported by the AP on WFMY2’s website.
The military services have 30 days to figure out how they will seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force — a daunting task that may end up relying on troops self-reporting or tattling on their colleagues.
A memo sent to Defense Department leaders on Thursday — after the Pentagon filed it late Wednesday as part of a response to a lawsuit — orders the services to set up procedures to identify troops diagnosed with or being treated for gender dysphoria by March 26. They will then have 30 days to begin removing those troops from service.
The order expands on the executive order signed by President Donald Trump during his early days in office setting out steps toward banning transgender individuals from serving in the military. The directive has been challenged in court.
A senior defense official said Thursday they believe there are about 4,200 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria currently serving in the active duty, National Guard and Reserves.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues, said that between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million.
There are about 2.1 million troops serving.
However, the issue has taken up a large part of the Pentagon’s attention and time as Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth work to root them out, arguing that their medical condition doesn’t meet military standards.
The order expands on the executive order signed by President Donald Trump during his early days in office setting out steps toward banning transgender individuals from serving in the military. The directive has been challenged in court.
A senior defense official said Thursday they believe there are about 4,200 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria currently serving in the active duty, National Guard and Reserves.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues, said that between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million.
There are about 2.1 million troops serving.
However, the issue has taken up a large part of the Pentagon’s attention and time as Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth work to root them out, arguing that their medical condition doesn’t meet military standards.
Sarah Warbelow, vice president for legal affairs for the Human Rights Campaign, said the new policy puts service members in a difficult position and pushes transgender troops to self-identify.
“All of a sudden, you are going to be required to out yourself. Other people are going to be required to out you,” Warbelow said. “If you’ve got a best friend in the military who happens to know that you are transgender, under this new guidance they’re required — if you are a woman who is transgender — they’re required to start referring to you as ‘he’ and ‘sir,’ as of today.”
Troops are put in the position of having to choose “between the safety of their friends and violating direct orders,” Warbelow said, adding that transgender service members may feel pressure to self-identify, knowing that they may be penalized by not coming forward.
On Thursday, U.S. officials said early rough numbers suggest about 600 transgender troops can be quickly identified in the Navy, between 300 and 500 in the Army and fewer than 50 in the Marine Corps. Officials said individuals could, for example, be identified by documented medical treatments, and acknowledged those numbers are likely to increase.
Other numbers were not available, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.
The officials noted, however, that the early numbers likely fall short of actual totals because some service members may have joined the service after any transition and may not have had medical or surgical procedures that could identify them. And officials also have warned that they may be limited by health privacy laws on what they can and can’t discern or report from records.
A 2018 independent study by the Palm Center, which researched LGBTQ issues, assessed there were an estimated 14,000 transgender troops among the more than 2 million troops serving.
The new Pentagon policy provides two exceptions: if transgender personnel who seek to enlist can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, can prove they support a specific warfighting need and never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex “without clinically significant distress.”
Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s biological sex does not match up with their gender identity.
If a waiver is issued, the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called “Sir” or “Ma’am.”
Warbelow said transgender troops should wait for additional clarity from the service and their commanding officers before doing anything that would affect their military service — also noting that ongoing court cases could affect the policy.
Trump tried to ban transgender troops from serving during his first term, but the issue ended up mired in lawsuits until former President Joe Biden was elected and overturned the ban.
First year freshman Texas state house representative Brent Money (R-Greenville) filed House Bill 3399 on Wednesday which would ultimately ban all gender transitioning procedures in the state of Texas, regardless of age of the patient.
The section of the bill that would prohibit doctors from providing this care to adults is written in this section:
Sec. 161.702. PROHIBITED PROVISION OF GENDER TRANSITIONING OR GENDER REASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES AND TREATMENTS [TO CERTAIN CHILDREN]. For the purpose of transitioning a person’s [child’s] biological sex as determined by the sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous profiles of the person [child] or affirming the person’s [child’s] perception of the person’s [child’s] sex if that perception is inconsistent with the person’s [child’s] biological sex, a physician or health care provider may not knowingly: (1) perform a surgery that sterilizes the person [child], including: (A) castration; (B) vasectomy; (C) hysterectomy; (D) oophorectomy; (E) metoidioplasty; (F) orchiectomy; (G) penectomy; (H) phalloplasty; and (I) vaginoplasty; (2) perform a mastectomy; (3) provide, prescribe, administer, or dispense any of the following prescription drugs that induce transient or permanent infertility: (A) puberty suppression or blocking prescription drugs to stop or delay normal puberty; (B) supraphysiologic doses of testosterone to females; or (C) supraphysiologic doses of estrogen to males; or (4) remove any otherwise healthy or non-diseased body part or tissue.
Did you think this was all about protecting the children? Of course not. They are coming for you, regardless of whether you are a grown adult or not.
The one glimmer of hope in this situation is that bills filed by freshman state reps in Texas typically do not making anywhere close to the floor for a vote. It would be a rare case if it did, and at this time there are also no co-authors to the bill. This meant he’s out on a limb on his own with this legislation. It may be a red meat attention getter for his constituents and the GOP at large.
fleeredstates.blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.