President Trump‘s decision to target transgender care in a proclamation declaring April National Child Abuse Prevention Month “betrays” the month’s purpose, LGBTQ advocates said.
Why it matters: Framing the trans youth experience as “abuse” further stigmatizes an already vulnerable community, as the Trump administration tries to erase trans people from American life through policies limiting access tohealth care, careers, sports, education and more.
Driving the news: Trump’s Thursday proclamation singled out transgender care, labeling it a form of child abuse without acknowledging the most common risk factors for neglected or abused children.
“It is deeply disingenuous for Trump to use National Child Abuse Prevention Month as a platform to attack and stigmatize the trans community,” Ash Lazarus Orr, a spokesperson for Advocates for Trans Equality, told Axios.
Reality check: Gender-affirming care is supported as both medically appropriate and potentially life saving for children and adults by major medical associations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association.
Drugs like puberty blockers are temporary and reversible. They are given to trans youth and non-trans youth who experience early onset puberty.
What they’re saying: Trump’s proclamation “is vile and upsetting but importantly it is just a press release,” Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project said in a statement on Instagram.
“It does not change the law or direct any agency action. But it does continue to suggest that the government is moving towards efforts to explicitly criminalize trans life and support of trans people.”
“Using the language of ‘child protection’ to justify the oppression of trans youth betrays the very values this month is meant to uphold,” Orr said.
“Denying trans youth medical care won’t change who they are.”
“Supporting a child — regardless of their gender identity — is an act of love, period,” Jarred Keller, a Human Rights Campaign spokesperson, said.
“The idea that affirming a child’s gender identity constitutes something harmful is an insult to the parents who support their transgender children with compassion and understanding.”
Threat level: Trump wrote that “a stable family with loving parents” is a safeguard against child abuse, but most victims are abused by a parent, according to the National Children’s Alliance.
By the numbers: In 2022, a reported 434,000 perpetrators abused or neglected a child, per the alliance.
76% of children were victimized by a parent or legal guardian in substantiated child abuse cases, meaning that child protective services agencies determined that abuse or neglect occurred.
Zoom out: Trump in January signed an executive order to defund youth gender-affirming care and a separate one threatening funding for K-12 schools that accommodate transgender children.
American hostility toward trans people has prompted U.S. allies to issue travel advisories for trans travelers, warning them that they must designate one “sex” on their travel forms and it has to reflect the gender they were assigned at birth.
Alexei was married to a woman in Russia before fleeing both his marriage and the country for the safe haven of Argentina.
“[In Russia] there’s a lot of pressure to be in a relationship at a young age,” the 24-year-old dental student told the Herald. “I thought that being in a heterosexual marriage would stop people from asking so many questions.”
In recent years, Russians have emigrated to Argentina in droves to avoid conscription in the Russia-Ukraine war. Others, meanwhile, have fled a country that has grown increasingly hostile to its LGBTQ community under the authoritarian rule of President Vladimir Putin.
Over a period of weeks, the Herald spoke with several such emigrés about their experiences in Buenos Aires — and why they ultimately decided to abandon their native Russia. Because their sexual preferences and political views could violate Russian law against “illegal propaganda,” several asked to be identified exclusively by their first names.
“I’ve been dreaming of living in a gay-friendly country since I learned I was gay,” said Sergei Vakhrushev, a blogger based in Buenos Aires.
Vakhrushev was bullied relentlessly as a teenager in the small port city of Vladivostok and finally came out after moving to Moscow. Even then, he was only willing to tell a few close friends, as an adult.
Pride celebrations criminalized
As recently as 2010, conditions for the LGBTQ community in Russia were not significantly worse than in most western countries. But in 2013, Vladimir Putin signed into law a ban on the distribution of “propaganda” depicting “non-traditional sexual relationships” to minors. The ban’s definition of “propaganda” was purposefully ambiguous, which left a range of activities, from pride celebrations to public displays of affection, subject to criminal penalty.
In the years after the law went into effect, the government increased its attacks on LGBTQ representation in media and public affairs. As a result, hate crimes against queer people in Russia jumped drastically, with one study finding that attacks had tripled. For many in the LGBTQ community, going to the police was often not an option, as doing so was tantamount to confessing to a crime.
Like in other hostile societies, these persecuted groups have developed strategies to navigate Russia’s social and political pressures. But after Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many in the queer community felt a new urgency to leave the country.
One such Russian was Nika, 29. She was able to access hormone replacement therapy in Russia when she began her transition in 2019, legally changing her name to reflect her gender identity.
When the Russian government criminalized all gender-affirming healthcare in July 2023, Nika had been living in Argentina for over a year. And by the time Russia expanded its propaganda law to apply to anyone, regardless of age, she had already made a new life for herself in Buenos Aires. “They decided to search for new targets,” Nika said. Under the new law, “existing is propaganda.”
Like many queer Russian immigrants, Nika applied for asylum when she first arrived in Argentina. During the application process, which she described as “chaotic,” she knew few Russians with whom she could compare her experience. As more emigrés arrived and shared their stories, however, she found — and helped build — a community of her own.
‘I just wanted to hold hands’
Many queer Russian immigrants expressed surprise at the extent to which members of the LGBTQ community in Argentina could openly express themselves.
“I just wanted to hold hands with a man and not feel judged,” said Vitalii Panferov, a psychologist based in Buenos Aires. “Even in Moscow, I would only do that at night, where no one could see in the dark. When I got to Argentina, I saw so many gay couples holding hands freely.”
Vitalii initially moved to South Africa in October 2022 to get legally married. He and his partner moved to Buenos Aires the following January. They ended up initiating divorce proceedings later that year.
As he was going through this difficult process, Vitalii found a not-for-profit support group for LGBTQ people in abusive relationships run by a Russian psychologist. In Russia, such a service would be considered illegal.
In Vitalii’s telling, the group not only helped him get back on his feet but inspired him in his own psychological practice, which primarily consists of counseling gay men and couples.
Vakhrushev hopes to get married and raise a family — something that would have been impossible in Russia. In November 2023, he came out to his mother and sister, who still live in Vladivostok, after attending his first Pride march in Argentina.
“I knew I was safe here,” he said.
‘I feel good for the first time’
Kirill Dolgov found it impossible to be openly gay in Russia. A former employee of the Russian government, he told the Herald that he was forced to change careers after being repeatedly questioned about his sexuality. In 2022, Dolgov finally moved to Argentina, where he co-founded a marketing firm with a fellow Russian emigré.
“I feel good for the first time,” he said.
After living a “closed life” in Russia, Dolgov works to foster opportunities and social spaces for other queer Russian immigrants in Argentina by collaborating with fellow emigrés and hosting events.
He also manages a wine company, Bodegas Arte, which hires immigrant artists from Russia to design its labels, each drawing inspiration from Argentine culture. It doesn’t make much money, but he claims it has helped familiarize him with Latin American markets while supporting the Russian community.
In October, Bodegas Artes co-sponsored the queer film festival Side to Side at the LGBTQ cultural center Casa Brandon in the Villa Crespo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The festival was first held in St. Petersburg but has been barred from showing films in Russia since 2021.
Last year’s event marked the first of its kind held outside of Europe and offered films with Russian, English, and Spanish subtitles — as well as an opportunity for queer Russians to mingle with Argentina’s LGBTQ community.
“Queer expats will often turn to other queer expats because both have the experiences of being sexual dissidents and foreigners, in common,” explained Ryan Centner, a professor of urban geography at the London School of Economics who studies LGBTQ expatriate populations. “Queer expatriates often feel the most ease and trust with other queer people. You don’t have to explain or strategize in the same way that you likely would when engaging with someone who is not queer.”
Last year, Jeny, a 44-year-old art teacher, launched Feria DA! — a bazaar at the LGBTQ bar and social club Feliza in Almagro where queer Russian artists and small business owners can advertise and sell their products. As she told the Herald, many of its vendors are struggling to make ends meet amid the rising cost of living.
Jeny hopes to educate people not just about Russian arts and culture but about the diversity within the Russian immigrant population.
“There’s a problematic stereotype that all Russians in Argentina are rich,” she said.
Recent events at Feria DA! have included lesbian speed dating and queer tango, as well as sales of everything from Russian food to artisanal jewelry and ceramics.
‘I don’t want to go back into the closet’
On February 1, thousands took part in anti-fascist pride marches across Argentina and the West to protest Javier Milei’s attacks on the “LGBT agenda” at the 2025 World Economic Forum. While some Russian immigrants considered the comments harmless compared to the oppression they experienced in Russia, others expressed concern that the country that had provided them sanctuary was regressing.
When Max, 29, sought asylum in Argentina in January 2023, they discovered that they were able to indicate “other” on their application form. It was the first time that they had been able to identify as nonbinary in an official capacity.
Although they acknowledged that the 2023 elections in Argentina were democratic, Max admitted to the Herald that they sometimes feel as though they’ve left “one dictatorship for another.”
“We are not the kinds of refugees this government wants,” Max said. “Do we have the luxury of tolerating what’s happening in Argentina?”
Nika likewise noted that after escaping a ruthlessly anti-LGBTQ regime, “it feels like Groundhog Day. We are used to preparing for the worst. I don’t want to go back into the closet.”
“I see people scared or skeptical [about Milei’s comments], but we already lived it,” she added. “I want to share our experience.”
Here to stay
The LGBTQ Russian community in Buenos Aires largely organizes on Telegram, a messaging application commonly used in the Russian-speaking world. A single queer channel has well over 1,000 members.
Kirill described the group as one “big family” comprising people from many different backgrounds. Not everyone gets along all of the time — what community does? — but its members generally “want to help people with their troubles.”
Not long after his divorce, Panferov joined a Russian-Argentine choir in the hopes of making new friends. It was the first time he said that he didn’t feel judged by his fellow Russians for his sexuality.
“After living in Argentina for a while, you start to realize that it’s actually less normal to be judgmental,” he told the Herald. “That kind of judgment is not okay here.”
After escaping Russia a little over two years ago, Alexei started learning Spanish and immersing himself in his new home. “I never considered staying in my bubble,” he said, referring to the Russian immigrant community.
Even so, he is grateful for the support he received from fellow Russians in navigating the asylum process and finding work early on. He told the Herald that he invites fellow Russian queer people to his clinic for dental work as a way to practice and pay it forward.
“99% of the Russians I know [here] are gay,” he laughed. “We help each other however we can.”
Several European countries have updated their travel guidance for citizens visiting the U.S., including recent guidance for transgender and nonbinary travelers.
It’s common for countries to issue travel advisories or warnings for things like crime levels, terrorism threats, current conflicts, health concerns or natural disasters.
The U.S. issues its own travel advisories for Americans traveling abroad, but a number of other countries are doing the same for the U.S. These new advisories come as the Trump administration is tightening U.S. borders, cracking down on undocumented migrants and implementing a new federal policy to recognize male and female, rather than gender identity, as the only legitimate sexes.
Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany have also updated their travel guidance for their citizens planning to travel to the United States after several tourists were detained by U.S. immigration authorities in recent months.
Travelers from many European countries and the U.K. can travel to the U.S. for business or tourism and stay for up to 90 days without a visa under the Department of Homeland Security’s Visa Waiver Program. But several travelers from countries within the program — like Canada, Germany, the U.K. and France — have been stopped and detained by U.S. immigration authorities within recent months.
Here’s what has transpired.
Nations with LGBTQ advisories for the U.S.
President Trump signed an executive order in January that says the federal government only recognizes two biological sexes: male and female. Per that order, a visitor applying for a visa or an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) must declare their sex assigned at birth on the application forms.
European allies, including Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal, issued guidance that advises transgender and nonbinary travelers to contact the U.S. Embassy in their respective countries for more information on how to proceed if they wish to travel to the U.S.
Nations with other travel advisories for the U.S.
Canada
Recent tensions between the U.S. and Canada have risen over Trump’s trade war, not to mention his musings that he would make the northern ally the U.S.’s 51st state. Canada added new information under its U.S. travel advice page regarding the requirements for foreign nationals visiting for more than 30 days.
“Canadians and other foreign nationals visiting the United States for periods longer than 30 days must be registered with the United States Government. Failure to comply with the registration requirement could result in penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution,” according to the Canadian government’s website.
The rule, enforced starting April 11, comes as part of an executive order signed by Trump, which requires all visitors staying for 30 days or longer to register with the U.S. government.
Germany
Last month, Germany updated its guidelines for its citizens looking to travel to the U.S. The European nation is investigating the cases of three of its citizens being denied entry and placed into detention by U.S. immigration authorities.
“Neither a valid [ESTA] authorization nor a valid U.S. visa constitutes a right to entry into the USA,” according to a translation of the German Foreign Office website. “The final decision regarding entry is made by the U.S. border official. It is recommended that you bring proof of your return journey (e.g., flight booking) upon entry.”
The office also warns of potential legal consequences. “Criminal records in the United States, false information about the purpose of their stay, or even a slight overstay of their visa upon entry or exit can lead to arrest, detention, and deportation.”
Two German nationals were detained in January as they were separately trying to cross the San Ysidro border between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, the New York Times reported. They have since returned to Germany with their cases resolved. A third remaining case involves a German national — who is a legal permanent U.S. resident who received a green card residency permit in 2008 — who was detained by ICE at Boston International Airport on March 7. He is now being held at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, R.I., NBC News reported.
The United Kingdom
The U.K. Foreign Office has updated guidance on its website in recent weeks for its citizens traveling to the U.S. It currently states, “You should comply with all entry, visa and other conditions of entry. The authorities in the U.S. set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules.”
Archived versions of the same website did not include potential legal consequences at the beginning of February and only stated, “The authorities in the U.S. set and enforce entry rules,” Reuters reported.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not explain the reason for the change.
The update comes around the same time a British tourist said she was held for more than two weeks in Washington state. Becky Burke, a 28-year-old from Wales, was backpacking through North America when she was allegedly denied entry into Canada on Feb. 26 “due to an incorrect visa,” according to a Facebook post by her father, Paul Burke. She was subsequently denied reentry into the U.S. and was detained at a facility in Tacoma, Wash.
Burke had stayed with a host family in Oregon, where she performed chores in exchange for food and lodging. She was told she violated her visa even though she was never paid. Travelers using a temporary visitor visa cannot accept work or employment in the country. Burke was repatriated back to the U.K. on March 18, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
New Zealand
Last November, New Zealand updated its travel guidelines to the U.S. to “Exercise increased caution in the United States of America (US) due to the threat of terrorism (level 2 of 4).” The nation’s government travel website points to higher active shooter incidents and violent crime in the U.S. compared to New Zealand.
Trans icon Ts Madison has now opened a groundbreaking new initiative — dubbed as a “Starter House” — for trans women in Atlanta, GA, coinciding with 16th annual Transgender Day of Visibility. The trans advocate has partnered with NAESM, a historic Black HIV/AIDS organization, to launch a groundbreaking housing initiative aimed at supporting Black trans women engaged in sex work.
Located in Ts Madison’s former residence, the facility offers Black trans individuals access to safe housing, gender-affirming healthcare, economic opportunities, and holistic support.
The grand opening stirred deep emotions for the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge. “This morning I was having withdrawals because this is a big thing. Like, this is my house. I’m like, I’m giving my house to the community. That means people are going to be transitioning in and out and in and out of this house. I built a legacy here, but I’m still attached to this house. These are girls that are disenfranchised. These are girls that are homeless. These are girls that are trying to find another way in their life.”
The Ts Madison Starter House is part of A New Way of Life’s SAFE Housing Network, a global coalition of over 30 organizations focused on providing reentry support for women who have been incarcerated. Founded in 1998, the SAFE Housing Network aims to reduce incarceration rates in the U.S. by offering safe housing, assisting individuals in healing from the trauma of their experiences, and empowering them to take a leadership role in the movement to end mass incarceration.
Dominique Morgan, the Executive Director of the project, emphasized the importance of community support. “I think so many of us feel the fear of what’s happening in this climate, and so many folks feel like, oh my goodness, are we going to make it. And what today really symbolizes for me is that we have answers happening all over the place, and that we have the power to decide how we show up for each other.”
This facility will serve as a vital stepping stone for women, providing safe, affirming housing that prioritizes dignity and stability. To learn more and/or make a donation to the project, visit the official page for the Ts Madison Starter house.
For seven months, Red Oak ISD was a sanctuary for Rosalyn Sandri. She described it as a place where she pursued her lifelong dream of being a teacher.
But today, she’s no longer in the classroom.
Sandri, an English teacher, shared a video on TikTok talking about how her students had embraced her pronouns and showed respect by addressing her as “ma’am.”
“When I told them I changed my pronouns, they jumped right into it,” she said on Tuesday.
But Sandri said when the post was reposted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the account Libs of TikTok, it went viral, racking up 3.2 million views.
That’s when the backlash began.
Sandri said she began receiving death threats and hateful emails, even through her school email account.
“I got a notice that told me to eat a bullet,” she said.
The video also caught the attention of Texas State Representative Brian Harrison, who publicly called for her resignation.
“Schools are for education, not indoctrination,” Harrison said over Zoom on Tuesday.
“Teaching children, minors, that boys can become girls, and girls can become boys is at odds with objective reality. And the biological reality is that there are only two sexes,” said Harrison.
In a statement to WFAA, Red Oak ISD confirmed that Sandri resigned effective immediately on Monday, March 31.
“In light of recent attention, Red Oak High School English teacher Sandri has resigned, effective March 31, 2025. Any other information is a personnel matter, and we are not at liberty to discuss.”
Sandri said she felt she had no choice but to step away for her safety and the safety of the school and students.
“When I resigned, I felt like I was signing away my ability to teach in the state of Texas. I don’t know that another school will touch me now,” she said.
“Being a teacher is all I ever wanted to do since I was five years old,” she said.
Karma Yoakum had been part of a community of political activists in Texas for years. However, as the relentless tide of anti-trans legislation kept rising, it became clear that it was time for them to relocate, recover their energies, and take on a different role in the larger fight.
Finding a new home in the Pacific Northwest, Karma was able to do just that. But the road wasn’t without its challenges, and finding their new community required intention and perseverance once they had recovered a little bit of who they were by living in a state that wasn’t trying to persecute them for their existence.
As anti-trans sentiment and legislation have been on the rise across the United States in recent years, many trans and nonbinary people have made the difficult decision to flee red states. In moving to a bluer state, trans people are making a choice based on safety, but that doesn’t make it an easy choice. It means leaving behind a home and community you have built over years or your whole life because of the machinations of people who hate you. While a new state can fix a lot of problems, building a new community doesn’t happen overnight. The president’s re-election and the introduction of federal anti-trans bills have created a flashpoint for even more trans people to seek safer pastures in states that might protect them.
I wanted to understand the challenges and opportunities that trans people face when starting over and building a new community in a blue state. I spoke with four trans and nonbinary people who have relocated in the last six to twelve months. They shared the challenges, the successes, and advice for others who are considering relocating to a sanctuary state.
Why trans people are leaving their red state communities
Major relocations often happen around an institution, such as going to college or starting a new job. But moves like those come with some built-in community-building support.
Relocating as a refugee from a red state can be a more lonely affair. Most of the people I spoke with found that building a new community felt like work exacerbated by not having the same connections and support systems they had in the communities they left behind.
Clark Roman had been well-established in St. Louis. Both Clark and his boyfriend had owned their own houses and had a strong community of friends and chosen family in the city. But he says he saw the writing on the wall in 2023 when the Missouri attorney general enacted a de facto ban on trans hormones and trans healthcare that included adults. While his emergency rule was blocked by a judge and then withdrawn, the legislature went on to pass a gender-affirming care ban for trans youth. It was clear where things were headed, and Clark moved to Minneapolis a few months later.
Leaving behind a large community, both queer-centric and otherwise, Clark has found it hard to make more connections in his new city. At the center of it is the challenge of the modern age: balancing work and social life. “The honest truth is I have a very, very stressful job and I have not had the space in my life to build community the way I want.” He noted that it felt like he had to “treat building a new community as a second job.”
Karma also struggled to make connections when they first relocated from Texas to Washington state. After living in Texas for years, they reached a point where they found themselves saying, “I’m feeling scared and trapped and there’s absolutely nothing keeping me in Texas anymore.”
Karma moved 2,000 miles to Seattle but found a problem when they arrived. While their new home was more welcoming to the gender diverse, there was still culture shock to get over. “Where is everybody? I heard it was this wonderful panacea, a place where I would be welcomed. So, I looked around and I learned what the Seattle chill was. And it’s not a horrible thing, it’s just a difference in culture, because I’m used to southern culture.”
Chris (his name has been changed to protect his privacy) echoed Karma’s frustrations over Washington state’s laid-back attitude to building community. Like Clark, Chris was living in St. Louis, saw the anti-trans legislation in Missouri in 2023, and concluded that “living in Missouri as a trans human, [he] was at risk.” He made the move to Washington state in 2024 while watching the coming election without much hope.
While St. Louis had its flaws, Chris was leaving behind a lot of queer community and resources. He had worked with the St. Louis Metro Trans Umbrella Group for nearly 20 years, enjoyed events and meetups, and collected queer friends through meets at clubs, bars, and drag shows. But the same culture shock that Karma experienced has made it hard to build new connections: “It’s been honestly a huge struggle, much more than I anticipated.”
While it’s important to know that people are struggling with finding new communities in their new states, it’s not all doom and gloom. Clark and Chris have both been able to stay in touch with parts of their communities from before their moves through travel and online communication. While that’s not always the same, it’s a nice option to have. I also spoke with Mira Lazine – an LGBTQ Nation contributor – who relocated from Cincinnati to Minneapolis and had a different sort of experience.
While the Ohio governor vetoed HB 68, which banned gender-affirming care for minors, he then introduced care guidelines for the state. “These rules were basically going to amount to a total care ban for all adults in Ohio,” explained Mira. “And it even would include some aspects of conversion therapy and mental health treatment.”
It was time to relocate, and someone recommended Minneapolis. For Mira, finding a new community in this queer-friendly space came a lot easier.
“Within the first week of moving here, I went to a few coffee shops, and everyone, like the baristas, were trans, and they were recommending me support groups to join, discord servers I can join, like the whole nine yards. And it’s just been way easier to meet people and meet other queer people and form connections here.”
While Karma and Chris suffered from culture shock, Mira found herself among other transplants to the state who had their relocation in common: “Probably like 80% of the queer people I’ve met aren’t originally from Minnesota, so we’re all like, yeah, we need community, let’s build one.”
Finding new communities in blue states
All of the people that I spoke with had been in their new homes for less than a year. While there have been struggles, they have been able to find resources and spaces to start that community-building process and are in different places in their journeys.
Clark noted that his struggle to find community in Minneapolis is probably the biggest dissatisfaction in his life right now. But he can see a light at the end of the tunnel through some of the community spaces that he is attending. “The synagogue I go to is very open and trans-friendly. So that was helpful.” Clark is also looking at getting more involved with Transplants, a group for LGBTQ+ people who have relocated to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Chris has found that his work at a university in Washington provides some space for community building. “Their DEI office held a holiday event for, I guess, everyone, but the folks who showed up to that event were primarily queer folks and persons of color. And that was fantastic.”
Chris still faces challenges, even at the events. He told me that he has been going to meet-up groups, Portland Pride, the Ingersoll Gender Center, and more, but he wasn’t satisfied with the results. Chris suggested that part of that problem might be visibility: “I am stealth, so at my workplace, I’m not fully out [as trans]. Where I landed is sort of a purple city in a blue state. I’m typically able to pass as male and not be questioned at all, which is, is nice, but at the same time, it’s hard because I think visibility might help me connect with more queer people.”
For Karma, their initial struggles with community-building in Seattle began to bear fruit around the one-year mark. “I did the things that I’ve tried before, and I figured, if they’ve worked everywhere else, they ought to work here. Maybe it just takes a little longer. And yeah, that was it. It takes a little longer.”
Karma found that organizations were the key. They found like-minded people when they returned to playing music with the local band that is part of the LGBTQ+ band organization, Pride Bands Alliance, an international group that Karma has worked with since the 1990s. Similarly, local chapters of a national support network have provided success in community building: “PFLAG, all you have to do is show up to a meeting. There are people there that if you need a hug, they are instant family. And people that aren’t instant family are there because they want support.”
Karma also reached into her past in political activism and found that, post-move, they had the energy to continue in their new home. “The third place that I decided to get involved was the Gender Justice League. Dealing with legislation, dealing with victims of violence here in the Seattle area. So, supporting our community, advocating like crazy.” After months of struggling to find their people, Karma now finds that barely a day on their calendar doesn’t include a community event, a catch-up, or a coffee meet.
No regrets
Everyone’s experience with relocating to a bluer state will be unique. However, there was one ringing agreement amongst all the people that I spoke with: no regrets. When asked what advice they had for someone considering a move, Clark, Chris, Mira, and Karma all urged people to relocate if they felt it might help.
Clark grieves what he left behind but recognizes that it was the right call for him, and he’s going to keep trying to find his new community. “I think it’s dissatisfying at first. But it’s important to [show] up repeatedly because I think that repeated showing up [is] how I made my community originally in St. Louis.”
Chris echoed those sentiments, noting that he has no regrets and that it has been “completely worth it.” Watching recent election results come in wouldn’t have been fun anywhere, but he was glad to be in a safe space for it all “despite challenges and some loneliness.”
Karma isn’t even considering going back. “I would say do it. The relief that I felt by at least being in a community where I know that I’d no longer have to deal with local politics.”
“In Texas, the local politics were against me,” they said. “At least here, I know locally and statewide, my representatives really do represent everybody, and they have my back. And that has made so much a difference in my life.”
Florida state Republican lawmakers have advanced a bill that would allow public employees and state contractors to openly discriminate against LGBTQ+ co-workers without fear of punishment.
The so-called “Freedom of Conscience in the Workplace Act” (S.B. 440) would forbid public employers from requiring workers to use transgender people’s personal pronouns and forbid employers from punishing any employee for expressing “a belief in traditional or Biblical views of sexuality and marriage, or … gender ideology.”
The legislation would also remove “nonbinary” gender options from employment forms and forbid any entities from requiring workers to undergo LGBTQ+ cultural competence training. The bill would not apply to private employers.
“The bill really does promote government employees and contractors to harass transgender individuals by allowing them to intentionally misgender them by using disrespectful pronouns and having no consequences,” Florida state Sen. Kristen Arrington (D) said, according to Advocate. “And this is a license to discriminate free from accountability.”
The Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee initially declined to vote on the bill last week after receiving hundreds of comment cards opposing it. However, the committee ultimately voted 5-2 along party lines to advance it. It now heads to the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.
Florida resident Claudia Thomas, the first out gay commissioner of Sanford City, said the bill insults LGBTQ+ people like her and wastes government resources, Florida Politics reported.
“I would love to get back to trying to solve my city’s problems about water, clean water, housing, etc,” Thomas said. “And if I have to start wasting my time talking about pronouns and people not respecting my friends, it would make me sad.”
One bill would ban local governments from enacting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies (including any recognition of Pride Month) by defunding these initiatives and removing local officials who promote them. Another would prohibit any taxpayer funds from supporting DEI initiatives in state agencies, among state contractors, or grantees.
Yet another bill would ban Pride flags on government property, and another would restrict the ability of people under the age of 18 to seek reproductive healthcare without parental consent.
However, Democratic lawmakers have also introduced legislation that would formally repeal the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, repeal the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which forbids instruction on LGBTQ+ issues in K-12 schools, eliminate so-called “LGBTQ+ paníc defenses in queer-bashing criminal cases and restore parents’ rights to access gender-affirming care for trans kids.
Kentucky’s legislature has overridden Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill that allows conversion therapy to resume in the state and that bans Medicaid funds from being used for gender-affirming care, including for adults. Beshear also allowed a bill banning incarcerated people from receiving or continuing to receive publicly funded gender-affirming care to pass into law without his signature.
On Wednesday, the Kentucky House and Senate, which are both controlled by Republicans, voted to override Beshear’s veto of House Bill 495, per the Lexington Herald-Leader. The bill reverses the governor’s September 2024 executive order, which banned so-called conversion therapy from being practiced on youth in the state. Though HB 495 was originally only meant to roll back the ban on the harmful, discredited practice, the bill was additionally amended to add a ban on the use of Medicaid funds for gender-affirming care for trans adults, per the Herald-Leader. HB 495 has an emergency clause, meaning that it takes effect immediately. According to the Kentucky Lantern, the House voted to override the veto 78-20, and the Senate voted 31-6.
However, Beshear did not veto Senate Bill 2, which bans gender-affirming care for incarcerated trans people. At a press conference in December, Beshear stated that “convicted felons do not have the right to have any and all medical surgeries paid for entirely by tax dollars, especially when it would exceed the type of coverage available to law-abiding citizens in the private sector,” according to The Hill. As the publication noted, though, the state has never provided a gender-affirming surgery for an incarcerated person. Even so, gender-affirming care, including surgery, is medically necessary. As the ACLU’s Chase Strangio told Them in September, “Courts have consistently held that blanket denials of medical care, including medical treatment related to gender dysphoria, are unconstitutional,” since the denial of that care could violate the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
According to the Kentucky Lantern, there are only 67 trans people incarcerated in Kentucky prisons, all of whom will be forced to stop gender-affirming hormone therapy if that care is paid for with public funds. At a February hearing, Louisville psychologist Jacks Gilles testified against the bill, stating that stopping that care “will result in negative outcomes, including increased anxiety, disturbances in social and familial relationships, depression, suicidality and death,” according to the Lantern. “Gender-affirming medical care is not experimental, it’s not elective, and it’s not cosmetic,” Gilles said.
Beshear has previously been hailed as an outspoken advocate for the trans community. In a November 2024 op-ed for the New York Times, the governor pleaded with his fellow Democrats to not scapegoat trans people for the party’s loss. Though the legislature overrode his veto, in 2023 Beshear did attempt to put a stop to a wide-sweeping anti trans bill that banned minors from receiving gender-affirming care, prohibited trans kids from using the bathrooms that align with their identities at school, and banned discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in elementary schools.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Chris Hartman, the executive director of statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Fairness Campaign, called the passage of the bills “a sad day in Kentucky.”
“Two anti-LGBTQ+ bills will become law with devastating consequences for our community,” he said, calling both bills “cruel” and that they “have no place in our Commonwealth.”
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) has told the Uutissuomalainen news group that he considers it unlikely a proposal to ban conversion therapy will move forward during his government’s term in office.
Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to turn members of sexual minorities into heterosexuals using a variety of different methods. The practice is usually carried out by priests, pastoral care workers, youth workers and others in some conservative religious communities.
Among Finland’s coalition government’s parties, the ban was supported by the NCP and the Swedish People’s Party, while it was opposed by the Finns Party and the Christian Democrats.
“Since there is no government programme document about the matter, and government parties do not share a unified position about banning conversion therapy, I do not believe the matter will progress during this governmental term,” Orpo told Uutissuomalainen, according to the news group.
Justice Minister Leena Meri (Finns) said on Friday that the justice ministry does not have time to prepare legislation to ban conversion therapy, as there is a long list of projects listed in the government programme that are waiting to move forward.
Ohio’s “Parents’ Bill of Rights” won’t go into effect for two more weeks, but House Republicans are already proposing amendments, including one that would penalize districts that used students’ chosen names and pronouns without parent permission.
Reps. Jonathan Newman (R-Troy) and Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Township) introduced House Bill 190 on Monday, which would require public schools to have parent permission to refer to a student by a name or pronoun that differs from what is listed on their birth certificate. Schools that violate the “Given Name Act” would be denied state funding and open themselves to lawsuits.
“It’s to make sure that parents can exercise, reconstitute the right to control the upbringing of their children, even inside of school buildings,” Williams said.
The bill also bans public school employees or contractors from requiring students or staff to respect students’ chosen names or pronouns. Even with parent permission, schools would not be allowed to subject staff or students to “adverse action” for declining to use a student’s preferred name and pronouns.
Although students older than 18 could personally request to be addressed differently under HB 190, teachers could not. The proposed bill would ban school employees from sharing their pronouns or titles if they differ from what is listed on the employee’s personal birth certificate. Williams said requiring students to use teachers’ pronouns makes young students affirm that genders can be changed.
After Florida enacted a similar ban in 2023, the state faced lawsuits from transgender and gender variant teachers, including high school teacher Katie Wood. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that said the state’s ban on preferred pronouns violated Wood’s First Amendment rights, and a federal court heard oral arguments in October 2024. However, the court withdrew its interest in the case on Feb. 26, before a ruling was issued.
The law would not apply to derivatives, or generally accepted nicknames, of birth names. For instance, if director Spike Lee were an Ohio student, he could be called Shelton or Shel, from his given name Shelton Jackson Lee. However, he would need written permission to be called Spike under HB 190.
“We’ve got big problems and issues to deal with in our schools, in higher education,” Ohio House Minority Leader Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. “What we’re seeing and this sort of going back to pronouns and attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, it’s a distraction.”
The Given Name Act also establishes a complaint system through the Department of Education and Workforce. If the department determines a school district violated the law, the state would then withhold 10% of the school’s funding every month until the state determined they were now compliant. The bill also allows families to sue for monetary relief if a district or staff member knowingly violates it.
“There’s always discretionary funds that the Supreme Court has noted that we provide to school districts that we’re not constitutionally required to provide,” Williams said. “So that’s a funding mechanism that if school districts don’t want to comply with state law, there has to be some repercussions.”
HB 190 would update the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which will go into effect on April 9 and already requires schools to alert parents and guardians if a student requests to go by a name or pronoun that is different from what was assigned at birth.
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