The Advocate

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U.S. Reaches All-Time High in Out Elected Officials, and They’re Ready to Fight Back

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At a time of record anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at the state level and attacks from other government officials, there’s also some good news: LGBTQ+ people are serving in elected office in record numbers, and they’re helping to counter the hate.

The number of out LGBTQ+ elected officials in the U.S. increased by 68 percent over the past five years, rising from 698 to 1,174, according to a new report from the LGBTQ Victory Institute, the educational and training arm of the LGBTQ Victory Fund. This was helped along by rainbow waves in recent elections.

“In 2018, LGBTQ+ people hit the campaign trail in record-breaking numbers — and with their victories, ensured 2019 saw the highest levels of LGBTQ+ representation in U.S. government at that time,” says the report, “Leading Out Loud.” “The numbers have only risen since this inaugural Rainbow Wave. More out candidates have hit the campaign trail since. And they’ve kept winning, shattering rainbow ceilings across the country.” At least 436 out candidates,almost all Democrats, won their races in the 2022 midterm election.

“Not only are more LGBTQ+ people serving in office than ever before, they are more unified, determined and diverse than ever,” the report notes. They are indeed diverse in many ways.

LGBTQ+ elected officials are more racially diverse than ever. The proportion of LGBTQ+ people of color serving in the U.S. increased from 22 percent in 2019 to 32 percent in 2023, according to Victory Institute. Examples, pictured above, include 2022 winners U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (far left), who was born in Peru and is the first out gay immigrant in Congress; Connecticut Treasurer Erick Russell (second from left), a gay man who is the first Black LGBTQ+ person to be elected to a statewide office in the U.S.; and Minnesota State Rep. Alicia Kozlowski (third from left), a Two-Spirit person who is of Indigenous and Latinx heritage.

Women from the LGBTQ+ community have made great progress as well. They saw a saw a 60 percent increase in representation, rising in number from 287 to 459 over the period covered by the report. Among those elected in 2022 are U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (pictured, far right), a lesbian who is the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress, and the nation’s first two out lesbian governors, Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Tina Kotek of Oregon.

LGBTQ+ elected officials are more gender-diverse than ever. Representation for nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people increased by 300 percent over the past five years, according to the report. Representation for transgender women increased by 173 percent and for trans men by 80 percent. Examples include Kozlowski, who is nonbinary, and Minnesota House colleague Leigh Finke, a trans woman who was also elected in 2022, making them the first nonbinary and trans people in Minnesota’s legislature. Montana also elected its first trans and nonbinary state representatives in 2022 — Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell, respectively.

LGBTQ+ elected officials are more diverse in terms of sexual orientation too, with queer, bisexual, and pansexual representation growing more than 200 percent since 2019.

The increase in representation goes across all levels of government. There are 13 out LGBTQ+ members of Congress now, the most ever, and many of them are countering the far right’s attack on the LGBTQ+ community and all things progressive. Garcia, for instance, is making good on his promise to be a thorn in the side of Republican Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert.

State legislatures saw historic increases too. The number of out LGBTQ+ state lawmakers increased by 55 percent, from 147 in 2019 to a record 228 in 2023. They are fighting back against anti-LGBTQ+ moves as well. Minnesota’s Finke, for example, is behind legislation to make the state a sanctuary for trans youth seeking gender-affirming care that they can’t get in their home states. Among states banning such care is neighboring South Dakota, but its first out gay male legislator, Kameron Nelson, spoke out against it, calling it “reprehensible.”

LGBTQ+ representation in local government saw the greatest increase since 2019. It increased by 83 percent, from 394 to 721.

“The momentum of the LGBTQ+ community’s political power has not gone untested,” the report notes “Bigoted legislators, who detest growing LGBTQ+ acceptance and representation, are unleashing an agenda of hate that would push our community backwards. These attacks, however, have lit a fire under the LGBTQ+ community, inspiring more LGBTQ+ people to run.

“These record-breaking numbers signify progress is still very much possible, and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute remains committed to supporting LGBTQ+ leaders called to public service. Because we will not — cannot — stop until we achieve equitable representation. Our rights depend on it.”

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Elon Musk Called Out as Anti-LGBTQ+ Slurs Rise on Twitter

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U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff and Mark Takano, both Democrats from California, Tuesday called on Twitter CEO Elon Musk to address the rise in hate speech, including anti-LGBTQ+ speech, on the platform since he took it over last fall.

They cited a study from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, also released Tuesday, that notes the volume of tweets characterizing LGBTQ+ people as “groomers” has increased 119 percent since Musk assumed control October 27.

“New studies have demonstrated, once again, that hate speech has dramatically increased on the platform. As a result of these studies, we have new data showing that Twitter is not adequately or consistently acting on the hate speech on the platform,” Schiff and Takano wrote in a letter to Musk.

The congressmen had written to Musk in December, “after multiple reports came out demonstrating that since late October, when you initiated numerous layoffs and changes at the company, hate speech has dramatically increased on Twitter,” they stated in the new letter. Musk responded by tweeting that one of them had a brain that “was too small.”

In the first letter, they cited particularly the rise in anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ+ speech. Some of it, in addition to racist speech, has been directed at them; Schiff is Jewish, and Takano is gay and Asian American.

“Unfortunately, our letter was only met with open hostility and a false public attack that did not provide the requested data,” they wrote Tuesday. “Your various tweets to our offices included a decrease in hate speech was followed by massive amounts of antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ comments and threats against us on both of our Twitter accounts.”

The two lawmakers said they are writing again following new data available that contradicts Musk’s comments that hate speech is decreasing on the platform. Schiff and Takano cite research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which found that anti-Semitic tweets had increased by over 106 percent.

“Additionally, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) released a new study today, which shows there was a 119% increase in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and slurs on the platform under your leadership,” they wrote. “This follows a February study from CCDH which demonstrated the harms that you have brought to the platform by reinstating tens of thousands of accounts that were espousing antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ, bigoted, misogynistic, and racist ideologies. Most notably they found that just ten of those hateful accounts have accumulated over 2.5 billion impressions on Twitter since December.”

Schiff and Takano’s letter references the CCDH’s findings that Twitter will gain $6.4 million each year from advertising revenue by just reinstating five accounts known for their anti-LGBTQ+ content. 

Those five are Libs of TikTok, Gays Against Groomers, Chris Rufo, James Lindsay, and Tim Pool. The first three “were named by the Anti-Defamation League in its list of the top Online Amplifiers of Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism,” according to a CCDH press release. Lindsay is known for popularizing the phrase “OK groomer” and was banned from Twitter before Musk’s takeover. Pool was cited by watchdog group Media Matters for appearing to blame the victims of the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub shooting and for spreading anti-transgender propaganda.

Schiff and Takano’s letter asks Musk what steps he’s going to take to address hate speech and when; if he has a plan to increase safety for users, particularly those who are LGBTQ+ or Jewish; and how Twitter enforces content moderation and if it will share that process with the public.

In the CCDH press release, CEO Imran Ahmed said, “Hate-filled lies about LGBTQ+ people are spread online to dehumanize fellow citizens and whip up fear purely based on whom they love or how they identify, and is mirrored by an alarming rise in real-world violence. This isn’t an accident. Elon Musk put up the ‘Bat Signal’ to homophobes, transphobes, racists and all manner of disinformation actors, encouraging them to flood onto Twitter. Not only has Musk’s ownership of the platform coincided with an explosion of the hateful ‘grooming’ narrative, but Twitter is monetizing hate at an unprecedented rate.”

Ahmed added: “Twitter must decide if they believe in the fundamental rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people, or if they want to continue profiting from and normalizing hate. They cannot do both.”

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ rights organization, also slammed Twitter over CCDH’s findings. 

Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president, programs, research, and training said in a statement that the U.S. is facing “a surge of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks as extremists continue to traffic in dangerous disinformation about our community.”

“These threats have caused a rise in verbal and physical abuse, with nearly one-in-five of any type of hate crime being motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias — with a continued epidemic of fatal violence facing transgender people, particularly Black transgender women,” Brown said. “Social media platforms have a responsibility to their users to create a space where the exchange of opposing ideas does not result in physical harm, or discriminatory legislation.”

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ACT UP and GLAAD Protest Simon & Schuster’s ‘Denialist’ HIV Book

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Protesters organized by GLAAD and ACT UP New York demonstrated Monday at Simon & Schuster’s headquarters in Manhattan to demand that the publisher cease distributing a book that questions if HIV causes AIDS.

The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All by Rebecca Culshaw is coming out Tuesday from Skyhorse Publishing, a distribution client of Simon & Schuster. That means Simon & Schuster is responsible for shipping the book and other functions.

An open letter led by ACT UP NY and signed by more than 500 organizations and individuals was delivered to Simon & Schuster last week. It’s addressed to the company’s president and CEO, Jonathan Karp.

“In the midst of coexisting pandemics and public health outbreaks, we know the dire and deadly consequences of spreading misinformation and denialism,” it reads in part. “It is disappointing that a book like Culshaw’s is on a roster of your releases in 2023, but you still have a chance to reverse this decision. We are asking you to reconsider this book deal and stop its distribution.

“The thesis of Culshaw’s book is that HIV does not conclusively cause AIDS, but that this was a ‘mistake’ made in the 1980s and never amended or corrected. To the contrary, that HIV causes AIDS was demonstrated first in the 1980s, when the virus was discovered, and subsequently research has only strengthened that causal link in the subsequent decades, including via in vitro systems, in animal models, including non-human primates, via molecular phylogenetics, and in human samples. Research has shown conclusively that misinformation and denialism do material harm to HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and treatment.”

For instance, the letter notes, there is great reluctance among Black Americans to use HIV prevention medication in a strategy known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. “While 67 percent of white people recommended for PrEP have access to the drug, astonishingly, only 8 percent of Black people eligible – who also disproportionately make up a majority of new HIV transmissions – are currently using the medication,” it says.

Culshaw has authored other works that ACT UP calls denialist, including the 2007 book Science Sold Out: Does HIV Really Cause AIDS? and the 2006 paper “Mathematical Modeling of AIDS Progression: Limitations, Expectations, and Future Directions.”

The letter demands that Simon & Schuster end plans to distribute the book, assess the public health impact of other planned releases, and “create a public health working group to assure community members that this will not happen again.”

“It is unimaginable that Simon & Schuster, one of the largest and most respected publishing companies in America, would distribute a book by an author with a history of spreading false and scientifically disproven beliefs regarding HIV,” said a statement from Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD. “In an era where misinformation spreads faster than truth, Rebecca V. Culshaw’s rhetoric has the potential to result in devastating consequences for people living with HIV. While HIV is now manageable, it is still an epidemic, particularly in the South, where racism, homophobia, HIV stigma, and the lack of access to high-quality healthcare continue to fuel an HIV crisis in communities of color. With the release of Culshaw’s book, Simon & Schuster is choosing profit over public health in an alarming partnership that should concern us all.”

“Research has shown conclusively that misinformation and denialism do material harm to HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and treatment,” said a statement from ACT UP NY. “As a major publishing house, Simon & Schuster has a duty to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS misinformation and denialism. Every occurrence adds needless life to an epidemic that has persisted for far too long.”

As part of the protest, messages from ACT UP NY are being displayed all day on a billboard truck outside Simon & Schuster headquarters.

A Simon & Schuster representative toldSalonthat the company has no say in Skyhorse’s editorial decisions and cannot choose to distribute certain titles and not others.

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Minnesota Hopes to Become Refuge for Trans Minors Seeking Health Care

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Minnesota is advancing a bill to make the state a refuge for transgender youth seeking gender-affirming care and for their supportive parents.

The state’s House of Representatives Friday approved House File 146, which “would prevent state courts or officials from complying with child removal requests, extraditions, arrests or subpoenas related to gender-affirming health care that a person receives in Minnesota,” as explained by Minnesota Public Radio.

The bill passed by a vote of 68-62 after debate that stretched from Thursday night to early Friday morning. It now goes to the Senate. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, has promised to sign it if it reaches his desk.

Walz recently issued an executive order protecting gender-affirming care in Minnesota and barring state agencies from cooperating with out-of-state officials seeking to prevent or penalize such care. But it’s important to also write that into law, said its sponsor, Rep. Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first out transgender state legislator.

“It’s just absolutely crucial that we keep doing this work to build these protections and not worry about what could happen in the future. We need a law behind it,” she told reporters Thursday, according to TV station WCCO.

“In the staggering rise of anti-transgender and anti-LGBTQIA2S+ legislation by extremist Republicans, Minnesota is a beacon of hope for trans and gender-expansive children and their families,” she noted. “The passing of the trans refuge bill will send a strong message to the trans community that they are loved, supported, and protected here in our state.”

California has passed similar “refuge” legislation, while some other states have outlawed most or all gender-affirming care for trans minors, including South Dakota and Iowa, both of which border Minnesota. Others that have banned or restricted it through legislation are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah. Florida has put a ban in place through its medical boards and is considering a bill for an even stricter measure. The Alabamaand Arkansas bans are temporarily blocked by court action. Bans are pending in several other states.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has vetoed a bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, limit school instruction on LGBTQ+ issues, and allow outing of LGBTQ+ students, but the Republican-controlled legislature could override his veto.

Minnesota is advancing several other measures to protect trans people, WCCO reports. A House committee has OK’d a bill that would add gender identity and expression to the state’s hate-crimes law. Another bill pending in the legislature would amend Minnesota’s constitution to guarantee equality under the law regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin. If legislators pass it, it would go to voters for final approval.

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NASCAR Racer Zach Herrin Wears His Gay Identity Proudly

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When out NASCAR driver Zach Herrin recently returned to the track after a 10-year absence, corporations weren’t exactly knocking down his door to slap their logos on his racing suit. Even though his team has conversations “all day, all week, every month, all throughout the year” with various brands, they were constantly told Herrin doesn’t “fit” within the multimillion dollar marketing budgets of the companies.

This challenge wasn’t new for Herrin — auto racing isn’t known as the most inclusive of sports. Still, Herrin loves racing after being “practically raised on the track” and managed to turn a weekend hobby with his father into a career. Herrin also wanted to emulate his big brother, Josh, who became one of the few Americans to have competed in MotoGP’s Moto2 World Championships at a professional level.

“I was able to follow in [Josh’s] footsteps to determine what it would take to get to these levels,” Herrin says. “And my parents knew what it would take, as well, which ultimately led me to achieve that goal to start racing professionally at 16.”

Not long after taking the leap into the professional world, however, Herrin couldn’t deny there was “something different” about him, and something he’d never allowed himself to focus on while he’d kept his sights on his racing goals.

“I had this part of my identity that I was just kind of pushing to the side,” he said. “The motorsports industry can be pretty one sided at times, not very welcoming to all topics of gender, religion, sexuality, whatever it may be. It’s pretty much, ‘This is it, this is what motorsports is and what it’s supposed to be. If you don’t fit in, get out.’”

Although he’s long known NASCAR and its fans skew very conservative, Herrin slowly realized he wasn’t compatible with the closet.

“[Coming out] ultimately led me to walk away from everything we had worked toward,” he said. “I had felt happier making that decision. I was able to come out to my family and friends. And through this period, I’ve been able to grow this part of my identity, trying to express myself and how I want to be perceived in today’s world as a gay man.”

After nearly a decade away from the track, Herrin made his professional NASCAR debut in November. At the time, what was meant to be a multi-season partnership with a big brand fell through, taking him from multiple races to almost none in a blink, which left him feeling more than a little discouraged.

For the new season, Herrin teamed up with Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national LGBTQ+ legal organization. Herrin initially reached out to the CEO, Kevin Jennings, who was reluctant at first about sponsoring him. Herrin stayed in contact, particularly tracking the work Lambda was doing to fight against Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill, which severely limits the discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in the state’s public schools. When Jennings discovered the first race of the season was in Florida — at the legendary Daytona International Speedway — he agreed to team up with Herrin and make a bold statement — showcasing one of NACAR’s only out drivers at one of the biggest races of the year in a state fighting against LGBTQ+ rights. On his uniform and car, Herrin proudly wore the Lambda Legal logo and spoke to media about Lambda’s mission and the dangers of “don’t say gay.”

“Zach represents such a positive role model for the full participation of LGBTQ+ people in sports on the national stage, while our community is facing more than 300 unconstitutional legislative proposals across the country. While we aren’t disclosing the financial details of our partnership, we can say that even high-profile LGBTQ+ athletes unfortunately do need financial support to run their race…Partnering with Zach represents a priceless opportunity to reach the general public and help them understand the cost of these attacks from state legislators across the country. And we hope that LGBTQ+ Floridians — especially young people, who have been targeted by Florida’s notorious ‘don’t say gay or trans’ law and efforts to ban all gender-affirming care — will be proud to find themselves represented on the track at Daytona.”

Herrin is leaning into his role as a role model for young LGBTQ+ people, especially those trying to break through in industries historically hostile to the community.

“I’m learning the struggles of LGBTQ+ people within the motorsports industry in NASCAR that have always been here, but I’ve never been able to connect with them,” he says. “Hearing the challenges that they’ve faced when they’ve gone to a race in the past, and it was a terrible experience for them, and they haven’t gone back since.”

Herrin commends NASCAR as a brand and corporation for “doing the right things” as of late — last year the organization released Pride merch (“Yascar,” NASCAR’s account tweeted) — but he says it still has room to learn.

“I hope that with time, and maybe with me helping bridge this massive community now, that this [outreach] is going to continue,” he says.

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Man Charged in Stabbing Death of Oakland Drag Queen, Chorus Singer

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Police in California announced they have arrested a university janitor in the murder of a local drag queen, barber, and member of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus.

Curtis Marsh, 53, was found stabbed to death in his burning Oakland apartment near Lake Merritt on Saturday, March 4. Marsh was a popular member of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus who also performed as a drag queen under the stage name Touri Monroe.

On Friday, Oakland Police Department (OPD) announced the arrest of Sweven Waterman, 38, and the Alameda District Attorney later charged him with Marsh’s murder. Waterman had worked as a senior custodian with the University of California Berkeley’s Housing & Dining Services since August 2022.

According to court documents, police responded to a report of smoke and a man screaming for help coming from Marsh’s apartment shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 4. The Oakland Fire Department was already on the scene and dealing with multiple fires inside the apartment when police arrived. Marsh was found nonresponsive and suffering from multiple stab wounds and trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene by police.

“I heard screams, ‘help, help.’ I got up,” a neighbor who requested anonymity told local tv station KTVU. “My neighbor on the 4th floor was screaming and hollering that Curtis was dead. I was able to view his body. He was laying on his balcony bloodied.”

Investigators quickly identified Waterman as a suspect using surveillance video, electronic data, and witness statements. With the assistance of the University of California Police Department, officers from OPD arrested Waterman last Thursday afternoon at a UC Berkeley residence hall.

Marsh was described by friends as loving, gifted, and gracious. 

“He was very sweet, very funny,” Steven Smith, who sang with Marsh in Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus, told KTVU. “He was an accomplished musician. Beautiful, beautiful voice.”

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LGBTQ+ Youth Are Uncomfortable In Their Own Skin: Study

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Data from a new study suggests that young LGBTQ+ people in America aren’t comfortable in their own skin — literally.

The latest study results from the Trevor Project on LGBTQ Youth and Body Dissatisfaction are out.

Researchers found that some LGBTQ+ youth are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with their bodies, with trans and nonbinary youth showing even higher rates. Also, LGBTQ+ youth who reported body dissatisfaction were significantly more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year than those who expressed being satisfied.

The Trevor Project is a nonprofit organization that provides crisis mental health services to LGBTQ+ young people and also conducts research on the experiences and issues they face as they grow up.

There were 34,000 young LGBTQ+ people from around the country who participated in the study.

It found that 87 percent of young LGBTQ people reported dissatisfaction with their bodies. Among trans and nonbinary youth, about nine in ten respondents noted dissatisfaction compared to eight out of ten of their cisgender peers. 

The prevalence of recent depression symptoms for LGBTQ+ youth with body dissatisfaction was higher than for youth with body satisfaction. For LGBTQ+ youth who reported body dissatisfaction, 61 percent reported self-harm and 48 percent considered suicide in the last year. In comparison, 38 percent of LGBTQ+ youth who were satisfied with their bodies had self-harmed and 27 percent considered suicide, the study found. 

LGBTQ+ youth who were dissatisfied with their bodies had a twice higher chance of having attempted suicide in the past year than LGBTQ teens who were satisfied with their bodies, according to the study.

The study notes that research shows that young people who receive gender-affirming care report improved body satisfaction.

The Trevor Project’s director of research science, Myeshia Price, warns that society must stop telling young people that they can achieve some physical perfection.

“These findings underscore that an overwhelming majority of LGBTQ youth struggle with body dissatisfaction, something that can severely impact their mental health and contribute to higher odds of attempting suicide,” Price said in a statement. “As LGBTQ youth across the U.S. consume media and messages related to health and physical fitness – especially during this time of year, in relation to new year’s resolutions – we must do a better job of centering body acceptance and healthy lifestyles rather than encouraging young people to achieve a certain physical appearance.”

Price added, “We encourage all youth-serving professionals, including educators, physicians, and health care providers, to discuss how body image may be impacting the LGBTQ youth they support.”

If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned that someone you know may be, resources are available to help. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 is for people of all ages and identities. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.

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Here Are the 21 States Trying to Ban Gender-Affirming Care

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Bills seeking to restrict access to gender-affirming care have been introduced in 21 states this year, and one of those states, Utah, has passed one into law..

Much of the legislation focuses on young people, although some bills go beyond this population and beyond banning surgery (genital surgery almost never performed on minors). Most seek to ban nonsurgical procedures such as the administration of hormones and puberty blockers, in addition to surgery. Several of the bills warn of dire consequences from these procedures, but in reality, both the surgical and nonsurgical treatments are endorsed as safe and effective (when age-appropriate) by major medical groups and are certainly never undertaken lightly. The bills largely provide exceptions for procedures performed on intersex people or those who’ve had a genital injury, making it clear they’re aimed at transgender people.

States that have already taken action against gender-affirming care include Alabama and Arkansas, where bans enacted by legislators are temporarily blocked while court challenges proceed; Florida, where medical boards have banned this care for most minors; and Oklahoma, where a major hospital ceased providing the care because the state would have withheld funding otherwise.

The 59 bills introduced so far against trans health care are part of a rash of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, 185 bills in all, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which is tracking them on its website. Other bills deal with sports participation, education, and other issues.

“These bills represented a coordinated effort to deny transgender people our freedom, our safety, and our dignity,” Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice at the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, said in a press release. “Across the country, trans people and our families are gearing up to fight back and prevent every one of these bills from becoming law. The history of LGBTQ people in the U.S. shows we are hardly strangers to having our health care politicized or our safety threatened by misinformed and misguided politicians. Even in the face of such an unprecedented effort to deny our existence, we are only more determined to build the future we all deserve.”

Scroll down for a look at pending bills, which are coming from conservative states such as Kansas, Texas, and Tennessee as well as liberal strongholds like New Jersey and Oregon, and the just-passed one in Utah.

Hawaii

Even liberal Hawaii is not immune from anti-transgender legislation. Rep. Diamond Garcia, a Republican, has introduced House Bill 891 to ban gender-confirmation procedures for minors, including not only genital surgery but top surgery, puberty blockers, and hormone treatment. Doing so would be a felony. However, the bill is unlikely to pass.

Indiana

Nine bills to restrict gender-affirming care have been introduced in Indiana. Senate Bill 480, House Bill 1118, House Bill 1220, and House Bill 1525 would ban all such care for minors. House Bill 1231 would do the same plus prohibit insurance coverage, including Medicaid. House Bill 1589 would allow a person who’s undergone the treatment to bring a medical malpractice suit within 15 years after turning 21. House Bill 1569 would ban state or federal funding of gender-confirmation treatment for prison inmates. House Bill 1407 and House Bill 1232 would prevent the state from intervening if a parent doesn’t consent to a child’s gender-affirming care.

Iowa

Iowa’s Senate File 110 would ban all gender-affirming care for minors and create a right to sue over it. It’s sponsored by several Republicans.

Kansas

In Kansas, Senate Bill 12, introduced by Republican Sens. Mike Thompson and Mark Steffen, would make it illegal to provide hormones, puberty blockers, genital surgery, top surgery, or other gender-affirming treatment to people under age 21. Violators could face a felony charge as well as the loss of their medical license.

Kentucky

Kentucky’s House Bill 120, proposed by Republican Reps. Savannah Maddox and Felicia Raybourn, would ban the provision of or referral for gender-transition procedures, surgical or otherwise, for anyone under 18. It would “define a violation as unprofessional conduct and acting recklessly for purposes of tort claims” and prohibit government funding and health plan benefit coverage for this treatment, according to a summary of the legislation.

Mississippi

Five bills seeking to restrict gender-affirming care are pending in Mississippi. House Bill 1125, which has passed the House and gone to the Senate, would ban all such care for minors as well as any public funding for it. House Bill 576 and House Bill 1127 have this goal as well. House Bill 456 would define parents as child abusers if they allow their kids to receive this care. Senate Bill 2864 would ban Medicaid or other public funding for gender-confirming treatment, regardless of the patient’s age.

Missouri

In Missouri, eight bills have been introduced, all by Republicans. Senate Bill 49, Senate Bill 236, and House Bill 916 would ban the provision of all gender-affirming procedures to people under 18. Senate Bill 164 would do the same and would classify “coercion” of a minor into such procedures as child abuse or neglect. House Bills 419, 463, and 540 would likewise ban gender-affirming care for minors. House Bill 489 would prohibit medical schools from using diversity, equity, and inclusion criteria, including that relating to gender-affirming care.

Montana

Montana’s Senate Bill 99, introduced by Republican Sen. John Fuller, would ban all gender-affirming procedures for those under 18. Health care professionals could be sued for providing this treatment or see their licenses suspended. It would also ban Medicaid funding for this care.

Nebraska

In Nebraska, Legislative Bill 574 (the state legislature has only one chamber), the so-called Let Them Grow Act, would prohibit both surgical and nonsurgical gender-confirming care for anyone under 19. Civil suits could be brought against care providers.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s House Bill 619, sponsored by several Republicans, would ban all gender-affirming procedures for people under 18, along with Medicaid coverage for them, and make health care providers subject to lawsuits. It would also prohibit public schools from teaching “that gender is a choice, optional or fluid and that there are more than 2 genders: male and female,” with limited exceptions; make schools refer to students by the names and pronouns under which they were enrolled; and require students to use the restrooms for the sex they were assigned at birth. It further would create an exemption from the state law banning conversion therapy for minors. “Counseling of a child enrolled in therapy at the request of their parent for the evaluation of, and treatment for, gender dysphoria” would not meet the definition of prohibited conversion therapy, the bill says.

New Jersey

New Jersey Sen. Edward Durr, a Republican, is seeking to criminalize the provision of gender-affirming care, surgical or otherwise, for those under 18. Violation of his Child Protection and Anti-Mutilation Act would be a “crime of the third degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both,” the bill states.

North Dakota

North Dakota’s House Bill 1254, which has several Republican sponsors, would make it a felony to provide any gender-affirming care to a person under 18. This would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The bill’s sponsors call it “an emergency measure.”

Oklahoma

Oklahoma, not content with withholding funds for care, has 14 new bills pending. House Bill 1011 would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to anyone under 21; it would be punishable by a fine of up to $100,000, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both. Senate Bill 129 would take the age limit up to 26 and likewise make violation a felony. Senate Bill 252 would ban this care for people under 18 and provide for professional discipline, such as loss of license, rather than criminal penalties, as would Senate Bill 613, House Bill 2177, and House Bill 1377. Senate Bill 614, Senate Bill 878, House Bill 1466, and House Bill 786 would ban the treatment for people under 18 and make it a cause for civil action. Senate Bill 787 would ban surgical procedures for people under 18 and make it a cause for lawsuits. Senate Bill 788 and Senate Bill 789 would allow people who received gender-affirming care as minors to sue their parents or guardians who consented to the care. Senate Bill 345 would prohibit care for people under 21 and make violation a felony punishable by imprisonment of three years to life and a fine of up to $20,000. Senate Bill 250 would ban Medicaid or other public funding.

Oregon

Oregon’s Senate Bill 452 would ban genital surgery (as mentioned, almost never performed on minors) and top surgery for people under 18. The bill doesn’t specify penalties.

South Carolina

Three bills against gender-affirming care are pending in South Carolina. Senate Bill 243 would ban both surgical and nonsurgical care for minors (under 18). So would House Bill 3551. Senate Bill 274 would ban it for anyone under 21 and require school personnel to out trans students to their parents or guardians.

South Dakota

South Dakota’s House Bill 1080 would ban all gender-affirming care for minors and make it a cause for professional discipline and civil action.

Tennessee

In Tennessee, companion bills House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 would ban gender-affirming procedures, surgical and otherwise, for people under 18. Violators could be sued.

Texas

Texas has nine bills pending against gender-affirming care — this in a state where the governor and attorney general have been trying to have parents investigated for child abuse if they allow their kids to receive this care (most of the investigations are blocked by court action while a lawsuit proceeds). House Bill 42 and House Bill 436 would define the provision of gender-affirming care as child abuse (lawmakers have tried and failed to pass such legislation previously). Senate Bill 249 would classify genital surgery for those under 18 as “mutilation,” subject to prosecution. House Bill 1686 would ban all gender-affirming care for minors and use of public funds for it. House Bill 1752 would ban this care and make it a cause for lawsuits. Senate Bill 250, House Bill 41, and House Bill 122 would not allow medical professionals’ liability insurance to include coverage for damages incurred when providing this care. House Bill 1532 would ban that coverage and ban the care in general, making health care providers subject to professional discipline for doing so.

Utah

Utah’s Senate Bill 16 would prohibit gender-affirming surgery for minors and set restrictions for hormonal treatment. It has passed the Senate and House — despite Democratic Sen. Nate Blouin reading a moving statement from his trans intern, Ari Webb — and Gov. Spencer Cox has signed it into law. House Bill 132 would ban all gender-affirming procedures for minors, with professional discipline for violation, but it’s pretty well moot now.

Virginia

In Virginia, Senate Bill 791 and Senate Bill 1203 would ban all gender-affirming care for minors, prohibit insurance coverage, and make violators subject to lawsuits. Senate Bill 960 would likewise ban this care and bar any government employee, except law enforcement personnel, from withholding information about a child’s “gender dysphoria or gender nonconformity” from parents or guardians. House Bill 2432 would require public school employees to give this information to parents.

Wyoming

Senate File 111 would classify gender-affirming treatment for minors as child abuse, with health care workers who provide this treatment subject to a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

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Questions Every Gay, Bi Man Should Ask at Their Physical

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The end of the year or the start of a new one is typically called the “annual physical” season as most are trying to take advantage of the benefit of no-cost physicals provided by most insurance coverage. The good news for most of us is that if you are insured, it’s very likely your annual physical is 100 percent covered by insurance. The better news is that many types of diseases and cancers can be caught early in the annual physical with many treatment options that will not impact your life too drastically.

However, many men don’t actually undergo an annual physical or have one done properly, especially if they have a history or exclusively have sex with men (MSM). HIV-positive or HIV-negative, every human should be availing themselves to an annual physical. I do so regularly and as such caught a very early stage anal cancer caused by a tear and HPV prior infection. My primary care doctor, who happens to be gay, routinely performs things like pap smears on my anus and comprehensive blood panels to check everything from impact of my PrEP meds on my kidneys to PSA levels which can be early warning sign of prostate and other cancers. Like in my situation, my affliction was caught very early, cured with outpatient surgery, and didn’t even require chemo or radiation.

If you are planning or scheduling your annual physical, here’s what you should be asking or expecting from the doctor, according to leading gay gastroenterologist Dr. Carlton Thomas.

What are the basics every person should be getting assessed at their annual physicals?
Bring up any specific concerns about any symptoms you might be experiencing. A good thorough physical exam with age specific checks for testicular, rectal, and prostate issues. Labs including CBC (complete blood cell count), CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel that looks at liver and kidney markers as well as electrolytes and glucose), thyroid studies, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) depending on age and family history, and lipid panel to look at your cholesterol and triglycerides. I also recommend testosterone levels. Discuss any age-appropriate cancer screening such as colonoscopy for colon cancer screening starting at age 45 or sooner if you have symptoms or a family history of colon cancer.

What are additional “must have” tests for men who have sex with men?
Blood HIV panels including viral load and T cell counts if positive; Hep A, B, and C; syphilis studies — look for antibody titer changes if you were previously infected to check for reinfection — and herpes studies if unknown.

Urine tests help detect the very common and prevalent gonorrhea and chlamydia. Throat swabs and rectal swabs will also detect gonorrhea and chlamydia depending on how you play sexually. Anal Pap smears will help detect HPV and anal dysplasia, especially if you are HIV-positive due to the dramatically increased risk of anal cancer in HIV-positive men who also have HPV.

What vaccines should MSM discuss with their doctors?
Here’s the checklist you should bring to each physical:
• Hep A (if rimming is part of your sexual routine)
• Hep B (if you’ve encountered blood or other body fluids)
• Meningitis
• HPV (now approved up to age 45)
• Mpox
• Age-appropriate pneumonia and shingles
• Covid and flu updates if needed

What other common specialists should MSM discuss with primary care doctors to possibly add to one’s medical team?
Some primary care doctors will redirect PrEP to prevent HIV and HIV-positive care to infectious disease specialists. If you are 45 and older and have not had a colonoscopy, then you should be referred to a gastroenterologist (GI) for colonoscopy screenings. Regular dermatologist screenings for the annual mole patrol and early skin cancer detection. Proctologists should be added for issues surrounding hemorrhoids, anal fissure (tears in the butt lining), and anal wart care. Urologists for anything concerning genital and urinary functions.

Why is it important for men to be open and honest with their doctor about their sexual preferences and habits, even if embarrassing?
Your doctor needs to know what you do so they can make sure you get the tests, vaccines, and screening care you need. For instance, if they don’t know you bottom or have a history of bottoming, they don’t know to check you for potentially precancerous cells in your anal canal or to check rectal swabs for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

What else should we know in undergoing our annual physicals?
Don’t be embarrassed to be honest. We have seen and heard it all. Don’t be shy about being examined. Your medical and personal information is always kept confidential due to HIPPA laws.

Follow Dr. Carlton on Instagram @doctorcarlton.

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Right-Wing Group Targets LGBTQ+ Existence In Michigan Schools

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Michigan right-wingers are working together to challenge LGBTQ+-inclusive education in public schools. 

An organization called the Great Schools Initiative (GSI) is offering parents an opt-out form to prevent all discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools. 

Last week, the group began an initiative called “Operation Opt-Out,” which asks parents to submit an opt-out form authored by GSI to be added to their children’s school files, Michigan Advance reports.

Nearly three pages of proscriptions against facts about reproductive health, family planning, contraception, LGBTQ+ issues, and social justice are contained in the document — which happens to contain numerous spelling errors.

The form mandates that schools shall not include a student in “any and all instruction on gender ideology, the physiological (including endocrinological), psychological and functions of reproductive health as it relates to human sexuality. This opt out includes, but is not limited to: gender identity, gender expression, gender assignment, sexual identities, sexual expression, sexual attraction, sexual orientarion, gender fluidity, transitioning, and expicit sexual activity or behavior.”

Currently, under existing state law, all Michigan public schools offer parents the ability to have their children skip some or all sexual education classes, according to Michigan Advance. 

GSI goes further and excludes students from what they refer to as “rogue sex ed.” 

Forbidden is a wide range of activities, such as school-affiliated student clubs that support LGBTQ+ students, displaying Pride flags, and educators asking students for their pronouns, among other restrictions. 

Including LGBTQ+ students in groups and efforts provides them with social activities and support. Nevertheless, the right-wing activists behind the form claim that anything that promotes LGBTQ+ students should be considered sexual, and educators who affirm LGBTQ+ matters are falsely smeared as “groomers.”

Monica Yatooma, who unsuccessfully ran for Oakland County commissioner; Matthew Nelson, an attorney based in Grand Rapids; and Nathan Pawl, an entrepreneur based in Walled Lake, founded GSI in September. Each incorporator provided the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation with the address of a Chicago law firm, the Thomas More Society, which promotes far-right conservative causes in the country, according to Michigan Advance.

According to Pawl, who spoke at a recent GSI meeting that was later posted on YouTube, if hundreds of parents handed in the forms, “this is going to change everything because it’ll be too much for them to handle.”

Pawl explained that his involvement in GSI was born out of outrage that his son’s school was required to wear masks during the ongoing global pandemic.

Last February, the Thomas More Society threatened to sue Walled Lake Schools and Oakland County if school officials did not reverse mask mandates.

“What every parent and member of the school community should know is that ‘don’t say gay’ policies and other so-called ‘parental rights’ efforts will harm people and put children’s health and safety at risk,” local resident and parent Brittnee Senecal told Michigan Advance. Senecal also is part of the group Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools (MIPASS), which supports public schools in the state. “The efforts of these hate groups will also worsen a range of real-world challenges that affect young people and their families, including teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and other healthcare-related realities.”

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