Cases of mpox are increasing in LA County, and it is important for residents of Los Angeles County to take precautions against this contagious disease.
Spread by personal contact, mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is continuing to present as a sexually transmitted infection. Seventeen more cases have been reported by July 25th this year than had been reported by July 25th last year. (73 vs. 56 Year-to-Date reported cases).
Given the jump in cases since last year, officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health(Public Health) are urging residents to take precautions and reduce the risk of spread.
Sonali Kulkarni, Medical Director for Public Health’sDivision of HIV and STD Programs, said only 51% of the overall at-risk population for mpox has received the 2-dose regimenof the JYNNEOS vaccine, formulated to prevent transmission and reduce symptoms of infection. And of that population, only 22% of persons living with diagnosed HIV have received both doses.
Since its initial surge nationally in 2022, mpox has disproportionately affected gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Vaccination against mpox has shown to be protective against symptomatic mpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We’re seeing a slight increase in cases relative to last year locally and nationally. Over the last six months, we have seen an average oftwo cases per week, but in the last 3 monthswe’ve seen 3.5 cases per week.There’s a lot of room for improvement in the at-risk population to vaccinate against mpox and prevent further cases. The vaccine is now available commercially and available at different sites, including public health clinics and mobile outreach teams, community clinics, and pharmacies.” Kulkarni said.
JYNNEOS is a two-dose series vaccine available at Public Health’s STD clinics or at any walk-up Public Vaccinating site. Ideally, the vaccines will be taken 1 month apart. The mobile outreach team will be on site at community events and festivals in the Los Angeles area to administer the first or second vaccines.
“We don’t anticipate mpox going away completely, but it’s something people should be aware of, so they know to take precautions and recognize symptoms,” Kulkarni said.
“Mpoxcan be spread easily through touch. If you know you are going to have more physical contact with people, especially with increased social activity this summer, it’s important to consider getting vaccinated against the disease,” Kulkarni said.
Symptoms of mpox can range from mild to severe and appear in the form of a rash that may look like bumps, pimples, blisters, sores or scabs, anywhere on the body. Other flu-like symptoms may appear such as fever, chills, exhaustion, head or muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
If you are experiencing symptoms, it’s important to seek guidance from your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Cover all areas of the rash with clothing, gloves, bandages and wear a mask to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Avoid aggravating the rash by touching or scratching it — to reducethe chancesthat it will become infected.
“Generally, people who are healthy can expect lesions to improve on their own over the course of three to four weeks. We recommend most people are treated for the symptoms they are experiencing — fever reduction, numbing medications for mouth lesions, pain relief. For people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed, or have other vulnerabilities, this can be a really serious infection,” Kulkarni added.
For more information and to schedule an mpox vaccine appointment near you, visit myturn.ca.gov or call the Public Health Info Line at (833) 540-0473, 7 days a week 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Michelle Carranza, 22, did not want to be another trans woman murdered in her native Honduras.
“They don’t accept us there. They kill us, they discriminate us, they rape us,” Carranza said, speaking to NBC News and MSNBC against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty.
A year and a half ago, she fled Honduras with Gretta Mazariegos, 29, and Gretta’s younger brother, Isaac, 20, two friends who are also part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Michelle Carranza.Andres Gonzalez / NBC News
“To live in Honduras and be part of the LGBT community is all about survival,” Gretta Mazariegos said. “We were persecuted multiple times because we are part of the LGBTQ community.”
“We had to leave our country because of discrimination, beatings,” Isaac Mazariegos said.
Carranza said they were first harassed by members of street gangs known as Maras, after they refused to work for them. One time, the Maras broke into her apartment, destroyed her furniture and left her threatening messages with homophobic language, she said.
They say they were almost killed in a park in Honduras when they were chased by men with machetes who were yelling homophobic slurs.
“That’s when I told Gretta, ‘The best thing is for me to leave Honduras because I feel that here I will eventually be killed,’” Carranza said.
Facing deadly risks — and undertaking a dangerous journey
Gretta Mazariegos left Honduras to save themselves and their brother. When Isaac was 14 years old, their parents kicked them out of their house because they are LGBTQ+.
“I had to become a very resilient person for my brother,” Gretta Mazariegos said. “I could bear the yelling, the beatings, the tortures, but when I saw that my brother was also experiencing that, my role went from being his brother to being his father or mother.”
On Feb. 7, 2023, they left for Guatemala, eventually making their way to Chiapas, Mexico, and later to Tijuana, near the U.S. border.
“When leaving my country, I never imagined the number of dangers that I was going to face,” Carranza said as she dried her tears.
In Tijuana, a meeting with a man who had befriended Carranza turned violent.
“He said, ‘You’re going to die today. You’re not going to see the sunlight again. You will be dead in this hotel today,’” Carranza said. “And he then grabbed me by the hair and threw me on the bed … He almost killed me. That man raped me,” Carranza said.
Some time later, health officials arrived to administer HIV tests where Carranza was staying at the Garden of Butterflies shelter.
“I got tested regularly, but the man who raped me, he raped me without protection,” Carranza said. “I go outside with the nurse, and he said, ‘Your test came back positive.’” Later a doctor confirmed Carranza had contracted HIV.
These three friends survived, but many in the LGBTQ+ community do not.
The Organization of American States reports that the average life expectancy of trans women in Latin America is no more than 35 years of age.
In Mexico, activists have recorded at least 231 murders of LGBTQ+ people in the last three years.
Around the world, at least 67 countries have national laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults, and, in 12 countries, consensual and private same-sex sexual acts may even carry the death penalty, according toHuman Rights Watch.
In Tijuana, the three migrants waited for seven months for an appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app, which is used to schedule migrants and asylum-seekers to present themselves at a U.S. port of entry.
Their appointment was on June 8, 2024, just four days after President Joe Bidenannounced new border restrictions.
They entered the border legally in Calexico, California, where border officials documented their entry and released them with a preliminary court date for October 2024.
Hoping to request asylum, despite the hurdles
Carranza and her friends want to request asylum but cannot afford a lawyer, so they are now looking for free legal services. For now, they are trying to collect all the evidence they have of the abuse they faced.
Under U.S. law, persecution due to sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status are grounds for asylum, explained Bridget Crawford, director of law and policy at Immigration Equality, which represents LGBTQ+ migrants and asylum-seekers. The organization is currently reviewing their cases.
“An asylum-seeker must prove that they have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of a ‘protected ground.’ The protected grounds are your race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. LGBTQ status is widely recognized as meeting the definition of ‘particular social group,’” Crawford said.
“Typical evidence that might help an LGBTQ refugee prove their claim are things like police and medical reports detailing attacks or injuries, letters or declarations from partners or others who can credibly attest to the applicant’s LGBTQ status and the facts of their claim, membership in LGBTQ organizations, pictures and dating profiles, a psychologist’s evaluation, articles and reports about conditions for LGBTQ people in a person’s home country,” Crawford said.
Crawford said it is common for LGBTQ asylum-seekers to face barriers when collecting evidence and documentation, such as police reports and medical records.
“This might be because they couldn’t go to the police. It might be because police officers perpetrated the abuse. It might be that they had to flee so quickly, they couldn’t gather that type of evidence,” Crawford said.
Carranza said that after they were chased by men with machetes in Honduras, they went to the police.
“The police told us that if we didn’t have evidence, like video, photos or someone who could testify as a witness, then our word wasn’t worthy,” Carranza said. “In Honduras, the police and the narcotrafficking are all in collusion.”
The only official document they have is a complaint that a lawyer helped them file with the municipality of Villanueva in Honduras. They say they may have other conversations, images and videos saved on their phones that could help them prove their case.
Crawford said that Carranza and her friends would probably have to explain in their case that they were unable to get police reports because they were dismissed by the officers. “They would have to get affidavits from witnesses, ideally who would also be available to testify, corroborating what happened,” Crawford said.
“In theory, detailed, consistent and credible testimony alone is sufficient to prove a claim provided an applicant can explain to the judge why corroborating documentary evidence was unavailable, but this is often very hard to do, especially if an applicant is not represented by an attorney and trying to navigate the complicated immigration process in a language they don’t understand,” Crawford said.
Michelle, Gretta and Isaac now live in Trenton, New Jersey, with friends. They have new hope now that they are safe in the U.S. as they await their first court date.
Crawford said generally the first court appearance is a short hearing before a judge, in which the asylum-seeker tells the judge if they intend to apply for any relief, such as asylum. “This is not where an asylum-seeker will present evidence on their asylum case. That happens later at what is called an ‘individual hearing,’” Crawford said.
Gretta Mazariegos said there are “so many things I want to do,” so many plans. “I want to continue my studies — I want to collaborate with this country by working.”
Isaac Mazariegos said, “I feel protected to be here, because in my country I couldn’t be myself because of so much discrimination.”
As for Carranza, “we now feel liberated,” she said. “We are happy and emotional about being in this country.”
Democrat politician and LGBTQ+ rights activist Kim Coco Iwamoto has made history by becoming Hawaii’s first transgender House representative.
Iwamoto ousted fellow Democrat Scott Saiki – who has been speaker of the house since 2017 – from the 25th district seat, in the primary elections on Sunday (11 August).
The district covers Honolulu and Kaka’ako, two areas where recent infrastructure booms have transformed the landscape.
As a civil rights attorney and former school board member, Iwamoto’s campaign hinged on progressive policies for addressing homelessness, exposing government corruption and promoting small businesses.
Kim Coco Iwamoto with two of her supporters. (Facebook)
She said she was “so happy”, but a bit shocked, to have won. She had lost out to Saiki in two previous elections.
“Given the last two [primaries], it feels great to have this experience, especially knowing that so many very powerful people endorsed him. I wasn’t just campaigning against him, I was campaigning against the entire Democratic establishment in some ways.”
Who is Kim Coco Iwamoto?
Born on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on 26 May 1968, Iwamoto’s life has been defined by her connection to America’s 50th state. Initially educated at Hokulani Elementary, she moved schools several times before graduating in 1986.
Shortly after finishing her undergraduate degree, Iwamoto became involved with volunteering and local community groups in New York, where she helped support homeless youngsters, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals, which was part of her motivation for attending law school.
She eventually completed a local government programme at Harvard University in 2011 and went on sit on the Hawaii State Board of Education, representing the island of O’ahu, becoming the highest-ranking out trans person elected to a government position in the US.
A federal appeals court just ruled that Iowa can its enact bill banning LGBTQ+ books from classrooms.
The ruling, from a three-judge panel of the Eight Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, decided that the preliminary injunction issued by a lower court was based on a “flawed analysis” of the law.
The bill, SF 496, requires parental consent before giving their child any book containing content relating to LGBTQ+ topics. This effectively censors LGBTQ+ books from youth living in antagonistic homes. It was signed into law last year by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R).
The bill was challenged in the court case Iowa Safe Schools, et al v. Reynolds.
The three-judge panel specifically ruled that the law can still be challenged in further court proceedings, and they invited more insight into the topic. The judges also rebuffed points made by Iowa’s state government that were considered dangerous by the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and legal firm Jenner & Block.
In a joint statement, the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and Jenner & Block criticized the ruling, saying, “Iowa families, and especially LGBTQ+ students who will again face bullying, intimidation, and censorship as they return for a new school year, are deeply frustrated and disappointed by this delay. Denying LGBTQ+ youth the chance to see themselves represented in classrooms and books sends a harmful message of shame and stigma that should not exist in schools.”
“We are, however, encouraged by the Eighth Circuit’s complete rejection of the State’s most dangerous arguments,” their statement continued. “The appeals court acknowledged that our student clients have been harmed by the law and have the right to bring suit. The court also rejected the State’s claim that banning books in libraries is a form of protected government speech. We will ask the district court to block the law again at the earliest opportunity.”
However, Gov. Reynolds celebrated the ruling in a statement, “Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit confirmed what we already knew—it should be parents who decide when and if sexually-explicit books are appropriate for their children. Here in Iowa, we will continue to focus on excellence in education and partnerships with parents and educators.”
While Reynolds and other Republican politicians have claimed that book bans seek to keep children from accessing “sexually-explicit” content, authors whose books are targeted by these bans are most frequently female, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+ individuals, according to the free-speech organization PEN America. Approximately 30% of the banned titles from the 2022-2023 school year included either characters of color or discussions of race and racism, and an additional 30% included LGBTQ+ characters or themes, the organization added.
Nevertheless, the Iowa attorney general, Brenna Bird, also celebrated the ruling, writing, “We went to court to defend Iowa’s schoolchildren and parental rights, and we won. This victory ensures age-appropriate books and curriculum in school classrooms and libraries. With this win, parents will no longer have to fear what their kids have access to in schools when they are not around.”
Joshua Brown, president of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), condemned the ruling. The ISEA was part of a separate lawsuit concerning this bill.
“Banning essential books in our schools is a burden for our educators, who will face punishment for not guessing which book fits into a supposed offensive category, and for our students, who are deprived of reading from great authors with valuable stories,” the ISEA wrote. “If Iowa’s elected leaders truly valued education professionals, they would leave important classroom decisions to the local school districts and the experts who work in them—not make what we teach our students a game of political football.”
J.D. Vance evidently did some cross-dressing back in law school. On Sunday, a photo of the Ohio senator and Republican vice presidential nominee allegedly wearing a blonde wig and dressed as a woman was posted on X.
When The Daily Beast reached out to Vance to see if the photo was real, the campaign did not deny its authenticity and also refused to comment further.
While a funny photo of a politician in a Halloween costume from college normally wouldn’t be a big deal, Vance has a history of attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, using the “groomer” slur against critics of “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
Read the full article. And now there’s another photo.
In 2021, Terrance Alan celebrated the long-anticipated opening of Flore, a well-appointed cannabis dispensary just across the street from the legendary and now-closed Castro hangout Cafe Flore, a victim of the COVID pandemic.
Thirty years earlier, at the height of another devastating health crisis, Alan was a regular at Cafe Flore with his husband, who was HIV positive and slowly succumbing to the effects of the disease.
“Cafe Flore was a stop on the underground railway line for experimental HIV drugs, and my husband and I would go and hang out,” Alan explained in an interview with Greenstate. “And certain people would come around, and we would learn about this, that, and the other thing. Of course, nothing worked, but at least we generated a little bit of hope every time we tried something.”
At the same time, cannabis was providing relief that conventional therapies couldn’t, and illicit grows were popping up all over San Francisco.
So Alan joined a wave of indoor growers dialing in lighting, temperature, humidity and everything else to make cannabis happy absent the sun. Over time, he helped cultivators across the city with set-ups for HIV-positive patients like his husband.
It wasn’t without risk.
One night, the couple woke up to a SWAT team at the door of their warehouse home in search of his grow room — he was arrested in possession of 120 plants.
According to Alan, he was accused of being a part of “Dennis Peron’s gay weed mafia.”
Peron was a legendary figure in both the LGBTQ+ and cannabis communities as an early proponent of medical cannabis in service of AIDS patients. He had arrived in San Francisco after serving in Vietnam and, as a “Yippie,” famously organized cannabis “smoke-ins” around the city. He was an early supporter of slain Supervisor Harvey Milk, and when the AIDS crisis struck he was selling illicit weed out of Castro Street storefronts.
The day after Alan’s arrest, Peron showed up at his door. A trip to City Hall to meet the power brokers who could help make legal weed in San Francisco and California a reality followed.
A few years later, Peron would author Proposition 215, which legalized medical cannabis in the state.
“Being around Dennis, you learned that you were either part of the solution or part of the problem,” Alan said.
Alan’s own evolution to activist occurred following another bust by SFPD. This time the cops showed up to a New Year’s Party Alan threw in 1995 in honor of his late husband.
“They were not happy,” Alan said of the cops called to one last bust just after four in the morning. “And they showed their unhappiness by taking my drag queen, transgender, and differently attired guests who were at my event and showing them off by making fun of them in front of the other police officers.”
Twenty-eight people were arrested and thrown in the drunk tank.
That confrontation with police, “over a memorial for my husband who just died,” was the moment that cemented Alan as an activist, he said.
One result was the San Francisco Late Night Coalition, which advocated for city entertainment and permit reform and led to the formation the San Francisco Entertainment Commission, now a crucial city regulatory body.
Another was Alan’s cannabis advocacy: he pushed for legalization in different forums and was serving as chair of the San Francisco State Cannabis Legalization Task Force when Prop 64, the initiative that legalized recreational cannabis in California, was passed in 2016.
His Castro cannabis outpost, Flore, soon followed, and the activist still has the small cultivators at the top of his mind.
“The deck is stacked against the small operator, the small farmer, and the legacy farmer,” Alan explained. “The consumers’ most important tool is their dollars. If they do not spend their dollars at stores on products that are well grown, well packaged, and well presented, then that part of the industry will not survive.”
From his perch in the purple-hued Flore storefront, Alan is now focused on passing his legacy — and Peron’s — onto the next generation of politically minded advocates.
“I’m at the stage where I would like to empower young activists,” Alan shared. “I’m not the activist anymore. I am the Dennis Peron knocking on your door, teaching you to be an activist.”
A big reason Biden lagged in poll after poll earlier this year was weakness in the youth vote, with some surveys shockingly finding Biden trailing Trump. Now, with Harris atop the ticket, those dynamics have radically changed, according to a brand new poll from young-voter whisperer John Della Volpe for Won’t PAC Down.
The poll of 18-to-29-year-olds found Harris’ own approval rating jumping 16 points since the beginning of last month, to 49 percent from 33 percent.
And in a five-way race, Harris beats Trump in the youth demo by 9 points — that’s up 10 points since last month, when Biden was atop the ticket and behind Trump. In a two-way race, there’s been a 13-point shift toward Harris.
In this rapidly changing landscape, MAP’s LGBTQ Equality Maps provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of LGBTQ laws and policies in the United States. See below for state level and local level policy updates as of August 7, 2024.
▸▸ State Policy Updates
Gender markers on driver’s licensesSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June: In March 2024, Arkansas issued a proposed “emergency” rule that banned the use of gender-neutral “X” options on driver’s licenses, and further added extremely burdensome requirements to be able to change the gender marker at all. In early June, a state court blocked that rule, but in late June, the Arkansas Supreme Court reinstated it, meaning the burdensome requirements are still in effect.August 2: The Missouri Department of Revenue changed its rules without public comment or notice, adding similarly burdensome requirements of either medical documentation from a surgeon showing “proof of full transition” or a court order, which often also requires medical documentation. This overnight change replaces Missouri’s former policy that had been in place since at least 2016, requiring only a form with a provider’s signature attesting to the individual’s gender identity.
Name change publication requirementsSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June 17: Rhode Island enacted a new law improving the name change process by explicitly removing the former requirement that people must publish a public notice of their name change, such as in a local newspaper. This also moves Rhode Island to “High” on MAP’s Gender Identity Policy Tally. “Don’t Say LGBTQ” curriculum censorship lawsSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June 19: Louisiana became the 8th state with a “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law, all of which have been enacted since Florida’s 2021 law that rose to national prominence. Now, one in six (17%) LGBTQ youth live in states with such a law. Louisiana’s law also builds on its 1987 law, which is still on the books, that bans discussion of homosexuality in health classes.
“Shield” or “refuge” laws protecting transgender health careSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June 25: Rhode Island became the 16th state plus D.C. with a law or executive order protecting access to transgender-related health care.
Regulating gender to allow discrimination against transgender and nonbinary peopleSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here. Government gender regulation laws have already been used in other states to stop gender marker changes on identity documents and to promote other attacks on transgender people’s lives.June 28: In Montana, a judge ruled that the state’s bill regulating gender by defining “sex” throughout state law was unconstitutional. The state may appeal the decision, but in the meantime, the law may no longer be enforced.
Bans on transgender people’s use of bathrooms and facilitiesSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.July 3: South Carolina’s new state budget included an amendment that bans transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities according to their gender identity in K-12 settings. South Carolina is the 13th state with a bathroom ban in K-12 settings, including six states whose bans extend beyond K-12 schools as well.
Gender marker changes on birth certificatesSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.July 15: As covered by The 19th News, Florida is reportedly no longer processing gender marker changes on birth certificates, despite at least a decade of doing so. In the absence of an official statement or policy clarification from the state, MAP currently lists Florida as one of four states with an unclear, unknown or unwritten policy regarding gender marker changes. Our map will be updated as this policy develops.
Bans on medical care for transgender youthSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here, including a chronology and details on effective dates, exceptions, lawsuits, and more.
There are now 26 states with a ban or restriction on medically necessary, prescribed health care for transgender youth.
Currently, 2 in 5 (40%) transgender youth live in states with these bans. However, lawsuits have been filed against the bans in 17 of these states.
June 11: In Florida, the state’s ban on transgender health care was blocked by court ruling, including multiple provisions affecting adult access to care. An appeal is expected, but for now the ruling restores youth’s access to prescribed medication.July 19: New Hampshire became the 26th state to ban at least some forms of best practice medical care for transgender youth, though the ban does not go into effect until January 1, 2025. The law bans surgical care, but not medication or other forms of care. New Hampshire is also the first state in New England to enact such a law.
Bans on transgender kids playing school sportsSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here, including a chronology of laws and vetoes, a breakdown of grade applicability, and further analyses.There are now 26 states that ban transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity. Nearly 2 in 5 (38%) transgender youth live in states with these bans.July 19: New Hampshire became the 26th state to ban transgender youth from playing sports according to their gender identity. The law applies to grades 5–12 and specifically targets transgender girls’ participation. New Hampshire is also the first state in New England to enact such a law.
Parental opt-out of LGBTQ-related curriculumSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.July 19: New Hampshire became the 7th state to require schools to notify parents in advance of LGBTQ-related content and to allow them to remove their children from those classes, and the 16th state overall with any kind of anti-LGBTQ curricular law currently on the books. New Hampshire is also the first state in New England to enact any kind of LGBTQ-focused curriculum censorship law. Banning the use of “gay panic”/ “trans panic” defenses in courtroomsSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.July 23: Michigan became the 20th state plus D.C. to ban the use of LGBTQ panic defenses in courtrooms, and the second state to do so this year after Minnesota.
▸▸ Local Level Policy UpdatesMay 24: The village of Chauncey, Ohio — population 959 — passed an LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance covering all three areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. It is the first municipality in the state to enact such an ordinance this year.June 4: Gwinnett County, Georgia, enacted an LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance covering employment and public accommodations, though not housing. The ordinance applies only to unincorporated parts of the county, which covers nearly three-quarters of a million Georgia residents.June 19: Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania, enacted an LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance that also bans conversion “therapy”. ▸▸ MAP’s LGBTQ Equality Bill TrackerTo continue highlighting trends across the country, included below are our current bill tracking counts for anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures.Note: these counts may differ from other organizations or public counts for a variety of reasons, and this work is greatly facilitated by the work of other organizations including the ACLU and the Equality Federation and their member state groups.As of August 1, 2024, the count of anti-LGBTQ bills so far in 2024 is:At least 510 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced across at least 40 states.At least 40 bills redefining “sex” to enable discrimination against transgender people have been introduced across at least 20 states.June 19: Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania, enacted an LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance that also bans conversion “therapy.”
To schedule an interview with a MAP researcher or for questions, please contact media@mapresearch.org. # # # About MAP: MAP’s mission is to provide independent and rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. www.mapresearch.org
The Supreme Court of Nepal has ruled that Rukshana Kapali, a transgender woman, should be legally recognized on all documents as a woman without having to submit to medical verification. The judgment is the latest in the court’s history of progressive rulings on sexual orientation and gender identity, which has earned Nepal a positive global reputation on LGBT rights.
Following a 2007 supreme court order, authorities have been issuing some documents listing gender as “other” or “third gender” for more than a decade on the basis of the person’s self-identification. Despite the court order, the lack of a clear central policy has created problems. Trans people in Nepal today who want to change their gender markers to “female” or “male” are typically forced to undergo surgery, which requires traveling outside the country, and then in-country medical assessments, including invasive examinations of post-operative genitals. Even people who are attempting to obtain documents marked “other” are subjected to this humiliating and unnecessary medical scrutiny.
The Yogyakarta Principles – drafted and signed in 2006 by a group of experts, including a former Nepal parliament member and LGBT rights advocate Sunil Babu Pant – state that each person’s self-defined sexual orientation and gender identity is “integral to their personality” and is a basic aspect of identity, personal autonomy, dignity, and freedom. The principles are clear that gender recognition may involve, “if freely chosen, modification of bodily appearance or function by medical, surgical or other means.” These principles were the basis of the Supreme Court of Nepal’s 2007 order and are cited in Kapali’s new court victory as well.
Kapali, a trans woman law student, has sued the government of Nepal over 50 times since 2021 – pushing for rights-based legal recognition of gender identity. And while this recent judgment sets a precedent for trans rights, the order only applies to Kapali, meaning others will have to petition courts to be legally recognized according to their gender identity.
A better solution is a central policy. The government can and should make the system work for everyone by issuing a directive that allows people to self-identify their gender on official documents, without medical or other verification.
The parents of a transgender teenager who took his own life have called for more support for youngsters waiting for care.
15-year-old Jason Pulman was found dead in Hampden Park, Eastbourne, East Sussex, in April 2022. He had been on an NHS gender identity service waiting list for more than two years.
Jason, who was trans masc, had been referred in 2020, but was told several months later that there was a 26-month wait just for a first appointment.
In April, an inquest jury found systemic failures by a range of services supporting Jason could have contributed to his death. Mark Pulman had noted that his stepson became increasingly frustrated over the lack of support and appeared to have “given up,” adding: “I know it broke Jason.”
The teenager’s mother, Emily, urged national services to do more to support trans under-18s on the waiting list. “They need so much more resources and not to have one appointment that’s years away,” she said.
“There needs to be regular input with these kids, so it’s not just about their gender, it’s about their mental health overall.”
Information collected by PA Media and reported by The Guardian suggests that more than 5,700 under-18s are waiting an average of 100 weeks for a first appointment.
Waiting times have only been exacerbated by the closure of what was England’s only youth gender clinic, at The Tavistock Centre in North London.
Jason’s stepfather believes that the numbers are “hugely underestimated” and added that he hopes families are given faster responses and emotional support.
“We want to change the system and we want to change it for the families because it’s a very lonely, isolating place to be when you think you’re the only person whose child is going through this,” he told the BBC.
“I don’t want people to think [being] transgender and suicide are the same thing, because they are not. I don’t want people to automatically be fearful. If your child feels [they are transgender], you’ve got to believe them and support them.”
Families of trans children need to take charge of the system and not to let it “take charge of you,” he added.
“Be on the phone, email them, push for more information,” he urged. “Never take it on face value that this [appointment] is going to be the answer to your problems because there’s going to be more support needed, like counselling for the whole family.”
