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☆ Ron DeSantis: What to expect from his presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Ron DeSantis is expected to make his presidential campaign official next week. WOLF: More than any other Republican, DeSantis has generated national media scrutiny and buzz that he could be the candidate best positioned to challenge Trump. Are he and his advisers concerned that all that attention has not translated to a stronger position in GOP primary polls? CONTORNO: As we previously reported several months ago, DeSantis’ political operation believes he has the money and the name recognition to launch a national campaign out of the gate. CONTORNO: Some of Trump’s top advisers once ran DeSantis’ political operation, and several former Trump operatives and donors are now in DeSantis’ camp, so the sniping is already becoming pronounced.

But now there is a discrepancy about, 'Is sex gender and can I change it?' Major medical and psychological associations endorse gender-affirming care and say transgender identities should be respected, while conservative groups claim that children are too easily allowed to transition. While researchers say sex generally refers to physiological characteristics and gender is more a social construct, when it comes to federal civil rights law, they are essentially the same. "By defining sex so narrowly, you are excluding LGBTQ people from bringing claims in state court based on discrimination on the basis of sex," said Sarah Warbelow, HRC's legal director. The laws also stand to limit nontransgender people who have a discrimination claim based on sex stereotyping, Warbelow said.

☆ Opinion | The Four Freedoms, According to Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Tuesday, Republicans in North Carolina overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto to pass a strict limit on bodily autonomy in the form of a 12-week abortion ban. North Carolina Republicans are obviously not the only ones fighting to ban, limit or restrict the right to bodily autonomy, whether abortion or gender-affirming health care for transgender people. All across the country, Republicans have passed laws to do exactly that wherever they have the power to do so, regardless of public opinion in their states or anywhere else. The war on bodily autonomy is a critical project for nearly the entire G.O.P., pursued with dedication by Republicans from the lowliest state legislator to the party’s powerful functionaries on the Supreme Court.

☆ Anti-Trans Bathroom Bills Are About Humiliation - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Lydia Polgreen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Anyone who fails to comply could face misdemeanor trespassing charges that could result in jail time. Now, bathroom bills are back, part of a pitiless onslaught against trans bodies that gathers speed with each passing day. Around 10 states have passed laws barring transgender children from using their chosen bathroom. So far this year there are more than 30 bills aimed at restricting bathroom use by trans people, according to the Human Rights Campaign, more than any other year on record. But none have gone as far as Florida, which is now the only state to criminalize using a bathroom that doesn’t align with your sex at birth.

☆ A University Fired 2 Employees for Including Their Pronouns in Emails
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Liam Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot decided to include their pronouns at the end of their work emails, they thought they were doing a good thing: following what they viewed as an emerging professional standard, and also sending a message of inclusivity at the Christian university where they worked. But their bosses at Houghton University, in upstate New York, saw the matter very differently. When they refused to do so, both employees were fired, just weeks before the end of the semester. Houghton’s firing of the two staff members has dismayed some of its alumni, nearly 600 of whom signed a petition in protest. And it comes as gender and sexuality have become major fault lines in an increasingly divided nation, and after other faith-based organizations, including Yeshiva University in Manhattan, have argued that First Amendment protections of religious freedom allow them to treat gay and transgender people differently than others.

☆ Nebraska lawmakers pass restrictions on abortion, transgender medical care
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 19 (Reuters) - Nebraska lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that limits abortion and puts restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth in a single piece of legislation that strikes at two highly divisive issues. It includes exceptions for medical emergencies when the mother's life is at risk, and in cases of rape or incest. The same bill also bans "gender-altering surgery" and places restrictions on hormone therapy and puberty-blocking drugs for transgender people under 19. Abortion and gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender youth are at the heart of the so-called culture war raging in American politics, with Republican-dominated legislatures across the country banning or putting sharp restrictions on both. Supporters of the bill said it was a means of protecting unborn babies from abortion and teenagers from undergoing irreversible medical procedures they may later regret.

☆ Anheuser-Busch loses top LGBTQ+ rating over its Bud Light response
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Last year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation gave Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch a top rating for LGBTQ+ equality. Bud Light sales dropped in the ensuing weeks. Bud Light has been embroiled in controversy since April. But Bud Light hasn’t gotten the benefit of support for its initial deal with Mulvaney because of its subsequent reaction. During the discussion, he mentioned that Bud Light is just one brand within the company’s broad portfolio, which has not changed its full-year outlook.

☆ Bill Perkins, Defender of His Harlem Constituents, Dies at 74
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bill Perkins, who for 24 years as a legislator from Harlem championed his community — by, among other things, challenging Donald J. Trump’s aggressive demand for the death penalty when five teenagers, who were later exonerated, were arrested in connection with a rape in Central Park in 1989 — died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. His death was announced by his wife, Pamela Green Perkins. She did not give a cause, but Mr. Perkins had undergone treatment for colon cancer and, according to Richard Fife, a family spokesman, had developed dementia. In 1989, when five Black and Hispanic teenagers were charged with the rape of a white jogger in Central Park, Mr. Perkins was among the first Black civic leaders to publicly raise questions about the evidence and to suggest that there had been a rush to judgment. At the time he was president of the tenants’ association of Schomburg Plaza, the Manhattan apartment complex where several of the defendants lived.

The majority of those bills specifically affect transgender people, touching on nearly every aspect of a transgender person's public life. And the vulnerability of most Republican state legislators right now is in the primary, if at all," Allen said. The bill he signed on Wednesday also adds obstacles for transgender adults and grants courts jurisdiction in child custody battles in some cases involving gender-affirming care. Demonstrators swarmed the Texas House, leading lawmakers to send a bill banning gender-affirming care back to committee. In Montana, protests contributed to the censure of transgender state Representative Zooey Zephyr, who was banned from the state House floor by Republican legislators.

☆ The Religious Right’s Hidden Sway as Japan Trails Allies on Gay Rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Motoko Rich | Hikari Hida | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To millions of Japanese, the Shinto faith is not so much a spiritual practice as a cultural one. Few regard these rituals as being tethered to any fixed doctrine — Shintoism, an indigenous religion, has no official dogma or scripture. But unbeknown to most in largely secular Japan, a national Shinto association has tried to spread a conservative ideological message among lawmakers, including on gay and transgender rights. Polls show overwhelming support for same-sex marriage in Japan; one of the country’s most influential business leaders recently called it “embarrassing” that Japan has not sanctioned the unions. Lawmakers, under pressure from the Shinto group and other traditionalist forces, have lagged behind public opinion, struggling to agree on even limited expressions of support for the rights of gay and transgender people.

☆ DeSantis signs slew of anti-transgender rights measures into law, affecting bathrooms, healthcare, and pronouns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

DeSantis signed three anti-trans bills into law ahead of an anticipated 2024 run. Though he decried LGBTQ+ material and called for "normalcy" for minors, children stood next to him onstage during the bills' signings. Another bill DeSantis signed into law Wednesday prevents doctors from offering treatments such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgery — such as breast removal — to transgender minors, even in cases where parents consent. The legislation — officially known as the Parental Rights in Education Act — was panned by LGBTQ+ rights organizations as "Don't Say Gay." But a bill DeSantis signed into law Wednesday went even further to eradicate such teachings so they only happen in the limited curriculum parameters after eighth grade.

☆ How a Few Stories of Regret Fuel the Push to Restrict Gender Transition Care
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Missouri legislature last week passed a ban on transition care for transgender youth. As more American teenagers have identified as transgender, it is difficult to say how many will transition medically — many transgender people do not — and precisely how many will later change course. Methodology, demographics and even the definition of detransition vary widely from study to study, which typically show that between 2 percent and 13 percent of people detransition, and not always because of regret. Leading medical groups in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, say transition care should be available to minors and oppose legislative bans. Many experts say policymakers should ensure access to high-quality care, including thorough individual evaluations to determine which treatments are appropriate and at what age.

☆ Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira was preparing for a violent 'race war' against Black and Jewish people, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Teixeira, 21, was charged with leaking secret Pentagon documents last month. The Air National Guard member was preparing for a violent "race war," The Washington Post found. "He used the term 'race war' quite a few times," a close friend of Teixeira's, who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity, said. "He was afraid they would target White people," his friend told the Post. His online presence also revealed conspiratorial thinking and further racist thinking, including about Jewish people and Muslims.

☆ Victoria's Secret is bringing back its infamous fashion show as a movie, 4 years after canning it after criticism of its lack of diversity and inclusion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Victoria's Secret is releasing a movie in the fall. The movie is a reimagining of the brand's famous fashion show, which was axed in 2019. The show was canceled after it came under increasing criticism for its lack of diversity and inclusion. Victoria's Secret has been discussing the return of its fashion show for some time. "This film is the ultimate expression of the Victoria's Secret brand transformation," Raúl Martinez, creative director at Victoria's Secret, said in a statement to the press.

LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization on Friday declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency, marking a major step toward the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy and ravaged communities. "It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that the end of the emergency did not mean COVID was over as a global health threat. The WHO's emergency committee first declared that COVID represented its highest level of alert on Jan. 30, 2020. The status helps focus international attention on a global health threat, as well as bolstering collaboration on vaccines and treatments. The decision to end the global health emergency status was supported by a majority of the committee, said Didier Houssin, head of the agency's COVID emergency committee.

☆ Florida Legislature Passes Bill Banning Gender-Transition Care for Minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Background: The Legislature has prioritized bills aimed at L.G.B.T.Q. Last month, the Florida Board of Education expanded through 12th grade a prohibition on classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity. Why It Matters: A growing number of states are passing similar restrictions. At least 13 states have passed laws or policies in recent months to ban or significantly limit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and gender-transition surgery for people under 18. advocacy organization GLAAD has already sued Florida over the state health board’s prohibition of what experts call gender-affirming care.

☆ One Family Has Spearheaded Montana’s Unflinching Conservatism
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Mike Baker | Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

During a legislative hearing in 2011 that was a prelude to Montana’s debates on abortion, State Representative Keith Regier displayed an image of a cow and made the argument that cattle were more valuable when pregnant. The comparison drew a prompt rebuke from some women in the room, but Mr. Regier, a Republican, declined to apologize. Mr. Regier has now emerged as the patriarch of a new family political dynasty that has injected fresh conservative intensity into debates over abortion, diversity training and, this spring, transgender rights. Mr. Regier chairs the Senate’s powerful judiciary committee, while his daughter, Amy, leads its counterpart in the House. The trio of legislators, each wielding a similar brand of unflinching conservatism, were among the most powerful proponents of a set of bills that took particular aim at the rights of transgender people.

☆ The trans soccer team that’s making history
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Hannah Ryan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

On the rainy evening of March 31, 2023, he captained what he says is the first ever all trans masculine soccer team in Europe in a match. “I was quite nervous before the match,” Webber told CNN. They now also aim to make soccer a more inclusive sport and connect the trans community. “After the all trans feminine team played their game and once I’d played with the all-gender team, she took me aside and said she’d been thinking about what we could do next and asked if I’d be interested in captaining an all trans masc team,” Webber said. “One day, there’ll be hundreds of trans people playing football all over the country at all levels.”

However, a number of countries have recently begun lifting their domestic states of emergency, such as the United States. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said he hopes to end the international emergency this year. One source close to negotiations said lifting the "public health emergency of international concern", or PHEIC, label could impact global funding or collaboration efforts. "I expect WHO to end the public health emergency of international concern. If WHO does not end it... [this time], then certainly the next time the emergency committee meets."

☆ Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr is suing the state in an emergency attempt to reverse her censure
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr is suing the state, House speaker, and sergeant-at-arms. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyDemocratic Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr is suing the state, the speaker of the Montana House, and the state sergeant-at-arms in an emergency attempt to reverse the stipulations of her recent censure. By enforcing this action, the Montana House has denied representation and voice to me and all of my fellow constituents in House District 100." The Montana House's vote to censure Zephyr arose after a group of protestors filled the gallery of the Montana House and interrupted business with chants after Montana House Speaker Matt Regier refused to recognize Zephyr on the floor. While Zephyr can't speak on the House floor due to her censure, she's had time to speak to constituents in Missoula, who showered her with support upon her recent return to the district.

☆ Bud Light wanted to market to all. Now, it's alienating everyone
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

New York CNN —For years, Bud Light leaned on jokey ad campaigns and its designation as a light beer to push sales. Now, Bud Light finds itself seeking younger drinkers, and stumbling through America’s polarized landscape in the process. There have been calls for a Bud Light boycott. And the stock of Bud Light owner Anheuser-Busch (BUD) has fallen only about 3% in the last month, suggesting Wall Street isn’t too worried. Bud Light, he thinks, could be missing out on that type of support.

CNN —From statehouses to the presidential campaign trail, Republicans are escalating their political attacks on transgender people – a reflection of what they see as a cultural fight their base is eager to wage. And in recent days, those attacks have turned into new forms of mockery and political retribution, as Republicans seek to turn transgender rights into a flashpoint by seizing on social media controversies and exercising their rule-making power in statehouses where they hold large majorities. “A lot of young trans people are worried that their medication is going to get pulled,” she said of legislation targeting health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. Transgender rights activists protest outside the House chamber at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on February 6, 2023. That is not a transgender person,” Haley said of Mulvaney as the crowd nodded.

☆ In India’s Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Case, Arguments Span Equality, Family, Religion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Shan Li | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI—In landmark hearings before India’s Supreme Court, a series of petitioners are arguing for the expansion of marriage rights to millions of LGBTQ people in the world’s most populous nation, but are facing opposition from the country’s socially conservative government. The closely watched proceedings, which began mid-April, come five years after the court decriminalized gay sex. Its other rulings over the past decade have brought rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people to the forefront, including one in 2014 that recognized transgender people as a third gender. In 2017, the court said privacy, including a person’s sexual orientation, is a constitutional right for all.

Its peak sales forecast is of more than $2 billion annually together from the maternal vaccine and an RSV shot for older adults. The case highlights how equitable global access will require better advance planning by drugmakers, governments and health organizations, health officials say. "They could have tried sooner," said Erin Sparrow, WHO's technical officer for the RSV vaccine, referring to Pfizer. Pfizer has yet to take a number of steps needed to make the vaccine available in developing countries, according to global health officials and the company. She still expects it to be several years before the RSV vaccine is launched in lower-income countries.

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