Comments on: The LGBTQIA+ News Post, August 1, 2025: Ten Thousand Paper Cuts

The LGBTQIA+ News Post, August 1, 2025: Ten Thousand Paper Cuts

mephron — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:42:35 -0800

Welcome to the LGBTQIA+ News Post for July 25. And what a lot of people making policies don't seem to understand: you know it's obvious, but we can't choose how we're made.

I wanted to skip a week because I'm tired, but this is too important to do, even if the number of people reading seems to drop. The Bad News LinkedIn has joined the list of shitty corporate entities who have stripped protections for transgender and nonwhite users from their terms of service, quietly and without mentioning the update. Thanks, you stupid fuckers! Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has announced she is a "proud transphobe", thus proving my theory that when an asshole speaks, what comes out is odious. A few weeks back, I mentioned that the Federal Trade Commission had hosted an anti-trans workshop. Well, now they are looking for public comment on people who claim to have been deceived by gender affirming care providers. I wonder, can people report their conversion therapists on this too? I mean, technically it could be considered a form of 'gender affirming care', just affirming the wrong gender... Attorney General James Uthmeier of Florida is demanding the records of a restaurant's drag show. He has demanded the event's guest list, reservation logs, surveillance footage and contracts identifying performers for the event at the restaurant Hamburger Mary's. Uthmeier has claimed in a statement that the event's organizers had subjected children to "adult, sexualised performers" without any clarification of what evidence it has obtained to suggest the performances were "adult" or "sexualised." In Ohio, the GOP there wants to forcibly out queer students to their parents. Other laws they are pushing include a bill requiring transgender politicians to list their deadnames on public records, a law restricting trans students' ability to use preferred names and pronouns in schools by requiring signed parental permission slips, a bill that bans kids 14 and under from receiving any "counseling services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, or the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student" without parental consent (which includes the forced outing if the counseling was due to being queer in any way), and the obligatory Drag Ban (although this one, when it engages in frottage with state law, could make anyone who claims that they find any media that portrays crossdressing or transgender individuals as obscene able to file for it to be banned). Kansas's universities are closing their LGBTQ+ and DEI programs as per a recently passed state law:

A provision in the latest state budget bill, Senate Bill 125, directs all state agencies, including colleges and universities, to end any programs or activities related to DEl. It also bars state employees from using gender-identifying pronouns or anything related to "gender ideology" in email signatures. It doesn't define DEI or gender ideology, Inside Higher Ed notes, and takes up just a few lines in a 300-page bill. But the universities are implementing it in their own way. Kansas State announced last week that its LGBTQ+ student center, the Spectrum Center, will close at the end of July. In a campus-wide letter, Thomas Lane, dean of students and vice president for academic success and student affairs, praised the center's work and said support for LGBTQ+ students will continue.

The University of Kansas is doing something similar, including banning pronouns in email signatures. ooh, that's so scary to the stupid. Also in Kansas, the Mott House, also known as the "Transgender House" for its paint scheme, was badly damaged during a police standoff. Suspected murderer Carlos Slaughter, whose wife's body was found after a house fire in Oklahoma City and whose death was determined as homicide, was reported in the area, then entered and barricaded himself inside the house. The house was breached at 4 AM on July 30, where Slaughter was found dead of an apparent suicide. How the damage to the house, including shattered windows and damaged doorways, occured is officially unknown. But in an ACAB world, we have an idea. Over in the UK, the World Darts Federation has banned trans women from women's tournaments, but the most prominent trans woman in the sport, Dutch dartist Noa-Lynn van Leuven, is not letting it ruin her love of the sport. Survivor's Network, a charity supporting survivors of sexual assault and bias in Sussex, UK, has nnounced that a new service will be inaccessible to trans and non-binary survivors. The new service, a peer support group for biological women, occurs as the result of a complaint and suit by a woman who goes by the name "Sarah Surviving" on social media, who stated that she was suing the charity because she felt uncomfortable discussing her sexual abuse in front of a trans woman who joined the group. (gnnnn.) Guidance from the UK's Equalities and Human Rights Commission on single-sex services is expected by the end of August. It has been described by critics as "trans segregation" and a "bigot's charter". The changes include requiring trans people to take their ID into single-sex spaces, and also includes recommendations that "trans people be barred from spaces exclusive to their gender identity and, in some cases, their birth sex too." A case against the EHRC by the Good Law Project about this situation has been set to be heard in November. And the upcoming chairperson of the EHRC, Dr. Mary-Ann Stephenson, has a history of aligning herself with "gender-critical groups" like donating to the legal fund of Allison Bailey (the founder of the LGB Alliance), as well as being signatory to a 2017 letter claiming that "transgender activists" were attacking cis women to try and silence them, and a 2018 letter claiming that those in support of "transgender ideology" were using "harassment and intimidation" tactics to silence 'gender-critical' activists. Sorry, my UK tribe: looks like it's more of the same coprophagists. The Good News The Supreme Court of the Eastern Carribean has struck down anti-gay laws on St. Lucia. While they weren't being enforced, they still existed and could be used, and so it was brought up and now struck down. Students at Boise State University the Univeristy of Idaho have challenged Idaho's bathroom bill, stating that it is discriminatory to trans students (it is), and there have been absolutely no issues previously with trans students using the bathrooms of their gender presentation. FreeState Justice, a nonprofit in Maryland, is suing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for failing to investigate anti-transgender job discrimination. Which the EEOC admitted to. Boston Childrens Hospital in Massachusetts has given two big middle fingers up to the administration, stating they won't be bullied into abandoning their committment to trans youth. This despite hate campaigns from some (what's the opposite of 'luminary') such as Chaiya Raichik and Riley Gaines, bomb threats, and so many death threats they had to hire extra security. A group of black activists in Texas have held a rally on July 31, comparing anti-trans bathroom bills to Jim Crow laws. I want to thank them for it. Over in Cuba, a new law has allowed gender self-identification without surgery, and also amends Cuba's national civil registry, giving legal recognition to common-law partnerships and setting out a process for digitising paper records. This is after, in 2022, Cuba held a referendum that revised the Family Law Code, which allowed same-sex marriage, adoption by LGBTQ+ couples, and hundreds of other changes, the referendum passing 67% to 33%. The Cinnamon Roll Report Let us cheer K-Pop star Cherry, for coming out as trans. In an interview, she said:

"This isn't a hobby, it's my life. I'm trans. Because I wasn't an ordinary person, I couldn't reveal everything from the start. My goal was to take it slow. I'm just going with my goal."

In South Korea, LGBTQ+ people still face discrimination, social pressure, and limited legal protections; people in entertainment risk damage to their careers by coming out. Chappell Roan? Chappell Roan has released her new song, "The Subway", which she has described as "encompassing everything I love about New York City, with the hope, heartbreak and healing that it has to offer us all." Be well, friends. If you have news I missed or personal triumphs, bring them here! Let us know your joys. Your tells are so obvious Shoulders too broad for a girl Keeps you reminded Helps you to remember where you come from You want them to notice The ragged ends of your summer dress You want them to see you Like they see every other girl They just see a ****** They hold their breath not to catch the sick

By: Seven Deadly Gins

Seven Deadly Gins — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:08:38 -0800

A lot of things in the news post this month that I assumed were just local stories- I kinda figured the same level of fuckery was happening everywhere. Crazy to see them get national attention. One big one I wanted to point out was that Kaiser Permanente has decided to halt trans care for anyone 19 and under nationwide, a decision which is probably the big domino that is going to cause most other insurance companies and hospital chains to do the same, unless forced to offer care by state law. There's been so much compliance-in-advance with the hostage taking over federal funds, it's all extremely disheartening. On a slightly brighter note- I was checking up on an old webcomic artist I used to love 20 years ago, and found her entire story of transitioning in the early 1980s. It's harrowing, but really worth a read- there are so few surviving voices from that time in our community and it paints a real picture of what things were like, even for those fortunate enough to find community and care. I have many thoughts about the article and how it relates to our present moment, but I feel like I should let it speak for itself. Check it our over here.

By: pdb

pdb — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:14:08 -0800

this is too important to do, even if the number of people reading seems to drop. I read! I don't comment much if at all, but I read! And I thank you for doing this every week! Now go get some rest!

By: Seven Deadly Gins

Seven Deadly Gins — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:15:59 -0800

Forcing yourself to stare directly into the never-ending torrent of hateful, spiteful bullshit for the sake of informing others is extremely noble but also super duper caustic to your own sense of inner wellbeing. Stop when you need to stop, eh?

By: mephron

mephron — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:26:48 -0800

Seven Deadly Gins: Sometimes it's important for the local stuff to get national attention. Also, I mentioned the Kaiser thing in last week's post. And I will make it clear if I need to stop for a bit. But right now, with how my life is (scared, unemployed, working on my second book just to keep sane, seeing if it's possible to get Euro citizenship from my heritage), this helps me remember why I do things.

By: Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes

Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:40:32 -0800

Still reading, and still glad you're doing it, but I wouldn't blame you for taking a break, either for your own sanity or for any other reason.

By: Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes

Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:41:50 -0800

Like pdb I don't really have much to say, but it's nice to get a rundown on news that might affect me without having to spend all week drinking from the bad news firehose.

By: The Great Big Mulp

The Great Big Mulp — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:43:56 -0800

As a Kaiser Permanente member, I reached out to their member services as soon as I'd heard about their decision. Brown University also voluntarily negotiated away the rights and safety of its trans students and staff in exchange for federal funds this past week. As a former Brown employee, I'll be reaching out to them later today, and I encourage any alumni here to do the same.

By: Flight Hardware, do not touch

Flight Hardware, do not touch — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:46:04 -0800

LinkedIn has joined the list of shitty corporate entities Dang it. I've been getting a lot of new connections there from others at NASA who are either thinking of coming over, or planning to send others my way. I think I'll need to cut the cord, particularly if they're condoning deadnaming. I hope people in need of help can find me other ways.

By: cnidaria

cnidaria — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:02:12 -0800

Thanks for continuing to put this together for all of us.

By: Spike Glee

Spike Glee — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:24:51 -0800

I'm another reader who rarely comments. Thanks for doing this.

By: latkes

latkes — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:32:57 -0800

I also appreciate these posts. Thank you.

By: ellieBOA

ellieBOA — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:37:29 -0800

I'm still reading! Thanks for the post mephron. I'm going to Brighton Pride tomorrow! Very excited, used to go as a teenager before moving out of the area.

By: kristi

kristi — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 14:29:44 -0800

One more for the Good News section: Sixteen states sue White House over healthcare access for transgender youth - press release from CA Attorney General Rob Bonta, the lawsuit (PDF) (If your state has a sensible Attorney General, it's worth checking their News page every now and then - attorneys general are filing SO MANY LAWSUITS. It's some of the most effective resistance I've seen.) According to Litigation Tracker, this is the third lawsuit challenging the odious Executive Order 14187: * PFLAG v Trump was filed on Feb 4 (resulted in a TRO and a preliminary injunction, now tied up in appeals) and * State of Washington v Trump et al was filed on Feb 7 (resulted in a TRO, a preliminary injunction, and a motion for contempt for the defendants withholding funding anyway; now tied up in appeals). I find it heartening to read these lawsuits; I'm not sure whether, before this year, we had many instances of state-level officials asserting forcefully in plain language in the nation's courts that "Healthcare for transgender adolescents with gender dysphoria is medically necessary healthcare" and that "States have enacted numerous laws to protect transgender residents and ensure access to this medical care." It is disgusting that these suits are necessary; but it is encouraging (to me anyway) to have the legal representatives of many states assert and defend the rights of their trans residents (and their families, and their medical professionals), and to be reminded via these AGs that these states have protections written into their state laws specifying the right to appropriate healthcare. Those laws were passed by dozens of individual legislators (or maybe in some cases by state voters?). It's encouraging to me to know that the legislatures of these states made it a priority to write and pass these protections, and that their AGs are now asserting these protections in the face of cruel and illegal executive actions. Sorry, that got long. Yay for (these particular) attorneys general! And great big hoorays for the students in Boise, the administrators of Boston Childrens Hospital, and everyone else in the Good News section! Thank you so much for this post, mephron. I appreciate all your posts so much (and I love reading the Cinnamon Roll Reports). You are fabulous, and I appreciate you, and this.

By: nixxon

nixxon — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 17:01:27 -0800

More people read these than you might think. I appreciate your efforts.

By: quiet wanderer

quiet wanderer — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 21:56:07 -0800

I'm reading and so grateful!

By: kyraU2

kyraU2 — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 08:26:57 -0800

I second taking a break if you need to, but I'm here and I'm reading and you are inspiring me to take action. Thank you!

By: hydropsyche

hydropsyche — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 09:44:02 -0800

A local story that has not actually been reported anywhere that I can find: The University System of Georgia changed the official requirements for reporting preferred and legal names on June 30, 2025. The new requirement is now that preferred name is never shown anywhere without the legal name, and the legal name is written out with the preferred name in parentheses. This means our trans students cannot prevent their legal name from being shown everywhere, with their preferred name treated like a nickname instead of the name that they should always be called on campus. Previously, students could enter their preferred name into the system themselves and it would show up as their name in interactions with fellow students, staff, and faculty everywhere on campus except in a few official records. Now, trans students who have not changed their legal will have one more way to be easily outed, and no one can fix this because it's come from the state government. This was brought to my attention only because I've been working new student orientations, helping students sign up for classes, and we noticed that suddenly in the course enrollment software, all instructors names were listed as FirstName (FirstName) LastName. As someone asked, "Why are all our first names listed twice?" This is because faculty mostly don't use the preferred name function. And then I met a great guy who is a lovely new environmental science major and had a fantastic conversation with him, and in the process of helping him saw on his computer screen that the name he had been introduced to me with was in parentheses and a very female name was his legal name. And it just made my blood boil. And then I saw the same thing for a non-binary current student. And I'm just so hopping mad that the state has found one more way to make my students' lives hard. In addition, we are a campus full of immigrants, and we do have a few faculty, and some students as well, who have chosen a more westernized name than their legal first name as their preferred name. Again, this is just none of my business, and those folks will have to deal with a little more friction every day rather that they had been trying to avoid.

By: kristi

kristi — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 10:43:15 -0800

hydropsyche, thank you for sharing that. As with all the bad news, it's hard to read but important to know. It makes me angry, too, and so sad. Life is hard enough. I wish we could all put all our energy toward making it easier for each other.

By: k3ninho

k3ninho — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 15:06:41 -0800

Thanks, mephron, for your efforts finding good news stories and warning us about the bad. I hope the book comes together and wish that you have an abundance of spoons to enjoy and delight in your life.

By: Barking Frog

Barking Frog — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 08:35:06 -0800

I am a lurker who very much appreciates these posts. But, also, your well-being needs to be your first priority. If you need to take a week or a month or a year to take care of yourself, you must! You've already done so much.

By: mersen

mersen — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 09:04:03 -0800

I don't comment very often, but absolutely appreciate these posts. I do not have news-news, but here's what I've got for the week: - I got sick and read a couple books. The third novella in Malka Older's mystery series (starting with Mimicking of Known Successes) - 'cozy' mysteries featuring a detective and her ex/kinda/maybe girlfriend, in post-ecological-collapse Jupiter - is charming. The author is leaning more into the language drift, and also the lead characters' relationship. Chuck Tingle's Bury Your Gays (queer horror), also a lot of fun, commentary on commercial art and story-telling. - I talked a bit with the owner of the local feminist bookstore. Business is slow, and apparently last August was also extremely slow. If you patronize small niche bookstores, this may be a good month to visit?