AP PHOTOS: Nepal women keep the art of traditional instruments alive despite their past stigma

AP PHOTOS: Nepal women keep the art of traditional instruments alive despite their past stigma

KATHMANDU, Nepal — As a child, Shanti Chaudhari was scolded by her parents for standing too close to a group of musicians playing the naumati baja, Nepal’s nine traditional instruments, because they were identified with the Damai, part of the lowest caste that was formerly known as “untouchables.” Chaudhari, now 41, eventually overcame her family’s … Read more

West Virginia medical professionals condemn bill that prohibits care to at-risk transgender youth

West Virginia medical professionals condemn bill that prohibits care to at-risk transgender youth

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nearly 400 medical professionals in West Virginia have signed onto a letter condemning a bill advancing in the state House of Delegates that would bar transgender youth at risk for suicide from accessing medical interventions like hormone therapy. Advanced to the full chamber by a House committee on Friday, the proposal would … Read more

West Virginia lawmakers push to remove a suicide risk exemption from gender-affirming care bill

West Virginia lawmakers push to remove a suicide risk exemption from gender-affirming care bill

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some Republican lawmakers in West Virginia want to ban transgender youth at risk for self-harm or suicide from accessing medical interventions such as hormone therapy. The GOP-controlled Legislature banned such interventions last year while allowing the self-harm and suicide exception. Now, a group of lawmakers want to eliminate that narrow definition, which … Read more

Mississippi might allow incarcerated people to sue prisons over transgender inmates

Mississippi might allow incarcerated people to sue prisons over transgender inmates

JACKSON, Miss. — A bill before Mississippi lawmakers might allow incarcerated people to sue jails and prisons if they encounter inmates from the opposite sex, such as those who are transgender, in restrooms or changing areas. State lawmakers advanced the proposal out of a House committee Thursday. It would require inmate restrooms, changing rooms and … Read more

West Virginia bill defining gender is transphobic and ‘political rubbish,’ Democrats say

West Virginia bill defining gender is transphobic and ‘political rubbish,’ Democrats say

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s Republican-supermajority House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed legislation Wednesday to narrow the definitions of gender that Democrats label as a dystopian bill that would give women no additional rights and is a way for the GOP to suppress transgender people. The bill passed on an 87-12 vote and now goes to … Read more

The Census Bureau is thinking about how to ask about sex. People have their opinions

The Census Bureau is thinking about how to ask about sex. People have their opinions

The U.S. Census Bureau is thinking about how to ask about sex. People have opinions. Dozens of health officials, civil rights groups, individuals and businesses have weighed in about how the statistical agency should ask about sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time on its most comprehensive survey of American life. An Associated … Read more

Teaching of gender in Georgia private schools would be regulated under revived Senate bill

Teaching of gender in Georgia private schools would be regulated under revived Senate bill

ATLANTA — A Georgia Senate committee is advancing a long-stalled proposal aimed at stopping private school teachers from talking to students about gender identity without parental permission, but both gay rights groups and some religious conservatives remain opposed to the bill. Senate Bill 88, which majority Republicans on Tuesday passed out of the Senate Education … Read more

A West Virginia ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ is an effort to suppress transgender people, critics say

A West Virginia ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ is an effort to suppress transgender people, critics say

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Legislation in West Virginia to narrow the definitions of gender would give women no further rights and is a way for Republicans to suppress transgender people, speakers at a public hearing said Thursday. Dozens of speakers condemned the “Women’s Bill of Rights” while a handful spoke in favor of it during the … Read more

Kansas’ AG is telling schools they must out trans kids to parents, even with no specific law

Kansas’ AG is telling schools they must out trans kids to parents, even with no specific law

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas’ attorney general is telling public schools they’re required to tell parents their children are transgender or non-binary even if they’re not out at home, though Kansas is not among the states with a law that explicitly says to do that. Republican Kris Kobach’s action was his latest move to restrict transgender … Read more

Ohio backs off proposed restrictions on gender-affirming care for adults

Ohio backs off proposed restrictions on gender-affirming care for adults

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration on Wednesday backed off its plans to impose rules that advocates feared would have restricted gender-affirming medical treatment for adults in a way no other state has. The rules proposed by two state departments would have required the psychiatrists, endocrinologists and medial ethicists to have roles in creating gender-affirming care … Read more