Transgender Tennesseans want state’s refusal to amend birth certificates declared unconstitutional

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal appeals court heard arguments on Thursday over a decades-old Tennessee policy that does not allow transgender people to change the sex designation on their birth certificates. The lawsuit was first filed in federal court in Nashville in 2019 by transgender Tennesseans who say Tennessee’s prohibition serves no legitimate government interest … Read more

Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to require anti-abortion group video, or comparable, in public schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee would become the latest state to require public school students to watch a video on fetal development produced by an anti-abortion group, or something comparable, under legislation that is headed to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. The GOP-dominated Senate passed the legislation Thursday, with the five Democrats in attendance and one … Read more

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

Utah poised to become the next state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people

Utah is poised to become the next state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people after its Republican-controlled Legislature passed a measure Friday that requires people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government-owned buildings that match their sex assigned at birth. Transgender people can defend themselves against a complaint that they … Read more

Stigma against gay men could worsen Congo’s biggest mpox outbreak, scientists warn

KINSHASA, Congo — As Congo copes with its biggest outbreak of mpox, scientists warn discrimination against gay and bisexual men on the continent could make it worse. In November, the World Health Organization reported that mpox, also known as monkeypox, was being spread via sex in Congo for the first time. That is a significant … Read more

Pharmacist refused emergency contraception prescription. Court to decide if that was discrimination

MINNEAPOLIS — Attorneys for a woman who was denied emergency contraception in 2019 told the Minnesota Court of Appeals Thursday that the pharmacist who refused to fill the prescription discriminated against her on the basis of her sex. But an attorney for George Badeaux, the pharmacist at Thrifty White in central Minnesota, said his refusal … Read more