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LGBTQ Rights Restrictions

State legislatures and the Supreme Court restricting gender-affirming care, transgender rights, and federal investigations into hospitals

School screen bans risk isolating millions of students with disabilities

Illustration accompanying article: School screen bans risk isolating millions of students with disabilities
  • Ninth grader Soraya Martin, who has dyslexia, uses speech-to-text and audiobooks to excel academically, but a new school-wide phone-ban policy at her California high school has disrupted her accommodations.
  • More than 8 million U.S. students with disabilities rely on assistive technology, including screen readers, speech-to-text, and audiobooks, according to education advocates.
  • At least three states — Alabama, Tennessee, and Utah — have laws limiting screens that take effect as early as July 2026, with some making exceptions for assistive technology.
  • Lindsay Jones, CEO of CAST, an education research nonprofit, said the speed of state-level screen restrictions has left educators and disabled communities unprepared.
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in late May issued a surgeon general's advisory warning of "harms of screen use" for children's health and education.
  • Disability advocates also point to a shrunken U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration as less equipped to enforce civil rights related to assistive technology access.
 4 MIN READ

Supreme Court blocks California schools’ transgender notification policy

Illustration accompanying article: Supreme Court blocks California schools’ transgender notification policy
  • The U.S. Supreme Court blocked for now a California law governing how schools notify parents when students change pronouns or gender expression at school.
  • The Supreme Court cleared the way for California schools to tell parents if their children identify as transgender without getting the student’s approval.
  • The Thomas More Society said the challenged policies caused schools to mislead Catholic parents and “secretly facilitate” students’ social transition despite objections.
  • California argued students have a right to privacy about their gender expression, especially if they fear rejection from their families.
  • Justice Elena Kagan dissented, saying the court should not disrupt a sovereign state’s policies through emergency action.
 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Kansas law invalidates transgender driver's licenses and birth certificates

New York AG orders NYU Langone to resume gender-affirming care

2026-03-04

New York Attorney General Letitia James has ordered NYU Langone, one of Manhattan’s largest hospitals, to resume gender-affirming care for transgender youth after the hospital ended such treatment for patients under 19. In a letter dated Feb. 25 but released this week, James said NYU Langone’s decision violated New York anti-discrimination laws by jeopardizing access to medically necessary health care for transgender youth.

Connecticut education chief says FERPA bars homeschool-withdrawal alerts to DCF

2026-03-04

Connecticut's education commissioner said Tuesday that a proposed state law requiring school districts to alert the child welfare agency when families withdraw children to homeschool them would violate federal privacy law and put millions of dollars in federal education funding at risk. Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker, in written testimony to a legislative committee, said the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents her department from disclosing student information without parental consent except for narrow research purposes. The measure is part of Senate Bill 6, an omnibus child welfare package drafted in part after two Connecticut cases in which parents allegedly used homeschooling to conceal prolonged abuse.

EEOC rejects transgender Army worker’s bid to use women’s bathroom

2026-02-28

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled that federal agencies may bar transgender employees from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity, rejecting an appeal by a transgender woman who worked for the U.S. Army. The 2-1 decision held that the Army’s choice did not violate Title VII’s ban on sex discrimination.

Kansas faces lawsuit over law invalidating some trans residents’ IDs

2026-02-28

Two transgender men sued Kansas in federal district court after a new state law invalidated their driver’s licenses and thousands of others, arguing the measure violates rights under the Kansas Constitution. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Douglas County, also challenges the law’s enforcement provisions tied to a 3-year-old policy restricting transgender people from using public restrooms and other single-sex facilities.

Pentagon to bar troops from Columbia, Yale, Brown and more

2026-02-28

The Pentagon will forbid members of the U.S. military from attending Columbia, Yale, Brown and other universities starting next school year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. The ban is part of a campaign to cut ties with schools he described as “factories of anti-American resentment,” and it was announced in a video posted on social media.

Appeals court clears way for Texas drag ban to take effect in March

2026-02-27

Texas’ drag ban will take effect March 18 after a federal appeals court denied the plaintiffs’ request for rehearing and reissued its ruling, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas said Wednesday. The court said most of the plaintiffs failed to show they intended to conduct a “sexually oriented performance” under Senate Bill 12, which would restrict certain public drag acts.

Judge lets Nevada trans athlete ballot initiative proceed, but orders wording changes

2026-02-27

Carson City District Judge Jason Woodbury dismissed a legal challenge to a proposed Nevada ballot initiative that would require school sports overseers to classify athletes by sex assigned at birth. The judge said supporters must change the ballot’s “description of effect” wording to say the measure would carve out an exception to Nevada’s equal-rights guarantee.

Senegal increases prison sentence for homosexuality to 5 years

2026-02-24

Senegal's Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko introduced legislation in parliament Tuesday that would increase the minimum prison sentence for homosexuality to five years, up from the current one-year minimum. The bill also seeks to broaden the legal definition of "unnatural acts" under a law that has criminalized homosexuality since Senegal's independence from France in 1960.

Lawsuit challenges Trump-era changes to exhibits at national parks

2026-02-18

In two lawsuits filed Tuesday, conservation and LGBTQ+ advocates sued the Trump administration over National Park Service policies they say remove or censor history and science from federal sites. One case in Boston targets changes to exhibits that discuss slavery and climate change, while another seeks to reverse the removal of a Pride flag at Stonewall National Monument in New York.

Nevada women’s rights group sues to block Lombardo sports ballot measure

2026-02-13

A women’s rights group is suing to keep a proposed Nevada ballot initiative off the 2026 ballot that would limit transgender female student athletes to sports teams based on sex assigned at birth. The suit, filed Jan. 29 by Sue Burtch, executive director of the Nevada chapter of the National Organization for Women, challenges the initiative’s description as allegedly noncompliant with Nevada statute. A hearing is scheduled Feb. 20 in Carson City.

New York politicians raise rainbow flag at Stonewall, rebuking Trump

2026-02-13

New York politicians raised a rainbow pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument on Thursday in a public display aimed at the Trump administration’s decision to remove the symbol from the LGBTQ landmark, according to the Associated Press. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal helped raise the flag as a crowd chanted outside the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.

Trump administration removes rainbow flag from Stonewall National Monument

2026-02-11

The Trump administration stopped flying a rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument in New York, according to the National Park Service. The removal angered LGBTQ+ activists who view it as a symbolic swipe at the nation’s first monument to LGBTQ+ history. The park service said it was complying with guidance that restricts which flags may be flown on the property.

Texas A&M professor sues after firing over gender identity lesson controversy

2026-02-05

A Texas A&M University professor who was fired after a controversy involving a classroom video about a gender identity lesson sued the school on Wednesday in federal court in Houston. Melissa McCoul alleges the university violated her constitutional rights to free speech and due process by firing her after political pressure, according to her lawsuit. The Texas A&M University System said it is aware of the case but has not reviewed the complaint and plans to defend itself.

Plastic surgeons urge delaying gender-affirming surgery for minors until 19

2026-02-05

Plastic surgeons’ main U.S. organization said it found “insufficient evidence” that benefits of chest, genital and facial surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria outweigh risks, recommending delays until patients turn 19. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons said the position statement is not a clinical guideline and cited two heavily debated reviews, including England’s Cass Review and a 2025 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report.

Trump administration says San Jose State violated Title IX over transgender athlete

2026-01-29

The Trump administration concluded that San Jose State University discriminated against women by allowing a transgender volleyball player to compete on the women’s team, the U.S. Education Department said Wednesday. The department offered the California school a deal that would require it to adopt the administration’s definition of “male” and “female,” restore records and titles the officials said were misappropriated, and issue apologies to affected women athletes.

DOJ withdraws subpoenas seeking records of trans youth patients in L.A.

2026-01-27

The U.S. Justice Department agreed to withdraw subpoenas seeking patient and medical records from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles tied to gender-affirming care for minors, according to a settlement filed in federal court Thursday. The agreement ends the Justice Department’s effort to obtain information identifying patients and their families through 2029.

DOJ drops effort to obtain transgender patients' records

2026-01-26

The U.S. Department of Justice agreed on January 26 to withdraw subpoenas seeking medical records of more than 3,000 transgender patients from Children's Hospital Los Angeles, ending a monthslong legal battle by families fighting the government's effort to access their children's medical information. Under the settlement filed in federal court Thursday, the department will withdraw requests for documents that identify patients or their families through 2029.

988 suicide hotline drops LGBTQ+ services, straining Texas crisis centers

2026-01-24

The Trump administration removed specialized LGBTQ+ youth services from the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline earlier this year, citing budget constraints. The change is now straining already-overburdened crisis centers in Texas and raising questions from mental health advocates about whether the removal puts young people at higher risk.

988 removes LGBTQ+ services, straining Texas crisis centers

2026-01-23

The Trump administration's decision to remove specialized LGBTQ+ services from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is straining crisis centers in Texas, which are already operating at a $7 million funding deficit. The "Press 3 option" that connected callers to trained counselors with lived LGBTQ+ experience was eliminated in 2025, the administration said, because the specialized subnetwork exceeded its initial $33 million pilot budget.

Education Department says Native American mascot ban violates civil rights law

2026-01-23

The U.S. Department of Education said Thursday that New York state's ban on Native American school mascots violates federal civil rights law, arguing the regulation applies different standards to different ethnic groups. The federal finding centers on the Long Island school district of Connetquot, which changed its team name from the "Thunderbirds" to the "T-Birds" to comply with state regulations banning the use of Native American mascots and team names in public schools.

Trump administration expands foreign aid ban to DEI and gender identity

2026-01-22

The Trump administration is expanding its ban on U.S. foreign aid to organizations promoting gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The State Department will release final rules on Friday that broaden the existing "Mexico City" policy, which has restricted assistance to international groups providing abortion-related services. The expansion applies to more than $30 billion in annual foreign aid.

Federal judge upholds West Texas A&M drag show ban

2026-01-21

A federal judge has upheld West Texas A&M's ban on a drag show by a student group, ruling Saturday that the university did not violate the First Amendment by blocking the event. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk found that Spectrum WT, the student organization, failed to demonstrate the 2023 drag show conveyed a specific message protected by the Constitution. The ruling effectively terminated a legal challenge set for appellate review later this week.

Prosecutors seek to drop child abuse charges against Atlantic City schools chief

2026-01-20

Atlantic County prosecutors announced Friday they will ask a state court to drop child abuse charges against La'Quetta Small, the superintendent of Atlantic City schools, after the couple's daughter — who turned 18 earlier this month — said she no longer wanted the prosecution to proceed. The announcement came weeks after a jury acquitted Small's husband, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., on related charges.