Kozma has a long history of supporting anti-trans ‘bathroom bills’ Reports have recently surfaced that Donald Trump has chosen anti-transgender activist Bethany Kozma to serve as Senior Advisor to the Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at the US Agency for International Development. In the past, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has

Michigan Just Changed its Policy to Let Trans Prisoners Get Medical Treatment

Michigan has changed its policy on providing medically necessary treatments to transgender prison inmates. A new policy adopted by the Michigan Department of Corrections takes effect today which means transgender people can receive hormone therapy and other medical treatments while in prison. The change came after a trans woman incarcerated pushed the MDoC to change

Boy Scouts of America Says It Will Welcome Transgender Children

One of the largest US youth organizations is making a major change to its identity. The Boy Scouts have made strides recently in welcoming members of the LGBT community into the fold. One of the largest youth organizations in the US said on Monday it was allowing transgender children who identify as boys to join

First American Has ‘Intersex’ Printed on Birth Certificate

‘There’s a power in knowing who you really are.’ Sara Kelly Keenan is the first person in the United States to have an ‘intersex’ birth certificate. The 55-year-old who was born genetically male with female genitalia and a mixed reproductive anatomy only found out about the truth about herself in 2009, at age 48. In

Outgoing President Barack Obama has delivered a passionate call for equality in his farewell speech. The Democrat, elected President in 2008 and re-elected in 2012, has been a proud supporter of LGBT rights, leading a quiet revolution on equality in the US and around the world. He is set to leave power on January 20,

California Bans State Funded Travel to Anti-gay US States

Any anti-gay laws enacted in US states after 29 June 2015 will be subject to a complete ban. From the start of this year, California has banned state-sanctioned travel to US states that have enacted anti-gay laws since 29 June 2015. Assembly Bill 1887, sponsored by Equality California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights,

First Transgender Prisoner Has Gender Reassignment Surgery

A transgender prisoner in California underwent gender-reassignment surgery paid for by the state this week, a first case of its kind in America. Shiloh Quine was promised that the state would pay for the procedure in 2015 after a settlement was made which stated that the US must offer treatment. Under its terms, the state

Victory as New York trans man granted legal name change at appeal

A transgender man in New York is celebrating victory after being allowed to legally change his name. Ben Stanford had previously been denied the name change petition after a lower court said he declined to provide “medical evidence” of his transition. Stanford’s attorney Laurie Styka Bloom from Nixon Peabody, working on behalf of the Transgender

US Public Schools Fail to Protect LGBTI Children, Report Finds

Eight US states still have laws restricting teachers and staff from talking about LGBTI issues in school. Public schools in the United States are ‘inadequate’ when it comes to protecting and educating LGBTI youth, according to a new report. The report, released by the Human Rights Watch, outlines key areas of opportunity for public schools

Cherokee Nation to legalize gay marriage

The Cherokee Nation‘s attorney general has said the tribe must lift the ban on same-sex marriage. According to a report, the current law violates a tribal requirement for all of its citizens to be treated equally. The Cherokee Nation’s Attorney General has issued an opinion declaring bans on same-sex marriage to be in violation of