Must see video on transgender athletes from John Oliver

J.K. Rowling is really angry at John Oliver’s segment on trans athletes, so it has to be good.

Oliver explores how the issue has become central in U.S. politics. He critiques conservative narratives that frame trans athletes as threats to fairness and safety, highlighting how these discussions often lack evidence.

Oliver examines policies banning trans participation in sports, explaining their disproportionate focus compared to larger systemic problems in women’s sports.

He debunks misleading claims—such as exaggerated statistics on trans athletes winning medals—and emphasizes that most trans athletes simply want to play sports like their peers.

Oliver also exposes the political motivations behind these laws, pointing out that attacks on trans athletes have become a strategy for pushing broader anti-trans agendas.

Why Maine defends transgender people against Trump’s transphobic orders

Bangor Daily News presents a useful outline of the escalating conflict between former President Donald Trump and Maine over transgender athlete policies.

In February, Trump issued an executive order to exclude transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. Maine’s laws, including the Maine Human Rights Act, prohibit such discrimination, leading to a legal clash. Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from Maine if it did not comply with his directive.

The dispute intensified with multiple federal agencies investigating alleged Title IX violations in Maine’s education system and sports organizations.

Despite pressure, Maine officials, including Governor Janet Mills, resisted, arguing that compliance would violate state laws.

The federal investigations have sparked debates on civil rights and the legality of Trump’s interpretation of Title IX.

The standoff has implications for funding, education, and sports policies in Maine, and it sets a precedent for similar conflicts nationwide.

This a clear example of Trump’s bigoted and illegal overreach.

Read the article here!

Less than 10% of US anti-LGBTQ bills have become law

49 anti-LGBTQ state bills passed in the US in 2024. Despite this, advocates successfully defeated 91% of the proposed bills, showcasing effective strategies like community-level education, deep canvassing, and amplifying trans stories, Uncloseted Media reports.

Personal conversations and humanizing trans individuals have proven crucial in changing perspectives and influencing lawmakers.

Advocacy groups have also focused on delaying harmful legislation, with tactics like filibustering and packing legislative hearings with pro-trans constituents.

Even when bills pass, provisions and lawsuits have been used to mitigate their impact. This reflects the importance of allyship, training, and mental health support for those fighting these battles.

More here: Advocates Beat 91% of Last Year’s Anti-LGBTQ Bills. How?

Photo: simpson33

Norwegian transgender politician wants to give trans Americans asylum in Norway

The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten presents Karina Ødegård, a Norwegian politician representing the Green Party (MDG). She might become Norway’s first transgender member of parliament.

Ødegård highlights the challenges faced by sexual minorities in the United States, comparing their situation to the persecution experienced by marginalized groups in 1930s Germany.

She advocates for Norway to offer asylum to transgender individuals from the U.S., emphasizing the importance of taking action in light of political and legal discrimination against them.

The Greens support Ødegård’s initiative, proposing a resolution to underscore asylum rights for transgender individuals.

Ødegård talks about the challenges she faced, as well as the medical assistance she received in Norway, and her gender transition.

She contrasts the supportive environment in Norway with the hostile climate for transgender individuals in the U.S., referring to restrictive policies, legal battles, and harmful rhetoric under the Trump administration.

We should add that not all Norwegian transgender persons seeking help from the health system report the same kind of positive welcome. The main hospital providing gender affirming treatment is known for its traditionalist gatekeeping.

Norwegian trans people do not see the same kind of state sponsored terror as in the USA, however.

Ødegård also warns against the potential influence of U.S. debates on Norwegian politics, calling for greater awareness and action to protect transgender rights domestically and globally.

Google translate version of the article.

Photo: Paal Audestad / Aftenposten

“National Child Abuse Prevention Month”: Trump declares all out war on transgender children

In a proclamation marking the so-called National Child Abuse Prevention Month, former President Donald Trump described “gender ideology” as a major form of child abuse.

Trump expressed opposition to transgender youth receiving gender-affirming medical care such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgeries, arguing these measures harm children and families.

Trump vowed to prosecute those supporting gender ideology, including educators, medical professionals, and parents, and referenced Executive Order 14187, targeting public schools and educators who affirm transgender youth. This order includes measures such as prosecuting teachers and counselors for alleged unauthorized medical practice and withdrawing funding from schools supporting transgender students’ rights.

Erin Reed writes:

Transgender youth see much lower suicide and depression rates when they are affirmed and accepted for who they are in loving families.

A Cornell review of more than 51 studies determined that trans care significantly improves the mental health of transgender people.

One major study even noted a 73% lower suicidality among trans youth who began care. A similar study found a 40% reduction in actual suicide attempts over the previous year.

In a recent article published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in April of 2024, puberty blockers were found to significantly reduce depression and anxiety.

In Germany, a recent review by over 27 medical organizations has judged that gender affirming care is recommended for trans youth, and a recent medical consensus in France supported their use.

Unfortunately this is not about facts or science. Trump and the MAGA-fascists want to force everyone to follow their narrow model of patriotism, proper behavior and gender roles, and trans people remind us all, by their very existence, that sex and gender cannot be reduced to simplistic binaries.

But the fascists need those binaries to uphold the power of cis men - hence the persecution of transgender kids.

The goal of this policy is to make parents, friends, teachers and health workers police trans kids on behalf of the government and stop these children from becoming themselves, all in the name of conformity.

This is evil, plain and simple.

J. Molay

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now only “recognizes two biological sexes.”

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a policy that recognizes only two biological sexes, male and female.

This decision aligns with a Trump executive order aimed at restoring “biological truth” within federal government policies.

This is absolute pseudo-scientific nonsense, since science shows a much more complex picture as regards biological sex, and since gender identity and genitalia/chromosomes/gonads do not always align. That is the real biological truth.

USCIS clarified that sex will be determined by birth certificates issued at birth, with secondary evidence used if the certificate doesn’t specify male or female.

The policy will harm transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals, making identity documentation inaccurate and increasing risks of discrimination, harassment, and violence.

Bridget Crawford from Immigration Equality condemned the policy, asserting it erases the existence of diverse gender identities and threatens basic dignity. Activists vow to fight the discriminatory policy, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and respecting all identities in U.S. immigration processes.

Source: Washington Blade

Trans woman arrested for using women’s restroom in Florida Capitol

Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old transgender woman, was arrested on March 19, 2025, in Florida’s Capitol for using a women’s restroom, contravening a 2023 law prohibiting transgender individuals from using public restrooms matching their gender identity.

This act of civil disobedience was planned; Rheintgen had previously notified lawmakers of her intentions, urging them to recognize the injustice of such legislation.

Despite officers initially indicating they would issue a notice rather than arrest her, Rheintgen was detained, charged with trespassing, and spent 24 hours in jail.

Her arrest sparked widespread criticism, with LGBTQ+ advocates condemning the law as cruel and exclusionary. Equality Florida’s director described it as an erosion of human dignity.

“I’m not a political activist,” she told Erin in the Morning. “I’m just a normal college student who thinks this law is wrong.”

Using bathrooms to humiliate and oppress marginalized people has a long history, also in the United States. It isn’t that long ago southern “Jim Crow” states had separate restrooms for black and white people.

This tactic is used to instill fear of the marginalized group among white/cis/heterosexual people. This fear is then used to legitimize the oppression. Bathroom separation also give people the impression that the marginalized group may violate or contaminate them in some way, strengthening feelings of fear and disgust.

This is evil, plain and simple.

Sources: Tampa Bay Times and Erin in the Morning.

Cis woman gets fired after being accused of being trans

GoMag reports that Dani Davis, a 6’4″ cisgender woman, says she was harassed by a transphobic man in the bathroom of the Walmart she used to work at, then fired for not reporting the incident to the “right” person.

On March 14, 2025, Davis was verbally harassed by a transphobic man in the restroom of the Walmart where she worked. The man accused her of being transgender and claimed he was protecting his partner.

Though Davis was shaken but unharmed, she reported the incident to her supervisor. However, Walmart fired her a week later for not reporting it to a “salaried member of management,” which the company labeled a “security risk.”

Davis expressed feeling punished due to her physical appearance. Her viral Facebook post has garnered significant support, with many encouraging her to take legal action.

The Washington Post reports:

“He was yelling about [transgender people] and how he was going to mess them up,” Davis said of the man in the restroom.

Davis said she also heard a woman’s voice, which appeared to be of the man’s partner, urging him to get out and warning that he would get in trouble. The man was “yelling about how he was going to get all of them and protect her,” Davis said.

Davis waited for the man to leave before exiting the bathroom and finishing her shift. Her immediate supervisor was supportive when she reported the incident, she said. So she was shocked and confused when she was fired around a week later for not reporting the incident to the right managers and creating a “security risk.”

What cis and transgender Americans think about the anti-trans policies of Trump

A recent Data for Progress survey highlights the impacts of recent anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric in the U.S., focusing on transgender individuals.

With over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in 2025, many targeting transgender people, these policies have negatively affected the mental health of 85% of transgender Americans surveyed.

Over half have considered relocating due to such legislation, and nearly 1 in 4 felt unsafe seeking medical care.

Among U.S. adults, fewer than 1 in 3 personally know a transgender person, but those who do tend to show greater support for transgender-inclusive policies.

A majority believe families and physicians—not the government—should decide on transgender medical care for youth.

Public opinion is largely divided on issues such as sports participation and military service, but opposition to Trump administration actions, like banning transgender Americans from the military, remains prevalent.

Personal connections strongly influence support for policies that protect transgender rights.

Statistics from Data for Progress.

New science shows the social cost of being transgender

A recent study spanning nearly five decades of Swedish administrative data provides insights into the transgender population in Sweden, focusing on transition patterns, age demographics, and socioeconomic disparities.

Conducted by researchers from Stockholm University and other institutions, the study utilized government records from 1973 to 2020 to analyze gender incongruence diagnoses and legal gender changes, offering a comprehensive, population-level perspective.

The findings reveal a steady rise in transition rates, particularly among young trans men in their teens and twenties, with a peak between 2013 and 2018.

Despite advancements, economic and social challenges persist. Transgender individuals in Sweden earn significantly less than their cisgender counterparts—40-70% less—and are more likely to fall into the lowest income brackets.

They also have lower educational attainment and are less likely to be married or have children, underscoring systemic inequalities across generations.

The study emphasizes that these disparities persist even within Sweden’s inclusive healthcare system, calling for targeted policy interventions.

Suggested actions include expanding access to gender-affirming care, employment equity programs, and enhanced mental health support.

Source: TransVitae

Science paper: The Demography of Sweden’s Transgender Population: A Research Note on Patterns, Changes, and Sociodemographics