Now for the news. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a trans girl’s right to play sports in West Virginia. This is all while twenty states have instituted bans. Let’s name those states today. Two TikTok stars raise $1.6 million dollars on TikTok for a LGBTQ non profit. A young lady prom-proses to her girlfriend in front of the whole school. Let’s go.
00:00 – Welcome & Intro
1:23 – Black HIV in the South: How Did We Get Here? Trailer
1:55 – Today’s Top Stories
2:35 – Lost & Found for Podcasters Trailer
3:15 – Intro Music by Aina Bre’Yon
3:55 – The Supreme Court Backs Trans Athlete in West Virginia
6:22 – HRC dropped a report indicating that more than half (50.4%) of transgender youth (ages 13-17) have lost or are at risk of losing access to age appropriate, medically necessary gender-affirming care in their state
8:25 – Listing the 20 states banning trans folks from sports
9:54 – Two TikTok Stars Raise $1.6 Million for LGBTQ Nonprofit
12:33 – Heartwarming lesbian High School Prom-posal
14:26 – Anna’s Word
15:46 – Outro
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Welcome back to this week’s queer news podcast. I am Anna DeShawn, your favorite queer radio personality, and I am excited to bring you the latest in queer news, culture, and politics. As always, we promise to bring you the news every Monday by 7am CT, so make sure you tune in to stay up-to-date. And, if you’re loving our intersectional take on things, please consider joining the QCrew – our monthly membership program that provides exclusive content, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with LGBTQ+ influencers from across the country.
Firstly, let’s start with a significant victory for transgender rights. On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected West Virginia’s attempt to prevent a transgender student, Becky Pepper-Jackson, from participating in girls’ sports. The state had enacted the Save Women’s Sports Act, which prevented transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports at all levels of education. However, the Supreme Court’s decision means that the law cannot be enforced against her while the case is ongoing.
This is an important decision that comes amidst a wave of anti-trans measures by Republican states seeking to restrict transgender athletes’ participation in sports. West Virginia is one of 20 states with similar transgender sports bans, most of which are currently in effect. The law was deemed to violate the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which requires that the law apply equally to everyone, and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.
However, it’s worth noting that the experts are saying the Supreme Court ruled this way because of how the case landed on their laps. The Attorney General of West Virginia sent this urgent request while there is a case currently ongoing. So the ruling was procedural vs. merit based. Either way, we will take the win because, for now, Pepper-Jackson can continue running on her cross country team where no one has objected to having her there.
On March 22, 2023, HRC released a report indicating that more than half (50.4%) of transgender youth (ages 13-17) have lost or are at risk of losing access to age-appropriate, medically necessary gender-affirming care in their state – care which is, in many cases, life-saving. This is a state of emergency, and it’s vital that we fight back against the harmful policies and practices that discriminate against transgender individuals.
At least 20 states have banned transgender women and girls from joining sports that align with their gender. The Trevor Project and Morning Consult’s recent polling found that an alarming 45% of trans and non-binary youth have seriously considered attempting suicide over the last year. It is time for the lawmakers in the US to understand the harm they are inflicting on the trans community and to create inclusive policies that promote equality and dignity for all.
However, we also want to highlight the positive news, and that’s the power of the people. Two popular trans TikTok creators, Mercury Stardust and Jory, raised an astounding $1.6 million to provide gender-affirming services to trans individuals across the world. With a combined following of 4.6 million on the platform, Mercury and Jory organized a 30-hour “TikTok-a-Thon” fundraiser for Point of Pride, a non-profit that supports trans healthcare and surgeries. The fundraiser’s goal was to provide 10,000 chest binders and gaffs, hormone replacement therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries, and they exceeded it in just a few hours.
In other news, a heartwarming video of a young woman proposing to her girlfriend in front of their entire school has gone viral. The video has received widespread praise for its positivity and representation of LGBTQ+ love. It serves as a reminder that love is love and that everyone deserves the right to express their love openly and without fear of discrimination.
Overall, this week’s queer news podcast has highlighted both the victories and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. While there have been significant wins for transgender rights, such as the Supreme Court ruling in favor of a trans girl’s right to play sports in West Virginia, there are still many challenges facing the community, such as the wave of anti-trans measures being enacted by Republican states. However, there is also hope and positivity in the community, such as the efforts of TikTok creators raising money for trans individuals and the heartwarming promposal video. The podcast serves as a reminder of the importance of continuing to fight for LGBTQ+ rights and celebrating the victories along the way.
Transcript
Family, it’s your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn with our queer news for today. Now, I want to make you a promise. We will continue to bring you the latest in queer news, culture, and politics every Monday by 7am CT. So, if you are digging our intersectional take on the weekly, consider joining the QCrew.
The QCrew is our monthly membership program we started to help us grow the podcast. You get weekly emails from me, exclusive interviews with LGBTQ influencers from across the country and beginning this year special behind the scenes footage too. With your support, we can bring you more stories celebrating our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. Click the link in the show notes to join the QCrew today.
Now for the news. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a trans girl’s right to play sports in West Virginia. This is all while twenty states have instituted bans. Let’s name those states today. Two TikTok stars raise $1.6 million dollars on TikTok for a LGBTQ non profit. A young lady prom-proses to her girlfriend in front of the whole school. Let’s go.
Family, let’s start with a significant win for transgender rights that not enough people are talking about. Last Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected West Virginia’s attempt to prevent a transgender student from participating in girls’ sports. The state had enacted a law called the Save Women’s Sports Act, which prevented transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports at middle school, high school, and college levels. However, a lower court had prevented the state from enforcing the law against 12-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson while litigation continues. The Supreme Court’s decision means that the law cannot be enforced against her while the case is ongoing.
This decision comes amidst a wave of anti-trans measures by Republican states seeking to restrict transgender athletes’ participation in sports. West Virginia is one of 20 states with similar transgender sports bans, most of which are currently in effect. Becky’s lawyers, the ACLU and Lambda Legal called the state’s attempt to enforce the law “a baseless and cruel effort.” The law was deemed to violate the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which requires that the law apply equally to everyone, and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.
Now the experts are saying the Supreme Court ruled this way because of how this case landed on their laps. The Attorney General of West Virginia sent this urgent request while there is a case currently ongoing. So the ruling was procedural vs. merit based. Either way, we will take the win because for now Pepper-Jackson can continue running on her cross country team where no one has objected to having her there.
On March 22, 2023 HRC dropped a report indicating that more than half (50.4%) of transgender youth (ages 13-17) have lost or are at risk of losing access to age appropriate, medically necessary gender-affirming care in their state – care which is, in many cases, life-saving.
“LGBTQ+ people are living in a state of emergency. Today’s findings illustrate how the ongoing assault against transgender people is taking hold across the country and underscore how dire the situation is growing for our community by the day. These dangerous and discriminatory policies advocated by power-hungry politicians are void of any credible purpose. These politicians are spreading propaganda and creating more stigma, discrimination, and violence against transgender people just to rile up extreme members of their base. We must stop them. Now more than ever, we must fight back against extremism and hold anti-LGBTQ+ politicians accountable for bullying children and terrorizing our families.”
Jay Brown, HRC Senior Vice President, Programs, Research & Training
In this wave of discriminatory legislation across the US, at least 20 states have banned transgender women and girls from joining sports that align with their gender. Recently, lawmakers in Kansas voted to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that bans trans girls and women from sports in kindergarten through college.
So what are these 20 states?
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia