BILLINGS, Mont. - A campaign opposing an initiative that restricts bathroom access for transgender Montanans launched on Tuesday in Billings.

The Free and Fair Coalition is starting "No on I-183," an initiative heading to November's ballot that would require people to use a restroom, locker room or changing room based on their sex assigned at birth. The coalition says it's discriminatory and imposes unequal treatment on trans and non-binary Montanans.

Amelia Marquez, who is running for a state House seat in Billings, said she's worried about how this initiative would affect trans teens.

"A student shouldn't have to worry about what bathroom they are allowed into, as long as they identify with whatever they identify in their gender," she said. "And so, overall it's a ballot initiative to try and take over the rights of our LGBTQ community."

A group sponsoring the initiative, the Montana Family Foundation, said it's designed to protect kids. Under I-183, individuals could sue the government if a facility violates the measure. The ACLU of Montana is attempting to block the initiative from this year's ballot with a lawsuit.

Marquez questioned how such a bill would be enforceable. As well as being discriminatory, she said, it would be costly to have the state police bathrooms. A Billings native, Marquez remembers when the city considered a non-discrimination ordinance in 2014 and said it was a sign of Montanans' welcoming nature.

"There were hundreds of people that came out in support for a fully inclusive, non-discrimination ordinance," she said. "The majority was there to support it, and so I truly believe the majority of Billings and Montanans will support our LGBT community."

Opponents of I-183 in the Free and Fair Coalition include ACLU of Montana, Montana Human Rights Network and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana.

Information on the Free and Fair Coalition is online at facebook.com, and the text of I-183 is at sos.mt.gov.


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For some LGBTQ+ voters in Nebraska, the state's new voter ID law brought up issues in the May primary election and could again in November's General Election.

Johnny Redd, communications manager for OutNebraska, said the group has used Pride Month to focus on voter registration and what the voter ID law does and does not mean. Redd explained one concern they have heard is, what happens if the person's ID picture does not match their appearance or gender expression?

"There is no requirement that requires you to look like your photo. It just has to be a photo ID," Redd noted. "I mean, obviously, if it's like someone of a different race, or something like that, then there's a problem."

Redd pointed out it is not unusual for people to look different from their photo ID, often because of a different hair color or style, or weight gain or loss. But for those who have changed their name, she stressed the name on their ID and their voter registration must match for them to be eligible to vote.

Redd urged people to make sure their voter registration is up-to-date. At the Secretary of State's Voter Registration Portal, people can register, change their address and even change their name in some cases.

Redd added voter roll purging is another reason people should double-check their registration. She said although it is usually billed as "upkeep," in some cases it may be more targeted.

"Specifically, BIPOC and LGBTQ people end up being a huge number of those folks that are purged from voter rolls, for whatever reason," Redd observed. "That's another big one, just showing up and realizing, 'Wait, I'm not even on the list because I haven't voted since 2017,' or something like that."

Nebraska law requires people who've moved to update their voter registration by the deadline indicated by their county election commissioner or county clerk, or they will be dropped from the voter rolls.

A 2022 study identified members of the LGBTQ+ community and their supporters as one of the fastest growing voting blocs in the country.

Twenty years after the first state permitted marriage equality, a majority of same-sex married couples said it had a profound positive effect on their lives.

A new report finds it strengthened couples' relationships, provided legal protections, financial security and greater acceptance among family and friends.

Abbie Goldberg, professor of psychology at Clark University, said marriage equality is part of a public health agenda.

"They have access to health insurance. They are physically and mentally healthier. They're able to share the sort of challenges and work of raising children," Goldberg outlined.

Still, Goldberg said nearly 80% of couples surveyed worry about the future of marriage equality. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have both suggested the high court revisit Obergefell v. Hodges, the decision which legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.

The report reveals same-sex married couples are also concerned about what they call an increasingly hostile environment in the U.S. More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced since last year, including in New Hampshire, where lawmakers have advanced measures targeting transgender youth.

Goldberg noted concerns are forcing couples to consider relocating to more accepting states, or even outside the U.S.

"It's creating not just legal uncertainty but propelling them to think about the future in ways that require time, money, planning," Goldberg explained.

Goldberg added marriage equality created families and the report details the positives to ensuring people are protected. Almost 60% of participants said marriage provided more stability or security for their children, and often created new in-laws who could help.


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As Pride Month winds down, health advocates want members of the LGBTQ+ community to know about health care options, despite any challenges to obtaining them.

Nearly 8% of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or some other sexual orientation besides heterosexual, according to 2023 data, which is more than double the number in 2012.

Despite the increase, the group still faces health care disparities. According to a 2023 survey from the health policy organization KFF, LGBTQ+ people are more likely to self-report poorer health, experience higher rates of disability and have more need for mental health services. Those living in rural places face additional challenges.

Kenny Starling, owner of Wyoming's debut drag and theater production company, said health care can feel like a taboo topic, especially for queer people.

"On top of that, the actual health care providers themselves being up-to-date on the information about queer individuals and the resources that should be available to us," Starling pointed out.

Starling noted it took them four months to find a local doctor willing to work with them to obtain Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, an HIV preventive Starling's original doctor had not even heard of. According to KFF, nearly half of LGBTQ+ people have reported a negative experience with a health care provider in the last two years, as opposed to one-third of people outside the group. It includes the provider dismissing patient concerns, making assumptions, thinking the patient was lying and more.

Starling emphasized their theater and drag company has been busy during Pride month. The company uses performances to address health care, talking about it during shows and providing resources in the lobby.

"We alternate between the resources," Starling added. "Be they mental health services or free rapid HIV and STD testing, suicide prevention, access to Enroll Wyoming and health insurance resources."

Open enrollment for health insurance begins Nov. 1 in most states but special enrollment periods apply for those experiencing certain life changes.


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