As the Montana Legislature considers bills that target transgender people, a coalition of groups in the state wants impacted folks to know they stand with them.
Lawmakers have already passed legislation that bans gender affirming care for youth, arguing its meant to protect children.
Shawn Reagor, director of equality for the Montana Human Rights Network, said a coalition known as Free and Fair Montana is pushing back against the "slate of hate" in Helena.
"There is a really strong and robust coalition of individuals and organizations fighting these bills," said Reagor, "and we're not going to stop fighting until we win."
Last week, drag queens hosted a show at the Capitol to protest anti-trans legislation.
They attended a hearing for Senate Bill 458 - which would insert a rigid definition of "sex" into state code that could effectively eliminate legal recognition of transgender, nonbinary and Two Spirit people.
The bill would define sex based on a person's reproductive characteristics.
Sponsor and state Sen. Carl Glimm - R-Kila - said it's necessary to clarify the difference between sex and gender.
But Reagor said it's one of the most disturbing bills he's seen because it could erase legal protections for trans people.
"With all of these bills in the slate of hate, really what we see is that it is targeted at the trans community, especially trans youth," said Reagor, "but it will have so much wider reaching impacts and will really, really hurt the state as a whole."
Reagor said the bill could have impacts on anti-discrimination protections for women and other people, and adds it could put $7.5 billion in federal funding at risk - according to a fiscal note attached to the legislation.
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The battle between social conservatives and Michigan libraries to remove certain books from the shelves is becoming increasingly political as the November elections draw near.
A Michigan Library Association poll shows more than three-quarters of Michiganders oppose censorship of library books but the public filed 47 complaints in 2023.
Debbie Mikula, executive director of the association, said in most cases, such bans would violate the First Amendment.
"When there's an effort to try to prohibit accessing information or a book because some individuals don't like the ideas contained in the book, the United States Supreme Court has held that's unconstitutional," Mikula pointed out.
One recent incident involved the Alpena County Library, where county commissioners removed the entire library board for "failing to act" on community members' demands to remove certain books. The community members vowed, but failed, to vote down the library's "millage" or operating fund.
A 2023 Michigan Library Association poll showed 71% of Michiganders have a positive opinion of the state's libraries. Two-thirds said books about sex, gender identity or sexual orientation should not be banned, while 30% said it is appropriate "sometimes" or "always."
Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, said many wanting books removed are influenced by groups like Moms for Liberty or others who circulate book lists and demand their removal.
"Most of the books that they want to have removed usually deal with LGBTQ characters or situations," Kaplan noted. "Some of the book deal with racism. But for the most part, they're usually, it's usually LGBTQ subject matter."
Kaplan argued removing a book not meeting a library's published standards is possible but only when everything is done out in the open.
"As long as there's a very transparent process where a book is reviewed and is determined that this book is inappropriate for the library, that's one thing," Kaplan stressed. "But the idea when you try to remove a book because you don't like the ideas contained in the book, that raises constitutional issues."
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Hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ+ community have risen for the second year in a row, according to the latest "State of Pride" report from the California Department of Justice.
Between 2022 and 2023, the report showed hate crimes motivated by anti-LGBTQ bias increased more than 86% across the state.
Toni Newman, chair of the nonprofit Trans Can Work, explained the importance of finding solutions.
"The death of trans women in the United States remains a critical issue highlighting racism, transphobia, and systemic violence," Newman emphasized. "(For) transgender women, particularly those of color, there's disproportionately high rates of violence."
So far in 2024, the Human Rights Campaign has tracked 20 violent deaths of transgender and gender-expansive people, about half at the hands of intimate partners. It said 70% were people of color, and 35% were Black transgender women.
Becky Monroe, deputy director of strategic initiatives and external affairs for the California Civil Rights Department, wants victims to know they can call the new hotline at 833-8-NO-HATE or go to the website CAvsHate.org.
"We provide services in over 200 languages if people call," Monroe explained. "If you go on our website, we have a statewide network made up of hundreds of community-based organizations that are able to serve."
California versus Hate connects callers with trauma-informed counselors. Monroe added they can refer victims to law enforcement upon request.
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By Eduardo Miranda Strobel / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State NewsLab-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.
Concerns of transgender Ohioans and advocates have heightened since the passage of the "Bathroom Bill" last month.
TransOhio condemned HB 183, which passed as an amendment to an unrelated bill on June 26.
"Hate mongers in Columbus want to see trans and gender nonconforming Ohioans stripped of their right to exist in public spaces," said Dara Adkison, executive director of TransOhio, in a press release issued after the vote. "They can make our lives harder, but they can't make us not a part of this state."
If the bill becomes law, it would have tangible consequences for Ohio's trans students.
"I started testosterone just about two months ago now, so I plan on using the men's restroom and stuff at school, and HB 183 would make it quite literally illegal for that to happen, which is not fun," said Robin Baradarvar, a sophomore at Centennial High School in Columbus.
Sponsored by Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena), HB 183 would require trans students in Ohio K-12 schools and colleges to utilize bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their assigned genders at birth.
The bill, also called the Protect All Students Act, passed out of the Ohio House Higher Education Committee with a 10-5 vote on April 10. It was awaiting further consideration until HB 183 was added as an amendment to SB 104, a revision to the College Credit Plus Program, which allows students in grades 7 through 12 to earn college credits. The amended College Credit Plus bill passed by a 60-31 vote, mostly along party lines.
The Ohio Channel recorded the debate on the House floor.
"Our schools are places to provide academic instruction and protection for all kids," Lear said during the debate. "No young girl who's uncomfortable with her body and thinks that she might be a boy is safe going into a boys' locker room or bathroom. She's just not. And it's up to us to make the choices to do what's best for all kids because this will protect all of them."
Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) urged others to vote yes on the amendment.
"I hope that my little boy one day is going to grow up in a world where he does not have to think, wow, is a girl, or is a boy going to come in my bathroom? And they have a safe space in the state of Ohio," Powell said during the debate.
Bird's proposal was met with opposition from Democrats.
"It is when students know that they belong in their communities that they are best able to learn and reach their full potential," Rep. Beryl Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) said during the debate. "This bill actually makes life more difficult, even for school district staff who are already under immense pressure and stress. The language that is in this bill is overbroad and is unclear, and there's no funding provided for any building modifications that would be required."
Rep. Joseph Miller (D-Amherst) said he was disappointed Ohioans are putting efforts into shaming trans children and young adults for wanting to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.
"I would say that 183 is problematic because of that, it doesn't protect all students and their rights to use a facility that recognizes their gender," Miller said in an interview before the vote.
HB 183 would also restrict students from using overnight accommodations with those of a different gender.
It would not restrict cases of assistance of young children and people with disabilities or emergencies in bathrooms and locker rooms.
"Trans kids just want to go to the bathroom and pee," Adkison said in an interview. "It would be great if our legislators were more focused on their education and less what their genitals are."
Both sponsors of HB 183, Reps. Bird and Lear, were contacted but did not make themselves available for an interview.
Eight percent of the trans population 13 and older live in states that ban them from using bathrooms and facilities that align with their gender identity in every government-owned space, including K-12 schools, colleges, and more. This includes trans people living in Florida and Utah.
Ten other states have implemented restroom bans of some kind.
For androgynous people, there can be conflict in the bathrooms between girls thinking they are too masculine or boys thinking they are too feminine, Baradarvar said.
"It's a very scary thing being a trans person," Baradarvar said. "Especially if they don't have a single-sex bathroom, which isn't very common in schools right now, or at least high schools. So, it's kind of traumatizing."
The Senate is expected to vote on the amended bill after returning from summer break. If it passes there, the bill will then be sent to Gov. Mike DeWine.
This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.
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