Texas has adopted some of the strictest gender-affirming transgender restrictions in the nation. And the leader of a trans advocacy group says it has created a "dystopian" nightmare.

Emmett Schelling, executive director with Transgender Education Network of Texas, said a ruling by the state Supreme Court last week that allows Senate Bill 14 to take effect this month - a law that bans trans youths from receiving medical care and treatment for gender dysphoria. Schelling believes court rulings have become political.

"We've trusted the courts to hold and honor impartiality but unfortunately what we see is the highest court in our state really acting, in my opinion, in deeply bad faith," Schelling said.

The Texas Supreme Court did not provide any written explanation for allowing the law to remain in effect. Starting in 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott encouraged a law that would criminalize gender affirmation as a form of child abuse. Since then, Texas lawmakers have introduced dozens of anti-trans bills targeting transgender youths.

Schelling said new laws in Texas are separating families. In some cases, one parent is staying behind for their job while another parent is leaving to protect the medical needs of their transgender child. He believes lawmakers and courts are sowing seeds of distrust, which at the end of the day is harming children and youth.

"We have providers fleeing, we have families fleeing," Schelling explained. "How do these kids trust the judicial system? How do these kids trust the state when this is the reality of what the state has done to them?"

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Texas granted a temporary restraining order last week to block another bill targeting the LGBTQ community from taking effect last Friday. Senate Bill 12 bans any performance that could be perceived as "sexual" when a minor is present and on public property, and proposes criminal penalties for artists, business owners and others accused of violating it.

South Dakota voters will soon decide on Amendment E, which would adjust language in the state Constitution for certain officeholders.

Amendment E would change the text of South Dakota's Constitution to remove generic male pronouns and replace them with the office names they refer to. A recent poll showed the initiative is unpopular among voters, despite wide support from state lawmakers.

Sen. Erin Tobin, R-Winner, sponsored the bill to put the question on the ballot. She said it is appropriate when South Dakota has its first woman governor and its highest number of women legislators to date.

"When the governor spoke at her State of the Union, she's using the word 'he' for her own position," Tobin pointed out. "It just makes more sense for her to be able to use 'the governor.'"

In a recent poll by South Dakota News Watch, only 30% of respondents said they would vote to pass the measure. The resolution passed unanimously in the South Dakota Senate and handily in the House. Gov. Kristi Noem signed a similar measure in 2023, which changed the language in codified laws, while surrounded by women and girls at the Capitol.

Opponents said it will cost taxpayers money but Tobin countered the Constitution undergoes "style and form changes," and reprints happen after a certain number of changes anyway.

"To say that it's going to cost any money, I think, is very misleading," Tobin argued. "If it does cost anything, it's going to be negligible."

Tobin added the amendment is primarily about celebrating women.


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Experts say a diverse workforce is crucial for creativity and social justice, and equally good for a company's bottom line. But reluctance to hire transgender workers remains high.

A study by UCLA showed the majority of nonbinary adults in the workforce are younger than age 35 and make less than $50,000 a year.

Toni Newman, board chair for the group Trans Can Work, cited research that shows diversity in the workplace helps everyone thrive.

"Different ethnic backgrounds, different gender, different race - diverse teams often outperform homogenous ones," Newman said, "as they can leverage a broader range of experience and skills."

Seventeen out of 50 states still maintain laws and policies that discriminate against transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in the workplace. Those laws exist despite the Supreme Court's extension of federal protections to LGBTQ+ employees and Congress' passage of the 2021 Equality Act.

In recent years, New Mexico has advanced LGBTQ+ rights, including a law that removed loopholes allowing discrimination at the local government level.

Transgender individuals can face a variety of workplace challenges that impact their career trajectory. Newman said they often miss out on jobs that pay more or come with more responsibility - and are instead offered introductory positions.

"At the entry level - as a coordinator, an assistant, associate - but at the director level or above," Newman said, "the percentages get really, really, really, really small."

Sixty percent of transgender and nonbinary employees have reported discrimination or harassment in the workplace. When it comes to voting, nearly one-million trans adults are eligible to vote in next month's election, but at least 200,000 in more conservative states could face obstacles if their identification documents do not match their gender.

A new report highlighted girls in Indiana face higher rates of bullying and sexual dating violence compared to boys.

The 2024 Indiana Girl Report, produced by the Indiana Youth Institute, Girl Coalition of Indiana and Girl Scouts, emphasized the need for better mental health support and violence prevention in communities.

Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, said the report helps Hoosiers better understand all girls' experiences.

"It's good to say, 'this is what I know about those girls closest to me and how is that similar to or different from the experiences girls in other parts of our state are having,'" Silverman explained. "That's why the data is great because it really checks our own biases."

While girls in the state excel academically, particularly in reading, they also experience significant challenges. Nearly 17% of high school girls reported experiencing sexual dating violence and many struggle with mental health issues at twice the rate of boys.

In fact, Silverman pointed out the number of reports of bullying and sexual dating violence are increasing for girls in Indiana.

"Girls who report being bullied at school has gone up significantly," Silverman reported. "The number of female high school students who reported sexual dating violence in the past year is seven times higher than that for male students."

Schools are encouraged to implement trauma-informed practices and address issues like bullying and sexual harassment.

Silverman noted the report concludes with a call for policymakers to invest in mental health programs and address economic and racial disparities to improve the overall well-being of Hoosier girls.

"This is only the second time we've done this," Silverman added. "Last year's Girl Report was wonderfully well-received and many local areas did take this information to look at how might we better expand our services or change our services to make sure that girls are reaching their full potential."


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