New Mexico's LGBTQ community will soon have additional protections after existing language in state law was updated by the Legislature.
Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D- Doña Ana, co-sponsored House Bill 207 and said modification of the state's Human Rights Act means public institutions can no longer turn away or discriminate against people in the LGBTQ community without facing consequences.
"It prohibits public institutions, along with religious entities, to discriminate against these protected classes if they receive money from the state," Hamblen explained. "Meaning our tax dollars are not going to discriminate against New Mexicans."
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is expected to sign the legislation, which also updates language regarding people with disabilities, by removing the term "handicapped" from existing law. The governor has already signed legislation to prohibit out-of-state investigations targeting gender-affirming care.
An openly Lesbian senator, Hamblen noted the significance of New Mexico protecting the most vulnerable amid the firestorm of anti-LGBTQ policies sweeping the country.
"I'm recognizing how important representation is, and visibility is, and being able to speak for those voices that are silenced," Hamblen noted. "And that they have people who are looking out for them and who will protect them."
New Mexico's governor also signed a bill to override local ordinances limiting access to abortion procedures and medications, already adopted in the cities of Hobbs, Clovis and Eunice, along with Lea and Roosevelt counties.
Republicans, a minority in the legislature, opposed the bill saying it could put the state at odds with neighboring Texas, which has banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy with limited exceptions.
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Montana lawmakers are considering three bills on gender. They are all versions of previous bills, which either failed or were struck down in court, but some new drafts have higher stakes.
Two bills would determine if or how transgender people can use certain bathrooms and changing rooms and participate in school sports. A third seeks to prohibit access to gender-affirming health care and to criminalize doctors and parents who, according to the bill, "knowingly procure or provide" such care.
Zuri Moreno, state legislative director for the advocacy group Forward Montana, said some lawmakers have described transgender people as "out of compliance."
"It's an overreach of our government to try to force people across our communities to comply with what they think is correct gender presentation," Moreno argued.
Proponents said the bills would "prevent harassment" and protect the "welfare of children." Moreno countered the proposition that lawmakers should have a say in families' private medical decisions or they understand athletes' needs more than teachers and coaches, is a dangerous one.
The bills parallel a January executive order from President Donald Trump defining "sex" and directs federal agencies to rescind materials discussing "gender ideology." Moreno pointed out organizers across Montana have been preparing for the state bills.
"The governor, in his State of the State, did direct the legislature to get these types of bills to his desk," Moreno noted. "But I think it's important for everyone to remember that our legislature doesn't work for the governor. They work for their constituents."
Legislators have referred all three bills to committee after hearings last week. Moreno stressed regardless of the fate of the bills, debates on them are harmful. Among LGBTQ+ youth, 90% said their well-being has been negatively affected by recent politics, according to a 2024 survey from The Trevor Project.
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Opening arguments begin today in a lawsuit challenging North Dakota's ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
The case stems from a law change the state legislature approved in 2023, mirroring action in other conservative-led states.
With some exceptions, the ban brings criminal penalties against doctors if they provide care, like puberty blockers, to transgender people under the age of 18.
Brittany Stewart senior staff attorney with the legal non-profit Gender Justice, which represents the plaintiffs. She said these laws prevent families from seeking critical healthcare for their child.
"Young people who are dealing with gender dysphoria, which is a legitimate medical condition recognized by all the medical associations," said Stewart, "this is the care that helps alleviate symptoms, and those symptoms include extreme anxiety and depression."
Her organization reports families having to drive up to seven hours for doctor appointments.
Republicans behind the ban argue they're trying to protect children, noting young people aren't mature enough for these decisions.
But ban opponents say parents and doctors are heavily involved in discussing the lengthy process, and that gender-affirming surgery is rare for minors.
A separate legal challenge out of Tennessee is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. And Stewart noted that the courts have frowned on similar laws in a neighboring state.
"The Montana Supreme Court just upheld the injunction that is halting their gender-affirming care ban," said Stewart. "And they did find that the ban violated that individual right to personal autonomy."
Testimony in the North Dakota trial is expected to last a little more than a week. Since it's a bench trial with no jury, Stewart said it'll likely take several months for the judge to decide the outcome.
Meanwhile, an opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court case is expected this summer.
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Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community want Connecticut lawmakers to consider bills that would help address a variety of this community's needs. They include legislation to ensure LGBTQ+ seniors in long-term care facilities aren't discriminated against, and expanding protections under no-fault eviction legislation.
William Ollayos, administrator with the LGBTQ+ Justice and Opportunity Network, noted that the group is also looking for funding to update a needs assessment that was first done in 2021.
"Something like that should be reciprocal and done every couple of years, because community needs change. If you're talking about any marginalized community - queer folks, people of color, immigrants - their needs are going to change year to year. And especially after COVID, we just really need that updated data to inform some of the additional legislation we're talking about," he said.
The current needs assessment finds 69% of people in this community have experienced discrimination. Ollayos said other issues legislators should work on include safe school initiatives that preventing queer kids from being bullied, and mental health care.
While the General Assembly's LGBTQ+ Caucus has grown, competing priorities are expected to be a challenge to passing these bills.
Matthew Blinstrubas, executive director of Equality Connecticut, predicts President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration and Congress' Republican majority will harm the work they're doing.
"We are always concerned about the federal government maintaining its support for medical services, keeping our schools safe and welcoming, and making sure that our community is not used as a political tool to hold funding hostage," he said.
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