Latest news with #Anti-LGBTQ
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trans people, local governments and educators face rising anti-LGBTQ hate, GLAAD report finds
There were 932 anti-LGBTQ incidents across the United States over the past year — from hate speech and bomb threats to fatal violence — with more than half of these acts targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming people, according to a new report from the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD. The report found a year-over-year increase in incidents targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming people, state and local governments, and educators and librarians. It also found a decrease in incidents targeting drag performers and pride symbols. 'This really goes toward showing these kinds of shifting tides in hate and what extremists like to focus on at the moment,' Sarah Moore, an analyst of anti-LGBTQ extremism at GLAAD, told NBC News. 'They really are kind of beholden to the new cycle of the day.' This is the third year GLAAD has published an annual report based on its Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker. The 932 incidents tracked in this latest report occurred between May 1, 2024, and May 1, 2025. This is a 20% drop from last year's 1,173 incidents and an 80% increase from the 521 incidents tracked in its inaugural report in 2023. GLAAD defines anti-LGBTQ incidents as both criminal and noncriminal 'acts of harassment, threats, vandalism, and assault motivated by anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism.' Incidents are tracked through self-reports, media reports, social media posts and data sharing from partner organizations and law enforcement and then validated by a team at GLAAD. Moore cautions that the incidents tracked in the report are 'just a drop in the bucket in terms of what is actually happening when it comes to anti-LGBTQ hate.' 'This is more of a snapshot of what the lived experience of LGBTQ people is, as opposed to being an exact accurate representation of every incident of hate in the U.S.,' she said. One of the most surprising findings from this year's report, Moore said, was the sharp decrease in incidents targeting drag performers, which dropped to 83 tracked incidents from 185 the year prior. 'This really goes to show the resilience of the drag community, and that we've seen them take all of these amazing steps toward protecting their own personal safety, protecting the safety of their audiences and working with community security organizations,' she said. Coinciding with this decrease in anti-drag incidents is an increase in incidents targeting local and state governments and educators and librarians. 'We saw a number of our incidents, actually, going after city council officials, going after political candidates who are either LGBTQ or who support the community, going after legislators at the state level who are trying to protect or enshrine LGBTQ rights and going after educators and librarians that are offering safe spaces for LGBTQ youth in their classrooms and in their libraries as well,' Moore said. Anti-LGBTQ incidents take place more frequently in June, according to the past two years of reporting by GLAAD's Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker. 'That is most likely attributed to the fact that June is Pride Month, and that's when we're going to have the biggest number of LGBTQ events and the most visible events,' Moore said. 'This June, for example, D.C. is holding WorldPride, which is going to be a really massive event and really massive showing of support for the LGBTQ community in the U.S. and globally.' When asked if GLAAD has safety tips for those planning to attend Pride Month events this year, Moore noted that one of the hallmarks of the LGBTQ community is its 'resilience and strength.' 'This hate, unfortunately, is not new to us. We have been dealing with persecution, with oppression, with these acts of hate against our community for centuries,' she said, adding that the first Pride marches were protests held on the first anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising. 'So I think just really carrying on those legacies of pride as a form of protest, pride as a form of resistance, pride as a refusal to allow others to define us and to legislate our bodies and tell us that we have to be kept in private spaces and not display our true authentic selves to the rest of the world.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Trans people, local governments and educators face rising anti-LGBTQ hate, GLAAD report finds
There were 932 anti-LGBTQ incidents across the United States over the past year — from hate speech and bomb threats to fatal violence — with more than half of these acts targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming people, according to a new report from the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD. The report found a year-over-year increase in incidents targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming people, state and local governments, and educators and librarians. It also found a decrease in incidents targeting drag performers and pride symbols. 'This really goes toward showing these kinds of shifting tides in hate and what extremists like to focus on at the moment,' Sarah Moore, an analyst of anti-LGBTQ extremism at GLAAD, told NBC News. 'They really are kind of beholden to the new cycle of the day.' This is the third year GLAAD has published an annual report based on its Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker. The 932 incidents tracked in this latest report occurred between May 1, 2024, and May 1, 2025. This is a 20% drop from last year's 1,173 incidents and an 80% increase from the 521 incidents tracked in its inaugural report in 2023. GLAAD defines anti-LGBTQ incidents as both criminal and noncriminal 'acts of harassment, threats, vandalism, and assault motivated by anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism.' Incidents are tracked through self-reports, media reports, social media posts and data sharing from partner organizations and law enforcement and then validated by a team at GLAAD. Moore cautions that the incidents tracked in the report are 'just a drop in the bucket in terms of what is actually happening when it comes to anti-LGBTQ hate.' 'This is more of a snapshot of what the lived experience of LGBTQ people is, as opposed to being an exact accurate representation of every incident of hate in the U.S.,' she said. One of the most surprising findings from this year's report, Moore said, was the sharp decrease in incidents targeting drag performers, which dropped to 83 tracked incidents from 185 the year prior. 'This really goes to show the resilience of the drag community, and that we've seen them take all of these amazing steps toward protecting their own personal safety, protecting the safety of their audiences and working with community security organizations,' she said. Coinciding with this decrease in anti-drag incidents is an increase in incidents targeting local and state governments and educators and librarians. 'We saw a number of our incidents, actually, going after city council officials, going after political candidates who are either LGBTQ or who support the community, going after legislators at the state level who are trying to protect or enshrine LGBTQ rights and going after educators and librarians that are offering safe spaces for LGBTQ youth in their classrooms and in their libraries as well,' Moore said. Anti-LGBTQ incidents take place more frequently in June, according to the past two years of reporting by GLAAD's Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker. 'That is most likely attributed to the fact that June is Pride Month, and that's when we're going to have the biggest number of LGBTQ events and the most visible events,' Moore said. 'This June, for example, D.C. is holding WorldPride, which is going to be a really massive event and really massive showing of support for the LGBTQ community in the U.S. and globally.' When asked if GLAAD has safety tips for those planning to attend Pride Month events this year, Moore noted that one of the hallmarks of the LGBTQ community is its 'resilience and strength.' 'This hate, unfortunately, is not new to us. We have been dealing with persecution, with oppression, with these acts of hate against our community for centuries,' she said, adding that the first Pride marches were protests held on the first anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising. 'So I think just really carrying on those legacies of pride as a form of protest, pride as a form of resistance, pride as a refusal to allow others to define us and to legislate our bodies and tell us that we have to be kept in private spaces and not display our true authentic selves to the rest of the world.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HHS Report Urges "Exploratory Therapy" for Transgender Youth
Demonstrators during the "Rise Up for Trans Youth" rally against President Donald Trump's executive actions targeting transgender people at Union Square in New York, on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2025. Credit - Stephanie Keith—Getty Images The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report on Thursday, May 1, aiming to discredit gender-affirming-care and instead encouraging transgender and nonbinary individuals to try 'exploratory therapy'—or psychotherapy—and stating that mental health care alone is a way to treat gender dysphoria in children. 'There is a dearth of research on psychotherapeutic approaches to managing gender dysphoria in children and adolescents. This is due in part to the mischaracterization of such approaches as 'conversion therapy,' the report said. 'Psychotherapy is a noninvasive alternative to endocrine and surgical interventions for the treatment of pediatric gender dysphoria.' Though the report argues that this 'exploratory therapy' is not the same as the long practice of 'conversion therapy'—which is a practice of attempting to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity—advocates see little difference. 'This report not only rejects health care best practices for transgender people, it goes a step further by recommending conversion therapy, though under a new, rebranded name, 'exploratory therapy,'' said Casey Pick, director of law and policy at the LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Trevor Project, in an emailed statement. 'Despite the report's claims, this is, in fact, the same harmful practice of conversion therapy, just using friendlier language. We urge this Administration to respect and support people for who they are—and to let families and doctors make decisions based on what keeps people healthy, not government ideology.' Read More: Is Conversion Therapy the New Frontier for Anti-LGBTQ+ Groups? The report arrives following a Trump Executive Order, titled 'Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,' which threatens to cut federal funding to hospitals and medical providers that provide gender-affirming-care to people ages 19 or younger. The Executive Order directed HHS to release a report on the existing literature for treatment for children with gender dysphoria in 90 days, which fell on April 28. The language used in the report expresses a shift in policy and in sentiments regarding gender-affirming care—referring to the practice only as 'Pediatric Medical Transition' and referring to 'gender confirmation surgery' as 'sex reassignment surgery.' This shift is in line with language brought about by Trump's Jan. 20 Executive Order which proclaimed that there are only two sexes and that gender identity is 'disconnected from biological reality,' calling for an erasure of the term.f Read More: The Implications of Trump's Executive Order on Sex A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the order—and though the order hasn't fully been enforced, some federal offices, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, issued notices stating that they will change their practices to comply with Trump's restrictions on gender-affirming-care. Conversion therapy aims to alter someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been proven to be ineffective and harmful to LGBTQ+ people, and it can include a wide variety of practices. "Endorsing this kind of therapy is devastating,' says Shannon Minter, vice president of legal of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. 'Being gay, being transgender is not a choice. No amount of talking or persuasion or any kind of counseling can change that.' Gender-affirming-care is supported by the major medical associations in the U.S., including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association. Meanwhile, conversion therapy has been discredited by numerous medical associations. As the Trump Administration ushers in an era of anti-trans policy at the federal level, Supreme Court cases could also dictate LGBTQ+ rights. In March, the nation's highest court announced it would be hearing oral arguments for Chiles v. Salazar, which challenges Colorado's conversion therapy ban under the premise that it infringes on free speech. A decision for U.S. v. Skrmetti—expected in June—will decide whether gender-affirming-care bans for minors are unconstitutional. 'Those cases just raise the stakes of the issue even higher and create really maximum danger for transgender young people,' says Minter. 'Worst-case scenario would be for the Supreme Court to uphold state laws banning essential medical care for these young people, and then turn around and strike down state laws protecting LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy. That would be a devastating double blow.' A 2022 report estimated that there were some 300,000 transgender youth ages 13 to 17 in the U.S., according to UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute. Trump's Executive Order on gender-affirming-care also called for investigations into this type of health care in sanctuary states, stating that medical professionals were 'maiming… impressionable children.' Trump also declared April as 'National Child Abuse Prevention Month,' and in his proclamation stated that he is 'taking action to cut off all taxpayer funding to any institution that engages in the sexual mutilation of our youth.' More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced on the state level for the 2025 legislative session, per the ACLU's legislative tracker. In Kentucky, legislators voted to overturn their existing conversion therapy ban, legalizing the practice in the state. Attacks on gender-affirming-care have been much more rampant in recent years, as 26 states have passed laws limiting access to such care for trans and nonbinary people, according to the Human Rights Campaign. 'This isn't about us as doctors. This is about our patients and ensuring that they continue to get the science-based, evidence-based, standard-of-care medicine that really keeps them whole and healthy,' says Dr. Morissa Ladinsky, an academic general pediatrician at Stanford Medicine who treats children with gender dysphoria. Ladinsky was named as a plaintiff in Ladinsky v. Ivey, a 2022 lawsuit against an Alabama law that criminalizes parents for allowing their children to access gender-affirming-care. (The case was later taken down and another lawsuit against the Alabama law was filed.) Experts and advocacy organizations warn of the detrimental effects of conversion therapy. A peer-reviewed study conducted by the Trevor Project in 2020 found that young LGBTQ+ people who were who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report attempting suicide compared to those who did not. Nearly half of all U.S. states ban the controversial practice, though attempts to ban it at the federal level have never proven fruitful. A 2023 Trevor Project report found that conversion therapy still happens across the country. Two years ago, there were at least 1,300 practitioners believed to be still offering the practice in the U.S. Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police look for suspects in string of vicious hate crimes against 61-year-old trans woman
Police in Los Angeles are asking for the public's help in identifying three young people wanted for questioning in a violent sexual assault and a series of hate crimes against a 61-year-old transgender woman. Many of the attacks were captured on surveillance video. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Sabrina de la Peña was attacked inside the store she owns and operates in the city's Westlake district on April 8. 'The victim rejected his advances, and he left,' the LAPD said in a press release. 'However, the suspect returned a short time later and pushed her to the ground. The suspect sexually assaulted the victim and discovered she was a transgender woman. The suspect pulled away and threatened to kill the victim.' Related: Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes skyrocket in Los Angeles The suspect left, but returned later with two other teens. 'During one incident, the suspect used a skateboard to strike the victim,' police said in the press release. 'On another occasion, the suspect pepper-sprayed the victim. In the final incident, the suspect threw an unknown liquid at the victim while another suspect attempted to stun her with a Taser.' 'I was screaming for help, but nobody around giving help to me,' Sabrina de la Peña told local The CW affiliate KTLA. 'He take me out to the alleyway and he start beating me outside.' Some of the attacks were caught on video. In one attack, one of the suspects is seen waiting outside the door of de la Peña's store with a skateboard, which he uses to forcefully strike her as de la Peña exits the building. She said the attackers have returned twice since the initial assault, and that the entire ordeal has left her shaken. 'I want to ask the community to help me find those guys, help the police catch those guys. If not, they're going to kill me,' de la Peña told KTLA. 'Now, I don't feel safe. I feel unsafe in the alley. I cannot work because I only thinking he going to come back.' Anyone with additional information about the identity of the suspects can contact Rampart Division Robbery Detectives at 213-484-3495. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to Lastly, tipsters may also download the 'P3 Tips' mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates cry foul after YouTube quietly removes ‘gender identity' from hate speech policy
YouTube quietly scrubbed the phrase 'gender identity and expression' from its public-facing hate speech policy earlier this year, prompting concern from LGBTQ+ advocates who warn the change removes clarity around protections for transgender and nonbinary users. According to the company, there's no change in policy. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. However, the altered language occurred between January 29 and February 6, according to archived versions of the policy reviewed by The Advocate via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. On January 29, the platform's hate speech policy explicitly barred content that promotes violence or hatred based on 'gender identity and expression.' By February 6, the next time a snapshot of the page was stored in the archive, that language was no longer listed. Instead, the revised version grouped 'Sex, Gender, or Sexual Orientation' as protected categories, omitting any reference to gender identity. Related: Media must include transgender voices & challenge Trump's constant anti-trans falsehoods, GLAAD says A YouTube spokesperson told journalist Taylor Lorenz's Substack newsletter User Mag, which first reported the change, that the update was part of routine 'copy edits' and claimed enforcement of hate speech policies remains unchanged. However, the platform has not explained why it chose to remove an explicit reference to gender identity, a term that is foundational to many users' lived experiences and protections under civil rights law in several jurisdictions. YouTube reiterated its position in a statement to The Advocate. 'Our hate speech policies haven't changed,' a YouTube spokesperson said. They also said that 'as we told the reporter,' the User Mag story mischaracterized the copy edits made to YouTube's Help Center. The change comes as the Trump administration moves aggressively to erase federal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people. Just hours after returning to office on January 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government would only recognize two sexes — male and female — determined at birth. The order requires federal agencies to remove references to 'gender identity' from policies, identification documents, healthcare programs, and nondiscrimination protections. Related: Anti-LGBTQ+ 'Libs of TikTok' Exposed, Conservatives Are Extremely Mad Advocacy groups and LGBTQ+ creators say the revision is more than cosmetic — it's a dangerous rollback at a time when transgender people face escalating attacks both online and offline. 'The larger implications of YouTube's actions should concern everyone,' a spokesperson for GLAAD told The Advocate. 'When a company, or political leaders, decide that certain groups of people are to be seen as less than others — it too often results in real-world harm. YouTube and other platforms should be protecting LGBTQ creators and users during a time when right-wing extremists and others are seeking to harm them.' Samantha Lux attends the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 27, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Longtime trans YouTube creator Samantha Lux told User Mag she'd noticed a rise in hateful rhetoric on the platform. 'The right-wing creators have gotten a lot more brave about how they talk about trans issues,' Lux said. 'If you say that you're protecting against gender, it's more like you can't discriminate against somebody for being a woman. But gender identity really zones in on the trans aspect of it.' Related: Watch Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik exposed in stunning, cringe-worthy interview The update comes amid broader cultural and political efforts to erase references to gender identity. Just weeks ago, Iowa became the first state to eliminate 'gender identity' from its civil rights protections. At the federal level, the Trump administration has moved to eliminate mentions of gender identity in agency communications. Project 2025, a sweeping conservative policy roadmap, calls for deleting the terms 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' from government and public discourse. In GLAAD's 2024 Social Media Safety Index, YouTube scored 58 out of 100. The platform was credited for launching a pronoun display option for creators but criticized for falling short in key areas. YouTube is the only major platform evaluated as lacking a clear policy protecting users — including public figures — from targeted misgendering and deadnaming. The company also provides little transparency on addressing wrongful demonetization, filtering, and removing LGBTQ content from ad services. Related: From Meta to X, most major social media companies are failing LGBTQ+ users: GLAAD 'YouTube quietly removing 'gender identity and expression' from its list of protected groups is a major radical shift away from best practices in the field of trust and safety and content moderation,' a GLAAD spokesperson told User Mag. 'Like Meta's recent dangerous rollbacks of hate speech protections for transgender and nonbinary people, the removal of these specific words appears to be a responsive alignment with the anti-LGBTQ agenda of Project 2025.'
