Latest news with #LGBTQ+
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
The biggest gender-affirming care center for trans kids in the US is closing, prompting protests
Protesters chant slogans while demonstrating against the closure of the trans youth clinic at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) LOS ANGELES — Growing up, Sage Sol Pitchenik wanted to hide. 'I hated my body,' the nonbinary 16-year-old said. 'I hated looking at it.' When therapy didn't help, Pitchenik, who uses the pronoun they, started going to the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the country's biggest public provider of gender-affirming care for children and teens. It changed their life. But in response to the Trump administration's threat to cut federal funds to places that offer gender-affirming care to minors, the center will be closing its doors July 22. Pitchenik has been among the scores of protesters who have demonstrated regularly outside the hospital to keep it open. 'Trans kids are done being quiet. Trans kids are done being polite, and trans kids are done begging for the bare minimum, begging for the chance to grow up, to have a future, to be loved by others when sometimes we can't even love ourselves,' Pitchenik said, prompting cheers from dozens of protesters during a recent demonstration. They went to the center for six years. 'There's a lot of bigotry and just hate all around, and having somebody who is trained specifically to speak with you, because there's not a lot of people that know what it's like, it meant the world,' they told The Associated Press. The center's legacy In operation for three decades, the facility is among the longest-running trans youth centers in the country and has served thousands of young people on public insurance. Patients who haven't gone through puberty yet receive counseling, which continues throughout the care process. For some patients, the next step is puberty blockers; for others, it's also hormone replacement therapy. Surgeries are rarely offered to minors. 'I'm one of the lucky ones,' said Pitchenik, who received hormone blockers after a lengthy process. 'I learned how to not only survive but how to thrive in my own body because of the lifesaving health care provided to me right here at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.' Many families are now scrambling to find care among a patchwork of private and public providers that are already stretched thin. It's not just patient care, but research development that's ending. 'It is a disappointment to see this abrupt closure disrupting the care that trans youth receive. But it's also a stain on their legacy,' said Maria Do, community mobilization manager at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. 'I think it showcases that they're quick to abandon our most vulnerable members.' The closure comes weeks after the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, amid other efforts by the federal government to regulate the lives of transgender people. The hospital initially backed off its plans to close after announcing them in February, spurring demonstrations, but later doubled back. The center said in a statement that 'despite this deeply held commitment to supporting LA's gender-diverse community, the hospital has been left with no viable path forward' to stay open. 'Center team members were heartbroken to learn of the decision from hospital leaders, who emphasized that it was not made lightly, but followed a thorough legal and financial assessment of the increasingly severe impacts of recent administrative actions and proposed policies,' the statement said. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has warned that by closing the center, the hospital is violating state antidiscrimination laws, but his office hasn't taken any further action. Bonta and attorneys general from 22 other states sued President Donald Trump's administration over the executive order in February. 'The Trump administration's relentless assault on transgender adolescents is nothing short of an all-out war to strip away LGBTQ+ rights,' Bonta told the AP in an email. 'The Administration's harmful attacks are hurting California's transgender community by seeking to scare doctors and hospitals from providing nondiscriminatory healthcare. The bottom line is: This care remains legal in California.' LGBTQ+ protesters and health care workers offer visibility Still wearing scrubs, Jack Brenner joined protesters after a long shift as a nurse in the hospital's emergency room, addressing the crowd with a megaphone while choking back tears. 'Our visibility is so important for our youth,' Brenner said, looking out at a cluster of protesters raising signs and waving trans pride flags. 'To see that there is a future, and that there is a way to grow up and to be your authentic self.' Brenner, who uses the pronoun they, didn't see people who looked like them growing up or come to understand what being trans meant until their mid-20s. 'It's something I definitely didn't have a language for when I was a kid, and I didn't know what the source of my pain and suffering was, and now looking back, so many things are sliding into place,' Brenner said. 'I'm realizing how much gender dysphoria was a source of my pain.' Trans children and teens are at increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, according to a 2024 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brenner described encountering young patients in the emergency room who are trans or otherwise on the gender-nonconforming spectrum and 'at the peak of a mental health crisis.' Brenner wears a lanyard teeming with colorful pins emblazoned with the words 'they/them' to signal their gender identity. 'I see the change in kids' eyes, little glints of recognition, that I am a trans adult and that there is a future,' Brenner said. 'I've seen kids light up when they recognize something of themselves in me. And that is so meaningful that I can provide that.' Beth Hossfeld, a marriage and family therapist and a grandmother to an 11- and 13-year-old who received care at the center, called the closure 'patient abandonment.' 'It's a political decision, not a medical one, and that's disturbing to me,' she said. Anna Furman, The Associated Press
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Financial freedom isn't about perfection, it's about empowerment
What does a WNBA star know about money? Turns out, everything! Former pro basketball player and championship coach Vicki Hall reveals how personal tragedy, bad financial advice, and a pay gap in women's sports sparked her second act—as a trusted financial adviser. Vicki Hall opens up to John and David Auten-Schneider about budgeting as an athlete, the realities of being LGBTQ+ in coaching, and why everyone needs to know what a Roth IRA is. Whether you're navigating student loans, saving for your future, or just trying to keep it all together, this podcast is here to remind you: financial freedom isn't about perfection - it's about empowerment. For full episodes of Living Not So Fabulously, listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch on our website. Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is produced by Dennis Golin. Please, please, please save, save, you know, and Warren Buffett will tell you the same thing, uh, live under your means and put that money away because time is, time is wonderful for you. Welcome to living out so fabulously. So David, yes, I bet you there is still something about me that you don't know. Oh really? What's that? I didn't play basketball in high school or college. Oh, at 54 I can't imagine why not. 54and 3 quarters,please. Today's guests did though, quite well in fact. From slam dunks to stock tips, Vicky Hall is a former WNBA star and championship winning coach who's helping folks win at the game of money. After a globe trotting pro basketball career and breaking barriers and coaching, she pivoted to become a trusted financial advisor in Indianapolis. Whether she's on the court or in a client meeting, Vicky brings hustle heart and a whole lot of financial to the show, Vicky Hall. Well, thank you, thank you so much. What a what a pleasure to be here. Awesome. I'm excited to have you. So after a successful career as a as a WNBA star and as a coach, you sort of shifted to a whole other career as a financial advisor. Uh, it seems like a pretty big leap. What was your thought process there and how was the transition? Oh, definitely, you know, when I do seminars, people, you know, on financial education, they're wondering, where's this basketball lady? What, what? And so, um, basically what had happened, it was kind of a sad story though, actually, um, in high school, my father passed away early and um he didn't share anything about the finances with my so she kind of had to take over the reins and do everything, and she went to a trusted advisor, and he sold her an annuity or two to a 46-year-old woman with two kids going into college, which is it's not, um, really good at all. And so at that point in time, we, we understood, oh my gosh, we got to figure some stuff out. And so, um, I actually at that point, I ended up, uh, when I, when I finished, I ended up going to Europe and studying on my own and doing some different things and started to trade and invest and learned a lot about the investments. And so that's kind of what I've done kind of parallel to basketball my entire life. Oh, interesting. So that was your first touch of personal finance. And so what attracted you to become an actual financial advisor and make that a career as uh as opposed to having it sort of be a hobby? Um, because there, I think there are just so many people that don't know. You know, you don't know what you don't know, they don't know how to invest, they don't know what it's about, um, they're afraid, uh, because it's your hard earned money and you're like, oh my gosh, you know, I, I have no idea what a Roth means or what an IRA means or or what's an know, and so to be able to go out and help and educate people, um, I just coming from being a coach and trying to help young women, you know, be great leaders and you know and succeed in life, I thought it would be a good transition to try to educate people just in finance to help them in their lives. Wonderful. It's kind of interesting in the the today a lot of folks have this side they have parallel careers, right? Oftentimes we see people who are working down one path and then something else comes along, either they want to be an entrepreneur or they want a side hustle, they want to have multiple unfortunately, many people need this. You actually found an interest in it and found it a a a desire to have both of those. I do find it very interesting how you said there's a lot of overlap. Not a lot of people think about that, about how much overlap that they may have between optional careers in their life. Oh yeah, definitely. Um, you know, that's, it's funny because I went from, uh, coaching, you know, I was the associate head coach and the head coach, and then I went into the WNBA as a coach, and I didn't make a whole lot of money. It was a pretty big pay cut, actually. And so I was like, oh jeez, uh, I don't like this. Not so fabulous, right? And so, um, I said, how else could I make some money? So I started to, I don't recommend this unless you know what you're I did some day trading and also, um, you know, worked with some options and so made some extra money that way. It's very interesting that you bring that up, uh, because Brittney Griner mentioned in her memoir Coming Home, that part of the reason why she was in Russia was because the WNBA just didn't pay her enough to be able to support her and her family. And I think there's this misconception thatAt least from the out those outside looking in that athletes in sort of the big three sports like baseball, basketball, and football, men and women are doing pretty well. How accurate is that? And is there a discrepancy between what the men are earning versus what the women are earning? It's a huge, it's not even, it's apples and oranges. I mean, especially back when I was playing too, because I, you know, I was one of the first ones. I'm not a, I'm not a young chicken if you can tell from my white hair there, um, but, but, uh, yes, when I started, I think, I think I was getting paid like.I don't know, like $50,000 for it was for 3 or 4 months, um, but you can, you know, it was about 3 or 4 times that in Europe for me. And so, was worth it to stay in Europe. And so before the WNBA there was actually the ABL which was a better salary to start with. So yeah, I mean, now, even now, coming back around to these days now, Caitlin Clark has kind of changed um the expectation, thankfully, and you know, we're all thankful for that, for but it's still very far away. Like I think her base salary is probably like 7000 to $80,000 and a rookie, uh, base salary for the men is, I think 350 $350,000. Wow. Oh, I'm sorry, um, so you're saying that Kaitlin Clark is getting about $80,000 but a rookie pro men's basketball player is 6 figures, multiple. It's 6 figures. Yeah, and don't quote me on the 350. I'm not exactly sure you can Google that and find out, um, but there is, there are like tears and um so it's, it's a definite disparity for sure. So I'm curious, I, I can hear the response from some commenters saying, well, the men just attract more, more viewers, right? They have more people watching on TV, they have more people attending their games. What's your argument to that? Well, you know, that was true for a while, um, but now because, OK, so they had the big deal uh that happened during COVID, um, where, you know, the women didn't get the same as the men and all this other stuff, and then, but somehow they figured out the viewership and all of a sudden they started to understand had great viewership as well. Huh? How about that? And so now their TV rights and different things started happening for women. So now they're making a little bit more and, you know, they all call it the Caitlin Clark effect. Um, you know, Indiana, when I was coaching with Indiana, we couldn't give a ticket now it was like their first game was sold out, 17,000. So it's just kind of changed, you know, where you changed the perspective completely. Yeah, interesting. It, it's almost, I, I, I don't know if this is the Caitlin Clark effect actually made this happen, but it almost seems like this whole chicken and egg. Well, there's no viewership, so there's no ticket sales, but there's no ticket sales because there's no viewership because people don't know that there are great games happening. You actually have to be plugged into the sport or plugged into the community to know that it's happening. Absolutely. Well, so as a trailblazer looking back seeing what's happening to uh women's basketball, but I would, I see more and more women's sports in general. How does thatfeel? I'm just, I'm happy for the younger generation that they're actually getting these opportunities that we didn't, you know, weWe paved the path for them and there was those before me that helped pave it for me as well. But, um, you know, it's got to happen somewhere. And so, you know, if, if we, if they were on our backs and now they're standing up strong, then that's great, you know, just as long as it happens. Yeah, absolutely. So we're all very familiar with the statistics. I think it's something to the effect of 80% of pro athletes go broke, you know, within 3 years after, after they're out of out of the major leagues. What financial advice would you give to young athletes today, especially female athletes, starting out their careers in their sports, so they have that long term stability even after their their uh professional sports career is over. Please, please, please save, save, cause it's so easy to go out there cause there's 00 my gosh, there's so many things you wanna buy. I want to buy this, I have a subscription to that. Oh my, those shoes are awesome. Look at that, you know, that dress, look at those, you know, whatever it is, um, but please know, and Warren Buffett will tell you the same thing, uh, live under your means and put that money away because time is time is wonderful for you. So you have, you have the ability to compound that interest. And so if you could save, you know, these thousands of dollars, $20,000 and put that just gonna do nothing but compound as you go from a 20 year old to a 60 year old, and you'll be a millionaire and you won't have to worry about it. But if you go paycheck to paycheck, because you know you have the money and when you have it, you usually spend it, um, then, you know, this, this is the years that you have this earning power and make it work foryou. So hold that thought, please, Vicky, we'll be right back after this back to Living Not So Fabulously. If you're just joining us, we're talking to former WNBA star and coach and current financial advisor, Vicky Hall. Hi there, sogreat. So Vicky, I wanna go back a little bit to the beginning here where you talked about uh your when your your father passed away and your mother was sold a couple of annuities. I wanna revisit that again. When can when that moment happened, when your father passed unexpectedly, you were young, your mother obviously wasn't prepared for it, um, can you, what did that moment feel like? And then when you realized what your mother was sold, what did that feel like? it can still bring tears to my eyes. It felt like somebody just kicked me right in the stomach, you know, and it was our whole family because, you know, that my, I had an older brother who was going to graduate school. I was going off to college and my mom now is going to be an empty nester, but you know, this happened and um talk about angry. I was very angry. And um, so I, I guess that really inspired me to learn about so if, if I know what I'm doing, then I don't have to trust somebody to tell me something, because remember back then, you know, you didn't really, because this, we're talking about the 80s, right? We didn't have Google, you know, and or cell phone, believe it or not. Um and so you couldn't really just Google it and kind of check what someone's saying, you're, you had to go to a lot of different people and then try to figure out who you're going to believe. Yeah, absolutely. So I'm curious, how then did do you think that experience with your father and your and your mother, and the annuities, how did that shape yourPerspective of financial independence and and how that maybe infuses the work that you're doing today. Oh, it, it completely shaped it. Um, and, and my mom was wonderful. I, I, I'm so fortunate that I, that I had her as have have her as my mom, um, because, you know, she taught me, uh, what Warren Buffett says, and that's pay yourself how do you pay yourself first? It's not really going out and buying something, it's actually investing in you, and that's in your retirement, in the betterment of yourself, and that's like, you know, getting cer certified or your education or different things like that. And um, you know, that's paid dividends for me. Definitely. And John and I like to say when when it comes to paying yourself first, it's pay your future self first, pay your past self second by your bills and and uh the, the things you already have said you're gonna, you have already purchased, and then pay your present self third because we oftentimes do it in the exact opposite order. We pay our present self, then we pay our bills, and if there's money left over, we'll pay the future self. Right, absolutely. And, and, and that's really, you gotta change your way of thinking. It's so hard to, cause you know, now we have it's people get DoorDash all the time. They're, they're, you know, whatever the, theQuick pleasure is what we're after in these younger generations and, and even our, I mean, even my generation, it's whatever's easy is what we're looking for. And you know, I don't think very many people that I know have been very successful on the easy path. So sometimes we got to make some sacrifices. Yeah, one of the things I, I appreciate what you're saying, and I think one of the things that you have, have said is you try to always save at least 10% of what you how do you think that we can do that today in a world where, how do we make it easier to do stuff like that in a world today where we do follow or hit the easy button for almost everything in life, but then it costs us more, or we're maybe in that lower income trap and we feel compelled to treat ourselves from time to time. Well, I do think you should treat yourself at times, and it depends on what, but, you know, your treat can be, you know, going to Dairy Queen and get an ice cream versus buying a $000 bag. We're on Dairy Queen of wheels, right? Um, but you know, so I think keeping that in perspective first and foremost. Second, uh, you know, I think one of the biggest things is just have the money taken out from your paycheck. Like you, you know, you can automatically get it distributed intoUh, a brokerage or a retirement account. And please understand what the difference between a Roth and a regular retirement account is. Please do that. I don't know if we have time for that, but, um, if you just naturally take it away, if you don't see it, then you don't spend it and you don't feel it as bad. But if I see that, oh my gosh, I'm making $4000 a month, woo, you know, but if I've just taken it out and now it's $3000.00 OK, well, maybe I can't afford that, uh,You know, those new vans or whatever, right? Well, while we have you, uh, uh, really quickly, what is your elevator pitch for the difference between a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA? OK, well, so a Roth IRA, so a traditional IRA is you're gonna, you're gonna going to get something back right away. So basically, uh, you get a tax break. All right? So if I make $50,000 and I put $7000 into my IRA, then I'm going to get taxed on that $43, $50 right? OK. So, but as as that money grows and goes on, and when I get older and I have to take that money out, it's going to be taxed at income because it's never been taxed, and I'm all the capital gains and everything else, so that all that's taxed at I have a Roth and I have $50,000 and I put $7000 into my Roth, I am, I'm paying the income tax on $50,000 that year. Um, but later on, as that grows, so that so that $7000 now has grown to $200,000 and I'm 70 years old, that's tax free. So no income tax that you're paying and no capital gains. It's huge. I love that. So is it would in your experience, professional opinion, is one better than the other, or does it maybe make sense for some people to try to have a combination of both? Well, I think a combination of both can work very well. I do, there, there also is for the Roth, there are limits, like if you're a very high earner, a single earner, I think it was last year was 1,146,000, um, and as a couple of it was like 256, you cannot contribute to a Roth, so please understand that, um, but you still can't look in your 401 case because most of them now um uh give you that Roth I think a combination would be not a bad idea, um, but I would really go more towards the Roth. I think it all depends on what tax bracket you're in and if you're near those edges to move up or not. Perfect, thank you. So there's one final question that we have, and we ask this of all of our guests. Thinking about your personal experience, maybe your business experience, what is one piece of financial advice you would give to folks in the LGBT community? Well,Oh, there's so many, know, I, I think one of the biggest, well, there's 21,If you're gonna go and get an what kind of of salary that degree is going to get you. So don't take out a huge loan, OK? A $70,000 loan that's going to just keep growing and growing and growing, and all you're going to make that you're going to get capped out at 50,000 or $60,000 because you're going to be paying that loan off until you're 100. OK. So please look at the other thing that is so important, I think is just having one, pay yourself first. So I'm giving you 3, sorry, pay yourself first and then have an emergency savings because you never know what's gonna happen. There's always the what if day, you know, where my car broke down or, you know, in the LGBTQ community, unfortunately, a lot of us have gone through situations, maybe you get got kicked out of the maybe you got fired because somebody found out you were LGBTQ, you know, and so you have to have this uh cushion to help you get through a month or 2 or 3 while you're finding another That's actually that happened to me, um, unfortunately, I mean, you know, as being a coach, you'd think in women, you know, oh they're all lesbians, um, which is not true. I mean there are a lot of them that are, um, so I don't want to speak for everybody, but you couldn't really talk about it. You couldn't really talk about it. And so, you know, you always had to be careful about what you did and and if you get a job or you know, I, I don't know if if they would actually say that, but it definitely was a part, it definitely was a part of one situation that I was in, for sure, because I lived that lifestyle. And also when I was in college and I was a coach, you know, you know, being LGBTQ, it's contagious, right? So, uh, you had to be careful not to tell people because, oh my gosh, you know, you're going to give it to their So those are real things. Believe me, I mean, we laugh, but you know it's real. And it was tough. And that's why I'm so happy now because I'm in the financial industry and I don't have to worry about that. Like I can be who I am. I have a wife, I have a home, and I have my flag. I never had an LGBTQ flag. Now I do. It's fabulous. Nice. So I, I, I'm curious from your perspective now, how is that, I mean, having gone through all that to now at this point where you can be completely out and open and have your flag hanging on your front porch, what is, how does that feel? So freeing. It's so freeing. And and I, I, you know, I remember I was the head coach at one point in college and one time my wife took my hand and said, Hey babe, and I was like, Don't do that, you know, because you're out in public. And um now I just, we are who we are. And so I don't have to pretend that I'm somebody that I'm not and it's just so freeing. Yes,that's wonderful. That's a great note to end on. Thank you, Vicky Hall, for joining us. It's a pleasure having you. Well, it's a pleasure being here. Thank you so much and I hope that what, you know, somebody got something from these little tips. Love that interview and a big shout out to our friend Zena Kumar for making the introduction. I particularly loved Vicky's heartfelt story at the end there. I think a big takeaway for all of us is to remember that even if we're stars in the WNBA today, budget, save and invest, because we never know how long that gravy train is going to last. Yes, whether we're a florist, a nurse, or a celebrity, save, invest, save and invest. As Vicky shared, the duration of time that you save and invest is one of the best indicators of your long-term financial success. Thank you to our listeners and viewers for joining in. If you like what you see, please scan the QR code to follow Yahoo Finance podcast for more videos and expert insights, because when you do, you're sinking 3 pointers for your financial security. Oh my goodness, look at you, a sports joke. And until next time, stay fabulous. This content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This med student removed their fallopian tubes and found community, support online
The rainbow party hats called to Delia Sosa at the grocery store. A poignant, perfect way to mark the occasion. The morning of that big day in June, Sosa wrote a message across the front of the party hats in bold, black ink: "Farewell fallopians." Then, Sosa underwent a sterilization procedure known as a bilateral salpingectomy, or the removal of both fallopian tubes. The whole operating room, including Sosa's doctor and the pre-op nurses, placed the festive hats atop their heads before sending Sosa into a peaceful, long-awaited slumber. Why was it such a party? "It felt like a celebration on the day of, and still kind of feels like a celebration in a lot of ways," Sosa, 28, says over a Zoom call, blue and pink hydrangea paintings hanging in the background, "because for me, this is one step in the process of really taking control of my own reproductive health and the future of my family." Sosa is transgender and intersex and a survivor of sexual assault. It's not uncommon for the community: A 2021 study from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that trans people were over four times more likely to be victims of violent crime. Amid growing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment across the U.S., Sosa feared a future assault could result in an unwanted pregnancy. They were assigned female at birth and never want to abort a pregnancy – making fallopian tube removal a viable option to protect themself and their husband given their dissatisfaction with other birth control methods. "I can't prevent the sexual assault from happening, and hope – knock on wood – I hope it doesn't happen, but if it were to, at least that's one less thing I have to worry about," adds Sosa, who is in their fourth year of medical school. How much does IVF cost? Explaining the procedure. Sosa posted about the surgery on Instagram, and more than 200 commenters weighed in: "This is simply wonderful." "Congratulations on making the decision that was right for you! So happy for you!" "I had mine removed last summer and it gave me such peace of mind." It's different than getting your "tubes tied," which doesn't involve removing the tubes completely. About 18 to 19% of the population uses sterilization as a form of contraception, says OB-GYN Dr. Nazaneen Homaifar, and sterilization rates among women increased following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, according to a Columbia University study. Homaifar, anecdotally, has noticed an uptick in sterilization requests for fear that people won't have options if they were to get pregnant by accident. And "pregnancy as a result of rape is a common fear for survivors of sexualized violence," says trauma counselor Jordan Pickell. For Sosa, "It was something that I thought about for a really long time before before deciding to ask my doctor about it," they said. They've been concerned about increasing violence toward trans, queer and intersex people, particularly trans people of color and trans feminine people of color. "I have gotten some pretty scary threats online of things that people want to do to me and things that people think I should do to myself," Sosa says. "And I have had this fear for the last several years, with all the anti-trans legislation coming out, that I could end up in a position where I am sexually assaulted for my identity." In case you missed: Gender-affirming care is life-saving, research says. Why is it so controversial? Those looking for more information on this, Homaifar says, should "seek out providers who will listen to them and provide judgment-free counseling to go over their options for contraception and to know that there are providers out there that will listen to them and honor their desires for a sterilization." Removing the fallopian tubes, for example, also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, according to Dr. Hugh Taylor, Anita O'Keeffe Young Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine. Still, "there are many other forms of contraception available, including long-term reversible contraceptives such as an IUD or implant. Tubal removal should only be done when someone is certain that they will never want to conceive." As for Sosa and their husband, they plan to have children using reciprocal IVF, a process which bypasses the fallopian tubes. Sosa would still carry their child. Sosa is applying for residency this fall and dreams of an OBGYN career of their own. "There's a lot of unknowns coming up, but a lot of good things on the horizon." At least one thing's for sure: No fallopian tubes. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Removing fallopian tubes: When scared of pregnancy, sexual assault
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Things to do in Southend this weekend to enjoy or escape the heatwave
There's lots to do in Southend this weekend, so here's a breakdown of some of the key events as the weather gets warmer once again. Fairy tale weekend kicks off at Adventure Island on Saturday, bringing a weekend of exciting fantasy fun including costume dress up and enchanting entertainment. Saturday will see the Artisan Craft Fair arrive at Leigh community centre, a celebration of small independent businesses and craftspeople. Music in the Woods lands on Saturday at Belfairs Nature Discovery Centre, an open air picnic featuring music from local musicians in aid of Essex Wildlife Trust. Southend Pride Festival takes place Saturday in Warrior Square Gardens, welcoming LGBTQ+ and allies for a day of fun and celebration. Saturday will also see the Proms at the Vulcan at Southend Airport, where the Essex Concert Orchestra are performing a selection of popular and classical music alongside Vulcan XL426. Music in the Park returns to Priory Park bandstand this weekend, with performances from Anita Carmichael and Friends on Saturday, and Harmonie on the Sunday. That's some of events to look forward to this weekend, so get organised and make plans while the weather is warm.
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Shelter from the storms: queer sanctuaries
Jon (21) and Alex (25) share an intimate moment at Alex's home in St Petersburg, Russia, on 18 May 2014. This image became well known as a symbol for LGBTQ+ rights in Russia and, despite experiencing attacks, Jon and Alex continued their activism until Alex's death from heart failure in 2019. Homophobia in Russia has been rising following a 2013 legislation banning so-called 'gay propaganda'. Queer Havens is free to visit in Westerpark and at Het Meterhuisje, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 12 July to 10 August Photograph: Mads Nissen/World Press Photo A staged re-creation of the original Mercury Seven crew from 1960 photographed in New York City. This project combines fiction with fact in order to confront the US space program's historical exclusion of openly LGBTQ+ astronauts. In a review of the Nasa and United States National Archives, the photographer found no documentation on the contributions of the queer community to the space programme. The absence inspired her to imagine The Gay Space Agency, a diverse and inclusionary institution that commemorates and celebrates the history of queer astronauts Photograph: Mackenzie Calle//World Press Photo For the past four years, the most emblematic queer parties in Paris have taken place in a slightly decrepit bar called Le Chinois. The organisers, a collective known as La Creole, bring together personalities, sexualities and gender identities under the Caribbean carnivalesque spirit. La Creole, symbolically named to evoke cultures of the West Indies, host unforgettable evenings where voguing, techno and sound system culture meet. La Creole reminds France of its diverse children and offers LGBTQ+ people descended from former French colonies a safe space to dance without fear Photograph: Adrien Selbert/Pride Photo Doan Huu Dieu (25) and Nguyen Trong Hieu (49), who have been together for three years, wake up at home in Vietnam. In 2012, the Vietnamese government announced it was considering recognising same-sex marriage and Vietnam's first Pride parade took place in Hanoi. By 2015, a bill lifting the ban on same-sex marriage was in effect, but these unions are not legally recognised. In 2020, Human Rights Watch reported discrimination against Vietnam's young LGBTQ+ community. Same-sex marriages are still not recognised Photograph: Maika Elan/World Press Photo Al Enriquez (86) looks through a curtain in Manila's Golden Gays' home, a community of older LGBTQ+ people from the Philippines who have lived together for decades, caring for each other as they age, and staging shows and pageants to make ends meet. The community was founded in the 1970s by lawyer and activist Justo Justo, who opened his home to shelter 'lolas' – an affectionate local term for grandmothers adopted by the group. When Justo died in 2012, the community were evicted and some experienced homelessness until 2018, when they began renting a house in Manila Photograph: Hannah Reyes Morales/World Press Photo Fathom presents a series of staged documentary photographs honouring the stories of LGBTQ+ individuals who have lost their lives in fatal homophobic attacks. The photographer works with individuals from the LGBTQ+ currently living in Turkey to create these powerful images, drawing on modes of non-normative storytelling, and creating a connection between those who have been killed, and those who survive, visually representing the struggles and very real danger that the LGBTQ+ community continues to face Photograph: Cansu Yıldıran/Pride Photo Participants at Heavenly Bodies, an underground drag ballroom event during Lagos Pride, celebrate the 2024 'mother of the year' winner. Members of the LGBTQ+ community in Nigeria face legal prosecution, widespread social discrimination and physical violence. Held in a secret location, Heavenly Bodies: Notes on Fola Francis was one of the largest drag ballroom experiences in Nigeria. The 2024 series was named after the late Fola Francis, a trans icon, activist and the first openly transgender person to walk the runway during Lagos Fashion Week Photograph: Temiloluwa Johnson/World Press Photo Grandparents, aunts and cousins gather to celebrate Beatriz's 15th birthday during the 1970s in Catia, Caracas, Venezuela. Andrés Gregorio Pérez's project Dead Family explores the invisibility of LGBTQ+ identities in traditional family albums, which often reflect imposed, heteronormative expectations. Through creative edits of personal family photos, participants reimagine inclusive memories that celebrate their true selves and challenge dominant narratives Photograph: Andrés Gregorio Pérez/Pride Photo Quetzal Maucci's long-term project presents a personal exploration of her own family structure. Born in the US, Quetzal is the daughter of two queer women who migrated from Peru and Argentina respectively. Their names are Flavia and Lucrecia, or as Quetzal calls them 'Mami y Mamú' Photograph: Quetzal Maucci/Pride Photo Ky Smiley poses for a self-portrait with his six-year-old brother in Columbus, Ohio. Their father is present at the shoot and is supportive of his talents. Ky frequently works with his family members and uses photography to explore his identity and place within society. 'Learning how to discuss my top surgery with my little brother has been simpler and more enlightening than I could have imagined. He helped me during recovery and I can not be more thankful' Photograph: Ky Smiley/Pride Photo Three women at Kesaria Abramidze's funeral. Abramidze, a Georgian transgender woman, was found brutally murdered in her apartment in September 2024. She was a well-known transgender model – one of the first in the deeply conservative country to openly come out. The fate of Abramidze, who is not the first transgender woman to be murdered in Georgia, brought not only sorrow but also highlighted the fears of others in the community Photograph: Tamta Gokadze/Pride Photo
