Latest news with #TransDayOfVisibility
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Lombardo vetoes trans protections bills, in contrast to previous session
Transgender rights activists and supporters participate in the Trans Day Of Visibility rally on the National Mall on March 31, 2025 in Washington City. (Photo by) Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed two bills this week that would have enshrined a shield law for health care providers who offer gender-affirming care and ensured protections for transgender people incarcerated at local jails. The vetoes come as President Donald Trump, who Lombardo supported in the election, has escalated attacks against the LGBTQ+ community in the first few months of his second term and issued several anti-trans orders, including one that blocked federal support for gender-affirming medical care to patients younger than 19. The governor 'turned his back on LGBTQ+ Nevadans and their families—vetoing two critical protections just days into Pride Month,' Silver State Equality State Director André Wade said in a statement. 'These bills would have provided critical protections to transgender people seeking healthcare and their medical providers, as well as to transgender people in our criminal justice system.' To the surprise of many LGBTQ organizers, Lombardo in 2023 signed legislation that prevented insurance companies from discriminating against trans people on the basis of gender identity and required the Nevada Department of Corrections to adopt regulations to protect trans and gender-nonconforming people in prison. The move at the time made him an outlier among Republican governors and legislatures, which have supported and passed bills targeting the trans and queer community. Gender-affirming care is supported by a variety of health providers and medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. But it has been a high-profile target, and several states, including Utah, have banned it. Democratic state Sen. James Ohrenschall has said prohibiting gender-affirming care will 'not only harm transgender individuals but create a climate of fear and uncertainty for health care providers who offer gender-affirming health care services.' Nevada law doesn't restrict medically necessary gender-affirming care, but many LGBTQ advocates and medical providers, including pediatricians, worried bans in other states could prevent trans youth from seeking care and doctors from providing it in Nevada. Ohrenschall brought legislation in 2023 that sought to enact a shield law for medical providers in Nevada but Lombardo vetoed the bill. With Senate Bill 171, Ohrenschall used the same language from the 2023 bill to yet again try to bolster protections for medical providers who offer gender-affirming care. It would have prevented a medical licensing board from punishing or disqualifying providers. The bill passed both the Senate and Assembly in party line votes. 'This bill was a clear opportunity to ensure that transgender Nevadans can access the care they need—and that providers can offer it without fear of legal retaliation,' Wade said. 'Transgender people in Nevada deserve safety, dignity, and access to life-saving health care. The Governor's decision puts all of that at risk.' In his veto message, Lombardo wrote that the bill 'would lead to complicated legal battles and uncertainty about what laws providers must follow' and put medical 'licensing boards in the awkward position of navigating potentially conflicting mandates in federal and state law.' The message was similar to his 2023 veto. The second trans bill vetoed by Lombardo, Senate Bill 141 would have required local detention facilities to develop policies that address the custody, housing, medical and mental health treatment of transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people incarcerated. Democratic state Sen. Melanie Scheible, who sponsored the bill, said during its hearing it was similar to legislation she brought in 2023 that required prisons to enact similar policies for trans people who were incarcerated. Lombardo signed that bill. All 15 Assembly Republicans joined Democrats to unanimously pass SB 141, but the Senate voted along party lines. In his veto message Lombardo acknowledged that he did 'which authorized the Director of the Department of Corrections to implement similar policies through regulation with Board of Prison Commissioners' approval.' 'Federal authority in this space is potentially evolving and, if altered, could conflict with the provisions of this bill leading to decreased state and local access to vital federal funding,' he wrote.
Newsweek
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Seattle Protest Breaks Out in Violence: What We Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Violence broke out after counterprotesters gathered in a Seattle park to demonstrate against a "far-right" Christian rally being held there on Saturday. The Seattle Police Department said it made 23 arrests—22 adults and a juvenile—in Cal Anderson Park. One officer was injured. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, a Democrat, said that a "far-right" rally was being held in the park to "provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city's values, in the heart of Seattle's most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood." He said that "anarchists" had infiltrated a group of counter-protestors opposing the rally and "inspired violence," prompting arrests and causing the event to be shut down early. Newsweek has contacted the mayor's office and the Seattle Police Department for comment via email. A transgender rights activist holds a flag during the Trans Day Of Visibility rally on the National Mall on March 31, 2025 in Washington City. A transgender rights activist holds a flag during the Trans Day Of Visibility rally on the National Mall on March 31, 2025 in Washington Context Mayday USA, a conservative Christian group, brought its #DontMessWithOurKids rally to Seattle, the fourth of five stops on a national tour, on Saturday. Organizers say the #DontMessWithOurKids movement "refuses to stand idly by while the children of our nation are indoctrinated by liberal, political, and sexual agenda that seeks to destroy their God-given identities." A counterprotest—urging people to "Protest Fascist 'Family Values'"—was arranged in response, endorsed by the Freedom Socialist Party, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity, Puget Sound Mobilization for Reproductive Justice and Radical Women. Organizers called on people to "send a message with a loud picket line, signs and banners: Bigotry is not welcome here!" What To Know About 500 people attended the MaydayUSA event, and a similar number of people turned out to protest it, said The Seattle Times. Seattle police said officers were working to keep the two groups apart when they witnessed multiple people inside one group throw items at the other at around 1:30 p.m. "Officers immediately moved to arrest the people responsible, and while taking the individuals into custody, were assaulted by more protesters, resulting in even more arrests," Sergeant Patrick Michaud wrote in a news release. "In total, officers arrested 11 during the initial scuffle." Michaud wrote that 12 additional arrests were made throughout Saturday afternoon. He said: "In total, police arrested 22 individuals for charges of assault and obstruction and booked them into King County Jail. Officers also arrested one juvenile for obstruction, who was released from the precinct." One officer was treated in hospital and released after receiving an injury during the protests. Videos on social media showed people scuffling with officers in riot gear, and officers pinning multiple people to the ground. What People Are Saying Mayor Bruce Harrell said in his statement: "When the humanity of trans people and those who have been historically marginalized is questioned, we triumph by demonstrating our values through our words and peaceful protest—we lose our voice when this is disrupted by violence, chaos, and confusion." He added: "I am grateful for those who make their voices heard in support of our neighbors without resorting to violence. In the face of an extreme right-wing national effort to attack our trans and LGBTQ+ communities, Seattle will continue to stand unwavering in our embrace of diversity, love for our neighbors, and commitment to justice and fairness." Ross Johnston, a preacher and an organizers of the Mayday USA event, wrote on X: "The audacity of the @MayorofSeattle to claim that we as Christians were 'attacking' is bigoted and the rhetoric of a God hating politician whose 'power' came up against a superior force. "PS: all arrests were from the protester camp - it takes a bit of a brain to understand what that means maybe you have one? (Highly doubt it)." Organizers of the counterprotest said: "Anti-queer, anti-trans "Mayday USA" is bringing their reactionary preaching to Seattle with help from right-wing pastor Matt Shea and his Christian Fundamentalist "On Fire Ministries." Provocatively, they are rallying under the hashtag "#DONTMESSWITHOURKIDS" at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill in the heart of Seattle' Queer community. Let's send a message with a loud picket line, signs and banners: Bigotry is not welcome here!" What's Next Harrell said he was directing Seattle Parks and Recreation Department to review "all of the circumstances" of the application for the Mayday USA event "to understand whether there were legal location alternatives or other adjustments that could have been pursued." He said the police department "will complete an after-action report of this event, including understanding preparation, crowd management tactics, and review of arrests and citations."
