Updates

This specific article is from the Associated Press, however the Human Rights Campaign and many other media outlets have articles similar to this one. Similar to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" legislation, this NC Senate bill prohibits teachers from talking about sexuality and gender identity in the classroom. Many LGBTQ+ students and educators are opposed to this bill for obvious reasons. People believe this type of legislation stigmatizes the LGBTQ+ community and essentially aims to make another generation of people who dislike or are scared of gay people.

This clip of Weekend Update from Saturday Night Live's March 11th show is a satirical interview between the host and Tennessee Lieutenant Governor McNally. McNally recently liked and commented on a number of Instagram posts by a gay man, despite supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation. This hypocrisy was seen as funny by many people, however most didn't think about how our lawmakers are backing things they don't believe in because it's what their political party supports.

To the left there is a section of a Vox article about a Supreme Court case that has a negative effect on the lives of transgender people. This court case, West Virginia v. BPJ, relates to the state of West Virginia banning transgender people from participating in sports where they would play as a team member of the "opposite gender." A sixth grade student wanted to participate in track/cross country but the law states that students must play for the team that corresponds to their biological or birth sex. This case cannot just be pushed through court because it's discrimination, as other state and federal laws discriminate based on age or sex. I am not quite sure where I stand on this topic. I support transgender people and work with a few who are just normal everyday humans, however I can see why some people would think there's an advantage in athletics. The World Athletics Council says they support fairness over inclusion, so they don't allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports. I have heard that many transgender females uses medications to suppress testosterone levels, however this does not completely get rid of an advantage these people may have over biological women, therefore I understand where people are coming from. However, I also think fairness and integrity are important when people are competing in athletic events for both recognition and monetary winnings. On a scale of 1 through 5, I would rate my advocacy at a 4. If the SCOTUS sides with BPJ it could be monumental for transgender individuals that are being excluded from sports, which gives me hope.

This article from the BBC covers new legislation in Uganda that limits homosexual activity in the country. In 2009 the death penalty was removed from the anti-homosexuality bill, however life imprisonment was still on the table. This new bill, passed in March 2023, does include the death penalty in certain specific cases. This bill now makes identifying as gay illegal, along with making friends and family responsible for reporting LGBTQ individuals to the authorities. The bill "was passed with widespread support in Uganda's parliament" according to the BBC. The fact that legislation like this is being not only proposed, but supported, is upsetting to me. Most of the world has made lots of progress with LGBTQ rights over the last decade but Uganda is reversing this. At the time of writing this, the president could still veto the bill to maintain good relations with western countries. In my opinion this is unlikely due to the amount of support shown in parliament's vote.