Truthout
LGBTQ Rights
![Protesters hold a rally at the Minnesota state capitol to support trans kids on March 6, 2022, in St. Paul, Minnesota.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1385207843-400x300.jpg)
Republican Utah Governor Signs Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth
The bill makes Utah the first state to ban essential health care for trans kids, endangering the lives of young Utahans.
![A phlebotomist tends to the arm of a blood donor at the KFC YUM! Center during the Starts, Stripes, and Pints blood drive event on July 7, 2021, in Louisville, Kentucky.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/2023_0127-blood-donor-400x300.jpg)
FDA Will Now Allow Blood Donations From Gay, Bisexual Men and Transgender Women
The new FDA rules on blood donation will be more gender-inclusive, the agency said.
![Pope Francis attends a Mass for the feast of the Epiphany at St. Peter's Basilica on January 6, 2023, in Vatican City, Vatican.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/2023_0125-pope-francis-400x300.jpg)
Pope Francis Says Laws Punishing Gay People Are “Unjust”
Several religious leaders and commentators celebrated the statement but said the pope should go further.
![Black senior woman using a laptop](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1380716334-400x300.jpg)
Queer and Trans Elders in Search of Safe Housing Face Barriers, Discrimination
For LGBTQ elders, finding safe and affordable housing can be a matter of life and death.
![Books standing upright](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/2023_0120-books-400x300.jpg)
North Dakota Anti-LGBTQ Bill Would Imprison Librarians for Not Removing Books
“We stand opposed to censorship,” the North Dakota Library Association said in a statement against the proposal.
![Hands hold up small transgender flags](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/2023_0119-trans-flags-400x300.jpg)
GOP Bill in North Dakota Would Bar Orgs From Using Trans People’s Pronouns
The bill contributes to “the general atmosphere of hostility and hatred” toward trans people, one LGBTQ advocate noted.
![Posters are shown for the International Side By Side Film Festival.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/2023_0112-russian-lgbt-film-festival-400x300.jpg)
Russia’s Only International LGBTQ Film Festival Faces “Propaganda” Ban
Roman Polyakov, the festival’s public relations director, discusses how the anti-LGBTQ law will impact Russian culture.
![The McGill university campus in Montreal, Canada, on November 20, 2022.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/2023_0110-mcgill-400x300.jpg)
Students at McGill University in Montreal Protest Anti-Trans Speaker
The speaker, Robert Wintemute, is a member of the anti-trans hate group LGB Alliance.
![A protester holds a sign reading "When trans rights are under attack what do we do? Stand up fight back." Minnesotans hold a rally at the state capitol to support trans kids in Minnesota, Texas, and around the country on March 6, 2022, in St Paul, Minnesota.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1385207854-400x300.jpg)
State Legislatures Are Now Targeting Health Care for Transgender Adults
Legislators in at least seven states have prefiled bills that would restrict or even criminalize gender affirming care.
![Transgender flag waving during day](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/01/2023_0105-transgender-rights-400x300.jpg)
Oklahoma Lawmaker Pens Bill to Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Anyone Under Age 26
LGBTQ advocates say the bill is an attempt to erase the existence of trans and nonbinary people.