Brown University agrees to Trump’s anti-trans demands as part of deal to restore funding

What they agreed to do: Ban trans women from women’s facilities, end gender-affirming care for trans minors in their medical facilities, and ban trans women students from playing school sports.

Why it matters: The administration doesn’t have the power to force Brown to change its policies, so it instead potentially illegally withheld funding and forced the university to accept this agreement. And the administration has indicated it might use this tactic with other colleges.

Court strikes down nation of Saint Lucia’s homosexuality ban

Key quote: “Today’s ruling is not just a win in the courts, it also represents a step towards justice for the many lives lost to violence simply for being themselves. It signals that our Caribbean can and must be a place where all people are free and equal under the law.”

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Why it matters: Another country legalizing homosexuality is always something to celebrate.

This school rejected a student because his parents are gay. Now some parents are leaving.

What the school’s leader said: “He said that in Catholicism, marriage is between a man and woman, and what would it do to the other kids in the class to find out that our kids have two parents of the same sex.”

Why it matters: Some of the straight parents who chose to send their kids to a Catholic school are speaking out and considering removing their kids from the school.

Trans darts player vows not to let new anti-trans ban ruin her love of the sport

Um, darts? The World Darts Federation found no “significant or conclusive scientific evidence” that trans women possess physiological advantages over cis women in the sport of darts in 2024, but still banned trans women from women’s darts.

Why it matters: It’s the latest sport to change its stance on trans participation in recent years, a sign of a larger wave of international anti-trans sentiment.

Senate rejects the president’s budget proposal to slash life-saving HIV programs

What happened? The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday rejected the presidential administration’s proposed termination of the CDC’s HIV prevention and surveillance efforts, as well as massive proposed funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Why it matters: The White House budget called for slashing NIH funding by $18 billion, a decrease of 40 percent. The committee rejected those cuts and others addressing HIV prevention, treatment, and care, advancing the bill with overwhelming bipartisan support on a 26-3 vote.

Here’s a picture

Congress is in recess for the summer, which means it’s time for members of Congress to visit local job sites, projects, and other points of interest in their districts. Out trans Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), along with several other members of Congress, toured a water treatment plant in Wilmington, Delaware.

And here are some interesting queer and trans reads.

Nancy Mace falsely accused this doctor of child abuse & she lost her job. She’s running for Senate.

LGBTQ Nation’s Greg Owen talked to Dr. Annie Andrews, who ran against “proud transphobe” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) in 2022 and is now challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

“I do like to say that I spent 12 months of my life running against Nancy Mace, which tells you I am not afraid of a fight. I am not afraid to throw punches when necessary, and I don’t back down easily. If I can handle that woman for 12 months, I can handle Lindsey Graham for the next 17 months.”

Trans men are helping each other reclaim agency over their menstrual experiences

Writer Poorvi Gupta explores some of the feelings and complexities of being a man who menstruates and what transmasc people are doing to stay healthy and feel masculine.

Democrats think Epstein is their ticket to taking down Trump. They need more than that to win.

LGBTQ Nation columnist John Gallagher argues that, while Democrats are “thrilled” that Trump’s refusal to release files in the Jeffrey Epstein case is getting traction in the media, they should remember that it’s still a “MAGA-led conspiracy theory” and could backfire.

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