feature image photo by Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Of course, the big news for this week is that the Federal government is officially shut down for the foreseeable future. What that means for the battle for queers and trans rights at the current moment is somewhat complicated, and I’m sure there will be more to report on that soon (I have also included an article that discusses this in the “Last Bits” section here). For right now, I’m going to focus on what has happened.

I know it is a rare occasion for this newsletter to begin with some positive news, but this week, I feel like it’s imperative that I do.

Some of you might have seen over the last few months that many LGBTQ authors, musicians, visual artists, arts organizations, and other people working in the arts spaces received letters of rejections to their applications to the Federal grant program run by National Endowment of the Arts grant proposals they submitted. In response to this and to the Trump administration’s executive order putting a total pause on grant proposals that “promote gender ideology,” the ACLU along with four plaintiffs — the Rhode Island Latino Arts, the National Queer Theater, The Theater Offensive, and the Theatre Communications Group — sued Federal officials for violating the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and the Fifth Amendment by adhering to the order.

On September 19, the case was heard in the Rhode Island District Court by Senior U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, and like so many other U.S. District Court judges as of late, Judge Smith ruled that the Trump administration’s executive order is in direct violation of these laws. The court ordered the Trump administration to “vacate and set aside [their] current plan to implement the Executive Order.” What will happen in relation to the proposals that have already been rejected remains to be seen at this point, but this is a win for First Amendment rights — one that will likely impact some of the other executive orders Trump signed earlier this year.

Some Good News For Once

Bipartisan bill seeks to reinstate national suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth. You read that correctly. Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski have teamed up to co-author a bill that seeks to bring back the hotline the Trump administration cut funding to earlier this year. When the bill was announced, Baldwin said: “We are in the middle of a mental health crisis, and the 988 lifeline saves lives, plain and simple. There is absolutely no good reason that Donald Trump took away this specialized help for our LGBTQ youth. Mental health does not see partisan lines or geography.” We’ll track how it makes it way through Congress.

Federal judge orders 500 health science grants at UCLA restored, rebuffing Trump’s suspensions. Another blow to the Trump administration’s attempts at cutting funding to major research organizations, and one that will likely have reverberating effects over the coming months.

Transgender patients fight Justice Department subpoena seeking their UPMC records. As we’ve seen over the last few months, lots of university and state hospitals with comprehensive medical programs focused on trans youth and trans people have been capitulating to the Trump administration by either shutting down entirely or halting specific services. In response to the Trump administration’s attempt at accessing the medical records of trans patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, trans patients who are or have been treated at the clinic are taking matters into their own hands by holding direct actions at UPMC in protest of the administration’s insistence that their records should be released to the Federal government.

News I Wish I Didn’t Have to Report

GOP Lawmakers, including Nancy Mace, say trans people should be institutionalized following Charlie Kirk death. I don’t take anything these people say seriously, but I do feel as if this kind of rhetoric should be firmly on our radar as we fight anti-trans bigotry in our communities.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams targets transgender student bathroom access. This guy is desperately trying to stay relevant in a moment when no one cares about him or wants to hear from him. He called for this bathroom ban, and then a week later, he ended his bid for reelection as mayor of New York City. A lot of hot air coming from the mouth of someone who knows he doesn’t have a shot at public office anymore.

Trump administration to hold back grants from NYC, Chicago, Fairfax schools over trans bathroom policies. We’ve seen how state Circuit Courts generally respond to these kinds of attacks by the Trump administration — mostly, they have been ruling that these kinds of funding halts are unconstitutional — so I have a feeling the same thing will happen here. But again, this is something to be aware of as we continue to sharpen our axes for the battle ahead.

Woman undresses at a California school board meeting to protest transgender bathroom policies. A Moms for Liberty organizer got weird as hell at a school board meeting — what’s new, right? Mostly, I’m including this because these people are absolute freaks, and I think we need to keep calling that out.

Last Bits

Black trans woman Midori Monet crowned Miss International Queen 2025 in historic win for USA. The Miss International Queen pageant is the largest beauty pageant by and for trans women contestants, so let’s take a moment to say CONGRATULATIONS MIDORI!

Teachers on the Frontlines of LGBTQ Erasure. This is a wonderful feature on queer and trans teachers and cishet allies who are taking a stand against people trying to ban queer and trans content from their classrooms. I know I’m biased as an educator myself, but I love that these kinds of features are happening.

The government is shut down. What it means for the LGBTQ+ appropriations fight. Thank you to Erin Reed for this informational guide. If you’re anxious about what might go down now that the majority of the Federal government isn’t operating for a while, you should absolutely read this piece.

And in case you missed it, Gabe Dunn wrote On Being Labeled a Terrorist in Transphobic America for us this week.

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