National
Texas Senate advances anti-transgender bathroom bill
Bill advances despite opposition from business, law enforcement communities

The Texas Senate has approved legislation impairing bathroom access for transgender people. (Photo by Daniel Mayer; courtesy Wikimedia)
The Texas State approved legislation on Tuesday that would bar transgender kids from using certain restrooms consistent with their gender identity, inching the state closer to enacting the law despite objections the from transgender advocates, the business community and law enforcement.
By a 21-10 vote, the chamber approved Senate Bill 3, which would bar schools from allowing transgender students to use the restroom of their choice and undercut municipal non-discrimination protections for transgender people in restrooms, locker rooms and athletic activities.
The bill now heads to the House, where its fate is uncertain. Texas House Speaker Joe Strauss has objected to legislation that seeks to undermine transgender people’s access to the restroom, but that might not be enough to stop passage of the bill.
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), the sponsor of the bill in Senate, made the case on the Senate floor would be a “solution for Texas” to ensure safety and privacy in the restrooms, according to the Texas Tribune.
Although the Texas legislature couldn’t agree on anti-transgender bill during its general session, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back into a special session this summer to ensure passage of legislation. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has made barring transgender from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity a personal legislative priority.
The Texas Senate approves the legislation despite objections from companies large and small that operate in Texas. In a letter dated July 17, 16 Dallas-area CEOs — including American Airlines, AT&T and BNSF Railway — urged Abbott to reject the bill because it “threatens our ability to attract and retain the best talent in Texas, as well as the greatest sporting and cultural attractions in the world.”
Law enforcement officials have also voiced opposition. On Tuesday, police chiefs from large cities in Texas gathered at the Capitol to reject the nation the transgender bathroom bill is necessary for privacy, according to the Texas Tribune.
On Friday, a Texas Senate committee approved the legislation by an 8-1 vote despite 10 hours of testimony in which opponents of the legislation outnumbered its supporters 13 to 1.
Transgender advocates blasted the Texas Senate for approving the measure, saying its passage would harm transgender children trying to learn in school.
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said in a statement the advancement of Senate Bill 3 is a “groundless attack on transgender children.”
“When hundreds of Texans — including educators, law enforcement officers, women’s rights activists, business leaders, and more — came to Austin last Friday to testify on SB 3, the overwhelming majority spoke out in opposition to discrimination, outnumbering the supporters of the bill 13 to 1,” Keisling said. “That should have sent a message to senators: Texans don’t want their government to write discrimination into law. They don’t want their legislators to be chasing phantom problems, especially not when the purported solution could send shockwaves through Texas’ economy and harm transgender and non-transgender Texans alike.”
Senate Bill 3 is similar to North Carolina’s anti-LGBT House Bill 2, which resulted in an estimated loss of $600 million for the state in economic boycott before lawmakers replaced the measure. LGBT rights supporters say the new law is still discriminatory.
JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president of policy and political affairs at the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement Senate Bill 3 is a “blatantly discriminatory bill, demonstrating yet again that these lawmakers care more about pursuing cheap political points than protecting the lives of transgender Texans.”
“It is appalling that after hearing more than 10 hours of testimony, overwhelmingly from Texans who oppose this legislation, the Texas Senate still voted to move SB3 forward,” Winterhof said. “Despite this broad opposition — including from businesses, sports leagues, parents, and faith leaders — the Texas Senate and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appear to be fine with establishing Texas as the next North Carolina.”
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition

On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.
According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.
The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.
The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.
In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.
The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.
New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.
“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.
The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”
“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.
Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”
His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court upholds ACA rule that makes PrEP, other preventative care free
Liberal justices joined three conservatives in majority opinion

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a portion of the Affordable Care Act requiring private health insurers to cover the cost of preventative care including PrEP, which significantly reduces the risk of transmitting HIV.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion in the case, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management. He was joined by two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, along with the three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown-Jackson.
The court’s decision rejected the plaintiffs’ challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s reliance on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force to “unilaterally” determine which types of care and services must be covered by payors without cost-sharing.
An independent all-volunteer panel of nationally recognized experts in prevention and primary care, the 16 task force members are selected by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve four-year terms.
They are responsible for evaluating the efficacy of counseling, screenings for diseases like cancer and diabetes, and preventative medicines — like Truvada for PrEP, drugs to reduce heart disease and strokes, and eye ointment for newborns to prevent infections.
Parties bringing the challenge objected especially to the mandatory coverage of PrEP, with some arguing the drugs would “encourage and facilitate homosexual behavior” against their religious beliefs.
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