National
From LGBTQ book bans to internet bans: A bipartisan attack on knowledge
Online safe spaces for queer youth increasingly at risk

āThey had LGBTQ-inclusive books in every single classroom and school library,ā Maxx Fenning says of his high school experience. āThey were even working on LGBTQ-specific course codes to get approved by the state,ā he said, describing courses on queer studies and LGBTQ Black history.
No, Fenning didnāt grow up in Portland or a Boston suburb. Fenning graduated from a South Florida high school in 2020. Floridaās transformation from mostly affirming to āDonāt Say Gayā has been swift, he says. āIt feels like a parallel universe.ā
Fenning, who just graduated from the University of Florida, follows the developments closely as the executive director of PRISM FL Inc., a youth-led LGBTQ nonprofit he founded at 17. āI’ve watched so many of the things that I kind of took advantage of be stripped away from all of the students that came after me,ā Fenning says. āItās one thing to be in an environment that’s not supportive of you. It’s another thing to be in an environment that’s supportive of you and then watch it fall apart.ā
āItās just gut-wrenching,ā Fenning explained, describing how Floridaās increasingly hostile legislation has transformed the state he has lived in most of his life.
Most recently, Florida passed HB3, āOnline Protections for Minors,ā which bans youth under 14 from having social media accounts. Youths aged 14 and 15 need parental consent before getting accounts and any minor must be protected from āharmful contentā online.
Unlike the previous legislation, which came predominately from the right and directly targeted issues like gender-affirming healthcare or DEI, HB3 is part of a bipartisan push across the country to regulate social media, specifically for youth. HB3 was co-sponsored by Michele K. Rayner, the openly queer Black member of the Florida Legislature, alongside many of her colleagues across the aisle. Similar national legislation, like Kids Online Safety Act, includes 68 Democratic and Republican sponsors.
Shae Gardner, policy director at LGBT Tech, explains that this legislation disproportionately harms LGBTQ youth, regardless of intentions or sponsors.Ā
Gardner says that while all these bills claim they are for the safety of kids, for LGBTQ youth, āyou are putting them at risk if you keep them offline.ā She explains that āa majority of LGBTQ youth do not have access to affirming spaces in their homes and their communities. They go online to look like that. A majority say online spaces are affirming.ā
Research by the Trevor Project, which reports that more than 80% of LGBTQ youth āfeel safe and understood in specific online spacesā backs this up. Specific online spaces that are under target from legislation, like TikTok, are disproportionately spaces where LGBTQ youth of color feel safest.
āFor LGBTQ people, social media has provided spaces, which are, at once both public and private, that encourage, and enhance ā¦ a great deal of self-expression that is so important for these communities,ā confirms Dr. Paromita Pain, professor, Global Media Studies & Cybersecurity at University of Nevada, Reno. She is the editor of the books āGlobal LGBTQ Activismā and āLGBTQ digital cultures.ā
Fenning emphasizes that with bills like āDonāt Say Gay,ā in Florida ā and other states including North Carolina, Arkansas, Iowa, and Indiana ā LGBTQ youth have less access to vital information about their health and history. āSocial media [are] where young people increasingly turn to get information about their community, their history, their bodies and themselves.ā
At PRISM, Fenning works to get accurate, fact-backed information to Florida youth through these pathways, ranging from information on health and wellbeing to LGBTQ history to current events. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Often youth tell him āI wish I learned this in school,ā which is a bittersweet feeling for Fenning since it represents how much young LGBTQ youth are missing out on in their education.
Morgan Mayfaire, executive director of TransSOCIAL, a Florida advocacy group, said that these internet bans are an extension of book bans, because when he was a teen, books were his pathway into the LGBTQ community. āFor me it was the library and the bookstores that we knew were LGBTQ friendly.ā Now 65, Mayfaire understands that ākids today have grown up with the internet. That’s where they get all their information. You start closing this off, and you’re basically boxing them in and closing every single avenue that they have. What do you think is going to happen? Of course, it’s going to have an impact emotionally and mentally.ā
Fenning says that social media and the internet were powerful to him as a teen. āI was able to really come into my own and learn about myself also through social media. It was really powerful for me, building a sense of self.ā Gardner agrees, sharing that legislation like this, which would have limited ā15-year-old me, searching āif it was OK to be gayā online, would have stagnated my journey into finding out who I was.ā
Gardner also explains that many of the bills, like HB3, limit content that is āharmfulā or āobsceneā but do not specifically define what that content is. Those definitions can be used to limit LGBTQ content.
āExisting content moderation tools already over-censor LGBTQ+ content and users,ā says Gardner, āthey have a hard time distinguishing between sexual content and LGBTQ+ content.ā Pain emphasizes that this is no accident, āthere are algorithms that have been created to specifically keep these communities out.ā
With the threat of fines and litigation from HB3, says Gardner, āmoderation tools and the platforms that use them is only going to worsen,ā especially since the same legislators may use the same terms to define other queer content like family-friendly drag performances.
In addition to being biased, it has devastating effects on LGBTQ youth understanding of their sense of identity, Fenning explains. āThat perception of queer people as being overly sexual or their relationships and love being inherently sexual in a way that other relationships aren’t does harm to our community.ā
Gardner acknowledges that online safety has a long way to go ā pointing to online harassment, cybercrime, and data privacyābut that these bills are not the correct pathways. She emphasizes āeverybody’s data could be better protected, and that should be happening on a federal level. First and foremost, that should be the floor of protection.ā
She also emphasizes that content moderation has a long way to go from targeting the LGBTQ community to protecting it. āTrans users are the most harassed of any demographic across the board. That is the conversation I wish we were having, instead of just banning kids from being online in the first place.ā
Being queer on the ground in Florida is scary. āThe community is very fearful. This [legislation] has a big impact on us,ā explains Mayfaire.
āI mean, it sucks. Right?ā Fenning chuckles unhappily, āto be a queer person in Florida. In a state that feels like it is just continuously doing everything it can to destroy your life and all facets and then all realms.ā
Despite the legislative steamrolling, several court wins and coordinated action by LGBTQ activists help residents see a brighter future. āThere’s a weird tinge of hope that that has really been carrying so many queer people and I know myself especially this year as we’re seeing the rescinding of so many of these harmful policies and laws.ā

For example, this March, Florida settled a challenge to its āDonāt Say Gayā legislation that significantly lessens its impact. Already, experts warn that HB3 will face legal challenges.
Pain emphasizes that social media is central to LGBTQ activism, especially in Florida. āThere have been examples of various movements, where social media has been used extremely effectively, to put across voices to highlight issues that they would not have otherwise had a chance to talk about,ā she says, specifically citing counteraction to āDonāt Say Gay.ā That is another reason why legislation like this disproportionately harms LGBTQ people and other minority groups, it limits their ability to organize.
Fenning emphasizes that HB3 directly attacks spaces like PRISM, which do not just share information for the LGBTQ community, but provide spaces for them. āFoundationally it provides an opportunity for the community,ā he says, but more than anything, it provides a space, where āyou can you can learn from your queer ancestors, so to speak, and take charge.ā And that is invaluable.Ā
(This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.)
National
Federal judge blocks Trump’s order restricting gender-affirming care for youth
Seven families with transgender, nonbinary children challenged directive

A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order that blocks President Donald Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order restricting access to gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19.
The order by Judge Brendan Hurson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, came in response to a request from the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, filed on Feb. 4, against Trump’s directive.
The plaintiffs are seven families with trans or nonbinary children. They are represented by PFLAG National, GMLA, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Maryland, and the law firms Hogan Lovells and Jenner & Block.
Hurson’s temporary restraining order will halt enforcement of Trump’s order for 14 days, but it can be extended. This means health care providers and medical institutions can provide gender-affirming care to minor patients without the risk of losing federal funding.
Families in the lawsuit say their appointments were cancelled shortly after the executive order was issued. Hospitals in Colorado, Virginia, and D.C. stopped providing prescriptions for puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and other interventions for trans patients as they evaluated Trump’s directive.
The harms associated with suddenly withholding access to medical care for these patients were a major focus of Thursday’s hearing on the plaintiffs’ request for the temporary restraining order.
The president’s āorder seems to deny that this population even exists, or deserves to exist,ā Hurson said, noting the elevated risk of suicide, poverty, addiction, and other hardships among trans people.
National
Trumpās trans erasure arrives at National Park Service
Fate of major 2016 LGBTQ Theme Study unclear

President Trumpās efforts at erasing trans identity intensified this week as employees at the National Park Service were instructed to remove the āTā and āQā from āLGBTQā from all internal and external communications.
The change was first noticed on the website of the Stonewall National Monument; trans people of color were integral to the events at Stonewall, which is widely viewed as the kickoff of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The Stonewall National Monument is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history.
Reaction to that move was swift. New York City Council member Erik Bottcher wrote, āThe Trump administration has erased transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website. We will not allow them to erase the very existence of our siblings. We are one community!!ā
But what most didnāt realize is that the removal of the āTā and āQā (for transgender and queer) extends to all National Park Service and Interior Department communications, raising concerns that the move could jeopardize future LGBTQ monuments and project work.
The Blade reached out to the National Park Service for comment on the trans erasure and received a curt response that the agency is implementing Trumpās executive order āDefending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Governmentā as well as agency directives to end all DEI initiatives.
The question being debated internally now, according to a knowledgable source, is what to do with a massive LGBTQ Theme Study, which as of Feb. 14 was still available on the NPS website. In 2014, the Gill Foundation recognized an omission of historic LGBTQ sites in the nationās records, and the organization made a grant to the National Park Service to commission a first-of-its-kind LGBTQ Theme Study, which was published in 2016. It was a landmark project that represented major progress for the LGBTQ community in having our contributions included in the broader American story, something that is becoming increasingly difficult given efforts like āDonāt Say Gayā laws that ban the teaching of LGBTQ topics in schools.
A source told the Blade that National Park Service communications staff suggested that removing chapters of the 2016 Theme Study that pertain to transgender people might placate anti-trans political appointees. But one employee pushed back on that, suggesting instead that the entire Theme Study be removed. Editing the document to remove one communityās contributions and perspective violates the academic intent of the project, according to the source. A final decision on how to proceed is expected soon.
Meanwhile, a protest is planned for Friday, Feb. 14 at noon at Christopher Park in New York City (7th Ave. S. and Christopher Street). The protest is being planned by staff at the Stonewall Inn.
āThe Stonewall Inn and The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative are outraged and appalled by the recent removal of the word ātransgenderā from the Stonewall National Monument page on the National Park Service website,ā the groups said in a statement. āLet us be clear: Stonewall is transgender history. Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans and gender-nonconforming individuals fought bravely, and often at great personal risk, to push back against oppressive systems. Their courage, sacrifice, and leadership were central to the resistance we now celebrate as the foundation of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.ā
National
Victory Institute executive director speaks about movement response to Trump 2.0
Advocacy groups will lead efforts to push back against anti-LGBTQ administration

President Donald Trumpās issuance of a series of executive orders targeting transgender rights and LGBTQ-inclusive diversity programs on the first day of his second term was a clear signal of the new administrationās appetite for going after queer and gender diverse people.Ā
The Jan. 20 directives also brought into focus the extent to which organizations in the LGBTQ movement, particularly those whose work includes impact litigation, will be responsible for protecting the communities they serve from harmful and discriminatory laws and policies over the next four years.
At a critical time that is likely to test the limits of their capacity, these groups are facing challenges that could restrict their access to critical resources thanks in part to the conservative movementās opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion in both government and the private sector.
LGBTQ organizations expected federal funding for their work would dry up when the incoming administration took over, given that Trump and his allies made no secret of their plans to aggressively reshape the government including by ridding U.S. agencies of all DEI-related programs, policies, and activities.Ā
Trump went even further, however, issuing orders to categorically freeze the disbursement of government funds tied to preexisting grants and contracts, while threatening investigations of private companies for āillegalā policies and practices related to DEI.
Partly in response to pressure from conservative leaders and activists, over the past couple of years companies have increasingly backed away from DEI efforts including, especially, support for LGBTQ communities and causes.
Coupled with the loss of federal funding, a decline in corporate giving to LGBTQ organizations could have devastating impacts on the communities they serve, potentially leading to cutbacks in programs and services core to their missions or imperiling their efforts to push back against a hostile regime.
āContinuing to fund our work is obviously top of mind for everyone right now,ā Elliot Imse, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, told the Washington Blade during an interview last week.Ā Ā
The move by many private companies away from supporting LGBTQ equality has been surprising, Imse said, but āwhat we know is itās a very uncertain environment for corporations right now, and they are feeling out these new realities.ā
On the other hand, the moment also presents an opportunity to remind businesses that commitments to DEI are good for their bottom line while rewarding companies that resist pressure to abandon their LGBTQ customers, employees, and communities, Imse said.
āThere’s a lot of courageous corporations out there, too, right now, a lot that are continuing to step up. And we need to be grateful; we need to be making purchasing decisions as a community with those corporations in mind. Every corporation that has reaffirmed its commitment to us, we need to go out and support them.ā
āWhile Victory Institute ā like all LGBTQ+ organizations ā is concerned about the current fundraising environment, we have a programmatic plan in place that directly addresses the realities of what is happening across the country right now,ā he said, with programs to support LGBTQ elected officials serving everywhere from small municipal offices to the most powerful positions in government.Ā
A diverse pipeline of out leaders from diverse backgrounds is the best bulwark āagainst attacks on our equality and democratic backsliding,ā Imse said. āWe have a very robust programmatic plan for 2025 ā and we need to execute on it at this critical moment.ā
While the Victory Institute is currently looking for funding to support the organizationās international work to compensate for the loss of federal grants, Imse said the group plans to expand U.S.-based programs, maximizing their reach at a time when this work is especially critical.Ā Ā
āWeāre going to be in more cities than ever before. Weāre going to have a larger training presence than ever before, including our LGBTQ+ Public Leadership Summits, which are specifically designed to inspire and recruit LGBTQ+ people to run for office. It is essential folks reject the demoralization of the current moment and that we have more boots on the ground to support those willing to step up and run.ā
He added, āwe are hopeful that we will be able to raise the money we need to carry these programs out, and we believe we can make the case to donors that these programs are an essential path forward.ā
At the same time, Imse acknowledged that LGBTQ groups, including the Victory Institute, are in a difficult position at the moment and āweāll absolutely have to adjust if we see a downturn in fundraising throughout the year.ā
āit’s going to be an uphill battle, there’s no doubt about that. Like all other organizations, we’re going to watch the numbers and adjust as necessary,ā he said, adding, āthe people we have at our organization are what makes our organization strong ā their expertise, their relationships, the networks that they’ve built.ā
And while he said āmaking sure that we meet the moment is something that keeps me up at night,ā Imse stressed that “figuring out how to balance the reality we are in versus optimism is something that is on everyone’s mind as you talk to LGBTQ+ community members, your staff, your fundersā who recognize that āyou must have hope, because if people back away from our equality at this moment, it’ll be much worse than even the situation weāre in right now.ā
There is no shortage of good reasons to hold onto hope, Imse said. āOur movement has always thrived in moments of crisis. While weād prefer no crisis, it refocuses us. It motivates us. And oftentimes leads to breakthroughs that we may not have had otherwise. It destroys complacency. It instills urgency.ā
After Trump took office and the new Congress was sated with GOP majorities in both chambers, LGBTQ groups whose work includes lobbying or government relations understood their ability to influence policy at the federal level would be limited, at least until Democratic allies have the opportunity to retake control of the House in 2026.Ā
The Victory Institute was especially well positioned to shift away from Washington, Imse said, because state legislatures, city councils, and school boards have always been the organizationās ābread and butterā and the elections for these positions ātruly matterā even if they are less āhigh profileā than U.S. congressional races.Ā
āWhen we’re talking about opportunities to make progress in the near future, opportunities to launch a successful offense and defense, it is in these legislative bodies,ā he said. āAnd they arguably make more impact on individualsā lives than the federal government does.ā
Imse added this is especially true with regard to opportunities for legislative action to support LGBTQ Americans and defend their rights, which is unlikely to happen on Capitol Hill for a ālong time.ā
It is especially important now that LGBTQ communities and organizations support each other, he said.
LGBTQ movement groups, particularly those with international focus, āhave been phenomenal in bringing us together and trying to find out whatās been done, keeping us up to date on potential litigation opportunities, as well as looking for funders that are willing to step up at this absolutely critical moment in our movementās history,ā Imse said.
āWe also need our community to step up in terms of supporting these organizations,ā he said, āfinancially through resources and capacity and giving their time, because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to move forward effectively.ā
It is āimportant that our community members remain active, engaged, and involved, and that our LGBTQ+ media continues to ensure our stories are being told,ā Imse said, adding, āEspecially right now, this is an entire movement ecosystem that is working to make sure whatever backsliding is about to occur is not permanent.ā
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