LGBTQ+ Rights Protections Temporarily Blocked By Federal Judge
News outlets report on the decision by U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr. in a case made by 20 state attorneys general. The AGs argued federal protections for LGBTQ+ rights infringed on their rights to enact laws, including those that target LGBTQ+ rights, and Atchley agreed.
The New York Times:
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Enforcement Of L.G.B.T.Q. Protection
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from enforcing directives that extended civil rights protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and workers. (Sasani, 7/17)
AP:
US Agencies Temporarily Barred From Enforcing LGBTQ Guidance
U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr. in an order on Friday ruled for the 20 state attorneys general who sued last August claiming the Biden administration directives infringe on states’ right to enact laws that, for example, prevent students from participating in sports based on their gender identity or requiring schools and businesses to provide bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgender people. (Gillispie, 7/16)
Politico:
Federal Judge Blocks Education Department’s Title IX Guidance That Protects Transgender Students
The states also argued that forcing schools to use transgender students’ pronouns is illegal under the First Amendment and that the Education Department violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Tenth Amendment, which delegates certain powers to the states. The Education Department, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Justice Department, along with their leaders, are listed as defendants. They had urged the court to dismiss the lawsuit, which Atchley denied. (Quilantan, 7/16)
On how people with intersex conditions are hit by anti-trans laws —
The Washington Post:
Intersex Youth Are Also Hurt By Anti-Trans Laws, Advocates Say
“There are a lot of overlapping issues between the trans and intersex community,” said Bria Brown-King, engagement director at InterACT, an organization that advocates for intersex children. “What both communities are really fighting for is the right to bodily autonomy.” According to interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, people born with intersex characteristics make up at least 1.7 percent of the population — a figure comparable to the amount of people who are born with red hair. And that number doesn’t include people whose intersex traits show up later in life. (Branigin, 7/16)
On other matters impacting the LGBTQ+ community —
AP:
Academics Attack Florida Plan To Limit Transgender Treatment
A plan by Florida health officials that likely would restrict Medicaid insurance coverage for gender dysphoria treatments for transgender people lacks sound medical justification and may be politically motivated, according to a group of academics from Yale University and other schools. (7/15)
The Hill:
Cruz Says Marriage Equality, Like Abortion, Should Be Left To States
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Saturday said Obergefell V. Hodges, the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court precedent that legalized same-sex marriage, should be overturned with states left to decide their own marriage laws. On his podcast “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” the Texas lawmaker compared Obergefell to Roe V. Wade, which the Supreme Court overturned last month, ending 50 years of the constitutional right to abortion. (Dress, 7/17)
