Federal Judge Squelches Trans Student Protections In Another 6 States
U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, a George W. Bush nominee, temporarily halted enforcement of changes to Title IX designed to protect trans students from discrimination in schools that get government funding. Reeves said the changes were "arbitrary and capricious rulemaking."
The Hill:
Judge Blocks Biden's Transgender Student Protections In 6 More States
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule expanding federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ students. The decision by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves halts enforcement of changes to Title IX — the federal civil rights law preventing sex discrimination in schools and education programs that receive government funding — that were finalized in April by the Education Department in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. (Migdon, 6/17)
WGBH:
First Transgender Woman In Mass. Receives Vaginoplasty Outside Boston, As Statewide Care Expands
Chrissi Bates became the first patient to receive a gender-affirming vaginoplasty, or bottom surgery, at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester, the first known procedure at a Massachusetts hospital outside of Boston. Transgender healthcare is still limited, particularly outside of major city centers. More than a quarter of transgender patients in rural areas, including parts of Massachusetts, reported that they had no access to gender-affirming primary care. (Bedford, 6/17)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston Doctors Launch 'Cutting-Edge' Syphilis Testing Program
Houston doctors have implemented a new testing program that, if widely adopted, could help address the nationwide epidemic of babies born with syphilis. “We’re on the cutting edge,” said Dr. Irene Stafford, a maternal-fetal specialist and associate professor at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School. Stafford was referring to Memorial Hermann and UTHealth Houston’s Preg-Out program, which provides rapid testing for all pregnant patients admitted to the emergency department at the hospital’s medical center campus. (Gill, 6/17)
San Antonio Report:
Low Wages Worsen Shortage Of Caregivers For Disabled Texans
The state of Texas manages a waiting list of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities seeking services that currently has close to 130,000 people on it. Many wait for a decade or longer to get into a group home or day program. That’s in part because the agencies that provide those services are facing a critical shortage of caregivers to work with them. (Hamilton, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. Officials Push For Homeless Housing With A Novel Rule: No Drugs
San Francisco Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Rafael Mandelman on Monday announced a new plan to prioritize drug-free housing options for formerly homeless people “whenever funding allows for it.” The goal is to have a drug-free housing account for at least one in four supportive housing sites for formerly homeless San Franciscans, though it would take years to reach that target. (Angst, 6/17)
