It’s the end of another week, and there’s just seven weeks left until election day 2024. It can be hard to keep up with all of the LGBTQ+ politics, and with the trans community serving as a major Republican talking point up and down the ticket, that’s even more the case.

But we’re here to help. Here are the highlights of the LGBTQ+ news stories that you might have missed during the week of September 9, 2024. Don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom: we’ve got some good queer news for you here, too!

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We’re closer to having our first out trans member of Congress

Even if you don’t live in Delaware, you might know Sarah McBride from the headlines back in 2020 when she won her election in Delaware and became the first out trans state senator in the United States. This week, McBride took another big step as she won her primary to stand for Delaware’s only seat in the House of Representatives with a landslide 80% of the votes. With Delaware’s tendency to vote blue, it’s extremely likely that McBride will be voted in as the first out transgender member of Congress this November.

LGBTQ+ issues were barely discussed during the presidential debate

There were no LGBTQ+ or trans issues brought up in questions from ABC’s moderators during the debate. The only mention of anything came from former president Trump when he tried to claim that Harris “wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.”

It seems that random people in the United States getting free gender-affirming surgeries is a big new talking point for Trump, as he recently stated kids were coming home from school with gender-affirming surgeries, then doubled down on that bizarre claim. Trump’s debate claims seem to stem from a 2019 ACLU survey question about whether people on Medicare, including those in prison, should “have access to comprehensive treatment associated with gender transition, including all necessary surgical care,” which Harris replied to saying, “It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition.”

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that would forcibly out LGBTQ+ kids

HR 736, dubbed the “PROTECT Kids Act” (with no apparent sense of irony) was moved forward by the Committee on Education and the Workforce. If signed into law, the bill would mean that federally funded elementary and middle schools would be required to inform students guardians if they wanted to change their gender markers, pronouns, or even preferred name. In the event that HR 736 passes the House, the Democratic majority in the Senate will most likely kill it there. Even so, it is worth being aware that this is something moving in Congress, especially if the November elections end up being more favorable to the Republicans.

Idaho’s ban on public funds being used for gender-affirming care has been weakened

Idaho’s Republican governor Brad Little signed HB 668 in March of this year, and it went into effect in July. The ACLU brought a case against the bill on behalf of two plaintiffs who are incarcerated in an Idaho prison. As the bill bans the use of public funds or facilities for gender-affirming care, the two inmates were denied their necessary healthcare and forced to detransition. Citing cruel and unusual punishment, an injunction has been put in place that allows access to gender-affirming care in prisons. The bill itself is still in effect, but this could be the first step to getting the bill overturned.

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States are moving against trans sports bans

In New Hampshire, a federal court has blocked the enforcement of ban that stopped trans girls from playing on the girls’ sports team. That means that the two plaintiffs in the case will be able to play sports while the larger case moves to trial and comes to an eventual resolution.

Similarly, in Arizona, a federal court has upheld a lower-court ruling in response to the state’s ban on trans girls playing for schools’ girls’ team. The original law from 2022 had already been blocked, and now the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has supported the earlier ruling against the law.

All things Florida

In recent years, Florida has become a test ground for some of the worst anti-LGBTQ+ laws. When it comes to predicting the future for queer folk and the legislation that could affect their lives, Florida is the dirty tea leaves stuck in the bottom of the United States’ cup.

Florida is still struggling with an LGBTQ+ month: At a time when Florida’s students are facing censorship and are unable to discuss their own identities, a small gesture could go a long way. A resolution to mark October as LGBTQ+ History Month in the school district might have seemed like the right way to go — but reportedly, when the Miami-Dade School Board tried that resolution this year, the meeting descending into chaos (for the third year in a row).

Some books are returning to shelves in some Florida schools: In Nassau County, 36 books that had been removed from campus libraries are now returning. It’s a small start, but could herald a change in direction for book bans in the state if it becomes precedent. Among the books returning is the queer children’s book And Tango Makes Three.

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If Florida doesn’t want you, Connecticut will take you: Last month, Florida quietly removed its LGBTQ+ travel info from its website. In response, Connecticut is working to highlight the diversity and inclusivity in the state. The state’s Chief Marketing Officer, Anthony Anthony said, “We want to send a strong message to everyone, particularly to those in Florida — and across the country — who may feel their needs and identities are being sidelined, to know that in Connecticut you will always find acceptance.” While it’s grim that Florida is continuing to be an unsafe place for trans people to travel, it’s nice to remember that not everyone feels the same way about LGBTQ+ people.

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