"That’s the thing about being trans online. We’re expected to be educators, inspirations, cautionary tales, and proof of concept all at once. And in trying to protect ourselves or each other, we sometimes put on a little more armor than we need."

"The single most reliable way to destroy a coalition is to convince it that it isn’t one."

Judge Ana Reyes wants to know "the Department’s basis for treating trans men and other service members differently."

To clarify previous coverage. Yes, the House rejected the amendment to codify a ban on trans people serving in the military.

But:

”Congress on Tuesday also passed two anti-transgender amendments proposed by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. The first, passed 219-208, prohibits gender-related medical care under TRICARE, the healthcare program for service members and their families, and prevents the program from covering gender-related medical procedures and treatments. The second, which effectively bans transgender girls from participating in female sports at Department of Defense Education Activity schools, passed 221-203.“

Still some hope, I believe, the Senate will reject both.

“An influential liberal think tank is urging Democrats to stand firm on supporting transgender people serving in the military and gender-transition care for youths but also to accept some restrictions on transgender athletes.

“The Center for American Progress (CAP), which has long informed the Democratic Party’s policy positions, released a paper Wednesday to guide the party on how to respond to GOP pressure on LGBTQ+ issues.”

“The think tank says decisions involving transgender athletes should be left to schools and sports groups, an approach many Democrats already take. But the CAP paper explicitly says restrictions on transgender participation ‘may be appropriate’ and that ‘all athletes deserve fair competition and a level playing field.’

“‘We hope that this lowers the temperature and lets us come out of this really scary moment for folks,’ said Caleb Smith, CAP’s director of LGBTQI+ policy, who is transgender and a co-author of the paper.”

“Charlotte Clymer, a transgender activist and writer, said Democrats who default to sports group rules are operating ‘under the false assumption’ that those groups would make reasonable science-based decisions. ‘It’s a cop-out,’ Clymer said.”

“The Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) has allowed four transgender people in Bulgaria to legally change their gender markers and names in civil status documents, marking the first such decisions since 2020.

“The rulings by different panels of the SCC’s Civil Chamber followed a March 2026 decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which found that EU law prevents member states from blocking changes to gender-related personal data in official records when this conflicts with European legal principles.

“The issue has been legally disputed in Bulgaria for years. In 2021, the Constitutional Court ruled that the term ‘gender’ in the Constitution should be understood only in its biological sense. It said that changing civil status records based on gender self-identification was possible only for intersex people, those born with unclear or mixed biological sex characteristics.

“In 2023, the Civil Chamber of the SCC also ruled that existing Bulgarian law did not allow courts to approve changes to gender, name and personal identification number in civil status records for transgender applicants. The majority argued that without a specific legislative framework, such changes could not be authorized by courts.

“The situation changed after a case was referred to the CJEU. The Luxembourg-based court ruled that EU law does not allow national legislation to prevent a person who has exercised the right to free movement within the EU from changing data related to gender identity, including gender, names and civil registration details. The CJEU also stated that national courts cannot be bound by interpretations of domestic law that create obstacles contrary to EU law.”

“A new lawsuit accuses Penn State Health of violating a Pennsylvanian’s civil rights when a hospital ‘abruptly’ canceled a gender-affirming procedure less than 24 hours before it was scheduled. 

“Doctors for EJ Stiles, who is nonbinary and has a gender dysphoria diagnosis, recommended a mastectomy ‘to align their outward presentation with their gender identity,’ according to the filing. 

“The lawsuit states that administrators at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Berks County, claimed such a procedure would violate Catholic doctrine. 

“‘I did everything right. I followed my doctors’ advice and trusted Penn State Health after they made me feel there was a place for patients like me. But being denied care so suddenly, simply because of who I am, was a devastating eye-opener,’ Stiles said in a press release. 

“‘If an institution’s biases can so easily lock transgender and nonbinary patients out of care, then our health care system is operating with holes that need to be addressed. We all deserve equal access to health care, and to be served by institutions that honor their responsibility to treat us with dignity,’ they continued.”

“Though St. Joseph Medical Center identifies as a Catholic hospital, it is part of Penn State Health, a network of public hospitals. Plaintiffs argue that it violated the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and Equal Amendment Act as well as ‘religious freedom provisions in the Pennsylvania Constitution by exercising state authority to enforce religious doctrine.’”