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“The state education commissioner has struck down policies enacted by the Massapequa and Locust Valley school boards requiring students to use either the bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their biological sex or gender-neutral facilities.

“The commissioner, Betty A. Rosa, issued the ruling on Monday in response to an appeal from the New York Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the parents of a transgender Massapequa student. In her ruling, she ordered the districts to allow students to use the facilities that ‘most closely align’ with their gender identity.

“Board members are ‘public officers who 'take an oath of office to uphold the law and faithfully discharge their duties,' Rosa said in her ruling. ‘... Respondents’ conduct — disregarding state law to deprive students of the dignity to which they are entitled — did not satisfy these obligations.’”

“The Massapequa school board in September adopted a resolution requiring students use bathrooms and other facilities that ‘correspond with the students’ sex as defined under Title IX and federal law.’

“At a later meeting, the school board voted to have the district's superintendent, William Brennan, ‘enforce and carry out all of the requirements’ of the resolution.”

“In her ruling, Rosa wrote that when the student learned of the new policy, the child ‘immediately started crying’ and ‘quickly began feeling [thoughts of killing herself].”

“The Locust Valley school board adopted a similar policy in October. Rosa wrote in her ruling that she added the district to the appeal as a ‘related party.’

“Both districts had been barred from enforcing their new regulations while Rosa decided the appeal.

“The districts have filed suit against the state, arguing they have been put in an ‘impossible position’ due to conflicting state and federal rules concerning transgender students.”

“Authorities said they have a person of interest in the 2020 murder of a transgender woman in Pompano Beach.

“At a news conference held Tuesday morning, detectives with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Homicide Unit said they are seeking information from the public to make an arrest and ensure justice for Bree Black and her loved ones.

“Investigators said the person of interest was involved in a physical fight with the victim two or three days before she was shot and killed outside of her home during a block party on July 3, 2020.

“‘This person of interest was known to Bree,’ said BSO Homicide Unit Detective Andrew Gianino. ‘We believe that this physical altercation was the motive for the shooting.’

“Authorities said, the person of interest in currently in a Florida prison for an unrelated violent crime and is known to have been involved in other violent incidents.”

“Detectives said they are looking to speak with anyone who may be familiar with the firearm used in Bree’s murder, may have witnessed the fight that took place before the incident, or was at a party with Black on the same night she was shot.”

“Officials urge anyone with information to contact Gianino at 954-321-4376 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app. Those who wish to remain anonymous may contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the U.S. You may be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000, due to an additional reward of up to $5,000 being offered by the Florida Sheriffs Association Criminal Apprehension Program.”

“The Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, is vaulting into the midterms with a $15 million investment targeting Republicans in battleground districts after a series of setbacks in recent years.

“‘I think that this is the election that’s going to be the sea change, not only for getting to a pro-equality majority but for changing the momentum on this fight for equality,’ said Kelley Robinson, the Washington-based organization’s president, in an interview with The Associated Press. ‘This movement is ready for its next wind, its second wind.’

“Besides eight congressional districts that could help determine control of the U.S. House, the Human Rights Campaign is also supporting Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas. The money will be spent on advertising, events and canvassers.”

“Robinson said her organization has been soul-searching on how to best craft winning messages on LGBTQ+ rights.

“‘Our job is to move away from the fireballs that our opposition wants to talk about and instead find a way to get back to the things that are impacting folks every day,’ she said.

“In January, the Human Rights Campaign published a guide to blunting conservative attacks on LGBTQ+ issues, citing the successful campaigns of Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

“Although the guide encourages candidates to “lead with your values” and “address concerns directly,” it also encourages them to “go big” and quickly pivot to issues like cost-of-living concerns.

“‘I think the number one way to shut out a voter is to try to make them believe that their fears are not real. So what we coach candidates on doing is listening,’ Robinson said. ‘For folks who have questions about the issues, that’s OK. We’re in a moment where the stakes in front of us are too high to look away.’”

“Kaiser Permanente has proposed building a major new hospital in San Francisco that, if approved, would replace its current medical center and be the health care giant’s first new hospital in the city in more than 70 years. 

“If the project gains city and state approval, it would convert the existing Kaiser San Francisco Medical Center at 2425 Geary Blvd. in the Anza Vista neighborhood to medical office buildings and build a new hospital across the street, at Geary and Divisadero Street, by 2033.

“The new facility would mark a major expansion in real estate and capacity, with 300 private patient beds in roughly 623,000 square feet, a newly expanded emergency department and a new parking garage at 350 St. Joseph’s Ave. The current facility, which opened in 1954, has 239 semi-private beds in about 367,000 square feet.”

“Kaiser’s two other locations in San Francisco — in Mission Bay and the French Campus in the Inner Richmond, which house outpatient specialty and primary care — would be unaffected by the proposed new hospital. The current hospital on Geary would remain open, with full services, during construction of the new one.”

“Following in the footsteps of more than two dozen other states, Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate are again trying to push a bill that would ban transgender female athletes from playing for a team aligned with their gender. 

“Sponsored by Sen. Judy Ward (R-Blair), the legislation has the backing of the chamber’s most powerful GOP leaders and an identical version, also authored by Ward, moved out of the Senate last year on a 32-18 vote. House Republicans have also signaled their support.”

“The bill didn’t include any reference to intersex people, who make up as much as 1.7% of the population, similar to the number of people with red hair or green eyes. Intersex individuals may have both male and female sex characteristics.”

“But Democrats largely oppose legislation limiting transgender athletes, including some who attempted to block the bill in committee on Monday. Members of the 11-person Senate Education Committee, with a party split of seven Republicans and four Democrats, greenlit the legislation on a party-line vote.”

“Opponents with the Women’s Law Project note that the bill doesn’t include language about enforcement. In a letter to legislators shared with the Capital-Star, the organization shares a concern about violating student privacy, opening up the possibility of ‘invasive medical examinations’ to scrutinize students.

“‘Policing the bodies of transgender and other gender nonconforming athletes will reinforce stereotypes about what it means to be ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine,’ resulting in discrimination,’ read the letter. ‘However, it is not only transgender and gender nonconforming students who will experience harm from this bill. If enacted, SB 1293 will subject all adolescents to enhanced surveillance and scrutiny, which exacerbates stigma to all students for failing to conform to society’s stereotypes about men and women.’”

“[L]ike previous efforts, Ward’s bill is unlikely to advance through the Democrat-controlled House. GOP representatives tried to force a vote on Ward’s measure through a ‘discharge petition’ last summer but failed.

“The second attempt will move to the full Senate for further action.”

“A proposal to ban transgender female student athletes from participating in girls’ sports in Washington has failed for the second year in a row. 

“Administrators for the state’s school districts voted last week on a range of amendments to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s guidelines. The gender participation amendment failed to reach the 60% needed to pass, with 29 members of the WIAA’s representative assembly in favor and 24 against.

“Even if it had passed, the proposal would not have been implemented as the WIAA has said it violates state law.”

“The proposal, brought forward by Lynden School District, had two fewer votes in favor this year than when first proposed last year. It asked the WIAA, a private, rulemaking body for high school sports in the state, to restrict girls sports to only “students whose biological sex is female,” and replace boys sports with an open category for any student-athlete who wants to participate.”

“A well-funded group within Washington disagrees with the WIAA, too. Let’s Go Washington, a conservative group led by hedge-fund manager Brian Heywood, collected enough signatures to get two initiatives on the ballot for the November general election. One would prevent transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports and would require girls to get a form signed by a medical professional affirming their biological sex before playing sports at school.”

“The Missouri House passed a bill on Monday that would punish cities, public schools and other government entities that fail to prevent transgender people from using restrooms and other sex-specific spaces that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth.

“The bill, sometimes referred to as a ‘bathroom bill,’ is the latest action by Republican House lawmakers targeting transgender people, after it passed an indefinite ban on transgender athletes competing in school sports according to their gender identity and banned gender-affirming care for minors earlier this legislative session.

“If passed by the Senate and signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, people could sue public entities for failing to take steps to prohibit a person from using a restroom or changing room that doesn’t align with their sex assigned at birth.”

“Rep. Becky Laubinger, a Park Hills Republican, said she introduced the bill after a constituent relayed that he observed two people he believed to be transgender leaving a bathroom after his daughter entered.”

“Laubinger further justified the bill with a high-profile incident at the Kansas City International Airport, where airport employee Teriosi Ludwig allegedly recorded over 60 women using an all-gender bathroom between Jan. 16 and March 12.”

“Republican Kansas City Councilman Nathan Willett proposed removing at least half of the airport’s all-gender bathrooms last month in response to Ludwig’s alleged crimes.”

“Nine states currently ban transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in all government buildings, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a progressive think tank.

“Earlier this year, Kansas joined the growing list of states restricting bathroom access, and it is one of five states where the ban applies to some private settings.

“Another seven states restrict transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity at public schools and some government-owned buildings, and another five ban access just for public K-12 schools.”

“The new documentary ‘Claim the Lane: Becoming Roxy,’ set for its state festival debut this week, focuses on the humanity behind the headlines.”

“The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review the bid of Catholic preschools to participate in Colorado’s universal prekindergarten program even as they deny admission to the children of LGBTQ parents.

“The case is among the latest efforts to expand the boundaries of religious rights in the face of laws that require equal opportunity, birth control access and other mandates that might conflict with conservative religious beliefs.

“The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority has largely been sympathetic to arguments for expanding the Constitution’s religious speech and exercise rights. In March, the justices ruled 8-1 that a Colorado ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for gay and transgender minors probably violates free speech rights.

“The justices will now review a legal challenge brought by Catholic parishes and the Archdiocese of Denver, which say they are being excluded from the state’s universal pre-K funding in violation of their right to the free exercise of religion. The state’s program, passed in 2020, covers 15 hours per week of preschool costs for 4-year-old children in the state. To participate, public and private schools cannot discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, lack of housing, income level or disability.”

“In February, the Trump Justice Department issued a program statement titled ‘Management of Inmates with Gender Dysphoria,’ its new internal directives regarding transgender people in federal prison. The policy classifies being transgender itself as a ‘mental health disorder’ and outlines a ‘treatment plan’ to ensure those afflicted ‘progress toward recovery.’ What ‘recovery’ means, in the eyes of the administration, is made obvious by the mandates of the plan: confiscation of trans inmates’ gender-affirming clothes, makeup and other personal items; denial of hormones and any other gender-affirming medication; and program of forced psychotherapy and psychotropic drugs.

“‘It is, in every meaningful sense, a blueprint for a government-run conversion therapy program,’ Shannon Minter, legal head of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, writes in the Advocate, ‘one targeting thousands of incarcerated people who have nowhere to turn.’

“In January 2017, the outgoing Obama administration issued federal prison guidelines that aimed to ensure ‘transgender inmates can accessprograms and services that meet their needs.’ Since then, including during Trump’s first term, the Bureau of Prisons’ official policy held that trans prisoners should be given gender affirming care—including hormones, surgery and placement in facilities matching their gender identity.

“But as the Marshall Project notes, ‘across both Democratic and Republican administrations, gender-affirming housing was rare, and surgery rarer still.’ And depending on the prison, provision of even the most basic gender-affirming care was always inconsistent.

“‘People’s experience in federal prisons varies widely from place to place. In some places, medical staff are more supportive and better trained. In others, people already often have to fight hard to get the medical care they need and are thwarted at every turn,’ Minter told me. ‘It’s probably not news to anyone paying the least bit of attention that healthcare in prisons is generally abysmal. And people are denied all kinds of care that they need all the time.’”

“In June 2025, a DC federal judge issued a nation-wide injunction requiring the Bureau of Prisons to again start providing trans people with hormone therapy and prohibiting relocation of trans women to men’s prisons. And yet, all available evidence suggests the BOP is refusing to comply. Eight current and recently incarcerated trans-identifying people who spoke with Uncloseted Media this March confirmed they were denied legally mandated gender-affirming care, and the outlet uncovered court papers detailing ‘cases of noncompliance at 19 different prisons.’ It seems that with its new policy, the administration has formalized what it was already doing illegally—and gone further.”

“One talks about an ongoing dispute with BYU’s Honor Code Office over her trans identity. The other details the perils of coming out as nonbinary.”

“Those who knew her say Dannielle Spillman had a generous spirit and a gentle soul, with a musical talent that shone brightest when she had a guitar in her hands.

“Spillman, 74, died Monday after she was struck by a black Mercedes outside the Tower Car Wash in [San Francisco’s] SoMa, in an incident caught on grisly surveillance footage. Valentino Cash Amil, 30, has been charged with murder and is in custody after a judge denied his request for bail.”

“In the months before her death, Spillman had grown increasingly frightened of navigating the city, [Shanti Project caregiver Derrick] Guerra said. 

“She told the caregiver about a series of encounters in which strangers had confronted her, deliberately misgendered her, and, in one instance, tried to punch her at a bus stop. A pest-control worker at her apartment building had repeatedly called her ‘sir’ during a dispute over accessing her unit.

“According to Guerra, Spillman said she felt safer as a transgender woman in San Francisco in the 1990s than today.

“‘Violence against trans people is real,’ said Emma Martin, program director for LGBTQ+ Aging and Abilities Support Network at the Shanti Project. Martin and others have pushed back on coverage that misgendered Spillman or assumed she was homeless — a framing that implied her life and death were somehow not significant.

“Spillman had lived in her apartment for many years, Martin said, and worked hard to maintain it. ‘It doesn’t make her death more or less tragic,’ Martin added. ‘But it makes my blood boil when it’s wielded as a way to soften what happened.’

“Guerra, who reviewed surveillance footage of the incident, said what he saw was not a problem with traffic and street safety. 

“‘He waited until she was in front of his car, and then he sped up. That’s not an accident,’ Guerra said. ‘That’s a violence problem.’”

“Pittsford Village Mayor Alysa Plummer is asking for people to come forward with information about 63 ribbons, bearing the colors of the transgender pride flag, that were taken off of poles in the village, calling the act ‘mean-spirited’ and ‘deliberate.’”

“In a statement, Plummer said the ribbons were taken down April 2 around 9 p.m. Thavakumar said nearby security footage appears to show a person wearing a green hoodie taking them down.”

“The same ribbons also lined village streets last year in the aftermath of the killing of Sam Nordquist, a transgender man from Minnesota who was found dead in Yates County. It marked a showing of solidarity with the transgender community.”

“Anyone with nearby security footage is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at (585) 753-4178. The agency has not yet responded to 13WHAM's inquiry about the investigation.”

“Jan Morris was a writer who seemed to be everywhere at the right moment, from witnessing the first climb of Mt. Everest to interviewing Che Guevara. NPR's Scott Simon talks to biographer Sara Wheeler.”

“Her name translates from Spanish as ‘beloved.’

“‘We decided to call her ‘Amada’ because she came into our home to be cherished,’ said Lorena Bonilla, whose transgender daughter was recently authorized to change her identity documents under a ruling by Ecuador’s Constitutional Court.

“Her case — alongside another decided in March — has opened the door for Ecuadorian adolescents seeking to modify their name and sex in official records. Adults gained that right after years of advocacy efforts culminating in a 2024 reform.

“The court’s rulings were welcomed by supporters of LGBTQ+ rights in a region where conservative movements have gained ground in recent months. Yet they also warn of the legal and social hurdles that transgender people continue to face.

“‘In Ecuador there are still political, religious and social sectors that portray gender recognition for adolescents as a threat,’ said Cristian González Cabrera, an LGBTQ+ rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. ‘That climate can translate into institutional hostility, delays and unjustified denials.’

“Bonilla and her daughter, 17, experienced that firsthand in 2018. Their legal battle began when Amada was 9 and school authorities refused to admit her because her legal documents did not match her gender identity.”

“LGBTQ+ rights in Ecuador have largely been shaped by court rulings rather than by lawmakers or government officials. A similar dynamic has unfolded in other Andean countries such as Colombia and Peru.”

“Nina Richards loved attending Madison Square Garden to watch her beloved Knicks. She kept showing up in the leanest of seasons, her enthusiasm never wavering. But now that the Knicks are a perennial contender, she can no longer watch them play.

“Richards, who identifies as transgender, has been banned from the iconic New York City venue. When she went to the Garden, the venue’s private security force watched her like she was one of the players on the court. At the behest of MSG’s chief security officer, her every move was tracked. Garden employees were told her presence made management ‘uncomfortable,’ and that she could ‘damage MSG’s reputation.’

“Following a shocking report from Wired about the private surveillance state in the heart of Manhattan, MSG’s reputation is indeed in tatters. But it has nothing to do with Richards, and everything to do with the paranoid billionaire who owns the New York Knicks and Rangers.”

“Details of an 18-page report reviewed by Wired show that Richards was followed everywhere, including on her way to the restroom.”

“Gov. Janet Mills on Friday denounced a push to keep transgender girls out of girls’ school sports, a long-debated issue that framed her conflict last year with President Donald Trump and will go to the November ballot.”

“The outgoing governor, who is vying for the chance to face five-term Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, noted that her late husband was a high school coach, and credited sports for bringing their five daughters a ‘feeling of accomplishment’ and camaraderie.

“The remarks on the heated issue, which is sure to be one of many arising in the closely watched Senate race, come as Mills continues to tour the state with meetings and events in several cities as polls show her way behind progressive military veteran Graham Platner.

“Mills sparked headlines last year for telling Trump the state would see him in court after he threatened to pull federal funds if Maine continued allowing transgender student-athletes to compete. It led to a protracted battle over federal funding to several programs across Maine, many of which were later overturned.

“Platner in a Slate podcast last month characterized the effort to bar trans athletes as an attack on transgender rights, noting the small number of transgender kids competing in scholastic sports.”

“Collins gave her signature to the effort to get the question on the ballot. It would bar transgender girls from girls sports teams and private spaces that align with their gender identities.”

“A U.S. appeals court on Friday declined to block President Donald Trump's administration from transferring 18 transgender women in federal custody to men's prisons, but gave a federal judge who said the move was unconstitutional another ‌chance to do so.

“A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the Federal Bureau of Prisons' decision last year to transfer the women in line with an executive order by Trump was ‘the product of deliberate, individualized determinations rather than happenstance.’

“U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth had temporarily blocked the inmates' transfer last year, ruling that housing transgender women in men's prisons violated their constitutional rights by placing them at substantial risk of harm.

“But the D.C. Circuit said Lamberth had not explained how each of the 18 plaintiffs was particularly vulnerable to violence ⁠or abuse, and sent the case back to the judge for further proceedings.”

“Several legal challenges by transgender inmates were consolidated before Lamberth, who in February 2025 blocked the transfer of three inmates to men's prisons. He later applied his ruling to the other 15 plaintiffs in Friday's case.”

“Philz Coffee has reversed course on a highly controversial plan to remove Pride flags from its cafés.

“‘Every Pride flag that is up stays up, and any Pride flag that was previously removed can be put back up,’ the company said in a statement on Friday.

“In the statement, Philz CEO Mahesh Sadarangani apologized for the decision to remove Pride flags, which created a storm of criticism and attracted national news coverage.

“‘I made a mistake, and I am sincerely sorry,’ he said. ‘To our Team Members, to our customers, and to the LGBTQIA+ community that has been with us since the very beginning, the confusion and hurt we caused around our new policy for Pride flags failed you.’

“‘The Pride flag is a symbol of safety and belonging for people who don’t always find that in the world, and that is not something I want to take away from anyone who walks into a Philz,’ he said.”

“The announcement was a reversal of the plan, first confirmed by the company on April 8, then reiterated by Sadarangani in a confidential memo to Philz employees on April 10, when he said that the policy would stay in place. Many Philz Coffee locations have rainbow flags and other Pride decorations, including a location in the Castro where they have yet to be removed. Staff at a Noe Valley Philz told the Chronicle last week that a Pride flag and plaque had been removed recently.

“The backlash was swift after a group identifying itself as Philz baristas posted a Change.org petition on April 5 against the move by the San Francisco-born coffee chain, which was bought by a private equity company Freeman Spogli last year and has expanded to 82 locations in California and in Chicago. State Senator Scott Weiner was among many who spoke out against the decision, and Bay Area Pride organizations staged a protest at the Philz location in the Castro on April 10.

“In his statement on Friday, Sadarangani indicated that the call to rescind the policy happened after he met with Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride, and Jupiter Peraza, a member of San Francisco’s Trans Advisory Committee. ‘Both are trans women who led this conversation with grace, directness and a genuine commitment to finding alignment on what matters,’ Sadarangani said.

“In a statement, Ford said she appreciated having the chance to meet with Sadarangani and that he apologized to members of the community.

“‘When Philz Coffee removed Pride flags from some of their locations, our community felt it. That kind of action sends a message, especially right now, when LGBTQIA+ people are navigating a climate that feels more threatening by the day,’ she said.”