The Outlook is our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community.
- PEN America has filed a “friend of the court” brief urging the Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit by six Maryland parents seeking to opt their children out of lessons featuring LGBTQ+ themes. The organization argues the case threatens free speech, inclusive education and students’ access to diverse stories.
- WorldPride organizers are considering advising international transgender attendees to reconsider attending the Washington D.C., event.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom earned the lowest Equality California legislative score of any Democratic governor in the state since the organization’s scoring began. Newsom’s score has dropped 23 points since 2022.
- Texas state Rep. Venton Jones’ sponsored HIV prevention bill HB 50 passes initial committee by unanimous vote. The bill now heads to Calendars Committee and then on to the House.
- Ohio’s state budget, now headed to the Senate, includes language that would legally define sex as unchangeable and binary—effectively erasing trans identity. It would also ban menstrual products from men’s restrooms in public buildings, put restrictions on books in local libraries and ban Medicaid funds being used for gender affirming care.
