Date

Year: 2026

Our Voices blog

Blog

What the Supreme Court Did Not Decide in West Virginia v. B.P.J.

Today’s narrow ruling leaves the door open for inclusive policies On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court held in West Virginia v. B.P.J. (decided together with Little v. Hecox) that neither Title IX nor the Equal Protection Clause prevents states from barring transgender girls from girls’ sports. But the majority opinion, written by Justice Kavanaugh, is a narrow one, and its limits are significant. Here are the most important. It permits these bans—it doesn’t require them The Court held that...

More

Blog

NCLR Has Two 2026 Grand Marshals!

This year, President Imani Rupert-Gordon will be honored at San Francisco Pride as one of six community grand marshals. Director of Racial and Economic Justice Initiatives TyrONE Hanley will be representing NCLR as a community grand marshal at San Diego Pride. From Imani: How does it feel to be chosen as a grand marshal?   Serving as a grand marshal for SF Pride is the honor of a lifetime. I am grateful for the work I have the opportunity to do in San Francisco every day as President...

More

Blog

The Supreme Court Just Gutted 60 Year-Old Voting Rights Act Protections Against Discriminatory Gerrymandering

Lawmakers most likely to push anti-LGBTQ+ legislation — bans on healthcare, restrictions on transgender students, “Don’t Say Gay” laws, attacks on marriage equality — are often the same lawmakers elected from heavily gerrymandered districts that dilute Black and Hispanic votes Today, in a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt the most serious blow to the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in its 60-year history. In Louisiana v. Callais, the Court ruled that Louisiana’s...

More

Blog

Shannon Minter Named to TIME100

There are advocates who chase the spotlight, and those who simply do the work. Shannon Minter, one of the most consequential civil rights attorneys of our generation, is unambiguously the latter. This past year I watched Shannon, the legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, argue in Talbott v. USA, representing transgender service members in their battle to continue to serve our country, while working in deep collaboration with partners including GLAD Law’s Jennifer...

More

Blog

The Federal Bureau of Prisons Is Running a Conversion Therapy Program. We Must Not Let It Stand. 

On February 19, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Prisons issued a new policy on the “Management of Inmates with Gender Dysphoria.” The title sounds clinical. The reality is brutal: the federal government has now officially placed itself in the business of punishing transgender people for being who they are — by withdrawing their medical care, confiscating their personal belongings, and subjecting them to forced psychological treatment. It is, in every meaningful sense, a blueprint for a...

More

Blog

The Supreme Court Is Deciding the Future of Conversion Therapy Protections. Here’s What You Need to Know. 

More than 30 years ago, the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) began its fight to end conversion therapy — a dangerous practice that claims to be able to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, causing devastating harm to LGBTQ+ youth and their families. In the decades since, that work has grown into NCLR’s Born Perfect, a national effort that has helped pass protections in 27 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,...

More

Blog

Why We’re Fighting a Dangerous Federal Rule That Would Cut Off Health Care for Transgender Youth

By Shannon Minter, Legal Director at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) and Jennifer Levi, Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLAD Law On February 17, 2026, NCLR joined GLAD Law and COLAGE in filing formal comments opposing a proposed federal rule that would devastate health care access for transgender young people across the country. Here’s what you need to know – and why this matters. What is this proposed rule? In December 2025, the Centers for Medicare...

More

Blog

Black History Holds the Answers to Today’s Questions 

When I reflect on Black History Month, I think of the brilliant Black science fiction writer Octavia Butler. Her work masterfully tied together social justice and speculative futures. People often say she predicted the future. But what Butler really understood was power. She understood patterns. She understood what happens when fear, hierarchy, and oppression go unchecked.  In 2000, in an interview with Essence, Butler was asked what the answer was to...

More