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 and (NCLR) 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...

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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...

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Resistance. Resilience. Regrowth. 

Nothing about living in a decaying capitalistic society is easy. We each experience the agony of this age in different ways. A select few will live extravagantly, their fortunes financed by the labor of the working class. Most will experience some degree of hardship. Those of us with intersecting marginalized identities will feel this pain most acutely. As queer and trans folks are targeted, as immigrants are targeted, as Black and brown people are targeted, it becomes more and more difficult...

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SCOTUS, debriefed.

The Supreme Court’s session ended in June with several major decisions that will impact NCLR’s work. Read on for a breakdown of the rulings related to LGBTQ rights.  United States v. Skrmetti  On June 18, the Supreme Court released its decision in United States v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s law banning transgender youth healthcare. The result is devastating for youth in Tennessee, who will be deprived of essential, evidence-based care that has been shown to...

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The Time is Now for an LGBTQ+ Inclusive Economic Justice Movement for All 

Since the 2024 presidential election, a debate pitting trans-inclusion against bread-and-butter issues has been ongoing. This debate has generally ignored the reality that trans issues are working-class issues as reflected in the recent rollback of federal support for food assistance and health care. On July 4th, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “Act”). The Act eliminates health care and food assistance for millions of people — all to fund tax cuts for rich...

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In This Together: Ten Years of Marriage Equality

It is hard to believe that ten years have gone by since the Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges, securing nationwide marriage equality for our community. NCLR represented same-sex couples from Tennessee in that case, along with a stellar legal team. Tennessee was just the final chapter in the fight for marriage. Believe it or not, Tennessee was one of TEN NCLR marriage cases, including cases in California, New Mexico, Alabama, Florida, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South...

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The Freedom to Marry at 10: How Lessons We Learned Then Can Help Us Now

This Pride Month marks ten years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges brought the freedom to marry to same-sex couples nationwide. The front pages that summer were filled with jubilant scenes of couples taking their vows and banners waving in celebration on courthouse steps. On June 26, 2015—decision day—the White House’s columns were lit up with the colors of the rainbow. The gleaming display symbolized how a dedicated group of activists, policymakers, and...

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New Name. New Look. Always NCLR

We want to share some exciting news with you. After more than a decade of discussion, NCLR is changing our name! Starting today, we will be known as National Center for LGBTQ Rights.  Since 1977, NCLR’s mission has been to advance the civil rights of all LGBTQ people. And we have done just that. We were created to fill a gap in support, defending lesbian moms fearful of losing custody of their children after coming out, but our commitment to protect those least represented led us to fight...

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Reflections on George Floyd’s Murder 5 Years Later

It has been 5 years since the murder of George Floyd – a Black man, father, brother, friend, and neighbor – who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.  His image along with his last words of “I can’t breathe” went on to galvanize months of protest around the country, a revitalization of the Black Lives Matter movement, and years of working to create change and conversation around race and police reform in workplaces, schools, and other community...

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Happy International Workers’ Day!  

Thursday, May 1 is the annual celebration of International Workers’ Day – also known as May Day – which honors the struggle of workers all around the world.    During one of the most challenging periods in recent memory, the LGBTQ movement has reached an inflection point. As a result of a hostile administration, and lawmakers determined to use our community as a wedge issue, attitudes and policy towards queer and trans folks are regressing. At the same time, critical programs, including...

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