Seven years ago, in October of 2019, NCLR jointly organized the first LGBTQ Summit in North Dakota with Dakota Outright and North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. The event brought together community organizers, LGBTQ rights organizations and individuals seeking connection and cultural competency training throughout the state.

What started as a small gathering as part of NCLR’s Rural Pride Project has grown into an annual three-day event, now called The North Dakota LGBTQIA2S+ Summit. The mission of the North Dakota LGBTQIA2S+ Summit is to empower, connect, and promote equity and inclusion in North Dakota for the LGBTQIA2S+ community and its allies.

The North Dakota LGBTQIA2S+ Summit now includes a day of professional development focused on topics that are relevant to a wide range of professionals and individuals who work or interact with the LGBTQ+ community and offers North Dakota CLE credit to professionals who participate. Ming Wong, NCLR’s Director of Community Justice and Access, joined this year’s summit to present Cultural Competency for Serving Low-Income LGBTQ+ Clients, a session that covered key terms and concepts related to LGBTQ+ clients. Ming has worked with the coalition of North Dakota organizations to create and implement this summit every year, and NCLR is so proud to be a partner in this incredible gathering.

Congratulations to the North Dakota LGBTQIA2S+ Summit for another great year of learning and connection in North Dakota, and for making everyone in the state safer. Until next time!

Imagine that your child is receiving care that is helping them, and then it’s taken away arbitrarily. And imagine that same care — without insurance — costs more than your annual salary. For parents of transgender kids receiving their care through Medicaid, this is their reality.

Last week, a new rule that prohibits federal coverage for transgender youth health care under Medicaid and CHIP took effect, leaving thousands of families in limbo, unsure how they will afford the medically necessary care their children need.

This rule sets a dangerous precedent in which the federal government could arbitrarily decide to cut off medically necessary care for any group of people, based on who they are. Earlier this month, NCLR and GLAD Law filed a lawsuit on behalf of four families in New Hampshire who are fighting back against this blatant discrimination and are asking the court to stop the rule from impacting them. NCLR is seeking emergency relief for our clients because no parent should have to choose between paying the bills and keeping their child healthy. And no child should lose care that’s helping them thrive because of who they are or what their family can afford.

Health care shield laws protect doctors and patients from being punished by another state for performing or receiving medical care, such as abortion health care, that was legal in the state where it occurred. States cannot reach into another state to punish care that is legal there. These laws have become a critical stopgap for patients seeking abortion care in red states since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

For the first time, three states with abortion bans — Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas — have filed a lawsuit directly with the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to strike down the shield laws of California, Massachusetts, and New York.

Essentially, these states are asking the court to enforce their abortion bans in other states.

Some shield laws also protect transgender health care. Currently, 23 states and D.C. have shield law protections related to abortion health care, and 19 states and D.C. have shield law protections related to transgender health care. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether to take this case. NCLR is currently providing information and resources on shield laws to LGBTQ people in states across the country who are concerned about the potential impact of this lawsuit on transgender health care.

After six years of litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit finally confirmed that transgender people born in Arizona can get an accurate birth certificate without having surgery first. This is a huge win for transgender Arizonans, especially transgender youth in the state.

Please join Senior Staff Attorney, Rachel Berg, and Director of Community Justice and Access, Ming Wong, for a virtual update on our Arizona birth certificate case and what this ruling means for transgender Arizonans.

Registration and more information.

Many NCLR supporters have made the incredibly generous decision to join the Kathryn Freibe Legacy Circle and include us in their estate plans. There is comfort in making legacy arrangements, knowing that a life hard earned can and will continue to support others when the time comes.

For decades, NCLR has benefited from these estate gifts, providing special funding for cases, staffing, and in situations when we needed it most. In 2026 alone, NCLR received significant and generous support from multiple long-term donors and friends who chose to include NCLR in their estate planning. When they made these plans years ago, these donors could not have imagined what the needs of today would look like. Because of their generosity, we are able to grow our legal team and our caseload at this critical time.

Take a moment this month to consider your own estate planning – or revisit your plans to ensure your legacy and impact on the issues and people you care about the most.

NCLR Out Loud: THE CONVERSATIONS WE’RE STARTING, THE STORIES MAKING NOISE, AND THE POSTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS

USA Today, “Away from WNBA, transgender sports participation’s future decided state by state,” by Danielle Lerner, September 24, 2026.

The Boston Globe, “Four transgender youths in N.H. sue Trump administration over Medicaid ban on gender-affirming care for minors,” by Steven Porter, October 1, 2026.

New Hampshire Public Radio, “NH families sue Trump administration over Medicaid ban on transgender health care,” by Olivia Richardson, October 2, 2026.

The Advocate, “He drove two hours to his Army unit. A friend handed him papers to force him out just for being trans, U.S. Army Reserve Second Lieutenant Nicolas Talbott tells The Advocate he will fight his discharge as transgender troops ask a federal appeals court to make its ruling protecting them take effect,” by Christopher Wiggins, October 9, 2026.

Arizona Capital Times, “Court clears path for Arizona transgender birth certificate changes,” by Howard Fischer, October 6, 2026.

The Advocate, “Trump is targeting their daughters’ medical care. Four New Hampshire families are taking his HHS to court. One girl’s medication costs more than her family earns in a year,” by Christopher Wiggins, October 2, 2026.