FLORIDA SENATE PASSES ANTI-TRANS SPORTS BILL: “This discriminatory bill is harmful and simply unnecessary; transgender youth have been playing sports consistent with their gender identity for years without incident on the state, collegiate and professional level," said HRC State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel Cathryn Oakley (@CthrynOkly). “This bill is based in fear, not fact, and pushed by legislators who have been fed misinformation by anti-LGBTQ extremists who don’t care about women’s sports or Floridians - they care about dismantling equality and have no compunction about transgender youth being harmed in the process. More from Herald Tribune and HRC.

WEST VIRGINIA GOV. JIM JUSTICE SIGNS ANTI-TRANS SPORTS BILL INTO LAW: “Collegiate and professional sports organizations have had trans-inclusive policies for years without incident, and there is no reason West Virginia needs a ban on transgender participation in sports. HB 3293 is a discriminatory bill that will only harm West Virginians,” said HRC Associate Regional Campaign Director Ryan Wilson. “It is a shameful piece of legislation designed to stoke fear and division. Lawmakers should be legislating to protect the people of West Virginia, not target transgender kids who just want to participate in athletic activities with their friends.” More from CNN and HRC.

HRC MOURNS NATALIA SMUT, A BLACK AND PUERTO RICAN TRANSGENDER WOMAN, KILLED IN MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA: Natalia’s death is at least the 17th violent death of a transgender or gender non-conforming person in 2021. “This past weekend, we’ve received multiple reports of fatal violence against transgender people,” said HRC Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative Tori Cooper (@MsToriCooper1). “This violence is unacceptable, and we must do everything in our power to stop it. According to reports, Natalia was killed by someone she was dating. She did not deserve to have her life cut short by someone she should have been able to trust.” More from HRC.

TRANS TEEN STELLA KEATING MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN’S SPECIAL GUEST TO PRESIDENT BIDEN’S JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS: More from HRC and the White House.

RITCHIE TORRES REPRESENTS AMERICA’S POOREST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. HE’S ON A MISSION TO SAVE PUBLIC HOUSING.: Torres (@RitchieTorres) made history in 2020 when he became the first Afro-Latin American, openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress. More from Politico.

✈ BIDEN NOMINATES GINA ORTIZ JONES FOR NO. 2 AIR FORCE POST: After a difficult loss in a Texas congressional race, Gina Ortiz Jones (@GinaOrtizJones) has been nominated by the Biden administration to serve as undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force. She is an Air Force Veteran and would be the second openly LGBTQ official in this role. More from Dallas News and The Texan.

📍 IN THE STATES

THREE TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ALLEGE ABUSE IN MIAMI-DADE JAIL: In an eight-page letter addressed to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, three transgender people are accusing officials at a Florida jail of harassment and anti-trans abuse in detention. More from 19th News.

“MY DAUGHTER IS TRANS. I’M DONE DEBATING WHETHER SHE HAS A RIGHT TO EXIST”: Jaime Jara (@aidonna19) is the mother of a trans daughter and has been fighting back against anti-trans bills in Florida. More from them.

📺 GET CULTURED

ELLIOT PAGE FINALLY FEELS “ABLE TO JUST EXIST”: In an interview, out trans journalist Thomas Page McBee (@ThomasPageMcBee) spoke with trans actor and activist Elliot Page (@TheElliotPage) about joy, creativity and the “misinformation and lies” embedded in anti-trans legislation. This comes ahead of an upcoming interview Page did with Oprah Winfrey. More from Vanity Fair and them.

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