On February 13, 2022, South Dakota became the latest state to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Governor Kristi Noem signed HB1080 into law, making the South Dakota bill the first legislation passed in the country that calls for forced medical detransition of trans youth currently receiving care. Taking effect on July 1, medical practitioners providing hormone therapy to minors will have to terminate care immediately or systematically reduce all care to end no later than December 31. If they don't comply, they risk getting their professional license revoked.

This law places trans youth at risk for both self-harm, as shown by record high rates of suicide, as well as abuse or assault from others. The Trevor Project reports nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth attempted suicide. And according to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 34 transgender and gender non-conforming people were killed in the U.S. in 2022.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) held an emergency meeting Thursday, Feb 9, after receiving significant public blowback to their considerations of making students' menstrual cycle information mandatory on athlete eligibility paperwork. The FHSAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs across the state of Florida and had been considering adopting a form that would have made these previously optional questions mandatory.

The questions, masked under a concern for students' health, would have forced athletes to disclose personal, private medical information about whether the student had a menstrual cycle, when their first menstrual period was, the dates of their most recent period, and the number of periods they had in the previous 12 months. This data would have conceivably been accessible by coaches, school districts, and third-party digital platforms.

Jamie Lee Curtis levels up with new parenting goals for the rest of us as she prepares to officiate her daughter Ruby Mae's cosplay wedding this May. This will be her second (and last) daughter to wed at home; Curtis married her daughter Annie in their home backyard three years ago. Curtis and husband Christopher Guest have planned a beautiful picnic to set off the intimate festivities celebrating Ruby Mae and partner Cynthia. One could only dream of an invite.

Kate McKinnon joined Colin Jost on Weekend Update to comment on Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill, HB1557, as it passed its final state Senate committee last week.

McKinnon sets up the segment with blissful ignorance, "I heard about this law, and I think it's amazing!" She spins to her middle school experience and the impact of hearing "that's so gay" or "ew, you're gay," exclaiming how wonderful it is that Ron Desantis has taken a stand to say "No, you cannot say gay in school anymore."

"There's a natural similarity between reproductive rights and transgender rights," said Mercedes Sanchez, director of development and community education at Cedar River Clinics in Washington State. "It's all about autonomy, bodily autonomy, and being able to make the choices for ourselves." Sanchez sees the fight for reproductive rights and transgender rights as intertwined. And, in fact, they are.

It is essential for healthcare providers to be aware of intersections of oppressions from race, socioeconomic status, sex assigned at birth and current gender status, so patients can potentially feel safe and included in these spaces. By stating that abortion services are cis people's health concern are excluding trans and nonbinary people's experience.