Ohio’s ban on gender transition care for youth is back on the table: The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday overrode its governor’s veto of a law that bans gender-affirming care for youth, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer. If three-fifths of the state’s Senate also votes to override Gov. Michael DeWine’s veto Jan. 24, the ban will become law. It would not apply to people already taking puberty blockers or hormones. In addition to addressing gender care for youth, the new law also requires youth athletes to compete under their born gender.
Biden’s first judicial nominees of 2024 include several diversity firsts: Rhode Island would have its first-ever openly LGBTQ Black federal judge, the District of Columbia would have its first-ever Arab-American district court judge, and Virginia would have its first-ever Asian American federal judge, if the Biden administration’s first six judicial nominees of 2024 are confirmed by the U.S. Senate, reports Reuters. Read here about Amir Ali, Melissa DuBose, Jasmine Yoon, and more of Biden’s appointments. Altogether, Biden has had 160 federal judges confirmed during his presidency, 100 of which have been women, wrote Cong. James Clyburn in an opinion piece for Black Press USA earlier this week.
Bottled water, protein sources riddled with microplastics, studies say:Â A liter of bottled water may contain nearly a quarter million pieces of the smallest particles of plastic, says a study published in the National Academy of Sciences. In addition, 90 percent of proteins ranging from meat to vegan options were found to contain microplastics, says a study from the University of Toronto. Read Inside Climate News‘ report about both studies.
(cover photo shows Amir Ali, director of the civil rights organization the MacArthur Justice Center and Biden’s nominee for district court judge in D.C., and Rhode Island State Court Judge Melissa DuBose, nominated to be a federal district court judge)
