Trans’ policy happenings abound
The U.S. Supreme Court’s pending decision on whether Tennessee can restrict gender transition to people over age 18 will likely affect Iowa and 25 other states with similar laws, reports msn.com.
• Iowa passed the law in spring 2023. It’s among 26 states that have some form of limitation on gender transition medical care for minors (Movement Advancement Project).
• The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on last week’s historic case sometime in spring of next year (Tortoise Media).
• The country’s highest court also issued a ruling today that said conservative parents did not have standing to challenge a Wisconsin school district’s policy allowing transgender students to use pronouns and names of their choice. (The Hill) The Eau Claire school district had passed a policy that included affirmation of chosen pronouns and names in 2022.
• Women’s college volleyball is at the center of a controversy this month over transgender sports participation. The Los Angeles Times explains the controversy surrounding a San Jose State University player whose presence on the team has led to three opposing teams forfeiting their matches. San Jose State was defeated by another team last week and is out of contention for further play this year; the L.A. Times is among several outlets refusing to name the player because that player has not publicly identified themselves as transgender.
How to address systemic police brutality in Memphis
Following a federal report documenting police inequities between Black and white residents, Memphis has decided to tackle identified issues of injustice by “working with community” rather than the “bureaucratic and costly” process of the Department of Justice, writes Al Jazeera.
• Memphis is the city where Tyre Nichols died in January 2023 after a group of police officers chased, beat and harassed him. Three of those officers were eventually convicted of constitutional felonies. (Department of Justice).
• The 73-page report released by the DOJ in last week found that Black people in Memphis are arrested or penalized for loitering and curfew violations at 13 times the rate for white people, and that disorderly conduct arrests of Black people are 3.6 times the rate of arrest of white people, Al Jazeera reports. In addition, the report determined that the Memphis Police Department (MPD) “regularly” escalates situations involving nonviolent offenses.
Is Georgia the next international frontier in fighting authoritarianism?
The eastern European country of Georgia, which borders Russia to the southwest, broke out in protest over the weekend.
• Georgia is considered to be a key player in the international scene, as Russia seeks to maintain its authoritarian appeal there. Vox calls the country a possible “test case” to demonstrate Russia’s ability to maintain support. Protesters are pressing for more democracy.
• The Georgian government also has a record of “crackdowns on LGBTQ people, civil society, and press organizations,” writes Vox.
The latest in presidential news following Trump’s victory
Following Republican Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala Harris:
• What initially seemed a blow-out by Trump was actually one of the closest presidential elections in history. Only three other elections since World War II were closer in terms of the popular vote. (ABC News)
• Matt Gaetz, Trump’t initial seemingly outlandish nominee for attorney general, dropped out after Republican senators expressed concern about sexual misconduct allegations against him. Republicans also voted last week to block release of a report about Gaetz, who resigned from his House seat after being nominated. (CBS)
• Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Pentagon chief, continues to face concerns about allegations of sexual abuse and drinking on the job. New concerns have also arose that Hegseth and Trump’s nominee for the Veterans Administration, Doug Collins, may push to privatize veterans’ health care. Advocates are concerned privatization would lead to fewer services for veterans. (CNN)
(Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article mis-stated the convictions of Memphis police officers in the killing of Tyre Nichols. MainStream regrets the error.)
