Political news I want to share. 9-13-2026
















Political news I want to share. 9-4-2026

In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court cleared the way for President Donald Trump to continue building the White House ballroom, rejecting a challenge from a preservation group that was seeking to indefinitely halt the controversial project. https://cnn.it/3UsAOqU

CNN (@cnn.com) 2026-08-31T20:19:08.734312074Z

Trump immediately blames Joe Biden for the 13 deaths at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan. Trump forever forgets he caused the withdrawal problem by negotiating with the Taliban without the Afghan government involved. The withdrawal took longer than the timetable he created.#Trump #Afghanistan #AbbeyGate

Bill Addis (@paidprotester.bsky.social) 2026-08-26T19:44:24.226Z

MAGA had a meltdown when 13 servicemembers were killed at Abbey Gate trying to evacuate after Trump surrendered to the Taliban. Now the Republicans think it's funny that 13 servicemembers have been killed in the GOP's latest Never Ending War in the Middle East. http://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-…

The Sgt Joker (@thesgtjoker.bsky.social) 2026-05-21T17:09:39.363Z

Hey MAGA, remember when Donald Trump freed 5000 Taliban without even speaking to the Afghani government – then the Taliban took over the Afghani government? Then he struck a deal to get out of there and blamed Joe Biden for the Chaos he left behind, I do!

Phineas (@phineasm.bsky.social) 2024-11-28T13:39:03.861Z

Remember when Trump released 5000 Taliban and one of them is now President of Afghanistan?

Robert Ellingsworth (@by1959.bsky.social) 2024-08-26T18:04:49.026Z

(Bloomberg) – US allies are privately warning that the Strait of Hormuz is still likely mined, casting doubt on President Donald Trumpโ€™s claim that the US Navy has completely removed and detonated explosives laid by Iran.@bloomberg.com http://www.bloomberg.com/news/article…

Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) 2026-08-26T17:51:44.932Z

West Point professor says he was pushed out for objecting to climate directive gothamist.com/news/west-po…

Gothamist (@gothamist.com) 2026-08-26T20:35:31.321584Z

US military has no plans to send troops to the polls in November, top general says

BanmarNJ (@banmarnj.bsky.social) 2026-08-31T17:33:09.659Z

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a โ€œfirst-of-its-kindโ€ lawsuit against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS).

KSNT 27 News (@ksntnews.bsky.social) 2026-09-01T20:57:01.639Z

RFK Jr. said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines. New documents obtained by The AP and The Guardian refute that.

The Associated Press (@apnews.com) 2026-08-27T12:05:18Z

There is no such thing as โ€œconservative-basedโ€ science. If youโ€™re not doing evidence-based science, you are making up fairy tales.

Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran.com) 2026-08-25T23:48:00.803Z

Heidi Overton is a far-right, anti-abortion extremist who has no business leading the FDA.The American people deserve someone who will put science and facts FIRST, not another Trump sycophant who will make it their mission to attack medication abortion.I will vote NO.

Senator Patty Murray (@murray.senate.gov) 2026-08-19T16:31:22.654Z

Pro-life group offers to pay legal fees for activists who defy New Jersey's new abortion law

New York Post (@nypost.com) 2026-08-26T17:51:57.770903Z

Data centers in the 7 states with the highest concentration of them use more water than L.A., Phoenix, and D.C. combined.Now Trump's EPA is making it even harder for communities to push back against them. He's forcing the Big Tech takeover on America, democracy be damned.

Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) 2026-08-26T21:00:53.791Z

The brother of a woman killed in a car crash this year says the lack of empathy toward her family has been shocking.

HuffPost (@huffpost.com) 2026-08-26T15:18:57.887Z

Breaking News: A judge sided with Texas over Minnesota over the extradition of an ICE agent who was charged in an on-duty shooting.

The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2026-08-26T20:17:26.375444Z

The Kennedy Center will remove a major outdoor sculpture from the centerโ€™s grounds on Wednesday. The work was targeted for elimination after President Trumpโ€™s takeover of the center, according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times.

The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2026-09-02T02:40:04.107035Z

Kennedy Center Will Remove Outdoor โ€˜Blueโ€™ Sculpture http://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/a…Degenerate Art Redux

Diedrich Bader (@diedrichbader.bsky.social) 2026-09-02T04:57:01.562Z

God these people are not subtle. This is straight out of the Nazi playbook! http://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/a…

Nora Biette-Timmons (@biettetimmons.bsky.social) 2026-09-02T13:46:21.680Z

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has shared a disturbing concentration camp video depicting Palestinians being placed into a machine on a conveyor belt, entering overweight and emerging thin, distressed and crying. #StopTheGame

Jeff Rudd ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธ (@jeffrudd.bsky.social) 2026-09-02T06:43:14.345Z

Breaking news: The Supreme Court said construction can continue on the White House ballroom.The justices found that the historic preservationists who challenged the project had not suffered the direct personal harm required to bring a lawsuit.

The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2026-08-31T20:18:27.102393544Z

Horrified School District Pleads Police to Stop Using Electric Shock Torture Gloves on Students

https://futurism.com/science-energy/school-district-police-electric-shock-torture-gloves

“I can’t even imagine walking down the hallway and seeing a peer of mine being electrocuted in a place that is supposed to be a safe space for students.”

Political news I want to share. 8-26-2026

Political news and stuff I want to share. 8-12-2026

Exclusive: The Justice Department has convened a special grand jury in D.C., a rare legal body that officials say could pave the way for federal prosecutors in the nationโ€™s capital to investigate some of its biggest and most controversial cases.

The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2026-08-12T12:30:07.482087709Z

Gov. Newsom: That $400 million Qatari plane? That's not a $400 million gift โ€” it cost you $936 million. That was what was appropriated as he's cutting food stamps and cutting your Medicaid.

Protect Our Care (@protectourcare.org) 2026-08-11T15:33:43.426Z

A federal judge in D.C. dismissed a lawsuit concerning the cancellation of a concert following the addition of President Trump's name to the venue's facade.

White House Watchdog (@whitehousewatchdog.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T18:33:02.480Z

The FCC has played a leading role in Trumpโ€™s attacks on news broadcasters, and a third Republican to cast votes at commission meetings will give Chairman Brendan Carr more support for his policies.

Ars Technica (@arstechnica.com) 2026-08-11T19:58:54.261Z

A federal judge in Massachusetts issued another order blocking the US Postal Service from implementing President Donald Trumpโ€™s sweeping attack on mail voting and his attempt to create a national voter registration list before the midterm elections. http://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/…

Marc Elias (@marcelias.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T21:48:43.772Z

Jadon MacCormack, the anti-LGBTQ Christian extremist who ran for State House in Connecticut, has lost his primary.Republicans petitioned to add someone to the ballot so Jadon wouldn't make it to November and drag other candidates down. The plan worked.www.friendlyatheist.com/p/connecticu…

Hemant Mehta (@friendlyatheist.com) 2026-08-12T02:50:03.843Z

Jadon MacCormack,(announced he's running 2028, CT Congressional District 2) is a proponent of murdering gays. And he lies that he has Repub Party's endorsement in this year's CT House race. (He doesn't.) He's insane. ๐Ÿคฌ

@bonniegriffith2.bsky.social 2026-08-09T17:18:32.039Z

This is happening in a bit. Come watch and be horrified.youtu.be/ZT70M0mKaDQ

Hemant Mehta (@friendlyatheist.com) 2026-07-02T00:43:36.139Z

This interview highlights the differences between Evangelical hopes and dreams vs Catholic SCOTUS accomplishments.Mike Johnson โ€œhas been hapless & ineffective at governing. But has he advanced the cause of Christian nationalism?โ€ heโ€™s been wildly successful.โ€www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/u…

Tom Carter (@thcarter123.bsky.social) 2026-08-09T11:27:33.861Z

Musk gave $1.5 million last month to the Aurora Action Network, a Wisconsin-based political action committee that has already collected contributions from numerous billionaire mega donors.

Reset America (@reset-america.bsky.social) 2026-08-09T04:00:38.558Z

Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed in the center of the U.K.โ€™s political universe ahead of a special election Thursday that was derided as a farce long before the ballot was packed with nearly three dozen candidates โ€” many from the silly end of the spectrum.

The Associated Press (@apnews.com) 2026-08-10T12:00:23.872Z

Civil rights groups are challenging President Trumpโ€™s new effort to limit โ€œbirth tourism.โ€https://www.notus.org/immigration/civil-rights-groups-challenging-birth-tourism-order

NOTUS (@notus.com) 2026-08-11T19:30:07.158616493Z

โ€œThe supreme court justice Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from his fossil fuel interests between 2005 and 2024, a new review of financial disclosures shows.โ€

Saeed Jones (@theferocity.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T17:42:43.663Z

Lawsuit challenges executive order targeting international criminal court for investigating Israeli crimes in Palestine

Guardian US (@us.theguardian.com) 2026-08-11T15:59:12.713Z

Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, became Joint Base Lindsey Graham during a ceremony today to rename the installation after the late senator.

Olga Nesterova (@onestpress.onestnetwork.com) 2026-08-10T21:57:55.575Z

Families of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln spoke to Military Times about multiple incidents in which sailors have attempted to go overboard amid the ship's extended deployment in support of combat operations in the Middle East

JD Simkins (@jdsimkins.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T23:57:05.468Z

Trump on the Iran war this morning:"We are low keying it," and plans to wait Iran out economically. โ€œIt will work out. It always works out.โ€www.axios.com/2026/08/09/t…

Sven-Erik Volberg (@volberg.bsky.social) 2026-08-09T17:16:19.664Z

Breaking: Israel has rejected US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace 15-point plan for Gaza, and will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-…

Mike Walker (@newnarrative.bsky.social) 2026-08-09T11:17:41.839Z

If they were so inclined, Democrats could make some brutal TV ads tying Republicans to these torture devices designed to be used on protesters

Brandon Friedman (@brandonfriedman.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T23:54:35.251Z

ICE is Trumpโ€™s Gestapo, terrorizing the American people. #AbolishICE

Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) 2026-08-12T00:13:45.782Z

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from combative individuals."Susan Collins & Congressional Republicans voted to fund all of this.

Murshed Zaheed (@murshedz.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T23:29:55.494Z

California ๐Ÿค @anthropic.comWe're entering a partnership to strengthen cybersecurity and provide Claude to state agencies at a discount.The Golden State helped build Silicon Valley โ€” and every Californian should benefit from the responsible use of their latest innovations.

Governor Gavin Newsom (@governor.ca.gov) 2026-06-29T14:15:39.945Z

Thatโ€™s a Lot of Green: Taylor Farms Exec Allegedly Stole $32 Million From Produce Supplier at Center of Cyclospora Outbreak

Mediaite (@mediaite.com) 2026-08-11T18:50:51.974Z

Taylor Farms contributed $2 million to Trump & Republicans as they postponed a rule to help the govt. limit the spread of foodborne illnesses.Read @premthakker.bsky.social's deep dive into how Taylor Farms' successful lobbying led to the current outbreak of cyclospora: zeteo.com/p/taylor-far…

Zeteo (@zeteo.com) 2026-07-25T19:07:29.836Z

A draft rule reviewed by WIRED would prevent the census from counting undocumented immigrants. To protect against โ€œdistortions,โ€ it would also bar questions about race and sexual orientation. http://www.wired.com/story/census…

WIRED (@wired.com) 2026-08-08T14:09:33.945Z

Trump says "he'd love to run" for a third term but adds "the law is very strong"

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-08-12T03:18:34.211Z

NYT: Kennedy Stirred Vaccine Fears in Pennsylvania Years Before Measles Outbreak By Teddy Rosenbluth @nytimes.com @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social nyti.ms/4i5wbg5

Greg Folkers (@gregfolkers.bsky.social) 2026-08-12T15:28:25.210Z

Between cheeto face falling asleep, RFK Jr. shaking like a leaf like he's going through withdrawal, and some flight attendant wannabee holding her stomach twisting around like a loon, this is the most Hee Haw administration ever.

Jerrynmn1 (@jjnmnwww.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T18:35:08.844Z

Negotiations surrounding a possible federal plea deal for Luigi Mangione were ongoing between his lawyers and prosecutors, according to media outlets. (AP photo)

KARE 11 (@kare11.bsky.social) 2026-08-12T17:04:09.103Z

Axios obtained 180 pages of plans for Trump's Kennedy Center renovation. What they show:

Axios (@axios.com) 2026-08-12T14:01:24.259Z

Ben Folds, former Artistic Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, testified before a congressional forum titled โ€œMonumental Waste: How Donald Trump Is Spending Millions Destroying American Landmarksโ€stereogum.com/2505928/ben-…

Stereogum (@stereogum.com) 2026-07-22T17:48:03.118Z

Trump Administration Kills a Flagship Annual Report on the ArcticThe top of the world is warming faster than any other region. For 20 years, the Arctic Report Card chronicled the extraordinary transformation.

BanmarNJ (@banmarnj.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T19:16:57.767Z

Long but interesting news articles.

 

 

Political cartoons / memes / and news I want to share bonus. 8-7-2026

New York lawmakers propose lifting 1985 ban on LGBTQ+ bathhouses gothamist.com/news/new-yor…

Gothamist (@gothamist.com) 2026-08-05T20:08:07.425068Z

This is hilariousโ€ฆTrump endorsed a black man named Amir Hassan, but that wasnโ€™t enough for MAGA/Republican voters to get past their own #racism, so they voted for a white guy named Thomas Smithโ€ฆ who had dropped out of the race a few weeks ago. ๐Ÿ˜‚www.newsweek.com/trump-endors…

Dennis Metzcher (@dmetzcher.bsky.social) 2026-08-05T11:29:05.579Z

Mike Johnson breaks his silence on Max Miller, calls for โ€˜process to play outโ€™

Politico (@politico.com) 2026-08-05T08:48:16Z

Missouri secretary of state blocks referendum to undo GOPโ€™s redrawn congressional map http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele…

Timothy McBride (@mcbridetd.bsky.social) 2026-08-05T02:53:24.279Z

he looks like he's wearing the wig from a lesser SNL Trump impression.

Jacob T. Levy (@jacobtlevy.bsky.social) 2026-08-06T03:34:19.520Z

Trump's hair, uh, has a lot more volume than normal

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-08-05T21:13:12.264Z

JUST IN: Trump files emergency motion to try to block BBC from getting details about finances of his business empire in connection with $5-10 billion defamation suit he filed against the network http://www.politico.com/news/2026/08…

Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein.bsky.social) 2026-08-05T18:42:58.991Z

Pirro "gave the White House a heads-up last week before filing the motion to dismiss the charge against Mr. Hearn in federal court, although it was not clear if Mr. Trump was briefed."www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/u…

Eric Columbus (@ericcolumbus.bsky.social) 2026-08-04T21:15:33.472Z

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces that New York City is issuing cease and desist letters to more than 40 retailers selling illegal e-bikes (generally, vehicles that can go faster than local speed limits allow). The targeted retailers include Amazon and Best Buy.

Chris Sommerfeldt (@c-sommerfeldt.bsky.social) 2026-08-05T16:10:58.632Z

At a rally in Las Vegas today, Trump supporters booed as Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) tried to lead a moment of silence for Officer Austin Abdelnabi, who was recently killed in the line of duty.

NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact.bsky.social) 2026-08-06T00:30:38.279982371Z

ICE has deployed a round-the-clock digital dragnet to monitor its online critics. Is it threat mitigation or an infringement of free speech?

The Wall Street Journal (@wsj.com) 2026-08-04T01:52:07.347126Z

FAA investigating air safety incident involving Trumpโ€™s Marine One helicopter and passenger plane. I expect Sean Duffy will blame Biden โ€ฆ again.www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/u…

Piyush Mittal (@piyushmittal.bsky.social) 2026-08-05T17:01:23.505Z

FAA investigating why commercial flights at DC airport weren't stopped for Trump helicopter

New York Post (@nypost.com) 2026-08-05T17:00:49.616191Z

Of Course. The Cost of Trumpโ€™s Namesake Warships Are Likely to Rise by 50 Percent or More http://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/u…

Mike Walker (@newnarrative.bsky.social) 2026-08-05T19:59:07.965Z

The UKโ€™s new plan for trans students: bathroom bans, forced outing, & no social transitions

More hate and bigotry enacted against all the medical safety data available.ย  Guess I am just not being understanding today because these laws are not only not needed but also very harmful.ย  They cause a lot more problems than the pretended harm they claim to solve.ย  It is the attempt to regulate and restrict sexual / gender standards into the laws.ย  It just causes kids and people problems for no reason and promotes anger / bigotry against a small minority of people.ย  ย Hugs

 


https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/07/the-uks-new-plan-for-trans-students-bathroom-bans-forced-outing-no-social-transitions/

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Faefyx Collingtonย (They/Them)July 19, 2026, 11:00 am EDT

The United Kingdomโ€™s Department of Education has published its updated guidance for โ€œKeeping Children Safe in Education 2026โ€ (KCSIE) and it will take effect on September 1. However, the guidance is likely to put trans and gender-non-conforming children at greater risk.

โ€œWe criticise numerous aspects of the guidance, especially as to how schools should approach requests related to โ€˜social transition,โ€™โ€ย The Good Law Projectย wrote in a statement responding to the draft guidance earlier this year. โ€œWe also emphasise its failure to properly explain how schools should accommodate the needs of trans pupils in accessing various aspects of school life, such as toilets, changing facilities, and sports.โ€

Last year,ย the United Kingdomโ€™s Supreme Court ruledย that, for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act, the legal definition of โ€œwomanโ€ is based on โ€œbiological sex.โ€ In the aftermath, the Equality and Human Rights Commission released temporary guidance on barring trans people from single-sex spaces. Theyโ€™ve now released their finalized plan, which says that businesses and institutions should prevent trans people using a single-sex spaces, and that if they allow trans people to use them, they will no longer be considered single-sex spaces.

The aggressive new schools guidance set out in KCSIE is set to comply with the EHRCโ€™s updated policies around single-sex spaces, ruling that trans and gender-questioning children cannot use spaces aligned with their gender identity, even if they have socially transitioned.


โ€œSchools must not allow children into toilets designated for the opposite biological sex,โ€ the guidance reads. โ€œThis includes where schools are responding to a request to support any degree of social transition for children who are questioning their gender.โ€

The same policy is applied to changing rooms for those over 11 years old, nor should the students โ€œshare overnight accommodation with a child of the opposite biological sex,โ€ it states.

The guidance allows for single-use restrooms โ€œif a gender-questioning child does not want to use the toilet designated for their biological sex.โ€ However, there is no actual requirement for this, but only the suggestion that โ€œschools and colleges should consider whether they can provide an alternative toilet facilityโ€”for example self-contained individual toiletsโ€”without compromising the provision of single-sex facilities.โ€

When it comes to all of these arrangements, the guidance clearly states, โ€œThese alternative arrangements should not compromise the safety, comfort, privacy or dignity of the child, or of any other children.โ€

However, such arrangements in their own right will challenge the safety and dignity of trans children. One plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Idahoโ€™s bathroom billย died by suicide earlier this year. Before her death she said of similar provisions, โ€œIt is scary having to look around before to see if anyone will see me going into the single-user restroom, as I worry about people gossiping and speculating about me being transgender.โ€

When it comes to social transition at school, the guidance advises against staff and teachers supporting it, citing concerns raised in theย controversial Cass Review. The guidance sets out extensive hurdles before any member of staff at a school or colleges can be supportive of a social transition.

The guidance establishes that โ€œparents and carers should be actively involved and their views treated with importance.โ€ That rule alone amounts to a forced outing policy that could put trans children at risk of harm if their family are not supportive. While the guidance goes on to carve out an exception for โ€œrare circumstancesโ€ where involving parents and carers could pose a โ€œgreater risk,โ€ such a policy would require a lot of trust and a careful hand from school administrators who are inexperienced with such matters.

The possibility of the school deciding not to allow the social transition is not only laid out but encouraged. The guidance notes that โ€œwhen considering a childโ€™s request for support with social transition will be to consider what is in the best interests of the child and other children, and a decision relating to social transition may not be the same as a childโ€™s wishes.โ€ They also note that, for younger children, support for a social transition should be โ€œagreed very rarely.โ€

More of the choice is taken away from trans children and their families with the note that for โ€œpre-pubertal childrenโ€ clinical involvement should be part of the decision-making process and that โ€œshould include advising on the risks and benefits of social transition as a planned intervention, referencing best available evidence. This is not a role that can be undertaken by staff without appropriate clinical training.โ€

Subscribe to theย ย LGBTQ Nation newsletterย and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.


Faefyx Collingtonย is a British American author who writes about LGBTQ+ issues, politics, popular culture, and their intersection. You can findย Faefyx Collingtonย on socials and the wider internet by googling their unique name.

GOP lawmaker thanks God for sending Trump to protect America from โ€œhomosexuality & perversionโ€

Why do these haters hate so much towards the LGBTQ+ people?ย  We never hurt them, but they claim we hurt their god.ย  But if that is true then can’t their all powerful god fix such an offense?ย  Unless he made the LGBTQ+ people as he wanted them to be.ย  ย ย 

I want to point out the total switch and bait these haters use.ย  Read the article to see the hate and refusal to accept anyone not straight and cis. Here is a quote from this person; notice how he frames it just to incite outrage.ย 

Forcing local schools to permit a teenage boy who โ€˜identifiesโ€™ as a girl to use changing rooms, locker rooms, and bathrooms with five-year-old girls.โ€

See the bait and switch?ย  A teen boy is somehow threatening your little 5 yr old girl.ย  Oh the humaity.ย ย 


 

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/02/gop-lawmaker-thanks-god-for-sending-to-protect-america-from-homosexuality-perversion/

Photo of the author

Alex Bollingerย (He/Him)February 10, 2026, 9:03 am EST
Congressman Brian Babin, R-Texas, Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, speaks about the introduction of the Birthright Citizenship Act at a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. | Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK

A Republican member of Congress went to an event hosted by a hate group and, during a prayer, thanked God for sending Donald Trump to stop children from being led โ€œdown the path of homosexuality and perversion.โ€

โ€œLord, we beseeched thee,โ€ prayed Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) at the Family Research Councilโ€™s (FRC) National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance event at the Museum of the Bible in D.C. on February 4. The FRC is classified as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

โ€œOur prayers were answered in getting us a new president and taking a different direction in our country than we had seen for the previous four years,โ€ he continued. โ€œApostasy, blasphemy, taking our children down the path of homosexuality and perversion. Open borders. Criminals running rampant in our streets.โ€

โ€œLord, we have new leadership, and we thank you for that. But Lord, we know that government is not going to save our country. Itโ€™s going to be the American people returning to the path that you have set out for us and our Founding Fathers.โ€

Babin has consistently gotten a score of โ€œ0โ€ on HRCโ€™s Congressional Scorecard for the past several sessions of Congress, showing his solid opposition to LGBTQ+ equality.

In 2022, Babin wasย one of several Congressional Republicansย who introduced a federal bill in the House to ban schools, libraries, hospitals, government entities, or other organizations from โ€œhosting or promoting any program, event, or literature involving sexually-oriented material.โ€ The bill defined โ€œsexually-oriented materialโ€ to include anything that discusses LGBTQ+ people.

In 2015, Babin was outraged that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry in itsย Obergefell v. Hodgesย decision.

โ€œAs a strong supporter of traditional marriage and a firm believer in state sovereignty, I am deeply disappointed that five membersย of theย U.S. Supreme Court have over-ruled tens of millions of Americans โ€“ including millions in the State of Texas โ€“ who have voted to enact state statutes and state Constitutional amendments to define marriage as between one man and one woman,โ€ he said at the time.

โ€œTraditional marriage has been under assault as courts and some state legislatures have sought to both redefine marriage as something other than between one man and one woman and to penalize and discriminate against those who have religious and conscience convictions against the redefinition of marriage,โ€ he continued.

In 2016, he introduced a bill to roll back Obama-era protections for transgender students, saying that those protections were โ€œthrowing common sense and decency out the window and forcing local schools to permit a teenage boy who โ€˜identifiesโ€™ as a girl to use changing rooms, locker rooms, and bathrooms with five-year-old girls.โ€

The Obama-era protections did not allow for boys to use girlsโ€™ facilities. Instead, they were recommendations about how schools could accommodate transgender students, which included allowing them to use facilities associated with their gender identity.

Subscribe to theย LGBTQ Nation newsletterย and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.


A veteran online reporter,ย Alex Bollingerย has been covering LGBTQ+ news since the Bush administration. He’s now the editor-in-chief of LGBTQ Nation. He has a Masters in Economic Theory and Econometrics from the Paris School of Economics. He lives in Montpellier.

Parents speak out after their teen died by suicide: Idahoโ€™s anti-trans extremism took a toll

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/07/parents-speak-out-after-their-teen-died-by-idahos-anti-trans-took-a-toll/

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John Russellย (He/Him)July 20, 2026, 1:00 pm EDT

The parents of a transgender teen who died by suicide earlier this year are speaking out about the toll Idahoโ€™s anti-trans laws and the Trump administrationโ€™s anti-trans crusade took on their daughter.

โ€œYou worry about that hatred being internalized, and thatโ€™s what happened to my kid,โ€ Elyse Thorpe told NBC News in a recentย profile. โ€œIt got inside.โ€

Thorpe and ex-husband Joseph Pollard describe their late daughter, May Pollard, as an energetic and curious child who loved sloths, video games, and writing poetry. She just wanted to live her life and experience the same things any teen does. But she was also keenly aware of the wave of anti-trans laws and sentiment that have swept Idaho and much of the U.S. in recent years.

According to NBC News, May, who had also been diagnosed with autism, came out as trans when she was in eighth grade. She began receiving gender-affirming medical care in ninth grade. But due to Idahoโ€™s ban on such care for minors, passed in 2022 andย upheld by the Supreme Court in 2024, her parents were forced to travel to Portland, Oregon, every six months to get May the care she needed. Following President Donald Trumpโ€™s return to office in January 2025, Thorpe began making the 13-hour round trip by car to avoid creating a flight record amid the administrationโ€™s relentless crackdown on gender-affirming care for young people.

While the treatment improved things for May, the obstacles placed between her and the care she needed by anti-trans legislators continued to weigh on her.

Then, in July 2023, Idahoโ€™s law banning trans students from accessing single-sex bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity took effect. Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of Boise High Schoolโ€™s Sexuality and Gender Alliance, and in July 2025, May joined the lawsuit under the pseudonym Jane Doe. In court filings, May described feeling stigmatized by being forced to use her campusโ€™s two single-occupancy restrooms, which came to be referred to as the โ€œtrans bathrooms.โ€

โ€œIt is scary having to look around before to see if anyone will see me going into the single-user restroom, as I worry about people gossiping and speculating about me being transgender,โ€ she said. โ€œI donโ€™t want people to know I am transgender without my consent โ€” even students who might be friendly. For me, it is not a part of myself I talk about or that I feel is the most important part of my identity.โ€

Her parents told NBC News that May would avoid eating and drinking during the school day, hoping to not have to use the schoolโ€™s bathrooms. โ€œI just want to fit in,โ€ she wrote in herย affidavitย in the Lambda Legal case. โ€œIt is upsetting to think that I may have to go through the rest of high school without access to something as basic as the ability to use the same restroom as everyone else.โ€

Mayโ€™s parents say she became more troubled last fall and winter, according to NBC News. She attempted to run away to Oregon, and at least one of her poems seemed to reference self-harm. Then on the morning of January 27, Thorpe woke to find May missing from her bedroom. She later found her daughterโ€™s body in a downstairs bedroom. May was just 16 years old.

When a detective asked her parents whether anyone might have wanted to harm May, Thorpe responded that โ€œA lot of Americaโ€ did.

โ€œThere is a huge amount of animosity, every single day, thrown at trans kids,โ€ an angry and grieving Pollard told the detective. โ€œThe whole f**king country. The whole f**king administration, every single f**king day.โ€

As NBC News notes, over the last few years, Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) has signed 15 anti-LGBTQ+ laws. In April,ย Little signed a pair of bills, one of which made it a criminal offense for trans people to use the bathroom associated with their gender, while the other banned Pride flags on government buildings.

As for Lambda Legalโ€™s challenge to the stateโ€™s school bathroom ban, at the time of Mayโ€™s death, she was one of just two plaintiffs left in the case, as all the others had graduated high school and no longer held standing. Earlier this spring, Lambda Legal moved to dismiss the case after the final plaintiff graduated.

But Thorpe has continued to protest Idahoโ€™s anti-trans laws. According to NBC News, she stood outside Gov. Littleโ€™s office during a March 31 protest holding a photo of her daughter.

โ€œI wanted to support the protesters and remind everyone, including the governor,โ€ Thorpe told the outlet, โ€œthat the stakes are real.โ€

โ€œThe parents go and testify, and we say, โ€˜Children are going to die,โ€™โ€ she said. โ€œWe tell the legislators that, and they dismiss it. I guess they think itโ€™s hyperbole, or they think itโ€™s hysteria, or they think itโ€™s an acceptable outcome, probably some mix of those things. So I donโ€™t understand why there is an unwillingness to connect these laws to these outcomes. It was right there from the start.โ€

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John Russellย is a writer and editor based in New York City. In addition to covering politics and entertainment for LGBTQ Nation, he has written for Vanity Fair, Slate, People, Billboard, and Out. He also writes about film, TV, and pop culture in his free newsletterย Johnny Writes…