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
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
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-…
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!
(Bloomberg) – US allies are privately warning that the Strait of Hormuz is still likely mined, casting doubt on President Donald Trumpโs claim that the US Navy has completely removed and detonated explosives laid by Iran.@bloomberg.comhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/article…
Mehdi Hasan to MAGA pastor Doug Wilson on Donald Trump:
"Your leader, your hero, the guy you're a fan of is the most unchristian man who's ever come anywhere near public office– thrice married, adulterer who slept with a porn star, ran casinos, lies in every breath, curses,โฆ pic.twitter.com/AuI0FaWfZ5
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.
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.
The Kennedy Center will remove a major outdoor sculpture from the centerโs grounds on Wednesday. The work was targeted for elimination after President Trumpโs takeover of the center, according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times.
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
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has deleted his video depicting kidnapped Palestinians being sent into an industrialized slaughterhouse. pic.twitter.com/4xUCnyqqae
"First they came for hand cranks, and I said nothing. Then they integrated starter/alternators and I said nothing. Then they put remote start on keyfobs and I said nothing." – Sean Duffy https://t.co/obr27gOZbs
Cracking up at the mental picture of Duffy sitting in a car for 30 minutes, frustration increasing, until someone finally tells him to press the brake pedal first. https://t.co/FMXHbCm5TV
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.
“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.”
Police in Omaha, Nebraska are catching a ton of flak after revealing that they deployed electric shock gloves onย two separate studentsย during the 2025-2026 school year. One of the students was enrolled in a special education program.
After the news broke, Omaha Superintendent Matthew Ray pleaded with the city police department to stop using the electrocution gloves against students. Though Omaha police refer to the gloves as their โsafest use-of-force optionโ for subduing suspects, they agreed not to deploy the devices in schools anymore,ย according to theย Associated Press.
Still, questions remain as to how much the district knew about the devices before they were deployed. Though Ray says he only learned about the gloves last week, local stationย KETVย reportedย that police had informed school administrators about the devices as far back as 2023.
The districtโs request comes as outraged parents and students speak out against the extremely controversial devices, which are being procured by local and federal law enforcement agencies at anย alarming clip.
โI canโt 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,โ Nora Wessel, a senior at Omaha Central High School, said at a recent school board meeting, per theย AP. โYet, this is now a very real possibility. These are adults we are supposed to be able to trust, but these weapons create a barrier for our students to turn to resource officers when needed.โ
As recently as 2022, the company behind the devices โ ominously named โCompliant Technologiesโ โ marketed the shock gloves as a โweaponโ in its publicity material. Within the past few years, theyโve shifted, calling them โconductive distraction and de-escalationโ devices.
In practice, the shock gloves seem like little more than re-branded tasers, although theyโre much more โdiscreet,โ as Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmadererย toldย Government Technologyย in a statement.
The devices might be inconspicuous, but that doesnโt automatically make them humane. Or, on a purely practical level, effective tools for solving crime, as experts argue.
Speakingย toย Mother Jonesย about the gloves, senior policy analyst at the Center for Victims of Torture Yumna Rizvi referred to the devices as โinherently abusive equipment that facilitates torture,โ adding that they have โno legitimate law enforcement purpose.โ
The corruption is endless and staggering, with new examples every day. I continue to post all of it, day after day, and hope at some point enough voters care about it to make a difference against Republicans who refuse to do any oversight. pic.twitter.com/n0sW3BWWdD
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 nationโs capital to investigate some of its biggest and most controversial cases.
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.
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.
The FCC has played a leading role in Trumpโs attacks on news broadcasters, and a third Republican to cast votes at commission meetings will give Chairman Brendan Carr more support for his policies.
๐จBREAKING: President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday heโs willing to declare a national security emergency in an attempt to take over American elections. https://t.co/uosyDUTWN4
There is zero reason to not take Trump at his word that he and his team are planning sonething alarming to disrupt the midterms and beyond. https://t.co/WzNKfAmkDZ
A federal judge in Massachusetts issued another order blocking the US Postal Service from implementing President Donald Trumpโs 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/…
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…
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. ๐คฌ
This interview highlights the differences between Evangelical hopes and dreams vs Catholic SCOTUS accomplishments.Mike Johnson โhas been hapless & ineffective at governing. But has he advanced the cause of Christian nationalism?โ heโs been wildly successful.โwww.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/u…
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.
Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed in the center of the U.K.โs 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.
Many people say Venezuela rigged the election against Mike Lindell because they donโt like his pillows. Never seen anything like it. https://t.co/qPVqmwLr2w
Civil rights groups are challenging President Trumpโs new effort to limit โbirth tourism.โhttps://www.notus.org/immigration/civil-rights-groups-challenging-birth-tourism-order
โThe 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
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
Trump on the Iran war this morning:"We are low keying it," and plans to wait Iran out economically. โIt will work out. It always works out.โwww.axios.com/2026/08/09/t…
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-…
"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.
David Ellison Threatens to Pull Paramount Out of California Starting Oct. 1 if States Refuse to Negotiate Settlement in Antitrust Suit https://t.co/N8bTxtYGWd
California ๐ค @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.
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…
A frankly insane story about how a Trump-linked American drilling company is setting up equipment in Greenland to make exploratory borehole, *despite* being denied permission by the Greenlandic government. So much for sovereignty, I guess. https://t.co/L6vrd4qpV5
Dear Greenland, dear Denmark, Donโt even think about allowing this. If you give them an inch theyโll take 100 miles. Kick them out now or accept that you just opened the floodgates. Like Putin, you canโt negotiate with Trump. Showing weakness will just guarantee the next outrage. https://t.co/mzt4ooInVs
A draft rule reviewed by WIRED would prevent the census from counting undocumented immigrants. To protect against โdistortions,โ it would also bar questions about race and sexual orientation. http://www.wired.com/story/census…
NYT: Kennedy Stirred Vaccine Fears in Pennsylvania Years Before Measles Outbreak By Teddy Rosenbluth @nytimes.com @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social nyti.ms/4i5wbg5
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.
Negotiations surrounding a possible federal plea deal for Luigi Mangione were ongoing between his lawyers and prosecutors, according to media outlets. (AP photo)
Ben Folds, former Artistic Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, testified before a congressional forum titled โMonumental Waste: How Donald Trump Is Spending Millions Destroying American Landmarksโstereogum.com/2505928/ben-…
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.
Trump was just fundraising in a โblue stateโ he calls a โthreatโ โ our โblue stateโ and โblue citiesโ are keeping โhisโ government afloat right now. https://t.co/sMnPXzgcir
This is hilariousโฆTrump endorsed a black man named Amir Hassan, but that wasnโt enough for MAGA/Republican voters to get past their own #racism, so they voted for a white guy named Thomas Smithโฆ who had dropped out of the race a few weeks ago. ๐www.newsweek.com/trump-endors…
Mike Lindell announced that he is "stepping down as CEO of MyPillow so I can devote 100% of my time and energy to my campaign for Governor of Minnesota." pic.twitter.com/1pYjROGxNt
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 6, 2026
Trump: "We're taking a lot of oil from Venezuela — billions and billions of barrels of oil. To the victor belong the spoils." pic.twitter.com/VFJuPdrnRy
Trump: We have lifted 100,000 Nevadans off of food stamps. They donโt want to be on food stamps. They donโt need food stamps. pic.twitter.com/EHyDysj6Vj
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…
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…
Itโs only been a few hours since the first viable Muslim Senate candidate won a primary and his GOP opponent is already running ads featuring Osama bin Laden and 9/11.
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.
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.
Latest: Trump administration plans to award a $150M contract to Houston based law firm with ties to administration. The contract is set to run for a year and provide legal services to unaccompanied imm. kids, just days after contract with network expired.https://t.co/t1S2IWyWzq
One of our TPUSA college students gave me his take on affordability:
โA burrito shouldnโt cost $20.โ
Yeah, a lot of this is a hangover from Covid and Biden-era inflation, but the lived experience is the same: It just feels like basic things cost too much. https://t.co/GEvmbea57o
FAA investigating air safety incident involving Trumpโs Marine One helicopter and passenger plane. I expect Sean Duffy will blame Biden โฆ again.www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/u…
Sailors fighting Trumpโs war with Iran are washing in moldy showers and rationing meals in the ninth month of a mission that shows zero signs of ending. https://t.co/0Oru8CKdlA
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trumpโs frustration over the Iran war boiled over at Camp David last week, where he demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on why he had apparently been misled on extreme munitions shortages that now threaten to limit military optionsโฆ
I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly. This B.S. story was shopped to many outlets by someone clearly out to disparage the Secretary, for whatever reason. Unfortunately forโฆ https://t.co/BUwn11nC52
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ (@AdamKinzinger) August 6, 2026
We said no more foreign wars and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise. But heโs betrayed us all. Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center. The movement has begun. pic.twitter.com/mZXadw0kBr
— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene๐บ๐ธ (@FmrRepMTG) August 1, 2026
New Mexico sues the Department of Justice and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, saying the federal government blocked the stateโs ability to investigate the sex crimes of financier Jeffrey Epstein at a ranch there. https://t.co/SijN4WxXJv
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
The United Kingdomโs Department of Education has published its updated guidance for โKeeping 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.
โWe criticise numerous aspects of the guidance, especially as to how schools should approach requests related to โsocial transition,โโย The Good Law Projectย wrote in a statement responding to the draft guidance earlier this year. โWe 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 Kingdomโs Supreme Court ruledย that, for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act, the legal definition of โwomanโ is based on โbiological sex.โ In the aftermath, the Equality and Human Rights Commission released temporary guidance on barring trans people from single-sex spaces. Theyโve 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 EHRCโs 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.
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โSchools must not allow children into toilets designated for the opposite biological sex,โ the guidance reads. โThis 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 โshare overnight accommodation with a child of the opposite biological sex,โ it states.
The guidance allows for single-use restrooms โif 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 โschools and colleges should consider whether they can provide an alternative toilet facilityโfor example self-contained individual toiletsโwithout compromising the provision of single-sex facilities.โ
When it comes to all of these arrangements, the guidance clearly states, โThese 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 Idahoโs bathroom billย died by suicide earlier this year. Before her death she said of similar provisions, โIt 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 โparents 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 โrare circumstancesโ where involving parents and carers could pose a โgreater 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 โwhen considering a childโs 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 childโs wishes.โ They also note that, for younger children, support for a social transition should be โagreed very rarely.โ
More of the choice is taken away from trans children and their families with the note that for โpre-pubertal childrenโ clinical involvement should be part of the decision-making process and that โshould 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
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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 โidentifiesโ 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
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 โdown the path of homosexuality and perversion.โ
โLord, we beseeched thee,โ prayed Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) at the Family Research Councilโs (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.
โOur 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. โApostasy, blasphemy, taking our children down the path of homosexuality and perversion. Open borders. Criminals running rampant in our streets.โ
โLord, we have new leadership, and we thank you for that. But Lord, we know that government is not going to save our country. Itโs 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 โ0โ on HRCโs 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 โhosting or promoting any program, event, or literature involving sexually-oriented material.โ The bill defined โsexually-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.
โAs 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.
โTraditional 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 โthrowing common sense and decency out the window and forcing local schools to permit a teenage boy who โidentifiesโ 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.
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The parents of a transgender teen who died by suicide earlier this year are speaking out about the toll Idahoโs anti-trans laws and the Trump administrationโs anti-trans crusade took on their daughter.
โYou worry about that hatred being internalized, and thatโs what happened to my kid,โ Elyse Thorpe told NBC News in a recentย profile. โIt 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 Idahoโs 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 Trumpโs return to office in January 2025, Thorpe began making the 13-hour round trip by car to avoid creating a flight record amid the administrationโs 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, Idahoโs 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 Schoolโs 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 campusโs two single-occupancy restrooms, which came to be referred to as the โtrans bathrooms.โ
โIt 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. โI donโt 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 schoolโs bathrooms. โI just want to fit in,โ she wrote in herย affidavitย in the Lambda Legal case. โIt 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
Mayโs 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 daughterโs 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 โA lot of Americaโ did.
โThere is a huge amount of animosity, every single day, thrown at trans kids,โ an angry and grieving Pollard told the detective. โThe 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 Legalโs challenge to the stateโs school bathroom ban, at the time of Mayโs 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 Idahoโs anti-trans laws. According to NBC News, she stood outside Gov. Littleโs office during a March 31 protest holding a photo of her daughter.
โI wanted to support the protesters and remind everyone, including the governor,โ Thorpe told the outlet, โthat the stakes are real.โ
โThe parents go and testify, and we say, โChildren are going to die,โโ she said. โWe tell the legislators that, and they dismiss it. I guess they think itโs hyperbole, or they think itโs hysteria, or they think itโs an acceptable outcome, probably some mix of those things. So I donโt 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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