February 23 2026, 08:15 
Kansas Republicans override the governor’s veto to pass an extreme bathroom bill
Why the Democratic governor vetoed the bill: In addition to the harms to the trans community, Gov. Laura Kelly (D) cited the bill’s vague wording and said it would ban people from visiting family members in shared room located in hospitals, nursing homes, and dorms.
Why it matters: The bill not only bans trans people from using the appropriate restroom, but it also bans them from correcting the gender markers on state-issued IDs and birth certificates. It will hurt a lot of trans people in the state.
Kansas gov. vetoes bill saying it’d ban people from visiting grandparents of opposite sex
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Anderson Cooper quits “60 Minutes” just months after Bari Weiss takes over
Why he left: He said it was to spend more time with his family, but one CBS insider says it was a rebuke of Weiss’ leadership.
Why it matters: CBS News took a hard turn to the right last year with the hiring of Weiss, and Cooper is one of the network’s biggest names.
Anderson Cooper announces departure from Bari Weiss’ 60 Minutes
9% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+
How that compares to the past: It’s pretty much the same result that Gallup found last year, but over twice as high as the percentage of U.S. adults who identified as LGBTQ+ in 2012.
Why it matters: Even after all the attacks over the past several years, we’re not going anywhere.
Shia LaBeouf arrested for beating queer people in what victims call a hate crime
What happened: The actor was arrested in New Orleans after he allegedly beat two people: one was a gay man who was dressed in drag, and the other was a queer man. The alleged victims both said that he called them anti-gay slurs.
Why it matters: It’s a pretty big deal, if true, that a major Hollywood actor is committing gay bashings in 2026.
“It’s a hate crime”! Victim says Shia LaBeouf shouted “fa***t” while allegedly gay-bashing him
Two states – Tennessee and Idaho – are working on several anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year
What the bills do: They range from bills allowing for discrimination against same-sex married couples to bans on local governments providing anti-discrimination protections as well as bans on kids calling their teachers “Mr.” or “Ms.” based on gender instead of birth sex.
Why it matters: These states have already passed lots of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the last five years and are part of the larger anti-trans moral panic that has swept the nation. But instead of leaving people alone, they are finding new ways of signaling their antipathy for LGBTQ+ people.
Republicans are now coming for marriage equality in this state’s “slate of hate”
Idaho GOP seeks to legalize anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in wave of bills
Pictures of the week
Here are some out LGBTQ+ athletes at the Winter Olympics this week.
Some more great queer and trans reads
Editor-in-Chief Alex Bollinger argues that LGBTQ+ people’s loyalty to the Democratic Party has paid off, with elected Democrats standing by trans people during the current administration.
Democrats would probably get more votes if they abandoned trans people. But they haven’t.
Editorial director Chris Bull spoke with scholar Lida Maxwell, who wrote a book about Rachel Carson that presents the legendary environmentalist as a queer woman.
The founder of the modern environmental movement was queer. Why did it take so long to out her?
Contributor Greg Owen talked to an HIV researcher about how close we are to a cure as part of LGBTQ Nation’s March Issue.
A cure for HIV is in sight. Here’s what scientists are working on.
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