March 02 2026, 08:15 
Kansas invalidates trans people’s driver’s licenses overnight and demands they surrender them
What happened: Trans Kansans got letters this week telling them to surrender their driver’s licenses if the gender marker on them doens’t reflect their sex assigned at birth. Some of them didn’t even know how they would drive to the Kansas Department of Revenue – Division of Vehicles to get a new license since they were told driving with their current licenses is now illegal.
Why it matters: It’s a disturbing new way for Republicans to make transgender people’s lives worse.
Kansas sends letters to trans people demanding they surrender their driver’s licenses
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Donald Trump delivered anti-trans remarks at the State of the Union and even invited an ex-trans student who was supposedly transitioned at school behind their guardians’ backs
What really happened to the kid: They started using male pronouns and a new first name at public school and eventually ran away from home. Their Christian guardians got them home, got them to detransition, and then sent them to a staunchly conservative Christian college while they sued the public school for supposedly making their child run away.
Why it matters: Trump campaigned on transphobia, and this is a sign that he’s not letting it go.
Trump invited an ex-trans Christian student to the SOTU yesterday. Who is she?
The Netherlands swears in its first out gay prime minister
Who is he: Rob Jetten of the centrist Democrats 66 party is the Netherlands’ first gay prime minister. He ran against an anti-Islam candidate and won, and now he’s also the youngest prime minister in the nation’s history.
Why it matters: There are just not enough out LGBTQ+ world leaders.
Federal court blocks Texas law banning LGBTQ+ clubs from meeting at schools
It was completely discriminatory: “We’re not going to allow gay clubs, and we’re not going to allow straight clubs,” said bill supporter state Rep. Jeff Leach (R). “We shouldn’t be sexualizing our kids in public schools, period. And we shouldn’t have clubs based on sex.”
Why it matters: Students still have free speech rights, even in the midst of a moral panic that has largely focused on LGBTQ+ youth.
Court shuts down “nakedly hateful” law banning LGBTQ+ student clubs
Three states will likely now have trans sports bans on the ballot in November
What happened: A judge in Nevada let a ballot initiative move forward. It would require school sports to only allow participants based on sex assigned at birth.
Why this matters: Three states makes a trend. Voters are generally opposed to letting trans student-athletes participate in school sports, while Democratic elected officials solidly support trans youth, which creates a space for Republicans to use the ballot initiative process to drive voters to the polls.
A third state puts trans athlete ban on the ballot for November. It’s a trend.
Picture of the week
LGBTQ+ advocates held a Fairness Rally in Frankfort, Kentucky, this Wednesday, to protest several anti-LGBTQ+ bills that were introduced in the state legislature. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) attended and gave a speech.
“I stood with you before. I stand with you now, and I will stand with you in the future,” he said. “I’m here today because in this role as your governor, I made a pledge to fight for every single Kentuckian every single day.”
Some more great queer and trans reads
Senior Editor Daniel Villarreal looked into “AIDS Survivor Syndrome,” or the trauma associated with having survived the AIDS crisis.
An entire generation of AIDS survivors is now struggling with a hidden epidemic
Contributor Greg Owen talked to the only known out gay man from Qatar, who described the process of applying for asylum in the U.S.
Qatar’s only out gay citizen says seeking asylum in the US is a “rough” & “intrusive” process
Contributor Terrance Heath looked into the racial bias that comes with HIV disclosure laws.
“Look at who’s in political control”: How HIV disclosure laws are steeped in racial bias
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