March 30 2026, 08:15 
Senate Democrats defeat Republicans’ attempt to use the SAVE Act to curtail transgender rights at the federal level
The SAVE Act?: Yes, Donald Trump’s bill to restrict voting rights was also supposed to serve as a vehicle for banning gender-affirming care for trans youth and trans participation in sports. But Senate Democrats blocked an amendment to add those two measures to the SAVE Act.
Why it matters: Keeping those two policies at bay at the federal level means that blue states can go on supporting trans people’s rights.
Senate Democrats defeat GOP attempt to ban trans health care & sports participation nationwide
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
The Olympics banned trans women and will now start genetic testing for all women athletes
What kind of testing?: The Olympics banned gender testing decades ago because of its fraught history, but now they’re going to be testing for the SRY gene, which usually (but not always) appears on the Y chromosome. One expert pointed out that it’s a genetic variation that isn’t definitive proof of a person’s sex or gender.
Why it matters: While the Olympics pretty much already had a ban on trans women in 2024, this new one is more complete and could even be replicated by other sports governing bodies. Many cis women are also likely to get banned from sports if they unknowingly have the gene.
Olympic committee will force all women to undergo genetic testing as part of new trans ban
India considers law to roll back trans people’s self-determination
What the bill does: India previously allowed trans people to self-identity, but if this bill passes, legal trans identity will only be available to people who can convince a state-mandated medical board that they are who they say they are.
Why it matters: India is the most populous country in the world and has its own cultural and legal understanding of gender identity. But the new law could be a way for the country to align with the U.S. president’s views on gender.
Amid Trump’s influence, India considers denying & criminalizing trans people & their healthcare
Florida restores HIV medication funding in emergency bill
Why was the funding originally cut?: Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) ran out of funding earlier this year. Florida is not the only state where this happened – drug prices have been rising while Congress hasn’t increased ADAP funding for the last decade. The new measure will fund ADAP in Florida through June, when the new budget will be passed.
Why it matters: Around 12,000 to 16,000 Floridians depend on the funds for their access to lifesaving medication, medication that also keeps viral counts low and slows the spread of the disease.
Florida cut HIV funding for thousands. It just passed a law to bring it back through June.
South Dakota governor signs a slate of laws attacking trans & reproductive rights
What the laws do: The two anti-trans laws regulate bathroom usage and ban the state from recognizing trans identities. The other three bills roll back abortion rights.
Why it matters: Republicans continue to find new ways to attack trans rights even after banning gender-affirming care and sports participation.
GOP governor signs slate of “values” bills rolling back trans & reproductive rights
Picture of the week
Brevard County, Florida, honored the Trans Day of Visibility a week early on March 22 with a demonstration on the Eau Gallie Causeway.
Some more great queer and trans reads
Senior editor Daniel Villarreal interviewed activist Wayne Besen about the state of conversion therapy bans. Short version? They’re useless.
State bans against conversion therapy are ineffective, argues leading LGBTQ+ activist
Contributor Keegan Williams recounted the story of lesbians who gave blood during the AIDS crisis and made history.
Gay men couldn’t donate blood during the AIDS crisis. These lesbians stepped up & made history.
LGBTQ Nation content partners Uncloseted Media launched a podcast this week, and they’re starting strong, interviewing a blogger who is running a major anti-LGBTQ+ org… and whose mother is a lesbian. She claims she didn’t get into anti-LGBTQ+ activism because she hates her mom.
Related
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.