Texas has adopted some of the strictest gender-affirming transgender restrictions in the nation. And the leader of a trans advocacy group says it has created a "dystopian" nightmare.

Emmett Schelling, executive director with Transgender Education Network of Texas, said a ruling by the state Supreme Court last week that allows Senate Bill 14 to take effect this month - a law that bans trans youths from receiving medical care and treatment for gender dysphoria. Schelling believes court rulings have become political.

"We've trusted the courts to hold and honor impartiality but unfortunately what we see is the highest court in our state really acting, in my opinion, in deeply bad faith," Schelling said.

The Texas Supreme Court did not provide any written explanation for allowing the law to remain in effect. Starting in 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott encouraged a law that would criminalize gender affirmation as a form of child abuse. Since then, Texas lawmakers have introduced dozens of anti-trans bills targeting transgender youths.

Schelling said new laws in Texas are separating families. In some cases, one parent is staying behind for their job while another parent is leaving to protect the medical needs of their transgender child. He believes lawmakers and courts are sowing seeds of distrust, which at the end of the day is harming children and youth.

"We have providers fleeing, we have families fleeing," Schelling explained. "How do these kids trust the judicial system? How do these kids trust the state when this is the reality of what the state has done to them?"

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Texas granted a temporary restraining order last week to block another bill targeting the LGBTQ community from taking effect last Friday. Senate Bill 12 bans any performance that could be perceived as "sexual" when a minor is present and on public property, and proposes criminal penalties for artists, business owners and others accused of violating it.

Executive orders have been issued by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun that restrict state funds from promoting gender identity and ban transgender women from women's college sports.

One order directs the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to enforce a 2020 Title IX rule, not a 2024 rule, ensuring transgender women cannot compete in women's sports. A review in 2026 will assess compliance among Indiana colleges.

Braun's orders follow President Donald Trump's February executive order barring transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports.

"This is crafted to be maybe similar to it," Braun said. "It is crafted by us to address our point of view here in Indiana."

Trump's 2024 campaign promise to "keep men out of women's sports" gained broad support. A national AP VoteCast survey found most respondents believe government support for transgender rights has gone too far.

A separate order requires state agencies to recognize only male and female genders based on birth sex. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles will stop issuing driver's licenses with an "X" gender marker. The Department of Health will challenge birth certificate changes, although courts retain final authority over those requests.

Braun said biological sex is written in humans' DNA.

"Replacing the scientific fact biological sex with the ever-shifting self-reported idea of gender identity as real consequences put women in danger in females-only places like prisons," he said. "It destroys our opportunities for women in sports."

Transgender-rights advocates have said these orders unfairly target a small, vulnerable group. Critics argue the policies prioritize politics over fairness. Legal experts expect challenges, but it remains unclear what legal actions will follow.


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As many nonprofit organizations see a decrease in funding and donations, one charity is stepping up to ensure organizations run by women of color don't suffer unequally.

The Women's Foundation of the South raises funds - and awards grants to programs, services, and resources for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian women, and girls.

Founding President and CEO Carmen James Randolph said they created the charity to address the funding gap.

"We receive the least amount of philanthropic investment, as well as the smallest share of investment capital to support our businesses," said Randolph. "So, we exist to shift this trend of underinvestment."

She said they are helping 120 organizations across Arkansas and four other southern states. They hope to expand to 13 states by 2026.

A study by the Ms. Foundation for Women shows that nonprofit organizations led by women of color receive about 50% less in funding from charities and foundations.

Randolph said the women are doing more with less.

"More than 50% of women in some of our states, in the south, are living in prenatal care and maternal care deserts," said Randolph. "So, you have nonprofits that are picking up the slack and working to provide these critical services, and they are so deeply under resourced."

She added that although women of color have successfully operated corporations and organizations, they still face what's known as "trust philanthropy."

"And I think in the south you have those issues of trust," said Randolph, "combining with long standing issues with racism and patriarchy where they all combine."

Randolph said they hope to change the economic trajectory of at least 2.5 million women and girls of color by 2031.





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New Mexico's 2025 Legislature will make history next week, convening with the largest percentage of women in the U.S., based on its total number of members.

Female legislators in New Mexico will hold a 54% majority, thanks to voters electing 11 additional women in November, both Democrats and Republicans.

Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque, believes issues tackled by lawmakers are more comprehensive when deliberations include women.

"They have the kinds of concerns for family issues, children's issues, educational issues that, of course, many men share as well," Garratt pointed out. "But women -- who still, to this day, receive lower salaries in so many professions -- really need to be seated at the table."

Women hold 44 seats in the New Mexico House compared to 24 held by men, while men still hold a majority in the state Senate, with 26 of 42 seats. The legislature now has 33 Democratic and 11 Republican women. Nevada became the first state to elect a female legislative majority in 2018, but its legislature has 37 fewer seats than New Mexico.

Garratt noted women in New Mexico's legislature range in age from 26 to 78, representing a wide range of lived experiences. In addition, she said 25 of the 33 Democratic reps are women of color.

"That's another under-represented group in our elected bodies that New Mexico has really pioneered," Garratt emphasized. "It's not only that we have these large numbers of women running and winning but we have women of all ethnicities and backgrounds."

According to Garratt, the significant shift in representation is a bit ironic, considering just eight years ago, women were forced to make a long trek just to find a restroom at the Roundhouse. One was finally installed in 2018 near the House chamber.


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