Jackson Lewis, 19, is ready and eager to sit on the nonpartisan Canyons School Board in the south end of Salt Lake Valley. Lewis, who is gay, is also the youngest elected official in Utah. He said winning was a surreal moment, and he will ensure the student perspective is included in education policy discussions and decisions.
Lewis said he's been contacted by folks across his district who are thrilled with his victory and added he's even received messages from people globally who have been paying attention to the recent election, especially in conservative and traditionally 'red' Utah.
"As a gay man, it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the queer students in the district and in Canyons, but even I've spoken to members of the football team, I've spoken to members of the debate team, right? They are all excited about the fact that someone this young, right, is going to be occupying this seat and representing student interests on this board," he said.
The lifelong resident of Midvale and a Hillcrest High School graduate says he is a proud product of the state's public school system and understands the value it holds. Lewis promised to address issues such as chronic absenteeism, increasing teacher pay, and promised to be a "loud" opponent to future book bans.
During Utah's most recent legislative session, House Bill 29 passed and allows parents to challenge books they deem to have "sensitive materials."
Lewis said while he did garner support from younger voters, he also made a conscious effort to connect with older folks who might have been a bit more apprehensive about electing a younger person to office. But he says he found their reception and support to be welcoming and invigorating.
Regardless of who you are or who you voted for, Lewis encourages everyone to get informed and involved.
"You don't have to run for office if you don't want to, if you don't have the time or energy to put into it but just get involved. Know who your elected officials are and make sure that they know who you are too," he continued.
Lewis added that can look like attending local party conventions and meetings, or getting involved at the community level with events of various kinds. He contends Utahns will feel less alone and more connected to their communities during a time of high polarization.
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Montana lawmakers are considering three bills on gender. They are all versions of previous bills, which either failed or were struck down in court, but some new drafts have higher stakes.
Two bills would determine if or how transgender people can use certain bathrooms and changing rooms and participate in school sports. A third seeks to prohibit access to gender-affirming health care and to criminalize doctors and parents who, according to the bill, "knowingly procure or provide" such care.
Zuri Moreno, state legislative director for the advocacy group Forward Montana, said some lawmakers have described transgender people as "out of compliance."
"It's an overreach of our government to try to force people across our communities to comply with what they think is correct gender presentation," Moreno argued.
Proponents said the bills would "prevent harassment" and protect the "welfare of children." Moreno countered the proposition that lawmakers should have a say in families' private medical decisions or they understand athletes' needs more than teachers and coaches, is a dangerous one.
The bills parallel a January executive order from President Donald Trump defining "sex" and directs federal agencies to rescind materials discussing "gender ideology." Moreno pointed out organizers across Montana have been preparing for the state bills.
"The governor, in his State of the State, did direct the legislature to get these types of bills to his desk," Moreno noted. "But I think it's important for everyone to remember that our legislature doesn't work for the governor. They work for their constituents."
Legislators have referred all three bills to committee after hearings last week. Moreno stressed regardless of the fate of the bills, debates on them are harmful. Among LGBTQ+ youth, 90% said their well-being has been negatively affected by recent politics, according to a 2024 survey from The Trevor Project.
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Opening arguments begin today in a lawsuit challenging North Dakota's ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
The case stems from a law change the state legislature approved in 2023, mirroring action in other conservative-led states.
With some exceptions, the ban brings criminal penalties against doctors if they provide care, like puberty blockers, to transgender people under the age of 18.
Brittany Stewart senior staff attorney with the legal non-profit Gender Justice, which represents the plaintiffs. She said these laws prevent families from seeking critical healthcare for their child.
"Young people who are dealing with gender dysphoria, which is a legitimate medical condition recognized by all the medical associations," said Stewart, "this is the care that helps alleviate symptoms, and those symptoms include extreme anxiety and depression."
Her organization reports families having to drive up to seven hours for doctor appointments.
Republicans behind the ban argue they're trying to protect children, noting young people aren't mature enough for these decisions.
But ban opponents say parents and doctors are heavily involved in discussing the lengthy process, and that gender-affirming surgery is rare for minors.
A separate legal challenge out of Tennessee is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. And Stewart noted that the courts have frowned on similar laws in a neighboring state.
"The Montana Supreme Court just upheld the injunction that is halting their gender-affirming care ban," said Stewart. "And they did find that the ban violated that individual right to personal autonomy."
Testimony in the North Dakota trial is expected to last a little more than a week. Since it's a bench trial with no jury, Stewart said it'll likely take several months for the judge to decide the outcome.
Meanwhile, an opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court case is expected this summer.
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Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community want Connecticut lawmakers to consider bills that would help address a variety of this community's needs. They include legislation to ensure LGBTQ+ seniors in long-term care facilities aren't discriminated against, and expanding protections under no-fault eviction legislation.
William Ollayos, administrator with the LGBTQ+ Justice and Opportunity Network, noted that the group is also looking for funding to update a needs assessment that was first done in 2021.
"Something like that should be reciprocal and done every couple of years, because community needs change. If you're talking about any marginalized community - queer folks, people of color, immigrants - their needs are going to change year to year. And especially after COVID, we just really need that updated data to inform some of the additional legislation we're talking about," he said.
The current needs assessment finds 69% of people in this community have experienced discrimination. Ollayos said other issues legislators should work on include safe school initiatives that preventing queer kids from being bullied, and mental health care.
While the General Assembly's LGBTQ+ Caucus has grown, competing priorities are expected to be a challenge to passing these bills.
Matthew Blinstrubas, executive director of Equality Connecticut, predicts President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration and Congress' Republican majority will harm the work they're doing.
"We are always concerned about the federal government maintaining its support for medical services, keeping our schools safe and welcoming, and making sure that our community is not used as a political tool to hold funding hostage," he said.
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