Newswatch Rights State-by-State
Arizona
Where Gov. Katie Hobbs' running mate, John Giles, stands on abortion, ESAs, trans athletes
August 17, 2026 11:06 PM EDT
ABC15 Arizona.
Former Republican John Giles has few policy disagreements with Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, the Democratic governor he's running for lieutenant governor with.
California
'What Are We Going to Do?': The Mom of a Trans Teen Grapples With Trump's Medicaid Move | KQED
August 16, 2026 07:00 PM EDT
KQED Inc.
A longtime Republican living in California says the Trump administration's continuing actions to target transgender youth take a personal toll.
Colorado
Meet a Colorado Anti-LGBTQ Lawyer Tapped to Lead U.S. Department of Justice's Gun Rights Division | Colorado Pols
August 21, 2026 01:10 PM EDT
Colorado Pols.
(Another of Colorado's worst and dimmest -- Promoted by Colorado Pols) Originally posted at the Colorado Times Recorder Barry Arrington, a right-wing attorney who’s worked for multiple anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion, and pro-gun groups in Colorado, has been tapped to lead the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section.…
Delaware
Rehoboth Beach Elects Its First Openly Gay Mayor
August 18, 2026 07:34 AM EDT
Metro Weekly
Susan Stewart won 61% of the vote and will become the Delaware resort city's first woman mayor in decades.
Idaho
Labrador appeals federal abortion ruling, sending case to Ninth Circuit - NewsBreak
August 21, 2026 02:20 PM EDT
News Break, Inc
BOISE — Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has appealed a ruling from federal court issued last week that found Idaho’s abortion ban could not apply to c
Idaho
Labrador Appeals Federal Court Ruling on Idaho Abortion Law
August 20, 2026 01:20 PM EDT
Daily Fly.
BOISE, ID— Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador is appealing a federal court ruling that limits enforcement of the state’s abortion law in certain medical circumstances. Labrador filed a notice of appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of
Idaho
Unveiling Healthcare's Complex Challenges: From Drug Approvals to Abortion Access | Health
August 16, 2026 01:00 AM EDT
Devdiscourse.
The summary delves into various news in healthcare, covering Capricor's drug review, Trump administration's healthcare funding rules, FDA's new approvals, Ebola spread in Congo, and the measles outbreak in the US. It also touches on gender-affirming care billing accusations, assaults on healthcare in conflict zones, and Idaho's abortion rulings.
Indiana
Indiana doctors can refer patients to out-of-state abortions, court finds
August 21, 2026 09:43 AM EDT
Louisville Public Media.
A U.S. Appeals Court has ruled that Indiana doctors can have conversations about abortions with minors. That includes referrals to out-of-state abortion providers.
Indiana
Federal court: Indiana cannot punish doctors who tell minors about out-of-state abortions
August 19, 2026 11:37 AM EDT
Star.
A federal appeals court upheld a decision finding a portion of Indiana's 2017 “aid-or-assist” law to be a violation of the First Amendment.
Iowa
Hegseth uses transphobic slur while campaigning for Iowa congressman
August 20, 2026 10:43 AM EDT
The Washington Blade.
Defense Secretary was speaking in support of Republican Zach Nunn
Kansas
Kansas Trans Guys Are Using Women's Bathrooms, as Legally Required, as a Form of Protest
August 20, 2026 11:52 AM EDT
Them.
A group of transgender men who call themselves the "SB244 compliance crew” have been using women’s bathrooms in protest of a Kansas law that mandates that they do so.
Kansas
Missouri's out-of-touch Republican politicians keep going to war against Missouri—including their own voters
August 18, 2026 06:35 PM EDT
The Pitch.
State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Republican from Harrisonville, and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins speak to reporters outside Hoskins’s office in the Missouri State Capitol. // Photo by Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent Michael McGrady Jr is a political columnist for The Kansas City Pitch. Harvey Milk, the pioneering LGBTQ+ rights activist, once said that “Politics is theater.” In many ways, he...
Maine
Portland unveils Maine's first affordable housing complex for LGBTQ+ seniors
August 20, 2026 05:00 AM EDT
operated by Planetizen, LLC
The building earmarks 11 units for people with disabilities or living with HIV/AIDS.
Maine
Planned Parenthood targets Collins over abortion
August 19, 2026 02:14 PM EDT
The Center Square.
(The Center Square) — Planned Parenthood is pumping more than half a million dollars into Maine's pivotal U.S. Senate race in an effort to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins
Maine
Maine's First LGBTQ+-Focused Affordable Senior Housing Complex Opens in Portland
August 19, 2026 11:20 AM EDT
themainewire
Maine’s first affordable senior housing development designed specifically to provide an LGBTQ+-affirming community will celebrate its grand opening Wednesday in downtown Portland, adding 54 income-restricted apartments amid an ongoing shortage of affordable housing for older Mainers. Equality Commons, a five-story apartment building at 25 Casco Street, was developed adjacent to the Equality Community Center and
Maine
Susan Collins facing stiff opposition as Planned Parenthood goes on the attack in Maine
August 18, 2026 10:03 AM EDT
Tag24.
Planned Parenthood on Monday announced a massive new attack ad campaign against Maine Senator Susan Collins set to be worth a total of more than $600,000.
Massachusetts
Right-wing media liken Massachusetts law expanding abortion access to Satanism, murder, and "human sacrifice"
August 21, 2026 04:51 PM EDT
Media Matters for America
Right-wing media figures are melting down over a new Massachusetts law that will widen access to abortion in the state, claiming the law paves the way for “human sacrifice” and comparing the signing ceremony to “a coven of witches celebrating depravity."In passing the law, Massachusetts joins Washington, D.C., and several other states that have moved to prioritize the judgment of medical professionals about pregnancy and abortion care rather than setting limits based on the length of the pregnancy. Right-wing figures, however, claim without evidence that this will legalize “post-birth abortion,” and that the law was enacted to make it easier to “sell the body parts” of aborted fetuses.
Massachusetts
Christine Flowers: New Massachusetts law is infanticide disguised as health care
August 18, 2026 08:15 AM EDT
The Saratogian.
People used to tell me that I wrote too many columns about abortion.
Missouri
Missouri Republicans Are Trying to Repeal Abortion Rights by Leaning Into Anti-Trans Sentiment
August 21, 2026 06:00 AM EDT
ProPublica
Two years after falsely linking reproductive rights to gender transition care for minors, GOP lawmakers have packaged the two issues into one amendment in an effort to strip away the right to abortion.
Missouri
Missourians gear up for renewed fight over abortion restrictions | Jefferson City News-Tribune
August 16, 2026 05:00 AM EDT
The News Tribune.
The back-and-forth on Missouri abortion law continues this fall with another general election ballot measure.
New Jersey
New Jersey Gov. Sherrill signs a law to protect reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare. Here's what to know
August 21, 2026 05:52 PM EDT
The Derrick.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a bill Thursday that offers greater protections for reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare — both for patients and for providers in the state — by
New Jersey
NJ law protects reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare for patients and providers
August 21, 2026 02:50 PM EDT
The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sherrill said New Jersey is “standing firm in defense of reproductive freedoms – including the right to choose and the right to receive gender-affirming care.”
New Jersey
Gov. Mikie Sherrill Signs Sweeping New Abortion Law That Could Criminalize Prayer Outside Clinics
August 21, 2026 08:16 AM EDT
Yahoo! Inc.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed a major piece of legislation into law on Thursday that significantly broadens protections for both abortion providers and patients. The new measure, which exp...
New Jersey
Gov. Sherrill signs law protecting abortion and transgender care in New Jersey
August 20, 2026 06:44 PM EDT
WFMZ-TV.
The new law would impose new penalties on protestors who interfere with patients.
New Jersey
New Jersey shields abortion and gender-affirming care from out-of-state investigations
August 20, 2026 02:31 PM EDT
The Advocate.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a law Thursday protecting patients and providers from subpoenas, prosecutions and other actions targeting care that is legal in the state.
New Mexico
Trump's FDA pick is a New Mexico native who could shape abortion medication access
August 19, 2026 03:57 PM EDT
KOAT Action 7 News.
President Donald Trump has nominated Heidi Overton, a Gallup native and University of New Mexico graduate, to lead the Food and Drug Administration.
North Carolina
Anti-Trans Activists In Uproar Over Trans Music Teacher In North Carolina, Propose Gender Dress Code For School Employees
August 19, 2026 12:33 PM EDT
Erin in the Morning.
Far-right activists have flooded a local school board in North Carolina for hiring a transgender teacher.
Ohio
Both sides of abortion debate say latest Ohio Supreme Court action on amendment won't be the last
August 20, 2026 09:27 PM EDT
WYSO
The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously turned away a lawsuit filed by a Republican Youngstown-area judge.
Ohio
Ohio Supreme Court dismisses legal challenge to abortion rights amendment
August 19, 2026 10:27 AM EDT
The Columbus Dispatch
The Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a Trumbull County judge's lawsuit challenging the state's abortion rights amendment.
Ohio
Budget language prompts Ohio BMV to stop accepting gender change form
August 18, 2026 10:25 AM EDT
The Toledo Blade.
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles will no longer accept a form that transgender Ohioans have long used to update the gender marker on their ...
Pennsylvania
Dems flipped State Rep Daryl Metcalfe's seat three years after he retired, ending his 24 year anti-LGBTQ reign of terror. - Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
August 21, 2026 11:55 AM EDT
Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents.
This blogger is savoring a moment of simple satisfaction On Tuesday, Butler County residents voted in a Special Election to fill the vacancy of PA House District 12. Democrat Brandon Dukes defeated the Republican nominee by fewer than 100 votes. One of the most overt homophobic and transphobic legislators in modern Pennsylvania history represented the 12th
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania House race, it's pink heels vs. drag queens
August 21, 2026 05:06 AM EDT
Semafor, Inc.
It began with a photo of Democrat Paige Cognetti and a drag queen at Scranton’s 2025 Pride flag raising.
South Carolina
SC Arts Commission approves almost all grant requests. It wants two LGBTQ+ related organizations to defend their 'artistic merit' before receiving funds
August 21, 2026 10:21 AM EDT
South Carolina Public Radio
At an Aug. 20 board meeting, commissioners authorized about $3.7 million in grant funding for more than 170 recipients. Funds head to museums, orchestras, festivals and other arts groups throughout South Carolina.
South Carolina
ACLU-SC responds to Arts Commission further delaying grants - ACLU of South Carolina
August 20, 2026 04:16 PM EDT
aclusc
State agency adopts vague stance against 'ideology' while stalling on funds for LGBTQ artists
Wisconsin
Wisconsin principal of the year claims he was fired because he's gay
August 18, 2026 11:42 AM EDT
The Independent.
Jeffrey Peterson served as principal at the pre-K through eighth-grade Raymond School in Franksville, Wisconsin
