Good afternoon, friends and subscribers!

I'm working on a story for Playboy about the mythology linking testosterone to aggression and violence, and I want to talk to transmasculine folks on T about your actual emotional experience with anger, aggression, and the ways that masculinization impacts how these emotions are perceived by others.

I'm especially looking to talk with veterans, given the Pentagon's push to offer cisgender troops testosterone as a “lethality” booster while denying the same hormone to trans men — but this is open to anyone on T with a story to tell. If that's you, just reply to this email, and if you know someone it might be for, forward this along to them.

Before we get to the news: the Provider Needs Survey is still open, and your answers shape what I do next. If you work with trans patients in any health or wellness capacity, it takes a few minutes, and everyone who completes it gets a heavily discounted Professional membership trial: $5 for the first three months.

Now, the news.

A federal judge is weighing sanctions after the administration violated a court order protecting transgender women in federal custody, moving them into segregated housing despite the ruling. The House narrowly defeated an NDAA amendment that would have written Trump's ban on transgender service members into federal law. Congress advanced H.R. 7661, the so-called ”Stop the Sexualization of Children” Act, which would bar federally funded K-12 programs from mentioning transgender people.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is seeking to end federal funding for a UAB study on transgender health. The Education Department opened an investigation into Minnesota schools over gender-neutral paper dolls they aren't even using.

Michigan will stop enforcing its ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth following a court order. A Michigan hospital settled a First Amendment suit by expanding protections for staff who refuse to refer patients for gender-transition care.

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton's campaign drew backlash after a meeting with LGBTQ+ leaders went badly, with some trans attendees barred or removed. Preteen suicide deaths hit 194 in 2025, the highest rate since 2001, alarming mental health experts.

The HOPWA program, which houses people with HIV, now requires lengthy immigration checks that threaten access to stable housing. At the AIDS 2026 conference, State Department officials mislabeled African countries on a map while defending cuts to global HIV programs.

International

Health Canada dropped a screening question that had barred gay and bisexual men from donating sperm. Canadian HIV infections rose 23% between 2022 and 2024, hitting young gay men hardest even as more federal funding cuts loom.

Poland's top court refused to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in the EU, setting up a clash with the bloc. Amnesty International UK issued an apology to JK Rowling for describing anti-trans groups as "anti-rights," reversing its own reporting under legal threat.

Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are rising across West Africa, with implications for HIV services and health access. In South Africa, the LGBTQIA+ sector is calling on President Ramaphosa to block a planned conference promoting anti-LGBTQ "family values."

Taiwan's government has failed to update its process for changing gender markers on ID documents, leaving trans residents reliant on a 2008 directive.

Speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ billboards: About 40 Lima, Ohio residents and council members rallied against billboards targeting nontraditional parents, in the street and in city hall.

Learn from trans direct action: New Socialist interviews the trans liberationist group BASH BACK on strategy and community defense amid escalating threats.

TJ Billard on Anti-Trans Disinformation and Media — Assigned Media — Riki Wilchins interviews a disinformation expert on how anti-trans narratives spread through media.
How the Science of Sex is Weaponized Against Us — Assigned Media — Veronica Esposito interviews historian Beans Velocci on how the science of sex has been constructed and weaponized against trans people.
Hate is still a public health emergency — and the epidemic we keep ignoring — The Advocate — An opinion essay framing anti-LGBTQ+ hate and violence as an epidemic, with hate as the pathogen driving it.
Meet the Ohio nun who has been working on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS work for decades — The Buckeye Flame — A profile of Sister Susan Zion, who has spent decades on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS care in Ohio.
A new HIV diagnosis doesn't have to be nerve-wracking. Advocates share their advice — The Advocate — Advocates offer guidance on processing and living with a new HIV diagnosis.
What is Driving Trans People to Stockpile their Medications? — Assigned Media — A look at why many trans people stockpile hormones for emergencies, a practice that predates the current administration.
Why Chronic Stress Hits Transgender People Differently — TransVitae — A health explainer on how chronic minority stress affects the transgender body, with practical ways to protect wellbeing.
Inside the Trans Period Pride Event That Made Angry Protestors Lose It — them. — A Trans Period Pride event for trans people who menstruate drew intense right-wing backlash and a venue change.
In the Berlin Pride Attack, Authorities Knew the Perpetrator Was Dangerous. So How Did This Happen? — Uncloseted Media — An analysis of how authorities' prior knowledge of the Berlin Pride attacker failed to prevent the attack.
Autumn Hill Speaks From Jail After Being Sentenced to 50 Years by the Trump Administration for an Alleged Terrorist Attack — Uncloseted Media — In her first jailhouse video interview, Autumn Hill calls herself a "political prisoner" unjustly locked up by the administration.