Texas Says Swimming Nonprofit’s Past Trans Inclusion was Fraud
Leading Off: Adult swimming nonprofit targeted for including trans women in events. Canadian judge halts deportation citing concerns over conditions of LGBTQ+ community in the US. And Assigned Media needs your support. Our top story lines to start the week.
by Assigned Media
On Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against a fitness nonprofit called U.S. Masters Swimming, for allowing two trans women to compete in an event in San Antonio in April. The lawsuit cites “false, deceptive, and misleading practices” as the basis for the suit. Florida AG James Uthmeier also threatened legal action against the organization on Tuesday if the organization did not fully bar trans women from competing in the women’s category.
Paxton first announced an investigation into the membership based group in May. In response, USMS changed its policies for trans women to no longer “be included in Recognition Programs unless they are swimming in the competition category that aligns with their sex assigned at birth.” The lawsuit says this policy change is “too little, too late,” going on to say, “U.S. Masters Swimming swindled countless women and it must be held accountable.” The tactic used here, that equates trans acceptance to fraud, is closely tied to the Republican goal of exterminating trans people from public life.
Just earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear cases from Idaho and West Virginia regarding bans on trans youth from competing on teams matching their gender.
A Canadian judge halted the deportation of a nonbinary person who had overstayed their visa, citing "current conditions for LGBTQ, non-binary and transgender persons" in the U.S. as one of the main reasons.
Though drastic, leaving the U. S. has increasingly become an option trans people are considering. In some cases, families of trans youth have already left due to the increasing difficulty of securing healthcare for their children. Others have told reporters they’re taking steps to leave due to the worsening climate.
As the Trump administration continues ramping up attacks on trans people, this act sets a hopeful precedent for LGBTQ+ Americans, that Canada may be an option for a safe refuge in the near future.
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