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US education department to cut funding on Maine for gender-affirming school sports

The US Department of Education (DOE) announced Friday its plan to terminate the Maine Department of Education’s (MDOE) federal K-12 education funding for its noncompliance with US President Trump’s executive orders attacking “gender ideology” and gender-affirming educational practices.

The DOE concluded that MDOE has endorsed or allowed school policies allowing males to compete in female sports and occupy women-only intimate spaces. It additionally stated:

[O]ver at least the past two years and continuing in the current school year, at least three male student-athletes have competed in Maine high school girls’ athletic programs for at least five different high schools (so affecting many more times that number of high schools whose female athletes competed against the male athletes).

The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights launched its Title IX investigation of the MDOE on February 21, 2025, in response to Maine Governor Janet Mills challenging Trump to get the courts to make Maine comply with his executive orders. The DOE published its noncompliance finding on March 19 along with a proposed resolution agreement, notifying Maine that it will send a letter of impending enforcement action if Maine does not sign the resolution agreement within ten days from the finding.

In addition to ceasing the practice of its gender-affirming policy, the resolution agreement would have required the MDOE to make “each school district in Maine to submit to MDOE an annual certification of compliance [and] promptly notify OCR of any credible report that a school district is still allowing a boy to participate in girls’ sports.” It would have also required the MDOE to give recognitions to female athletes who did not receive them due to males participating in women’s sports.

On March 31, the DOE sent the MDOE a final warning letter instructing that it will take enforcement action if Maine does not accept the agreement by Friday.

The DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor commented in a press release:

The Department has given Maine every opportunity to come into compliance with Title IX, but the state’s leaders have stubbornly refused to do so, choosing instead to prioritize an extremist ideological agenda over their students’ safety, privacy, and dignity … Governor Mills would have done well to adhere to the wisdom embedded in the old idiom—be careful what you wish for. Now she will see the Trump Administration in court.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal funds. President Trump issued Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 to enforce Title IX, notably by requiring girls’ or women’s school athletic opportunities and private spaces (e.g., locker rooms) to be reserved only for biological females. They further ordered federal funding to be cut from educational institutions that did not comply with the orders.

On the contrary, the MDOE supported its stance by stating that the Maine Human Rights Act adheres to Title IX by prohibiting discrimination in education on the basis of a protected class, including the class of “sexual orientation (which includes gender identity and expression)…”

The DOE also announced that it will be referring this investigation to the US Department of Justice for suit in federal court. These developments come after the Trump administration’s announcement to create a Title IX Special Investigations Team to combat “gender ideology” in schools.

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Greece moves to ban surrogacy for gay male couples and single men

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Greece moves to ban surrogacy for gay male couples and single men

Apr 02, 2025
Written by Chantelle Billson

The Minister of Justice of Greece, Giorgos Floridis.

The Minister of Justice of Greece, Giorgos Floridis. (NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Greece has moved to ban surrogacy for gay male couples and single men, despite legalising same-sex marriage and adoption last year.

In February last year, Greece’s parliament approved a bill that saw it become the first country with a Christian Orthodox majority to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption.

The significant victory was, however, overshadowed by the fact same-sex couples would still be prohibited from seeking medically assisted reproduction through a surrogate, meaning they can only adopt or arrange surrogacy outside their homeland.

On Tuesday (1 April), Minister of Justice of Greece, Giorgos Floridis, announced the plan to ban gay couples and single men from having children via surrogacy.

He noted that proposed changes are part of the broader civil code reforms in Greece, aiming to clarify the legal definition of “inability to carry a pregnancy”.

Floridis told reporters: “We are now clarifying unequivocally that the concept of inability to carry a pregnancy does not refer to an inability arising from one’s gender.

“In other words, a woman may be unable to carry a pregnancy whether she is in a male-female couple, a female same-sex couple or on her own.”

Supporters of the LGBTQ community wrapped in LGBTQ+ pride flags gather outside the Greek Parliament. — Greece’s Parliament legalised same-sex marriage and adoption on Thursday, 15 February, 2024. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)

The passing of same-sex marriage and adoption in Greece last year wasn’t without opposition.

Its main opposition was The highly influential Orthodox Church and its followers claimed that children were being treated as “accessories” and “companion pets” for gay couples.

The Church – which views homosexuality as a sin – also argued that the law will “confuse parental roles” and “weaken the traditional family”. But prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the move would “boldly abolish a serious inequality”.

The landmark change follows Greece allowing civil partnership for same-sex couples in 2015, and two years later giving legal recognition to gender identity.

Source : https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/04/02/greece-moves-to-ban-surrogacy-for-gay-male-couples-and-single-men

USA: Georgia new legislation requires transgender athletes to compete in their biological sex

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USA: Georgia new legislation requires transgender athletes to compete in their biological sex

US Georgia Senate passed the Riley Gaines Act of 2025, formerly the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act, on Monday.

The legislation requires the designation of “sex-specific athletic teams,” barring males from competing in women’s sports and women from competing in men’s sports unless the team’s designation is “coed.” The legislation also replaces the term “gender,” with “sex,” and defines sex as “a student’s biological sex based exclusively on the student’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The legislation intends to safeguard the safety and fairness of sports.

Riley Gaines, a women’s rights advocate, and former collegiate athlete, gained national recognition after she and others were compelled to share a locker room with and compete against a biological male. The incident—along with many others similarly situated—unearthed a series of Title IX Civil Rights Act claims and calls for legislative, and regulatory changes around the US.

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones spoke about the bill after it passed on Monday—issuing a celebratory statement about the protection of women’s sports.

I want to thank all of the brave women and girls who shared their personal stories and helped shape this legislation. Their courage is commendable and ensures that the rights of female athletes are preserved and protected by law. I look forward to standing with Governor Brian Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns, and female athletes with their families around the state when the “Riley Gaines Act of 2025” is signed into law.

Notably, an earlier intervention, HB1084 was passed in 2022 by Georgia lawmakers, creating an executive oversight committee to investigate and determine the necessity of barring males from participating in women’s high school athletics. Governor Kemp, in his remarks on HB1084, said, “We put students and parents first by putting woke politics out the classroom and off the ball field.” Turning to the present bill, Governor Kemp is expected to sign the Riley Gaines Act into law.

Relatedly, President Trump issued an executive order rescinding funds for educational programs that “deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities,” by allowing males to compete in women’s sports. Meanwhile, the executive order is facing legal challenges in New Hampshire, where two transgender litigants contended that the order violates the Fifth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Copy, Paste, Erase – Anti-LGBT+ laws are spreading in Europe! Sign the petition and urge the EU to not stay silent!

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Copy, Paste, Erase – Anti-LGBT+ laws are spreading in Europe! Sign the petition and urge the EU to not stay silent!

Across Europe, governments are copying harmful anti-LGBT+ laws – banning discussions on gender and sexuality, erasing LGBT+ identities from schools and media, and silencing those who speak out for equality. What started in Russia is rapidly spreading to Hungary, Bulgaria, and Georgia. But who’s next?

Romania has already attempted a ban on discussing gender in classrooms and Italy is trying to ban “gender theory” in schools.

These rollbacks are not isolated incidents. They are well-organized, strategic attacks, fueled by anti-LGBT+ forces that want to roll back our rights.

🚨 This blueprint for hate is spreading fast. If we don’t act, more countries will follow.

That’s why LGBT+ organizations from five countries have come together to respond together, strategically, and in solidarity. The EU has the power to intervene – but only if we make our voices heard.

Sign this petition now and demand the EU take immediate action!

Anti-LGBT+ forces are replicating Russia’s notorious “propaganda” laws, censoring educators, silencing activists, and pushing LGBT+ people back into the shadows. In Hungary, this dangerous trend began in June 2021, when a law banned any mention of LGBT+ identities in schools. The European Union responded by taking Hungary to the EU Court of Justice, clearly asserting that these laws violated core European values. Now we must insist the EU acts with the same urgency and resolve across the continent.

When communities stand together, change happens. Last year, Lithuania’s Constitutional Court struck down a 15-year-old anti-LGBT+ law, declaring it unconstitutional. This historic victory proves that solidarity works. Now, it’s time the EU showed the same determination across all of Europe.

A coordinated attack needs a united response! Let’s remind the EU of its duty to protect fundamental rights. Every voice makes our demand stronger.

Stand with LGBT+ communities across Europe today – sign the petition and urge the EU to not stay silent!

Thanks for going All Out!

UK: UK: Christian teacher who said being LGBTQ+ is asin loses High Court challenge

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UK: Christian teacher who said being LGBTQ+ is a sin loses High Court challenge

A Progress Pride flag waving in a street.(Getty)

A Christian teacher who told students being LGBTQ+ is a sin and trans people are “just confused” has reportedly lost a High Court challenge over a finding of unprofessional conduct.

Glawdys Leger, a teacher at Bishop Justus Church of England School in Bromley, south London, is said to have made the comments to a group of year seven students during a class in February 2022.

She was suspended in March 2022, and dismissed from her role two months later. A professional conduct panel (PCP) in December 2023 found her comments amounted to “unprofessional conduct”, with the findings published on the Teaching Regulation Agency’s website.

The PCP revealed that during a discussion on “allyship”, the teacher had said being LGBTQ+ is “not fine”, and that students should put God before the LGBTQ+ community. The PCP also found Leger had said being LGBTQ+ is a sin, and trans people are “just confused”.

After Leger’s comments were found to amount to unprofessional conduct, she brought legal action at the High Court against the Department for Education over the PCP’s findings.

Glawdys Leger worked for Bishop Justus CofE school in Bromley (Google Streetview)

She reportedly argued that the panel had not put her comments into context, and that the school’s duty to “provide a broad and balanced curriculum” didn’t apply to her as an individual teacher. She added that the decision to publish the finding online infringed on her privacy, making it unlawful.

On Thursday (20 March), her case was dismissed by Justice Lang, who said Leger’s criticisms against the PCP finding “do not disclose any error of law, as opposed to mere disagreement”, PA Media reported.

Leger argued that while she was not banned from teaching due to the incident, the fact that the PCP’s decision had been published online would make it “difficult, if not impossible, to obtain new employment”.

Justice Lang stated, however, that the decision to publish the finding was “justifiable and proportionate”.

“While ‘Ms Leger’s comments lacked respect for the right of others’ this did not derive ‘from a lack of a tolerance’ nor had she any ‘intention of causing distress to pupils’,” Justice Lang said of the PCP finding.

“That said, her ‘actions were at risk of upsetting pupils in the lesson’ and her ‘choice not to present a balanced view undermined the school community’s aspiration to provide a supportive environment for children who may be exploring sexual identity’.”

In October 2023, Leger commented: “I have great compassion for LGBT people, especially for those suffering from gender dysphoria.

“I cannot, however, in good conscience teach or say things I believe are contrary to my faith, for example saying that same-sex sexual relationships are good and/or affirming people with gender dysphoria in their gender confusion.”

The teacher added: “I am certain that I have not shown, and never would show, any hatred or lack of love towards LGBT people.”

Source: https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/03/21/christian-teacher-who-said-being-lgbtq-is-a-sin-loses-high-court-challenge/

US Supreme Court agrees to decide on state bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children

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US Supreme Court agrees to decide on state bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children

The Supreme Court agreed to decide on the constitutionality of state and local governments’ ban on conversion therapy in a case from Colorado on Monday. Conversion therapy refers to the effort used to convert someone’s gender identity and sexual orientation. The ban on conversion therapy has been argued by the Court of Appeals to be harmful, unsafe, and ineffective health treatment.

Kaley Chiles, a counselor, filed the case at issue. She argues that the law violates her First Amendment rights to free speech and freely exercise her religion. At The Court of Appeal, the justices reasoned that the law was enacted to regulate the health care profession and conduct of therapists rather than their speech. They state that the court’s precedent makes it clear that “the First Amendment does not relieve professional health care providers from their responsibility to provide treatment consistent with their fields’ standards of care.” Moreover, The Court of Appeal determined that “the First Amendment permits states to regulate the professional practice of conversion therapy.”

The Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, in opposition to the case, stated that:

In Colorado, we are committed to protecting professional standards of care so that no one suffers unscientific and harmful so-called gay conversion therapy. Colorado’s judgment on this is the humane, smart, and appropriate policy and we’re committed to defending it,

Ultimately, by the Supreme Court approving the petition to hear this case, the court will have the opportunity to make a binding precedent that will impact the laws surrounding free speech in America and fundamentally impact the lives of LGBTQ+ American children.

Since his election, President Trump has repeatedly targeted the LGBTQ+ community. He issued an executive order directing federal agencies to restrict access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth under age 19 and block federal funding for such treatments. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit against Trump after he signed an executive order to ban transgender people from serving in the US Armed Forces.

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Ghana lawmakers reintroduce anti-LGBTQ+ bill imposing harsh restrictions

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Ghana lawmakers reintroduce anti-LGBTQ+ bill imposing harsh restrictions

Lawmakers in Ghana reintroduced the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, a controversial and incredibly restrictive piece of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, to Parliament on Tuesday.

Presently, in Ghana, gay sex is punishable by up to three years in prison. The bill is seeking to impose harsher penalties for engaging in consensual same-sex conduct by increasing the maximum penalty up to five years. Additionally, criminalizing the “funding or sponsorship for prohibited activities” and “advocacy, support” and promotion for LGBTQ+ rights or organizations, the bill imposes a term of imprisonment between five to ten years.

Introduced in 2021 as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanian Family Values Bill, Ghana’s parliament passed the bill on February 28, 2024. However, former President Nana Akufo-Addo declined to sign the bill into law prior to the end of his term. The former president cited legal challenges as having prompted this delay, noting his intention to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision. Cases challenging the bill were eventually dismissed in December as the presidential assent was required to review them. Nana Akufo-Addo’s term ended in January 2025, resulting in the bill expiring without enactment.

President John Mahama expressed support for the bill during the Fellowship with the Clergy event on February 28, 2025, declaring, “I, as a Christian, uphold the principle and the values that only two genders exist, man and woman, that a marriage is between a man and a woman.” Referring to a conversation with the speaker of Parliament, Mahama asserted, “The renewal of the expired Proper Family Values Bill should be a bill that is introduced by government rather than as a private members motion, and it’s my hope that that consultation would see a renewed Proper Family Values Bill.”

In an interview with Citi News on February 27, 2025, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, opposition party MP, confirmed the bill had been resubmitted, calling upon President John Mahama to provide presidential assent for its passing. Ten lawmakers sponsored its reintroduction, including MPs Samuel Nartey George and Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah from the National Democratic Congress, Ghana’s ruling party.

NGOs and advocacy groups such as LGBT+ Rights Ghana have expressed their concern for the impact on the LGBTQ+ community, admonishing the bill’s reintroduction as being “pushed by homophobic politicians and religious groups as means to promote oppression against Queer people in Ghana.” After its passing last year, Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué stated, “The anti-LGBT rights bill is inconsistent with Ghana’s longstanding tradition of peace, tolerance, and hospitality and flies in the face of the country’s international human rights obligations.” She further noted, “Such a law would not only further erode the rule of law in Ghana, but could also lead to further gratuitous violence against LGBT people and their allies.”

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USA: Iowa governor signs bill striking gender identity from state civil rights law

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USA: Iowa governor signs bill striking gender identity from state civil rights law

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on Friday signed into law a bill that removes gender identity as a protected class under Iowa civil rights law.

Reynolds emphasized that the state’s “Civil Rights Code blurred the biological lines between the sexes” in an unacceptable manner and that the new law will strengthen the state’s efforts to protect women and girls.

The governor stated:

[A]cknowledg[ing] the obvious biological differences between men and women … is necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls. It is why we have men and women’s bathrooms, but not men and women’s conference rooms; girls’ and boys’ sports, but not girls’ math and boys’ math; separate men and women’s prisons, but not different laws for men and women. It is about the biological differences, and that is all.

The classes commonly protected under Iowa civil rights law are “race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or disability.” Iowa law prohibits discrimination against protected classes in schooling, housing, real estate, loaning, and employment practices.

The new law, however, changes the statutory construction of terms relating to sex and gender, stating that an individual’s sex is to be construed as being “either [biologically] male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth.” Gender is to be construed as synonymous to sex and not as a shorthand for “gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.” Additionally, “woman” and “girl” are to be construed as referring to a female, and “man” and “boy” are to be construed as referring to a male.

The law further provides that exceptions to sex discrimination are allowed “in prisons or other detention facilities, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, locker rooms, restrooms, and in other contexts where health, safety, or privacy are implicated resulting in separate accommodations” because they “are substantially related to … important government objectives.”

The law also prohibits teaching “gender theory” in public and charter schools. It defines gender theory to include:

The concept that an individual who experiences distress or discomfort with the individual’s sex should identify as and live consistent with the individual’s internal sense of gender, and that an individual can delay natural puberty and develop sex characteristics of the opposite sex through the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures.

Prior to its passage, ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer called the bill “barbaric.” He elaborated that gender identity has been protected under Iowa civil rights law for almost two decades. He stated:

If Gov. Kim Reynolds signs this bill, Iowa will become the first state in the country to repeal protections for LGBTQ people from its state civil rights law. Iowa has been a trailblazer in advancing civil and basic human rights—from banning slavery all the way to ensuring marriage equality. In many instances, our laws have helped advance the causes of freedom and equality in our nation. It is shocking to think that Iowa may now become another first—the first to specifically single out transgender people for removal of their legal rights as enshrined in state antidiscrimination law.

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USA: Trump signs executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from women’s sports

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USA: Trump signs executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from women’s sports

President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at keeping transgender women out of women’s sports by rescinding all funds from educational programs that allow transgender women to compete in women’s categories or to use women’s changing rooms.

Trump stated that the goal of this executive order is to “protect opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports,” citing Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 and several Federal court cases including, Kansas v. U.S. Dept. of Education and Tennessee v. Cardona. Title IX states that, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” This provision has brought the definition of “sex” to the forefront, as debated in both federal court cases in Kansas and Tennessee. Trump used these cases to highlight his interpretation of “Congress’ goal of protecting biological women in education.”

Some athletes celebrated the executive order, including Riley Gaines, Kaitlynn Wheeler, and Danica Patrick. Kaitlynn Wheeler stated, “this is a victory for every girl who has fought for fairness, every woman who refused to be silenced and every future athlete who deserves a level playing field.”

Trans athletes claim that the order will have detrimental effect on the trans community, including Karleigh Webb, who said, “this is part of a whole program to essentially erase transgender Americans from American life.” There are concerns that the policy will have the effect of excluding transgender women from participating in sports, with opponents claiming the policy is discriminatory.

Charlie Baker, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (the “NCAA”) President, released a statement addressing the executive order:

The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes.

With the Olympics headed to Los Angeles in 2028, there is debate over whether trans athletes will be able to compete. The International Olympic Committee has allowed transgender athletes to participate at the Olympics since 2004, but the first trans athletes to compete were in 2021. Trump has made it clear he intends to challenge the Olympic Committee on this policy moving forward.

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Tunisia intensifies crackdown on LGBTI individuals: Amnesty International

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Tunisia intensifies crackdown on LGBTI individuals: Amnesty International

Amnesty International denounced Tunisian authorities’ increased arrests of LGBTI individuals on Thursday. The organization reported that at least 84 individuals, mostly gay men and transgender women, have been arrested since September 2024.

The wave of arrests began after a homophobic and transphobic online campaign gained traction. Many individuals involved in the campaign were supporters of Tunisian President Kais Said. President Said has historically supported the criminalization of homosexuality.

The majority of arrests were based on Article 230 of Tunisia’s Penal Code, which criminalizes “sodomy and lesbianism.” Additionally, Article 226 of the Penal Code prohibits acts that are “against good morals or public morality.” Tunisian authorities have deemed displays of non-conforming gender identity to fall under these provisions.

Arrestees have been subjected to mistreatment while in custody. Men accused of participating in same-sex relations must undergo anal examinations to test for evidence of penetration. Amnesty International considers these forced examinations to be a form of torture. According to the UN Convention Against Torture, “torture” means any official act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person to obtain information from him or for a reason based on discrimination.

Amnesty International reported that LGBTI activists have also been subject to arrest in Tunisia. Mira Ben Salah, who is a part of the LGBTI activist group Damj Association for Justice and Equality, stated that she has been repeatedly harassed by authorities due to her work. Ben Salah has filed complaints with the Public Prosecutor at the country’s Court of First Instance but told Amnesty International that the investigation has not progressed.

Amnesty International has consistently monitored the human rights situation in Tunisia. The organization’s Secretary General reported an alarming rollback of human rights protections after a visit to Tunisia in July 2024. Amnesty International now calls for Tunisian authorities to immediately release arrested LGBTI individuals.

Even though there are no international conventions with a view to eliminating discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender, the UN considers Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the source of state obligations to respect the human rights of LGBTI persons.

Relatedly in January 2024, Human Rights Watch called on Meta to protect LGBTQ+ people by preventing Middle Eastern countries’ security forces, including Tunisia, from using their data to prosecute sexual minorities.

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