A federal judge in Indiana has partially blocked a ban on affirming healthcare for trangender youth, continuing a streak of victories in legal challenges against state laws targeting gender-affirming care. The ruling on 16 June from US District Judge James Patrick Hanlon, who was appointed by Donald Trump, issues a preliminary injunction against a recently enacted law that His ruling is the fourth recent courtroom victory for LGBT+ advocates who have challenged similar laws across the US, including a recent federal court ruling in Florida that eviscerated the state’s anti-trans policies and condemned the bigotry that fuelled such legislation. Indiana’s law, which was set to go into effect on 1 July, prohibits healthcare providers from allowing trans youth under age 18 to access hormone therapies, puberty blockers and affirming surgeries, which are not even provided to minors in the state. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit to block the law on behalf of four transgender youth and their families and Mosaic Health. “We warned lawmakers that if they passed laws attacking trans people that they would see us in court,” Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice with the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, said in a statement. “This victory belongs to the families who have bravely participated in this case, as well as other trans youth in Indiana who spoke up about the harms created by this law. Our work in Indiana and around the country is far from over – including with this law,” he added. Judge Hanlon, who was appointed to the federal judiciary by Mr Trump in 2018, stated in his ruling that “medical harms, including to mental health, can constitute irreparable harm,” including harm from being denied treatment for gender dysphoria. “And –again– there’s evidence that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapy reduces distress for some minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria,” he added. “The risk of irreparable harm therefore supports a preliminary injunction.” By the end of May, state lawmakers across the country had introduced more than 500 bills impacting LGBT+ this year, including 220 bills specifically targeting trans and nonbinary Americans, according to an analysis from the Human Rights Campaign. More than 70 such bills have been signed into law. At least 19 states have enacted laws or policies banning affirming healthcare for young trans people, all against the guidance of health providers and major medical organisations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Read More Pioneering transgender lawmaker has advice for pushing back against transphobic bills NYC mayor Eric Adams signs bill protecting gender-affirming care Texas family moves so trans teen can escape anti-LGTBQ laws: ‘I’d rather be out than dead’

By Brendan Pierson A Massachusetts institution for the developmentally disabled can continue to use controversial electric shock devices

By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Sunday defended Special Counsel Jack Smith's

During last week's Republican presidential debate, Florida Gov_ Ron DeSantis dodged a question about a federal abortion ban by telling a story about a woman he knew who he claimed survived despite “multiple abortion attempts.”

Benjamin Mendy, acquitted in a sex offences trial in England in July, came on for Lorient on Sunday for his...

By Richard Cowan, David Morgan and Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate will stay in session until it passes

Playing video games has long been a challenge for many people with disabilities, since the traditional controllers for the PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo can be difficult or for many people with disabilities, since the traditional controllers even impossible to maneuver when a person has limited mobility

Bruce Springsteen says his children have 'showed a healthy disinterest' in his work over the years

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced 25 new sanctions on individuals and businesses targeting the Kremlin’s access to

Iranian authorities detained the father of Mahsa Amini on the one-year anniversary of her death Saturday, Iranian journalists and rights groups have said.

A whirl of developments in a quartet of cases in four separate cities encapsulate the vast legal quagmire swamping Donald Trump and threatening to overwhelm the entire 2024 presidential campaign.

Devastated families speak out as Creeslough marks one year since an explosion that killed 10 people.