The A.M. READ

The A.M. READ newsletter is a news tipsheet highlighting LGBTQ+ news and HRC updates. It covers a wide range of topics from breaking news to politics to LGBTQ+ pop culture to sports and everything in between.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

COLORADO STRIKES BACK WITH NEW CONVERSION THERAPY BAN: SCOTUS struck down Colorado’s conversion therapy ban in March, but advocates promised the fight wasn’t over. Colorado just passed an updated ban that addresses the Court’s First Amendment concerns head-on. The law also extends the statute of limitations for survivors, recognizing that it can take years to process the trauma. “If we end these junk practices, we will save young people’s lives,” said The Trevor Project’s Senior Director of Law & Policy Casey Pick.

SENATE DEMS DEMAND DOJ REVERSE ANTI-TRANS PRISON RULES: Sen. Ed Markey and fellow Democrats are pressing the Department of Justice to undo Trump-era Bureau of Prisons directives that roll back protections for transgender inmates. In a sharply worded letter, the lawmakers say the policies ban gender‑affirming care, strip basic dignity, and put incarcerated trans people at serious risk—calling the changes politically driven and potentially unlawful.

NEW JERSEY BILL PROTECTING TRANS AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE ADVANCES: A New Jersey bill that would protect doctors and patients from criminal or civil liability for providing or receiving gender dysphoria and reproductive healthcare advanced Monday afternoon by the the state Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, marking a step towards protecting critical healthcare rights in the state. The bill, which works to counter extremists attacks on healthcare, would codify protections established by a 2023 executive order and will appear in committee in the state legislature’s lower chamber this Thursday. Read more about this here. 

SPOTLIGHT STORY

USA TODAY – LGBTQ+ YOUTH DESERVE SAFETY NOT POLITICAL ATTACKS: In 2025, 616 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the country, and roughly 12% became law—all of them introduced and passed by conservative Republicans. Since January 2026, 529 pieces of legislation have been introduced, with 24 already becoming law. The data is clear: The introduction and passage of these bills are creating an environment in which LGBTQ+ youth feel increasingly unsafe, compounding already serious mental health challenges. According to the 2025 survey from The Trevor Project, 10% of LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in the past year, and 36% considered it. Among transgender and nonbinary youth, those figures rise to 11% and 40%, respectively. However, even in this polarized climate, 56% of adults believe trans people should be protected in jobs, housing, and public spaces. Read the full opinion piece here.