Transgender

Arguments continued in a second hearing this year in the lawsuit over Utah’s law banning transgender girls from competing in girls' sports. Now, the central issue is how President Donald Trump’s executive order impacts it.

Republicans argued a 2023 law that banned gender-affirming health care for transgender youth was needed to protect vulnerable kids from treatments that could cause long-term harm. The newly released results of a study commissioned under that very law tell a different story.

“My sincere intent is not to provoke or cause division,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said. “My intent is to represent our city's values and honor our dear diverse residents who make up this beautiful city and the legacy of pain and progress that they have endured.”

In response to Trump’s February executive order, the Utah High School Activities Association adopted a blanket ban on transgender sports participation. Plaintiffs say this violates a court injunction of the state’s 2022 ban, and the UHSAA could face contempt of court.

The restrictions sent to the governor include a ban on adult inmates receiving gender-affirming care and the assigning of cells for juveniles based on sex at birth, not gender identity.

HB269 sets guidelines on where transgender students can live based on their sex at birth, not their gender identity. There are no exceptions included in the bill, even if they have received gender-affirming surgery and changed their birth certificate.

For the fourth year in a row, lawmakers have taken up legislation that directly impacts transgender Utahns.

In a party-line vote, the House sent a bill to the Senate that restricts housing for incarcerated transgender minors and also bans gender-affirming care for transgender adults.

HB269 requires transgender students to either live in dorms that match their sex assigned at birth or opt-in for a university-created “gender neutral” housing option.

For the fourth year in a row, lawmakers are taking up legislation on trans rights. The latest bill was met with cheers and jeers in and out of the hearing room.

Utah, and other Republican-led states, have fought the administration's regulations. Utah both sued over the expanded transgender protections and used a new law to invoke state sovereignty in order to disregard them.

The Spartans were beaten by Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament final. San Jose State’s season was marked by forfeits, limited protests and the topic of gender identity becoming a political issue in an election year.