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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 6 February 2025
The transgender care fight targets more adults as Georgia and

other states weigh laws

By JEFF AMY trans orders from the White
Associated Press House,” Charles said.
ATLANTA (AP) — Conserva- The Georgia bill would ban
tives’ nationwide offensive spending state money
against transgender care, on gender affirming care
earlier focused on young through state employee
people, is increasingly try- health plans, Medicaid
ing to cut off access for and prisons.
transgender adults. “What this bill says is we
With 2025 state legislative are not going to spend
sessions still young, bills state taxpayer dollars on
have been introduced to transgender surgeries in
cut off public funding for our state,” Republican Sen.
gender affirming care for Blake Tillery of Vidalia, the
adults in at least 10 states. sponsor, told the Senate
Georgia became the first Insurance and Labor Com-
state to move forward this mittee. Earlier Tuesday in a
year, with a panel voting nearby courtroom, Hous-
6-3 Tuesday to advance ton County Sheriff’s Sgt.
a bill to the full Senate de- Anna Lange watched as
spite pleas from public em- lawyers clashed before the
ployees who would lose in- 11th U.S. Circuit Court of
surance benefits. Georgia state employee Carrie Scott speaks against of a bill that would cut off public funding of Appeals over whether her
“It is a slap in the face to re- transgender care by Georgia state government on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 at the Georgia Capitol county’s insurance plan
ward that service by strip- in Atlanta. must keep paying gender
ping us of the health care Associated Press affirming care benefits she
access that we desperate- consin Gov. Tony Evers, a care related to transition- orders targeting transgen- won through a federal suit.
ly need,” said Carrie Scott, Democrat, vetoed a bill ing, mandating in-person der and nonbinary people. “Trans people are people,
a lawyer for the state and last year that would have appointments. Former President Joe Biden, and we deserve to be
transgender woman. banned Medicaid spend- This year, bills have been in- by contrast, supported treated just like everybody
The panel voted hours after ing on some gender affirm- troduced not only in Geor- transgender rights. else,” Lange said after-
a Georgia county asked an ing care. Former Ohio Gov. gia, but Arizona, Connecti- Carl Charles, an attorney ward.
appeals court to overturn Mike DeWine, a Republi- cut, Kentucky, Montana, for gay rights group Lamb- Like Lange, Georgia state
an order to pay for gender can, tried to impose restric- Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tex- da Legal, said Trump’s ac- employees sued for ben-
affirming care for a sheriff’s tions on adult care before as and Virginia. tions are “marching orders” efits, with advocates win-
deputy. his executive order was LGBTQ+ advocates say to Republican legislators. ning settlements covering
Other states have already rolled back. And a 2023 Republican legislators are “Certainly the states are public university employ-
tried to restrict care for Florida law requires physi- emboldened by President feeling emboldened by the ees, Medicaid beneficia-
transgender adults. Wis- cians to oversee health Donald Trump’s executive maelstrom of Trump’s anti- ries and state employees.q

Black church in DC that was vandalized by the Proud Boys gains

control over the group’s trademark

WASHINGTON (AP) — A ed on a $2.8 million judg- ropolitan African Methodist Enrique Tarrio, then the venting us from presenting
judge has awarded a his- ment. Episcopal Church and bars leader of the Proud Boys, a proper defense.” Tarrio
toric Black church in Wash- The Monday ruling in D.C. the Proud Boys members confessed to participating also suggested in separate
ington control over the Superior Court grants rights from selling any merchan- in the burnings and was posts that the Proud Boys
Proud Boys trademark after to the trademark of the dise with its name or sym- later sentenced to more rename themselves, “Afri-
the far-right group default- group’s name to the Met- bols without the church’s than five months in jail on can Methodist Episcopal
consent. The ruling also al- those and other charges. Boys” and asked for sug-
lows the church to try to Tarrio was later sentenced gestions on a new name.
seize any money made to 22 years in federal prison Case records show the law-
from selling the group’s for orchestrating the Jan. 6, suit was served to Tarrio at
merchandise. 2021, riot. the federal prison where
The church filed the lawsuit On his first day in office, he was housed when it was
to try to recoup damages President Donald Trump filed, as well as to at least
from vandalism made by granted pardons, commu- one other address associ-
group members after a tations or vowed to dismiss ated with him and another
December 2020 pro-Don- cases against the 1,500- member.
ald Trump rally. Black Lives plus people charged with The church lawsuit called
Matter banners were torn crimes in the Jan. 6 attack the actions on Dec. 12,
down and burned at two on the Capitol including 2020 “acts of terror” and
churches, including Met- Tarrio. said they were meant to
ropolitan African Method- In a lengthy statement post- intimidate the members of
ist. There were also violent ed to X, Tarrio wrote, “The the church.
A Washington police vehicle sits outside the Metropolitan African clashes between opposing presiding judge has denied A default judgement was
Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, June 19, 2015. protesters and arrests were due process to myself and awarded to the church in
Associated Press made that night. the other defendants, pre- June 2023. q