QM Weekly Update for Aug 10, 2026
🏳️🌈⚖️ Last Thursday, the state of Michigan confirmed in a federal court agreement that it will not enforce its ban on licensed mental health professionals providing long-discredited practices of conversion talk therapy for youth, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down such bans as unconstitutional and a federal appeals court struck down Michigan’s ban in response.
More information:
"Michigan won't enforce its ban on conversion talk therapy for minors"
- https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/08/03/conversion-talk-therapy-minors-michigan/91128106007/
"Michigan becomes first state to end conversion therapy ban after Supreme Court decision"
- https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/michigan-becomes-first-state-to-end-conversion-therapy-ban-after-supreme-court-decision/
🏳️⚧️⚕️🏥 The University of Michigan Health-West hospital recently reached a $410,000 court settlement with a fired physician assistant, which requires the hospital to grant religious accommodations to providers who refuse to use trans patients’ pronouns or refer them for gender-affirming care treatments.
More information:
"Hospital expands religious opt-outs for gender transition care"
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/07/29/michigan-hospital-lawsuit-religious-employees/91097660007/
🏳️⚧️🗳️On Tuesday, trans Democratic candidate Joanna Whaley won the Michigan primary for Michigan State House District Two, covering Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, and Southgate. If Whaley wins in November, she will be the first out transgender lawmaker in Michigan.
More information:
"Transgender candidate Joanna Whaley victorious in Michigan Democratic primary"
- https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/joanna-whaley-michigan-transgender-candidate
🏳️⚧️💇🏛️ On July 27, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission determined that a hair salon in Traverse City violated the state's anti-discrimination law by posting on Facebook that it would not serve nonbinary customers and telling them to go to a "pet groomer" instead.
More information:
"Michigan finds hair salon owner violated the law by directing trans people to pet groomers"
- https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/michigan-salon-transphobic-consequences
"Hair salon forced into anti-discrimination training after horrific anti-LGBTQ+ Facebook rant"
- https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/hair-salon-forced-into-anti-discrimination-training-after-horrific-anti-lgbtq-facebook-rant/
🏳️⚧️🏫🏛️ The U.S. Department of Education recently decided to end collection of data in the Civil Rights Data Collection survey for public school districts pertaining to the number of nonbinary students in a district, how often they face bullying, and whether school districts have policies to prevent this harassment.
More information:
“Education Department stops collecting some LGBTQ+ student data”
- https://www.k12dive.com/news/education-department-stops-collecting-some-lgbtq-student-data/826762/
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️⚖️ On Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled that Florida's anti-drag law does not violate the First Amendment, removing a preliminary injunction that had blocked the law.
More information:
"‘This litigation is not over’: Fight continues as appeals court rules in favor of Florida drag ban"
- https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/this-litigation-is-not-over-fight-continues-as-appeals-court-rules-in-favor-of-florida-drag-ban/
🏳️🌈⚖️ On July 30th, a federal appeals court overturned an injunction and allowed Arkansas' book ban law to take effect, which bans public libraries and private bookstores from providing "harmful materials" to minors and allows city officials to relocate challenged library books to restricted areas.
More information:
"Federal court allows Arkansas to start enforcing its book ban, ending 3-year injunction"
- https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/federal-court-allows-arkansas-to-start-enforcing-its-book-ban-ending-3-year-injunction/
HOPWA, the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS program, has recently received grant agreements that require grantees to verify citizenship and immigration status through the SAVE system. This can involve burdensome documentation and lengthy verification, which may delay access to stable housing.
More information:
"Trump admin demands lengthy immigration checks for housing aid for people with HIV"
- https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/trump-hiv-housing-immigration-crackdown
🏳️⚧️⚕️⚖️On Monday, five federal workers filed a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration over the insurance coverage ban on gender-affirming healthcare for federal employees and postal workers. This lawsuit argues that this exclusion of healthcare is sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
More information:
"Federal Workers Sue Over Policy That Ends Gender-Affirming Care in Health Plans"
- https://truthout.org/articles/federal-workers-sue-over-policy-that-ends-gender-affirming-care-in-health-plans/
"Transgender federal workers sue Trump administration over insurance ban on their health care"
- https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/transgender-federal-employees-lawsuit
"HRC Foundation sues Trump admin for denying federal employees the right to gender-affirming care"
- https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/hrc-foundation-sues-admin-for-denying-federal-employees-the-right-to-gender-affirming-care/
🏳️🌈⚕️ The Queering Medicine Provider Directory is a community resource that helps LGBTQ+ individuals in the Greater Lansing Area connect with affirming healthcare providers and services by maintaining an up-to-date, reliable, community-informed directory. Know an affirming provider around Lansing? Please share the provider submission form with them so they can apply to be included in our directory!
More information:
“Queering Medicine Provider Directory”
“Queering Medicine Provider Directory Submission Form”
- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1alQRVQP0rK6QRgcxKQ-OiJS-x6nt0o4NRdyX_soPeFo/edit