A weekly advocacy update from PFLAG National

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Take Action

Fighting For Our Pride

With legislatures reconvening across the country, now is a critical moment to engage your state lawmakers. As part of the Fighting For Our Pride ([link removed]) campaign, we’re asking members of the PFLAG community to take action by reaching out to their state legislators in whatever way feels right to you to advocate for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

Commit to taking action now by filling out this form ([link removed]) to receive additional tools and resources.Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed new rules ([link removed]) that would restrict transgender youth’s access to medically necessary care. One proposal would put Medicare and Medicaid funding at risk for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to trans and nonbinary youth under 18. Another would block Medicaid and CHIP from covering this care for young people under 18 and 19. These proposals are not yet in effect, but they would cause serious harm if finalized.

We can push back by submitting public comments to CMS. Visit our guide submitting public comments ([link removed]) to learn how to take action—comments must be submitted by Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

Californians

Register for Equality California’s LGBTQ+ Advocacy Day ([link removed])! Join our friends at Equality California for their advocacy day at the State Capitol in Sacramento on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and concluding with an optional reception at 5:00 p.m. Registration closes on March 1st, but organizers expect the event to fill up quickly, so register today ([link removed])!Georgians 

Register to join our friends at Georgia Equality for their 2026 Legislative Advocacy training ([link removed])! Join virtually or in person from 11:30AM to 4PM on Saturday, January 24th for an insider update on the 2026 legislative session, followed by a training on the skills necessary to be an effective advocate. Register today ([link removed])!Floridians

The upcoming legislative session is approaching. Equality Florida ([link removed]), along with PFLAG supporters statewide, successfully prevented every anti-LGBTQ+ bill last session, thanks to grassroots efforts across Florida. This session, Equality Florida is hosting a two-week Pride event at the Capitol. The first week will focus on Parenting with Pride, while the second week will feature a march. More details are available on Equality Florida’s website ([link removed]), and you must register to attend ([link removed]). The dates are January 20-21 for the first week, January 26-27 for the second week, and the march is scheduled for January 28, 2026.Hoosiers 

Tell your state senators to vote NO on SB 182 ([link removed])! Indiana lawmakers are advancing an extreme anti-trans bill – SB 182 – that bans transgender youth from using bathrooms and facilities at school, and bans trans Hoosiers from updating their birth certificate to match their gender identity. This bill invites discrimination, harassment, and harm to trans Hoosiers. Tell your senator to vote NO today ([link removed])! South Carolinians

Tell your representatives to vote NO on the bathroom ban ([link removed])! South Carolina lawmakers are considering H. 4756, which would ban transgender students from using bathrooms and facilities at school. This bill invites discrimination, harassment, and harm to trans South Carolinians, from kindergarten through college. Tell your representative to vote NO today ([link removed])!

PFLAG in Action

Parents of trans kids go to Tallahassee to urge legislators to have compassion for trans floridians ([link removed]). Equality Florida held a press conference in Tallahassee on January 21st to condemn anti-trans bills introduced in the new legislative session. Luisa Montoya of PFLAG Fort Lauderdale was one of the speakers at the press conference, and she spoke about how Florida law requires trans students, like her son, to be deadnamed at school.

State News

Here is a sample of what’s going on around the country. You can share news from your state with [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

Missouri - House committee considers legislation to make anti-trans healthcare, athletics bans permanent ([link removed]). Missouri law currently restricts hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers for trans and non-binary youth as well as banning trans girls from playing on women’s and girl’s sports teams, though these restrictions expire on August 28th, 2027. The House Emerging Issues Committee is considering legislation to remove this expiration date, and heard six hours of testimony from transgender people, their loved ones, and physicians about the harms this legislation would cause. 

Virginia - Abigail Spanberger sworn in as governor ([link removed]). Spanberger is the first woman to serve as Governor of Virginia. Gov. Spanberger signed 10 executive orders immediately following her inauguration, one of which bans discrimination against state employees based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and other factors.

King George County School Board adopts anti-trans policy ([link removed]). The school board unanimously voted to adopt Policy JBB, which requires school staff to refer to students only by the name and pronouns on the student’s record, bars recognition of a student’s affirmed name or gender identity in official records, and restricts bathroom access, overnight travel accommodations, and participation in sex-segregated activities based on sex assigned at birth. The board also blocked efforts to create a Gender and Sexualities Alliance at King George Middle School.

Federal News

Anti-trans policy riders stripped out of funding bills ([link removed]). House and Senate leaders released bills appropriating funds for numerous federal departments through September 30th on January 20th. The appropriations bills have been stripped of any provisions, also called “riders,” targeting the transgender community, thanks in large part to the negotiating efforts of House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) and Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA). 

Trump Administration orders review of federal funds for 14 states and DC ([link removed]). The White House Office of Management and Budget ordered all federal agencies except the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to report on all federal funds allocated to a group of 14 states and Washington, D.C. – all with governments led by Democrats. The move comes as the Administration has promised to cut off federal funds to "sanctuary" jurisdictions which do not cooperate with immigration enforcement authorities. 

Education Department announces investigations into multiple schools and state education agencies over inclusive athletics policies ([link removed]). The Education Department announced investigations into 15 K-12 schools, one university, and two state education departments over their policies allowing transgender athletes to play sports on teams aligning with their gender identity. One such investigation allegedly centers around a school district in Maine allowing a transgender student to participate in a co-ed cheerleading squad ([link removed]). 

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) votes to rescind Biden-era harassment guidance ([link removed]). Adopted in 2024, the Biden-era guidance included a section on harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including examples of prohibited conduct, such as repeated and intentional use of a name or pronoun the individual no longer uses, and denial of access to a bathroom consistent with their gender identity. The EEOC commissioners voted 2-1 on January 22nd to rescind this guidance without holding a notice and comment period, which is typical with these decisions.

Department of Defense pauses initial training for newly enlisted recruits who are HIV-positive, considers a categorical ban on their enlistment ([link removed]). In 2024, the U.S. District Court struck down a policy barring individuals living with HIV from enlisting in the U.S. Armed Forces in Wilkins v. Austin, recognizing that modern medical science has transformed HIV into a manageable condition and that asymptomatic individuals with undetectable viral loads are fully capable of serving their country. A federal appeals court paused the lower court’s ruling in December, and on January 16th, the Pentagon’s personnel office announced that they “are pausing shipping any HIV+ applicants and will follow-up in the coming weeks.”

Federal judge restores funding to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) ([link removed]). U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered that $12 million in federal funding be restored to the AAP after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. canceled $18 million in grants to the AAP in December. HHS cited AAP’s use of “identity-based language” in its decision to cut the organization’s funding.

Global News

United Kingdom - Employment tribunal rules that National Health Service (NHS) nurses’ dignity was violated when a transgender nurse was allowed to use the women’s changing room ([link removed]). The ruling is only binding for those directly involved in the case – NHS nurses working for the Darlington NHS Trust – but it will likely have wider implications for employment rules in the country.

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