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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · 7d

Some personal news: I've made the difficult decision to leave @thehill after 4 years.

I've loved so much of my time here, and feel beyond lucky to have been able to tell the stories I did alongside some incredible journalists.

I’m not entirely sure what’s next for me yet. Hopefully more news soon💛

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · Jul 17

In Puerto Rico, the age of majority, or legal adulthood, is 21, making its ban on care for minors one of the most restrictive of any U.S. state or territory.

(Most U.S. laws ban care up to 18 years old. Laws in Alabama and Nebraska ban care up to 19 years old)

thehill.com/homenews/lgb...

thehill.com

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

Orion Rummler @oriion.bsky.social · Jun 30

"Trans people are going to die, and they don’t care. Humor helps us look at it. ...We don’t have to look away if we can laugh at it.”

With LGBTQ+ rights in peril, trans and queer comedians' stars are rising. They're making us laugh in bleak times & reimagining how comedy can be a tool for change

With their rights in peril, LGBTQ+ comedians are using humor to dilute fear

The 19th spoke with four queer comedians about making the world seem funny right now through looking for jokes in the horrors, dissociating, and rethinking how to talk to straight people.

19thnews.org

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · Jun 27

ICYMI: This morning, Hegseth confirmed the Navy is renaming the ship named for Harvey Milk, a Navy lieutenant, gay rights activist and the first gay person elected to public office in California before he was killed.

"People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in."

x.com/SecDef/statu...

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · Jun 27

The authors of the titles at the center of this case told me back in April that their books are incredibly personal — some of them are about their own children or based on their own childhood experiences.

These aren't just storybooks, they're the stories of real people.

thehill.com/homenews/lgb...

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · Jun 27

🚨In its fourth decision, the Supreme Court holds that parents who object to LGBTQ books in the classroom have a First Amendment right to "opt out" their children from seeing those books. Alito writes for the 6-3 majority, with all three liberals dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · Jun 26

HUGE NEWS: The Senate Parliamentarian has struck the ban on Medicaid dollars for gender-affirming care trans people from the One Big Beautiful Bill!
www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...

Byrd Rule Violations Continue to Mount on the Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” | U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget

The Official U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget

www.budget.senate.gov

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · Jun 4

“Liberation Weekend was a celebration, but it was no party at the end of the world—it was the repeated insistence of a people under attack that the world they’ve created cannot and will not end.”

Thank you @pitchfork.com for spreading the word of @liberationwknd.bsky.social.

Here’s to next year?

Liberation Weekend: The Trans Punk DIY Music Festival That Could Spark a Movement

Across two days in Washington, D.C., local and national acts threw a sweaty party to publicly reject the Trump Administration’s anti-trans legislation and raise money for the Gender Liberation Movemen...

pitchfork.com

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · Jun 2

More than 100 celebrities across the entertainment industry are calling on President Trump’s administration to protect an LGBTQ youth crisis service’s funding amid broader spending cuts.
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...

thehill.com

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · Jun 2

The Education Department is declaring June 'Title IX Month' in an obvious hit at Pride.

Says it will highlight actions throughout the month "taken to reverse" the Biden admin's "legacy of undermining Title IX," which it says bars trans girls from girls' sports/spaces.

www.ed.gov/about/news/p...

U.S. Department of Education Recognizes June as ‘Title IX Month’

www.ed.gov

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · Jun 1

NEW: These families say they're leaving the U.S. because of its anti-transgender climate

For @nbcnews.com:

www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

These families say they're leaving the U.S. because of its anti-transgender climate

One of the families said they decided to move from Colorado to New Zealand after their 9-year-old trans daughter’s health care was interrupted.

www.nbcnews.com

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 30

Hello! I'm working on a story about the Trump administration's trans military ban and would like to hear how service members are preparing for/navigating the new policy.

If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!

Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 30

Hello! I'm working on a story about the Trump administration's trans military ban and would like to hear how service members are preparing for/navigating the new policy.

If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!

Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 29

Another Dem/potential 2028 candidate signals an openness to limiting trans girls' participation in sports, but says decisions should be left to school boards/athletic associations.

"There are some sports that some of these trans children should not be playing."

thedispatch.com/article/rube...

Will Ruben Gallego Lead Democrats Out of the Wilderness?

The Arizona senator prevailed where Kamala Harris failed. Can he repeat that success nationwide?

thedispatch.com

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · May 29

Via Axios: Democrats are trying to use the Byrd rule to strike some parts of the reconciliation bill. Chief among them:
-The ban on care for transgender people in Medicaid and CHIP
-the moratorium on AI regulation
-REINS Act
-Permitting reform
-immigration fees
www.axios.com/2025/05/28/t...

5 parts of Trump's budget bill that risk being axed by Senate rules

Sources from both parties pointed to these issues as some of the likely major fights.

www.axios.com

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

Newsom's office tells me the governor is "encouraged" by the announcement.

"CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing," said Newsom spox Izzy Gardon.

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · May 27

'Heightened Scrutiny' details the high-stakes Supreme Court case over trans health care

I spoke to the film's director @samfeder.bsky.social and producer Amy Scholder, for @nbcnews.com:

www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

'Heightened Scrutiny' details the high-stakes Supreme Court case over trans health care

The new documentary follows ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio as he argues before the high court against Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

www.nbcnews.com

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

Should clarify that she and two others are actually tied for 13th!

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

bsky.app/profile/bmig...

Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

Per her MileSplit stats, the athlete Trump is talking about never competed on any hs team other than the girls', so his claim that she was "less than average" pre-transition is based on nothing.

She's ranked 3rd in the triple jump in California (& 13th nationally), so she's not "unbeatable" either.

Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

On Truth Social this am, Trump orders local California authorities to block a transgender high school athlete from competing in the state finals and threatens to revoke the state's federal funding, "maybe permanently."

Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

Per her MileSplit stats, the athlete Trump is talking about never competed on any hs team other than the girls', so his claim that she was "less than average" pre-transition is based on nothing.

She's ranked 3rd in the triple jump in California (& 13th nationally), so she's not "unbeatable" either.

Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

On Truth Social this am, Trump orders local California authorities to block a transgender high school athlete from competing in the state finals and threatens to revoke the state's federal funding, "maybe permanently."

Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

Related: Newsom recently said he thinks transgender girls playing in girls' sports is "deeply unfair" while talking about the same high school track & field athlete on his podcast w/ Charlie Kirk.

He had previously celebrated a California law protecting trans athletes.
www.cnn.com/2025/03/20/p...

KFile: Gavin Newsom spent years fighting for progressive positions he now bashes on his new podcast | CNN Politics

Since launching his new podcast two weeks ago, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken aim at a number of progressive cultural causes: He’s rejected the term “Latinx,” said he doesn’t back t...

www.cnn.com

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 27

On Truth Social this am, Trump orders local California authorities to block a transgender high school athlete from competing in the state finals and threatens to revoke the state's federal funding, "maybe permanently."

Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.

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Reposted by Brooke Migdon

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · May 24

Republicans in Utah commissioned an investigation into gender-affirming care for trans youth after banning it in 2023.

They're now rejecting the findings of that investigation which showed access to care reduced suicides and improved "positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes."

Utah lawmakers’ own study found gender-affirming care benefits trans youth. Will they lift the treatment ban?

The Utah Legislature's own newly-released study found that gender-affirming care benefits trans youth. Now, will lawmakers lift the treatment ban?

www.sltrib.com

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 23

bsky.app/profile/bmig...

Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 23

Something to note:

Some health policy experts and lawmakers I spoke with said the measure's funding restrictions for trans health care may violate the Senate’s “Byrd rule” preventing reconciliation measures from being used to pass “extraneous” legislation.

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 23

House Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” would prohibit Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care and remove "gender transition procedures" as essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act.

Here's what that means + what a path forward may look like:

thehill.com/homenews/lgb...

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 23

Gotta add @kissphoria.bsky.social!

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Brooke Migdon @bmigdon.bsky.social · May 23

These non-budgetary items are typically washed out in a process called the “Byrd bath,” where the Senate parliamentarian hears arguments for and against removing possible violations.

But those arguments haven't been made yet, and some wonder whether the Senate will even follow its own rules.

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