Orion Rummler
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oriion.bsky.social
Orion Rummler
@oriion.bsky.social
LGBTQ+ reporter at @19thnews.org, previously breaking news at Axios. Southern transgender man. 📲 Text me on Signal @orionr.80 or email [email protected]

https://19thnews.org/author/orion-rummler/
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Hey y'all, I'm Orion, an award-winning journalist at The 19th. I cover LGBTQ+ news, which includes everything from health care access to the Supreme Court.

As a trans reporter covering the Trump administration's impacts on our community, I want to hear your stories! Text me on Signal @orionr.80
working during the week of Thanksgiving
a cartoon character in a park with a frisbee and a slide
Alt: A Simpsons cartoon character throws and catches a frisbee by himself, alone in a park
media.tenor.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
When federal agents shoot people in D.C., there are few details — and little accountability.

@maustermuhle.bsky.social reports, with support from @spotlightdc.bsky.social:
When federal agents shoot people in D.C., there are few details – and little accountability
D.C. police officers are held to one standard, federal agents another.
51st.news
November 25, 2025 at 1:34 PM
America’s most basic ability to treat and prevent HIV is in danger.

Decades of progress are being derailed by the Trump administration, public health experts say — and without reversing course, the damage will be devastating.

Read more in my latest story:
America’s most basic HIV protections are in danger as a decade of progress unravels
Health experts are alarmed as Republicans degrade the country’s pivotal HIV programs — and break promises made during Trump’s first term.
19thnews.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
Journalists should never be arrested for doing their jobs.

Prosecutors in Miami-Dade County must immediately drop the charges against photojournalist Dave Decker, and police should apologize for arresting him for doing nothing more than working to keep the public informed.
Photojournalist arrested at Miami immigration protest, gear seized
Freelance photojournalist Dave Decker was arrested by Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies while documenting anti-deportation protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement …
pressfreedomtracker.us
November 25, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
"Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died at 111. In the final years of her life, she and other survivors shared their stories publicly, bringing a more nuanced awareness about the legacy of that day." More: 19thnews.org/2025/11/viol...
Viola Fletcher, oldest survivor of 1921 Tulsa massacre, dies at 111
“I have been blessed with a long life – and have seen the best and worst of this country. I think about the horrors inflicted upon Black people in this country every day.”
19thnews.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
If you're someone who has pursued nursing or teaching after some time out of the workforce to raise a kid/kids, I'd love to speak with you for a piece I'm working on for the Community Sentinel. Please contact me at [email protected]
November 25, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
I'm here, I'm queer, I belong in Texas, too.

thebarbedwire.com asked me to take a moment to introduce myself, and why our state needs reporters like me, and media where we can see our stories reflected.

This one starts when I'm just 13 years old...
I’m a Trans Journalist Choosing to Live in Texas. Here’s Why That Matters.
My name is Kit O’Connell. I’ll be covering queer and trans life in Texas for Big & Bright — The Barbed Wire’s first underwritten vertical.
thebarbedwire.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:07 PM
this isn't the point, but TIL that the Scouts are subsidized by the U.S. military and ... Girl Scouts aren't, apparently?
U.S. ready to cut support to Scouts, accusing them of attacking 'boy-friendly spaces'
Documents show the U.S. military is planning to sever all ties with the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts.
www.npr.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
This is a great piece and it's by a journalism school classmate so have to share. missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-w...
S.F. has zero electric-wheelchair charging stations. Users are frustrated.
Electric wheelchair users are used to keeping a mental map of where to charge their chairs. The city hasn't done enough to help, they say.
missionlocal.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
NEW: President Biden commuted the death sentences of most people on the federal death row before exiting office.

President Trump is now effectively looking to retaliate, and to detain those people in the most brutal conditions in the federal system. Bolts reports:
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Brace for "Living Hell" Under Trump - Bolts
This story was produced by Bolts and published in partnership with The Nation. Inside the federal supermax tucked away in Colorado’s high desert, prisoners spend 22 to 24 hours a day... Read More
boltsmag.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:58 PM
News to watch: A federal judge in Philadelphia has blocked President Trump’s administration from obtaining the private medical records of youth who sought gender-affirming care at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Federal judge hands CHOP victory in its fight to protect medical records of transgender children
U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney sided with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and denied the bulk of the Department of Justice's subpoena seeking patient records.
www.inquirer.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
It's Books We Love Day, aka the best day of the year, shepherded by @bethnovey.bsky.social and the rest of the stellar books team at @npr.org!
Books We Love
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
apps.npr.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
Emmanuel’s story enraged many Houston residents as community members grappled with the cruelty of keeping a disabled child locked away from his mother.

This article was published in partnership with @thebarbedwire.com:
A disabled child’s mom reported him missing. He was in federal custody for 48 days.
When Emmanuel Gonzalez walked away from his mom’s fruit stand in October, Houston Police called ICE instead of reuniting them.
19thnews.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
Amber Czech was murdered at work. Tradeswomen say it could have happened to any of them. 19thnews.org/2025/11/ambe... via @19thnews.org
Amber Czech was murdered at work. Tradeswomen say it could have happened to any of them.
The 20-year-old welder’s killing by her coworker has prompted women in trades across the country to speak out about the harassment they face and the protections they need.
19thnews.org
November 22, 2025 at 4:21 AM
This guidance in the U.K. will affect anyone who looks vaguely gender non-conforming.

And it will single out trans people in any situation. From the article: "if a trans man, who is biologically female but is 'perceived' as a man, attempted to use a women’s changing room ... they can be barred."
Trans people could be banned from single-sex spaces based on how they look
The Times has seen the equalities watchdog’s final guidance, which Whitehall figures fear Bridget Phillipson is delaying to avoid a political backlash
www.thetimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
1/ This is a devastatingly good article on RFK Jr by @michaelscherer.bsky.social. Even if you’re someone, like me, who has followed this arc and his devastating impact on public health, it’s a must read. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Why Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So Convinced He’s Right?
How an outsider, once ignored by the public-health establishment, became the most powerful man in science
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:41 PM
In the past year, Advocates for Trans Equality counted 27 violent deaths of trans people in the United States, as well as 21 suicides. Read more here:
On Trans Day of Remembrance, advocates call on politicians to halt anti-trans rhetoric
In the past year, Advocates for Trans Equality found 27 violent deaths of trans people in the United States, as well as 21 suicides.
19thnews.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
'You are enough.' Transgender Iowa student's family speaks out about bullying after suicide www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/e...
'You are enough.' Transgender Iowa student's family speaks out about bullying after suicide
Urbandale High School freshman Miles Phipps death by suicide has pushed his family to speak out about the lasting harm caused by bullying.
www.desmoinesregister.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
November 20, 2025 at 6:39 PM
A ballroom legend, an aspiring model and a young athlete: Some of the trans people lost to violence and suicide this year
A ballroom legend, an aspiring model and a student athlete: These are some of the trans people lost to violence and suicide in the past year | CNN
On a cool November night in 1999, dozens of transgender people and their friends stood thousands of miles apart in Boston and San Francisco. They lit slender candles and spoke into the surrounding dar...
www.cnn.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Health experts are alarmed as Republicans degrade the country’s pivotal HIV programs — and break promises made during Trump’s first term.

If the government doesn't reverse course, experts see a much darker and deadlier period of the HIV epidemic back on the horizon. Read more from my latest story:
America’s most basic HIV protections are in danger as a decade of progress unravels
Health experts are alarmed as Republicans degrade the country’s pivotal HIV programs — and break promises made during Trump’s first term.
19thnews.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Feeling inspired after leading my first @reportforamerica.bsky.social training today on LGBTQ+ news — I got to meet queer and trans journalists who are doing excellent work covering local news across the country. They asked smart questions and want to do right by their communities. 🌟
November 19, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Tomorrow is Trans Day of Remembrance. Every year on TDOR, trans people lost to homicide and violence are remembered at memorials around the country and around the world.

But the story of Sam Nordquist, a young trans man who was tortured and killed this year, has haunted me like no other.
What happened in Room 22?
For a month, seven people held Sam Nordquist captive in a small hotel room, torturing him to death, authorities say. How did it go on in secret?
www.nbcnews.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
those of us laid off from Teen Vogue were really fortunate to complete our fundraising goal — the laid-off staffers at VIBE deserve the same support, as Black media outlets and journalists continue to be targeted and discriminated against in “austerity” measures
It was announced on October 16, 2025 that VIBE was "joining forces" with Rolling Stone. As a result, the majority of VIBE employees were laid off. If you have the means to give, this team could use the support! www.gofundme.com/f/support-vi...
Donate to Support VIBE Staff After Sudden Layoffs, organized by Mya Abraham
It was announced on October 16, 2025 that VIBE was "joining forces" with Rolling S… Mya Abraham needs your support for Support VIBE Staff After Sudden Layoffs
www.gofundme.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Orion Rummler
Detransitioning has been used as part of an anti-trans agenda in politics. But what is it really like? We explored that question in a new reporting series.

Join us for a Reddit AMA with @oriion.bsky.social where he’ll answer questions about his reporting and the series. https://bit.ly/4pnAV1e
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM