Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jo Yurcaba

@joyurcaba.bsky.social

16K followers 520 following 330 posts

Reporter for NBC News covering the LGBTQ+ community. DMs open; email [email protected]; Signal @joyurcaba.91 Pronouns: they/them

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

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

15 120 320

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 4d

This week I spoke to kids and parents at DOD-operated schools about how the shutdown has canceled their sports games and homecoming dances.

Seniors who are trying to get recruited to play sports in college are among those most affected.

For @nbcnews.com:

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Shutdown cancels sports games and dances for students at military-base schools

Military parents say their kids, especially those who are high school seniors, are devastated by the cancellation of some of their last sports games and school dances.

www.nbcnews.com

1 6 12

Reposted by Jo Yurcaba

ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 15d

In 2017, a Republican speaker blocked Texas' bathroom bill over fears that the billl would face a north carolina-style backlash

Almost a decade later, the bill sailed through with no opposition from Republicans and no real pushback from business leaders.

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 15d

Texas to become the 20th state with a law restricting what bathrooms transgender people can use

For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Texas to become the 20th state with a transgender bathroom law

The bill, which Texas first attempted to pass in 2015, will require transgender people to use restrooms in public schools and government buildings in accordance with their birth sex.

www.nbcnews.com

5 43 120

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 15d

I wrote this a few months ago using data from @mapresearch.bsky.social.

The piece also evaluated why there's been less pushback to bathroom bans in the decade since North Carolina's HB 2.

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

More than 1 in 4 trans people live in states with 'bathroom bans'

Nearly 10 years after North Carolina’s HB 2 caused nationwide boycotts, 19 states have enacted restrictions on what bathrooms transgender people can use.

www.nbcnews.com

1 12 38

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 15d

Texas to become the 20th state with a law restricting what bathrooms transgender people can use

For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Texas to become the 20th state with a transgender bathroom law

The bill, which Texas first attempted to pass in 2015, will require transgender people to use restrooms in public schools and government buildings in accordance with their birth sex.

www.nbcnews.com

18 28 66

Reposted by Jo Yurcaba

ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 20d

Welp: Texas A&M President Mark Welch just stepped down after pressure from Republicans over a video of a professor who taught about transgender people in a children's literature class

25 160 490

Reposted by Jo Yurcaba

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 20d

If you are a parent of a kid you think might #ActuallyAutistic and don't want to get them screened because of RFK Jr., I'd love to talk with you for a piece. DM me or [email protected]. My Signal is emgarcia.85

8 63 96

Reposted by Jo Yurcaba

ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 23d

NEW in @chron.com: Hundreds of LGBTQ+ books were found sitting in a surplus warehouse at Texas A&M University, and the university won't say why. As first reported by @joyurcaba.bsky.social, the books include a memoir by Matthew Shepard's mother and academic texts.

www.chron.com/culture/arti...

Why are hundreds of LGBTQ+ books sitting in a Texas A&M warehouse?

"It just felt really slimy on the university's part."

www.chron.com

5 120 240

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 26d

Headline previously: "Ammunition in Kirk Shooting Engraved with Transgender, Antifascist Ideology: Sources"

Now: "Early Bulletin Said Ammunition in Kirk Shooting Engraved With Transgender, Antifascist Ideology; Some Sources Urge Caution"

2 7 47

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 26d

The WSJ updated its reporting yesterday without an editorial note or correction.

www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

Early Bulletin Said Ammunition in Kirk Shooting Engraved With Transgender, Antifascist Ideology; Some Sources Urge Caution

An early bulletin circulated widely among law enforcement officials said investigators found ammunition engraved with expressions of "transgender and anti-fascist ideology" inside the rifle that autho...

www.wsj.com

7 10 53

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 26d

folk* song

1 1 3

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 26d

These were the engravings on the bullet casings of Kirk's suspected killer:

"Notices bulges OWO what's this?" (reference to a meme)
"Hey fascist! Catch!" w/ arrow symbols
Another had the lyrics of Italian folks song "Bella Ciao"
"If you read this you are gay lmao"

www.nbcnews.com/video/inscri...

Inscriptions found on bullet casings of Charlie Kirk's suspected killer

Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed that inscriptions were found on the bullet casings belonging to Tyler Robinson, the suspected accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk. One of the inscriptions had ...

www.nbcnews.com

7 8 44

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 27d

Part of the statement from the @transjournalists.org on reporting details of the the Charlie Kirk shooting investigation.

Full statement here:
www.transjournalists.org/tja-urges-ca...

A screenshot of part of a statement from the Trans Journalists Association regarding reporting on Charlie Kirk shooting investigation:

It should also be noted that “transgender ideology” is a term coined for and used in anti-trans political messaging to falsely equate identity with politics, which is a way to frame transgender identity as a political choice rather than an innate identity. As it is often unclear what actions or political positions the phrase actually refers to — not unlike how “the homosexual agenda” is an amorphous term that has no real definition — reporters should be careful about using this term; it is used exclusively to attack a minority group for political gain.

4 140 410

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 27d

I feel like that especially means it should be called out — when it's part of a pattern. I point this out all the time.

1 15

Reposted by Jo Yurcaba

Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 27d

NYT on the alleged messages on the shooter's weapon:

According to a preliminary internal report circulated inside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, federal and local officials recovered ammunition with the shooter’s rifle that appeared to be engraved with statements “expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology.”

But a senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation cautioned that report had not been verified by A.T.F. analysts, did not match other summaries of the evidence, and might turn out to have been misread or misinterpreted. In fast-moving investigations, such status reports are not made public because they often contain a mixture of accurate and inaccurate information.

150 1.3K 4K

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 27d

I was just about to add this here

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 27d

Or sources in the DOJ/ATF or FBI, you get what I mean.

1 1 18

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 27d

This still does not meet the bar to report something like this. If you can't see the engravings yourself, you'd need sources in the FBI to verify that this is real and not a doctored image and confirm the information and say what the engravings actually said, for starters.

1 1 44

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 27d

This. A reputable news organization would not print this without providing additional detail.

Again, we have a case of a major news organization abandoning basic journalistic standards when the reporting is about trans people.

Jared Holt @jaredlholt.bsky.social · 27d

What is “transgender and antifascist ideology?” I know the debate about platforming the words of killers, but this is not really helpful if we only have that nebulous description to go off of

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 27d

Ammunition engraved with transgender and antifascist ideology was found inside the rifle authorities believe was used in Kirk’s shooting, sources say.

20 380 2.1K

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 28d

The university has not responded to questions about where the books came from or why they are there.

Last year, the university closed the campus’ LGBTQ+ Pride Center due to a bill that required state universities to end all DEI programs.

www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Texas A&M fires professor over gender-identity lesson in literature course

A lawyer for Professor Melissa McCoul told NBC News that her client "has appealed her termination and is exploring further legal action."

www.nbcnews.com

3 16

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 28d

Another nugget in this: A student who recently visited Texas A&M's off-campus Surplus Property Office, a warehouse the university uses to store property for auction and disposal, said he found a box of hundreds of LGBTQ-related books (photos included in the article).

www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Texas A&M fires professor over gender-identity lesson in literature course

A lawyer for Professor Melissa McCoul told NBC News that her client "has appealed her termination and is exploring further legal action."

www.nbcnews.com

1 6 26

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 28d

More from McCoul's lawyer in the article: "Instead, Dr. McCoul was fired in derogation of her constitutional rights and the academic freedom that was once the hallmark of higher education in Texas."

www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Texas A&M fires professor over gender-identity lesson in literature course

A lawyer for Professor Melissa McCoul told NBC News that her client "has appealed her termination and is exploring further legal action."

www.nbcnews.com

1 2 15

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 28d

Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III said that McCoul was instructed repeatedly to change her course's content so it matched the catalog description.

However, McCoul's lawyer said "she was never instructed to change her course content in any way, shape, or form."

www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Texas A&M fires professor over gender-identity lesson in literature course

A lawyer for Professor Melissa McCoul told NBC News that her client "has appealed her termination and is exploring further legal action."

www.nbcnews.com

1 4 29

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 28d

NEW: A lawyer for former Texas A&M Professor Melissa McCoul, who was fired over a lesson related to gender identity, said her client "has appealed her termination and is exploring further legal action."

For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Texas A&M fires professor over gender-identity lesson in literature course

A lawyer for Professor Melissa McCoul told NBC News that her client "has appealed her termination and is exploring further legal action."

www.nbcnews.com

4 46 190

Reposted by Jo Yurcaba

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 28d

NEWS: The full Eleventh Circuit, in an 8-5 vote, held that an insurance policy excluding transgender gender-affirming surgical care does not facially violate Title VII b/c — following SCOTUS's Skrmetti reasoning — "it does not treat anyone differently based on a protected characteristic."

In the
United States Court of Amperla
For the Eleventh Circuit
No. 22-13626
ANNA LANGE,
versus
HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA,
HOUSTON COUNTY SHERIFF CULLEN TALTON, in his official capacity,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
Defendants-Appellants,
HOUSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, et al.,
Defendant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
D.C. Docket No. 5:19-cv-00392-MTT

Before WILLIAM PRYOR, Chief Judge, and JORDAN, ROSENBAUM, JILL PRYOR, NEWSOM, BRANCH, GRANT, LUCK, LAGOA, BRASHER, ABUDU, KIDD, and WILSON, * Circuit Judges.
BRASHER, Circuit Judge, delivered the opinion of the Court, in which WILLIAM PRYOR, Chief Judge, and NEWSOM, BRANCH, GRANT, LUCK, and LAGOA, Circuit Judges, joined.
NEWSOM, Circuit Judge, filed a concurring opinion.
ROSENBAUM, Circuit Judge, filed an opinion concurring in the judg-ment.
JILL, PRYOR, Circuit Judge, filed a dissenting opinion, in which JORDAN, ABUDU, KIDD, and WILSON, Circuit Judges, joined.
ABUDU, Circuit Judge, filed a dissenting opinion.
WILSON, Circuit Judge, filed a dissenting opinion, in which ABUDU and KIDD, Circuit Judges, joined

We took this appeal en banc to answer whether the insurance policy facially violates Title VII. We conclude that it does not.
Many of Lange's arguments have been rejected by the Supreme Court. See United States v. Skrmetti, 145 S. Ct. 1816 (2025). Although the plan does not cover sex change surgeries, it does not treat anyone differently based on a protected characteristic. Because the exclusion is not facially discriminatory under Title VII, we reverse the district court's judgment, vacate the permanent injunction, and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

31 260 620

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · Sep 2

New York's LGBTQ film festival to provide free virtual screenings to Arizonans

The Arizona Queer Film Access Initiative will allow Arizonans to access free LGBTQ films after a long-running Phoenix festival was canceled last month.

For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

New York's LGBTQ film festival to provide free virtual screenings to Arizonans

The Arizona Queer Film Access Initiative will allow Arizonans to access free LGBTQ films after a long-running Phoenix festival was canceled last month.

www.nbcnews.com

10 34