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States that passed anti-transgender laws aimed at minors saw suicide attempts by transgender and gender nonconforming teenagers increase by as much as 72% in the following years, a new study by The Trevor Project says. The peer-reviewed study, published published Thursday in the journal Nature Human Behavior, looked at survey data from young people in 19 states, comparing rates of suicide attempts before and after bans passed. (Simmons-Duffin, 9/26)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the federal government over its requirement that states provide LGBTQ+ affirming placement for foster care youth. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, states that the rule issued by the U.S. Health and Human Services would exacerbate the foster care provider shortage by compelling states to recruit new providers that comply with the rule while costing Texas money. If it fails to implement the requirements, Texas could lose as much as $432 million in annual federal funding for its foster care program. (Moore, 9/25)

With November’s election looming and hundreds of bills threatening LGBTQ+ rights all over the U.S., one Massachusetts community is hoping to model itself as a safe haven for transgender people. A resolution pending before Northampton’s City Council would declare the Western Massachusetts community a sanctuary city for people who are transgender and gender diverse, encompassing individuals with identities beyond male or female. (Patkin, 9/26)

The White House claimed that “thousands” of veterans could benefit when President Biden announced this summer he was issuing pardons to gay veterans who were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation “and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades.” But three months later, only eight veterans have applied for pardons—six from the Air Force, two from the Army, and none from the Coast Guard, Navy, or Marines. (Anne Marshall-Chalmers, 9/26)