SCOTUS rules against trans kids, Buttigieg's family attacked & 50 arrested at Istanbul Pride

What the ruling says: Two trans athletes challenged their states’ bans on trans sports participation on Title IX (equality in education) and 14th Amendment (Equal Protection) grounds. The six-judge conservative majority rejected both of these arguments, allowing states to ban trans kids from school sports and making it unlikely that trans people can seek relief from state-sponsored discrimination from this Court at all.

Why it matters: Sports are part of education in America, teaching fitness and social skills and creating a sense of belonging. Telling a class of people that they can’t participate because of who they are is discrimination.

What happened: The former secretary of transportation said on Substack that someone called in an anonymous tip to the authorities and that they took his and Chasten’s kids away for 24 hours to investigate. “Nothing in the forensic interview with the children, which was conducted by trained personnel, had led to concerns,” he wrote.

Why it matters: The Buttigieges are one of the most visible gay couples in America with children, and homophobia has real consequences.

What happened: Wiener said that “a group of people began screaming at me, ran up to me, surrounded me and began harassing me,” and video showed people yelling obscenities at him, including calling him a “Zionist” despite his opposition to U.S. military support for Israel, his rejection of financial support from AIPAC, and his calling the situation in Gaza “genocide.”

Why it matters: It’s a sign of how, for some on the left, little distinction is made between “Jewish” and “zionist” and how that issue is being used to divide the left in the country and drive away staunch trans allies. Wiener is one of the most progressive politicians in the U.S., and even he – like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) last year – is facing protests from the left.

What the case is about: Several laws in Washington state allow runaway trans teens in shelters to access gender-affirming care without parental permission. Conservatives argue that this violates parents’ rights to make health care decisions for their children, even if those parents are so bad that their kids are living in a shelter.

Why it matters: 2027 will now be the third year in a row that the conservative Supreme Court will hear a case involving transgender people’s rights, and it already ruled against gender-affirming care for minors in Skrmetti last year. The laws’ sponsors in Washington said that they’re necessary to keep trans kids – who often face rejection from their parents – in shelters instead of on the street.

What they were protesting: “My love, today isn’t over yet. In fact, we’re just getting started,” demonstrators chanted. “We’re not giving up. We’ll keep taking to the streets from every corner we’re in.”

Why it matters: LGBTQ+ people face increasing repression in many countries. While being gay is legal in Turkey, the country’s authoritarian leader has introduced more penalties for behavior “contrary to biological sex and general morality.”

Picture of the Week

The June 16 FIFA World Cup match between Egypt and Iran – two countries where it’s illegal to be gay – was designated as the World Cup’s “Pride Match.” Here, queer activist Peter Tatchell holds up a Progress Pride flag at the match.

Tatchell also had a sign that read, “Iran & Egypt ban gay footballers. It’s against FIFA rules!”