Articles from the Constitution State
Gender-affirming care shield
The House Judiciary Committee has legislation that would “expand the state’s existing shield law [that] provides statutory protections for providers of abortion and gender-affirming care,” according to CT Mirror.
Reports the Mirror, “House Bill 7135 would add to the state’s current legal protections, safeguarding physicians who provide reproductive and gender-affirming services via telehealth to patients in other states. Several physicians testified that the measure provides added security in the face of national trends that are increasingly restricting access to reproductive care.”
“The idea that I could be criminally prosecuted for providing evidence-based and individualized care to one of my patients in this sacred space is reprehensible,” wrote Kristin Newton, a family physician wrote in submitted testimony.
Connecticut joins Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont in New England and four other states with such shield laws, according to NPR.
PROUD Academy approval
The state’s board of education has granted initial approval recognizing PROUD Academy in Asonia as a charter school.
Founded in 2023, PROUD (which stands for Proudly Respecting Our Unique Differences) could become the first LGBTQ-affirming charter middle school in New England if state legislators approve the financing.
Reports the Valley Independent Sentinel, the school hopes to open in September 2026 at the Boys and Girls Club of Lower Naugatuck Valley, reports New Haven Independent. It aims to start out with 50 sixth graders and eventually educating approximately 150 students ranging from grades six to eight. Students from across Connecticut and other states may attend.
“As a high school English teacher and a lesbian, I would be honored to one day teach in the school that Patty and her board have created,” Barb Elwood of Milford said at a school board public hearing prior to the school board’s decision. “When I was a student in high school in 1984, I found myself very conflicted. I felt one way on the inside, but the society I was growing up in dictated that I live an entirely different life.
“To simply be in high school is hard. Being yourself shouldn’t be. Therefore, it’s time for all of us to give teenagers who are gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, or even just questioning themselves a voice, the voice I never had.”
Banned from Pride
As of press time for this issue, Middletown’s LGBTQIA+ Commission was not permitting the Community Health Center to participate in its June 7 Pridefest this year—“in any way, including marching, vending and sponsoring”—because the Center no longer provides gender-affirming care for those under age 19, according to The Middletown Press.
Reports the Press, the Center received a $500K federal grant in May to expand its physical, mental, dental, substance use disorder and pharmacy services. But a Trump executive order excludes funding for transgender services for minors.
The Press also reports that the LGBTQIA+ Commissioner Brianna Skowera reached out to the Center multiple times for clarification, but received no response.
Thus, “It would be inappropriate for them to participate” in the city’s Pride festival this year, although it had done so for the previous six years. “If [the Center] were to clarify their stance or provide information or explain how they’ve attempted to do harm reduction in the process of this business decision.”
Long-term care protections
On May 30, “An Act Concerning LGBTQ+ Discrimination in Long-Term Care Facilities” was signed into law.
This new law establishes comprehensive anti-discrimination protections for residents in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted living communities. It prohibits facility staff from discriminating against residents based on numerous characteristics, including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, and HIV status.
“I’m proud to report that a bill I helped lead has officially passed the House of Representatives,” said State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan in a public statement. “This was a top priority for the legislature’s LGBTQ+ Caucus [where Allie-Brennan serves as co-chair].”