Author: Kailynn Johnson

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Supreme Court Denies Petition To Hear Lawsuit On Drag Ban

Friends Of George's Cast at their show Drag Rocks in 2023 Photo Credit: Friends of George's

The United States Supreme Court will not be hearing the lawsuit filed by Memphis theater group, Friends of George’s, regarding the state’s ban on drag performances.

According to the Supreme Court website, a petition for the court to hear the case was denied on Monday.

In September, the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hear the suit after all judges in the court received a petition to review it as a full court.

Prior to this decision, the same court reversed the U.S. District Court of the Western District’s decision to halt the enforcement of the controversial law. According to Friends of George’s the court decided in a 2-to-1 ruling that they lacked standing, which led to the lawsuit being dismissed.

Judge Andre Mathis of the Sixth Circuit Court wrote in his dissent that part of Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) was an “unconstitutional content-based restriction on free speech.”

The law stated that these “adult cabaret performances” were “harmful to minors.” It made “adult cabaret performances” on public property or “in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult” a criminal offense.

Mathis said that the theater group had the right to sue since the law could stop them from doing their shows. However, the Tennessee Attorney General’s office argued that since the company hadn’t been harmed by the law, they couldn’t sue.

Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) called the ruling “very sad” in a post on Facebook, and noted that other organizations could  still sue on similar grounds.

“We are so grateful to Friends of George’s and their attorneys for all their work in defending our community,” Sanders said. “In the future, however, there could be other suits with other plaintiffs and the courts may decide they have standing to sue, which was the issue here. “

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the decision a “big win for Tennessee, adding that they will “continue to defend Tennessee’s law and children. … Free speech is a sacred American value, but the First Amendment does not require Tennessee to allow sexually explicit performances in front of children,” Skrmetti said.

Friends of George’s released the following statement:

“On February 24, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear our case, allowing Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act to stand. But this ruling does not define us. Friends of George’s Theatre Company will continue exercising our First Amendment right to bring joyful, LGBTQ+ inclusive art into our community while raising thousands for charities that uphold dignity and respect for all.

We extend our deepest gratitude to our legal team for their valiant effort in representing us over the past two years. We are forever grateful for their advocacy, dedication and unwavering belief in our constitutional right to free expression.”

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Tennessee Leads Coalition to Regulate Counterfeit Weight Loss Drugs

Photo: Roberto Sorin / Unsplash

Tennessee and other states are urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action against those who sell “counterfeit, unapproved and contaminated weight loss drugs.”

A press release from Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he has led a “38-state and territory bipartisan coalition” that is asking the agency to regulate the sale of drugs with weight loss side effects. These drugs include Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. 

The FDA has addressed concerns for these “unapproved” drugs. They noted that these are “options for weight loss” but noted that illegitimate versions “do not undergo the FDA’s review for safety” among other testing.

A letter from the coalition to the FDA noted that while the states have a role in “protecting their own customers,” they need the agency to regulate counterfeits that originate outside of the United States.

“With its broad jurisdiction and resources the FDA is uniquely positioned to lead the campaign against dangerous adulterations of GLP-1 medications in the U.S. drug supply,” the letter said. “We urge the FDA to exercise its statutory authority through investigations, inspections, and enforcement actions to safeguard consumers.”

Skrmetti noted that while many rely on these drugs for health reasons, there are people taking advantage of this need. The Attorney General said  high demand and “tight supply” have created a lucrative market for counterfeits. He added that not only have these bogus products not been tested but pose a threat to the country’s “national security” and they have “infiltrated the U.S. supply chain.”

“These counterfeit or copycat drugs can be contaminated through shady supply chains running from China, Turkey, and other overseas suppliers, or they can contain entirely different drugs manufactured and packaged to look like GLP-1 drugs,” Skrmetti said in a statement.  “We are asking the FDA to lead efforts to safeguard our American supply chain and to work with other federal and state agencies to stop bad actors from producing counterfeit drugs.”

In a consumer protection warning against these items — known as GLP-1 drugs — Skrmetti mentioned  that online marketing and social media have helped their spread. While these sellers advertise these products for a “fraction of the price” they could be offering an “ineffective alternative.”

“Online health/wellness companies might try to bypass prescription requirements by offering to sell the active ingredient of GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide or tirzepatide) and marketing them as ‘not for human consumption’ or for ‘research purposes only,’” the warning said. The websites, however, will often provide consumers with tips on how to use the active ingredients to make their own versions of GLP-1 drugs at home.

The letter to the FDA said that the fake items only offer “active ingredients,” which creates additional issues for consumers. Users are then required to supplement the medication themselves, without the proper knowledge on how to administer injections.

“Patient error in self-dosing has contributed to the dramatic increase in reports of semaglutide overdoses in the U.S. Consumers may also expose themselves to danger by improperly storing active ingredients or using non-sterile equipment,” the letter said.

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Stop Work Order to Affect Legal Services for Immigrant Children in Tennessee

Photo: Tingey Injury Law Firm via Unsplash

A notice from the federal government has impacted how advocacy groups can provide legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children in Tennessee.

Yesterday evening Advocates for Immigrant Rights (AIR), a subgrantee of the Acacia Center for Justice, was notified by the organization that a “stop work order” had been issued. The center, which helps support unaccompanied youth migrants through legal aid, provides funding to AIR for children in Tennessee.

In a letter addressed to the Acacia Center, the United States Department of the Interior said the group must “stop all work” associated with a contract between them and the department.

Photo: Advocates for Immigrant Rights

“This sudden decision cuts off legal services that help ensure due process for these kids, leaving 26,000 children across the U.S. vulnerable to deportation and potential harm,” AIR said in a statement.

Casey Bryant, executive director of AIR, said through their contract with the Acacia Center, they’ve accepted 200 cases. Bryant said the stop work order advises them to stop all work on their cases.

“This creates a serious quandary for us as attorneys who have a legal and ethical obligation to represent clients who we’ve agreed to represent,” Bryant said. “We’re representing them through universal representation.”

Bryant explained through this process they agree to be their client’s attorney for “anything that they need that has to do with their immigration proceedings.” They added this agreement lasts until the client receives legal status.

The population of unaccompanied immigrant children represent “some of the most vulnerable people in the country,” Bryant said. As a result, they don’t have access to immigration proceedings or representation in court.

Bryant said they are not changing the way they represent their clients at this point; however, they’re hoping they can reach a resolution through litigation. Even if there is no plan for the contract between the Acacia Center and AIR to be extended, Bryant hopes they can receive funding to represent their current cases.

“We’ve agreed to representation; we’ve already entered our appearance with the courts,,” Bryant said. “The courts are relying on us to provide representation. It’s impossible for us to not do work on these cases.”

This recent order is the newest addition of those issued by the Trump administration that targets immigrants including acts of mass deportations, family separation, and expansions of detention centers.

“We’re moving towards a dictatorship where a select group of people gets to make decisions about the way that we live and move through the country,” Bryant said. “I don’t think the Trump administration and these decisions speak for the people of the United States. He’s being influenced by big money, and they are making decisions to make this country — and the state — inhospitable to people who they don’t want to be here. That’s not how we as a country act or believe.”

Bryant mentioned they believe that governors like Bill Lee who have voiced their support for Trump’s mission and policies are “riding on the coattails of whatever authoritarianism the president and government are enforcing.”

“It’s not benefitting the people of Tennessee,” Bryant said. “It doesn’t benefit the people of Tennessee to act like this and to treat people who are residents, who pay taxes, and who add to the diversity and fabric of our communities.”

Update February 2, 2025: According to the Acacia Center, the order has been rescinded. Both the Acacia Center and AIR can resume their services.

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Memphis Groups Attend Housing and Homelessness Day on the Hill

Shelby County participants at Housing and Homelessness Day on the Hill (Photo: Housing for All TN Coalition)

Representatives from Memphis homelessness advocacy groups joined other advocates yesterday for the third annual Housing and Homelessness Day on the Hill.

Officials said the group, comprised of 125 renters, unhoused residents, and concerned constituents from across the state, went to the state capitol in Nashville. Participants convened under a coalition named Housing for All Tennessee.

Organizers met with 50 state legislators to encourage lawmakers to address housing issues, homelessness, and protections for renters.

“The intensifying housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues in Tennessee, impacting rural and urban areas alike,” officials said in a statement. “Rents, evictions, and homelessness are on the rise and homeownership is increasingly out of reach. Twenty-eight percent of Tennesseans, and nearly half of all renters, are cost burdened — paying over 30 percent of their income on housing — while the state faces a shortage of over 121,000 rental homes for extremely low income renters.”

Mauri Pinckney, an organizer from the Memphis Tenants Union, said not only is rent constantly on the rise in the state, but landlords often have more rights than tenants. 

“[There’s] little to no affordable housing in Memphis,” Pinckney said. “It’s not in a good state at all. Most people are one paycheck away from being homeless. That’s just not acceptable — especially with most of the residents in Tennessee being a part of the working class.” 

Pinckney went on to say that the purpose of yesterday’s event was to introduce legislators to the coalition, and to see what their stances are on housing issues and the current state of housing. They also worked to get data on renters and how they can move the affordability crisis forward in a “progressive way.”

Kiera Sowell, youth action board chair for Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTH), said they also wanted to convince them to pass bills that would assist the homeless population and tenants.

“[We’re trying] to push them away from the bills like the highway bill,” Sowell said. “We would like people to be able to protest. We want people who are living on the streets and the highways to be able to not have all their stuff taken away, and be able to live comfortably as much as they can while we get assistance to them.”

The proposed legislation in question is Senate Bill 0217 which would require the Tennessee Department of Transportation and other agencies to regulate “the collection, storage, claiming, and disposal of personal property used for camping from the shoulder, berm, or right-of-way of a state or interstate highway, or under a bridge or overpass, or within an underpass, of a state or interstate highway.”

“I just want our legislators and representatives to see that there are real people in these communities, collectives, and companies that have struggled with homelessness and housing insecurity,” Sowell said. “It is something that affects every single person whether or not they’re aware of it. Not only are we in danger of losing our homes and security, but across the nation people are [as well]. If we can be an example to the rest of the states of effective housing assistance, direct change, and advocacy — I hope we can expand that to the rest of the country.”

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Downtown Protest Condemns Trump, Musk, and Current Government

Patty Crawford holds sign during protest. Photo Credit: Kailynn Johnson

Protesters gathered in front of City Hall today to condemn President Donald Trump and his administration, Elon Musk, and the country’s political climate. The protest was organized by an activist group called “901 Memphis Area Indivisible.”

“We are protesting the loss of our democracy and are part of a national movement to stop the destruction by Trump and his gang of vandals,” Tony Cernosek, a member of the group, said in a statement. “This effort must and will succeed or millions of citizens will suffer terrible hardship — mostly the poor and marginalized.”.

Activists carried signs while chanting things such as, “Donald Trump’s a Nazi,” “This is what democracy looks like,” and “Deport Musk.”After circling around Memphis City Hall, protestors continued to march downtown.

Patty Crawford said as someone who has lived in the South for most of her life, she’s become used to “this mess,” but said “it’s never been this bad.”

“There’s really no issue Musk and Trump have not had their finger on in the last month,” Crawford said. “They are destroying funding for all kinds of social programs. The first thing they went after is U.S. aid, so people are dying overseas because there’s not enough food to eat.”

Crawford added that the current administration is against LGBTQ+ rights, and openly condemned Trump’s increased focus on deportations. Another participant, Bill Stegall, added that the administration is also working to eradicate important resources.

“They’re not carefully making sure these programs are working,” Stegall said. “They’re simply doing a word search, and anything that says poor, underserved, impoverished,  or African American, they’re just shutting that down. They’re  just shutting down help for people who need it.”

Stegall said he and others gathered today to get connected to commemorate the beginning of a “very large movement” that will “culminate in the next vote.”

“Your silence will not protect you at this point,” Crawford said. “You can stay at home and think you’re safe, but you’re not safe.”

Sue Lynn is a retired teacher who said she’s concerned about too many things to mention.

“I’m just totally upset, disgusted, and reviled by what’s going on in Washington and the people who are supposed to be leading us,” Lynn said.

Sue Lynn. Photo Credit: Kailynn Johnson

Lynn said she was there for her students — whom she referred to as “our saving grace.”

“I have only a limited amount of time left on this earth, but they’re going to take over and by golly they’re going to do it,” Lynn said.

Adults were not the only group of people protesting. Nine-year-old James Wofford and his mother Callie Bugg were there to show their opposition to what’s going on in America.

Wofford and Bugg hold signs at protest. Photo Credit: Kailynn Johnson

“We’re here to be heard [and] to be a part of the voice that says no,” Bugg said.

Bugg said she hopes the voices that say “no” are further amplified by today’s movement.

“I hope this is the start of a lot of people standing up.”

 Wofford added that he’s looking forward to his 13th birthday when “Trump is not our president.”

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MedHaul Lands New Investment To Fuel Growth

Photo credit: MedHaul via Facebook

A digital platform founded in Memphis will continue to expand its reach and capabilities to address transportation needs and services for healthcare providers and patients after receiving an investment from InvestTN.

While officials said it’s up to the company to disclose how much the investment was, InvestTN said the contribution came from their Growth Fund which makes investments between $250k to $3 million.

MedHaul is a scheduling platform that was founded in 2017 to connect organizations to transportation for patients with complex needs such as those in rural communities or who don’t have access to high quality public transport. The platform was founded by Erica Plybeah, with the idea stemming from her personal experience with medical transportation.

“I fell in love with medical transportation for two reasons,” Plybeah said. “The initial origin story is the experience with my grandmother who was a Type 2 diabetic, double-leg amputee, and just seeing my family deal with all of the transportation challenges with her and not really getting any insight from the health institutions on any better platforms or services they offered because they didn’t have any better options at the time.”

While the organization was founded in 2017, Plybeah said it was an idea she had had in her head for a while. She said the opportunity to put pen to paper arose from a collaboration between business development nonprofit Epicenter, and the Memphis Medical District. 

The two organizations held an entrepreneurial contest looking for solutions to one of the top healthcare issues in the area — which was transportation. Given her existing ideas and passion for medical transportation, Plybeah decided to enter the opportunity challenge, which resulted in MedHaul’s first investment.

Plybeah added she was also working with a health system that provided “over 100,000” rides a year. However, they were using a spreadsheet to manage medical transportation, which she found to be inefficient given all the requirements needed to solidify a ride.

This method also only allowed one organization to access the spreadsheet, limiting the transportation company’s ability to see the information compiled. Plybeah said most of the time the agencies would capture the information over the phone, and leave room for manual error.

“That is when we learned that there was essentially no easy way to book medical transportation,” Plybeah said. “Especially for patients who have complex needs.”

The company formally launched in 2019 in the tri-state area of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Plybeah said it works like an Uber model, by building connections with medical transportation companies who in turn provide rides.

Since the company’s inception, Plybeah said they have been able to raise nearly $ 7 million and expand their services to about 15 states and growing.

“Back when we first started, we could only work with smaller foundations or one hospital at a time,” Plybeah said. “We weren’t big enough or mature enough to really bring on enterprise organizations. We do that today. Most of our customers are large enterprises like health insurance companies, large health systems, [and] large healthcare provider groups.”

Plybeah said they’ve been able to hit significant milestones with only a portion of the money that other organizations have raised — which she said has ranged from $10-40 million. Investments from companies such as InvestTN will allow MedHaul to expand its footprint and be the “category leading company in [their] space.”

Eller Kelliher, chief investment officer of LaunchTN, which powers  the InvestTN fund, said MedHaul was an “attractive” investment opportunity because of their existing strategic investors. 

“She had some recent growth and traction and signals in the market that things were leaning very positively,” Kelliher said. “If we could make a commitment to really fill out the round, it was going to help her get to those milestones faster.

While the federally-funded company is based in Nashville, Kelliher said they’re committed to “getting checks out” across the state. Kelliher hopes this will signal additional investment opportunities in the city.

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Police Investigate Swatting Incident at Lausanne

Photo credit: Lausanne Collegiate School via Facebook

Police presence at Lausanne Collegiate School Friday morning is believed to be the result of “swatting,” school officials said in an email obtained by the Flyer.

“Swatting is defined as a false report of an ongoing emergency or threat of violence intended to prompt an immediate tactical law enforcement response,” the United States Department of Education said. “Swatting is not a new threat; it has evolved over the last decade or so and includes a range of tactics and techniques used to cause false public alarm and divert law enforcement resources to a hoax threat.”

Security at Lausanne said these calls are meant to incite “fear and panic in a population.”

“While reports like this are concerning, police respond quickly and appropriately, utilizing their growing understanding of swatting incidents,” the school said in a statement.

Officials said this morning the Office of Veterans Affairs received a call inferring that a male was “contemplating committing an act of self harm.” They added that the school was pinged as the location of the call, even though the male said “they were ‘at home.’”

Police were sent to the school and determined there was no threat on campus. Law enforcement then traced the call and number to a female at a school in South Memphis. A similar situation happened at White Station High School on Thursday. 

Regarding the incident, Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) said the call was deemed to not be an immediate threat.

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Future of Environmental Justice Center In Jeopardy Due To Federal Funding Freeze

Young, Gifted and Green's 2024-25 Tribe 7 Lead Prevention Ambassadors at their first Leadership Retreat in Memphis. Photo Credit: Young, Gifted, and Green via Facebook

The announcement of a freeze on federal funding for public loans and grants is likely to affect an environmental justice project for Memphis.

On January 27, a memorandum was leaked from the Office of Management and Budget to heads of executive departments and agencies. The letter ordered all federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders.”

“This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best use of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities,” the memorandum said. “The temporary pause will become effective on January 28, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.”

Prior to this announcement, Young, Gifted and Green, a non-profit environmental justice organization, received a nearly $20 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a result of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.  However, the organization said they are uncertain if these rewards “will actually be awarded.”

According to a statement from Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) This funding was meant to establish the Mid-South Environmental Justice Center along with a community engagement plan, coordinated workforce training in green jobs, and hands-on water and air-quality testing.

“As we have seen in recent years, with fights over pipelines, air quality and our sand aquifer, we must be vigilant in assuring our neighborhoods and their residents see true environmental justice,” Cohen said. “This EPA funding will create a center to coordinate the appropriate responses and help communities get and remain safe and healthy.”

LaTricea Adams, founder, president, and CEO of Young, Gifted and Green said while they wanted this to be a great opportunity for the city, they are unsure about its fate.

“With today’s announcement of the temporary pause on all federal funding/programs is definitely felt and impacts our award,“ Adams said in a statement. “Despite these extreme circumstances, our application was selected out of thousands across the country, and we have not given up faith that we will see this project persevere,” 

Adams said they will provide updates as they receive more information about the future of the project and their grant.

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MSCS Students Gain Access to HIV, STI Testing, Treatment

Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition via Unsplash

A new partnership will allow Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) to provide students and families with testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI), counseling, treatment, education, and more.

The Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) announced the partnership with MSCS last week. The health department said it wants to provide more resources for younger people who have been diagnosed with HIV and to be proactive in preventing the disease.

Shelby County has historically had one of the highest new infection rates for HIV in the nation. In May of 2024 The SCHD noted an “alarming increase in newly diagnosed cases of HIV in our community.” Officials said the highest increase affected people aged 14 to 45, and was not “spread evenly throughout the county.”

The spread of HIV among teens rose 50 percent from 2022-2023

“Preliminary data from the Tennessee Department of Health indicates the infection rate for people aged 15 to 19 in Shelby County increased by about 50 percent from 2022 to 2023,” the health department said in a statement. “Rates of new HIV cases among young people aged 15 to 24 years old in Shelby County are more than five times higher than the same age group in the United States overall.”

Shelby County Health Department director and health officer Dr. Michelle Taylor said that the impact of HIV and STIs on young people is “significant” and is further complicated by stigma and “a lack of access to healthcare resources.”

“Rates of new HIV cases among young people aged 15 to 24 years old in Shelby County are more than five times higher than the same age group in the United States overall.”

Shelby County Health Department

Prior to this announcement the health department, United Way of Greater Nashville, and John Snow, Inc.(JSI) hosted the first Shelby County HIV summit in October at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis. The summit not only facilitated conversations on how to coordinate efforts about HIV awareness and prevention, but how to address rising rates in Shelby County, which Taylor said represents a renewed sense of commitment to teamwork.

Taylor said, during these conversations, people realized that the health department had not been in MSCS, the largest school district in the state, since before the pandemic.

“It was a renewed sense of urgency to say, ‘Hey, why aren’t we in the schools?’” Taylor said. “Or, if we’re in the schools, ‘Why is it limited?’”

As a result of these conversations, Taylor and her team provided a memorandum of understanding to increase the health department’s presence at schools.

“Memphis Shelby County Schools services 106,000 students and a lot of those students are adolescents, people we know we need to educate with comprehensive sex education and teach them how to best protect their health in every way,” Taylor said. “We’re super excited.”

According to Taylor, education plays a large role in diminishing stigma and engaging young people. She said this still stands as a barrier to addressing HIV.

“Here in the traditional South, in what we know as ‘The Bible Belt,’ a lot of times stigma can get in the way,” Taylor said. “Stigma and stigmatizing people who are living with HIV gets us nowhere. Especially when we know even if you’re living with HIV you can live a long, fruitful life.”

Taylor said that HIV prevention and treatment have come a long way, resulting in more care for those living with the disease, which can aid in conversations that seek to address stigma.

“This valuable partnership with MSCS will help us provide our young people with the information, screenings, and preventive care they need to protect themselves. I am grateful to the Shelby County Board of Education and Memphis-Shelby County Schools leadership for putting the health of students and families first in making this beneficial collaboration possible,” Taylor said.

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OUTMemphis Speaks on Resources for LGBTQ Community in Wake of Executive Orders

Photo by Bruno Aguirre on Unsplash

The slew of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump on his first day in office has prompted organizations like OUTMemphis to be proactive, and to prepare their communities for the challenges ahead.

Today, OUTMemphis Executive Director Molly Quinn, held a virtual press conference to give “quick information” about the services the organization is offering for extra support to those affected by the orders.

“The new presidential administration has issued several executive orders upon inauguration, including new discriminatory and ill-planned guidance around sex and gender identity,” Quinn said. “We anticipated this as a national LGBTQ+ movement. We’re working very closely with our national and local partners to understand the exact impact — and in what way, and what order — on transgender and nonbinary people in the Mid-South.”

On January 20th, Trump signed a number of orders that tackle topics such as immigration, American citizenship, and more. These orders will adversely affect members of minority populations, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Among these orders is one that states “sex” refers to an “immutable biological classification as either male or female.”

“‘Sex’ is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity,’” the order said. “These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.  Under my direction, the Executive Branch will enforce all sex-protective laws to promote this reality, and the following definitions shall govern all Executive interpretation of and application of Federal law and administration policy.”

Tennessee already has regulations and restrictions on the state level that are similar to the ones Trump has imposed federally. Last summer, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that residents in Tennessee would not be allowed to change the gender on their birth certificate. 

Court documents said “there is no fundamental right to a birth certificate recording gender identity instead of biological sex.” OUTMemphis officials said they are already offering services to help individuals navigate this, as it can be a barrier to accessing social services.

Quinn also said this executive order could immediately impact federal sex-segregated spaces, such as prisons. This would cause transgender women to be transferred to a men’s prison, and transgender men to be transferred to a women’s prison.

The executive order also prohibits federal funds from being used to promote “gender ideology.” This is one of the things Quinn said her and her team are monitoring closely.

“OUTMemphis as an organization benefits from federal programs,” Quinn explained. “We deliver federal dollars for HIV prevention and care, mental health, and housing for youth and adults in the community. All of those programs are based on the idea that LGBTQ people are a protected class with regards to social services.”

OUTMemphis said their immediate focus is their legal clinics and financial resources regarding identification and family rights. They are also looking to expand support systems for minors and teens.

“I think we all know and we all understand the broad spectrum of poor climate for the welfare of young people in our state,” Quinn said. “We have bathroom bans, bad school policy, bad foster policies. We have harmful healthcare policies, and the new federal attacks and stigmatization of transgender people will be particularly harmful to minors and adolescence who are coping with so much.”

Quinn also mentioned that new DEI regulations may also significantly impact organizations like OUTMemphis, as they have benefited from several policy initiatives.

While these orders may be the signal of what’s to come, OUTMemphis said they’re prepared to help individuals access social programs and resources.

“The fight that we have in front of us feels very new, but it truly isn’t,” Quinn said. “We already know how to prepare for Trump. We already know how to prepare for a more hateful state legislature, another wave of corporate bullies, of removing DEI culture within our capitalist systems. This is part of what we’ve done for a very long time.”