“This new law sets an awful precedent. Other states that are hostile to transgender people will likely follow suit. This law also hurts people who are not transgender if they don’t fit into Iowa’s new definition of sex. Nondiscrimination protections keep everyone safe – this is a shameful move.

Advocates for Youth will never stop fighting for transgender young people’s right to thrive – and against cruel attempts to play politics with their lives, their futures, and their safety. Transgender youth will always be here. We must work harder than ever to build a world that meets their needs and celebrates their power.”

Advocates for Youth announces awards totalling $510,000 USD that will support nine organizations to deliver AMAZE animated videos to their region and increase access to free sexual health information and resources.

In its first weeks, the Trump Administration has made it irrefutably clear they do not share our values or respect our right to carry out our mission. President Trump has gone to war on young people’s health and rights: he’s announced bans on DEI and discussions of gender, decimated the rights of survivors of sexual assault and transgender students, ordered ICE raids and deportations, furthered attacks on K-12 education – and that’s just the beginning. This administration has left thousands of young people living in fear. Advocates for Youth, long a partner of government agencies in public health and education, cannot do the work we do with the restrictions this lawless and cruel administration has put in place. 

Sports allow young people to learn to work together and to challenge themselves in a safe and supportive environment. Every student deserves the chance to play with their friends – it’s really that simple. This attempted blanket ban on transgender students’ sports participation is a cruel attack on young people everywhere who just want the chance to exist and to grow up in peace.

The leader of the U.S. Department of Education must prioritize and protect students’ civil rights – not seek to undermine them. Student survivors, LGBTQ+ young people, and pregnant and parenting students deserve a leader who will defend them from discrimination and uphold their right to a safe, inclusive education.

All young people deserve to be safe and celebrated at school, and to see themselves reflected in school curricula. Research shows that a person’s identities are strongly linked to their health outcomes. We can’t, and shouldn’t, ignore the unique challenges BIPOC youth and LGBTQ+ youth are facing in their lives.