Louisiana

Louisiana's transgender 'bathroom bill' clears first hurdle

Published

1 month ago

April 8, 2024

Louisiana's transgender 'bathroom bill' clears first hurdle

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A bill that that would effectively bar transgender people in Louisiana from using restrooms, locker rooms and sleeping quarters that correspond with their gender identity — in public schools, jails and domestic violence shelters — advanced out of a state legislative committee Monday.

While a handful of other GOP-controlled states have recently passed legislation dubbed “bathroom bills,” LGBTQ+ advocates say Louisiana’s bill is among the more expansive and restrictive in the country. Opponents say the bill would further harm an already vulnerable population and put them at increased risk of harassment. Proponents of the measure, which has been titled the Women’s Safety Protection Act, say it was created to protect cisgender women and girls from sexual assault and harassment.

The bill, which passed out of bipartisan committee without objection, will head to the GOP-dominated House floor next week for debate. If the bill receives approval in the lower chamber, it will move to the Senate.

Louisiana’s bill would require public schools to designate each restroom or changing room for “the exclusive use of either females, males, or members of the same family.” Similar rules would apply to bathrooms and sleeping quarters in state prisons, juvenile detention centers and state-managed domestic violence shelters.

The bill defines female and male according to one’s biological reproductive system rather than one’s gender identity.

“I’m standing for the basic understanding that there are biological difference between females and males that create the need for separate privacy spaces,” said GOP Rep. Roger Wilder III, who sponsored the measure. “This bill’s goal is to put women first by affording them confidence in their privacy and safety.”

Opponents say if the goal is to protect women, it should also seek to protect transgender women. They argue that the measure would marginalize, discriminate against, and “deny the humanity and dignity” of Louisiana’s nonbinary and transgender population. LGBTQ+ advocates fear if a transgender person is forced to use bathrooms or changing rooms that don’t align with their gender identity, they will be subject to bullying, intimidation and sexual assault.

“I get that everyone is worried about kids. I’m also worried about kids. I’m just asking that we also worry about trans kids, because they are very scared,” said Britain Forsyth, a transgender man who testified against the bill.

Louisiana’s bill comes amidst a local and national flood of bills targeting transgender people and increasingly hostile rhetoric against trans people in statehouses. So far this year, at least 155 bills targeting trans people’s rights have been introduced across the country, according to data collected by the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.

Last year, Louisiana’s GOP-controlled Legislature passed several bills described by opponents as anti-LGBTQ+ measures. At the time, then-Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the bills, effectively stopping most of the measures from becoming law during his final months in office.

But with new Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in office, lawmakers are once again considering a package of bills this session that take aim at the LGBTQ+ community, including a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that broadly bars teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in public school classrooms and a measure requiring public school teachers to use the pronouns and names that align with those students were assigned at birth.

The state currently has laws in place that prohibit transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity and a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.

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Louisiana

Urban League of Louisiana’s kicks off Listen and Learn Tour in Cenla

Published

4 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Urban League of Louisiana’s kicks off Listen and Learn Tour in Cenla

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) -The Urban League of Louisiana kicked off its Listen and Learn Tour in Alexandria on Friday, May 17, where they engaged with residents, community leaders, and elected officials from across the region. Established to advocate for fairness in society and the economy, particularly for African Americans, the organization seeks to support those in Louisiana facing economic challenges, striving for legislative changes and seeking to improve society.

During Friday’s meeting, locals voiced their perspectives on pressing issues in Central Louisiana. Urban League leaders emphasized the importance of transparency and open dialogue to address these concerns. Their objective is to foster consensus and collaboration so that they may enact meaningful change for the betterment of the community.

“Part of our commitment is ensuring that when you share an issue with us, you won’t be left waiting,” said Charles Phipps, Director of Policy at the Urban League. “Within a week of our visit, expect to hear back with a summary of what we’ve gathered from you. However, when it comes to policy changes, these processes take time as they navigate legislative cycles. We pledge to keep communication channels transparent, providing updates early and often so you’re informed of our progress. Today, we’re proud to announce that the outcomes we implement will be shared with the community.”

Urban League Officials said they’re committed to doing everything they can to advocate for the community.

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Louisiana

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INVESTIGATION INITIATED BY FORMER LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of Global Payments, Inc. – GPN

Published

11 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

NEW ORLEANS, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (“KSF”), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Global Payments, Inc. (NYSE: GPN).

Global Payments, Inc., is the parent company of Active Network LLC (“Active”), which operates online event registration and payment services for camps and athletic events, providing members with discounts on various consumer products and services, such as wine tastings, sports apparel, and travel.

In October 2022, following widespread complaints that Active’s system caused consumers to mistakenly enroll in a trial membership, which automatically converted to a paid subscription if not cancelled within 30 days charging customers annual fees, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) sued Active, alleging that its continued operation of the program violated federal law.

Thereafter, the Company and certain of its executives were also sued in a securities class action lawsuit, charging them with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. Recently, the court presiding over that case denied the Company’s motion to dismiss in part, allowing the case to move forward.

KSF’s investigation is focusing on whether Global’s officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to its shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Global shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-833-938-0905 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit us at https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-gpn/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation’s premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients – including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors – in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:
Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner
[email protected]
1-877-515-1850
1100 Poydras St., Suite 960
New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

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Louisiana

Does a bill to protect IVF in Louisiana go far enough?

Published

18 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

Does a bill to protect IVF in Louisiana go far enough?

A bill wending its way through the Legislature aims to protect in-vitro fertilization treatments in Louisiana—and prevent the state from going down the same road as Alabama, where a court decision equating frozen embryos to children temporarily halted care.

But even supporters of the legislation worry that, in its current form, the bill does not go far enough and could leave providers who accidentally destroy an embryo vulnerable to criminal prosecution.

This week, state Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, who sponsored House Bill 833, asked the Senate’s Judiciary A Committee to amend the bill so that it would remove language from existing law that describes an in-vitro fertilized human ovum as a “biological human being.” (An earlier version of HB 833 had already tweaked that language, changing “fertilized human ovum” to “embryo.”)

After a debate over whether life begins at fertilization or when an embryo implants in a uterus, that amendment failed to pass.

Because some Louisiana criminal statutes reference “human beings,” Katie Bliss, an attorney specializing in IVF contracts who helped craft HB 833, worries doctors could be entangled in criminal cases.

“In some of the homicide statutes…instead of a person, they refer to a human being,” she said. “That gives pause.”

Dr. Nicole Ulrich, a New Orleans-based IVF specialist who worked on the bill, said the team behind it is still hoping to strip that language to allow “full protection” for providers.

If the language were removed from the law, embryos would still have “juridical person” rights, a special status given to corporations that allows entities to sue, Bliss told the Senate committee. She added that current statute grants them those rights, and that the language describing embryos as human beings represented an inconsistency in the law.

Legally, once an embryo is implanted in a woman’s uterus, it is considered a natural person, Bliss said, adding that an embryo represented “the potential for life.”

But Louisiana has one of the most conservative, anti-abortion state governments in the country, and Bliss’ explanation didn’t sit well with Republican senators on the Judiciary A Committee.

This “could be a difficult definition for those of us that hold different positions on what an embryo is,” said Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge. “Many of us believe an embryo is life.”

Edmonds voted to reject the amendment, along with Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, and Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Many. It failed along party lines, with Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Pineville, and Sen. Gary Carter, D-New Orleans, voting for it.

The bill then eked its way out of the committee, with Seabaugh and Edmonds attempting to stop it outright. Mizell cast the deciding “yes” vote.

If it passes, IVF providers would operate under updated legal standards. Initially, the bill granted them immunity so long as they were acting “in good faith.” But after Bliss’ research concluded that was not a reliable legal standard, the bill was amended so that IVF clinics would be subject to the typical medical malpractice laws and standards of care that govern other types of providers.

The debate over IVF in Louisiana comes as the Texas Supreme Court considers a case that could hamper IVF care in that state, as the Texas Tribune has reported.

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