Louisiana
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.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana State Police issued a Silver Alert Friday for a 76-year-old New Orleans man who has been missing since Wednesday.
Elbert Welch was last seen in the 1700 block of Holiday Drive on May 6 at approximately 11 a.m. State police received the request to issue a Silver Alert at approximately 6:54 p.m. Friday on behalf of the New Orleans Police Department.
Welch is a white male with brown eyes and black and gray hair. He is 5′10″ and weighs approximately 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a khaki shirt, black pants and a blue baseball cap.
Family reports that Welch has a medical condition that may impair his judgment.
Welch is believed to be walking on foot in an unknown direction.
Anyone with information regarding Welch’s whereabouts is asked to immediately contact the New Orleans Police Department, 4th District, at (504) 821-2222 or dial 911. All questions should be directed to the New Orleans Police Department.
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Watch UL Diamond sports HCs talk wins and losses vs Troy, Coastal Carolina
Hear from UL softball and baseball HCs, Matt Deggs and Alyson Habetz following SBC play where Cajuns softball swept Coastal Carolina and baseball loss 2-1 to Troy.
Pressure is back on for Louisiana baseball, especially on the weekend in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (30-19, 12-12) dropped their final midweek game of the season, losing 9-6 to the University of New Orleans in extra innings. Now, the Cajuns are back on the road for SBC play, needing every win they can get to better their chances of snagging a regional spot. They travel to Appalachian State for what will likely be a chilly three-game series against the Mountaineers.
Seventh-year head coach Matt Deggs will go with junior Cody Brasch to start Game 1, a spot the right-hander is becoming accustomed to. Saturday’s are for Andrew Herrmann, the most reliable of the Cajuns’ arms through the year. App State will start junior righty Nick DiRito on Friday, followed by junior righty Gage Peterson and junior lefty Tanner Nolan to close out the series.
Here’s how to watch Ragin’ Cajuns baseball in its SBC series vs App State (28-18, 15-9), including time, TV schedule, live score and streaming information.
Watch Louisiana baseball vs App State on ESPN+
Louisiana baseball vs App State live score
What channel is Louisiana baseball vs App State on?
TV: None
Livestream: ESPN+
Radio: Varsity Network, 96.5 FM
Louisiana vs. App State will be available live on ESPN+ streaming service for the teams’ ninth SBC series of the 2026 college baseball season. Matt Present will provide commentary from Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
What time does Louisiana baseball play App State today?
- 5 p.m. Friday, May 8
- 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9
- 12 p.m. Sunday, May 10
The Louisiana vs. App State series starts at 5 p.m. Friday at Beaver Field in Boone, N.C., followed by Game 2 at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Cajuns will close out the series at noon on Sunday.
Louisiana baseball vs App State weather update
Friday’s matchup will be played in semi-cloudy weather with sunshine throughout the day. It’ll be a high of 62 degrees and a low of 44 degrees. Winds will get up to about five to 10 mph, and there is less than a 7% chance of rain in the afternoon. Saturday’s game will be played in warmer weather with a high of 67 degrees, followed by Sunday’s high of 73 degrees.
Louisiana baseball vs App State history
Series record: Louisiana leads 14-9
In Lafayette: Series tied 6-6
In Boone: Louisiana leads 6-3
Louisiana’s last win: April 2, 2023 (6-0)
App State’s last win: April 1, 2023 (8-5)
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.
Louisiana
Behind the Curtain: How Louisiana’s Parole System and Courts Shape Who Goes Free | The Lens
This week on Behind The Lens, the public gets a rare look inside one of the most powerful and least understood parts of Louisiana’s criminal justice system: the parole process.
In Louisiana, Parole Board hearings are sometimes held in public, offering families, victims, attorneys, advocates, and reporters an opportunity to witness how decisions are made about who is granted freedom and who remains incarcerated. But those hearings reveal more than individual cases. They expose the broader tensions shaping punishment, rehabilitation, public safety, and political pressure across the state.
Reporters Bernard Smith and Gus Bennett join editor Katy Reckdahl to examine how parole decisions are influenced not only by testimony inside the hearing room, but also by a growing wave of legal and political changes moving through Louisiana’s courts and legislature. From rulings connected to the Louisiana Supreme Court to election season politics and criminal justice reforms, the episode explores how policy decisions made at the highest levels can directly affect incarcerated people, victims’ families, prosecutors, and entire communities.
The discussion also breaks down how recent state actions involving sentencing, parole eligibility, election dynamics, and judicial oversight are reshaping Louisiana’s criminal justice landscape in real time. Together, the team examines the human consequences behind those decisions and what they reveal about accountability, power, and transparency inside the system.
Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music “Fading Prospects” by Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com)
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