The U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to allow a Rastafarian prisoner to pursue a lawsuit against prison officials who cut his hair is being viewed by many as an uncommon loss for religious freedom at the nation’s highest court. Legal experts say the case highlights just how complicated and wide-ranging religious liberty laws in America have become, especially as the country’s faith landscape continues to shift. Christians now make up 62 percent of the U.S. population — a notable drop from 78 percent two decades ago. Roughly 30 percent of American adults identify with no religion at all, while the remainder belong to various other faith traditions. Despite those divides, the Rastafarian inmate’s case drew backing from a broad coalition of religious groups.
The Trump administration is taking steps to restore a specialized option for LGBT youth who call the 988 mental health crisis hotline. The hotline currently offers dedicated options for specific groups, including veterans and Spanish-speaking callers. About a year ago, the administration eliminated the so-called “press 3” option for LGBT youth, citing a lack of funding. Now, officials say they plan to bring it back before the end of the year, after Congress directed that $33 million be set aside specifically for LGBT-focused interventions for young people. Democratic lawmakers were the driving force behind that funding mandate.
A newly released survey from Talker Research finds that Americans are sharply divided on the subject of Gay Pride Month. Seventeen percent of those polled said they don’t believe it should be observed at all, while another eight percent said it has become “too much” and should be scaled back. On the other side, 28 percent said Pride Month is meaningful and deserves support, and 21 percent said they support the concept but admit it doesn’t hold much personal significance for them. Researchers noted that these divisions closely mirror political party lines — support for the importance of Pride Month is more than twice as high among Democrats, while roughly one in three Republicans say the observance should be eliminated.
A gay rights activist has filed a federal lawsuit in New York City against the Department of Defense, demanding to know whether Scouting America secretly agreed to prohibit transgender boys from participating as part of a deal with the Pentagon. The plaintiff, James Dale, says both parties have given contradictory answers on the matter. The Defense Department announced an agreement with Scouting America back in February, which Secretary Pete Hegseth described as a move to steer the organization away from diversity programs and what he called “woke” policies. Hegseth also warned that the military would cut off its long-standing support for the organization if it did not comply within six months — a deadline that falls in late August.
