Ep. 261: Trans Porta-Potty Law, Smith College Probe, GOP Groomer Arrested & Pete Buttigieg Claps Back
Title: Trans Porta-Potty Law, Smith College Probe, GOP Groomer Arrested & Pete Buttigieg Claps Back
Episode Summary: Seven stories from the front lines of LGBTQ+ rights — South Carolina's shocking new trans bathroom law, the federal government targeting Smith College, a Republican "groomer" accuser arrested for soliciting a child, the Supreme Court gutting conversion therapy bans, Colorado's gay governor in hot water with his own party, an Iowa Democrat going viral, and Pete and Chasten Buttigieg refusing to stand down.
Episode Notes:
1. South Carolina HB 4756 — Trans Students Sent to Porta-Potties Gov. Henry McMaster signed the "Student Physical Privacy Act," requiring trans students to use outdoor portable toilets instead of school restrooms. Also covers overnight trip sleeping arrangements and college rooming policies. Must be implemented by the 2026-2027 school year. Sources: LGBTQ Nation, PinkNews
2. Smith College Title IX Investigation The Trump DOE's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into 155-year-old Smith College in Northampton, MA, for admitting trans women since 2015. Triggered by conservative group Defending Education. Could impact all Seven Sisters colleges. Sources: CNN, WBUR, Inside Higher Ed
3. Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams Arrested Former Colorado Republican Party chair Dave Williams — who called LGBTQ+ people "groomers" and "predators" in official party communications — was arrested for attempting to hire a child prostitute. Follows the January 2026 sentencing of SC Rep. RJ May (17.5 years for distributing child sex abuse material) and the April 2026 arrest of a Hanahan, SC city councilmember on similar charges. Source: LGBTQ Nation
4. Supreme Court — Chiles v. Salazar (March 31, 2026) The Court ruled 8-1 that Colorado's conversion therapy ban likely violates the First Amendment. Brought by Christian counselor Kaley Chiles. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissent. The ruling is expected to threaten conversion therapy bans in 20+ states. Every major U.S. medical association rejects conversion therapy as harmful and scientifically discredited. Sources: NPR, CNN, The 19th, PBS NewsHour
5. Gov. Jared Polis Commutes Tina Peters' Sentence Colorado's first openly gay governor drew bipartisan condemnation on May 15 after commuting the 9-year sentence of election tamperer Tina Peters, who was convicted of multiple felonies for allowing election deniers access to voting machines. Condemned by the Colorado AG, secretary of state, Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, the AFL-CIO, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and the Republican DA who prosecuted Peters. Sources: MSNBC, NBC News, Colorado Sun, CNN
6. Iowa's Rob Sand Goes Viral Iowa State Auditor and 2026 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand went viral this week for his town hall singing ritual — asking attendees of all parties to sing "America the Beautiful" together before any political discussion. At a 2025 town hall, Sand directly called Iowa's repeal of civil rights protections for transgender Iowans "wrong" and pledged to restore them if elected governor. Sources: LGBTQ Nation, Iowa Starting Line, The Gazette
7. Pete Buttigieg vs. Sean Duffy's Road Trip Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared on CNN's State of the Union on May 18 to call current Secretary Sean Duffy's "Great American Road Trip" — a seven-month cross-country reality show — an "embarrassment." The show is sponsored by Boeing, Shell, and Royal Caribbean, all of which are regulated by Duffy's own department. Chasten Buttigieg also called out the Duffys on social media, referencing their attacks on Pete during their son's NICU stay in 2021. Rachel Campos-Duffy told Chasten to "stand down." He did not. Sources: LGBTQ Nation, HuffPost, The Hill, CNN
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