Brooke Migdon
@bmigdon.bsky.social
Journalist covering the intersection of gender, sexuality and politics | prev
@thehill.com | find me on signal @ bmigdon.84 | she/her
@thehill.com | find me on signal @ bmigdon.84 | she/her
Pinned
Brooke Migdon
@bmigdon.bsky.social
· Oct 6
Some personal news: I've made the difficult decision to leave @thehill after 4 years.
I've loved so much of my time here, and feel beyond lucky to have been able to tell the stories I did alongside some incredible journalists.
I’m not entirely sure what’s next for me yet. Hopefully more news soon💛
I've loved so much of my time here, and feel beyond lucky to have been able to tell the stories I did alongside some incredible journalists.
I’m not entirely sure what’s next for me yet. Hopefully more news soon💛
Some personal news: I've made the difficult decision to leave @thehill after 4 years.
I've loved so much of my time here, and feel beyond lucky to have been able to tell the stories I did alongside some incredible journalists.
I’m not entirely sure what’s next for me yet. Hopefully more news soon💛
I've loved so much of my time here, and feel beyond lucky to have been able to tell the stories I did alongside some incredible journalists.
I’m not entirely sure what’s next for me yet. Hopefully more news soon💛
October 6, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Some personal news: I've made the difficult decision to leave @thehill after 4 years.
I've loved so much of my time here, and feel beyond lucky to have been able to tell the stories I did alongside some incredible journalists.
I’m not entirely sure what’s next for me yet. Hopefully more news soon💛
I've loved so much of my time here, and feel beyond lucky to have been able to tell the stories I did alongside some incredible journalists.
I’m not entirely sure what’s next for me yet. Hopefully more news soon💛
In Puerto Rico, the age of majority, or legal adulthood, is 21, making its ban on care for minors one of the most restrictive of any U.S. state or territory.
(Most U.S. laws ban care up to 18 years old. Laws in Alabama and Nebraska ban care up to 19 years old)
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
(Most U.S. laws ban care up to 18 years old. Laws in Alabama and Nebraska ban care up to 19 years old)
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
thehill.com
July 17, 2025 at 9:16 PM
In Puerto Rico, the age of majority, or legal adulthood, is 21, making its ban on care for minors one of the most restrictive of any U.S. state or territory.
(Most U.S. laws ban care up to 18 years old. Laws in Alabama and Nebraska ban care up to 19 years old)
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
(Most U.S. laws ban care up to 18 years old. Laws in Alabama and Nebraska ban care up to 19 years old)
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
"Trans people are going to die, and they don’t care. Humor helps us look at it. ...We don’t have to look away if we can laugh at it.”
With LGBTQ+ rights in peril, trans and queer comedians' stars are rising. They're making us laugh in bleak times & reimagining how comedy can be a tool for change
With LGBTQ+ rights in peril, trans and queer comedians' stars are rising. They're making us laugh in bleak times & reimagining how comedy can be a tool for change
With their rights in peril, LGBTQ+ comedians are using humor to dilute fear
The 19th spoke with four queer comedians about making the world seem funny right now through looking for jokes in the horrors, dissociating, and rethinking how to talk to straight people.
19thnews.org
June 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
"Trans people are going to die, and they don’t care. Humor helps us look at it. ...We don’t have to look away if we can laugh at it.”
With LGBTQ+ rights in peril, trans and queer comedians' stars are rising. They're making us laugh in bleak times & reimagining how comedy can be a tool for change
With LGBTQ+ rights in peril, trans and queer comedians' stars are rising. They're making us laugh in bleak times & reimagining how comedy can be a tool for change
ICYMI: This morning, Hegseth confirmed the Navy is renaming the ship named for Harvey Milk, a Navy lieutenant, gay rights activist and the first gay person elected to public office in California before he was killed.
"People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in."
x.com/SecDef/statu...
"People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in."
x.com/SecDef/statu...
June 27, 2025 at 7:35 PM
ICYMI: This morning, Hegseth confirmed the Navy is renaming the ship named for Harvey Milk, a Navy lieutenant, gay rights activist and the first gay person elected to public office in California before he was killed.
"People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in."
x.com/SecDef/statu...
"People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in."
x.com/SecDef/statu...
The authors of the titles at the center of this case told me back in April that their books are incredibly personal — some of them are about their own children or based on their own childhood experiences.
These aren't just storybooks, they're the stories of real people.
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
These aren't just storybooks, they're the stories of real people.
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
🚨In its fourth decision, the Supreme Court holds that parents who object to LGBTQ books in the classroom have a First Amendment right to "opt out" their children from seeing those books. Alito writes for the 6-3 majority, with all three liberals dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
June 27, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The authors of the titles at the center of this case told me back in April that their books are incredibly personal — some of them are about their own children or based on their own childhood experiences.
These aren't just storybooks, they're the stories of real people.
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
These aren't just storybooks, they're the stories of real people.
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
HUGE NEWS: The Senate Parliamentarian has struck the ban on Medicaid dollars for gender-affirming care trans people from the One Big Beautiful Bill!
www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...
www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...
Byrd Rule Violations Continue to Mount on the Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” | U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget
The Official U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget
www.budget.senate.gov
June 26, 2025 at 12:51 PM
HUGE NEWS: The Senate Parliamentarian has struck the ban on Medicaid dollars for gender-affirming care trans people from the One Big Beautiful Bill!
www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...
www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
“Liberation Weekend was a celebration, but it was no party at the end of the world—it was the repeated insistence of a people under attack that the world they’ve created cannot and will not end.”
Thank you @pitchfork.com for spreading the word of @liberationwknd.bsky.social.
Here’s to next year?
Thank you @pitchfork.com for spreading the word of @liberationwknd.bsky.social.
Here’s to next year?
Liberation Weekend: The Trans Punk DIY Music Festival That Could Spark a Movement
Across two days in Washington, D.C., local and national acts threw a sweaty party to publicly reject the Trump Administration’s anti-trans legislation and raise money for the Gender Liberation Movemen...
pitchfork.com
June 4, 2025 at 2:25 PM
“Liberation Weekend was a celebration, but it was no party at the end of the world—it was the repeated insistence of a people under attack that the world they’ve created cannot and will not end.”
Thank you @pitchfork.com for spreading the word of @liberationwknd.bsky.social.
Here’s to next year?
Thank you @pitchfork.com for spreading the word of @liberationwknd.bsky.social.
Here’s to next year?
More than 100 celebrities across the entertainment industry are calling on President Trump’s administration to protect an LGBTQ youth crisis service’s funding amid broader spending cuts.
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
thehill.com
June 2, 2025 at 9:59 PM
More than 100 celebrities across the entertainment industry are calling on President Trump’s administration to protect an LGBTQ youth crisis service’s funding amid broader spending cuts.
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
The Education Department is declaring June 'Title IX Month' in an obvious hit at Pride.
Says it will highlight actions throughout the month "taken to reverse" the Biden admin's "legacy of undermining Title IX," which it says bars trans girls from girls' sports/spaces.
www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
Says it will highlight actions throughout the month "taken to reverse" the Biden admin's "legacy of undermining Title IX," which it says bars trans girls from girls' sports/spaces.
www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
U.S. Department of Education Recognizes June as ‘Title IX Month’
U.S. Department of Education Recognizes June as ‘Title IX Month’
www.ed.gov
June 2, 2025 at 9:14 PM
The Education Department is declaring June 'Title IX Month' in an obvious hit at Pride.
Says it will highlight actions throughout the month "taken to reverse" the Biden admin's "legacy of undermining Title IX," which it says bars trans girls from girls' sports/spaces.
www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
Says it will highlight actions throughout the month "taken to reverse" the Biden admin's "legacy of undermining Title IX," which it says bars trans girls from girls' sports/spaces.
www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
NEW: These families say they're leaving the U.S. because of its anti-transgender climate
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
These families say they're leaving the U.S. because of its anti-transgender climate
One of the families said they decided to move from Colorado to New Zealand after their 9-year-old trans daughter’s health care was interrupted.
www.nbcnews.com
June 1, 2025 at 5:12 PM
NEW: These families say they're leaving the U.S. because of its anti-transgender climate
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
Hello! I'm working on a story about the Trump administration's trans military ban and would like to hear how service members are preparing for/navigating the new policy.
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
May 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Hello! I'm working on a story about the Trump administration's trans military ban and would like to hear how service members are preparing for/navigating the new policy.
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
Hello! I'm working on a story about the Trump administration's trans military ban and would like to hear how service members are preparing for/navigating the new policy.
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
May 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Hello! I'm working on a story about the Trump administration's trans military ban and would like to hear how service members are preparing for/navigating the new policy.
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you!
Reach me here or on Signal at bmigdon.84
Another Dem/potential 2028 candidate signals an openness to limiting trans girls' participation in sports, but says decisions should be left to school boards/athletic associations.
"There are some sports that some of these trans children should not be playing."
thedispatch.com/article/rube...
"There are some sports that some of these trans children should not be playing."
thedispatch.com/article/rube...
Will Ruben Gallego Lead Democrats Out of the Wilderness?
The Arizona senator prevailed where Kamala Harris failed. Can he repeat that success nationwide?
thedispatch.com
May 29, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Another Dem/potential 2028 candidate signals an openness to limiting trans girls' participation in sports, but says decisions should be left to school boards/athletic associations.
"There are some sports that some of these trans children should not be playing."
thedispatch.com/article/rube...
"There are some sports that some of these trans children should not be playing."
thedispatch.com/article/rube...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
Via Axios: Democrats are trying to use the Byrd rule to strike some parts of the reconciliation bill. Chief among them:
-The ban on care for transgender people in Medicaid and CHIP
-the moratorium on AI regulation
-REINS Act
-Permitting reform
-immigration fees
www.axios.com/2025/05/28/t...
-The ban on care for transgender people in Medicaid and CHIP
-the moratorium on AI regulation
-REINS Act
-Permitting reform
-immigration fees
www.axios.com/2025/05/28/t...
5 parts of Trump's budget bill that risk being axed by Senate rules
Sources from both parties pointed to these issues as some of the likely major fights.
www.axios.com
May 29, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Via Axios: Democrats are trying to use the Byrd rule to strike some parts of the reconciliation bill. Chief among them:
-The ban on care for transgender people in Medicaid and CHIP
-the moratorium on AI regulation
-REINS Act
-Permitting reform
-immigration fees
www.axios.com/2025/05/28/t...
-The ban on care for transgender people in Medicaid and CHIP
-the moratorium on AI regulation
-REINS Act
-Permitting reform
-immigration fees
www.axios.com/2025/05/28/t...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
'Heightened Scrutiny' details the high-stakes Supreme Court case over trans health care
I spoke to the film's director @samfeder.bsky.social and producer Amy Scholder, for @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
I spoke to the film's director @samfeder.bsky.social and producer Amy Scholder, for @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
'Heightened Scrutiny' details the high-stakes Supreme Court case over trans health care
The new documentary follows ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio as he argues before the high court against Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
www.nbcnews.com
May 27, 2025 at 2:44 PM
'Heightened Scrutiny' details the high-stakes Supreme Court case over trans health care
I spoke to the film's director @samfeder.bsky.social and producer Amy Scholder, for @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
I spoke to the film's director @samfeder.bsky.social and producer Amy Scholder, for @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
Per her MileSplit stats, the athlete Trump is talking about never competed on any hs team other than the girls', so his claim that she was "less than average" pre-transition is based on nothing.
She's ranked 3rd in the triple jump in California (& 13th nationally), so she's not "unbeatable" either.
She's ranked 3rd in the triple jump in California (& 13th nationally), so she's not "unbeatable" either.
On Truth Social this am, Trump orders local California authorities to block a transgender high school athlete from competing in the state finals and threatens to revoke the state's federal funding, "maybe permanently."
Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.
Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.
May 27, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Per her MileSplit stats, the athlete Trump is talking about never competed on any hs team other than the girls', so his claim that she was "less than average" pre-transition is based on nothing.
She's ranked 3rd in the triple jump in California (& 13th nationally), so she's not "unbeatable" either.
She's ranked 3rd in the triple jump in California (& 13th nationally), so she's not "unbeatable" either.
On Truth Social this am, Trump orders local California authorities to block a transgender high school athlete from competing in the state finals and threatens to revoke the state's federal funding, "maybe permanently."
Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.
Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.
May 27, 2025 at 1:39 PM
On Truth Social this am, Trump orders local California authorities to block a transgender high school athlete from competing in the state finals and threatens to revoke the state's federal funding, "maybe permanently."
Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.
Says he's speaking w/ Newsom today.
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
Republicans in Utah commissioned an investigation into gender-affirming care for trans youth after banning it in 2023.
They're now rejecting the findings of that investigation which showed access to care reduced suicides and improved "positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes."
They're now rejecting the findings of that investigation which showed access to care reduced suicides and improved "positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes."
Utah lawmakers’ own study found gender-affirming care benefits trans youth. Will they lift the treatment ban?
The Utah Legislature's own newly-released study found that gender-affirming care benefits trans youth. Now, will lawmakers lift the treatment ban?
www.sltrib.com
May 24, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Republicans in Utah commissioned an investigation into gender-affirming care for trans youth after banning it in 2023.
They're now rejecting the findings of that investigation which showed access to care reduced suicides and improved "positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes."
They're now rejecting the findings of that investigation which showed access to care reduced suicides and improved "positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes."
Something to note:
Some health policy experts and lawmakers I spoke with said the measure's funding restrictions for trans health care may violate the Senate’s “Byrd rule” preventing reconciliation measures from being used to pass “extraneous” legislation.
1/2
Some health policy experts and lawmakers I spoke with said the measure's funding restrictions for trans health care may violate the Senate’s “Byrd rule” preventing reconciliation measures from being used to pass “extraneous” legislation.
1/2
House Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” would prohibit Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care and remove "gender transition procedures" as essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
Here's what that means + what a path forward may look like:
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
Here's what that means + what a path forward may look like:
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
thehill.com
May 23, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Something to note:
Some health policy experts and lawmakers I spoke with said the measure's funding restrictions for trans health care may violate the Senate’s “Byrd rule” preventing reconciliation measures from being used to pass “extraneous” legislation.
1/2
Some health policy experts and lawmakers I spoke with said the measure's funding restrictions for trans health care may violate the Senate’s “Byrd rule” preventing reconciliation measures from being used to pass “extraneous” legislation.
1/2
House Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” would prohibit Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care and remove "gender transition procedures" as essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
Here's what that means + what a path forward may look like:
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
Here's what that means + what a path forward may look like:
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
thehill.com
May 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
House Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” would prohibit Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care and remove "gender transition procedures" as essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
Here's what that means + what a path forward may look like:
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
Here's what that means + what a path forward may look like:
thehill.com/homenews/lgb...
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
The Trump admin has been trying to prohibit ACA coverage of gender-affirming care for awhile. Check out my story here for more info
If this goes through, insurers could drop coverage for trans people entirely or trans patients could see higher out-of-pocket costs; along with marketplace cuts
If this goes through, insurers could drop coverage for trans people entirely or trans patients could see higher out-of-pocket costs; along with marketplace cuts
Health care could get more expensive for transgender people under a new Trump rule
The proposed rule affects access to “essential health benefits” like hospitalization, mental health services and prescription drugs.
19thnews.org
May 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
The Trump admin has been trying to prohibit ACA coverage of gender-affirming care for awhile. Check out my story here for more info
If this goes through, insurers could drop coverage for trans people entirely or trans patients could see higher out-of-pocket costs; along with marketplace cuts
If this goes through, insurers could drop coverage for trans people entirely or trans patients could see higher out-of-pocket costs; along with marketplace cuts
If you think this provision could impact your access to care and want to talk about it, feel free to contact me here or on Signal @ bmigdon.84
This would upend care for potentially hundreds of thousands of trans people nationwide.
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
House Republicans' managers amendment to the reconciliation bill is out
It now explicitly prohibits Medicaid from covering gender-affirming health care for transgender people *overall*
The reconciliation bill initially only targeted people under 18
amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/R...
It now explicitly prohibits Medicaid from covering gender-affirming health care for transgender people *overall*
The reconciliation bill initially only targeted people under 18
amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/R...
May 22, 2025 at 4:15 PM
If you think this provision could impact your access to care and want to talk about it, feel free to contact me here or on Signal @ bmigdon.84
Reposted by Brooke Migdon
New: Not only would Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” ban gender-affirming care via Medicaid, it would ban insurance under the Obamacare exchanges from covering it as an essential health benefit
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump’s ‘One, big, beautiful bill’ would transgender care on Medicaid and Obamacare
‘It's one more example of health care that they're trying to rip away,’ Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, tells The Independent
www.independent.co.uk
May 22, 2025 at 1:59 PM
New: Not only would Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” ban gender-affirming care via Medicaid, it would ban insurance under the Obamacare exchanges from covering it as an essential health benefit
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Related: a new @williamsinstitute.bsky.social report out this morning shows LGBT adults are more than twice as likely to rely on Medicaid as their primary source of health insurance.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
This would upend care for potentially hundreds of thousands of trans people nationwide.
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
House Republicans' managers amendment to the reconciliation bill is out
It now explicitly prohibits Medicaid from covering gender-affirming health care for transgender people *overall*
The reconciliation bill initially only targeted people under 18
amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/R...
It now explicitly prohibits Medicaid from covering gender-affirming health care for transgender people *overall*
The reconciliation bill initially only targeted people under 18
amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/R...
May 22, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Related: a new @williamsinstitute.bsky.social report out this morning shows LGBT adults are more than twice as likely to rely on Medicaid as their primary source of health insurance.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
This would upend care for potentially hundreds of thousands of trans people nationwide.
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
House Republicans' managers amendment to the reconciliation bill is out
It now explicitly prohibits Medicaid from covering gender-affirming health care for transgender people *overall*
The reconciliation bill initially only targeted people under 18
amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/R...
It now explicitly prohibits Medicaid from covering gender-affirming health care for transgender people *overall*
The reconciliation bill initially only targeted people under 18
amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/R...
amendments-rules.house.gov
May 22, 2025 at 3:47 AM
This would upend care for potentially hundreds of thousands of trans people nationwide.
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...
An estimated 276,000 trans adults were enrolled in Medicaid in 2022, according to the Williams Institute.
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...