Ep: 337: LGBTQ News: Trans Sports Ruling, Slovakia Defies EU & Giuliani's Baby Conspiracy

Today's Listen Up Girl covers six stories from Sunday, August 16, 2026. A federal judge dismissed Minnesota's lawsuit challenging the federal government's stance on trans kids in school sports, ruling the state hadn't yet shown concrete legal harm — though a separate federal lawsuit against Minnesota over the same issue continues elsewhere. In Europe, Slovakia is defying a European Court of Justice ruling by refusing to register the marriage of Ivan Novotný and Metod Špaček, a Slovak gay couple married in Austria, prompting a rebuke from the European Commission. Matrix director Lilly Wachowski revealed that her new $10 million film, The Hunted, has stalled in Hollywood funding despite being fully scripted and ready to shoot, because its cast is entirely trans — part of a broader industry pullback that saw zero trans characters across 225 major studio films this year. A Republican candidate faced backlash after telling a female opponent she seemed "more masculine" than a man. Rudy Giuliani falsely claimed New York City's new universal childcare plan would teach babies to change gender — a claim entirely disconnected from the actual policy, which simply expands free childcare access starting with two-year-olds this fall. And the episode closes with Rosie O'Donnell's candid, funny, and moving account of learning to consistently use her nonbinary child's pronouns — including the "they" tattoo she got on her wrist to help her remember. Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman https://www.listenupgirl.com/ Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/ Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!! GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people. https://gaybff.app/ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.