MINNEAPOLIS, Mn. — As parents of two, Hannah and Dave Edwards have a lot on their plates and they love it that way.

"Hildie's got acting opportunities that she's always auditioning for, so we're hopeful about that and Dahlia has really awesome soccer and track," said Dave.

The past few months have been filled with a lot of highlights for this family of four. Hildie, who identifies as trans and uses she/her pronouns, was the marshal of the local pride parade.

"Uplifting, super uplifting," said Hannah about the experience.

But 2022 has also been filled with a lot of darkness, including the recent mass shooting at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"It was a tough one, I'm not gonna lie. It was a hard one for Hildie, I think especially because she is old enough now to realize what's going on," said Hannah.

Explaining a mass shooting tragedy to any kid is a hard ask, but explaining one when your kid identifies with those targeted is a challenge "rainbow families," or families that have one or more members of the LGBTQ community in them, have had to face lately.

"We try and keep things as being other people versus our family and we can't control other people and there's this evil that exists in the world, but it has nothing to do with who she is," said Dave.

When we first met this family, they talked about their hardships and their victories in raising Hildie. While she experienced bullying and adversity in school, with the help of her family and outside support, she's been able to find her voice and become and an enthusiastic advocate.

Issues involving LGBTQ people remain in the political zeitgeist, but Dave and Hannah, who work in advocacy as well, say they've also seen an increase in folks wanting to learn how to support kids like Hildie.

"Lots of educators are really digging down deep and responding to things like what happened in Colorado and saying like, 'How can we lay the foundation to prevent that kind of thought process and, and behavior from occurring in the future,'" said Dave.

Focusing on the negatives can get heavy, especially for kids who are in the process of figuring out who they are, but they say things like this increased interest is a reason to celebrate.

"Despite a lot of the hostility that's going on, there are a lot of good people that are reaching out for support, that are really trying to do what's best for LGBTQ+ kids," he said.

While the Edwards hope more folks will want to learn how to best support members of the LGBTQ community in this next year, they also are going to hold on to each happy moment with their kids and enjoy being the colorful family that they are.

In the video player above: Gender-affirming care further explained

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has highlighted efforts by Republican governors and statehouses across the country to embrace proposals limiting the rights of transgender people, signing new restrictions as he moves closer to a presidential bid.

The restrictions are spreading quickly despite criticism from medical groups and advocates who say they're further marginalizing transgender youth and threatening their health.

Here's what's happening:

FLORIDA'S RESTRICTIONS

DeSantis on Wednesday signed bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors, restrict pronoun use in schools and force people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex assigned at birth in some cases.

DeSantis also signed new restrictions on drag shows that would allow the state to revoke the food and beverage licenses of businesses that admit children to adult performances. The DeSantis administration has moved to pull the liquor licenses of businesses that held drag shows, alleging children were present during lewd displays.

The rules on gender-affirming care also ban the use of state money for the care and place new restrictions on adults seeking treatment. They take effect immediately, along with the drag show restrictions. The bathroom and pronoun restrictions take effect July 1.

DeSantis has been an outspoken advocate for such restrictions, and championed a Florida law that restricts the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. Florida has expanded that prohibition, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law, to all grades.

WHERE BANS STAND NATIONALLY

Hundreds of bills have been proposed this year restricting the rights of transgender people, and LGBTQ+ advocates say they've seen a record number of such measures in statehouses.

At least 17 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, South Dakota and West Virginia. Federal judges have blocked enforcement of laws in Alabama and Arkansas, and several other states are considering bills this year to restrict or ban care. Proposed bans are also pending before Texas and Missouri's governors.

These bans have spread quickly, with only three states enacting such laws before this year.

Before DeSantis signed the latest ban, Florida was one of two states that had restricted the care via regulations or administrative action. Texas's governor has ordered child welfare officials to investigate reports of children receiving such care as child abuse, though a judge has blocked those investigations.

Three transgender youth and their parents who are suing to block Florida's earlier ban on the care for minors expanded their challenge on Wednesday to include the prohibition DeSantis signed into law.

Every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, has opposed the bans and supported the medical care for youth when administered appropriately. Lawsuits have been filed in several of the states where the bans have been enacted this year.

STATES POISED TO ACT

A proposed ban on gender affirming care for minors is awaiting action before Republican Gov. Mike Parson in Missouri. The state's Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, this week withdrew a rule he had proposed that would have gone further by also restricting access to the care for adults.

Bailey cited the bill pending before Parson as a reason for eliminating the rule, which had been blocked by a state judge.

Nebraska Republicans on Tuesday folded a 12-week abortion ban into a bill that would ban gender affirming care for minors, potentially clearing the way for a final vote on the combined measure as early as this week.

Not all states are adopting restrictions, and some Democrat-led states are enacting measures aimed at protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ youth.

Michigan Democrats plan to introduce legislation Thursday that would ban conversion therapy for minors, a discredited practice of trying to "convert" people to heterosexuality.

The legislation is expected to move quickly with Democrats in control of all levels of state government. Democratic state Rep. Jason Hoskins, a sponsor of the bill, told The Associated Press that he hopes the legislation passes by the end of June, which is Pride Month.

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Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Margery Beck in Lincoln, Nebraska; Margaret Stafford in Kansas City, Missouri; and Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.

MONTPELIER, Vt. — In many states across the country, there is a push to eliminate the so-called "panic defense." It is a legal defense used after committing a crime against someone because of their sexual identity.

It often comes into play when a criminal defendant claims they panicked after learning an intimate partner’s sexual identity or gender at birth.

“We were the first state to actually pass marriage equality and civil unions on a legislative level,” said Vermont state legislator Rep. Taylor Small.

Small is Vermont's first openly transgender state legislator and she was able to unanimously pass a bill that bans the "panic defense."

Vermont became the 13th state to ban the legal maneuver.

According to LGBTQ+ Bar, juries have acquitted dozens of defendants who used the strategy. The most recent acquittal happened in April 2018.

“When I came to work in the statehouse four years ago, one of the first topics we took the state's attorney general was trans or gay panic defense,” said Brenda Churchill who is with the LGBTQ+ Alliance. “We wanted it to go through statute or law, to eliminate the possibility that the criminal defendant could use that as an excuse.”

After Vermont, two more states banned the "panic defense."

Small said that this is something that is pivotal in LGBTQ+ rights.

“I think what it really underscores is the ability to trust our judicial system or just have more trust,” Small said. “So, I would love to see this passed in all the states in our nation, but I would also love to see this protection on a federal level, so it doesn’t have to be this individual state battle. I know that Senator Ed Markey already has a bill introducing banning the "panic defense," but I think what we see on the federal level is that it is slow to move on various bills.”

According to LGBTQ+ Bar, 12 more states have introduced bills banning the "panic defense," and advocates like Keith Goslant said those states can look to places like Vermont for help.

“We have created a bit of a template on how you can approach it,” Goslant said. “We have a template of the people you can invite in, and other model of pieces of legislation we looked at in crafting our bill. These are the components that made it right for us, and this is what we can present to other states and to help on federal level.”

“We don’t see it as a single movement or a single moment,” Small said. “But this is continue work that we need to ever change and ever learn through.”

As the owners of Darkhorse Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee, Shannon Wood and her husband, Peter Kurland, have worked hard over the last three decades to make sure their quaint black box theatre is inclusive to anyone who walks through the front doors.

But while they love drama, they prefer for it to be on their stage and not in the place where it has unexpectedly started unfolding, the bathroom.

"No one has ever complained about our all-gender bathroom," Wood said while sitting inside the theatre which has been closed for nearly a year because of COVID-19.

Under a new state law passed in Tennessee, it's possible that Darkhorse Theatre could have to put up signs on their bathrooms, saying they let transgender people use the multipurpose restrooms here.

"What happens if someone goes into a bathroom and it’s not the gender they were assigned at birth? Are they gonna put those people in jail? Are they going to send police officers to inspect people? It’s not only mean, it’s totally impractical and ridiculous," Wood added.

As the CEO of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Nashville, Joe Woolley has worked hard over the last decade to push back again legislation that discriminates against the LGBT community. He’s been successful in this deeply conservative state by playing the economic angle.

"I talk to businesses on a weekly basis and they’re concerned about what it’s like for LGBT people to live here in the South, to live here in Tennessee," Woolley said about a recent string of legislative bills targeting the LGBT community.

For years, Woolley and other LGBT groups partnered with small businesses and major corporations who lobbied lawmakers hard to not support things like the bathroom bill and it worked.

"It harms businesses' ability to attract and retain the talent they need," he noted.

This year though something changed.

"It’s been tough, and I will tell you I’m exhausted, Woolley said.

"For the first time ever, the business voice was not listened to. Businesses were told to shut up, stay out of politics. I think it was an eye-opening moment.”

So far, 2021 has been a record year when it comes to anti-transgender legislation. Thirty-three states have passed more than 100 bills all aimed at curbing the rights of transgender people.

Arizona, Montana, Texas, and Florida are among a handful of states who’ve introduced legislation that prevent minors from receiving gender-affirming healthcare. Only Arkansas has made the bill into law.

Woolley is concerned about the kind of long-term financial impact these pieces of legislation will have on state economies, as businesses and conventions go elsewhere.

"These bills are targeting transgender people and transgender youth because it’s easy; they picked one of the most marginalized groups in the country, and we need to wake up," Woolley said.

As for Shannon Wood and her husband, they have no plans on changing their all-gender bathroom signs because they know the message that it sends to anyone who walks into the theatre.

"There's an act and an intermission. People want to go the bathroom; they don’t care about where they’re going to the bathroom."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation that puts public schools and their districts at risk of losing civil lawsuits if they let transgender students or employees use multi-person bathrooms or locker rooms that do not reflect their gender at birth.

LGBTQ advocates have decried the legislation as discriminatory.

The Republican governor signed the bill Friday, cementing another policy into law this year in Tennessee that targets the transgender community. Numerous anti-transgender measures have advanced recently in GOP-led statehouses across the country, including in Texas, Alabama and Arkansas.

Under the bathroom measure, a student or employee could sue in an effort to claim monetary damages "for all psychological, emotional, and physical harm suffered" if school officials allow a transgender person into the bathroom or locker room when others are in there. They also could take legal action if required to stay in the same sleeping quarters as a member of the opposite sex at birth, unless that person is a family member.

The proposal says schools must try to offer a bathroom or changing facility that is single-occupancy or that is for employees if a student or employee "desires greater privacy when using a multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility" designated for their sex at birth.

Lee, who is up for reelection next year, has said the bill promotes "equality in bathrooms," despite the prohibition against transgender people using multi-person facilities that don't align with their sex at birth. The legislation takes effect July 1.

Related video: Iowa GOP leaders work on bill banning transgender athletes from girls' sports

"That bill provides equal access to every student. It's a reasonable accommodation," Lee told reporters last week. "It allows for accommodation for every student regardless of their gender. I think that's a smart approach to the challenge."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has said the requirement would violate equal protection rights under the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act. The ACLU expects the law will be challenged in court.

"Transgender students should be treated with respect and dignity, just like everyone else," ACLU of Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg said in a statement. "Governor Lee's decision to sign this bill sends the opposite message — that students should be able to discriminate against a group of their classmates by avoiding sharing public spaces with them, and sue their schools if they are prevented from doing so."

Such measures have met with opposition from LGBTQ advocates and prominent business interests. Nonetheless, it isn't the first — and won't be the last — proposed restriction affecting the transgender community to come before Lee this year. So far nationally, there has been no big, tangible repercussion where bills have passed targeting transgender people, unlike the swift backlash from the business community to North Carolina's 2016 "bathroom bill."

The governor has already signed a different proposal this year that bars transgender athletes from playing girls public high school or middle school sports.

The NCAA recently picked three states — Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas — that ban interscholastic transgender athletes as host schools for softball regionals, with Arkansas' law also applying to college sports. The decision came after the organization reiterated support for transgender athletes in college sports, warning that future events should only be in places that are "safe, healthy and free of discrimination."

Lee has also signed legislation to require school districts to alert parents 30 days in advance before students are taught about sexual orientation or gender identity. Parents could also opt their student out of the lesson. The requirement would not apply when a teacher is responding to a student's question or referring to a historic figure or group.

Lee is still deciding whether to sign a different variety of "bathroom bill" that passed this year. This one would require businesses or government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multi-person bathrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms with people of their gender identity, not just their gender at birth.

Another bill passed by lawmakers seeks to ban gender-affirming medical treatment for trans minors — including the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Lee has not acted on the legislation yet. Arkansas approved a similar version earlier this year over a veto from Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

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Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee contributed to this report.