The Supreme Court's Latest Blow to LGBTQIA+ Rights

US News

The Supreme Court's Latest Blow to LGBTQIA+ Rights

What’s going on: Yesterday, the Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors. In an 8-1 decision, the Court ruled the practice — aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity — violates the First Amendment by regulating what therapists can say. As the lone dissenter, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned the decision could have “catastrophic” implications for how the government regulates medical care. But Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote for the majority, argued: “The First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.” For many who’ve experienced conversion therapy — which studies have shown to be both ineffective and dangerous — the impact is deeply traumatizing. One transgender survivor of the practice told The Trevor Project: “What they’re doing is not therapy. What it is is torture.”  

What it means: The ruling doesn’t just affect Colorado — it could upend similar bans in nearly 30 states and Washington, DC. It also puts a longstanding tension front and center: what happens when efforts to protect people collide with free speech. Even groups like the ACLU have wrestled with that line. In this case, the Human Rights Campaign says the stakes are especially high. Major medical groups — including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics — have long discredited conversion therapy as harmful. This isn’t the only case impacting LGBTQIA+ individuals. The Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on a law barring transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

Related: President Donald Trump’s Move To Create a National Voter List Faces Legal Threats (AP News)

The News in 6

🗞️ President Trump says he plans to attend the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on birthright citizenship today — an unprecedented move for a sitting president. Also on his agenda: an address to the nation tonight to share an “important update about Iran.”

🗞️ Days after his arrest, Tiger Woods announced he’s stepping away from golf to seek treatment.

🗞️ A new COVID-19 mutation is making the rounds (detected in at least 25 states), and its name says it all.

🗞️ A photo of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has largely been scrubbed from the internet after word spread Trump officials thought it was unflattering. 

🗞️ Target issued a warning to customers who use AI to shop. We’re seeing visions of bots going wild with “little treat” purchases.

🗞️ President Trump shared the vision for his presidential library, and it comes with a gold escalator (obviously) and massive statues. Makes sense they’d put it in this city.

Artificial Intelligence

Your Body, Their Server

What’s going on: If checking your sleep score is the first thing you do in the morning, tech companies have noticed — and now they want more than your REM cycles. They want your medical records. Microsoft recently launched a tool that lets you upload everything from doctor records to prescriptions into its AI chatbot, Copilot. Pair that with what your Apple Watch already tracks (so… a lot), and the bot spits out a tidy summary of your health. Amazon, OpenAI, and Anthropic aren’t far behind. The same chatbots that have raised concerns about everything from isolation to unhealthy habits now want a front-row seat to your most personal data, all in the name of “personalized insights.”

What it means: It’s not hard to see the appeal. Health care is expensive, appointments can take months, and some doctors say these tools really can help people stay on top of their health. But — and it’s a big one — HIPAA doesn’t apply to tech companies. That means your records could train AI or fuel targeted ads about your own conditions (like we don’t have enough already). At a minimum, experts say to be very selective about what you share — and what you don’t. A health data breach involving one centralized stash of your personal info could be a goldmine for hackers. And if you’re seeking reproductive care in a state with an abortion ban, the stakes are even higher. Maybe your REM cycles are enough for now.

Related: Your Five-Day Forecast Has an AI Problem (Wired)

Artificial Intelligence

The Internet Is Obsessed With "Fruit Love Island"

What’s going on: What did the banana with a six-pack say to the cherry in a bikini? It sounds like a bad joke, but millions have tuned in every day to find out. Inspired by the Love Island dating show, “Fruit Love Island” is AI slop that has captured the fleeting attention of TikTok users. Even some Love Island alums can’t get enough of it. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Fruit humans (if you can call them that) serve up wild dating drama, cheating scandals, and weird dance breaks at a luxury villa. Viewers even voted fruit off the show in real time (Bananito didn’t last long). The AI-generated content has been posted to the TikTok account AI.Cinema021. No one told us fruit could be so spicy.

Before you take a bite: People may find joy in these minute-long videos, but they’ve raised red flags about the future of AI-generated content. Everyone agrees that the videos aren’t made well: There are visual lags, the audio slips out of sync, and the fruits don’t know who to look at. It truly is AI slop at its finest, but the storylines have hooked viewers. One expert called “Fruit Love Island” an “ethical black hole,” arguing it borrows heavily from the TV show without consent — even if it qualifies as parody. Another person pointed out on X, there are millions of books, movies, and shows created by humans just waiting to be discovered. And let’s not forget, AI has a huge carbon footprint. As for the AI show’s finale (warning: spoilers ahead), viewers are calling for justice for Kiwilo the kiwi and Mangella the mango. Sorry, Watermelina — maybe next time.

Related: If AI BrainRot Isn’t for You, the International Booker Short List Is Out (NPR)

Quick Hits

✈️ We can’t say we’re surprised by the newest thing people are doing to avoid long TSA lines. Capitalism, baby.

🍓 Why is Costco’s new viral dessert reminding us of that $19 Erewhon strawberry? At least you get a little more bang for your buck.

💤 It turns out you can teach your body to fall asleep in a different position. We’d like to sleep on that.

🫘 Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart. The more you eat them, the more you… reap these six full-body benefits.

🛍️ Move over butter yellow, this color is all over the runways. Miranda Priestly was (and is) ahead of her time.

🍑 Jon Hamm set the record straight on whether he used a “butt double” in his latest series. The cheeky update fans needed.

We Needed This

On Our Calendar

Things to jot down today…

🗓️ Passover begins at sundown. Chag Sameach to those celebrating.

🗓️ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters — and everyone’s talking about this franchise mashup.

🗓️ Happy April Fools’ Day. May your jokes land…unlike these.

🗓️ It’s Apple’s 50th anniversary. Fun fact: Its first logo involved Issac Newton and a tree.

Psst…For more dates worth knowing this week, check out the Skimm+ calendar.

Know It All

Who will be the first K-Pop star with a Las Vegas residency?

Skimm'd by: Rashaan Ayesh, Mallory Simon, Molly Longman, Maria del Carmen Corpus, and Marina Carver. Fact-checked by Sara Tardiff.