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Jo Yurcaba

@joyurcaba.bsky.social
17K followers 564 following 444 posts

NBC News reporter covering the LGBTQ+ community. DMs open; email Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com; Signal @joyurcaba.91 Pronouns: they/them

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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I spoke to LGBTQ+ artists and activists who have reclaimed Trump's catchphrase "transgender for everybody" and turned it into a rallying cry. With Eleanor Skelly, who tallied how many times Trump has said the phrase, for @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
nbcnews.com
Trump’s catchphrase ‘transgender for everybody’ becomes an LGBTQ rallying cry
LGBTQ activists have a long tradition of taking slights and slurs — like the word “queer” — and using them as a form of protest and celebration.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I talked to LGBTQ people about what Dolly Parton meant to them. Jason Larimore listened to "Eagle When She Flies" when he was 14, and came out that same week. A decade later, when no one would hire him in his small town, he went to work at Dollywood. @nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
‘My darlin’ Dolly’: LGBTQ community mourns the loss of a dedicated ally
Dolly Parton supported LGBTQ rights as early as the 1980s and never backed down, saying in many interviews, “I do not judge.”
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
LGBTQ+ Dolly Parton fans: Would love to talk to you if you've seen her in concert and/or met her. DM me or email Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com
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Adam Rhodes @byadamrhodes.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
If you read anything right now, I need you to read this devastating piece by my incredible friend about the toll anti-trans laws and rhetoric take on children, namely one young girl named May. @joyurcaba.bsky.social. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Idaho pushed anti-trans laws for years. Then a teen died.
The life and death of May Pollard, 16, provides a window into the tragic effect that legislation and political rhetoric have had on trans people in America.
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 19/07/2026
A father in Idaho, speaking to police after his child died by suicide: “There is a huge amount of animosity, every single day, thrown at trans kids. The whole fucking country. The whole fucking administration, every single fucking day.” Please read this important story by @joyurcaba.bsky.social
nbcnews.com
Idaho pushed anti-trans laws for years. Then a teen died.
The life and death of May Pollard, 16, provides a window into the tragic effect that legislation and political rhetoric have had on trans people in America.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Content warning: suicide After May Pollard died on a late-January morning, a detective asked her parents a question: Had anyone wanted to hurt her? “A lot of America,” her mother answered. 1/ www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Idaho pushed anti-trans laws for years. Then a teen died.
The life and death of May Pollard, 16, provides a window into the tragic effect that legislation and political rhetoric have had on trans people in America.
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Reposted by Jo Yurcaba
Orion Rummler @oriion.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Read my full story here; the chart is more interactive
19thnews.org
One year later, 988 still doesn’t have a hotline for LGBTQ+ youth
Congress granted funds to restore this critical service months ago. But it may not be back until the end of 2026.
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Reposted by Jo Yurcaba
Orion Rummler @oriion.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Congress granted funds to restore 988 services for LGBTQ+ youth months ago. But it's still gone. Here's what it looks like when a service like this is ended; almost 70,000 people reaching out for help, then a cliff.
This image shows an area chart demonstrating that calls, texts or chats to 988 by LGBTQ+ youth seeking specialized services through "option 3" rose continuously from September 2022 to July 2025 — then suddenly dropped down to zero, since the option was discontinued. The visualization looks like a cliff.
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Tyler Kingkade @tktk.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
“I wasn’t playing girls’ soccer because I couldn’t handle it on the boys team — I was playing girls’ soccer because that’s where my friends were and that’s where I felt comfortable, and that’s where I belong.” www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup... via @joyurcaba.bsky.social
nbcnews.com
For trans student-athletes, the Supreme Court’s ruling is just the latest blow
Amid a drumbeat of state and federal policies restricting transgender rights, the court’s decision left some trans athletes and their advocates angry and afraid.
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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 01/07/2026
This special report on how Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ changed America ( by @spettypi.bsky.social and @mikehixenbaugh.com ) has a lot of #dataViz in it, is deeply reported and is *not* behind the NBC News paywall (though that will change soon). [no paywall for now] www.nbcnews.com/specials/tru...
nbcnews.com
How Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ changed America
President Donald Trump signed his “big, beautiful bill” a year ago. It unleashed the biggest ever rollback of federal programs serving the poor, while extending trillions of dollars in tax breaks disp...
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 01/07/2026
One year after Trump signed his “big, beautiful bill,” it has begun reshaping the country. At least 4 million people have lost food stamps. Millions more will lose healthcare. Refugees and other legal immigrants are getting kicked off the safety net. And the wealthiest Americans have gotten richer.
nbcnews.com
How Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ changed America
President Donald Trump signed his “big, beautiful bill” a year ago. It unleashed the biggest ever rollback of federal programs serving the poor, while extending trillions of dollars in tax breaks disp...
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
A very cool story by Kate Sosin at @19thnews.org. Also, go Rose City! 19thnews.org/2026/06/roll...
19thnews.org
Roller derby was already queer-friendly. Then it got more inclusive.
Years before trans athletes in sports embroiled national politics, roller derby — the five-player high-contact sport with punk rock nicknames — tackled the question of who could play.
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Julia Serano @juliaserano.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
NEW ESSAY: Origins of the Anti-Trans “Groomer” Slur. it provides historical context, a timeline of how it spread, & how it shapes anti-trans/LGBTQ legislation. pls share! on Medium (friend link): juliaserano.medium.com/origins-of-t... & Substack (no paywall): juliaserano.substack.com/p/origins-of...
juliaserano.medium.com
Origins of the Anti-Trans “Groomer” Slur
a timeline, plus historical context and future implications
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Not for a story, but for me: Folks in the Portland, OR, area who are open to sharing, about how long did you have to wait for a top surgery consult and then for surgery? Just got some tough news about my wait times and looking at other options. DMs open if you don't want to respond publicly.
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Tyler Kingkade @tktk.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
NEW: I wrote about the self-published book that is fueling a movement of parents demanding less screen time in schools -- and becoming a major headache for school administrators www.nbcnews.com/news/educati...
nbcnews.com
The book fueling a movement against screens in schools
“The Digital Delusion” connects the collapse in standardized test scores to the rise of education technology in public schools. It’s drawing a heated debate.
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Tyler Kingkade @tktk.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Transgender adults are losing health care under the Trump administration, @joyurcaba.bsky.social reports They asked the Heritage Foundation what its staff think of this, and their reply was, essentially, it's nbd www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
It’s not just kids: Trump’s crackdown on trans healthcare extends into adulthood
Conservatives have long argued they want to end transition care for minors, but federal policies have increasingly limited adult access. More restrictions are on the way.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Here's how the Trump administration is chipping away at transgender health care access for adults With more than 30 interviews with trans adults, treatment providers, conservative activists and trans rights activists over the last two months. For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
It’s not just kids: Trump’s crackdown on trans healthcare extends into adulthood
Conservatives have long argued they want to end transition care for minors, but federal policies have increasingly limited adult access. More restrictions are on the way.
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NBC News @nbcnews.com · 26/05/2026
It’s not just kids: Trump’s crackdown on trans healthcare extends into adulthood.
nbcnews.to
It’s not just kids: Trump’s crackdown on trans healthcare extends into adulthood
Conservatives have long argued they want to end transition care for minors, but federal policies have increasingly limited adult access. More restrictions are on the way.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Here's how the Trump administration is chipping away at transgender health care access for adults With more than 30 interviews with trans adults, treatment providers, conservative activists and trans rights activists over the last two months. For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
It’s not just kids: Trump’s crackdown on trans healthcare extends into adulthood
Conservatives have long argued they want to end transition care for minors, but federal policies have increasingly limited adult access. More restrictions are on the way.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Looking to connect with USPS employees and federal employees who are trans. DM me, email Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com or Signal joyurcaba.91
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Adam Rhodes @byadamrhodes.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
For an article about the SAVE Act, I’m looking to speak with trans people about your experiences voting with identification that doesn’t match your gender expression. What issues have you faced? I’d also like to talk to folks who can’t update their birth certificates due to state law. DM me plz!
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Talk to Adam about voting/birth certificate issues!
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
I haven't been sharing much on here lately, and that is in part because I've been working on a big feature that should be out soon. But it's also because in February I started competing in gay rodeo. 🤠 1/
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
ICYMI: Texas Children’s will create ‘detransition clinic’ to settle DOJ and state investigation Advocates and doctors who treat trans youth are concerned about the precedent this sets as the DOJ continues investigating hospitals nationwide. For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Texas Children’s will create ‘detransition clinic’ to settle DOJ and state investigation
The agreement ends a three-year battle over transgender healthcare at the country’s largest children’s hospital. Advocates for trans rights raised concerns about politics shaping medicine.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Dr. Morissa Ladinsky, who moved to California to continue practicing due to Alabama’s felony trans care ban for minors, worries about the precedent set by this clinic, which was "created by legal intimidation on terms set by politicians.” For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
NEW: Seattle might declare a civil emergency to help LGBTQ (mostly trans) people fleeing red states, so I looked for a Texas angle. An organizer told me that Texas is #1 among trans people looking to relocate: "The baseline hostility to their existence is unbearable." www.chron.com/culture/arti...
chron.com
So many LGBTQ Texans are moving to this city, it may declare an 'emergency'
Seattle is one of the many places that transgender Texans are resettling after fleeing their home state.
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Julia B. Chan @juliachanb.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
@19thnews.org is hiring a contract climate reporter! We're looking for a reporter to spend three months covering climate's impact on women and LGBTQ+ people, including how it intersects with housing, child care and health. Share or apply here: 19thnews.org/2026/04/cont...
19thnews.org
We're hiring a contract climate reporter
The 19th is seeking a full-time contract reporter to report, write and produce climate coverage, focusing on how politics and policies impact women and LGBTQ+ people.
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Christopher Wiggins @cwnewser.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
NEWS: The Idaho Senate vote could be as soon as this evening. At a committee hearing on Monday, senators allotted just 22 minutes for public testimony and heard from five speakers, three opposed to the bill and two in favor, despite far broader interest. www.advocate.com/politics/sta...
advocate.com
Idaho Senate Republicans rush toward passing transgender bathroom criminalization bill
The House-passed measure advanced to a full vote after a brief hearing in which lawmakers limited public committee testimony despite broad opposition.
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 25/03/2026
“No child should be here, regardless of their condition,” Gael’s dad told me from Dilley last week. “Even for us as adults, it’s hard.” Now they’re on their way back to El Paso. Ms. Rachel had called for their release after meeting the family over zoom this month.
nbcnews.com
Nonverbal 5-year-old who met Ms. Rachel over Zoom is released from ICE detention
His parents, asylum-seekers from Colombia, said their son’s physical and emotional health deteriorated during the weeks they were held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas.
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 25/03/2026
NEW: The 9-year-old who begged Ms. Rachel for help getting out of ICE detention so he could attend his spelling bee has now also been released from Dilley. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
9-year-old who pleaded to go to spelling bee released from ICE detention
Deiver Henao Jimenez told children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel that he wanted to leave Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas in order to go to his state spelling bee.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
I'm still speaking with trans adults about how their access to transition care has been affected by state and federal policies. We've created a form here for folks to give initial info. Nothing from this will be shared unless we talk about it in an interview. forms.office.com/r/cNDLuSjses
forms.office.com
Microsoft Forms
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 23/03/2026
“I am political,” Ms. Rachel told me of her new effort to free kids from ICE detention. “It’s political to believe that children are worthy of love … and that our care shouldn’t stop at what we look like, our family, at our religion, at a border. Mr. Rogers was very political.”
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
I'd like to speak with trans adults (18+) whose access to transition care has changed due to state and/or federal policy changes. DM, email Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com or Signal joyurcaba.91
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Tyler Kingkade @tktk.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
"Some 1,700 Kansans had their driver’s licenses invalidated last month. It wasn’t for racking up speeding tickets or a DUI charge, but because they are transgender." www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... via @joyurcaba.bsky.social
nbcnews.com
Kansas revoked 1,700 transgender drivers' licenses. Some are leaving the state.
The state's move to retroactively cancel licenses and birth certificates is part of a nationwide escalation of restrictions on the legal recognition of transgender people.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
NEW: Kansas revoked 1,700 transgender drivers’ licenses. Some are leaving the state I spoke to trans Kansans and the one Republican who voted against the law. For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Kansas revoked 1,700 transgender drivers’ licenses. Some are leaving the state
The state's move to retroactively cancel licenses and birth certificates is part of a nationwide escalation of restrictions on the legal recognition of transgender people.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
NEW: Kansas judge declines to grant a temporary restraining order against law invalidating trans Kansans' drivers' licenses and requiring them to use the bathrooms of their birth sex in govt buildings. Full story incoming.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Looking to speak with trans Kansans about how SB 244 (the law affecting driver's licenses, birth certificates, bathrooms and more) is affecting your life so far and plans for the future. Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com or Signal @joyurcaba.91
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Looking to speak with trans Kansans about how SB 244 (the law affecting driver's licenses, birth certificates, bathrooms and more) is affecting your life so far and plans for the future. Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com or Signal @joyurcaba.91
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Kansas is invalidating trans residents' licenses even if they HAVEN'T changed their gender markers, according to this reporting from @natezuke.bsky.social @assignedmedia.org: www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...
assignedmedia.org
She’d Never Changed Her Gender Marker. Kansas Invalidated Her License Anyway. — Assigned
A trans Kansas resident recently changed her name but not her gender marker on her license, fearing what Kansas may do if she did. The Kansas DMV still flagged her ID.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Very happy to share that I wrote a gay hockey story. Here's how "Heated Rivalry" has driven more LGBTQ+ people to join queer hockey leagues nationwide. For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
They watched 'Heated Rivalry.' Then they were overcome with desire to hit the ice.
LGBTQ hockey leagues report a surge in aspiring new players following the hit show’s success, at a moment of reckoning for the sport.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Very happy to share that I wrote a gay hockey story. Here's how "Heated Rivalry" has driven more LGBTQ+ people to join queer hockey leagues nationwide. For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
They watched 'Heated Rivalry.' Then they were overcome with desire to hit the ice.
LGBTQ hockey leagues report a surge in aspiring new players following the hit show’s success, at a moment of reckoning for the sport.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Have you started playing hockey or are in the process of joining a team due to "Heated Rivalry"? DM me or email Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Trump admin removes Pride flag from Stonewall National Monument The change, first reported by Gay City News, reverses a decade-long tradition at the New York City monument, which commemorates a major turning point in the LGBTQ rights movement. For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Trump administration removes Pride flag from Stonewall National Monument, a major LGBTQ landmark
The change reverses a decade-long tradition at the New York City monument, which commemorates a major turning point in the LGBTQ rights movement.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Per this new report: Since January 2025, more than 40 hospitals have restricted transition-related care for trans young people. The article also includes a scrollable chart of all the hospitals, with useful details like what patient population they have paused or stopped care for.
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 06/02/2026
Maria is one of hundreds of children, who — like Liam Ramos — have been held at a Texas detention facility where parents say children languish as they’re served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care. Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
nbcnews.com
Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public vie...
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 06/02/2026
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year. She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again. Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
Photo shows a young girl with her cat
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Sara Luterman @slooterman.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Most Heated Rivalry coverage has been focused on what young people, particularly younger straight women, think. I cover aging and decided to ask older gay men about their thoughts. I found: A founder of what may have been the first gay hockey blog, a wedding cake shaped like a Zamboni and more.
19thnews.org
Older gay men built their own hockey fandom. Then came 'Heated Rivalry.'
The hit show is an unexpected invitation for some older gay hockey fans to reflect on love, acceptance and coming out.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
I love this story so much.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Children's Minnesota will pause providing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to patients under 18 effective Feb. 27. If your family will be affected, I'd love to speak with you: Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com or @joyurcaba.91 on Signal.
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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Children's Minnesota will pause providing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to patients under 18 effective Feb. 27. If your family will be affected, I'd love to speak with you: Jo.Yurcaba@nbcuni.com or @joyurcaba.91 on Signal.
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