A U.S. Supreme Court ruling just out upholds a state ban on gender affirming care for transgender minors. The Tennessee case will likely bolster efforts by conservative state lawmakers to regulate care for transgender Americans. It’s the most recent effort in the culture war over gender identity and LGBTQ rights. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears about the fallout from this social and political battle for transgender people in West Virginia. Kay also talks with people shaping the debate over transgender rights. LGBTQ allies say the legal and legislative efforts deny trans people the right to declare their own gender identity, while some conservative policy makers say transgender women are erasing women’s rights; from privacy in the bathroom to athletic competition. The transgender population, estimated at less than one percent of America, is a social lightening rod of our culture wars.

State borders are the new front lines in the nation’s abortion battle. On this encore episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the evolving geography of abortion. Since a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned federal abortion rights, 21 states have either banned or restricted abortion access, including West Virginia. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s neighbor, Maryland, is one of 22 states that are protecting abortion rights and expanding access. Kay follows the decision of Women’s Health Center of West Virginia to move its abortion services from Charleston to a new clinic just over the border near Cumberland, Maryland. The move was intentional because Western Maryland, like West Virginia, is a so-called abortion desert. The two regions have some deep political and cultural similarities. Western Maryland Republicans say they feel ignored by the overwhelmingly liberal, Democratic legislature in Annapolis. They say the new abortion clinic is not wanted or needed in their part of Maryland, and they blame the clinic’s presence on the fallout from Roe v. Wade’s defeat. This Us & Them episode was recently honored by the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters as Best Podcast of 2024.

During his first months in office, President Donald Trump has issued about 150 executive orders and is taking action on the very issues he promised during the campaign. There’ve been dramatic changes in immigration in the form of mass deportations despite concerns over a lack of due process. The administration continues to make good on moves to cut the federal workforce, government agencies and a variety of government-funded organizations. And nearly every day there’s economic news about Trump’s reciprocal tariffs with countries around the world and the impact on the global economy. With all of this to digest, it’s time for another Us & Them dinner party as host Trey Kay brings together guests of varying political persuasions to share a potluck meal and their views on President Trump’s first 100 days in office.