Haven 740

09/30/2026

Haven 740 Statement on the September 28, 2026 Title IX Regulatory Change

After sharing our community explainer about what happened with Title IX, we also wanted to share where Haven 740 stands.
We believe every student has the right to an equal opportunity to learn, participate, and succeed regardless of who they are or how they identify. We strongly disagree with the decision to restore the 2020 Title IX regulations and believe protections for LGBTQIA+ students should be restored and strengthened. We wanted to share this statement so our community can hear directly from Haven 740 about where we stand and why.

Read our full statement here:
https://sites.google.com/view/haven-740/haven-740-releases/haven-740-statement-on-the-september-28-2026-title-ix-regulatory-change?authuser=0

We believe our LGBTQIA+ students deserve to know that they belong here. They deserve the same opportunity to learn as every other student and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Haven 740
Your community, your voice.

09/29/2026

What happened with Title IX today?
You may have seen news today about the federal government changing Title IX protections for LGBTQIA+ students, so we wanted to break down what actually happened and what it means for our community. On September 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education formally rescinded the Biden administration’s 2024 Title IX regulations and restored the 2020 Title IX regulations. The 2024 regulations specifically said that Title IX’s protection against s*x discrimination included discrimination based on s*xual orientation and gender identity. The 2020 regulations do not contain that same language. The change is scheduled to take effect when it is published in the Federal Register on September 29. (https://www.edweek.org)

There is some important context here because this can be confusing. The 2024 regulations had already been blocked in court, and on January 9, 2025, a federal court vacated them nationwide. The Department of Education has been enforcing the 2020 regulations since then. So this does not mean that every LGBTQIA+ protection in schools suddenly disappeared today. (https://www.ed.gov)

What it does mean is that the federal Title IX regulations currently being used by the Department of Education no longer explicitly say that s*xual orientation and gender identity are covered by Title IX’s s*x-discrimination protections the way the 2024 regulations did. That matters, especially for LGBTQIA+ students who experience discrimination or harassment at school, because the federal rules and the process the Department of Education uses to enforce Title IX are different from what they were under the 2024 rule. (https://www.edweek.org)

But please hear us on this: this does NOT mean you have no rights. It does NOT mean being LGBTQIA+ is prohibited at school. It does NOT mean your identity has been erased. And it does NOT mean that every school is suddenly allowed to do whatever it wants. Title IX still prohibits s*x discrimination in federally funded education programs, and other federal, state, and local laws or school policies may also provide protections depending on the situation. (https://www.ed.gov)

For our LGBTQIA+ students and families here in Pike County, the biggest thing right now is to stay informed and know what protections actually apply to you. This is a federal regulatory change, not a statement that LGBTQIA+ students no longer belong in our schools or communities. Haven 740 will keep following what happens next and will continue sharing information as we learn more. We aren’t going anywhere. 🏳️‍🌈💙

Haven 740 researched this update using official government information and current reporting to help make sure what we’re sharing is accurate and understandable for our community.

This post is for general information and is not legal advice.

09/28/2026

New research out this week from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation puts the number of LGBTQ+ adults in Ohio at roughly 883,000, or about 11.29% of the state's adult population. That makes Ohio one of more than 40 states where more than 10% of adults identify as LGBTQ+. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, researchers pooled together 2.4 million people to arrive at numbers far higher than previous estimates, which had Ohio at around 6%.

Think about what that means. Roughly one in nine Ohioans is LGBTQ+. We are your neighbors, your coworkers, your family members, and your friends! The lawmakers trying to legislate us out of public life are not representing the Ohio that actually exists. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

09/27/2026

What is something you as the community are wanting to see from us at Haven 740

09/24/2026

🏳️‍🌈✨ We’re excited to officially introduce Haven 740’s newest initiative, Making Waverly Welcoming!✨🏳️‍🌈
We’re working to find and recognize businesses, organizations, and community spaces around Waverly that are welcoming to our LGBTQIA+ community. As part of this initiative, we’re creating our own Haven 740 Welcoming Space verification process, and places that complete the process will receive an official Haven 740 sticker to display at their location! This is something we’re really excited to start building, and we can’t wait to see where it goes.
You can learn more about Making Waverly Welcoming and our verification process on our site!
https://sites.google.com/view/haven-740/making-waverly-welcoming?

We’re here to offer support, build community, share resources, and create real visibility for those who often feel unseen. Whether through social events, support groups, educational workshops, or simple hangouts, Haven 740 is a space where your identity is valid, your story matters, and your voice...

09/11/2026

Today we remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and everyone who came together in the days that followed. No matter how many years pass, we should never forget.❤️🤍💙

Twenty-five years after Sept. 11, 2001, we pause to remember the lives lost, honor the first responders and service members who answered the call, and recognize the resilience of a nation forever changed by that day.

The legacy of 9/11 lives not only in remembrance, but in the generations of Americans who chose service, sacrifice and commitment to something greater than themselves.

Today, we honor the fallen, those who responded in our nation’s darkest hours, and the families whose lives were forever changed.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget.

09/09/2026

How many LGBTQ+ adults are in Ohio? New research from Human Rights Campaign says it’s astronomically higher than we thought.

🔗 Click the LINK IN FIRST COMMENT for the full story.

08/12/2026

You may have seen this story making the rounds last month. A Seattle-based organization called Them Before Us put up billboards across rural Ohio reading "No child has two dads. No child has two moms," printed in rainbow lettering. A photo of one of these billboards in Lima went viral. It was pointed out that this message doesn't just target same-s*x families. It erases kids in foster homes, blended families, divorced households, and single-parent homes too. Equality Ohio said the billboards "don't just attack LGBTQ+ families, they erase every Ohio kid whose home doesn't fit a narrow, manufactured mold."

Dayton-based nonprofit Have A Gay Day responded by raising $18,000 to put up their own counter-billboards using the same font and aesthetic as the original, but declaring "Many children have two dads. Many children have two moms" instead. Ohio pushed back, loudly and creatively, and we love to see it. 🏳️‍🌈