A number of trans women who were awaiting a vaginoplasty, or ‘bottom surgery’, in Massachusetts have been left in limbo after their surgeries were cancelled with no explanation.

According to WGBH, UMass Memorial Hospital abruptly cancelled all upcoming appointments with Dr Ashley Alford, who is highly regarded for the gender-affirming procedure, and the patients were told that they would not be able to reschedule.

Speaking to the outlet, one patient, using the pseudonym Avery, said: “I’m crushed. I can’t stop crying.

“This surgery was life-changing because it finally gives me the body that’s right for me. It has been ripped away with no explanation or follow-up plan.”

Avery shared that she had spent months preparing for the surgery, which was booked almost a year ago, and she had even changed to a new, costly insurance plan that would cover the procedure.

WGBH reported that it had spoken to six of Dr Alford’s patients, and each one had shared that they received calls over the last two weeks telling them that the appointments at UMass Memorial were cancelled, with hospital staff telling them that rescheduling was “not possible right now”.

In a statement, the hospital said: “Although appointments may at times need to be cancelled or rescheduled due to the availability of a specific provider, nothing has changed in UMass Memorial Health’s commitment to providing comprehensive, evidence-based health care, including gender affirming care, to all members of our community.”

WGBH News contacted Dr Alford but she said she was unable to comment on the story.

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America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) icon Ebony has recalled the “danger” she felt after Tyra Banks outed her as lesbian on the show. 

On Monday (16 February), Netflix documentary Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model debuted, leaving viewers flabbergasted by the show’s overwhelming lack of sensitivity towards its competitors. 

Included in the documentary are interviews with creator and host Tyra Banks, creative director Jay Manuel, runway coach J. Alexander and photographer Nigel Barker. 

One interview saw cycle one model Ebony Haith recount how she was outed without her consent, leaving her feeling she was in “danger”. 

‘That’s how the world found out…’

At the very first audition, Banks referred to Haith as a lesbian without considering how she felt about it being filmed for the show.

She recalled in her interview: “When I first auditioned for the show, the first thing Tyra says to me, she goes, ‘We see that you’re gay’.

“That’s kind of how the world found out I was gay and how the world met me.

“I hoped at least they’d pull me to the side and say, ‘How do you wanna approach this?’ They forgot the danger of that.”

Comments online united in fury over how Banks carelessly outed Haith. 

“They played with ebony so bad, she should’ve won. Gorgeous and fierce, with a mean face card. Literally made a fool of her for views, so evil,” one person wrote in response to a post sharing “heartbreak” for how she was treated on the show. 

They played with ebony so bad, she should’ve won. Gorgeous and fierce, with a mean face card. Literally made a fool of her for views, so evil. https://t.co/Dn6XJQaFwt

— AP (@LOVEYOUAMAYA) February 17, 2026

Later, during the makeover, Haith faced further distress when three hair stylists laughed as they tried to figure out how to do their jobs and shave her short hair clean. 

She shared: “When I went on that show, I knew people would be against anything I represent, being a Black woman that’s gay or whatever it is. But I did think that I would be protected.

“I thought the first episode was fabulous, I was so excited to be a role model, but then when I saw the makeovers… that’s when I felt the full disappointed of the way I was represented.

“I’m sitting there and I have three of the top stylists over my head, laughing at my hair texture, it was really just frustrating.

“People did not have the correct clippers, everybody basically said they didn’t know what to do. They ended up giving me three bald spots.”

Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is streaming on Netflix now.

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Last year LGBTQ+ identification remained steady at nine per cent in the US, according to a survey. 

Data from 2025 telephone interviews conducted by Gallup with more than 13,000 US adults revealed that around nine per cent of US adults identify within the LGBTQ+ community. 

The percentage remains unchanged from the year before, but remains more than double of 2012, the first year Gallup measured the LGBTQ+ population. 

Between 2021 and 2023, Gallup recorded readings of roughly seven per cent. 

The results followed respondents being asked whether they identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something else. 

A majority of 86 per cent said they are heterosexual, while nine per cent said they identified with one of the LGBTQ+ identities. Five per cent gave no response. 

The largest share of LGBTQ+ adults said they are bisexual, representing about five per cent of the entire US adult population. 

Meanwhile, 17 per cent of LGBTQ+ adults identify as gay, 16 per cent as lesbian and 12 per cent as transgender, each representing between one and two per cent of all US adults. 

Since Gallup began measuring LGBTQ+ identities as separate categories in 2020, it has found the bisexual identity to have consistently been the most common, and even growing. 

In 2020, just over three per cent of US adults said they were bisexual, compared with the current number of just over five per cent. 

But it isn’t just bisexual identities that have increased – all others have as well. 

The increase in LGBTQ+ identities has been found to be driven by higher rates among adults under the age of 30. Women also have a higher rate of LGBTQ+ identification, while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to report being part of the community. 

Last year, a report by dating app Hinge revealed that Gen Z are more open-minded than millennials when it comes to their sexuality. 

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The post Twice as many LGBTQ+ people in US than in 2012, study shows appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.