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Headlines
Anti-LGBTQ Bills Die in Florida as DeSantis Influence
Wanes
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak: First Woman and First Out Queer
Mayor of Vermont's Largest City
Laverne Cox is Begging All
Queer Americans to Vote Democrat in the 2024 Election
Nex Benedict's Death Sparks Calls Against Anti-LGBTQ
Bullying Nationwide
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in First for an
Orthodox Christian Nation
Ron DeSantis Cheers as University of
Florida's Anti-LGBTQ President Fires all Diversity Staff
LGBTQ Population in the US Grows by Over 2 Million
More Than 275 Bills Targeting LGBTQ
Rights Flood State Legislatures
Biden Reverses Trump Policy Allowing Doctors to Deny
Care to LGBTQ Patients
Death of Oklahoma Teen After a Fight in School has LGBTQ
Advocates Seeking Answers
City Tries to Ban Pride Events, Gets Slapped With
$500,000 Fine Instead
Mike Johnson Speaks at Hate Group Summit Alongside
Anti-LGBTQ Pastor
National Crisis: Trump for President
Anti-LGBTQ Bills
Die in Florida as DeSantis Influence Wanes
21
viciously anti-LGBTQ bills fail
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) dropped out of the
presidential primary after running on his record of
demonizing the LGBTQ community and fighting against
“woke” diversity efforts. Now, like DeSantis’ failed
campaign, his anti-LGBTQ efforts are going down in
flames. 21 of the nation’s most vicious bills proposed
this year have died after the Florida legislature
adjourned for the session. Only one bill that targeted
the queer community was passed.
Proposed laws that would have expanded the state’s
“Don’t Say Gay” law from the classroom into the
workplace failed, as did another that would have banned
Pride flags from schools and government buildings.
Another bill would have required transgender people’s
driver’s licenses to show their sex assigned at birth. A
fourth would have made it “defamation” to describe
someone as homophobic or transphobic.
The lone bill that passed this year prohibits teachers
from being educated on diversity topics and bans
“teaching identity politics.”
Signed into law by DeSantis (R) in 2022, the “Don’t Say
Gay” law initially banned classroom instruction on
sexuality and gender identity in grades K–3 but was
expanded to ban instruction on those topics in all
grades. A settlement announced yesterday clarifies vague
language in the law that is similar to the language in
the one passed this year.
The law sparked DeSantis’s campaign against the LGBTQ
community and “woke” businesses, including his notorious
ongoing battle with Disney. In March 2024, a federal
appeals court ruled unanimously that Florida can’t
enforce its new “Stop WOKE Act.” One of Gov. Ron
DeSantis‘ (R) most hyped laws, it prohibits businesses
from requiring employees to attend mandatory diversity
and inclusion training.
During his failed presidential bid, DeSantis hyped the
“Stop WOKE Act” on the campaign trail. “Despite years of
relentless attacks and dehumanizing rhetoric, LGBTQ
people and our allies have never given up the fight for
Florida. And we are shifting the momentum,” Human Rights
Campaign spokesperson Geoff Wetrosky said. “The fight to
free Florida from the grip of Governor DeSantis’
devastating and extreme agenda of government censorship
and intrusion into people’s lives is far from over. And
the devastation he and his allies have caused will last
long after these politicians are gone. But the tide is
turning. Perhaps the anti-LGBTQ fever in Tallahassee is
beginning to break. The people will prevail.”
[Source: Bil Browning, LGBTQ Nation, March 2024]
Anti-LGBTQ Bills Die in Florida as DeSantis Influence
Wanes
Ron DeSantis Cheers as University of
Florida's Anti-LGBTQ President Fires all Diversity Staff
More Than 275 Bills Targeting LGBTQ
Rights Flood State Legislatures
City Tries to Ban Pride Events, Gets Slapped With
$500,000 Fine Instead
These Vile Anti-LGBTQ
Bills Have Already Been Introduced in 2024
Ron DeSantis Destroyed by Gavin Newsom in Debate
Top LGBTQ News Sources
Meet Emma
Mulvaney-Stanak
First Woman and First Out Queer Mayor of Vermont's
Largest City
Emma
Mulvaney-Stanak, who was previously a state
representative, said that "when you have marginalized
people at the table, decisions change because you
remember humanity matters."
Vermont's largest city has elected its first woman
mayor, who also happens to be the city's first out queer
mayor. State Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, a progressive,
made history in the city of Burlington when she won her
election in March 2024 against City Councilor Joan
Shannon, a Democrat who was considered the race's
frontrunner. Mulvaney-Stanak won by a margin of over
five points, claiming 50.48 percent of the vote.
The progressive replaces Miro Weinberger, who has been
the city's mayor for the past 12 years. When announcing
last year that he would not seek reelection, Weinberger
said that he hoped a woman or person of color would take
his place. He has hailed Mulvaney-Stanak's election as
"historic," stating: “These are important milestones for
the community and a remarkable accomplishment."
"When you have marginalized people at the table,
decisions change because you remember humanity matters,"
she continued in her speech. "You remember that young
people matter, that children matter. You can come to the
table with a different orientation and perspective.” She
added: “As your next mayor, I'm going to tell you the
future's bright, but you know what? It's not all on me.
It's on all of us."
[Source: Ryan Adamczeski, Advocate, March 2024]
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak: First Woman and First Out Queer
Mayor of Vermont's Largest City
Laverne Cox is Begging All
Queer Americans to Vote Democrat in the 2024 Election
Nex Benedict's Death Sparks Calls Against Anti-LGBTQ
Bullying Nationwide
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in First for an
Orthodox Christian Nation
LGBTQ Population in the US Grows by Over 2 Million
Biden Reverses Trump Policy Allowing Doctors to Deny
Care to LGBTQ Patients
Death of Oklahoma Teen After a Fight in School has LGBTQ
Advocates Seeking Answers
Mike Johnson Speaks at Hate Group Summit Alongside
Anti-LGBTQ Pastor
National Crisis: Trump for President
The Death of Nex
Benedict
Death of Oklahoma Teen After a Fight in School has LGBTQ
Advocates Seeking Answers
16 year old student, Nex Benedict, whose family says
identified as nonbinary, died February 2024, one day
after a fight with others at Owasso High School in
northeastern Oklahoma. Police in Owasso are
investigating. Advocates point to a heightened and
hostile climate against the LGBTQ community.
It is not clear if or how the fight contributed to Nex’s
death. Police in Owasso have not called the
investigation criminal and said that early autopsy
findings indicate Nex did not die as a result of trauma.
“Preliminary information from the medical examiner’s
office is that a complete autopsy was performed and
indicated that the decedent did not die as a result of
trauma,” Owasso police said.
Sue Benedict, Nex’s guardian and biological grandmother,
said that Nex was badly beaten during the
fight with three older girls in a bathroom at the school
and hit their head on the floor. Benedict said Nex had
experienced bullying at the school, but added, “I didn’t
know how bad it had gotten.”
“I said, ‘You’ve got to be strong and look the other
way, because these people don’t know who you are,’”
Benedict said.
Nex was a 10th grader and used they/them pronouns,
according to their family. “Nex did not see themselves
as male or female,” Benedict explained.
Earlier this month, a physical altercation in an Owasso
High School West campus bathroom was broken up by
students and a faculty member, according to Owasso
police. All students walked to the assistant principal’s
office and the nurse’s office, police said. After
contacting parents and guardians and conducting health
evaluations, a nurse suggested Nex be taken to a
hospital for further care. The following
afternoon, Owasso Fire Department medics responded to a
medical emergency involving the teenager, who was then
transported to a pediatric emergency hospital where they
later died, police said.
The Benedict family said that while the investigation is
ongoing, the early details about the incident are
“troubling at best.” they went on to say, “We urge those
tasked with investigating and prosecuting all
potentially liable parties to do so fully, fairly and
expediently. We know all too well the devastating
effects of bullying and school violence, and pray for
meaningful change wherein bullying is taken seriously
and no family has to deal with another preventable
tragedy.”
[Source: Andy Rose and Whitney Wild, CNN, Feb 2024]
Death of Oklahoma Teen After a Fight in School has LGBTQ
Advocates Seeking Answers
What We Know About Death of Oklahoma Teen Nex Benedict
After Beating in School Restroom
Non-Binary Teenager Dies After Violent Attack in School
Restrooms
Nex Benedict's Death Sparks Calls Against Anti-LGBTQ
Bullying Nationwide
After Nex Benedict’s Death, LGBTQ Oklahomans Vow to Not
Let Hate Take Over
Nex Benedict Loved Cats and Video Games and Reading
Karine Jean-Pierre Absolutely Heartbroken Over Oklahoma Teen Nex Benedict’s Death
HRC President Demands Federal Investigation into Nex Benedict’s Death Amid Oklahoma’s Anti-LGBTQ Climate
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in First for an Orthodox Christian Nation
Greece is the 16th European Union nation...
and the 35th country worldwide to legalize same-sex marriages
Greek lawmakers voted in Feb 2024 to legalize same-sex marriage in a landmark decision that will make it the first Orthodox Christian country to do so.
The passage of the law — which was drafted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government and had support from four left-wing parties — makes the nation the 16th within the European Union and the 35th worldwide to legalize same-sex nuptials, according to a tally from the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. Gay marriage is also legal in the territories of Taiwan and Greenland.
A cross-party majority of 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat Parliament voted in favor of the bill. Another 76 rejected the reform while two abstained from the vote and 46 were not present for the vote.
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in First for an Orthodox Christian Nation
Hundreds of Protesters Opposed to Bill Allowing Same-Sex Marriage Rally in Greek Capital
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage: First for Orthodox Christian Country
“People who have been invisible will finally be made visible around us. And with them, many children will finally find their rightful place,” Mitsotakis told lawmakers ahead of the evening vote.
Greece has allowed civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015. However, that law did not permit same-sex parents to both claim legal guardianship over their children. The new law amends this, though it still would prohibit same-sex male couples from having children through surrogate mothers in Greece, an option available to single women and heterosexual couples who require surrogates due to health reasons.
The legalization of same-sex marriage has come under fierce criticism from the Greek Orthodox Church, which teaches that homosexuality is a sin. Conversely, some LGBTQ advocates have criticized the law, arguing that it does not go far enough. The vote comes as the Orthodox Christian nation has loosened its regulations around LGBTQ people in the last decade.
Two years after the country passed the 2015 law allowing civil unions for same-sex couples, lawmakers passed legislation that would allow people to have their gender identity legally recognized. In 2022, Greek legislators also banned the widely debunked practice of conversion therapy nationwide, something that is still widely available in more historically progressive nations, including the United States.
The passage of same-sex marriage in Greece coincides with a precarious time for LGBTQ rights around the world.
While lawmakers in the United States enshrined same-sex marriage into federal law in 2022, state legislators have also proposed and enacted hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills in recent years.
Late last year, Russia’s Supreme Court designated the LGBTQ social movement as extremist, which critics have argued effectively bans any organized advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ rights. Local reports have shown Russian police raiding gay bars in cities across the country since the court’s ruling.
And in Uganda, lawmakers enacted one of the world’s most punishing anti-LGBTQ laws, which would criminalize landlords who knowingly house LGBTQ people and impose the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”
[Source: Matt Lavietes, NBC News, Feb 2024]
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in First for an Orthodox Christian Nation
Hundreds of Protesters Opposed to Bill Allowing Same-Sex Marriage Rally in Greek Capital
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage: First for Orthodox Christian Country
2024 Golden Globes
So much queer representation at the 2024 Golden Globes!
The 81st Golden Globe Awards ceremony kicked off in January 2024 with a dazzling red carpet event featuring plenty of LGBTQ talent and beauty. With so many queer films, TV shows, actors, and musicians nominated in different categories, our community is definitely being well-represented at the ceremony.
Between the casts from All of Us Strangers, Nyad, Rustin, Fellow Travelers, and The Last of Us, to name a few, we’re getting lots of LGBTQ representation at the 2024 Golden Globes. And we love to see it!
o
On hand for the event were Bella Ramsey, Andrew Scott, Wanda Sykes, Jonathan Bailey, Dylan Mulvaney, Colman Domingo, Raúl Domingo, Hunter Schafer, Matt Bomer, Jelani Alladin, Billie Eilish, Noah J. Ricketts, Jodie Foster, Hari Nef, and Lily Gladstone.
[Source: Bernardo Sim, Out Magazine, January 2024]
2024 Golden Globes: LGBTQ Celebs Who Walked the Red Carpet
Who Won Golden Globes for 2024?
LGBTQ Stars Showed Up and Won in Style at the 2024 Golden Globes
Golden Globes 2024: Complete Winners List
Here’s All the 2024 Golden Globes Gay Goings-on
Golden Globes: How Viewers Responded to the Gay Moments
Lily Gladstone Talks She/They Pronouns and Gender-Inclusive Award Categories
Anti-LGBTQ Rights Bills Flood State Legislatures
New year's resolution... More than 275 bills targeting LGBTQ rights in 2024...
State legislatures have introduced more than 275 bills targeting LGBTQ rights for 2024 sessions, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), signaling an increased focus on LGBTQ rights among conservative legislators in the new year. The mark follows more than 500 similar bills in 2023. The legislation targets issues including gender-affirming care for young people and adults, the ability of students to choose their gender in schools, transgender student athletes and restrictions on LGBTQ speech.
“Transgender people across the country are enduring a historic and dangerous effort to control our bodies and our lives, fueled by extremist politics with the goal of erasing us from public life,” ACLU attorney Harper Seldin said. “Taken together, these proposals are a blatant effort to deny transgender people the freedom to be ourselves at school, at work, and the support of the medical care many of us need to live,” he said. “We at the ACLU and our nationwide affiliate network stand ready to defend our freedoms and our families from this baseless assault.”
Only the Second Week of 2024: These Vile Anti-LGBTQ
Bills Have Already Been Introduced
More Than 275 Bills Targeting LGBTQ
Rights Flood State Legislatures
For LGBTQ Rights, 2023 Was a Year of Fighting: Here’s What We Won
Flood of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Shows GOP Wants to Eradicate Trans People From Public Life
Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in US State Legislatures
Roundup of Anti-LGBTQ Legislation Advancing In States Across the Country
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a pro-LGBTQ advocacy group, declared a “national state of emergency” in June 2023 over the wave of anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in states. More than 80 anti-LGBTQ laws were enacted this past year.
More than 200 of the 2024 bills are focused on education, by the ACLU’s count, including more than 30 targeting transgender athletes, 36 on school curriculums and 38 regarding the forced outing of LGBTQ students to their parents. Nearly 120 included provisions limiting access to health care, mostly gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Some bills included multiple anti-LGBTQ issues.
Many of the laws passed in 2023 were challenged in court, and state and federal courts have struck down attempted bans on gender-affirming care in Arkansas, Indiana, Montana and Florida. Similar bans in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas and Georgia, however, were upheld in court.
More than a third of transgender children and adolescents in the US live in a state that has banned gender-affirming health care, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
[Source: Nick Robertson, The Hill, Jan 2024]
LGBTQ Stars Absolutely Ruled 2023
Out 100: 2023
List of LGBTQ Celebrities
Those Were the Good Old Days by Randy Rainbow
NBC News: Here are the Top LGBTQ News Stories of 2023
Nearly 30% of Gen Z Adults Identify as
LGBTQ, National Survey Finds
2023’s Legislative Attacks on LGBTQ Rights
75 Anti-LGBTQ Bills Have Become Law in 2023
Less GOP and More LGBTQ: Gen Z is More
Likely to be Queer than Republican
Norman Lear, TV Pioneer and LGBTQ Ally, Dies at Age 101
Here Are All the Celebrities Who Came Out
as LGBTQ in 2023
Queer Year in Review: 2023
Highlights of some of the top LGBTQ news stories and events this past year...
For the LGBTQ community, 2023 offered some bright spots and some sad moments. Certainly there was a good mix of events to celebrate and incidents to detest. Let's look back at 2023 and recall some of the stories that caught our attention.
In politics, the US
Congress had a record number of LGBTQ members:11 in House
of Reps, 2 in Senate, 13 total.
Laphonza
Butler, of California, makes history as the first LGBTQ
person of color in the US Senate. And
Virginia voters elected the first transgender candidate, Danica Roem, to be state senator.
Those Were the Good Old Days by Randy Rainbow
NBC News: Here are the Top LGBTQ News Stories of 2023
Out 100: 2023
List of LGBTQ Celebrities
Most Uplifting Moments for
LGBTQ People in 2023
In the entertainment world, TV host
Robin Roberts, of Good Morning America, publicly announced her
engagement to Amber Laign.
Gay
television producer Ryan Murphy received Golden
Globes Lifetime Achievement Award. Sam
Smith (non-binary) and Kim Petras (transgender) won a
Grammy Award for "Unholy." Everything Everywhere
All at Once wins Best Picture Academy Award and The
Whale won Best Actor Award
(Brenden Fraser). Barry Manilow broke Elvis Presley's
record of the most shows in Las Vegas. Pop music legend Elton John performed his farewell concert tour after a 50 year career.
And George Michael was posthumously inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Among the many movies with LGBTQ performers and themes were Red White and Royal Blue, Nyad, May December, Bottoms,
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Joy
Ride, Dangerous Boys to Know, Monica, Erin's Guide to Kissing Girls, In From the Side, Good
Grief, Rustin, Love Lies Bleeding, and Theater Camp.
In the sports world, Carl Nassib, NFL Football Athlete, announced his serious
relationship with Olympic Swimmer Søren Dahl. And
USWNT soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe retired.
Our Favorite Songs by LGBTQ Artists in 2023
LGBTQ Celebs, Allies and Icons We Lost in 2023
Our Favorite LGBTQ Movies of 2023
Queerest Moments of 2023
Celebrities who came out as LGBTQ this year included
Billie Eilish, Wayne Brady, Alexander Lincoln, Anderson
Comas, Bella Ramsey, Karan Brar, Mo’Nique, and Noah
Schnapp.
Kid Rock ridiculed Bud Light beer for promoting their brand with trans celebrity Dylan Mulvaney. Two
trans women competed in Miss Universe pageant: Marina
Machete (Miss Portugal) and Rikkie Valerie Kollé (Miss
Netherlands). Transgender singer Kim Petras appeared on the cover of Sports
Illustrated Magazine Swimsuit Edition and GQ Magazine named Troye Sivan "Man of the Year."
Vintage
drag queens were in the news in 2023. Darcelle XV, of Portland, Oregon, world’s oldest
working drag queen, died at 92. Famous
British drag queen Paul O'Grady (Lily Savage) died at 76. Barry Humphries (aka Dame Edna Everage) died at 89. Drag queen Jinkx Monsoon played Mama
Morton in the Chicago musical on Broadway. And San
Francisco named the nation's first Drag Laureate, D'Arcy Drollinger.
We lost Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, a trailblazing LGBTQ rights advocate, who
died at 90. We also mourned the passing of
US Supreme Court
Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, the first woman on Supreme
Court. Norman Lear also died; his TV shows drew
attention to racism, bigotry, sexism, women's issues,
and homophobia.
This was
also the year that homophobic Christian televangelist Pat Robertson died.
LGBTQ Stars Absolutely Ruled 2023
Best Albums by LGBTQ Artists of 2023
Here Are All the Celebrities Who Came Out
as LGBTQ in 2023
US
legislators (and hate groups) stepped up opposition this
past year to
LGBTQ people, trans people, and drag performers. In
Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis enacted extreme
anti-LGBTQ legislation affecting education, healthcare,
and other services. Nationwide, we saw drag queen
storytime banned, books with LGBTQ content banned, and
health services to trans people banned. But, in the midst of a
national wave of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, President Biden hosted large-scale
a LGBTQ Pride event at
White House. He also vowed to uphold LGBTQ rights in a
speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
And,
rounding out the LGBTQ news stories of 2023, for what
its worth, Pope
Francis gave permission for Catholic priests to "bless"
same-sex relationships.
Current LGBTQ News
Ian McKellen Fears Return of Section 28: There Would be
Revolution in the Streets
Remembering Norman Lear and His
Pioneering LGBTQ-Inclusive Shows
Ron DeSantis Destroyed by Gavin Newsom in Debate
LGBTQ Nation: Let’s Break the Palestinian-Israeli
Impasse
Newly Elected House Speaker Mike Johnson: Very
Anti-LGBTQ
Democratic Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Bill to Ban
Gender-Affirming Care for Kids
GQ Man of the Year Troye Sivan: More In Touch With His
Femininity Than Ever
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Dies at 96
More Than 300 Trans and Gender-Diverse
People Were Killed in 2023, Per New Report
LGBTQ Nation: End the Cycle of Violence, Stop the Blame
New House Speaker's Views on LGBTQ Issues Come Under
Fresh Scrutiny
Sandra Day O’Connor, First Female Supreme
Court Justice, Dies at 93
Before Obergefell, Sandra
Day O’Connor Married Two Gay
Men
Norman Lear | 1922-2023
Norman Lear made funny sitcoms about serious topics...
He addressed hot button issues with humor, courage, curiosity, and compassion...
Norman Lear, iconic, award-winning American television writer, film producer, director, and activist died at the age of 101.
He began his career in the 1950s as a comedy writer. He became known for his roster of hit sitcoms that completely revolutionized television in the 1970s. Norman Lear changed sitcoms and America for the better and profoundly altered the TV landscape.
He is famous for such hit TV shows as All in the Family, Sanford & Son, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude, and One Day at a Time. These shows mixed situation comedy with social commentary. After Lear gained a foothold, nothing on television was ever the same. The families in Lear's shows had conversations about the real things that were going on in the 1970s. Before these shows, television worlds were simpler, nicer places, never controversial or upsetting.
Remembering Norman Lear
Remembering Norman Lear and His
Pioneering LGBTQ-Inclusive Shows
Norman Lear, TV Pioneer and LGBTQ Ally, Dies at Age 101
Norman Lear, Producer of ‘All in the Family’ and Influential Liberal Advocate, Dies at 101
His characters were flawed, imperfect, and human. Lear incorporated concerns about money, race, women’s rights, bigotry and more into his shows. He stuck to his conviction that the ‘foolishness of the human condition" made great television
His shows took on unresolvable issues that were at the heart of inequality and struggle in American society. He tackled everything from homophobia, sexism, racism, abortion, politics, war, and more.
He also was a champion of Latine, black, and minority actors and issues.
Norman Lear was a creative genius, a groundbreaker, and pioneer in the entertainment field. He was an artist, a storyteller, a wise sage, a freedom fighter, and influential liberal advocate. As a political activist, he founded the People for the American Way organization.
President Joe Biden said, “Norman loved America and told our stories with heart, facing the good, the bad, and the truth of who we are as a nation striving to form a more perfect union. He made generations of Americans care, and we are grateful.”
Remembering the Life of TV Producer Norman Lear
Norman Lear, Boundary-Breaking TV Master Behind ‘All in the Family’ and Progressive Activist, dies at 101
Remembering Television Pioneer Norman Lear
Norman Lear, Producer of All in the Family, Dead at 101
Mike Johnson: New Speaker of the House is Anti-LGBTQ
It's another perspective on the
homosexual lifestyle, which many people
believe is morally wrong and physically
dangerous."
-Mike John, New Speaker of US House of
Representatives
New Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is an election-denying extremist, with close ties to Trump, who is as anti-LGBTQ as they come. He introduced a federal Don't Say LGBTQ bill. He co-sponsored a gender-affirming care ban. He served as national spokesperson for an anti-LGBTQ hate group. And this Republican representative, who has advanced extreme views as attorney and legislator, says "I am a Bible-believing Christian."
Rep. Mike Johnson Voted New House Speaker
Bill Maher on Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson Speaks at Hate Group Summit Alongside Anti-LGBTQ Pastor
House Speaker Mike Johnson Applauded Idea of Making Gay Sex Illegal
Newly Elected House Speaker Mike Johnson: Very
Anti-LGBTQ
Go Pick up a Bible: Speaker Mike Johnson Defends Anti-LGBTQ Views
New House Speaker's Views on LGBTQ Issues Come Under Fresh Scrutiny
As a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund (the precursor of the Alliance Defending Freedom), Johnson wrote editorials for his local paper that called homosexuality “inherently unnatural.” “Your race, creed, and sex are what you are, while homosexuality and cross-dressing are things you do,” he wrote. “This is a free country, but we don’t give special protections for every person’s bizarre choices.”
He is an ardent opponent of same-sex marriage. In the Louisiana House, he proposed the Marriage and Conscience Act, preventing adverse treatment by the state of anyone based on their views on marriage. The bill, in the view of critics, protects people who discriminate against same-sex couples. He defended Louisiana’s same-sex marriage ban before the Supreme Court in 2004 and again in 2014.
He recently led a hearing on limiting gender-affirming care. “Sex isn’t something you are assigned at birth. It is a prenatal development that occurs when every unborn child is in its mother’s womb. You can’t surgically free yourself, or someone else, from this fact of life,” he said in his opening statement. “Today, nearly one in four high school students identifies as LGBTQ. Whether it’s by scalpel or by social coercion from teachers, professors, administrators and left-wing media, it’s an attempt to transition the young people of our country. Something has gone terribly wrong."
What Louisianans Want You to Know About Anti-LGBTQ House Speaker Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson Endorses and Promoted Book That Calls Pete Buttigieg Obnoxiously Gay
Who is Mike Johnson? Ardent Conservative Who Embraces Far-Right Policies
Long List of Disturbing Things You Need to
Know About Mike Johnson
Pete Buttigieg: Beautiful Response to Mike Johnson’s Hatred of LGBTQ People
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said Johnson would be “the most anti-equality” speaker in US history. “This is a choice that will be a stain on the record of everyone who voted for him,” Robinson said. “Johnson is someone who doesn’t hesitate to express his disdain for the LGTBQ community from the rooftops and then introduces legislation that seeks to erase us from society.”
Even outspoken conservative Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., had gripes with Johnson’s ascension to power. “So we just elected a raging homophobe to speaker? Way to break stereotypes and win over hearts and minds!”
Mike Johnson's hateful and ignorant remarks on LGBTQ issues are nothing short of disturbing:
“Homosexual marriage is the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic.”
“There is clearly no right to sodomy in the Constitution, and the right of privacy of the home has never placed all activity within the home outside the bounds of the criminal law. What about drugs, prostitution and counterfeiting? Make no mistake, the Lawrence decision opens the door to the undermining of many important laws and is ultimately a strategic first shot for the homosexual lobby’s ultimate prize — the redefinition of marriage.”
“Homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural and, the studies clearly show, are ultimately harmful and costly for everyone. Society cannot give its stamp of approval to such a dangerous lifestyle. If we change marriage for this tiny, modern minority, we will have to do it for every deviant group. Polygamists, polyamorists, pedophiles, and others will be next in line to claim equal protection. They already are. There will be no legal basis to deny a bisexual the right to marry a partner of each sex, or a person to marry his pet.”
AND... When confronted about his hateful attitude, Mike Johnson actually replied, "I can't be hateful. I'm a Christian."
Who is Mike Johnson? Summary of the new Republican House Speaker
Mike Johnson Tried to Overturn the 2020 Election
Mike Johnson’s Wife Runs Christian Counseling Service That Compares Homosexuality to Incest
Speaker Mike Johnson’s Wife Runs Counseling Service That Compares Homosexuality to Beastiality
Info: Trump, Republicans, and our Current National Crisis
Current LGBTQ News
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Trailblazing LGBTQ
Rights Advocate, Dies at 90
Barry Manilow Breaks Elvis Presley's Las
Vegas Record
Challenges to Library Books Continue at Record Pace in
2023, American Library Association Reports
Gaslighting Homophobe Ron DeSantis Says
it’s the Media’s Fault LGBTQ People Think He’s Dangerous
Good Morning America Anchor Robin Roberts & Amber Laign
Get Married
Tennessee Elects its First Transgender Lawmaker
This Year’s Time 100 Next is Brimming with Queer
Excellence
Why Canada Issued Travel Advisory for Its LGBTQ
Residents Visiting US
Lesbian and STI Expert Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo to Succeed
Fauci at NIAID
200,000 People Show Up for Orlando Pride in Defiant
Middle Finger to Ron DeSantis
Philadelphia Becomes Sanctuary City for Gender-Affirming
Care
Gov. Gavin Newsom Chooses Laphonza Butler
to Fill Dianne Feinstein's Senate Seat
Tennessee Voters Elect First Transgender Candidate to
Public Office
Gay Couple Awarded $100,000 After Being Denied Marriage
License
GOP Debate Participants: Look at Their Anti-LGBTQ
Records
LGBTQ Group Reveals National Effort to Eliminate Queer
People From Public Life
Florida School Districts Removed 300 Books Last School
Year
South Florida City Becomes State’s First LGBTQ Sanctuary
Rufus Wainwright Blasts Ferocious Targeting of Trans
Community
Canada Alerts LGBTQ Citizens of Potential
Dangers of US Travel
War in the
Middle East: Israelis vs. Palestinians
Thousands have been killed in the
ongoing conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a
deeply complex and contentious issue
that has gripped the world's attention
for decades. While the LGBTQ perspective
is just one of many lenses through which
to view this multifaceted conflict, it
is a perspective that deserves
consideration.
It is essential to acknowledge that
LGBTQ individuals exist on both sides of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They
share the same desires for love,
acceptance, and equal rights,
irrespective of their national or ethnic
background. In many ways, the struggles
of LGBTQ individuals within this
conflict mirror those of LGBTQ
communities around the world. They face
discrimination, violence, and legal
challenges, which often overshadow their
national and ethnic identities.
CNN: Hamas Attacks Israel, Israel
Responds
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Tears Into
LGBTQ Jewish Community
Analysis: Israel, Palestine and Us
LGBTQ Groups in Israel Respond to War
Palestinians: LGBTQ Not Welcome Here
NBC News: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Tears into LGBTQ Jewish Community
LGBTQ Nation: End the Cycle of Violence, Stop the Blame
Chicago Council on Global Affairs: Pathways to Peace: Reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Chatham House: Ignoring the Roots of Violence in the Israel–Palestine Conflict Challenges Any Future Peace
NPR: Biden Wants a Two-State Solution for
Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Info: LGBTQ Jewish/Israeli Insights
In Israel, LGBTQ rights have made
significant progress over the years,
with same-sex marriage recognition,
anti-discrimination laws, and thriving
LGBTQ communities. Tel Aviv, in
particular, is renowned for its vibrant
LGBTQ scene. These advancements
represent an important step forward in
the fight for equal rights and
acceptance for LGBTQ individuals in the
region.
On the Palestinian side, the situation
is far more complex. LGBTQ individuals
often face persecution and
discrimination, both from society and,
in some instances, from political or
religious authorities. The intersection
of LGBTQ rights and the broader struggle
for Palestinian self-determination is a
topic that sparks passionate debates
within Palestinian communities.
It is crucial to note that discussions
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
should not be reduced to a binary
narrative, as they often are. The
perspectives of LGBTQ individuals, like
all individuals living in the region,
are diverse. Their experiences cannot be
boiled down to a single narrative, just
as the larger conflict cannot.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is
inherently tied to issues of identity,
security, self-determination, and human
rights. The LGBTQ perspective reminds us
that in the midst of this complex web of
political and cultural challenges, there
are people who just want to be
themselves, love who they love, and live
without fear of discrimination or
violence.
In the grand tapestry of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the LGBTQ
perspective serves as a poignant
reminder that we should strive for a
more inclusive, compassionate, and just
world for all, regardless of their
nationality, ethnicity, or sexual
orientation. This perspective encourages
us to support movements and individuals
working towards the universal principles
of equality, human rights, and freedom
from discrimination, irrespective of the
context in which they live.
BBC: History of the Israel Gaza Conflict
Explained
ABC News: A Look Into the Long History
of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Amnesty International: Israel and
Occupied Palestinian Territories
Overview: Israeli–Palestinian Conflict
United Nations: The Question of
Palestine
LGBTQ Nation: Let’s Break the Palestinian-Israeli Impasse
BBC: Israel and Palestinians: Gulf Between Hope and Reality of Peace
US News & World Report: America’s Evolving Views of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
CNN : Debate Over the Israel-Gaza War has Raised Tensions
National Public Radio: US College Students Clashing Over the Israel-Hamas War
Info: Israeli/Palestinian Commentary
Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, Trailblazing LGBTQ Rights
Advocate, Dies at 90
Feinstein leaves legacy of
championing women’s and LGBTQ rights.
US Sen. Dianne Feinstein, known for her
groundbreaking roles in American
politics, has died at 90.The California
Democrat was a pioneer for women,
becoming San Francisco’s first female
Board of Supervisors president and mayor
and later one of California’s first
female US senators. During her time in
public service, Feinstein championed
women’s and LGBTQ rights.
In a time of crisis for San Francisco’s
gay community, she took the politically
risky step of closing the city’s
bathhouses in an effort to combat the
spread of AIDS. Under her leadership,
San Francisco General Hospital became a
global standard-setter for HIV/AIDS
healthcare.
On women’s issues, Feinstein was
instrumental in reauthorizing the
Violence Against Women Act and authored
the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act,
federalizing marriage equality. She
became the first woman in California to
win a major party’s gubernatorial
nomination and was the first woman to
chair the Senate Rules and Intelligence
Committees.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi added her
voice to those mourning Feinstein’s
passing. “Dianne was a pioneering woman
leader, who served as San Francisco’s
first female Mayor with unmatched
courage, poise and grace,” Pelosi said
in a statement. “Her extraordinary
career will continue to inspire
countless young women and girls to
pursue public service for generations to
come.”
As Pelosi
noted, Feinstein was also a powerhouse
in women’s advocacy. She was the first
woman to lead several Senate committees
and was instrumental in renewing the
Violence Against Women Act. “A fierce
champion for gender justice, her
tireless advocacy was consequential in
securing the reauthorization of the
Violence Against Women Act,” Pelosi
stated.
Feinstein had announced plans to retire
in 2024. Her passing leaves a lasting
legacy in American politics,
particularly in women’s and LGBTQ
rights.
[Source: Christopher Wiggins, Advocate,
September 2023]
Advocate: Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
Trailblazing LGBTQ Rights Advocate, Dies
at 90
NBC News: Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
Trailblazer in US Politics and
Longest-Serving Woman in Senate, Dies at
90
CNN: Sen. Dianne Feinstein dies at 90
Advocate: Dianne
Feinstein: An LGBTQ Rights Champion
AP News: Sen. Dianne Feinstein of
California, Trailblazer and Champion of
Liberal Priorities, Dies at Age 90
Dianne Feinstein: An LGBTQ Rights
Champion
ABC News: Dianne Feinstein, Trailblazing
California Senator, Dies at 90
Advocate: From AIDS
to Assassinations,
Sen. Feinstein Was Always There for Us
Laphonza Butler Makes History as
First Out Person of Color in the Senate
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has
tapped lesbian Democratic strategist
Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate seat
held by Dianne Feinstein, who recently
died.
Butler will now be the first LGBTQ
person of color to serve in the US
Senate. She will serve the remainder of
Feinstein’s term, which ends next year.
"I'm honored to accept Gov. Gavin
Newsom's nomination to be US Senator for
a state I have made my home and honored
by his trust in me to serve the people
of California and this great nation,"
Butler said. She added: "No one will
ever measure up to the legacy of Sen.
Dianne Feinstein, but I will do my best
to honor her legacy and leadership by
committing to work for women and girls,
workers and unions, struggling parents,
and all of California. I am ready to
serve."
Butler leads EMILY’s List, a political
group that works to elect Democratic
women who support abortion rights.
Before becoming president of EMILY’S
List, Butler ran a labor union and
served as an advisor for Vice President
Kamala Harris’s 2020 presidential
campaign.
Butler’s selection is not only historic
but it may cause even more complexity in
the lead-up to the 2024 election. The
outlet reports that Butler has deep
connections across the Democratic
political sphere in California and could
very well fundraise enough to make her
another top candidate to succeed
Feinstein.
Equality California’s executive director
Tony Hoang praised Newsom’s choice in
selecting Butler. "Laphonza Butler is
eminently qualified to represent
California well in the United States
Senate and we are thrilled to
congratulate her,” Hoang said in a
statement. “This historic appointment by
Governor Newsom will give our LGBTQ
community another voice in Congress at a
time when our rights and freedoms are
under attack across the country.”
Other LGBTQ groups also lauded Newsom's
choice. "Butler's appointment is so
important for LGBTQ people, Black
people, and women not only in
California, but throughout the country,"
GLAAD's CEO and president Sarah Kate
Ellis said. "Our freedoms are under
attack to be ourselves, make our own
health care decisions, and have our
votes and voices secured."
The Human Rights campaign also
celebrated the selection. "The
appointment of Laphonza Butler to the
Senate is a landmark moment in the fight
for social, racial, and economic
justice. As the first Black lesbian to
represent California in the United
States Senate, Laphonza brings a
compelling voice for abortion rights,
the labor movement, and civil rights
into Congress. Her leadership is a
testament to the legacy of Senator
Dianne Feinstein’s strong record of
pro-LGBTQ support,” said Human Rights
Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “The
threats to reproductive freedoms and
LGBTQ families emanating from the
Supreme Court and anti-equality
politicians are twin crises that require
immediate attention, and Laphonza Butler
is an exceptional advocate on both of
these issues."
[Source: Alex Cooper, Advocate, Oct
2023]
Gavin Newsom Chooses Queer Democratic
Activist Laphonza Butler to Fill Dianne
Feinstein’s Senate Seat
Laphonza Butler: California's New,
History-Making US Senator
Gov. Newsom Selects Laphonza Butler to
Fill Dianne Feinstein's Senate Seat
Gavin Newsom Chooses Laphonza Butler to
Fill Dianne Feinstein's Senate Seat
Gavin Newsom Picks Laphonza Butler to
Fill Dianne Feinstein's Senate Post
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Chooses
Laphonza Butler to Fill Senator
Feinstein’s Seat
Info: LGBTQ and Politics
Challenges to
Library Books Continue at Record Pace in
2023
Book bans and attempted bans
continue to hit record highs, according
to the American Library Association. And
the efforts now extend as much to public
libraries as school-based libraries.
Through the first eight months of 2023,
the ALA tracked 695 challenges to
library materials and services, compared
to 681 during the same time period last
year, and a 20% jump in the number of
“unique titles” involved to 1,915.
School libraries had long been the
predominant target, but in 2023 reports
have been near-equally divided between
schools and libraries open to the
general public, the ALA announced in
Sept 2023.
“The irony is that you had some censors
who said that those who didn’t want
books pulled from schools could just go
to the public libraries,”’ says Deborah
Caldwell-Stone, who directs the
association’s Office for Intellectual
Freedom.
The ALA defines a challenge as a
“formal, written complaint filed with a
library or school requesting that
materials be removed because of content
or appropriateness.”
In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the
association recorded just 377
challenges, involving 566 titles. The
numbers fell in 2020, when many
libraries were closed, but have since
risen to the most in the association’s
20-plus year history of compiling data.
Because the totals are based on media
accounts and reports submitted by
librarians, the ALA regards its numbers
as snapshots, with many incidents left
unrecorded.
Continuing a trend over the past two
years, the challenges are increasingly
directed against multiple titles. In
2023, complaints about 100 or more works
were recorded by the ALA in 11 states,
compared to six last year and none in
2021. The most sweeping challenges often
originate with such conservative
organizations as Moms for Liberty, which
has organized banning efforts nationwide
and called for more parental control
over books available to children.
“There used to be a roughly one-to-one
ratio, where a parent would complain
about an individual book, like in the
days when many were objecting to Harry
Potter,” Caldwell-Stone says. “Now you
have people turning up at meetings and
asking that 100 titles be removed.”
The ALA released its numbers in advance
of its annual banned books week, Oct
1-7, when libraries highlight challenged
works. Earlier this year, the
association issued its annual top 10
list of the books most objected to in
2022, many of them featuring racial
and/or LGBTQ themes. Maia Kobabe’s
“Gender Queer” topped the list, followed
by George Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t
Blue” and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison’s
“The Bluest Eye.”
Attacks against teachers and librarians
have been ongoing in 2023.
At Chapin High School in South Carolina,
some students alleged that a teacher
made them feel “ashamed to be Caucasian”
for assigning Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between
the World and Me,” an open letter to his
son about police violence against Black
people that won the National Book Award
in 2015. The school removed the book
from the syllabus.
In Fort Royal, Virginia, the county
board of supervisors is planning to
drastically cut funding for the Samuels
Public Library in response to
conservative complaints about books with
gay, lesbian and transgender characters.
Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds signed into law a
bill which calls for books depicting sex
acts to be removed from school
libraries.
Some attacks have affected the library
association itself. The ALA’s opposition
to bannings has led some communities to
withdraw their membership, including
Campbell County in Wyoming and a local
library in Midland, Texas. Missouri
officials announced the state would be
leaving the ALA at a time when recent
laws limited access for young people to
books considered inappropriate for their
age.
“I think this trend is going to
continue,” Caldwell-Stone says, “at
least for as long these groups want to
go after whole categories of books.”
[Source: Hillel Italie, AP News, Sept
2023]
Florida School Districts Removed 300 Books Last School
Year
Challenges to Library Books Continue at
Record Pace in 2023, American Library
Association Reports
Conservatives are Attacking LGBTQ Books
School Bans on LGBTQ Books Escalating Dramatically
LGBTQ Authors Hit Back as US School Book Bans Pick Up
Conservative Group Wants to Pass Law to
Jail Librarians Who Give LGBTQ Books to Kids
Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Law
Targeting Books and Librarians
Texas Judge Orders LGBTQ Books Be Returned to Public
Libraries
How Teachers Are Being Silenced on LGBTQ
Issues and More
Georgia Teacher Fired for Reading
Gender-Inclusive Book to Students
Info: LGBTQ Books and Authors
California
Store Owner Fatally Shot Over Pride Flag
Displayed in Her Shop
A
business owner was fatally shot in
August 2023 after someone allegedly took
issue with a Pride flag she had
displayed at her clothing store in Lake
Arrowhead, California. She was 66
years old.
Deputies responded to the shooting at
the Mag Pi clothing store, where owner
Laura Ann Carleton was pronounced dead,
the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department
said. The suspect, who was not
identified, ran away. “Through further
investigation, detectives learned the
suspect made several disparaging remarks
about a rainbow flag that stood outside
the store before shooting Carleton.”
Lauri Carleton was an LGBTQ ally. She flew a rainbow flag. And she is dead because of it. As senseless and shocking as her murder is, it is not surprising. It is the rotten, putrid fruit of MAGA America and all it stands for and aspires to. Violence targeting the LGBTQ community and those who support them is not a random aberration, it is the logical progression. When you continually label queer people as predators, when you repeatedly accuse teachers of being groomers, when you declare drag shows and gay clubs as societal threats, when you intentionally target transgender children and their parents, when you perpetually traffic in irresponsible and dangerous rhetoric designed to generate irrational fear of LGBTQ people—this is the likely outcome.
-John Pavlovitz
The Mag Pi store website described
Carleton as a mother of nine who has
been married to the same man for 28
years. Carleton, who went by the name
Lauri, had studied at the Art Center
School of Design and had had a long
career in fashion, including 15 years as
an executive at Kenneth Cole, the site
said.
Fellow members of the Mountain
Provisions Cooperative, said of her,
“She was our dear friend, mom to many,
ally, organizer, entrepreneur and soul
of our co-op. She was a pillar in
our community, an immovable force in her
values for equality, love and justice.
If you knew Lauri, you know she loved
hard, laughed often, and nurtured and
protected those who she cared about."
Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ said that Carleton
did not identify as a member of the
queer community but was an advocate for
everyone in the community. “Lauri’s
unwavering support for the LBGTQ
community and her dedication to creating
a safe space within her shop touched the
lives of many,” the organization said.
“Her untimely passing in a senseless act
of violence has left us all deeply
saddened.'
[Source: Doha Madani, NBC News, August
2023]
ABC News: California Store Owner Shot
Dead in Dispute Over Displaying Pride
Flag
Pink News: Well-Respected Woman Shot
Dead After Dispute Over LGBTQ Pride Flag
Huffpost: California Woman Fatally Shot
For Displaying Pride Flag Outside Her
Store
NBC News: California Store Owner Fatally
Shot Over Pride Flag Displayed in Her
Shop
NPR: California Store Owner Shot and
Killed Over a Pride Flag Displayed at
Her Shop
Newsweek: Store Owner Shot Dead by Man
Angered at Her Rainbow Flag
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