Ben Kesslen

Twitter suspended the account of Indiana Rep. Jim Banks on Saturday after the Republican congressman intentionally misgendered Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, the first transgender person to hold an office that requires a Senate confirmation. Banks, who represents the northeastern corner of the state, was responding to the news that Levine became the first woman to be awarded the title of four-star officer, saying the title was taken and honor were taken by a “man.” Twitter said the comment violated its hateful conduct policy, which prohibits the “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.” The platform temporarily locked Banks’ […]

In a first-of-its-kind effort, the Biden administration is asking people from both the public and the private sectors for their ideas about how to make sure the federal government equitably serves historically underserved communities. Responses to a “request for information” from the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, would help identify gaps in budgeting and policy that aggravate inequality, particularly among communities of color, women, religious minorities, LGBTQ people, disabled people and rural communities, the agency said in announcing the initiative Tuesday. The office, which works to assist the president in meeting policy, budget and regulatory goals, will coordinate […]

Police are investigating an attack on a Syracuse University student who suffered a nose injury in an assault during which he says he was a called a homophobic slur. Campus police learned of the Saturday incident after the unnamed student reported that he was harassed and attacked outside a local bar. Campus and city police are both investigating the incident. It is unclear if the suspect is a student. Recommended LETHAL INJECTIONJudge puts resumption of federal executions on hold U.S. NEWSSyracuse students walk out in protest as chancellor vows action after racist incidents The incident comes just weeks after Syracuse […]

It’s been 50 years since the historic Stonewall uprising, the 1969 rebellion at a Greenwich Village gay bar widely credited with igniting the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement. But did it? Stonewall’s monumental impact is not in question, but marking it as the start of the gay right’s movement erases those who fought for LGBTQ right before that fateful June night five decades ago, historians say. Before Stonewall, there was a nascent — but growing — “homophile movement,” mostly of gay men and lesbians, who formed groups to fight for their rights in the early 1950s. As the decade progressed, so, […]

A transgender woman from El Salvador seeking asylum in the U.S. died on Saturday in a Texas hospital four days after being released from custody, officials and advocates said. Johana Medina Leon, 25, complained of chest pains and was brought to Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. That same day, ICE said she was processed for release on parole. Medina Leon died on the first day of pride month. “This is yet another unfortunate example of an individual who illegally enters the United States with an untreated, unscreened medical condition,” said […]