Bill Browning

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These affirmations for LGBTQ+ people can calm your anxiety & grow your self-confidence

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The vitriol directed at the LGBTQ+ community lately can feel defeating, and studies have shown that anxiety levels for queer folks have skyrocketed. But psychologists have also developed a simple technique you can do anywhere to calm yourself and grow your feelings of self-worth. You only need your mobile device or a laptop to feel better using “positive affirmation.” “People wish to view themselves as competent, compassionate, and worthy individuals, but their attitudes, intentions,and behaviors do not always match this ideal,” according to psychological researchers Clayton R. Critcher and David Dunning. “As such, people possess an eclectic toolkit of strategies […]

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Conservatives threatened to hold LGBTQ+ library books hostage. The plan blew up in their faces.

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When Amy Vance and Martha Martin checked out nearly all of the books from the Rancho Peñasquitos branch of the San Diego Public Library, they had a nefarious plan. The incompetent duo emailed the administrator that they would not return the “inappropriate” books. The duo thought they had the upper hand with the plan to hold the books hostage, but instead, their plan backfired spectacularly. They inadvertently raised $45,000 for the library to expand its LGBTQ+-themed programming and materials. “Minor children have the right to belong to a community that respects their innocence and allows families to have conversations about sex […]

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Virginia superintendent defies governor’s new policies that discriminate against trans students

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Francisco Durán, the Arlington Public Schools superintendent, announced he would not comply with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) new educational policy that targets transgender students for discrimination. Durán made a public statement outlining his reasoning for parents in the district. For his decision, Durán cited federal court decisions, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Virginia’s Department of Education introduced policies last week that would force students to use bathrooms, pronouns, and names that align with their sex assigned at birth. The guidelines went into effect immediately. “I reaffirm our unwavering support for our LGBTQIA+ […]

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Republicans don’t have anywhere to eat this month. All of these chains celebrate Pride

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It’s Pride Month and as more and more businesses have climbed on board the rainbow train, Republicans are running out of places to dine out. “Rainbow washing” and “rainbow capitalism” have become common refrains from some in the community who are weary of corporations slapping a rainbow on their logo without supporting the community during the other 11 months of the year. But with over 600 anti-LGBTQ+ laws proposed at the federal and national levels by Republicans and the religious right, this is the year to overlook that in favor of just making them squirm. But as the far-right boycotts […]

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How LGBTQ+ people can protect their mental health during a traumatizing Pride season

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With hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed over the past year, both at the federal level and in state legislatures across the country, it’s a difficult time for the queer community. Republican politicians, far-right online personalities, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists have launched vicious attacks against the community, especially drag queens and transgender people. June is usually a celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, but this year many have found it challenging to enjoy Pride like in previous years. They’ve been traumatized by the nonstop vitriol and threats of violence.  So how can you take care of yourself this year? The onslaught of […]

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Now the right is attacking Christians for not being anti-gay enough

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The far-right Christian group One Million Moms has launched a new campaign and the target is a little surprising, even for them. This time they aren’t upset with jewelry commercials or Sesame Street, the source of their ire is… other Christians. Christianity is a “serious threat,” they warn, when practiced as described in the Bible and modeled by the religion’s namesake. “Parents need to be warned and informed about a continuous threat, and now we have a powerful resource available to help parents with this serious problem,” they warned followers in an email blast. The group is an astroturf project of the anti-LGBTQ […]

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It is illegal to be LGBTQ in these countries

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In 71 countries, being queer makes you a criminal. In 11 of them, the punishment is death. Some countries differentiate between having gay sex and actually being gay, but the result is discrimination no matter the reasoning. America’s religious right is clamoring for crackdowns on gender expression and LGBTQ rights similar to the laws enforced in less advanced countries. Some prominent Republicans and pastors have gone so far as to suggest America should be a theocracy like some countries on the list. Iran, parts of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Brunei, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates proscribe the death penalty for […]

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Maryland school board bans “gateway” rainbow flags

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The Carroll County Public Schools district has banned rainbow flags, saying they could be a “gateway for other flags” and that teachers were bullied into displaying them. A local chapter of PFLAG had donated small Pride flags to the district and staff members were told they could put them on their desks as a sign of support for LGBTQ students. Related: Lawmaker’s epic clapback to getting called a “groomer” goes viral But board members accused the administrators of “bullying” teachers into displaying the flags. Teachers were not required to display the flag. “Many teachers have reached out to me saying that they’ve […]