Christopher Wiggins

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How did the Biden administration just make health care fairer for LGBTQ+ people?

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The Biden-Harris administration announced Friday that it had finalized an essential update to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, significantly strengthening protections against discrimination in health care, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This pivotal rule change reverses prior rollbacks under the Trump administration and establishes a new benchmark for inclusivity in health care access. Advocacy groups have praised the move. What is Section 1557? Section 1557 of the ACA is a critical nondiscrimination statute prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs or activities. It plays a vital role in ensuring equity within […]

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Meet Will Wooten, the gay lawyer on the team prosecuting Donald Trump in Georgia

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In the pivotal Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, Deputy District Attorney Will Wooten, who joined the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in January 2021, has been central in addressing complex legal issues.  Wooten, notable not only for his prosecutorial skills but also for his identity as an out gay man and his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, focused on key aspects of the case Thursday morning, specifically jurisdictional issues and the involvement of fake electors. Who is Will Wooten? Wooten worked both as a prosecutor and a public defender, according to his bio on the Fulton County website. The attorney previously served […]

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Milwaukee school board, principal sued for allegedly abusing student with gay parents

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A federal lawsuit has been filed in Wisconsin against the Milwaukee Board of School Directors and Kasongo Kalumbula, a principal in the Milwaukee Public Schools system, over claims of verbal and physical abuse targeted at a student because his parents are gay.  The legal action, brought forth last Thursday by parents on behalf of their minor child, identified only as G.L., alleges a distressing pattern of discrimination that spans several years, starting when G.L. was in first grade. According to the complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Kalumbula, who served as an assistant principal at the time, is […]

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North Carolina’s Lt. Gov. faces backlash over anti-transgender remarks ahead of primaries

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Nex Benedict’s death in Oklahoma has shined the spotlight on anti-trans rhetoric in politics in other conservative states. After the transgender teenager lost his life following a school bathroom attack, North Carolina’s Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has come under intense scrutiny for his anti-transgender rhetoric.  Robinson is running for governor. As the state’s primary elections loom Tuesday, Robinson’s views have ignited a firestorm of criticism, not least because of his recent endorsement by former President Donald Trump, who called Robinson “better” than Martin Luther King Jr. Robinson has repeatedly expressed views that are antagonistic toward transgender individuals. In one of his Facebook posts, he shared a magazine cover featuring a transgender child, labeling them as […]

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Federal investigation opens into Owasso Public Schools after death of Nex Benedict

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In response to a formal complaint the Human Rights Campaign lodged last week regarding the handling of sex-based harassment incidents, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has initiated an investigation into Owasso Public Schools. The investigation, announced late Friday, aims to address the Oklahoma school district’s response to harassment that may have contributed to the tragic death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old transgender student of Choctaw heritage. HRC President Kelley Robinson spearheaded the complaint to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona last week, urging the department in a letter to use its enforcement mechanisms to prevent future tragedies and hold those responsible for Benedict’s death accountable. “Nex’s […]

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Gay Democratic Reps. demand Pentagon resolve cases of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ dishonorable discharges

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California Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the first out immigrant elected to Congress and the president of the most recent class of new legislators, has led a forceful oversight letter to the Department of Defense.  Three gay Democratic U.S. congressmen have sent a letter to the Department of Defense demanding a quicker response to resolving cases of LGBTQ+ people dishonorably expelled from the military under the former “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. Signed by California Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the first out immigrant elected to Congress and the president of the most recent class of new legislators; Rep. Mark Pocan, the chair of the Congressional Equality […]

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Germany’s transgender community confronts surge in far-right disinformation

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The transgender community in Germany faces an escalation in disinformation, primarily fueled by far-right groups amid attempts to pass the country’s Self-Determination Act. This legislative proposal, designed to ease the legal process of gender change on official documents, was initially lauded as a progressive step by Germany’s majority Social Democrat (SPD), Green, and neoliberal Free Democrat (FDP) coalition. However, Deutsche Welle reports that it has now become a flashpoint for intense political debates. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been particularly active in exploiting this issue, using it to stir divisive political rhetoric much like the American Republican Party has been doing.  “There’s no […]

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Yet another passenger dies on world’s biggest gay cruise

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In a tragic development during the “world’s biggest gay festival at sea,” a passenger aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, chartered by Atlantis Events, unexpectedly died last week. Atlantis Events specializes in cruise vacations targeted at gay men. The death occurred during the Oasis Caribbean Cruise from January 21 to 28. The cruise originated and concluded in Miami. A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines confirmed the death in a statement to The Advocate. “I can confirm that we had a death onboard and that it was unexpected and not suspicious,” the spokesperson said.The details of the passenger’s death have not […]

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It Gets Better Project changes name amid challenging landscape for LGBTQ+ youth 

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Amid a challenging climate of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, a leading organization in LGBTQ+ youth empowerment has announced a rebranding with a name change and a redesigned website to support queer youth. On Thursday, what was once the It Gets Better Project became It Gets Better. The organization’s new website, www.ItGetsBetter.org, looks to provide accessible digital resources for LGBTQ+ youth. The evolution of It Gets Better, from a viral video in 2010 to a global movement, has shifted with the need of the moment. “With a national wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation threatening the well-being of younger generations, it is critically important for youth to […]

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GLAAD demands Mark Zuckerberg public statement on Facebook’s anti-trans content moderation failure

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GLAAD is urging Meta to take immediate action following the company’s independent Oversight Board’s decision to overturn Facebook’s original stance on a post that targeted transgender people with violent language. The case has highlighted the insidious methods used to attack LGBTQ+ individuals on social media, such as coded language and indirect messaging. The Oversight Board’s ruling overruled Meta’s original decision to leave up a contentious post that targeted transgender individuals with violent and harmful language. The post, originating from a user in Poland, displayed a curtain in the transgender Pride flag’s colors, coupled with text in Polish implying that transgender people should die by suicide — a clear […]

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