Daniel Villarreal

/ /

Japanese court rules marriage equality ban unconstitutional

The Fukuoka High Court of Japan has become the third of Japan’s eight high courts to rule that the government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. However, the court upheld a lower court ruling that dismissed three same-sex couples who had sought 1 million yen ($6,540) each for being denied their constitutional rights to gender and legal equality, individual dignity, and the pursuit of happiness. The couples, who live in the southwestern cities of Fukuoka and Kumamoto, had their damage claims dismissed by the Fukuoka District Court in 2023 after the court ruled that the government wasn’t obliged to compensate […]

/ /

Donald Trump’s deportation blitz is coming but advocates are ready to fight him

,

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to begin his new term by starting “the largest deportation program in American history,” aiming to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. But Aaron Morris — executive director of Immigration Equality, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting LGBTQ+ immigrants through legal services and litigation — has said it’s already preparing to combat Trump’s plans. “Unfortunately, we have survived and thrived through a previous Trump administration, so there are certain expectations that we will have, and steps he will take, that will hurt both immigrant communities at large and also target LGBTQ immigrants,” Morris told Gay City News. “We are […]

/ /

We’re going to get through this together

,

Here are this week’s most popular positive stories, with some fun social media posts tossed in too. Like seeing uplifting content like this? Sign up for our Good News email. It has been a hard week, and while we’re more committed now than ever to sharing empowering, uplifting stories, we wanted to offer some compassion and encouragement too: It’s an emotional time, and it’s good (and vital) to express our feelings, both alone and with others. Remember, nearly 70 million others also voted for progress, equality and decency — and we’re heading into the future with them. Throughout history, we’ve needed […]

/ /

LGBTQ+ ally Ruben Gallego wins U.S. Senate race against anti-LGBTQ+ MAGA disciple Kari Lake

,

LGBTQ+ ally Ruben Gallego has seemingly won his race against anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Kari Lake for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat. He won 50% of the vote, beating Lake by 66,305 votes with 93% of all voting precincts reporting as of Monday morning, Decision Desk HQ reported. He has not yet made a statement commenting on his projected victory. As such, Gallego will win the Senate seat that will soon be vacated by outgoing bisexual Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Sinema — a controversial figure in the Senate, often frustrating Democratic priorities — left the Democratic party in late 2022, after earning enmity from other […]

/ /

Gay man hospitalized after mob attacks him in McDonald’s while no one helped

,

A group of 10 to 15 individuals allegedly attacked Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, a 22-year-old Colombian model, inside a Washington, D.C., McDonald’s fast food restaurant after a member of the group uttered homophobic slurs. The attack left Lascarro hospitalized, and he criticized both emergency personnel and local police for their responses to the violence. The attack allegedly occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, October 27, after Lascarro and his husband left two nearby LGBTQ+ nightclubs: Crush Bar and Bunker. While Lascarro was in line to use a McDonald’s self-service kiosk to place his order, Lascarro’s spouse, Stuart West, […]

/ /

How should Democrats respond to the GOP’s anti-trans attacks?

Republicans have spent tens of millions on transphobic political ads and used anti-trans attack lines during debates. Democrats’ responses have been varied. Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, recently defended trans people and slammed Republicans for “demonizing” them. Vice President Kamala Harris has responded by saying she would continue to enforce federal laws protecting trans people from discrimination. However, two congressional candidates have recently released ads responding more negatively to anti-trans attacks against them. Senate candidate Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) released an ad saying, “I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports.” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) also released an ad saying that policies on trans athletes should be […]

/ /

Trump campaign launches ad attacking Kamala Harris for supporting trans people’s health care

,

A new political ad from former President Donald Trump delves deep into transphobia, highlighting Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ support of providing lifesaving care to transgender inmates (something required by federal law) and showing pictures of her next to a drag queen, a trans woman, and a nonbinary person. “Kamala is for they/them,” the 30-second ad says. “President Trump is for you.” The ad primarily accuses Harris of supporting “taxpayer-funded sex-changes for prisoners and illegal aliens” — a crude restatement of her 2019 ACLU questionnaire answer that all federal prisoners, including trans immigrants detained by border agents, deserve medically necessary […]

/ /

One of the most anti-LGBTQ+ politicians could cost Donald Trump the election

,

North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ+ Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R)—who is running for governor and considers LGBTQ+ people as “filthy” “demons” who “mentally rape” children—is reportedly turning off so many moderate Republicans that he could risk harming former President Donald Trump’s ability to win the state in November, recent polling shows. Trump endorsed Robinson last March, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”  “Trump is being weighed down by a very unpopular Republican candidate for governor,” Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff, told News Nation on August 17. “So Trump is going to have some difficulty in this state, in North Carolina, that […]

/ /

Russia hired anti-LGBTQ+ U.S. broadcasters to push propaganda to American audiences

,

Numerous anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing broadcasters — including Tim Pool and Dave Rubin — have been unwittingly working for a Russian government-funded media company established to push Russian propaganda and disinformation to American audiences, according to an indictment from the Department of Justice (DOJ). There’s no indication whether the broadcasters knew about the company’s Russian origins, but unsealed court documents showed that Russia favors former President Donald Trump to win the 2024 election, The Hillreported. The FBI is now actively investigating the case which somewhat mirrors the Russian “troll farms” that flooded social media with anti-Democratic messaging during the 2016 and 2020 presidential […]

/ /

Rep. Robert Garcia believes “radical” queerness & compassion can help win the 2024 election

,

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) understands the stakes of the upcoming election. He immigrated to the U.S. at age 5, became a U.S. citizen in his early 20s, tackled the COVID-19 epidemic as the youngest and first out LGBTQ+ mayor of Long Beach, California, and—after the virus killed both his mother and stepfather—became the first out gay immigrant ever elected to Congress. Now Garcia is surrounded by some Republican legislators who believe COVID-19 was a hoax, immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” and that LGBTQ+ people don’t deserve legal protections. About a month ago, Garcia was all in on […]

«‹ 4 5 6 7›»