Donald Paddget

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It’s the second time Lori Franchina has challenged – and beaten – her former employer

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A lesbian and retired Rhode Island firefighter was awarded nearly $2 million in damages in a lawsuit involving her accidental disability pension, which could balloon to $5 million after interest, local NBC affiliate WJAR reported last month.  Lori Franchina previously won over $800,000 in a separate lawsuit detailing the anti-LGBTQ+ abuse she suffered while working with her fellow firefighters. Franchina joined the Providence Fire Department in 2002. She retired on disability in 2013 after she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to the habitual anti-LGBTQ+ abuse she endured on the job. She filed for accidental disability in 2011, but was denied by the retirement board. […]

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LGBTQ+ festival fights back after Trump’s cuts National Endowment for the Arts funding

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A festival featuring the works of playwrights from countries where LGBTQ+ rights are suppressed is turning to fundraising after President Donald Trump’s National Endowment for the Arts cut its grant to the group. The National Queer Theater said they have created a GoFundMe page where the community can support the Criminal Queerness Festival taking place during NYC Pride 2025, NBC Newsreports. The Criminal Queerness Festival takes place at the HERE Art Center in NYC on June 11-28. According to its website, the festival “showcases the works of international LGBTQ+ playwrights from countries where queer identities are criminalized or censored.” This year’s festival features plays reflecting queer […]

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Meta AI tilts right, recommends conversion therapy: report

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Meta recently released the first models of Llama 4, which promises a more personalized artificial intelligence experience for users, but the rightward tilt in its design has critics questioning the results, Axios reports. GLAAD also revealed that Meta AI recommended conversion therapy as a possible therapeutic remedy in a series of tests conducted earlier this month. Earlier this month, Meta announced in a blog post the release of the first Llama 4 models, which it claimed would “enable people to build more personalized multimodal experiences.” But their efforts have led to some problematic results. Previously it created a “disturbing” profile of a fictitious Black queer woman and now it appears to recommend conversion therapy. “Meta AI is […]

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Ohio Democrats call out Republicans for targeting LGBTQ+ people in 2025-2026 budget

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Republican legislators in Ohio have added anti-LGBTQ+ provisions to its 2025 budget that would officially recognize only two sexes, ban Pride flags from government buildings, and restrict the availability of LGBTQ+ books in public libraries, local media report. One of the provisions targets gender identity by declaring the state will only recognize the binary male and female sexes for official government documents and policies, declaring the two “sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” Democrat state Rep. Rose Sweeney questioned both the “continuous attack” on the LGBTQ+ community in Ohio as well as the attempt to enact de facto legislation […]

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Gay men’s chorus member killed in suspected Texas road rage attack — family and police seek help

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A member of the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus was shot and killed in a suspected road rage incident in Texas this month, and the family and police are seeking help. Edward Espino, 47, was shot and killed early in the morning of March 16. Numerous calls to 911 reported that a Mitsubishi Mirage was stalled on Interstate Highway 35 in Austin just after 3:30 a.m. The incident was upgraded to a crash after the Mirage was subsequently hit by a Ford Bronco. When first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered Espino trapped in his car and unresponsive. “The Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services […]

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Newsom touts new law protecting teachers from outing LGBTQ+ students

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week hailed the signing of a new law that protects teachers from getting fired if they refuse to out trans students to their parents, suggesting instead that educators should focus on educating children rather than monitoring their sexual or gender identity. “I just don’t think teachers should be gender police,” Newsom said at a press conference December 16. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1955 in July. The new law, known as the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act (SAFETY), officially prohibits schools from disclosing a student’s sexual or gender identity or sexuality to their guardians […]

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Georgia Parliament passes package of ‘unbearable’ anti-LGBTQ+ laws

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The parliament of Georgia on last week approved the first reading of a package of bills that would strictly curtail the rights of the country’s LGBTQ+ community, Reuters and Zona Media reported. Introduced earlier this month by the ruling Georgian Dream party, the bill calls for banning the promotion of marriage equality or other same-sex relationships, defines gender as binary, outlaws “LGBT propaganda” and gender-affirming care, and prevents non-heterosexual couples and individuals from adopting children. The bill also potentially bans Pride parades, festivals, and public displays of Pride flags. The bill further codifies the 2018 amending of the state’s constitution defining marriage as between “a man and […]

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Barbara Higbie + Teresa Trull: “Birthdays and Pride” Concert at Occidental Center for the Arts June 15

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Saturday June 15 at 7 pm. Barbara Higbie + Teresa Trull: Birthdays and Pride Concert at Occidental Center for the Arts. The reunion of singer-songwriter Teresa Trull and pianist/singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Barbara Higbie, is a long awaited musical event! Their new duo CD ‘Playtime’ captures their vibrant fusion of energy and talent which has earned them an enthusiastic and persistent following since 1983. Musically they range over a terrain that varies from blues and gospel to folk, rock, jazz and championship fiddle playing. They have shared stages with Tracy Chapman, k.d. Lang, Whoopie Goldberg, Nancy Griffith and Ferron among others. Combining […]

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Discover the 30 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities in the U.S.

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Editor’s Note: It is difficult to fathom how any university or college can be deemed LGBT-Friendly when it’s campus is located in a state where LGBTQI+ rights and reproductive rights and health are threatened. Alas, this is a yearly index that some may find helpful. While we aplaud college’s that offerLGBTQI+ folks the right we deserve. we urge administrations to force state legislatures and governors to do the same. Campus Pride has released its annual Best of the Best list of the top 30 colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students. The exclusive list is based on its Campus Pride Index which rates institutions based on […]

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77-Year-Old Man Receives 22 Years for Cold Case Gay-Bashing Murder

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The now-older Australian man convicted of the 1987 gay-bashing murder of a man he thought was gay received what amounted to a life sentence in a Sydney courtroom late last month. NSW Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia sentenced on October 20, Stanley Bruce Early, 77, to a maximum of 22 years in prison for the murder of Raymond Keam, 43, in a public park in the early morning hours of January 13, 1987. According to the Sydney Morning Herald,the sentence includes a mandatory 15 years and six months behind bars, meaning Early won’t be eligible for parole until the age of […]

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