Hilary Mitchell

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UK woman found guilty of sexual assault for failing to disclose she was trans

A 21-year-old trans woman, Ciara Watkin, has been found guilty of sexual assault after a court heard she did not tell the man she was dating that she was not assigned female at birth.  The BBC reports that Ciara Watkin told the man she was on her period to stop him finding out she had not yet had gender confirmation surgery. The court heard that she had identified as female and used the name Ciara since the age of 13. Prosecutors argued that the man was unable to make “informed consent”, after he claimed he wouldn’t have had sexual contact with Watkin […]

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This incredibly LGBTQ+ friendly city has been named the top place to visit in 2025

Leading travel guide Lonely Planet has unveiled its must-visit travel list for 2025, and the beautiful French city of Toulouse has taken the top spot for a city break. The fifteenth edition of Lonely Planet’s “Best in Travel” hotlist just dropped and it features 30 trending destinations that you need to visit in the new year. The 2025’s hotlist is focused on lesser-known “gems”, cities and regions and “fresh takes” on tourist hotspots around the globe as the debate about overtourism continues to rage.  Many popular destinations have introduced tourist taxes to mitigate the impact, including Amsterdam which plays host to 22 million overnight visitors a year, […]

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Right-wingers are now raging at a farm supply store – because they have LGBTQ+ staff initiatives

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Rural retail chain company Tractor Supply are facing calls for a boycott for, amongst other things, donating money to diversity and inclusion causes, which included projects that support LGBTQ+ youth. Right-wing activist Robby Starbuck, who directed the controversial, gender-critical, anti-LGBTQ+ documentary The War on Children, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Tractor Supply for their diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) work, including: “having Pride month decorations in their office.” As well as complaining about Tractor Supply’s “LGBTQ+ training for employees, funding pride/drag events, they have a DEI Council, funding sex changes, climate change activism, pride month decorations in the office, […]

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Man on night out with boyfriend left with broken eye socket after homophobic ‘hate crime’ attack

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Police in Bristol, UK are hunting for two men in connection with an alleged homophobic hate crime. On January 30, at 2am, a man in his 20s was violently assaulted outside an LGBTQ+ friendly Irish bar in Bristol. The BBC reports that he suffered a broken nose, eye socket and cheekbone, as well as a split eyebrow, and had to be dragged to safety by his friends. The victim was enjoying a night out with his partner in Bristol when he was assaulted. Last month, he told the BBC that the incident had made him feel that “homophobia is still an issue in this […]

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‘Abducted’ 21-year-old trans man Alex Franco found shot dead in Utah desert

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The body of a 21-year-old transgender man, Alex Franco, has been found in a “remote desert area in Utah County,” close to the city of Lehi.  It’s believed that Franco died from a single gunshot, however police say they are waiting on a coroner’s report. Taylorsville Police, who are investigating, said that two teenagers aged 15 and 17 have been arrested and charged with “multiple felony charges” in relation to what they are treating as a possible homicide.  Alex Franco had previously been reported as missing, possibly abducted, on Monday (18 March), after bring seen getting into a 2000s Jeep […]

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The incredible life stories of three gay NFL players who paved the way for Carl Nassib

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Former Las Vegas Raiders star Carl Nassib made history during Pride month in 2021 when he came out as gay. “I actually hope that, one day, videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary,” he said in a post on Instagram. “But until then, I’m going to do my best, and my part, to cultivate a culture that’s accepting, that’s compassionate.”  Having also played for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nassib announced his retirement from the NFL last September. Many people believe that Nassib was the first player to come out, but that’s far from the case. […]

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Gay dog walker fatally shot by gunman who ‘hurled homophobic slurs’ and said ‘you’re going to die’

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Last week, a 52-year-old gay man was fatally shot in a Tampa dog park in what his friends are describing as a hate crime.  When he was shot, the victim had reportedly just had a run-in with another man who had allegedly been harassing him at the park for months, repeatedly threatening him and hurling homophobic slurs. The Tampa Bay Times reports that the day before a man fatally shot John Walter Lay – known as Walt –  Lay recorded a video of himself speaking directly to the camera, explaining, “So this morning while I’m walking — and we’re the only two here — […]