LGBTQ Nation

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Conversion therapy is evolving. Here’s how the religious right is reaching modern youth.

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While there is still a group of people who believe adolescents experiencing same-sex attractions can actually overcome their identities to become heterosexual, the overall mindset among the religious right has shifted.  Nowadays, the thinking tends to be that just because a person is LGBTQ+ does not mean they have to act on their desires (e.g., love the sinner, hate the sin). Prominent Christian apologist William Lane Craig has consistently espoused this belief both on his website and at public speaking events. Craig, who has had a profound influence on the field of conservative Christianity in academic settings and the growing […]

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It’s not too late to walk away from Harry Potter

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I grew up with the Harry Potter books. There were Christmases when the Harry Potter box set was the background audio for the holidays.  Now, I avoid them at all costs. For years I’ve heard excuses about separating art from the artist and the importance of the franchise to people. But there are at least some actors and directors distancing themselves from opportunities tied to this golden goose of a property, and old die-hard fans are turning their backs on Harry Potter, recognizing the harm it brings. It’s not too late for everyone to walk away. Of course, part of […]

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Community rallies to save trans support center for South Asian immigrants amid funding struggles

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An organization led by trans South Asian immigrants is struggling to survive in the face of fewer opportunities for city and state funding. While the group thought it might have to shut down entirely in October, the community has started to rally around it. Now, leaders are hopeful that they will be able to keep going. “We’re talking from a place of a very particular intersectionality that is not served, even by the biggest of the biggest organizations that are centering immigrants, refugees, asylees or South Asians,” said the founder of Parivar, Anjali Rimi. “So, it becomes important from that sense […]

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“Tired but undeterred”: A Smithsonian curator refuses to let this administration erase queer history

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In the 200s AD, the Roman emperor Elagabalus was known for dressing in women’s clothing and requesting to be called “Lady” instead of “Lord.”  In the mid 1600s, Queen Christina’s decision to abdicate the Swedish throne rather than marry a man fueled rumors that she was attracted to women.  But would Elagabalus have identified with the modern definition of trans? Would Queen Christina have called herself a lesbian? It’s impossible to know. One of the major challenges with queer history is how we attribute our current understanding of gender and sexuality to people of the past, who might not have […]

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LGBTQ+ adults are delaying getting healthcare for 2 alarming reasons

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LGBTQ+ adults are significantly more likely to face challenges accessing and paying for necessary healthcare, according to a new survey released last Thursday from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a health policy research non-profit. Out of over 2,600 LGBTQ+ adults surveyed, 58% said they skipped or postponed necessary healthcare in the past year compared to 38% of non-LGBTQ+ people. The two main reasons included costs and inability to get an appointment. Even among those with health insurance and those who make more than $100,000 a year, LGBTQ+ people were more likely to say they skipped or delayed care in the past year. […]

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Republicans are using anti-trans issues in a desperate attempt to motivate their base

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By every account, Republicans are facing a disaster in this fall’s elections. Donald Trump is incredibly unpopular and seems intent on doing everything possible to increase his party’s unpopularity. The odds are very high that Republicans will lose the House, and Democrats are increasingly optimistic about capturing the Senate as well, with competitive races even in deep-red strongholds like Texas and Iowa.  Faced with looming electoral disaster, Republicans are turning to their old standby, anti-LGBTQ+ attacks. This year, the focus is on anti-trans attacks, including anti-trans ballot initiatives in four states. Ballot measures in Washington and Arizona would prohibit trans athletes from participating in sports, while a ballot […]

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A feminist lesbian retreat opened in 1993 Mississippi. Its enemies became friends.

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A dead dog draped over their mailbox. A tampon shot through with a bullet. Gunshots in the night, and shouts of “Damn queers!” from passing cars. Those were some of the greetings Wanda and Brenda Henson earned when they opened Camp Sister Spirit in Jones County, Mississippi, in 1993. The “married” pair had moved from Gulfport, about a hundred miles south, after years helping women victims of domestic abuse and racism find resources. Their camp, 120 acres on the site of a former pig farm, would be a retreat with the ambitious mission “to eradicate hatred and differences through education and interaction […]

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Texas quietly ended policy to provide trans health care to inmates

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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has quietly removed several documents from its website pertaining to the care of trans inmates, according to new reporting by Transistics. That includes the long-established policy that allowed trans people to receive non-surgical gender-affirming care while incarcerated in Texas. Earlier this year, the Trump administration ordered federal prisons to strip trans inmates of their hormone therapy healthcare. That drew alarm from experts who suggested the move violated a court injunction, and one expert in trans healthcare, Dr. Carl Streed, told The Advocate at the time, “It’s essentially saying that a form of evidence-based care will no […]

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Lindsey’s sister Darline Graham spews transphobia in her first political ad

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In her first political ad, Darline Graham, sister of the recently deceased (and allegedly queer) anti-LGBTQ+ Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports” and other statements meant to burnish her MAGA conservative credentials, as Republican in her state doubt her chances of winning an election, especially considering that she is widely unknown to voters and has never held an elected office before her brother’s death on July 11. “Thank you all for your prayers. They provided strength through an incredibly difficult time,” she says at the beginning of her 30-second ad. “I’m honored to serve South Carolina […]

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Cynthia Nixon will officiate one of the world’s biggest lesbian wedding ceremonies

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Organizers are calling it the “World’s Largest All-Girl Wedding & Renewal Ceremony” (aka. Bride Pride), a massive wedding vows ceremony planned for St. Petersburg Pride next February. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will not be on the guest list. Officiating will be everybody’s favorite lesbian actress, activist and one-time NYC mayoral candidate, Cynthia Nixon, who swaps “Miranda” for “minister” in her role as “Reverend-for-the-Day” at the giant event. “Imagine standing beside hundreds of women simultaneously declaring their never-ending love for one another beneath the stunning February skies of sunny St. Pete,” the event’s call to couple-up reads. “It’s big. It’s bold. It’s an unforgettable moment.” Bride […]

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