LGBTQ Nation

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Boston passes historic rule that lets people marry… without gender

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On Tuesday, the City of Boston announced it will no longer require applicants for a marriage license to register their sex or gender identity. It was a day that Boston’s director of policy and strategic initiatives Kimberley Rhoten, who identifies as nonbinary, has “eagerly awaited. “Unfortunately for people like me, the certificate’s outdated and narrow gender markers were a glaring reminder that our city still had a long way to go in acknowledging our existence,” they said. At a press conference, Rhoten was presented with the first new marriage license by Boston Registrar Paul Chong, who told them: “Your love makes the […]

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LGBTQ-friendly restaurant defiant after Nazi graffiti and arson attacks: ‘We’re not going anywhere’

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The manager of a Los Angeles restaurant believes a recent wave of crimes against its premises has been motivated by homophobia due to the establishment’s support of the LGBTQ+ community.  Police are currently investigating a series of crimes against the Sawtelle eatery Sorry not Sorry and its staff, including incidents of burglary, and cars outside the restaurant being set on fire.  General manager Brandon Waller is worried that the business’ openly supportive stance on LGBTQ+ rights is causing it to be targeted. “We had a swastika drawn in marker on the front of our restaurant. We had the word ‘AIDS’ […]

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District attorney threatens Pride event with charges under drag ban

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In Blount County, Tennessee, local attorney general Ryan Desmond sent a letter Tuesday to organizers of a Pride event scheduled for Saturday, threatening them with prosecution for what he anticipates will be violations of Tennessee’s drag ban. The chilling warning comes despite the fact a federal judge blocked the drag ban in June, ruling it unconstitutional. That hasn’t stopped Desmond from claiming he has the authority to prosecute any drag performer who “appeals to a prurient interest,” in the words of the Adult Entertainment Act. “It is certainly possible that the event in question will not violate any of the criminal statutes,” […]

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Alice Cooper loses cosmetics brand deal over anti-trans remarks

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An LGBTQ+ owned cosmetics brand has cut ties with Alice Cooper in the wake of wildly anti-trans remarks the rock star made in a recent interview. In a statement posted to its official Instagram page on Friday, Vampyre Cosmetics announced that it has canceled a collaboration with the 75-year-old singer, known for his theatrical stage persona and goth makeup. “In light of recent statements by Alice Cooper we will no​​​​​​​​​ longer be doing a makeup collaboration,” the brand’s post reads. “We stand with all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and believe everyone should have access to healthcare. All pre-order sales will be […]

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Brazil makes homophobic hate speech punishable by prison

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Brazil’s high court has ruled that homophobic hate speech is on par with racial hate speech and punishable with a prison sentence of two to five years. The Supreme Court’s 9-1 ruling stated it was a “constitutional imperative” for LGBTQ+ people in the country to have this protection.  France 24 explained that the court already ruled in 2019 that homophobia was a crime on par with racism, but that ruling applied to the overall LGBTQ+ community, rather than to speech directed at specific people. The most recent lawsuit was brought by ABGLT, a Brazilian LGBTQ+ rights group. The injunction comes after the […]

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Florida will now fire trans teachers if they use the correct bathroom

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Florida’s State Board of Education has approved new penalties to enforce the state’s anti-transgender bathroom law. Signed into law in May by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is also running for his party’s presidential nomination in 2024, Florida’s House Bill 1521 went into effect in July. It requires people to use bathroom and changing facilities that correspond to the gender they were assigned at birth and applies to public schools, universities, parks, prisons, and other government buildings but not to businesses and healthcare facilities. DeSantis has said the law will ensure women’s safety, based on the myth that trans people are violent sexual […]

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Catholic schools tell trans kids to act like “their biological sex”

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Catholic schools in Worcester, Massachusetts have issued a new policy that orders students to use their names and pronouns assigned at birth and conduct themselves in a manner “consistent with their biological sex,” according to a statement issued by the local diocese on August 15. The policy affects more than 5,000 students in 21 schools in the city 45 miles west of Boston. While the guidance claims that bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity “will not be tolerated,” the policy goes on to say that “students may not advocate, celebrate or express same-sex attraction in such a way as to […]

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Republicans are using trans kids to try to trick people into voting against abortion

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Support for abortion access remains high among both Democratic and Republican voters, and as such, Republicans have resorted to trying to trick people into voting for anti-abortion measures – and they’re using anti-trans fearmongering to do it.  In several states, Republicans have tried to convince voters that ballot measures seeking to restrict reproductive rights will also protect youth from Democrats – who they say are trying to force children into gender transitions.  A recent report from Slate detailed how Republicans have (unsuccessfully so far) used this tactic in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  In Michigan last year, Republicans spent millions of dollars trying to […]

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California GOP opposes national party’s anti-same-sex marriage platform

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The California Republican Party has sparked a battle with the national GOP by proposing to remove the national party’s opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion from its state political platform. Supporters say removing these two items will help align the California GOP platform with the values of California voters’ values while helping Republican candidates win statewide elections. However, opponents say removing the items would betray the party’s conservative values and contradict the anti-abortion and anti-gay stances of the GOP presidential candidates. The 2020 — that is, current — national Republican platform continued the party’s opposition to same-sex marriage (even though the U.S. […]

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Four arrested for “acts of homosexuality” in Uganda

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Four people have reportedly been arrested in Uganda in the Buikwe district, located in central Uganda along Lake Victoria. Police told the AFP that that four people – two of whom were women – were arrested after receiving a tip that “homosexuality” was happening at a massage parlor in the area.  “The police operation was carried out following a tip-off by a female informant to the area security that acts of homosexuality were being carried out at the massage parlor,” said police spokesperson Hellen Butoto. The arrests come just months after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the country’s new Anti-Homosexuality Act, which […]

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