Maggie Baska

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Twitter deems Texas AG’s ‘malicious’ transphobia as ‘hateful’ but ‘in the public’s interest’

Twitter has refused to take down Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s hateful tweet deliberately misgendering Dr Rachel Levine as it’s within the ‘public interest’.  Paxton – whose career has been marred by misconduct allegations and a state bar complaint – has pushed to classify gender-affirming care as “child abuse” and is currently appealing a court order to conduct “necessary investigations” into the parents of trans kids.  On Thursday, the Texas attorney general decided to continue his anti-trans campaign by intentionally misgendering the nation’s only openly trans four-star admiral in a cruel statement on Twitter.  Despite immense backlash on social media, Twitter decided to let the tweet remain up […]

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Harmful conversion therapy app pulled by Google Play for being ‘functionally impossible’

Google Play Store has removed a conversion therapy app developed by the Malaysian government that claimed to help LGBT+ people “return to the right path”.  The app, called Hijrah Diri Homoseksualiti, was originally released by the country’s Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) in 2016. JAKIM sparked an international outcry after tweeting about the app on 9 March and disclosed that it was available to be downloaded from the Google Play Store.  Google has now pulled the controversial conversion therapy app from its store for violations against the digital giant’s policies. Under Google’s guidelines, apps cannot “attempt to deceive users” or “enable dishonest behaviour […]

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US basketball star will be detained in Russia for months, state media confirms

US basketball icon Brittney Griner’s detention has been extended for another two months, according to a state news agency.  The Olympic gold medallist and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star has been held in Moscow since February when customs officials allegedly found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.  News of Griner’s arrest didn’t make headlines until early March, and Russian state TV recently released a photograph of the out athlete in custody holding up a piece of paper.  Amid concerns for the top athlete’s safety and calls for her return home, a Russian court has ruled that Griner’s detention will be […]

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Bill to make medical insurers cover trans healthcare advances in Hawaii with near-unanimous vote

The Hawaiian House has approved legislation requiring insurers to cover gender-affirming treatments for trans people previously deemed cosmetic. House Bill 2405 (HB 2405) passed through the Democratic-controlled House on Tuesday (8 March), with only two representatives voting against the proposed legislation. It now moves to the Senate. The bill would prohibit health insurers, health maintenance organisations and societies from excluding medically necessary gender-affirming treatments, which were previously deemed “cosmetic services”. However it will not come into effect until 2060. This would include gender-affirming facial surgeries, hair electrolysis, mastectomies, breast reductions, breast implants and voice surgeries as well as therapies. HB 2405 acknowledges […]

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Utah governor Spencer Cox promises to veto ‘insidious’ trans sports ban

Governor Spencer Cox has promised to veto a trans sports ban that was passed through in the last hours of the Utah legislative session.  State lawmakers debated and passed House Bill 11 (HB 11) on Friday (4 March) night, just before the end of the Utah Legislature’s 2022 general session. The proposed legislation would prohibit trans girls who want to compete in school sports teams corresponding with their gender identity.  After an hour of debate, the Senate passed the bill with a 16-13 vote, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The House approved the legislation a few minutes later with a 46-29 vote, and several […]

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Out basketball star Brittney Griner detained in Russia

Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) icon Brittney Griner has reportedly been taken into custody in Russia on drug charges.  Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested after customs officials allegedly detected hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow, the New York Times reported.  The Russian Federal Customs Services released a statement that officials detained the player in February for possession of vape cartridges that contained the oil found in her luggage. It also released a video that showed airport security workers searching the luggage of a passenger, who was later identified as Griner. The customs service […]

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This is where you can donate to support LGBT+ Ukrainians

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OutRight Action International has launched a fundraiser to support Ukraine’s LGBT+ community as Russian forces move across the country. Click here to donate: https://outrightinternational.org/ukraine Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine early Thursday (24 February) morning, prompting widespread condemnation across the world. Explosions and gunfire have been heard in several cities across the country, and there have been reports of thousands of Ukrainians arriving in neighbouring European nations as they flee from Russian troops. Leaders in the LGBT+ community have defiantly said they will ‘not be intimidated’ despite fears for their safety and the future of Ukraine. In response to the […]

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Two gay men executed by Iran’s cruel regime for the ‘crime of sodomy’

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Two men have been executed in Iran after they were imprisoned for six years on anti-gay “sodomy” charges, according to human rights groups and reports. Mehrdad Karimpou and Farid Mohammadi are said to have been killed in the Maragheh prison in northwestern Iran, according to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA). According to HRANA, the two men were arrested six years ago on charges of “sodomy by force” and have been in prison ever since. LGBT+ people in often face horrific violence and discrimination just for living their truth. Sex between people of the same gender is illegal in the country and can […]

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Pope Francis urges parents to support their gay children – not condemn them

Pope Francis has urged parents worldwide to unconditionally support, not condemn, their children if they are gay. The leader of the Catholic Church made his latest gesture of outreach to the LGBT+ community in off the cuff statements during his weekly general audience on Wednesday (26 January). He spoke to the crowd about different “sad” situations that parents face in their children’s lives. This included coping with children who live with serious illnesses, are imprisoned or come out as part of the LGBT+ community. “Parents who see that their children have different sexual orientations, how they manage that and accompany their […]

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Champion bodybuilder and first Black gay man to win Mr America dies

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Chris Dickerson, who holds the duel honour of being the first Black man to win the Mr America contest and first openly gay man to win Mr Olympia, has died aged 82. Dickerson was a powerhouse of the bodybuilding community and broke barriers. He died on 23 December at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his friend Bill Neylon confirming the cause of death as a heart ailment, the Washington Post reported. Neylon – a retired amateur bodybuilder who trained alongside Dickerson – said his friend had lived in a rehab centre after he had been hospitalised for a broken hip in […]

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