Michael Stevens

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Teachers stage walk out in response to anti-trans activist outburst at chaotic school board meeting

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A Davis, California school board meeting descended into chaos on Thursday night when teachers staged a walkout as Beth Bourne, a local Moms for Liberty chapter president and school board candidate, began speaking during public comment. Video of the meeting is available via the district’s school board meeting video portal. As Bourne approached the lectern, many district-area teachers stood up and left the room. Bourne shouted at the meeting chair: “Ask those teachers to stop interrupting my comment!” She then demanded: “I want my time back! I want my time back!” During the disruption, one attendee shouted “B*******!” at Bourne. Bourne […]

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Switzerland moves towards national conversion therapy ban

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Switzerland has moved closer to a nationwide ban on so-called conversion therapy after the federal government said it supports national legislation to outlaw the widely discredited practice. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation said the government officially set out its position in a report published on Wednesday. Protections have developed unevenly across the country so far. Neuchâtel became the first Swiss canton to ban conversion therapy in 2023, and Valais and Vaud have also prohibited the practice in their cantons. Bern and Geneva are among the other cantons where lawmakers have considered similar prohibitions. Patchwork canton bans Neuchâtel’s 2023 law marked the first time […]

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Ecuador adoption law bars LGBTQ+ couples and adds custody risk for parents supporting trans children

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LGBTQ+ advocates and Human Rights Watch have condemned Ecuador’s new adoption reform for explicitly barring LGBTQ+ couples and requiring single adopters to be straight, while also creating a potential route to custody loss for families accused of “promoting” gender-affirming care for trans children. The Reform Law of Various Legal Bodies for the Streamlining of Adoption took effect on 14 August after being approved by Ecuador’s National Assembly in a 118-0 vote. The law has been presented as an effort to streamline adoption and reduce the time children spend in foster care. Under the legislation, only different-sex couples can adopt children. […]

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Iran threatens World Cup match stoppages over ‘unofficial flags’ ahead of Seattle Pride Match

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Members of the Iranian national team (Image: Getty) Iran’s sports minister has warned FIFA that Iran’s team manager would be responsible for stopping World Cup matches if fans bring “unofficial flags” or chant slogans against the national team, a threat that could affect Pride displays at Seattle’s scheduled Pride Match. Ahmad Donyamali said Iran had already raised the issue with FIFA ahead of the tournament. “We have informed FIFA that if unofficial flags are brought or slogans against the national team are chanted in the stadiums where Iran plays in the World Cup, the team manager will definitely be responsible for stopping […]

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Cleveland Clinic to promote ‘detransition’ services under DOJ settlement

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Trans advocates in Ohio have condemned a federal settlement that the US Department of Justice announced on 6 June, saying Cleveland Clinic will put $2 million into no-cost “detransition” services and actively publicise them while continuing to refuse gender-affirming care for minors. Dara Adkison, executive director of TransOhio, criticised the health system’s decision to comply with the settlement, saying: “Cleveland Clinic, once a highly respected medical institution, continues to show that maintaining medical integrity is no longer their priority by jumping to the front of the line to comply not with science and medicine, but with cruelty and anti-trans hate.” Under the […]

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Police investigate killing of trans woman Marlow Trottie in Louisiana

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Marlow Trottie’s murder is being investigated by Louisiana police (Image: Marlow Trottie/Facebook) Family, friends, and the LGBTQ+ community are mourning Marlow Trottie, a 35-year-old Black trans woman who was found dead in Alexandria, Louisiana, on 8 June. Police have confirmed in an Alexandria Police Department press release that her death is being investigated as a homicide, though authorities have not yet released details about how she was killed or whether any suspects have been identified. Marlow remembered by loved ones Friends, family members and former classmates have remembered Trottie as a kind-hearted person who could make anyone laugh. One classmate described her in […]