Poppy-Jay St. Palmer

/ /

Gay congressional candidate targeted in fake HIV smear campaign

,

A gay Democratic congressional candidate has been targeted in a smear campaign that falsely alerted people by text message that he can’t give blood because he is HIV positive. Shevrin Jones is currently in the running to replace Rep. Frederica Wilson, who is retiring, as representative for Florida’s 24th congressional district. Jones was Florida’s first out LGBTQ+ Black senator and, if he wins the seat, will become the state’s first out gay member of Congress. On 11 August, many voters received a text message ahead of the Democratic primary, claiming: “Shevrin Jones was denied to donate blood to Covid Survivor due to testing positive for HIV/AIDS because […]

/ /

Fashion brand Unique Vintage drops Harry Potter collab after backlash

,

Retro fashion company Unique Vintage has dropped a planned Harry Pottercollaboration – with a portion of proceeds going to an LGBTQ+ charity – after backlash from customers. The brand, which releases an annual Pride collection and represents itself as a queer-friendly vendor, received negative feedback online after announcing the new Harry Potter-inspired products. In an ad showcasing the products, Unique Vintage shared: “Each purchase unlocks a 5% donation to GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organisation.” Following the backlash, Unique Vintage emailed customers and shared a statement on their social media pages announcing that they will stop promoting the collaboration. “Unique […]

/ /

Pakistan shooting leaves one trans person dead and another injured

,

A transgender person has been killed and another injured in a shooting that took place in Peshawar in Pakistan. An unidentified assailant opened fire near Raja Ground Bridge in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa city, police have revealed. The deceased person has been identified as Mishi. The other victim, named Tara, was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. According to The Express Tribune in a report published on 16 July, Mishi and Tara had gone to Raja Ground Bridge in order to retrieve a phone and some money from a friend. The task resulted in an altercation that led to the shooting. Officers arrived on scene shortly after […]

/ /

Senegal amends constitution to ban same-sex marriage after landslide vote

,

The National Assembly of Senegal has amended the country’s constitution to define marriage exclusively as “the union between a man and a woman”, thus banning same-sex marriage. The amendment was made on 29 June following a vote that saw all 129 members of the assembly vote in favour and zero against. Before the change, the constitution’s definition of marriage noted: “Marriage and the family constitute the natural and moral foundation of human society, and are placed under the protection of the State.” Same-sex marriage has never been legal in Senegal, but the constitution’s wording around the matter has previously been vague. Same-sex sexual activity […]

/ /

Gay teacher and LGBTQ+ ally parent win $1million lawsuit after false ‘child abduction ring’ claim

,

A gay teacher has won in a defamation case (Image: Getty Images, stock) Two Fairfax County Circuit Court juries awarded a gay teacher and an LGBTQ-ally parent over $1million in damages after finding a Virginia political action committee and its leader liable for defamatory social media posts. Robert Rigby Jr. was awarded $350,000 and Vanessa Hall was awarded $750,000 after separate trials in June. Both were members of Fairfax County Public Schools Pride, a group that advocates for LGBTQ-supportive school policies. The defendants in the cases were the Virginia Project PAC, as well as David Gordon, its founder and chair. The lawsuits […]

/ /

Gen Z women moving away from heterosexuality, study shows

,

A new study has shown that more and more Gen Z women are moving away from heterosexuality and identifying as LGBTQ+. Researchers for The Conversation have been tracking patterns in their Human Sexualities Research Lab since 2011. In a recent study, they asked whether “young women and men are changing in similar ways across three measures of sexual orientation”. The three measures included sexual attraction, sexual behaviour and self-identification. “Our findings suggest they are not,” the report states. “In our analysis, this gender gap is not only about who claims an LGBTQ+ identity; it is also about how the boundaries of heterosexuality are changing.” […]

/ /

Gay cruise rejected by Turkey also blocked by Egypt

,

An LGBTQ+ cruise ship that was barred from docking in Turkey last week has now also been rejected by Egypt, the cruise’s organisers have said. Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell revealed that Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady was scheduled to dock in Alexandria on 9 July as an alternative to Turkey but permissions were pulled at the last minute. He told the Washington Post that the situation was “really unheard of” and “strange and sad”. A reason for the change of plan has not yet been shared. Campbell went on to say that Alexandria denied the ship’s arrival on approach and “refused to allow” it into the […]

/

LAPD officer could face criminal charges for recording colleagues’ discrimination

,

A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer could face criminal charges for recording his colleagues making homophobic, racist and sexist remarks while on the job. Daniel Flores, who is an officer for the LAPD, secretly recorded the comments before handing the audio over to his superiors as evidence, according to an internal affairs complaint he filed last year. However, recording conversations without the consent of those involved is illegal in the state of California. Flores’ attorney, Greg Smith, told The LA Times that Flores was recently informed that his internal affairs case had been transferred to state prosecutors, who are currently weighing charges against him […]

/ /

2 in 3 school students in the US feel unsafe due to their LGBTQ+ identity

,

A new survey has shown that two-thirds of LGBTQ+ school students in the US have reported feeling unsafe because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The report comes from Glisten, an organisation “dedicated to creating safe and respectful learning environments for youth of all sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, race and abilities.” The figures are part of the organisation’s 13th National School Climate Survey, and hear from LGBTQ+ students, including intersex, asexual and Two-Spirit individuals, from K-12 about their 2024-2025 school year. The results found that two out of three LGBTQ+ students reported feeling unsafe at school because of […]

/ /

32% of US voters prefer candidates who oppose LGBTQ+ rights, study shows

,

A new poll has shown that 32 percent of Americans would prefer to vote for a candidate that vocally opposes LGBTQ+ rights over one that vocally supports them. The survey comes from Data for Progress, a progressive US-based research group, and was shared with The Advocate on 19 June. Results showed that more than half of Americans polled – 51 percent, in fact – said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who actively supports LGBTQ+ rights. Just 16 percent said they did not know which kind of candidate they would prefer when it comes to support for the queer community. Despite […]

1 2 3