Sian Thompson

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Trans couple ‘beaten by mob for using bathroom’ arrested instead of their alleged attackers

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A transgender couple in Louisiana says they were brutally assaulted by a mob outside a public restroom, only to be arrested themselves while their alleged attackers walked free. Aurora Rush and Shae Sanders told Erin In The Morning via Substack in a 5 August interview that they were leaving Cypress Black Bayou Park in Bossier Parish on 31 May when they were surrounded by a group of around 10 people after using the women’s restroom. According to the couple, they were subjected to anti-trans slurs, threats and physical violence.  Sanders says they were knocked unconscious and required four stitches above one […]

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Woman who filed false child abuse claim against Pete Buttigieg may be charged

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Michigan and Indiana authorities are facing criticism after a false child abuse allegation against former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg led to him being separated from his four-year-old twins for 24 hours while investigators questioned the children. The accusation, made by what police later described as a “mentally unstable woman,” has since been deemed unfounded, and officials are now investigating whether criminal charges should be brought for filing a false report, as reported by The Washington Post. The woman claimed Buttigieg had confessed to committing “unspeakable violent crimes” years earlier and that his children were in danger.  However, investigators made little effort to verify […]

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Florida man jailed for 7 years for paralyzing LGBTQ+ neighbor

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A Florida man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to shooting and permanently injuring his LGBTQ+ neighbour following weeks of alleged anti-gay harassment. As reported by The Florida Times-Union, Tyler Getchell, 30, pled guilty on 4 May to attempted manslaughter in the November 2025 shooting of Kyle McFarlane, 24, whose spinal injuries left him paralysed from the waist down. In addition to his prison sentence, Getchell must complete mental health follow-ups after his release, serve probation, pay restitution, and have no contact with McFarlane or his family. In a 17 July Facebook post to McFarlane’s profile following the […]

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Florida book ban forces libraries to weigh up ‘nuclear option’ of removing fiction

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The ramifications of Florida’s book ban laws may be reaching new heights, as evidenced by a discussion on book moderation in a Florida school board meeting. During a 16 June Clay County School Board workshop, published to YouTube, district leaders openly discussed “nuclear options” for dealing with the constant flood of book challenges, including closing high school libraries altogether or stripping them down to nonfiction only while they carefully review books for content deemed unsuitable for students. “There doesn’t seem to be an effective moderate option,” the district’s chief academic officer, Rodger Dailey, told board members. “The options on the table are kind […]

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Trump administration formally ends Biden-era LGBTQ+ foster care protections

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The Trump administration has officially rescinded a Biden-era rule that was designed to help ensure LGBTQ+ children in foster care could access safe, supportive, and affirming placements. Originally introduced in April 2024, the rule required child welfare agencies receiving federal funding to identify designated foster placements equipped to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ young people. It also included training requirements for agencies and sought to ensure LGBTQ+ children had access to age-appropriate support and services. Although the rule never took effect after a federal judge vacated it in 2025, the administration has now formally removed it altogether. The Department of Health and Human […]

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Religious parents sue school district over staff using child’s chosen pronouns

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A pair of religious parents have filed a lawsuit against a Maryland school district after teachers respected their child’s request to use a masculine name and pronouns at school without first informing them. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday (8 July) in federal court against Anne Arundel County Public School District, seeks to force educators to stop using the student’s chosen name and pronouns, instead requiring staff to refer to the child by their birth name and the pronouns associated with their sex assigned at birth. The parents, identified in court only as John and Jane Doe, are being represented by the conservative legal organisation America […]

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Polish president blocks bill that would have granted rights to same-sex couples

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Polish President Karol Nawrocki has vetoed legislation that would have granted unmarried couples, including same-sex couples, a limited set of legal rights, in turn preventing what would have been Poland‘s first legal recognition of same-sex relationships. The bill, which was backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing coalition and approved by both houses of parliament in May and June, would have allowed couples to register a legal agreement giving them rights including joint property ownership, access to a partner’s medical information, inheritance tax exemptions, joint tax settlement, and the ability to make burial decisions. It stopped just short of introducing marriage […]

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Gay German politician resigns after welcoming child via surrogacy despite opposing it

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German conservative politician Jens Spahn has resigned as parliamentary leader of the country’s governing coalition after facing intense criticism over becoming a father through surrogacy in the United States, despite years of publicly supporting Germany‘s ban on the practice. Spahn, a senior member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and former health minister, announced his resignation on Saturday (18 July), writing that he had realised that “my personal happiness – founding a family together with my husband and becoming a father – is not compatible with my political office”. He added that the growing tension between his personal decision and the expectations placed on him […]

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Authors of LGBTQ+ books say school visits cancelled after parent complaints

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Several authors have spoken out after school visits promoting their children’s books – which feature same-sex families, queer characters, or other LGBTQ+ themes – were cancelled or disrupted following complaints from “homophobic” parents. Authors spoke to The Bookseller in a 16 July interview, describing schools cancelling events at short notice, allowing pupils to be withdrawn from talks, or asking them not to discuss LGBTQ+ themes despite their books focusing primarily on friendship, adventure and family. Author Kristina Rahim said two planned primary school visits were cancelled after parents claimed her books contained sex education because some of her characters are donor-conceived. “My books don’t teach sex […]

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Brothers sentenced for 1984 murder during campaign targeting gay men

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More than four decades after the murder of Anthony Littler, two brothers have been jailed for killing the 45-year-old civil servant during what a judge described as a sustained campaign of violence targeting men they believed were gay. Michael Stewart, 57, and Anthony Stewart, 60, were convicted of Littler’s murder following a trial at the Old Bailey in London this June. On Friday (10 July), Anthony Stewart, whom the judge said likely delivered the fatal blow, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Michael Stewart, who acted as a lookout during the attack, received a 10-year sentence. The brothers had […]

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