The Advocate

/ /

Florida judge strikes down state law used to ban books: ‘None of these books are obscene’

,

A judge in Florida has sided with authors and publishers in a lawsuit against the state’s book ban, determining that the law violates free speech protections.  Judge Carlos Mendoza of the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida ruled Wednesday that “the removal of many of these books [is] unconstitutional,” noting that “many are classics, modern award winners, and tested on AP exams.” “None of these books are obscene,” Mendoza wrote. “The restrictions placed on these books are thus unreasonable in light of the purpose of school libraries. And if so, the presence of these books in school libraries certainly does not materially and substantially […]

/ /

Another Florida city will defy state direction to erase Pride-themed crosswalks

,

Delray Beach officials will change course and leave a Pride-themed intersection in place despite threats from Florida officials. The move comes weeks after the city and other Florida municipalities initially announced plans to remove the rainbow colors from the roadways. The Florida municipality’s city manager, Terrence Moore, initially said the road décor would be sandblasted off after the Florida Department of Transportation issued guidance calling such Pride-themed infrastructure a safety concern. The state directive followed U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy publicly asserting rainbow crosswalks were “dangerous.” But Delray Beach Commissioner Rob Long at the next meeting of the city board said such a removal […]

/ /

Hillary Clinton warns SCOTUS ‘will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion’

,

“American voters, and to some extent the American media, don’t understand how many years the Republicans have been working in order to get us to this point,” Clinton said. “It took 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court will hear a case about gay marriage. My prediction is they will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion. They will send it back to the states.” @thetnholler WATCH: @HillaryClinton predicts to @JessicaTarlov that SCOTUS will overturn marriage equality and “send it back to the states” (like abortion) — leading to a ban in much of 🇺🇸 On Trump & […]

/ /

Trump administration denies federal funding to Virginia schools that treat trans students with dignity

,

The Trump administration will deny funding to Virginia school districts who refuse to bar trans students from restrooms matching their identity. The latest standoff follows five Virginia school districts declining to change inclusive policies allowing students to use bathrooms and locker rooms aligning with their identity. The districts — Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William — have maintained that federal law restricts discrimination against students based on gender identity, according to Washington, D.C’s NBC affiliate. But President Donald Trump in January signed an executive order targeting transgender students and banning any federal funding for schools that allow trans kids in facilities that best match […]

/ /

Lesbian teen cornered by server in bathroom and forced to prove gender files charges

,

A cisgender teenage girl from Minnesota has filed a gender discrimination case against a Buffalo Wild Wings location after a server reportedly followed her into the bathroom and made her prove she is not transgender.  Gerika Mudra, an 18-year-old high school student who is biracial and a lesbian, was out to dinner with a friend at the restaurant chain’s Owatonna branch in April when the incident occurred. She recounted how the two sensed hostility from the staff from the moment they arrived, saying in a video posted by local advocacy organization Gender Justice that their server was “rude” and “giving us dirty looks.”  Their server largely […]

/ /

Black lesbian couple in Virginia almost killed in what authorities say is ‘potential hate crime’

,

The top prosecutor in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, says his office is giving its full attention to the reported July 20 attack on Amylah Majors and Jamaria Gaskins, a married Black lesbian couple who say they were chased, threatened at gunpoint, and nearly killed in what they describe as a racially motivated hate crime. “I am taking the case very seriously and immediately requested a thorough investigation of all of the facts and circumstances when the case first came to my attention, which is underway,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey told The Advocate. “All relevant charges, including potential hate crime charges, will be considered upon completion […]

/ /

D.C. bar owners say Trump’s federal law enforcement crackdown is killing their business

,

President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C. policing, billed as a crackdown on violent crime, has quickly turned into an economic and cultural crisis for the capital’s LGBTQ+ nightlife. In the most LGBTQ+ city in America, bar owners say sales have collapsed, patrons are staying home, and workers are carrying passports and legal documents just to walk the streets. “This whole thing is being billed as a violent crime crackdown, but it’s just an immigration sweep,” Mark Rutstein, co-owner of Crush Dance Bar, told The Advocate on Saturday. A deserted corridor Rutstein said that on Wednesday evening, federal and local agencies staged checkpoints on 14th […]

/

Someone keeps throwing dog poop at an LGBTQ+ youth center in Los Angeles. Police need info

,

Police in Los Angeles have no suspects as an LGBTQ+ youth center continues to be vandalized with dog poop. Unknown individuals have been leaving dozens of bags containing feces outside the entrance of Mi SELA over the past several months, according to the center’s parent organizations, the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Latino Equity Alliance (LEA). There are currently no leads in the case, with law enforcement saying it is unable to act. “This senseless harassment is abhorrent and unacceptable,” LEA said in a statement. “In 2025, it is shocking that young people and community organizations continue to face such targeted hate and intimidation. While law enforcement […]

/ /

Gay Jamaican asylum seeker  ‘suffering’ in ICE custody, lawyer says

,

A gay asylum seeker from Jamaica is fighting to be released from ICE custody after he was detained before his asylum hearing. Rickardo Anthony Kelly, 40, was arrested by ICE officers at an immigration courthouse in Manhattan on Monday morning while he was waiting for his prescheduled hearing, accompanied by his attorney. Agents offered him $1,000 to self-deport, and apprehended him when he refused, Kelly said in a writ of habeas corpus petition filed Wednesday and reported by Courthouse News Service. Kelly said that he came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2021 shortly after he was the victim of a violent attack motivated by […]

/ /

State Dept. omitting anti-LGBTQ+ actions from foreign human rights reports

,

The U.S. State Department is redoing its human rights reports on other countries, omitting anti-LGBTQ+ persecution, gender-based crimes, and other information the reports have traditionally included. Leaked drafts of reports reviewed by The Washington Post on El Salvador, Israel, and Russia “strike all references to LGBTQ+ individuals or crimes against them, and the descriptions of government abuses that do remain have been softened,” the Post reports. The drafts, which cover 2024, are significantly shorter than they have usually been, and they have been long delayed. The reports for the previous year are supposed to be sent to Congress by the end of February, and they are generally released to the public […]

«‹ 16 17 18 19›»