The Advocate

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Gay Democratic Reps. demand Pentagon resolve cases of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ dishonorable discharges

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California Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the first out immigrant elected to Congress and the president of the most recent class of new legislators, has led a forceful oversight letter to the Department of Defense.  Three gay Democratic U.S. congressmen have sent a letter to the Department of Defense demanding a quicker response to resolving cases of LGBTQ+ people dishonorably expelled from the military under the former “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. Signed by California Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the first out immigrant elected to Congress and the president of the most recent class of new legislators; Rep. Mark Pocan, the chair of the Congressional Equality […]

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Germany’s transgender community confronts surge in far-right disinformation

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The transgender community in Germany faces an escalation in disinformation, primarily fueled by far-right groups amid attempts to pass the country’s Self-Determination Act. This legislative proposal, designed to ease the legal process of gender change on official documents, was initially lauded as a progressive step by Germany’s majority Social Democrat (SPD), Green, and neoliberal Free Democrat (FDP) coalition. However, Deutsche Welle reports that it has now become a flashpoint for intense political debates. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been particularly active in exploiting this issue, using it to stir divisive political rhetoric much like the American Republican Party has been doing.  “There’s no […]

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New York pizzeria to pay $25,000 to settle harassment suit by transgender cook

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A pizza restaurant in upstate New York has agreed to pay a transgender former employee $25,000 and take other steps to settle a lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that alleged the worker was subjected to invasive personal questions and told he wasn’t “a real man.” Quinn Gambino, a trans man, was a cook at T.C. Wheelers Bar & Pizzeria in Tonawanda, which is near Buffalo. Beginning in January 2021, according to the suit, the owners repeatedly asked questions about his genitalia and transition procedures, such as “Does she have female parts?” They “also intentionally misgendered Gambino by using female pronouns (such […]

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Florida LGBTQ+ advocates slam ban on sociology, DEI at state’s universities

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LGBTQ+ advocates slammed Florida higher education officials for eliminating Sociology courses and any diversity programs on campuses. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s university system, made the decision in implementing higher education reforms championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. “It should be no surprise that today the Florida Board of Governors, a rubber stamp for Ron DeSantis’s agenda of censorship and surveillance, approved unprecedented rules that effectively abolish diversity and inclusion programs in our State University System intended to support LGBTQ and minority students,” said Carlos Guillermo Smith, Equality Florida’s Senior Policy Advisor. “The Board’s rules go well beyond its authority […]

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Two LGBTQ+ women may soon be confirmed as lifetime judges: ‘It’s crucial right now’

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In three years, President Joe Biden’s nominations have helped to bring broader diversity to the federal judiciary — a body that has long been dominated by White cisgender men. Now, Biden and Senate Democrats are poised to tie a record for confirmations of LGBTQ+ judges. If the Senate approves Judges Nicole Berner and Melissa DuBose, Biden will tie with former President Barack Obama’s record of appointing 11 openly LGBTQ+ lifetime judges to the federal bench. These confirmations would come at a time when more LGBTQ+ rights cases are being fought in courts across the country — and even making their way to the U.S. Supreme […]

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Experts say that gender-affirming care bans amount to ‘abuse.’ 

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A new article by doctors at the Seattle Children’s Hospital details exactly how bans on gender-affirming care for minors “amount to state-sanctioned medical neglect and emotional abuse.” The report, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is the latest piece of evidence demonstrating that restrictions on puberty blockers, hormones, and other care for transgender youth “deny children access to routine health care that has been shown to decrease dramatically high rates of suicide and depression.” Yet conservative state legislators are unrelenting. More than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the U.S. in 2023, and 80 were passed into law, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Just weeks […]

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Yet another passenger dies on world’s biggest gay cruise

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In a tragic development during the “world’s biggest gay festival at sea,” a passenger aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, chartered by Atlantis Events, unexpectedly died last week. Atlantis Events specializes in cruise vacations targeted at gay men. The death occurred during the Oasis Caribbean Cruise from January 21 to 28. The cruise originated and concluded in Miami. A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines confirmed the death in a statement to The Advocate. “I can confirm that we had a death onboard and that it was unexpected and not suspicious,” the spokesperson said.The details of the passenger’s death have not […]

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Two Americas for queer people: HRC report finds stark differences in LGBTQ+ rights at the state level

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The nation’s blue state-red state divide shows up sharply in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2023 State Equality Index, released Tuesday morning, with many states squarely in the pro-LGBTQ+ rights camp, about as many just the opposite, and few in the middle. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate’s email newsletter. The HRC Foundation (HRC’s educational arm), in partnership with the Equality Federation — a network of state-based LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations — assessed the LGBTQ+ rights records of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The assessment included looks at nondiscrimination laws, relationship recognition, hate-crimes statutes, […]

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Speaker Mike Johnson’s long history with anti-LGBTQ+ Family Research Council extremist exposed

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For U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, the homophobic hits just keep on coming. Last week, Johnson was one of the speakers at the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, an event cofounded by Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, dubbed an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the watchdogs at the Southern Poverty Law Center. And a new report from another watchdog organization, Accountable.us, details the extent of Johnson’s relationship with Perkins, which goes back more than a quarter of a century. “From his decades-long relationship with extreme anti-LGBTQ activist Tony Perkins to his legal career dedicated to rolling back LGBTQ rights, it’s clear where his allegiances lie,” […]

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Trans rights leader Kris Hayashi to lead advocacy department at National LGBTQ Task Force 

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The National LGBTQ Task Force announced on Tuesday that long-time transgender rights activist and community leader Kris Hayashi has joined the organization as its director of advocacy and action.  Hayashi most recently served as the executive director of the Transgender Law Center and previously led the Audre Lorde Project as its executive director/co-director.  “We could not be more excited or honored to welcome Kris Hayashi to our team and the Task Force family. Kris will bring immeasurable expertise to our advocacy and policy work as our community, especially our trans and non-binary siblings, are under unrelenting and unprecedented attacks,” said Kierra Johnson, executive director […]

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