The Advocate

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Gay airline employee subject to ‘torture’ after arrest in Qatar, family says

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The family of a gay airline employee is demanding his release from Qatari prison, accusing authorities of torture by withholding his HIV medication. Manuel Guerrero, 44, moved to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, seven years ago for his work. He was detained on February 4, according to his relatives, who say that the Mexican-British dual citizen was entrapped by law enforcement through a fake Grindr profile. They also claim that authorities framed him for drug possession by planting a quarter of a gram of methamphetamine in his apartment.  Guerrero’s brother, Enrique, said that their family was not informed of his arrest until 23 […]

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Federal investigation opens into Owasso Public Schools after death of Nex Benedict

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In response to a formal complaint the Human Rights Campaign lodged last week regarding the handling of sex-based harassment incidents, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has initiated an investigation into Owasso Public Schools. The investigation, announced late Friday, aims to address the Oklahoma school district’s response to harassment that may have contributed to the tragic death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old transgender student of Choctaw heritage. HRC President Kelley Robinson spearheaded the complaint to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona last week, urging the department in a letter to use its enforcement mechanisms to prevent future tragedies and hold those responsible for Benedict’s death accountable. “Nex’s […]

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Black LGBTQ+ candidates still face bigotry  — here’s how they’re fighting it

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The 2022 election cycle saw a record 141 Black out LGBTQ+ people run for office in the U.S. — but these candidates still face enormous obstacles, says a new report. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate’s email newsletter. The obstacles include not only racism, homophobia, and transphobia but also financial challenges, a lack of role models, unfair media coverage, and more, according to the report, “When We Run: The Campaign Trail Experiences of Black LGBTQ+ Candidates,” released Tuesday. It comes from the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and Loyola Marymount University’s LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative. It analyzes data […]

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Attackers yelled antigay, racist slurs during beach party stabbing of teen boy in California

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A 16-year-old boy is recovering after he was stabbed and beaten by a group of attackers yelling racist and antigay slurs on a popular Southern California beach. Video of the attack has been circulating among local high schools, and the victim’s mother is reaching out for help. The attack took place on Saturday, February 10, at Dockweiler Beach just west of Los Angeles International Airport and directly under the flight path of departing planes. The victim’s mother, identified only as Frankie, told local CW affiliate KTLA that her son was attending a party promoted on social media when a friend was attacked by a […]

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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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