National

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Pennsylvania House passes LGBTQ+ discrimination protections despite GOP outrage

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The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would establish anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. H.B. 2103 narrowly squeezed through the chamber in a 101-100 vote. Republicans against the bill reportedly worried that its vague definitions could conflict with religious freedom (the bill includes religious liberty protections). They specifically worried that the classification of “public accommodations” would allow trans women and girls to use the facilities that align with their gender identities.  “If the whole point here is to protect people in special classes, we just denigrated all young women,” state Rep. Craig Williams (R) said during debate over […]

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DOJ Targets IL Schools For Teaching LGBTQ “Ideology”

Capitol News Illinois reports: Three dozen Illinois school districts are the latest in a string of public schools, colleges and universities across the country named as subjects of federal investigations into whether the institutions teach about sexual orientation and “gender ideology,” and whether parents can opt out of such curriculum. The inquiry, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday, will also “assess” whether the 35 school districts around the state, plus Chicago’s largest charter school network, allow transgender students to use single-sex bathrooms or participate in competitive sports. The DOJ’s notice did not say what prompted the investigation or […]

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In 1992, James Dale Sued the Boy Scouts. Now, Pete Hegseth Presents a New Challenge

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In 1992, James Dale sued the Boy Scouts of America after they kicked him out for being gay. The case lasted nearly a decade and made it all the way to the Supreme Court. While SCOTUS ultimately ruled against Dale in a 5-4 decision, his case paved the way for LGBTQ inclusion across the organization. In 2014, the Boy Scouts started allowing gay boys to join the organization. Three years later, the organization began allowing trans boy scouts, and a year later, girls became eligible for membership. But today, Scouting America is presented with a new challenge as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has […]

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Trump-backed House candidate tied to New Mexico church with extreme anti-women & anti-LGBTQ+ views

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A Republican candidate for Congress in New Mexico is running on a platform shaped by a megachurch that condemns same-sex relationships, rejects transgender identities, and calls abortion murder. Greg Cunningham, backed by former President Donald Trump, has cast his campaign in explicitly ideological terms. Cunningham has called advancing the national Republican agenda his “number one priority” and has repeatedly framed his candidacy as rooted in faith, crediting his pastor with helping him enter politics. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. That pastor, Steve Smothermon, leads Legacy Church, an Albuquerque-based megachurch whose official doctrine […]

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Bill To Fund State Dept Is Full Of Anti-LGBTQ Riders

The Washington Blade reports: As Congress finalizes its funding for fiscal year 2027, Republicans are attempting to include five anti-LGBTQ riders in the National Security and Department of State Appropriations Act. A rider is an unrelated provision tacked onto a bill that must pass — in this instance, the bill provides funding for national security policy and for the State Department. The riders range from restricting Pride flags in federal buildings to banning transgender healthcare, but all aim to limit the visibility and rights of LGBTQ Americans. Section 7067(c) restricts the United States’ ability to appoint special envoys, representatives, or coordinators unless […]

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Ron DeSantis signs law that could strip Florida of Pride celebrations

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Florida has already largely derailed the promotion of diversity by the state, and a new law now threatens Pride events across the state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that prohibits any local government in Florida from making diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. That’s part of a long battle against so-called DEI in the state, which has already banned the values in higher education. He deployed significant white grievance language as he signed legislation at a ceremony in Central Florida. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. “I would think with […]

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HRC uses Grindr to target Washington’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner power crowd

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As Washington’s political and media class descends on the capital for White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend, the Human Rights Campaign has a message for some of them on Grindr: “F*** Around and Find Out.” The LGBTQ+ advocacy group launched a geofenced ad campaign Friday and Saturday around the Correspondents’ Dinner and a Grindr-hosted party in Georgetown, targeting users who open the app near the weekend’s most visible gatherings. The ads link to HRC’s “My Body, My Health” campaign page and its broader “100 Days of Healthcare” initiative, which focuses on HIV prevention, access to care, and fighting stigma. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email […]

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GLAAD president slams FCC crackdown on trans media

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The president and CEO of GLAAD has called out Brendan Carr and the Federal Communications Commission for their inquiry on trans representation in media, saying it’s causing “harm [to] LGBTQ Americans”. “Parents should absolutely have a say in what their kids watch, and parents already know that seeing an LGBTQ person on screen or in real life does no harm,” Sarah Kate Ellis of GLAAD said in a statement on 22 April. “What does cause harm is government overreach. Under Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission is once again attempting to dictate what can be seen on television.” The FCC announced on […]

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Library board members refused to ban a book about a trans boy. The county fired them all.

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In December 2025 – shortly after North Carolina’s Asheboro Public Library board voted to keep Call Me Max, a children’s picture book about a transgender boy, on its shelves – the Randolph County Board of Commissioners dismissed eight out of nine library trustees without giving a reason.  Betty Jo Armfield, one of the dismissed, was shocked. “I felt frustration, anger, and grave concern for the library staff and for the public that accesses the library,” she told LGBTQ Nation.  For Armfield, what stung most was not just the dismissal itself, but what it signaled about the future. “This dismissal has set a […]

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Constituents showed up to testify against an anti-drag bill. Ohio Republicans mocked them

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Kim Burroughs was not planning on testifying in front of the Ohio House Judiciary Committee on March 18.  Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. She had a full week of depositions and legal work as an attorney at a Columbus-based law firm, and a nursery to assemble as she and her wife were soon expecting a baby.  But when Burroughs received a call from an Equality Ohio staff member asking her to submit testimony opposing HB 249, “The Enact the Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” she knew […]

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