National

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Joe Biden calls out “terrible” & “sinful” laws targeting trans youth

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On the heels of the White House vocally condemning a call to eliminate transgender people, President Joe Biden called out Florida for attacking transgender youth. “What’s going on in Florida, is as my mother would say, close to sinful,” Biden told out actor Kal Penn on The Daily Show in an interview that will air later today. The White House press secretary was done being talked over by Simon Ateba. “It’s just terrible what they’re doing,” he continued. “It’s not like you know, a kid wakes up one morning and says, ‘You know, I decided I want to become a man,’ or […]

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Hate crimes jumped nearly 12% in 2021, new FBI figures show

Hate crimes in the U.S. increased by 11.6% in 2021 from the previous year, according to revised figures the FBI released Monday. The statistics showed that 12,411 people were reported to have been victims of hate crimes in 2021, 64.5% of them targeted because of their race or ethnicity, 15.9% targeted for their sexual orientation and 14.1% for their religion. The reports were up from 8,120 in 2020 to 9,065 in 2021 — some crimes had multiple victims. In 2020, reports of hate crimes increased by less than 3% from the previous year. The FBI released initial 2021 data in December that indicated a […]

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If Elected Danica Roem Would Be the First Trans State Senator Ever Elected in the South

LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, named Danica Roem a 2023 LGBTQ ‘Spotlight’ candidate, a designation given to candidates with exceptional potential to be national leaders of the LGBTQ equality movement. Roem, who currently serves in the Virginia House of Delegates, made history in 2017 when she became the first out-and-seated trans state legislator in American history. There are currently just nine trans state lawmakers serving in the U.S., according to LGBTQ Victory Institute. “Danica is a remarkable leader who consistently shows both grit and compassion when delivering results for her community, from […]

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Houston at Risk of Losing LGBTQ Representation for the First Time in Over Two Decades

LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, named Nick Hellyar and Mario Castillo 2023 LGBTQ ‘Spotlight’ candidates, a designation given to candidates with exceptional potential to be national leaders of the LGBTQ equality movement. Hellyar is running for Houston City Council, At-Large, Position 2 and Castillo is running for Houston City Council, District H. Robert Gallegos is currently the only out LGBTQ elected official in Houston, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute. Since Council Member Gallegos is not running for reelection, the city is now at risk of losing LGBTQ representation in city government for the first time […]

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Colorado Rep. Leslie Herod will be the first lesbian elected as Mayor of Denver

Throughout her childhood, Rep. Herod’s parents, an Army veteran and a police officer, emphasized the importance of serving one’s community, and that helping others is always the right thing to do. The noble teachings of her parents inspired her to encourage many students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and first-generation students at her college, the University of Colorado-Boulder, to run for student government. While in college, she became the Student Body President, managing a $36 million budget. After serving the students at her college, Leslie made an impact on the 2012 presidential election as President Obama’s Deputy Political Director for Colorado, […]

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Right-Wing Group Targets LGBTQ+ Existence In Michigan Schools

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Michigan right-wingers are working together to challenge LGBTQ+-inclusive education in public schools.  An organization called the Great Schools Initiative (GSI) is offering parents an opt-out form to prevent all discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.  Last week, the group began an initiative called “Operation Opt-Out,” which asks parents to submit an opt-out form authored by GSI to be added to their children’s school files, Michigan Advance reports. Nearly three pages of proscriptions against facts about reproductive health, family planning, contraception, LGBTQ+ issues, and social justice are contained in the document — which happens to contain numerous spelling errors. The form mandates […]

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Gay Rep. Garcia Vows to Check Boebert & Greene on Oversight Committee

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Republicans now in control of the House of Representatives and progressive lawmakers fear the GOP will use their slim majority to engage in frivolous investigations into the Biden administration.   With his appointment to the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee, California’sgay Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia says he will act as a safeguard against such moves by Republicans. The committee works to oversee the “efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the federal government and all its agencies,” according to its website.  The Democrat announced his appointment to the committee on Twitter yesterday while noting a certain excitement about his opportunity to be a thorn in the […]

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What is the queer state of the union? 6 experts get real about 2023

President Joe Biden will address the nation soon when he gives the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The ceremonial speech will outline the president’s priorities and the country’s challenges. But what about the LGBTQ+ nation? LGBTQ Nation spoke with six of the nation’s best and brightest to find out what they saw as the difficulties — and solutions — for the queer community and our struggle for equal rights. In a time of unprecedented challenges, these individuals can shine light in the darkness and show us a way out. Mondaire Jones knows the best defense queer people […]

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Teachers are being told to dismantle their classroom libraries

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Teachers at a school district in Florida have been instructed to “cover or store” books in their classroom libraries pending reviews. In an internal training video, Duval County Public Schools superintendent Diana Greene announced the launch of a formal review of classroom libraries, which generally consist of books either donated or purchased by teachers themselves, to ensure that they are in compliance with Florida legislation passed last summer. Florida’s House Bill 1467 passed last July and requires books made available through school libraries and classroom libraries to be selected by a certified media specialist. Under the new law, books must […]

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Mondaire Jones knows the best defense queer people have is the ballot

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In the last three decades, some of the most egregious attacks on equality — the Defense of Marriage Act, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, not to mention the infamous 1950 “Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government” report — came from Congress. Some of the most significant advances – passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009 and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 2010 – also came from Congress. And while the Supreme Court found in 2015 that some federal jobs protections against discrimination based on sex also protect […]

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