National

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‘Drag Kids’ event at Boise Pride becomes subject of political pushback

When Joseph Kibbe attended the first Boise Pride Festival in 1989, he and about two dozen other participants wore paper bags over their heads to hide their faces from potentially violent onlookers. At the first festival parade two years later, Kibbe and his friends were greeted by protesters with nooses in front of the Statehouse. “Boise was a very different place back then — it was not a safe time to be LGBTQIA,” he said. Still, for Kibbe — then a junior high student who faced frequent beatings at school, now the vice principal of the Boise Pride Festival board […]

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Supreme Court temporarily blocks ruling that required Jewish university to recognize LGBTQ group

 The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily allowed an Orthodox Jewish university in New York to deny official recognition to an LGBTQ student group, the latest in a series of decisions in favor of religious rights. Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a brief order granted an emergency request made by Yeshiva University, which claims that recognizing the group would be contrary to its sincere religious beliefs. Sotomayor has responsibility for emergency applications arising from New York. The dispute is the latest clash between religious rights and LGBTQ rights to reach the high court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority. Supreme Court ratings plummet after […]

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Over half of LGBTQ Southerners say their parents tried to change or repress their identity, report finds

Though public support for pro-LGBTQ policies is at an all-time high, many queer people living in the South report that a caregiver tried to change their LGBTQ identity, a new survey found.  More than half, or about 58%, of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people living in 13 Southern states reported that a parent or caregiver tried to change or repress their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a survey published this week by the Campaign for Southern Equality, which promotes LGBTQ equality across the South. Some groups were more likely to report experiencing such efforts: More than two-thirds […]

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Real-life angels protect queer students from ‘armed’ anti-LGBTQ+ protesters

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A group of “angel” defenders protected LGBTQ+ Brigham Young University students from protesters who targeted a Pride event. Utah’s Brigham Young University (BYU) students were confronted by protesters on Saturday (3 September) during a scheduled “Back to School Pride Night” that included an all-ages drag show. The hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters reportedly screamed homophobic slurs and some had even brought handguns, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. But things took a turn after a group of counter-protesters appeared in white cloaks and wings made of sheets. They formed a protective barrier around the group of rainbow-wearing students. BYU student and “angel” […]

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GOP Wisconsin governor candidate donated $250K to anti-LGBTQ & anti-abortion groups

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Tim Michels, the Republican candidate running for Wisconsin governor, donated $250,000 in 2020 to groups opposing abortion and all forms of contraception, and to anti-LGBTQ churches. The donations, made along with Michels’s wife Barbara through their foundation, The Timothy and Barbara Michels Family Foundation, represent 15 percent of the candidate’s total donations in 2020, according to a report by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Along with donations totaling $175,000 to radical anti-abortion organizations in Wisconsin and New York, the Michels gave $10,000 to Miami’s Christ Fellowship, whose parishioners include former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio. Christ Fellowship’s pastor, Omar Giritli, delivered an anti-transgender sermon in […]

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New political group forms to campaign against anti-LGBTQ candidates

Several elected LGBTQ officeholders and veteran Democratic operatives have joined forces to form Agenda PAC, a national organization that will work to preserve LGBTQ rights by campaigning against right-wing candidates. Founder Ted Bordelon, a political communications strategist, will serve as executive director. Malcolm Kenyatta, Pennsylvania’s first openly gay state representative of color, will serve as chair. The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion served as a motivator, the group’s leaders told NBC News. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas called on the court to also overturn landmark decisions that legalized same-sex marriage and established rights […]

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4chan trolls target Trevor Project suicide hotline in hopes LGBTQ kids would die

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Anti-LGBTQ users on 4chan targeted the Trevor Projects suicide prevention services on Tuesday in an effort to prevent LGBTQ youth from getting help. In a post on the notorious platform’s “Politically Incorrect” imageboard, an anonymous user posted a plan to bog down the nonprofit organization’s crisis hotline and online chatswith fake requests for help. The goal was to “f**k up the queue so sodomites and f*gs commit suicide,” to “demoralize the therapists,” and “waste as much of their resources as possible.” According to The Daily Dot, the original thread appears to have been deleted, but it’s unclear whether it was removed by […]

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In 1947, Florida shut down a popular drag club. The state has resurrected that case to do it again.

In March of 1947, a Florida court ordered the Ha Ha Club — a nightclub famous for its “female impersonators,” as they were called at the time — to close after declaring it a public nuisance.  The order came just a month after Frank Tuppen, a juvenile probation officer with political ambitions, filed a complaint against the venue. He argued that the club’s performers were “sexual perverts” who had embedded “in the minds of the youngsters” who lived in the area “things immoral” and were “breaking down their character.” The owner of the club, Charles “Babe” Baker, appealed to the […]

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Texas social workers are quitting rather than implement Greg Abbott’s anti-trans order

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Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) order to investigate the parents of transgender youth for child abuse caused behind-the-scenes tumult at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services caused by, according to internal emails. In February, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton (R) issued a non-binding opinion stating that gender affirming health care for transgender youth is a form of child abuse. A week later, the governor directed DFPS to investigate parents who support their transgender children and allow them access to gender affirming medical care prescribed by their doctors in a letter sent to the agency. Gender-affirming care for both adolescents and adults has been […]

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6 LGBTQ candidates won their Florida primaries. They all oppose the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law

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Six out, Democratic LGBTQ candidates running for the Florida state legislature all won their primaries this Tuesday. All of them oppose the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. At least 20 states have introduced “Don’t Say Gay” laws this year. The candidates worry that, if left unopposed, Republicans will spread similar laws to harm queer youth and families nationwide with their newfound brand of queerphobia. Adam Gentle and state Reps. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Michele Rayner are all running for the State House. Eunic Ortiz and Janelle Perez are running for the State Senate. State Sen. Shevrin Jones won his re-election campaign this week. […]

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