National

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Teen suspended for painting his nails wins fight against school’s dress code

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Gay teenager Trevor Wilkinson, who was suspended for wearing nail polish, has won his fight against his Texas school board. The Clyde High School senior, 17, received an indefinite in-school suspension in November last year for breaking the school’s “homophobic and sexist” dress code that prohibited nail polish for male students only. Highlighting the school’s “double standard”, he asked board members at the time: “Why is it against dress code for a man to be comfortable with his masculinity and defy the gender norms society has imposed on us? “Why is it harmful for me to wear nail polish? If it’s not […]

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Manhattan DA: No More Prostitution Prosecutions

Via press release: Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr., today announced the Office’s new policy to decline-to-prosecute prostitution and unlicensed massage, and appeared virtually in Manhattan Criminal Court and moved to dismiss 914 Prostitution and Unlicensed Massage cases – in line with the Office’s new policy – preventing unnecessary future contacts with the criminal justice system, eliminating the collateral consequences associated with having a prostitution case or conviction, and empowering New Yorkers to interact with law enforcement without fear of arrest or deportation. D.A. Vance also moved to dismiss 5,080 Loitering for the Purpose of Prostitution cases, following New York State’s […]

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AZ Gov Vetoes Hate Group’s Anti-LGBT Education Bill

The Arizona Republic reports: Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed a controversial sex education bill but issued an executive order requiring public notice of any such curriculum before it can be used in Arizona classrooms. The dual actions appeared to be a compromise between the provisions of Senate Bill 1456 and critics who said it would marginalize LGBTQ children by, among other things, banning discussion of issues related to gay and trans history. Ducey called the bill “broad and overly vague” as he issued only his second veto of the legislative session. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix. It had strong […]

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Conservatives propose revised sex ed rules in LGBTQ pushback

Two years after Arizona lawmakers repealed a ban on any HIV/AIDS instruction that “promotes a homosexual lifestyle” as they faced a lawsuit, they have approved revamping the state’s sex education laws to make them some of the strictest in the nation when it comes to teaching about LGBTQ issues. The measure pushed by a powerful social conservative group is framed as a parental rights issue and would require schools to get parents’ permission for discussions about gender identity, sexual orientation or HIV/AIDS in sex education classes. Schools also would need parents to sign off on their children learning about historical […]

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For LGBTQ women, running for office ranges from ‘difficult’ to threatening

When Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone first ran for office in 2017, she struggled to be considered a serious candidate. “My first race was very difficult,” she said. “Neither the Democrats nor Republicans thought I had a chance to win.” Titone, a Democrat, said she had to do all her own fundraising while continuing to go to school and holding down a day job. “I had to go way above and beyond what anyone else had to do,” she said. “By understanding the barriers better and working to reduce their impact, we can encourage more LGBTQ women to run and […]

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AZ bill that would let parents stop kids from learning about queer people

Arizona Republicans have passed an anti-LGBT+ bill that would allow parents to stop their kids from learning about queer people. SB 1456 would require the “school governing board to develop procedures by which parents will be notified in advance, and given the opportunity to opt their children into, any instruction regarding sexuality, gender identity or gender expression”. The bill would also prohibit schools from providing sex-ed classes which include information about AIDS and HIV without parent’s permission. The new legislation comes just two years after Arizona state lawmakers overturned a different law that prevented LGBT+ students from receiving medically accurate information in classes at school. The law, […]

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Family of AL gay teen who died by suicide to sue school over bullying

The family of Nigel Shelby, a 14-year-old Huntsville, Alabama teenager, has launched a lawsuit against Huntsville City Schools for civil rights violations and wrongful death. Shelby, a gay youth, took his own life in 2019 following extensive bullying at school over his sexual orientation. “Fourteen-year-old Nigel Shelby was bullied by his peers for his race and sexual orientation, and when he sought help from school administrators, was told that his sexuality was his choice,” the family said in a statement, according to Alabama.com. “School administrators did not alert Nigel’s parents of his struggles in school so that he could receive help from […]

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Joe Biden taps history-making gay police chief to lead Customs & Border Patrol

President Joe Biden has nominated the police chief who is believed to be the first gay police chief to get married in the U.S. to lead Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Tuscon, Arizona Police Chief Chris Magnus made national headlines for his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and for his criticisms of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Biden choice of Magnus to be the next Commissioner of CBP signals his intent on changing the culture of the sprawling agency charged with enforcing trade, customs, and immigration laws. Related: Pete Buttigieg selects gay Indigenous aviation expert to work in […]

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Court overturns ruling that stripped mother of parental rights because she’s a lesbian

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The Michigan Court of Appeals has overturned a decision to remove a lesbian mother’s name from her children’s birth certificates. Lanesha Matthews and Kyresha LeFever had a custody battle for their twins, who were born before same-sex marriage was legalised nationwide in the United States. The couple had their children using LaFever’s egg, fertilised using donor sperm, which Matthews then carried. When the children were born both mothers’ names were listed on the birth certificates. However, the couple split in 2014 and in the custody battle, a Michigan judge ruled that Matthews’ name be removed from the birth certificates. The […]

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Wedding venue turns away gay couple ‘under the guise of Christianity’

A devastated same-sex couple say they were turned away from a popular wedding venue “under the guise of Christianity”. McCae Henderson and Ike Edwards got engaged on Valentine’s Day and began searching for wedding venues in North Carolina. They settled on Highgrove Estate, a romantic estate overlooking Lake Laurel in Fuquay-Varina. The first red flag came when the couple filled out an intake form on the estate’s website, which only provided spaces for the name of the “bride” and “groom.” “In the notes section I just said we were a groom and groom,” Edwards told ABC11. “It’s not like we can […]

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