Today is LGBTQ Youth Spirit Day – Wear Purple
National
Kamala Harris Warns Amy Coney Barrett will Put Equal Marriage in Jeopardy
Kamala Harris spoke against Amy Coney Barrett’s controversial Supreme Court nomination Monday (October 12), delivering a stark warning about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy of equality being irrevocably “undone” The Democratic vice presidential nominee gave a measured yet impassioned speech on the opening day of hearings on Coney Barrett’s nomination.× Appearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee remotely from her office, viewers were reminded of Harris’ reputation as a tenacious former prosecutor as she began by rebuking the committee for even holding the “reckless” hearing in the first place. “This hearing should have been postponed,” she said, noting that it had brought together “more than […]
Over 500 LGBTQ Candidates to Appear on November Ballots, Shattering Records
More lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates will appear on ballots across the country this November than ever before, according to a new report from the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a group that trains, supports and advocates for queer candidates. These candidates are also more racially diverse than in past election cycles, according to the findings. “A historic number of openly LGBTQ people are running for office this year and we have the opportunity to elect an unprecedented number on Election Day,” former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in a statement. “While LGBTQ […]
Unofficial Pride Party ‘Packed’ with Revelers Ends in Tragedy as Man Dies
An unofficial Atlanta Pride party ended in tragedy as a man lost consciousness and died. The man died while attending a party at BJ Roosters, a gay bar on Cheshire Bridge Road, that stretched into the early hours of Sunday morning (October 11). He was pronounced dead 8am at Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta Police told theWXIA-TV network. After consuming ecstasy, the man was found in the club’s basement unconscious. The force found no signs of foul play, but an investigation is ongoing. While a party-goer told the Advocate that the event was “packed” and “overcapacity at times”, Atlanta Pride organisers sought to stress that the club night was […]
National Coming Out Day: 20 People Who Came Out in 2020
National Coming Out Day has been observed annually on Oct. 11 for more than three decades. The first such celebration was held in 1988 on the one-year anniversary of the 1987 March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights, which reportedly drew 200,000 protesters to the nation’s capital. In honor of National Coming Out Day 2020, here are just some of the many notable LGBTQ coming-out stories so far this year. Niecy Nash Comedian and actor Niecy Nash broke the internet this past summer when she not only came out, but she also introduced her new wife to the world. The “Claws” and […]
Joe Biden Celebrates National Coming Out Day
From the Biden campaign: Joe Biden believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love. During the Obama-Biden Administration, the United States made historic strides toward LGBTQ+ equality—from the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to Biden’s historic declaration in support of marriage equality in 2012 to the unprecedented advancement of protections for LGBTQ+ Americans at the federal level. But this fight’s not over. Donald Trump and Mike Pence have given hate against LGBTQ+ individuals safe harbor and rolled back critical […]
3 LGBTQ Trailblazers Among 2020 MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Winners
Anthropologist Mary Gray, who said her research focusing on queer and other underrepresented communities often was seen as a “marginal topic” in some academic circles, never thought she would have access to a grant that would give her over half a million dollars with no strings attached. All that changed when Gray was chosen as one of this year’s MacArthur Fellows, which will provide her with a $625,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation that she can use in any way she chooses. The fellowship, commonly referred to as the MacArthur “genius grant,” counts essayist Susan Sontag, journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, filmmaker Errol […]
How Safe is Marriage Equality? Advocates Fear Increasingly Conservative Court
President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last month ignited fears of an increasingly conservative court rolling back recently gained LGBTQ rights. Fuel was then added to the fire on Monday when two of the court’s conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, mounted a fresh attack on the landmark 2015 decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriage legal across the United States. “By choosing to privilege a novel constitutional right over the religious liberty interests explicitly protected in the First Amendment, and by doing so undemocratically, […]
Trans Teen Banned from School until She Adheres to a Male Dress Code
Sanay Martinez, a trans student from Louise, Texas, has been kicked out of her school until she abides by the male dress code. With in-person teaching reopening for the autumn semester, Louise Independent School District prohibited Martinez from adhering to the school’s female dress code after she alerted officials that she is trans.× Administrators told her that unless she cuts her hair, takes out her earrings, and dresses in accordance with the “male handbook”, she cannot return. Martinez was just a typical student at who enjoyed her classes and loved spending time with her friends, but told ABC13 that the experience has made […]
Two Lawsuits Challenge New Virginia LGBTQ Rights Law
A wedding photographer and a group of several Christian institutions filed two different lawsuits against Virginia officials Monday over a new law that bans discrimination against the LGBTQ community. The lawyers representing the plaintiffs argue that the law violates their First Amendment rights and forces them to “abandon and adjust their convictions or pay crippling fines.” The law, titled the Virginia Values Act, went into effect on July 1 and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in housing, public and private employment, public accommodations and access to credit. It was the first Southern state to […]