National

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Gay Mayor Confronts ‘Homophobic’ Sex Scandal Ahead of Primary

Alex Morse, the 31-year-old mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, and the Democratic primary candidate for the state’s 1st Congressional District, has had a busy few weeks since Aug. 7, when a local college newspaper published an article titled “College Democrats allege inappropriate behavior between Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and college students.” The allegations — that the young, gay mayor had used his position of power to sexually proposition vulnerable college students — spread quickly through his western Massachusetts district, leading one member of Holyoke’s city council to call for his resignation. But less than a week later, The Intercept published explosive reports alleging […]

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Teacher ‘Put on Leave’ for Supporting LGBT+ Rights; Black Lives Matter

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A teacher in Texas has reportedly been placed on administrative leave after she allowed students to submit their pronouns and posted LGBT+ rights and Black Lives Matter images on her virtual classroom. An image of Roma High School English teacher Taylor Lifka’s remote learning site was posted online Friday (August 21) by Marian Knowlton, a Republican candidate for Texas’ 31st district who took offence at her efforts to include trans students, women, students of colour and queer kids. It shows an avatar of the teacher standing infront of posters advocating for Black Lives Matter and LGBT+ rights, among other human […]

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Cissie Graham Lynch Attacks Transgender Rights in RNC Speech

Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of late evangelical pastor Billy Graham and daughter of evangelist Franklin Graham, gave a primetime speech at the Republican National Convention aimed at boasting about President Donald Trump’s policies that protect so-called religious liberty. During her speech, she referred to transgender girls as “boys” while discussing policies that aim to accommodate transgender people based on their gender identity. “Democrats pressured schools to allow boys to compete in girls sports and use girls locker rooms,” she said. There were no efforts to “pressure” schools. However, there have been legal battles provoked by conservatives after largely Democratic lawmakers passed various […]

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Conversion Therapy Survivors are Turning to TikTok to Share Their Trauma

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A growing number of conversion therapy survivors are sharing their trauma on TikTok amid growing efforts to outlaw the discredited practice. Nearly 700,000 Americans have undergone conversion therapy, half when under 18, according to the UCLA’s Williams Institute. The so-called therapycan range from counselling or “praying away the gay” to torturous electric shocks, but all forms have been rejected by every mainstream health organisation for decades. Now survivors are shedding light on the secretive practice, sharing support and advice for others who may be forced to undergo what they did. 30-year-old Mike Dorn began talking about his experience when the US went […]

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Trump Campaign Launches Homocon “Pride” Coalition

The New York Times reports: After a virtual Democratic convention that didn’t showcase the party’s diversity so much as simply present it as a matter of fact, the Trump campaign responded on Saturday with the creation of 13 new coalitions to make the point that, as the campaign put it, “President Trump Delivers Success for All Americans, Regardless of Background.” The new affinity groups included what appeared to be an L.G.B.T.Q. coalition, “Trump Pride,” as well as groups for truckers, gun owners, firefighters, and Albanian and Ukrainian Americans. Also on the list: Assyrians for Trump, Chaldeans for Trump, German Americans for Trump, […]

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‘Anti-gay’ Couple who Pointed Guns at Black Lives Matter Protesters to Speak at RNCC

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The “anti-gay” white couple who stood outside their mansion and pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters will “definitely” speak at the Republican Party convention this month. Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are both personal injury lawyers, made headlines around the world after they were filmed pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters from the steps of their palatial mansion in Portland Place, Missouri. On Monday, August 17, the McCloskey’s lawyer told the New York Times that the couple would “definitely be speaking” at the Republican National Convention (RNC). Albert Watkins said in an interview that Mark McCloskey, who threatened Black Lives Matter protesters with […]

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Erased From the Trump Administration’s Draft of a Key Foreign Aid Policy: Any Mention of LGBT People

The lead U.S. foreign aid agency has proposed a new policy on gender and women’s empowerment that eliminates any mention of transgender people or contraceptives, running counter to its own long-standing practices in deciding what programs to support. The draft policy released by the U.S. Agency for International Development on Wednesday was billed as an update and replacement to the original 2012 policy, released under the Obama administration. Though written subtly, the agency’s gender policy is parsed closely by experts and grantees as a clue to the kind of initiatives the agency will prioritize, and it guides USAID’s grant-making and development work worldwide. […]

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Matthew Shepherd’s Parents Help Formally Nominate Joe Biden

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The mother and father of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard gave their full blessing to Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night (August 18). Judy and Dennis Shepard joined several of Biden’s former rivals, including Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, in wholeheartedly pledging their support for Biden, announcing their state’s votes and helping to formally nominate the Democrat. Speaking from their home in Wyoming, the couple praised Biden’s efforts in helping to extend federal protections to LGBT+ people like their late son. “After our son’s death in Wyoming, Joe Biden helped pass the legislation to protect LGBTQ […]

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Queer Rising Stars of the Democrat Party Make History with Unprecedented Convention Platform

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Three gay Democrats will jointly deliver the Democratic National Convention keynote address on Tuesday (August 18) — becoming the first LGBT+ people ever to do so. The trio of rising stars are Pennsylvania representative Malcolm Kenyatta, Georgia rep. Sam Park, and Long Beach, California mayor Robert Garcia. Usually the keynote speech is delivered by a single individual, but this year Kenyatta, Park, and Garcia will be among 17 Democratic trailblazers to share the address, offering “a diversity of different ideas and perspectives on how to move America forward”, a DNC spokesperson said. By speaking in one of the most prestigious […]

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Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia GOP House Primary Winner, has Record of Anti-LGBTQ and Racist Rhetoric

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GLAAD and Georgia Equality, the state’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, are condemning GOP primary winner Marjorie Taylor Greene for racist and anti-LGBTQ views, as well as her embrace of dangerous conspiracies. Greene defeated John Cowan in the Republican primary runoff on Tuesday, after moving to the district following a previous failed run for Congress. Georgia Equality and the Southern Poverty Law Center have been tracking Greene’s anti-LGBTQ and racist history since she launched her political career in 2019. Here’s some of what they and others found to help inform your coverage of Greene’s general election campaign: Posting on Facebook about a Drag Queen […]

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