National

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Wyoming library director wins $700,000 after being fired for defending LGBTQ+ books

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A former library director in Wyoming has won $700,000 in a settlement after she was fired for refusing to remove books containing content about sexual health and LGBTQ+ identities.  Terri Lesley, director of Campbell County Public Library, was removed from her position in July, 2023 after 27 years of service when the Campbell County library board voted four to one to fire her. The board had pushed for two years to convince Lesley to remove the collection of books, which some had claimed were inappropriate for minors. Under the settlement, Lesley has agreed to drop her lawsuit against the state, though a separate […]

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Trump’s shutdown layoffs eliminate entire federal health agencies that served LGBTQ+ people, teens, & women

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As the federal government shutdown enters its 12th day on Sunday, the Trumpadministration has implemented a comprehensive purge of the federal public health workforce, laying off thousands of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cuts have dismantled critical programs in family planning, LGBTQ+ and adolescent health, and infectious disease surveillance, leaving experts warning that the United States is entering the viral respiratory infection season flying blind. The Office of Management and Budget confirmed “substantial” reductions in force across multiple agencies. OMB Director Russ Vought, who announced “The RIFs have begun” on […]

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Majority of LGBTQ Adults Report Harm, Mistreatment, and Dramatic Life Changes Since November 2024

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Since November 2024—and especially in the months since the beginning of President Trump’s second term—anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has increased, violence has escalated, and legislation, executive orders, and other targeted actions have drastically altered the lives of LGBTQ people, especially transgender people. Survey findings from the Movement Advancement Project and NORC show that the majority of LGBTQ adults report harm, mistreatment, and other negative experiences since the 2024 presidential election.  To better understand the impacts of the extraordinarily difficult and stressful political environment, this nationally representative survey provides a critical snapshot into the experiences, concerns, and dramatic life changes LGBTQ people have […]

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Florida asks Supreme Court to take anti-trans mom’s case. But her case may be built on lies.

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of a parental rights activist who dubiously claims her child’s middle school helped her child secretly transition. She has now petitioned the Supreme Court to take her case. Twenty-one additional state attorneys general have signed the brief in support of January Littlejohn, who, in 2022, sued the Leon County School District and staff members at Deer Lake Middle School for allowing her 13-year-old child to use they/them pronouns and go by the “masculine” nickname “J” without informing her. J began exploring their gender identity during the 2020-21 school year. At […]

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You’re not being told the whole story when it comes to LGBTQ+ immigration

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Immigration narratives in politics and media mostly focus on the southern border, with the current U.S. president evoking racist images of Mexican gang members invading, South American cartels smuggling drugs, and Black immigrants eating cats and dogs in the United States. These narratives are, in a word, bullshit. At various times, majorities of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. didn’t cross the southern border, they overstayed their visas. Most fentanyl brought into the U.S. was smuggled in by U.S. citizens. Immigrants commit crimes at a much lower rate than U.S. citizens. And as for cats and dogs, the vice president and others have admitted that the story is […]

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Book bans in schools are more widespread than ever. Which states have had the most?

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In 2025, book bans in schools are more common than ever. “Never before in the life of any living American have so many books been systematically removed from school libraries across the country,” says a new report from PEN America, “The Normalization of Book Banning: Banned in the USA, 2024-2025.” “Never before have so many states passed laws or regulations to facilitate the banning of books, including bans on specific titles statewide. Never before have so many politicians sought to bully school leaders into censoring according to their ideological preferences, even threatening public funding to exact compliance. Never before has access to so many stories been stolen from so […]

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Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA’s Complete Track Record on LGBTQ Issues: What You Need to Know

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Following the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) co-founder Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, there’s been significant posthumous discussion about who he was and what he left behind. President Trump and the Republican Party have described him as a martyr, making his funeral into a 200,000-person event comparable to those of deceased presidents, while calling for retribution against the “radical left” and trans people, despite the fact that the man who killed him is cisgender and his political affiliation is unclear. Some liberals have mourned Kirk, casting him as a champion of civil dialogue. Meanwhile, critics of his often hateful beliefs have faced repercussions, with retaliatory firings of educators, writers and reporters. In the midst […]

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Meet Gerhard Hernández, Costa Rica’s first trans elected official — and a Gen Z Coldplay fan

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 Costa Rica‘s first out transgender elected official, Gerhard Phillip Hernández Padilla, is more than just a historic politician — he’s a member of Gen Z who loves Coldplay, art history, and tattoos.  The 25-year-old trans man was elected in February last year as second vice mayor of Moravia, a smaller municipality in the San José province in central Costa Rica with a population of more than 50,000. He will serve the district until the end of his four-year term in 2028, after which he plans to continue his career in politics. “What I would like to do in politics is bring in opportunities […]

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Milwaukee Gets Two New Rainbow Crosswalks

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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: New street art in Walker’s Point commemorates the neighorhood’s rich LGBTQ history. Crosswalks at the intersection of 2nd Street and National Avenue are now painted rainbow, in a design by street artist Jeremy Novy. The project was led by the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, as a way to show the neighborhood’s pride and inclusiveness as a safe space for all. The new artwork was unveiled at a dedication ceremony Oct. 6, with remarks from Milwaukee leaders including Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “Today we’re here to celebrate legacy. For more than 80 years, the Walker’s Point neighborhood has been […]

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Facts and Action for Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week takes place October 5-11, 2025. The annual event raises awareness of the harm and the rising trend of book challenges and bans, especially targeting books by and about LGBTQ people and books about race and racism.  Why are book bans happening? Book bans are part of a sweeping crackdown aimed at censoring and limiting the rising visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ people and youth.  The book ban surge of the last few years coincided with a steady increase in LGBTQ visibility and acceptance over the past decade. LGBTQ people now make up 9.3% of the overall population, up from […]

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