The manager of a Los Angeles restaurant believes a recent wave of crimes against its premises has been motivated by homophobia due to the establishment’s support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Police are currently investigating a series of crimes against the Sawtelle eatery Sorry not Sorry and its staff, including incidents of burglary, and cars outside the restaurant being set on fire.
General manager Brandon Waller is worried that the business’ openly supportive stance on LGBTQ+ rights is causing it to be targeted.
“We had a swastika drawn in marker on the front of our restaurant. We had the word ‘AIDS’ drawn on the pole in front of our restaurant,” Waller told NBC.
During a burlesque show hosted at Sorry not Sorry on 25 August, Waller said that someone poured accelerant onto the hood of three employees’ cars, slashed their tires and set the vehicles ablaze.
‘We can’t let that hold us back. We’re not going anywhere’
One of its bartenders, Logan Elliot, had parked their car behind the restaurant as usual before starting his shift, but later looked outside and saw it on fire. He explained that the fire could have been fatal if it had gone unnoticed much longer.
“I’m like, ‘This is really bad’ because my car is parked next to a cabinet full of propane tanks,” Elliot said.
Despite the series of attacks, Waller said the restaurant would not shut down, hide its support for the LGBTQ+ community or stop queer-related events such as burlesque nights.
Brian Kerekes, a high school statistics teacher in Florida, said he froze like “a deer in headlights” when a student asked him a personal question at the beginning of the school year this month.
He said the student looked around the classroom, saw a small Pride flag, then asked, “Are you gay?”
Kerekes said that his identity is no secret and that he is one of a few out gay teachers in his school. But under a new state law that restricts the instruction of LGBTQ topics, he feared that his answer could somehow be illegal, he said.
“I said something to the effect of, ‘I don’t think I can tell you that,’” Kerekes said. “And she’s like, ‘Why not?’ And I said, ‘It’s kind of the state law now.’”
Brian Kerekes.Brian Kerekes
Kerekes said the exchange is just one example of the variety of difficult situations that he and his colleagues in Osceola County have had to navigate under Florida’s recently expanded Parental Rights in Education act, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Battles over what content is appropriate for children — in books, history classes, health classes and elsewhere — are dominating school board meetings and state legislatures across the country. In most of these debates, one side portrays LGBTQ-inclusive curricula and transgender-inclusive school policies as inappropriate or harmful for minors, with some conservative activists and elected officials going so far as to describe such content as “grooming,” resurfacing a decades-old moral panic about queer people.
Nowhere has that battle been more pronounced than in Florida, which made national headlines in the spring of 2022 when the state Legislature debated — and Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, ultimately signed — the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill. Initially, the measure prohibited “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” DeSantis signed an expanded version of the law in May that prohibits such instruction from prekindergarten through eighth grade and restricts health education in sixth through 12th grade.
Seventeen states enacted more than 30 new LGBTQ-related education laws in 2023, which will all be in effect for the 2023-24 school year unless they are blocked in court, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
In addition to Florida, five states — Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and North Carolina — enacted restrictions this year on LGBTQ-related instruction in schools. Currently, 11 states have laws censoring discussions of LGBTQ people or issues in schools and several additional states have laws requiring parental notification of LGBTQ-inclusive curricula, according to the Movement Advancement Project, or MAP, an LGBTQ research think tank.
Iowa’s prohibition on the instruction of LGBTQ-related topics in kindergarten through sixth grade includes additional provisions that require school libraries to conduct regular reviews to ensure books don’t include sexually explicit material, allow parents to opt their children out of sex education and mandate school staff to immediately inform parents if they believe a child “has expressed a gender identity that is different” than the sex on the child’s birth certificate.
Ten states enacted new laws that bar transgender student athletes from playing on the school sports teams that align with their gender identities, bringing the total to 23 states, according to MAP, with the majority of these state measures applying to both K-12 schools and colleges.
Seven states have new laws that bar schools from requiring teachers (and, in some cases, other students) from using pronouns for students that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth. Florida’s expanded Parental Rights in Education act also bars transgender teachers from sharing their pronouns with students.
Five states have enacted laws so far this year that bar trans students and school staff from using school facilities that align with their gender identities, bringing the current total to nine states with such laws, according to MAP.
Florida also enacted a law that prohibits colleges and universities from spending state and federal funds on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The law also restricts courses that could promote “social activism,” such as race and gender studies.
‘Educated, not indoctrinated’
Supporters of restrictions on LGBTQ-related content argue that it is inappropriate for children, and that parents should be allowed to determine their children’s access to such information.
“Parents deserve the first say on when and how certain social topics are introduced to their children,” Iowa state Rep. Skyler Wheeler, the Republican who sponsored the state’s parental rights law, said in March after the bill passed the state House, according to the Des Moines Register.
He added that “parents should be able to send their children to school and trust they are being educated, not indoctrinated,” nearly quoting language used by DeSantis when he signed the original version of Florida’s parental rights law.
DeSantis defended the expansion of the law after signing it in May, saying teachers and students would “never be forced to declare pronouns in school or be forced to use pronouns not based on biological sex.”
“We never did this through all of human history until like, what, two weeks ago?” DeSantis said of people using pronouns that are different from those associated with their assigned sex. “Now this is something, they’re having third graders declare pronouns. We’re not doing the pronoun Olympics in Florida. It’s not happening here.”
Students and educators ‘are under assault’
Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the country, which represents public school teachers and staff, said the laws have created a culture of fear among educators nationwide.
“We are in a moment where our students are under assault, teachers and other educators are under assault, parents are under assault,” said Pringle, who taught middle school science for 31 years. “People are afraid. They’re afraid for their livelihood. They’re afraid for their lives.”
Pringle noted that the teacher shortage is “chronic and growing” across the country because teachers are dealing with unprecedented challenges, including the effects of the pandemic, burnout and low pay.
She pointed to a 2022 NEA survey that found 55% of its members said they were planning on leaving education sooner than they intended because of the pandemic, compared to 37% in 2021. On top of that, she said teachers have told her they feel like the public doesn’t respect their expertise, and the new laws are an example of that.
“That’s at the heart of what’s happening right now, where people who haven’t spent a day in our classrooms are telling us what to teach and how to teach and who to teach,” Pringle said. “We spend our lives trying to create those culturally responsive, inclusive, caring, joyful environments for kids, because we know that’s at the heart of them being able to learn every day.”
Michael Woods, a high school special education teacher in Palm Beach County, Florida, said he has encountered a number of difficult situations under the state’s new law. He has been advising a student for three years who uses a different name and pronouns than those assigned at birth. He said he’ll have to tell that student that he can no longer refer to them that way until they return a state-mandated form signed by their parents.
Michael Woods.Michael Woods
“We’re essentially telling kids, in my opinion, as a gay man, ‘You know what, go back in the closet,’” Woods said. “We’ve taken something as simple as a name that a student calls themselves and made it shameful.”
Lola, a 12-year-old seventh grader in Winter Haven, Florida, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, said the state’s new education-related laws have made kids in their school afraid to come out or talk about their identities publicly.
“A lot of students come out to me, because at school I’m openly queer and nonbinary,” Lola said.
They said students have also asked them questions about their family, because they have two moms, and in three cases, Lola said teachers told them they can’t discuss their family on school premises.
Lola, right, with their mother, Tsi.Tsi Smyth
Lola’s discussion with their classmates would not break the law, which specifically mentions instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from school staff. But Kerekes said teachers are avoiding LGBTQ subjects entirely out of fear that something they say or do could be interpreted as illegal or reported by a parent, who could sue the school district under the Parental Rights in Education act.
“I’m just talking about my parents,” Lola said. “Students shouldn’t be getting in trouble for talking about their life just because it’s different from the norm.”
Because of the part of Florida’s law that bars students from using bathrooms that don’t align with their assigned sex at birth, Lola said they have to walk to the nurse’s office, which is in a separate building, to use a unisex bathroom.
Lola said there are other trans kids at school who are too shy to ask to use a different bathroom, so they’ll avoid using the bathroom for the entire school day.
Advocates say legislation that removes LGBTQ-inclusive books and curricula or allows teachers to use the wrong pronouns for students harms their mental health, while supportive policies do the opposite.
Research released Thursday by The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization, found that LGBTQ middle and high school students who had access to one of four school-related protective factors — gender-neutral bathrooms, LGBTQ-inclusive history lessons, a gender-sexuality alliance (GSA) club or teachers that respect their pronouns — had 26% lower odds of attempting suicide.
In Osceola County, Kerekes said he has inherited his school’s GSA club from a teacher who left last year. Some teachers in Florida, including Woods, have stopped hosting club meetings temporarily because they’re not sure how the new law affects them, but Kerekes said he will continue his school’s and hopes to have the first meeting this week.
In Blount County, Tennessee, local attorney general Ryan Desmond sent a letter Tuesday to organizers of a Pride event scheduled for Saturday, threatening them with prosecution for what he anticipates will be violations of Tennessee’s drag ban.
The chilling warning comes despite the fact a federal judge blocked the drag ban in June, ruling it unconstitutional.
That hasn’t stopped Desmond from claiming he has the authority to prosecute any drag performer who “appeals to a prurient interest,” in the words of the Adult Entertainment Act.
“It is certainly possible that the event in question will not violate any of the criminal statutes,” Desmond wrote in a three-page “notice” addressed to Blount Pride organizers and distributed to local law enforcement, “however if sufficient evidence is presented to this office that these referenced criminal statutes have been violated, our office will ethically and justly prosecute these cases in the interest of justice.”
The invitation to present “sufficient evidence” was shared with the Blount County sheriff and two local police chiefs.
The drag ban signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) in early March prohibits “male or female impersonators” from appearing “on public property” or “in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.” The bill defines adult cabaret as adult-oriented performances “that feature topless dancers, go-go entertainers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators or similar entertainers.”
On June 2, U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker, a Trump appointee, ruled the drag ban “is an unconstitutional restriction on speech.”
The suit seeking the injunction was filed against State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. Skrmetti maintains the injunction applies only to Shelby County, where the suit was filed. Desmond says he’s following Skrmetti’s lead in his claim the law is still valid everywhere else in the state.
“My legal analysis leads me to concur with the State Attorney General, both as to the constitutionality of the AEA as well as the applicability of the District Court’s order controlling only the District Attorney for the 30th Judicial District.”
Blount Pride 2023 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon and evening at the Clayton Center for the Arts at Maryville College and will feature a headline performance by drag performer Flamy Grant, among other acts that could run afoul of the enjoined law.
College President Bryan Coker, another recipient of Desmond’s “notice,” said Blount Pride had agreed to conduct the event “in compliance with all applicable laws,” and he saw “no problem with the event going forward.”
In a memo to faculty and staff, Coker was more worried about “individuals and groups outside the college who are opposed to the Pride Festival and are planning to protest the event.”
Blount Pride board president Ari Baker said their organization will be filing suit with the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee in response to Desmond’s threat.
Police in Nigeria said Tuesday they detained at least 67 people celebrating a gay wedding, in one of the country’s largest arrests targeting outlawed homosexuality.
The “gay suspects” were arrested in southern Delta state’s Ekpan town at about 2 a.m. on Monday at an event where two of them were wedded, state police spokesman Bright Edafe told reporters. He said that homosexuality “will never be tolerated” in the West African nation.
Arrests of gay people are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act carries up to 10 years in jail for gay individuals. Accomplices also face 10 years in prison. Enacted in 2013, the law has been condemned locally and internationally though it is also supported by many in the country.
Police in Delta stormed a hotel in Ekpan where the gay wedding was being held and initially arrested 200 people, Edafe told reporters. Later, 67 of them were detained after initial investigations, he said.
He spoke at a police station where the suspects were being paraded.
“The amazing part of it was that we saw two suspects, and there is a video recording where they were performing their wedding ceremony,” he said. “We are in Africa and we are in Nigeria. We cannot copy the Western world because we don’t have the same culture.”
He reiterated that police officers in Nigeria “cannot fold their hands” and watch gay people openly express their orientation in the country.
“This is not something that will be allowed in Nigeria,” he said, adding that the suspects will be charged in court at the end of the investigation.
Mississippi will have its first-ever openly gay state legislator after a House candidate won his Democratic primary election runoff Tuesday.
Fabian Nelson, a 38-year-old Realtor from Byram, prevailed over Roshunda Harris-Allen, an education professor at Tougaloo College and alderwoman in Byram. The race to represent the House district in the south Jackson metro area was decided in a runoff after neither Nelson nor Allen received a majority vote in the Aug. 8 primary. A local pastor finished a distant third and did not advance to the runoff.
Republicans did not field a candidate for the general election, so Nelson will go on to represent the district. He will be sworn in before the next legislative session in January. His win marks the fulfillment of a goal he’s had since visiting the Capitol on an elementary school field trip and telling his teacher he’d sit on the House floor one day.
“I still think I’m in a dream. I’m still trying to process it and take it in,” Nelson said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s still shocking to me, I have to be honest.”
Nelson was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest organization devoted to LGBTQ rights. In June, the organization declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ people in the U.S., pointing to the passage of bills it deems discriminatory.
“It sends a real message in a time when we are seeing attacks legislatively and through violence against the LGBTQ+ community that the majority of people reject that kind of animus,” Rob Hill, state director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Mississippi chapter, said in an interview after Nelson’s victory. “I think a lot of youth around the state who have felt like their leaders are rejecting them or targeting them won’t feel as lonely today.”
The Hinds County district includes Southwest Jackson and part of Byram, Salem and Terry. Nelson said he connected with voters by relying on his deep local ties. In office, he wants to increase health care access for low-income people by pushing for Medicaid expansion.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s great being first, but ultimately what won this campaign is the fact that I’m in touch with my community and the issues my community is facing,” Nelson said.
He also wants to be a voice against policies that harm marginalized communities, he said.
“At the end of the day, I put my suit on the same way every other person who walks in that statehouse does,” Nelson said. “I’m going to walk in there, and I’m going to be a sound voice as to why things like this can’t continue to go on in the state of Mississippi.”
In a statement, Annise Parker, president of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, said Mississippi is “one of the last two states to achieve the milestone of electing an out LGBTQ+ lawmaker. ”
“Voters in Mississippi should be proud of the history they’ve made but also proud to know they’ll be well-represented by Fabian,” Parker said.
Nelson’s victory comes on the heels of a historic wave of restrictions passed by Republican-controlled legislatures targeting the rights of transgender people. LGBTQ advocates say they’ve seen a record number of measures aimed at their community in 2023. In February, Mississippi enacted a ban on gender-affirming hormones or surgery for anyone in the state younger than 18.
One of the authors of Mississippi’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, Republican Rep. Nick Bain from Corinth, was trailing Wednesday in a nail-biting primary runoff in north Mississippi. The race still had not been called Wednesday, but Bain trailed fellow Republican Brad Mattox, who owns a gun shop called Big Bang Trading Company.
In south Mississippi, Felix Gines, a Biloxi City Council member first elected as a Democrat, lost a Republican runoff to Zachary Grady, a former police officer.
Rodney Hall, a recent aide to GOP Congressman Trent Kelly and former Army veteran, won the Republican primary in a northeast Mississippi district and faces no opponent in November. He is set to become the first Black Republican elected to the state Legislature since the 1890s.
Wednesday, September 6 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. PT In-person program Free for all
The GLBT Historical Society Museum is free to all visitors on the first Wednesday of every month. Tickets are not available online on free days; all visitors will be welcomed to the museum as long as there is capacity on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have any questions regarding an upcoming free day, contact us at tickets@glbthistory.org.
This free day is sponsored by the Bob Ross Foundation.
In the latest chapter of Nebraska’s debate over transgender rights, Gov. Jim Pillen has signed an executive order narrowing the definition of male and female to be based solely on biological sex.
Pillen signed the executive order Wednesday, which he titled the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” dictating that males and females are defined specifically by their reproductive systems, and hinted at future legislation to restrict the participation of trans women in women’s athletics.
The executive order comes just a few days after former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines met with Pillen and other Nebraska officials to push for restrictions against trans athletes.
Join the Sonoma County Library for eventsthroughout the month of September, from bilingual Microsoft classes to comic-making workshops. All events are free and you don’t need a library card to attend; registration is required for select events. See some of our September events below!
Kids
Maker Studio: Marble Machines Explore engineering and problem-solving while creating a marble machine out of recycled materials! For grades 4-6. Pre-register to receive a reminder email. Build your machine at three library locations: Sonoma Valley, Rohnert Park-Cotati, and Guerneville.
Seeds and Reads: Monarch Migration. Learn about the great Monarch migration to Mexico, prepare your own narrowleaf milkweed seeds to take home, and participate in a fun butterfly craft! For grades K-6. Pre-register to receive a reminder email. Available at seven library locations: Healdsburg, Sonoma Valley, Guerneville, Windsor, Cloverdale, Rincon Valley, and Roseland.
Teens
Let’s Make Comics! Learn the basics, plot-planning, and character design with instructor Jessica Chrysler. For grades 7-12. Join the fun at four library locations: Rohnert Park-Cotati, Sonoma Valley, Petaluma, Windsor.
Paying for College with Scholarships Series. Join scholarships advisor Becca Lippman for three interactive workshops that teach students and parents the steps to identify, apply for, and manage scholarships. For grades 9-12. Pre-register to receive a reminder email. Available at two library locations: Northwest Santa Rosa and Rincon Valley.
Adults
Bilingual Microsoft Classes. Find out the functions and benefits of each program and how to use them in your daily life. At the Central Santa Rosa and Healdsburg libraries in September, with more through the rest of the year!
Art Journaling Workshop. Join local artist Amanda Ayala to create a beautiful art journal using collage, ink, and markers. Express yourself at two library locations: Windsor and Rohnert Park-Cotati.
A Reminder from Your Library: Upcoming Holiday Closure
All library branches will be closed Monday, September 4, in observance of Labor Day. We look forward to seeing you when we reopen on Tuesday, September 5!
Thank you for being a member of the Sonoma County Library community. Visit us online or in person at one of our branches. Be sure to check out open jobs at Sonoma County Library here. Questions? Please call your local library branch or click here to send us a message. Eventos en Septiembre Acompañe a la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma para los eventos durante todo el mes de Septiembre. Habrán actividades como clases bilingües de microsoft y talleres de creación de historietas. Todos los eventos son gratis, no necesita una tarjeta de la biblioteca para asistir; registración requerida para eventos selectos. ¡Vea algunos de nuestros eventos de Septiembre a continuación!
Niños
Estudio creativo: Máquina de canicas. Explora la ingeniería y la resolución creativa de problemas mientras diseñas y construyes una máquina de canicas con materiales de reciclaje. Para los grados 4-6. Regístrese con anticipación para recibir un correo electrónico de recordatorio. Este evento se llevará a cabo en tres sucursales de la biblioteca: Sonoma Valley, Rohnert Park-Cotati, y Guerneville.
Semillas y Lecturas: Migración Monarca. Aprende sobre la gran Migración Monarca a México. ¡Prepara tus propias semillas de flor de panal para llevar a casa y participa en una divertida manualidad de mariposas! Para los grados K-6. Regístrese con anticipación para recibir un correo electrónico de recordatorio. Este evento se llevará a cabo en siete sucursales de la biblioteca: Healdsburg, Sonoma Valley, Guerneville, Windsor, Cloverdale, Rincon Valley, y Roseland.
Adolescentes
¡Hagamos historietas con la instructora Jessica Chrysler! Aprende los conceptos básicos, como la planificación de la trama y el diseño de personajes. Para los grados 7-12. Únase a la diversión en cuatro bibliotecas: Rohnert Park-Cotati, Sonoma Valley, Petaluma, y Windsor.
¡Paga la universidad con becas! Únete con la asesora de becas Becca Lippman en tres talleres interactivos que les enseñan a los estudiantes y padres los pasos para identificar, solicitar, y administrar becas. Para los grados 9-12. Regístrese con anticipación para recibir un correo electrónico de recordatorio. Se llevará a cabo en dos bibliotecas: Northwest Santa Rosa y Rincón Valley.
Adultos
Clases bilingües de Microsoft. Descubre las funciones y beneficios de cada programa y cómo utilizarlos en tu día a día. Este evento se llevará a cabo en Septiembre en las bibliotecas Central Santa Rosa y Healdsburg y habrán más clases durante el resto del año.
Taller para hacer diarios de arte. Acompañe a la artista local Amanda Ayala para crear un hermoso diario de arte usando collage, tinta, y marcadores. Exprese su arte en las bibliotecas: Windsor y Rohnert Park-Cotati.
Un recordatorio de su biblioteca: Próximo cierre de día festivo
Todas las bibilotecas estarán cerradas el lunes 4 de septiembre en conmemoración del Día del Trabajo. ¡Nos vemos de nuevo cuando abrimos el martes, 5 de septiembre!
Gracias por ser miembro de la comunidad de la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma. Visite nuestra biblioteca en línea para ver miles de películas, programas de televisión, libros electrónicos, bases de datos, revistas, clases, videojuegos y mucho más. Revise aquí los puestos disponibles en la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma. ¿Preguntas? Por favor llame a su biblioteca local o haga clic para mandar un mensaje.
Adam Michael Nettina, age 34, of West Friendship, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to using the telephone to threaten a group that advocates for LGBTQI+ people.
As part of his plea agreement, Nettina also admitted sending messages to Maryland and Virginia state delegates due to their statements in support of transgender people.
According to court documents, on the evening of March 28, 2023, the victim organization received a threatening voicemail from a phone number, which investigators identified as belonging to Adam Michael Nettina.
The message referenced the March 27, 2023, mass shooting at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, involving multiple shooting fatalities, where police identified the perpetrator as a transgender woman.
During the call, numerous threats were made including, “We’ll cut your throats. We’ll put a bullet in your head. You’re going to kill us? We’re going to kill you ten times more in full.”
Nettina admitted that he left this voicemail for the purpose of issuing a threat and with the knowledge that the voicemail would be viewed as a threat.
Further, Nettina intentionally selected the advocacy organization as a target of his message because of the actual and perceived gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation of the people who work at and are assisted by the organization.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on March 31, 2022, a Maryland State Delegate posted a message of support on social media in honor of Trans Day of Visibility.
Nettina responded on social media later that same day, which stated, among other things, that he had “begun the formal process of getting you excommunicated . . . ” from the Catholic Church.
On November 8, 2022, the delegate was reelected. Nettina sent the delegate another message on social media, stating: “Baby killing terrroist. Enjoy hell You’re going sooner than you think.”
Finally, as outlined in the court documents, on October 13, 2022, an online news story was published about an interview a Virginia State Delegate gave in which she advocated for the prevention of abuse towards transgender children.
Two days later, on October 15, 2022, Nettina used the internet to send an email to the delegate’s press email account, stating: “The delegate is a terrorist. You are a terrorist. You deserve to be shot and hung in the streets. You want to come after people? Let’s go b**ch.”
Nettina also sent a similar message to another email address of the delegate two minutes later. Nettina intentionally selected the delegate and her campaign staff as the recipient of his email because of the actual and perceived gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation of the people and constituents for whom the delegate had expressed support.
Nettina faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for making threats transmitted by interstate communications. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Nettina on November 3, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.
The above-cited advocacy organization is the Human Rights Campaign. According to Nettina’s LinkedIn profile, he created direct mail pieces for the House Freedom Caucus and blogged for the far-right site Catholic Vote, the onetime home of former NOM communications director Thomas Peters. In 2016, he authored a Catholic Vote post about the Pulse massacre titled, “We Have Nothing to Apologize For.”
Brazil’s high court has ruled that homophobic hate speech is on par with racial hate speech and punishable with a prison sentence of two to five years. The Supreme Court’s 9-1 ruling stated it was a “constitutional imperative” for LGBTQ+ people in the country to have this protection.
France 24 explained that the court already ruled in 2019 that homophobia was a crime on par with racism, but that ruling applied to the overall LGBTQ+ community, rather than to speech directed at specific people. The most recent lawsuit was brought by ABGLT, a Brazilian LGBTQ+ rights group.
The injunction comes after the families of four trans kids sued the state for the right to make medical decisions for their kids.
Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, unlike his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who proudly proclaimed in 2013, “Yes, I am homophobic — and very proud of it.” Bolsonaro also said that he’d rather his son die in an accident than be gay and advocated that parents should beat the gayness out of their children.
Unsurprisingly, Da Silva’s victory was celebrated by the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier this year, he released a joint statement with U.S. President Joe Biden to emphasize support for LGBTQ+ rights.
“Both leaders noted they continue to reject extremism and violence in politics, condemned hate speech, and reaffirmed their intention to build societal resilience to disinformation and agreed to work together on these issues,” Da Silva and Biden’s joint statement said.
“They discussed common objectives of advancing the human rights agenda through cooperation and coordination on such issues as social inclusion and labor rights, gender equality, racial equity and justice, and the protection of the rights of LGBTQI+ persons.”
