More than 6 in 10 Americans oppose legislation that would prohibit classroom lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary school, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds. The ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 62% of Americans oppose such legislation, while 37% support it.
Support for this type of legislation increases with age, but doesn’t reach majority support in any age group.
Among those 65 and older, 43% support the ban, while it falls to about a third among those under the age of 50. Not surprisingly, respondents who identify as LGBTQ overwhelmingly oppose this type of legislation, at 87%.
As Disney withers criticism from the left and right over a controversial Florida education bill, California’s Governor offered a solution. “Disney, the door is open to bring those jobs back to California — the state that actually represents the values of your workers,” tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The wooing comes less than a year after Disney announced it would relocate more than 2,000 jobs to a new Lake Nona campus. Over the next 18 months, the plan is to shift all Disney Parks and Walt Disney Imagineering jobs not fully dedicated to operations at Disneyland in California.
A gay Ukrainian couple went to France on holiday. Overnight, it became their new home.
Nazar and Yuriv arrived in France on 11 February for a short holiday. They were staying with a friend in Paris, when they woke up to the horrifying news that Russia had invaded Ukraine.
They knew that tensions had been on the rise, but they never thought their home country – the place where they had built a life together – would end up under siege in such a brutal, sudden fashion.
“It was like something from a horror movie,” Nazar tells PinkNews. “I see the pictures of everything that has been destroyed and I can’t believe it.”
Overnight, they lost their home and their sense of security. They found themselves separated from friends and family, who are now living in a war zone. Nazar doesn’t even know if his parents are alive.
“I haven’t contacted [my parents] for more than three days because there is no internet, no electricity, no gas where they’re staying,” he says.
As well as fearing for their safety, Nazar is also worried that his parents are being duped by Russian propaganda.
“The last time I reached them on the phone, they told me that it’s not Russians who killed the people and shoot the civilians, it’s Ukrainians,” he explains. “It was just incredible that they were under the fire of Russian military and they were still believing the Russian propaganda. It’s a tragedy for me. I cannot believe it.”
Protesters gather in a protest for peace in Poland. (WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty)
It was the last time he spoke to them. “I was very irritated… but then they just disappeared from online. I don’t know whether they are alive or not or whether they’re just in some cellar without connection.”
Nazar has also been grappling with feelings of guilt that he and Yuriv are not in Ukraine to help fight their oppressors.
“We think that we should have stayed… but all of the friends we’ve discussed this with – who are still in Ukraine – have said we shouldn’t feel guilty because we don’t have any military experience,” he says.
Nazar’s sister once threatened to shoot him if he didn’t ‘change’ his sexuality
Before the war, life in Ukraine wasn’t always easy for Nazar, 32, and Yuriv, 26. They’ve been together for six years, but in that time, they’ve faced oppressive attitudes from family because of their relationship. Nazar’s sister once threatened to shoot him unless he “changed”.
Their life in Ukraine wasn’t ideal, but they had reason to be hopeful for the future. They had considered moving to another European country to start anew, but they were heartened to see things gradually improving for LGBT+ people in Ukraine. Attitudes were becoming more progressive among younger Ukrainians and in big cities.
War has swept LGBT+ rights off the agenda in Ukraine. Nazar and Yuriv are pragmatic about this: equality is fundamental, but LGBT+ people can’t have any freedom when they’re at war – especially when the aggressor is Russia, where LGBT+ people face oppression and violence.
Protesters wave Ukrainian flags during a demonstration for peace in Ukraine, in Warsaw, Poland. (WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty)
“War is war, and people who fight from the other side have no mercy. They do not follow any kind of rules, they can target civilians, peaceful people,” Nazar says.
The idea of a pro-Russian government in Ukraine terrifies him. He says such an eventuality won’t happen – the people of Ukraine are fighting back fiercely, and he believes they will win. Still, if the war doesn’t go well, it would mean Nazar and his boyfriend would likely never return to Ukraine.
“The slightest possibility of a pro-Russian government is so atrocious, so horrible, that I wouldn’t be staying in Ukraine if it is under a pro-Russian government. I know about the atrocities in Chechnya, I know about the attitudes toward LGBT+ people,” he says.
You should know what’s really happening in Ukraine. All of these lies can be refuted by very simple fact checking.
For now, Nazar and Yuriv will be staying in France. They’ve been “surprised” that they’ve been referred to as a couple throughout the process of applying for asylum – it’s the first time in their lives they’ve been treated the same as mixed-gender couples.
“I cannot plan for what will happen in a year or two years,” Nazar says. “For me and for my partner it’s important for us to be in a safe place while war is going on in Ukraine.”
Nazar and Yuriv are determined to help the Ukrainian cause from abroad in any way they can. Nazar is currently exploring ways he can counter Russian propaganda about the war. The most important thing people can do is to listen to Ukrainians, he says.
“Don’t be infected by this propaganda,” he says. “You should know what’s really happening in Ukraine. All of these lies can be refuted by very simple fact checking.”
The situation is devastating for Ukrainian people like Nazar and Yuriv, but they’ve been amazed to see the huge swell of support for their country.
People protest in front of Russian embassy against Russian military action the Crimean peninsula during a pro-peace demonstration on March 2, 2014 in Warsaw. (WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty)
“I’m very grateful to everybody from all over the world for the support they’re showing towards Ukraine,” Nazar says. “For me and for my country it’s very important. The solidarity shows us that people can do something good together, not just destroy countries like our neighbour decided to, but they can be friendly, they can be kind to other people, they can cherish this feeling of solidarity. I think it shows that Ukraine will win.”
Russia has faced international condemnation and sanctions since it launched its full-scale invasion in Ukraine just two weeks ago. More than two million people have fled and in excess of 400 civilian deaths have been reported.
An all-boys school in Adelaide, Australia has given its full-hearted support to a student who came out as trans, and is even designing a special uniform for her.
Headmaster of the private Prince Alfred College, Bradley Fenner, said in a letter to parents on Tuesday that the girl’s fellow students were “respectful and supportive”, The Advertiser reported.
The headmaster added that the student, named Alice, asked to remain at the all-boys’ school herself, and has received support from both students and professionals.
Fenner wrote: “This morning, a student who has been at Prince Alfred College since the Early Learning Centre has told her peers that she is transgender, identifies as a woman and henceforth will be known as Alice.
“The response from the Year 12 cohort was, as we would have hoped and expected, both respectful and supportive.
“Alice has been dealing with gender dysphoria for some time and has been well-supported in her journey by a range of professionals, both within and outside the College.”
The headteacher added that Alice has come out to her peers, which he described as “very powerful”
“She is a living embodiment of our college motto… which is: do brave deeds and endure, and that’s exactly what she’s done,” he told ABC Adelaide.
All-boys’ school designs special uniform after student comes out as trans (Prince Alfred College)
Parents told The Australian that her fellow students have been “so welcoming”, but that the school would have to figure out a few accessibility requirements, as Alice is Prince Alfred College’s first trans student.
One parent said: “I think it is great that the boys have been so welcoming and accepting, and apparently the process by which she explained her new life was very moving and they are all supporting her.
“It does raise a few logistic questions, though, around things like the use of the toilets and so on in what has only ever been a boys’ school.”
Research by LGBT+ young people’s charity Just Like Us found that 55 per cent of teachers in England have at least one pupil who has come out as transgender, and 78 per cent say they would like more resources supporting them.
“Trans young people across the country are in schools with teachers who are crying out for the right resources to support them,” said Dominic Arnall, chief executive of Just Like Us.
“With a small but vocal minority of anti-trans individuals, it’s often a tough and terrifying time for young people growing up trans.
“It’s very encouraging to see that the majority of their teachers want to support their pupils to be themselves and feel safe while learning.”
A Texas judge on Friday issued an injunction against enforcement of the governor’s order to investigate gender-affirming care as child abuse, handing opponents of the policy a temporary victory.
District Judge Amy Clark Meachum said that in issuing the Feb. 22 directive without a new state law or rule, Gov. Greg Abbott and officials’ actions “violate separation of powers by impermissibly encroaching into the legislative domain,” The Associated Pressreported.
The state Legislature last year failed to pass a bill that would have made it a felony alongside physical and sexual abuse to provide gender-affirming care to minors.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which was among those who challenged the Feb. 22 directive, hailed Friday’s court ruling.
“The judge recognized the governor and DFPS’ actions for what they were — unauthorized and unconstitutional exercises of power that causes severe, immediate, and devastating harms to transgender youth and their families across Texas,” Chase Strangio, deputy director for Trans Justice with the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.
Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chile’s Javier Silva and Jaime Nazar became the first two men to tie the knot in the South American country’s history on Thursday after a law allowing same-sex marriage went into effect.
In December, Congress approved legislation guaranteeing legal rights for same-sex couples in a milestone for the conservative nation after a decade-long battle by LGBTQ communities and rights groups.
“Being the first couple to get married in Chile for us is an honor, something to be proud of,” Silva told reporters after the civil ceremony. “We did it! It’s something we didn’t think could happen.”
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Silva and Nazar have been together for seven years and have two young children. They have had a civil union for the last three years, but marriage is a significant step forward for their whole family.
“Now our children have the same rights (as other families) and they will be able to have, we hope, a better future, that they will not be discriminated against for having two parents who love each other,” Silva added.
Chilean couple Javier Silva and Jaime Nazar prepare their daughter to take a nap, a day before their wedding, as the same-sex marriage law goes into effect in Santiago, Chile, on March 9, 2022.Ivan Alvarado / Reuters
Despite its long conservative tradition, Chile has been making progress in recent years in recognizing LGBTQ rights.
“My congratulations to Jaime and Javier for being the first couple to marry under the new #EqualMarriage law. To continue advancing for a Chile with equal rights and freedoms for all people,” President-elect Gabriel Boric, who takes office on Friday, said on Twitter.
Same-sex marriage legislation was first discussed in 2017 and pushed by former President Michelle Bachelet, but was delayed until last year.
Before that, starting in 2015, same-sex couples were able register a Civil Union Agreement (AUC), which allowed some legal benefits.
“I think we’re putting ourselves at the level the rest of the world is living in, which is great,” Nazar said. “I know our society is very conservative, but I also know we have a promising future as a country.”
The Idaho House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation to make it a crime punishable by life in prison for a parent to seek out gender-affirming health care for their transgender child.
Idaho Rep. Bruce Skaug, the Republican sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday on the floor of the Legislature that his proposal is necessary because minors are too young to make life-altering decisions about their bodies.
Skaug did not respond to requests for comment. The bill cleared the Idaho House by a vote of 55-13 on Tuesday. It now heads to the Idaho Senate, where Republicans hold a 28-to-7 majority over Democrats.
Days before a key legislative deadline, Georgia Republican state senators introduced a proposal modeled after Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill that aims to deter teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. Senate Bill 613 stands little chance of passing this late in the legislative session, though its provisions could be spliced onto other proposals that have already gained traction.
Senior Republicans indicated that wouldn’t happen. Still, even if it is destined for the dustbin, the measure’s mere existence means it could be used as grist to energize conservatives on the campaign trail. Among its 10 co-sponsors are two candidates for higher office: Bruce Thompson, who is running for labor commissioner, and Burt Jones, who would be president of the state Senate if he’s elected lieutenant governor.
Thompson found himself in the national news early in the pandemic when he checked himself out of the hospital and broke quarantine to vacation at his Florida beach home.
The “free state” of Florida, you may recall, was turning away cars arriving from areas with high rates of coronavirus, which at the time included Thompson’s home county.
Julia Maciocha is exhausted – she’s been keeping busy making sure trans people in Ukraine can still access medication even as war breaks out across the country.
It’s an all-consuming job, but Julia – who serves as chairwoman of Warsaw Pride in Poland – didn’t have to think twice about doing it. Like many other LGBT+ people, she has watched in horror over the last couple of weeks as Russia invaded Ukraine, unleashing war and prompting a mass exodus in the process. So far, two million people have fled Ukraine, with half of those crossing the border into Poland.
Julia and the Polish LGBT+ activists she works with at Warsaw Pride quickly leapt into action. They knew there was a great deal of work to be done, from arranging suitable, safe housing for queer people crossing the border to organising much-needed medication for those who remain in Ukraine.
These are the everyday realities of war that most people don’t think about. At the end of the day, trans people will still need hormones and those with HIV will still need access to antiretroviral drugs. Air strikes and curfews have made those things most of us take for granted an impossibility for queer Ukrainians.
LGBT+ people who remain in Ukraine still need access to medical supplies
“I look like s**t,” a tired-looking Julia jokes when we speak over Zoom. She and other activists involved with Warsaw Pride learned over the weekend that they could transport vital medical supplies to LGBT+ people in Ukraine. They worked tirelessly through the weekend to get supplies together, which they did with some help from Fundacja Interakcja, a Polish foundation that helps intersex people.
Finally, on Monday night (7 March), they sent the medical supplies to Ukraine. Dedicating themselves to the task has helped Julia and other Polish activists feel useful in a difficult, turbulent time.
Julia Maciocha at Warsaw Pride. (Provided)
“This is something that I feel is helpful to get through – we have a task, we are doing it, we are not thinking too much about it,” Julia says.
“If somebody is crossing the border and is already in Poland then we can do everything, but we still have people in Ukraine who don’t want to leave or who can’t leave. They need food, they need medical supplies, they need their basic needs to be met.”
It just hurts to know that they could be hurt at any time.
For Julia, their efforts to help out Ukraine’s LGBT+ community is at the very core of what the Pride movement means. The activists involved with Warsaw Pride have worked closely with Kyiv Pride for some time, and Julia considers them friends. She becomes emotional when asked what it felt like to wake up on 24 February to the news that Russia had invaded Ukraine.
“I’m always crying when I think about it,” she says. “I still have friends there. I have friends who have decided to stay – I understand their decision, they’re doing amazing work, but it just hurts to know that they could be hurt at any time. They are struggling so much.”
Many queer Ukrainians won’t want to stay in Poland because of the country’s homophobia
While some queer Ukrainians have decided to stay, others have made the difficult journey to safety in Poland. The country has won praise from governments across the world for its open-armed approach to Ukrainian refugees, but Julia points out that the country is also one of the most homophobic places in Europe. That presents challenges when finding safe accommodation for LGBT+ refugees.
“I know that right now, any Polish person is opening their hearts to anyone, but it’s still not an ideal position for LGBTQ people to feel safe,” Julia explains. “We want to house them with people that understand their needs and their struggles. We want to focus on help that is sensitive to the needs of LGBTQ people. Right now, people are in huge trauma, they don’t know what to do, they’re in shock.”
Because of the trauma they’ve been through, many of those crossing the border are struggling to adjust, Julia says.
Refugees from Ukraine line up to get in to Poland on border crossing in Medyka, in eastern Poland on February 28, 2022. (WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty)
“They still can’t believe that everything here is given to them for free,” she says. “They can’t believe that they can get housing for free, food, clothes, everything. I’m also surprised that my society, my community in Poland, has decided to help them so much.”
Most refugees are just trying to hold it all together, Julia says – but that’s not easy when you find yourself plunged into uncertainty in a new country, away from family and friends.
I don’t think [Poland] is a great place to stay and to start a new life or to continue living
“I would say that most of these people are just trying to survive the day. Most of them are sleeping for at least two days after staying at the border. It’s very cold – at the beginning there was no humanitarian aid on the side of Ukraine so many people had to stand there for two days without food, without water. Right now we are focusing on giving them time to rest and then we will figure things out.”
The long term outlook is uncertain. Julia anticipates that many of the LGBT+ Ukrainians crossing the border won’t want to stay in Poland long term because of the country’s troubling lurch into homophobia and transphobia in recent years.
“We are in contact with other neighbouring countries to provide them with support after they leave our country. It’s wonderful what Poland is doing now for people, but we still have to remember that we are the most homophobic country on the ILGA ranking, so I don’t think it’s a great place to stay and to start a new life or to continue living.”
Long term solutions are needed if Ukrainian refugees are to be adequately cared for
Poland has won praise from the likes of the United Nations and from Pope Francis over the last couple of weeks for welcoming Ukrainians who are fleeing war with open arms. Julia isn’t “proud” of her country – she doesn’t believe in “countryism”, but she says she is proud of Polish society for responding in the way it has.
“To see ordinary people spending their weekends driving people from the border or spending their evenings making sandwiches for people coming to our cities is beautiful, but we have to remember that it isn’t going to be enough.”
This aerial picture taken on February 28, 2022 shows cars stuck in traffic as families fleeing the conflict drive towards the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing between Ukraine and Poland. (DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty)
Julia says the Polish government needs to “step up” and put in place systems to cater correctly for Ukrainian refugees.
“This is not something society can do. We need our government to step up, and right now our government is just taking praise from the leaders of other countries.
“I’m really proud of Poles, I’m proud of all my friends that are hosting people, that are spending their time volunteering, but I wouldn’t say I’m proud of the country.”
