News

/ /

Half of LGBT+ sexual assaults based on identity – a quarter are ‘conversion’ attempts, report finds

,

Half of LGBT+ sexual violence survivors believe they were assaulted because of their identity, a  survey has found. In the largest report of its kind, British anti-abuse charity Galop asked nearly 1,000 LGBT+ people about their experiences of sexual violence. Those surveyed described instances of rape, penetrative sexual assault, ‘revenge porn’ and groping. Such experiences haunted them for months, with 85 per cent saying the trauma impacted their mental health and 77 per cent their relationships. In a damning indictment against the government’s sluggish approach to banning conversion therapy, nearly a quarter of survey-takers believe their attackers were trying to “convert” […]

/ /

‘Groomer,’ ‘pro-pedophile’: Old tropes find new life in anti-LGBTQ movement

The national war of words over whether students should learn about LGBTQ issues in school — ignited by a recently enacted Florida law that critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — has taken a charged, and some say dangerous, turn over the last several weeks.  In early March, the press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted that anyone who opposes the bill “is probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of 4-8 year old children.” Several days later, Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked her millions of viewers, “When did our public schools, any schools, become […]

/ /

It is illegal to be LGBTQ in these countries

,

In 71 countries, being queer makes you a criminal. In 11 of them, the punishment is death. Some countries differentiate between having gay sex and actually being gay, but the result is discrimination no matter the reasoning. America’s religious right is clamoring for crackdowns on gender expression and LGBTQ rights similar to the laws enforced in less advanced countries. Some prominent Republicans and pastors have gone so far as to suggest America should be a theocracy like some countries on the list. Iran, parts of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Brunei, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates proscribe the death penalty for […]

/

Man arrested for threatening to ‘bomb’ Merriam-Webster over trans-inclusive definitions

,

A Californian man is facing charges for threatening to “bomb” and kill Merriam-Webster employees over the publisher’s pro-trans definitions. Jeremy David Hanson, of Rossmoor, threatened to “hunt down and shoot” workers of the oldest dictionary publishers in the US, procecutors claimed. he 34-year-old sent online threats to the company based in Springfield, Massachusetts, over entries such as “girl” and “woman“, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement Friday (22 April). He faces up to five years in jail or a thumping fine of $250,000 after he was charged with one count of interstate communication of threats […]

/ /

Conversion therapy is costing the United States billions of dollars every year

When an LGBTQ person is subjected to so-called “conversion therapy,” society pays a steep price. All told, the impacts of the widely discredited practice are estimated to cost the United States $9.23 billion annually. According to a first-of-its-kind study published in JAMA Pediatrics, efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity create direct costs and, as well, indirect costs associated with anxiety, severe psychological distress, depression, alcohol or substance abuse, suicide attempts, and fatalities. Related link: Conversion therapy practice forced to pay $3.5 million after losing appeal in historic lawsuit “Conversion therapy causes the kind of lingering lifelong harm that we […]

/ /

Democrat shuts down Republican lawmaker’s pathetic ‘groomer’ slurs in fiery speech

,

A Michigan lawmaker has slammed a Republican colleague’s ‘groomer’ accusations because of her diehard support for the LGBT+ community. State senator Mallory McMorrow delivered a passionate speech on the Capitol floor, defending herself from baseless claims by Republican Lana Theis. McMorrow told her fellow legislators that Theis “accused me by name of grooming and sexualising children” in a fundraising email because the Democrat stood up against Theis’ attempts to marginalise the LGBT+ community.  McMorrow, who shared a clip of her fiery speech on Twitter, told those gathered at the state Capitol building that she “didn’t expect to wake up” to […]

/

Into the Vault: A Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the GLBT Historical Society Archives

,

Friday, May 135:30–7:00 p.m. PTOnline program$5 | Free for members You’ve seen highlights from our archival collections on social media and in programs. Now join us on a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the GLBT Historical Society archivists. You’ll learn how archival staff preserve and share LGBTQ historical material, including processing collections, managing donations, digitizing records and more. You’ll get a peek into the vault, where the archivists will share some of their favorite pieces. Finally, we’ll be introducing a new workshop program we are launching this year that provides free archival skills training to the public. Speakers will include Kelsi […]

/ /

Two LGBTQ candidates competing for state house seat in Philadelphia’s ‘gayborhood’

,

Transgender community activist Deja Alvarez and LGBTQ rights and economic development advocate Jonathan Lovitz, both of whom have been involved in LGBTQ rights issues for many years, are running against each other and against two LGBTQ supportive straight men for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in Philadelphia’s center city area. Alvarez, Lovitz, public affairs consultant Ben Waxman, and café owner and community activist Will Gross are running in the May 17 Democratic primary in the 182nd District, which includes Philadelphia’s “Gayborhood” and is believed to have more LGBTQ residents than any other legislative district in the state. […]

/ /

One in three LGBT+ Brits abused by their family, disturbing report finds

,

One in three LGBT+ people in Britain have been abused by their relatives, a study by Galop has found. The LGBT+ anti-abuse charity found that of the 5,000 people surveyed, nearly one third (29 per cent) had experienced abuse by a relative, most often their own parents. Galop reported that the abuse ranged from verbal harassment to threats of homelessness and physical violence. Five per cent of respondents had been subjected to conversion therapy “through a family member attempting to change, ‘cure’ or suppress their sexual orientation or gender identity”. Sixty per cent of respondents who had experienced abuse from their family felt […]

/ /

Gay couple to tie the knot in first-ever same-sex wedding in British Antarctic Territory

,

Two polar research ship crew members are set to become the first ever same-sex couple to get married in British Antarctic Territory. Eric Bourne and Stephen Carpenter have been together for 20 years, having first met on the RFA Sir Percivale before being deployed in the Gulf war. Since then, they have travelled the world’s oceans, and currently work together on the polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is on its maiden voyage in Antarctica. The couple plan to tie the knot either on Sunday (24 April) or Monday (25 April) depending on the weather, with temperatures predicted to be […]

«‹ 247 248 249 250›»