News

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The Supreme Court may overturn same-sex marriage. A new bill could enshrine it into federal law

Sixteen Democrats and one Republican senator have introduced “The Respect for Marriage Act,” a bill that would enshrine same-sex marriage rights into law. The bill could get a House vote as early as this week, but it’s unclear if it will attract the ten Republican votes needed to pass through the Senate. The bill was created in response to conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ stated wish to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 court decision that legalized marriage equality nationwide. The Respect for Marriage Act would officially repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that forbade the federal government […]

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The Spahr Center Unveils New Logo

The Spahr Center, the LGBTQ+ community center serving Marin County, California, has a new look with a brand new logo. The new design features a rainbow Mt. Tamalpais with silhouettes of redwood trees in front. Notably, the rainbow Mt. Tam includes black and brown stripes signifying The Spahr Center’s commitment to racial justice.  The logo was designed, pro-bono, by East Bay designer Jennifer Bellingham of Black Lamb Media. Jennifer said, “It was our pleasure to support The Spahr Center with the branding and design of their new logo, which provides the agency with a bright, modern symbol representative of the direction they […]

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Trump Judge Temporarily Blocks LGBTQ Protections

The New York Times reports: A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from enforcing directives that extended civil rights protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and workers. The ruling comes roughly one year after a group of 20 conservative state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against two federal agencies for their interpretation of the 1972 landmark civil rights statute known as Title IX. The lawsuit filed by Herbert H. Slatery III, the attorney general of Tennessee, and joined by 19 other states contended that the government infringed on states’ powers to regulate their public workplaces and schools. The judge, Charles E. […]

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Republicans in Congress lay groundwork for anti-transgender push

U.S. Republicans in Congress are lining up behind legislation that critics say would roll back protections for transgender people, setting a playbook for action on a divisive social issue should they take control of Congress this fall. The bills have no chance of becoming law this year, as Democrats narrowly control both chambers of Congress. But they are a sign that Republicans aim to elevate a battle over transgender rights that has so far largely played out at the state level. Republicans in the House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would block federal funding to colleges where transgender women are allowed to […]

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EU executive will sue Hungary over LGBT law

The European Commission decided on Friday to sue Hungary over an anti-LGBT law and its refusal to renew the license of Klubradio, a broadcaster critical of the government, in the latest clash over values that risks damaging the European Union’s cohesion. The two lawsuits add to a long list of increasingly bitter standoffs between Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the liberal core of the EU over human rights and democratic standards. “The European Commission today decided to refer Hungary to the Court of Justice of the EU over a Hungarian law which discriminates against people on the basis […]

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Mob of conservative mothers demand library burn Pride display books

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In the Connecticut hometown of Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale, a group of mothers including a “Christian taxpayer” is up in arms over the town library’s Pride book display and are demanding the offending materials be burned. Booth & Dimock Memorial Library Director Margaret Khan said the incident happened June 22, when one of the mothers removed the books from the display and the group carried them to the front desk to complain. Related: Connecticut official bans RuPaul biography from library after one dad complains Khan said the women responded with “hateful language” and told her the books in the display […]

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Breathtaking first James Webb Space Telescope images reignites row over homophobic ‘purge’ leader

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As the James Webb Space Telescope releases its first images, there are renewed calls for NASA to distance itself from the man it’s named for. The multi-billion-dollar telescope – the most powerful ever to be launched into space – garnered controversy last year after NASA chose to name it after government official James Webb, who is believed to have led a homophobic “purge” in the 50s and 60s. At the time NASA said it had a “debt of gratitude” toward Webb, who was the second administrator of NASA, for his efforts in leading them through a portion of the Cold War. However, […]

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GOP Congressman tries to win over LGBTQ voters now that his district includes Palm Springs

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After spending 30 years opposing LGBTQ rights, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is now trying to win over LGBTQ voters. The Republican congressman representing California’s 42nd district, says his views on LGBTQ issues have changed, and his very recent change in views comes just as his district was redrawn to include the very LGBTQ city of Palm Sprints. The Los Angeles Times reports that Calvert, who is facing an out gay challenger in Democrat Will Rollins, now believes that the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodgesshould not be overturned. “It wasn’t always my position,” Calvert told the paper. “It’s a different country than […]

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Antigua and Barbuda: High Court Decriminalizes Gay Sex

The High Court of Justice for Antigua and Barbuda struck down discriminatory legal provisions that criminalized same-sex relations in a landmark ruling on July 5, 2022, Human Rights Watch said today. The court found that such laws violated the right to liberty, protection of the law, freedom of expression, protection of personal privacy, and protection from discrimination. Antigua and Barbuda’s Sexual Offences Act of 1995 sanctioned “buggery,” defined as “sexual intercourse per anum by a male person with a male person or by a male person with a female person,” with up to 15 years in prison. The act also penalized “serious indecency,” defined as “an […]

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Iraq’s government proposes law to ban homosexuality

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The Iraqi government has drafted a plan to criminalize homosexuality, according to a member of the country’s Parliamentary Legal Committee. “It was agreed within the parliament to collect signatures after returning to session to legislate a law prohibiting homosexuality in Iraq,” Aref al-Hamami, an MP with the State of Law coalition said on Friday. “[The] legislation of such a law will be reinforced by legal provisions that prevent homosexuality and the perversions associated with it.” Amir Ashour, head of the LGBTQ group IraQueer, said that the proposed law would “allow the Iraqi government to legally get away with murder.” In a […]

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