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Meet Will Wooten, the gay lawyer on the team prosecuting Donald Trump in Georgia

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In the pivotal Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, Deputy District Attorney Will Wooten, who joined the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in January 2021, has been central in addressing complex legal issues.  Wooten, notable not only for his prosecutorial skills but also for his identity as an out gay man and his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, focused on key aspects of the case Thursday morning, specifically jurisdictional issues and the involvement of fake electors. Who is Will Wooten? Wooten worked both as a prosecutor and a public defender, according to his bio on the Fulton County website. The attorney previously served […]

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Milwaukee school board, principal sued for allegedly abusing student with gay parents

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A federal lawsuit has been filed in Wisconsin against the Milwaukee Board of School Directors and Kasongo Kalumbula, a principal in the Milwaukee Public Schools system, over claims of verbal and physical abuse targeted at a student because his parents are gay.  The legal action, brought forth last Thursday by parents on behalf of their minor child, identified only as G.L., alleges a distressing pattern of discrimination that spans several years, starting when G.L. was in first grade. According to the complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Kalumbula, who served as an assistant principal at the time, is […]

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Best Buy offers to screen LGBTQ nonprofit donations after conservative pressure, filing shows

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Best Buy offered to screen donations from its employee resource groups going to LGBTQ causes following pressure from a conservative think tank that holds shares in the company, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing made public this week. The SEC filing contains a monthslong email exchange between the National Center for Public Policy Research, which describes itself as a “nonpartisan, free-market conservative think tank,” and Best Buy. The dialogue, which hasn’t been previously reported, shows how the center said it would make “a splash” unless the consumer electronics giant moved in favor of its demands.  In some of the last correspondence […]

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After a county restricted trans women in sports, a roller derby league said, ‘No way’

They zip around the rink, armed with helmets, pads and mouthguards. They push, bump and occasionally crash out as they jostle for position on the hardwood floor. But for the women of the Long Island Roller Rebels, their biggest battle is taking place outside the suburban strip-mall roller rink where they’re girding for the upcoming roller derby season. The nearly 20-year-old amateur league is suing a county leader over an executive order meant to prevent women’s and girl’s leagues and teams with transgender players from using county-run parks and fields. The league’s legal effort, backed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, […]

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Texas appeals court blocks state from probing transgender kids’ parents

A Texas appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court’s injunction blocking the state from investigating parents who provide their transgender children with gender-affirming medical treatments, which Gov. Greg Abbott has called abusive. Abbott, a Republican, had ordered the state Department of Family Protective Services to carry out child abuse investigations into families whose children were receiving puberty-blocking treatments in February 2022. A month later, a district court judge imposed a statewide temporary injunction on such investigations, saying the probes endangered children and their families. The appeals court in Austin upheld the district court judge’s injunction in a pair of rulings on […]

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These 7 states are not afraid to give their kids a queer-friendly education

While “Don’t Say Gay” laws continue to prevent LGBTQ+-inclusive education, these 7 states are actively ensuring that their schools stay queer-friendly. In 2022, Florida became the first state to sign into effect a HB 1557, commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The law, signed by Gov. Ron De Santis, prohibits instruction around sexual orientation and gender identity by school personnel or third parties. However, due to the vagueness of the law, it became pervasive, causing harm to LGBTQ+ students and their families. In addition to book bans across the the U.S., more “Don’t Say Gay” laws popped up […]

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Conservatives say boycott over trans-inclusive policies cost Planet Fitness millions. It’s a lie.

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Chaya Raichik, who goes by Libs of TikTok online, believes Planet Fitness is currently facing the “most successful boycott since Bud Light” because the gym chain allows trans women to use women’s locker rooms.  But while Raichik and right-wing media outlets have claimed that the boycott caused the gym to lose “$400 million in value” — something Raichik called “a bloodbath” — there’s no proof, either of the boycott or its alleged financial harm to the gym. In fact, Planet Fitness has stood by its trans-inclusive policies and LGBTQ+ support for years despite right-wing backlash. Raichik alleges that the boycott started […]

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LGBTQ+ people face an incarceration crisis. Social Justice warrior Damita Bishop wants to end it.

On March 1st, 2024, as the sun spent the day hiding and rain washed over the city of Atlanta, a quiet but important moment took place at Liberty Plaza outside the Capitol Building. Despite the horrendous wet and cold, the air was charged with a heady trifecta of anticipation, passion, and determination as activists, advocates, and supporters gathered for a rally and march.  Among them all stood a woman commonly described as both a “rallying point” and a “catalyst.” Damita Bishop, a formidable force in the fight for criminal, social, and economic justice reform, is now poised to make her […]

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LGBTQ+ and allied members of Congress introduce Trans Day of Visibility resolution

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Ahead of International Transgender Day of Visibility, which will be observed Sunday, four members of Congress introduced a resolution Friday recognizing the accomplishments of trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people and committing to support their fight for equality. The bicameral resolution was introduced by U.S. Reps. Sara Jacobs of California, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii. All are Democrats. Pocan is chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, and Jacobs and Jayapal are cochairs of the Transgender Equality Task Force. The resolution notes the rash of anti-trans legislation introduced in states over the past few years, targeting education, health […]

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Thailand moves closer to legalizing same-sex marriage as parliament passes landmark bill

Thailand’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill on Wednesday, a landmark step that moves one of Asia’s most liberal countries closer to becoming its third territory to legalize same-sex unions. The bill had the support of all of Thailand’s major parties and was more than a decade in the making. It still requires approval from the Senate and endorsement from the king before it becomes law and would take effect 120 days later. The legislation was passed by 400 of the 415 lawmakers present, with only 10 voting against it and could see Thailand join Taiwan and Nepal in […]

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