Top Stories

/ /

Bipartisan spending bill includes effective ban on Pride flags over U.S. embassies

The bipartisan measure to avert a government shutdown includes a provision that would effectively ban LGBTQ Pride flags from flying over U.S. embassies.  Although the $1.2 trillion, 1,012-page-package does not explicitly mention barring Pride flags from flying at U.S. embassies, its text embraces a Republican-led effort to prohibit the display of the LGBTQ Pride flag at government buildings. “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended to fly or display a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State” other than the U.S. flag, the POW/MIA flag, the Hostage and […]

/ /

‘Abducted’ 21-year-old trans man Alex Franco found shot dead in Utah desert

,

The body of a 21-year-old transgender man, Alex Franco, has been found in a “remote desert area in Utah County,” close to the city of Lehi.  It’s believed that Franco died from a single gunshot, however police say they are waiting on a coroner’s report. Taylorsville Police, who are investigating, said that two teenagers aged 15 and 17 have been arrested and charged with “multiple felony charges” in relation to what they are treating as a possible homicide.  Alex Franco had previously been reported as missing, possibly abducted, on Monday (18 March), after bring seen getting into a 2000s Jeep […]

/ /

At the Heritage Foundation, the anti-DEI crusade is part of a bigger war

,

Last week, I attended an event at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, focused on “seizing the moment to defeat DEI.” I have written before about the right’s use of the acronym as a codeword to attack social progress generally and the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 specifically. The panel at Heritage—a think tank that in recent years has taken a turn from Reagnite conservatism to Viktor Orbán-loving, Trumpian populism—was a particular strain of this provocation.  There is one kind of discussion over Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, with critics across the spectrum debating the efficacy and benefits of such programs. And then there is Heritage’s view: that DEI is a […]

/ /

Cable news coverage of 2023 anti-trans bills lacked trans voices: Media Matters

,

Cable news outlets couldn’t avoid covering the rash of anti-transgender bills in state legislatures in 2023, but they didn’t often feature trans people talking about the subject, according to new research from Media Matters for America. The coverage also varied widely in terms of tone and time spent, notes the study, which looked at reporting by MSNBC, CNN, and the Fox News Channelthroughout the year. During 2023, more than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures, and more than 80 became law, by the Human Rights Campaign’s count. Many of them specifically targeted trans people — seeking to ban gender-affirming health care for youth, […]

/ /

Anti-transgender hate crimes spike, leading to calls for a public health emergency

,

For decades, transgender Americans have lived under a constant threat of violence. Whether at their homes, places of work or in public, there seemingly is nowhere out of reach from hate. In the last 20 years, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people of all types have risen at historic rates across the country. And since 2016, Los Angeles — the nation’s second-biggest city has seen a startling rise in violence motivated by hate against its transgender residents, though it is ranked as one of most friendly to queer and trans people in the U.S.  The Advocate compiled data from the years 2003-2022. A primary source was the LA […]

/ /

Republicans Object To IVF Services For LGBTQ Veterans

The Independent reports: A quartet of Republicans want the Department of Veterans Affairs to explain a recent decision to offer In Vitro Fertilisation services to veterans who are unmarried or in same-sex relationships, citing “a plethora of ethical concerns and questions” raised by the announcement. In a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, Representatives Matt Rosendale, Bob Good, Mary Miller and Josh Brecheen call IVF — a procedure in which human embryos are fertilised in a laboratory setting and implanted in a woman’s uterus — “morally dubious” and say it “should not be subsidised by the American taxpayer”. Read the full article.

/ /

Senate confirms LGBTQ labor lawyer to seat on appeals court

The top lawyer for one of the largest U.S. labor unions on Tuesday won U.S. Senate approval for a seat on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, making her the first openly LGBTQ judge to serve on the Richmond, Virginia-based court. The Democratic-led Senate on a 50-47 vote confirmed Nicole Berner, the Service Employees International Union’s general counsel, with Republicans opposing her citing her advocacy against right-to-work laws and for liberal causes. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia crossed party lines to vote against Berner, as the moderate has done with some of Democratic President Joe Biden’s other […]

/ /

Alabama lawmakers advance expansion of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law

Teacher-led discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity would be banned in public schools and displaying Pride flags in classrooms would be prohibited under legislation lawmakers advanced in Alabama on Wednesday. The measure is part of a wave of laws across the country that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” It would expand current Alabama law, which prohibits the teaching in just elementary school, to all grades. The House Education Policy Committee approved the bill after a discussion in which the bill sponsor claimed it is needed to prevent students from being “indoctrinated,” while an opposed lawmaker said the state […]

/ /

We already know how to fix LGBTQ+ health disparities. Let’s get moving.

Once again, the health of the LGBTQ+ community is under attack — on multiple fronts. Restrictions on gender-affirming care have become a high-profile wedge issue at both the state and national levels. A recent Alabama court ruling has risked the hard-fought gains by same-sex couples to secure equal access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF). A host of federal protections — including rules prohibiting healthcare providers and insurers from limiting coverage or care based on sexual orientation and gender identity — may well hinge on the election this fall. This is a dangerous and slippery slope. Access to essential healthcare for all LGBTQ+ people is not a political or cultural […]

/ /

Over a dozen LGBTQ nonprofits among recipients of billionaire MacKenzie Scott’s latest donations

MacKenzie Scott, a billionaire philanthropist and the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is giving $640 million to hundreds of nonprofit groups, including dozens of organizations that support LGBTQ people.  Scott announced Tuesday that the 361 community-led nonprofit groups were selected from a pool of more than 6,000 applications received since last year, when she announced that her organization, Yield Giving, was launching an “open call” for nonprofit groups it could fund. The $640 million is more than double the $250 million Scott pledged to fund at the start of the open call. The nonprofit groups, many of which Scott said “have […]

«‹ 226 227 228 229›»