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Texas High School Says Transgender Boy Can’t Play Male Lead in ‘Oklahoma!’

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Sherman High School in Texas is not OK with a transgender boy playing the male lead in Oklahoma! Max Hightower, a senior, was cast in the role about two weeks ago, TV station KXII reports. The station doesn’t name the character, but the lead male role in the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is Curly, a cowboy who’s been played by stars including Alfred Drake, Gordon MacRae, and Hugh Jackman. A few days later, however, Hightower was called in to the principal’s office and told he couldn’t play the role. He said the principal told him that for this production, “actors and actresses could only play a […]

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New Jersey Elects First LGBTQ+ Woman Legislator

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New Jersey has elected its first woman state legislator from the LGBTQ+ community. Luanne Peterpaul, a lesbian, won election Tuesday to the state Assembly from the 11th District, located in the central part of the state. She and fellow Democrat Margie Donlon unseated two Republican incumbents, Marilyn Piperno and Kim Eulner, who had won by narrow margins in 2021. In New Jersey, each district has two Assembly members and one senator; 11th District Sen. Vin Gopal, a Democrat, won reelection Tuesday. New Jersey has had gay male state legislators before, including Republican Don Guardian, who was reelected to the Assembly from the Second District Tuesday, but […]

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Teacher fired because of Don’t Say Gay law for using a gender-neutral title

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A nonbinary teacher in Florida was fired for using the gender-neutral title “Mx.” Now they’ve filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that could challenge the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. According to WMNF, AV Vary recently came out as nonbinary and began using the title Mx. They say they informed the principal at Florida Virtual School (FLVS), a statewide online public school where they taught physics, of the change. “I let him know that I was doing it. And he didn’t say anything at first, and then about a month later he told me he needed me to […]

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Mexican government sends conflicting messages over death of nonbinary magistrate

Mexican authorities on Tuesday sent conflicting messages about the violent death of a leading LGBTQ figure after thousands marched Monday night demanding justice. Jesús Ociel Baena was found dead next to their partner in their home in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes on Monday, according to state prosecutors. Baena, the first openly nonbinary person to assume a judicial post in Mexico, was one of the most visible LGBTQ figures in a country where the community is often violently targeted. Baena and their partner had already received death threats and hateful messages and had protection from state security, prompting many across […]

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LGBTQ youth suicide prevention group leaves X after uptick in ‘hate & vitriol’

The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, announced it is leaving X, formerly known as Twitter, because of “increasing hate & vitriol on the platform targeting the LGBTQ community.” The decision comes just over a year after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion purchase of the company. “LGBTQ young people are regularly victimized at the expense of their mental health, and X’s removal of certain moderation functions makes it more difficult for us to create a welcoming space for them on this platform,” the organization wrote in a tweet Thursday. The […]

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2023 Data: The Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.

Policies pertaining to LGBTQ+ Americans and their rights have dominated headlines over the past year. Recently passed anti-LGBTQ legislation has underscored the urgent need to examine the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in America as many LGBTQ Americans announce they’re on the move to more accepting cities, states, and even countries.  The Human Rights Campaign declared a “state of emergency” for LGBTQ Americans and issued a national warning and guidebook, which highlights the ongoing struggles this community faces. We found in prior research that 38% of Americans still oppose same-sex marriage, a sobering reminder that the fight for equality is far from over. […]

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Vatican says transgender people can be baptized

Vatican officials said Wednesday that transgender people can be baptized in the Catholic church. “A transgender person, even if they have undergone hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgery, can receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful, if there are no situations in which there is a risk of generating a public scandal or disorientation among the faithful,” a Vatican office said in a documentpublished Wednesday in Italian on its website. The document was a response to six questions that Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro in Brazil sent to the Vatican in July, regarding LGBTQ people’s involvement in routine Catholic […]

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This activist built himself a website to track global LGBTQ+ laws

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In 2008, Dan Leveille, 35, was studying computer science at the Rochester Institute of Technology when California voters passed Proposition 8, eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry in the state. It was a sucker punch to the queer community, including Leveille, who found himself wanting to bring order to how he thought about LGBTQ+ rights in the US. His solution was Equaldex, a passion project that visualizes the state of queer rights not only at home but around the world. The site has become a trusted resource for governments, the media, and LGBTQ+ travelers everywhere. Related: LGBTQ Nation spoke with […]

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Majority of non-binary youth now avoid joining sports teams, study finds

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A new study has determined that a vast majority of non-binary youths in Canada now avoid joining sports teams over discrimination fears. The study, conducted by Trans Connect and Simon Fraser University, surveyed queer, non-binary, and transgender youth ranging from ages 14 to 26. It determined that only 11 per cent of non-binary youth in Canada currently take part in an organised team sport. “The experiences of non-binary youth in organized team sports in Canada have been drastically understudied,” said researcher Martha Gumprich.  “Our report found that many youths avoid team sports due to abuse and discrimination but there are some solutions that would make sport more […]

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Mormon Ex-Gay Torture Therapist Arrested On Rape Charges After Standoff With Police, Held Without Bail

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Former Utah therapist Scott Owen was arrested Wednesday in connection with accusations that he sexually abused patients during sessions. Owen, 63, was booked into the Utah County jail on suspicion of six counts of object rape and four counts of forcible sodomy. A Utah County judge has ordered that Owen remain in jail without the opportunity to post bail, finding that he could be a danger to the community and would likely flee if released. Owen was arrested on allegations connected to two former patients, both who say Owen engaged in sexual contact with them during therapy […]

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