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Texas Men Get Stiff Prison Terms In Hate Crimes Case

Via press release from the Justice Department: Three Texas men were sentenced yesterday for violent crimes. Michael Atkinson, 28, Pablo Ceniceros-Deleon, 21, and Daryl Henry, 24, were sentenced to prison terms for their involvement in a scheme to target gay men for violent crimes. Atkinson was sentenced to over 11 years in prison, Ceniceros-Deleon was sentenced to 22 years in prison, and Henry was sentenced to 20 years in prison. “These three men participated in and committed acts of violence against innocent victims because they believed the victims were gay men,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s […]

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Russian minister claims ‘Western schools’ are teaching children that Jesus was bisexual

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Russia’s foreign minister has made the unlikely claim that schools in a number of Western countries are teaching children that Jesus was bisexual. Minister Sergei Lavrov, 71, painted the improbable picture in an essay for the Russian Kommersant newspaper titled “The Law, Rights, and the Rules,” published Monday (28 June). In it he delivered a sweeping critique of “boundlessly permissive” liberal democracies which he believes “encroach on human nature”, starting with Jesus’ sexuality. “Attempts by reasonable politicians to shield the younger generation from aggressive LGBT propaganda are met with bellicose protests from the ‘enlightened Europe,’” he said. “All world religions, the genetic code of the planet’s key […]

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Disney theme parks ditch gendered ‘boys and girls’ announcement to promote inclusivity

Disneyland and Disney World have dropped a gendered “boys and girls” greeting as “part of a broader effort” to promote gender inclusivity. Fireworks shows at Disneyland and Disney World in Florida formerly began with: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dreamers of all ages.” Visitors were first greeted by the new inclusive message on Thursday (1 July) when the fireworks show was tested at Walt Disney World in Florida, according to the Orange County Register. Disneyland and Disney World fireworks displays had been paused since March 2020 because of COVID, but they made their official return on Sunday (4 July). A […]

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Trans activist forced to work days on end without sleep to help his community

Chloe Lula, a Berlin-based writer and audio producer, writes for PinkNews and openDemocracy about the unique challenges trans folk face in ultra-conservative Georgia. Bart Nikolo, a transgender man living in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, spends his winter nights gathering kindling for the sex workers who wait for clients near Heroes’ Square. t’s something he’s done for years. After driving around for hours picking up fallen branches, he stacks them in neat piles, creating small fires that radiate a feeble heat. When police officers try to fine him for “littering”, he explains what he says should be obvious: that he’s only trying to help ensure that […]

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Biden must stand up for LGBTQ Iranians

“I was arrested four times by the moral police because of being trans and because of my appearance. They also flogged me.”— A respondent to a 2020 survey by the Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network (6Rang).  Each June, LGBTQ Americans celebrate Pride month, notwithstanding the continuing challenges they face due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Unfortunately, for their counterparts in Iran, Pride month—and every month—is Fear Month, a month of hiding who they are and whom they love in order to avoid arrest, imprisonment, flogging, and even execution.  The Iranian regime began persecuting LGBT citizens immediately after coming to power in the Islamic […]

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Trans woman shares ‘immense anxiety’ she feels going through airport security

TikToker and model Rose Montoya has called out the Transport Security Administration (TSA) on TikTok for how their scanners give trans people “immense anxiety”. In the viral video, which has been viewed more than three million times, she talks about her experience with airport security and why “we need to change how the scanners function and educate TSA about trans people”. She explained: “Going through the scanner, there’s a male and female scanner for the TSA checkpoint. “But going through the scanner, I always have an ‘anomaly’ between my legs that sets off the alarm. So she asked me if I […]

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More gay and bi men allowed to donate blood as rules finally changed in UK

The British government on Monday (14 June) eased blood donation rules for gay, bisexual and queer men – yet activists warn harmful restrictions remain. Blood donation rules in England, Scotland and Wales have long screened out donors if they are a man who has had oral or anal sex with another man. This is because male donors were asked to disclose whether they have had sex with another man during checks. But coming into effect on World Blood Donor Day and following recommendations from a health committee, British blood services will now assess donor eligibility on a person-by-person basis instead […]

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“American LGBTQ+ Museum” Planned For Manhattan

The American LGBTQ+ Museum will have a permanent home in the expansion of the New-York Historical Society’s headquarters on Central Park West, with a $35 million infusion in capital funds from the city. The capital funds represents a quarter of the historical society’s $140 million expansion to add more than 60,000 square feet onto the lot directly behind its headquarters, which was acquired in 1937 by the society’s trustees in anticipation of their eventual growth. Among the plans for more classrooms, galleries and exhibit space is a permanent home for the American LGBTQ+ Museum, which has been in the works since […]

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Nevada pageant winner to become 1st transgender Miss USA contestant

Kataluna Enriquez, who was crowned Miss Nevada USA on Sunday, will become the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant. With a platform centered on transgender awareness and mental health, Enriquez, 27, beat out 21 other contestants at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. https://iframe.nbcnews.com/xImrqkG?app=1 “I didn’t have the easiest journey in life,” she said, according to KVVU-TV. “I struggled with physical and sexual abuse. I struggled with mental health. I didn’t have much growing up. I didn’t have support. But I’m still able to thrive, and I’m still able to survive and become a trailblazer […]

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Celebrating resilience of LGBTQ-owned small businesses

Since the pandemic began, a staggering number of small businesses have permanently closed across the country. In fact, roughly 200,000 U.S. businesses have closed in the first year of the pandemic, according to a study released recently by economists at the Federal Reserve. Despite the millions of dollars of federal and local aid made available in the form of loans and grants, many small businesses had to think creatively to stay afloat. Many of these small businesses leveraged their own identity and community as sources of inspiration -including the LBGTQ community. As we celebrate our LGBTQ identity and community, we […]

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