Every North Carolina Senate Democrat just walked out of the chamber rather than vote on the bill which legalizes anti-LGBT discrimination. The remaining GOP Senators then approved the bill 31-0. Having passed the state House earlier by a more than 3-1 margin, the bill now goes to the desk of GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, who will surely sign it. UPDATE: …

A committee of the North Carolina Senate has begun hearing the anti-LGBT bill just passed by the state House. Watch below. The full Senate is expected to hear the bill shortly afterwards. The House version overturns all LGBT rights statewide. UPDATE: The bill has passed and the full Senate is now hearing the bill.

Via press release from New York Sen. Brad Hoylman: “LGBT history is American history. An important part of that history is Julius’ Bar, one of the oldest gay bars in the city. By including Julius’ on the state and national historic registries, we’ll help ensure that future generations can be inspired by the events that occurred at Julius’ Bar and …

By a more than 3-1 margin, this afternoon the GOP-dominated North Carolina House voted in a special session to overturn all LGBT rights laws in the state, including the recently passed ordinance in Charlotte. Raleigh’s NBC affiliate reports: A proposal that codifies a statewide nondiscrimination policy in employment and public accommodations and prohibits North Carolina cities or towns from enacting …

Via press release: Today, Connecticut Republican Party Chairman J.R. Romano released the following statement on President Obama’s homage to Che Guevara while visiting Communist Cuba: “Che Guevara’s history is not one to be embraced, but shunned. He was responsible for mass murder, oppression, homophobia, chauvinism and absolute suppression of political dissent. Guevara helped Fidel Castro bring totalitarianism within 100 miles …

“Our president’s humiliation comes in a manner so devastating it makes one wonder whether the Creator of humankind isn’t reminding this world of the inferiority of foolishness in the face of wisdom. The president once again mocked his nemesis, the Jewish people and the nation of Israel, by cleverly turning the international press corps toward his brilliant work in Cuba, …

On Saturday, HRC head Chad Griffin asked Hollywood to boycott Georgia if the state’s anti-LGBT “religious liberty” bill becomes law. Today Griffin got his first result. Via the Hollywood Reporter: Disney and its Marvel Studios film unit will not film future movies in Georgia if a controversial bill that critics contend would legalize anti-gay discrimination is signed by that state’s …

Two weeks ago I reported that the Human Rights Campaign had endorsed GOP Sen. Mark Kirk. For some reason news of the endorsement took some time to trickle into the LGBT-friendly blogosphere and in the last few days criticism has become quite loud, with most angrily pointing out that endorsing ANY Senate Republican in a year when the majority is …

LISTEN HERE RIGHT NOW. From Charlotte’s ABC affiliate: Republican General Assembly leaders began a one-day special session Wednesday morning after enough lawmakers requested to reconvene now instead of waiting until late April. They’re responding to worries from constituents and conservative activists about provisions related to transgender people and restrooms. The session began with a House committee meeting, which WXII’s Bill O’Neil …

As I reported last night, a pro-Ted Cruz super PAC called Make America Awesome yesterday targeted Utah voters with the above Facebook ad which mocks Melania Trump’s history as a nude model. Today Make America Awesome founder Liz Mair reports that Donald Trump’s supporters have been hurling threats of violence against her family. Mair, not incidentally, was on the advisory …

Via Raw Story: An aspiring rap artist weighed in recently on bathrooms for transgender students in Alberta schools. The song, entitled “Gender Bender” is by MH Weibe, who describes herself as a “concerned mom.” In January, Alberta schools adopted legislation requiring bathroom facilities to accommodate transgender people by allowing them to use the bathroom according to the gender they identify …

Gothamist has profiled one of NYC’s singing telegram companies, which somehow are still a thing, focusing on performer Bernard Davis, who delivers birthday messages as Beyonce, a French maid, a Mexican chicken, and a twerking pink gorilla. Watch below.

Watch below. Politico recaps Ted Cruz’s reaction to Trump’s threat on his wife: “If Donald wants to get in a character fight he’s better off sticking with me, because Heidi is way out of his league,” Cruz said on CNN’s “New Day,” responding to a late-night tweet from Trump warning, “Be careful, Lyin’ Ted, or I will spill the beans …

Actress Julie Louis-Dreyfus yesterday tweeted that she is “dumbstruck” that Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has begun using her Veep character’s amusingly contradictory campaign slogan in media appearances. Junkee reports: Over the past couple of days, Turnbull has been channeling his predecessor and whipping out a bit of a three-word slogan. He first broke it in on 7.30 with Leigh …

New York is the only state not to have legalized mixed martial arts and yesterday during a debate on the issue, gay Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell compared the sport to “gay porn with a different ending.” From the New York Daily News: O’Donnell, a Manhattan Democrat who is openly gay, argued on the Assembly floor that the sport often boasts “two …

Politico reports: In a surprise announcement, Jeb Bush will endorse Ted Cruz on Wednesday as an antidote to the “divisiveness and vulgarity” of Donald Trump, providing a badly needed boost to the Texas senator – but it’s one that comes dangerously late in a game that Trump is dominating. Cruz, in New York City on Wednesday, planned to celebrate with …

Both Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz dominated the Utah caucuses last night, taking 79% and 69% of the votes respectively. Cruz takes all 40 of Utah’s delegates and Sanders picks up 18 on the Democratic side, leaving five for Hillary Clinton. The pledged Democratic delegate count stands at Clinton 1214, Sanders 901.

Gizmodo sets up the latest identical twins prank by Improv Everywhere: Most NYC subway riders are pretty blasé when panhandlers hit them up for cash between stations. When a panhandler announced he was collecting funds to build a time machine, riders chuckled at the odd request—until another man boarded the train and announced he was the inventor’s future self. He …

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been projected to win the Arizona primary, as the pollsters predicted. Trump will take all of Arizona’s 58 delegates and it will likely be a couple of hours before we know how the proportionally awarded 75 Democratic delegates will be split. At this writing Clinton has 61% of the votes counted.

The New York Times explains what Trump is raging about THIS time: In what could be a last-ditch effort to derail Donald Trump’s march to the Republican presidential nomination, a super PAC has released an ad targeted at voters in Utah that slut-shames the frontrunner’s wife, Melania Trump. The ad is specifically designed to persuade Mormons in Utah to not …