LGBT News

Yesterday NYC Pride announced that police groups are banned from participating in parades and festivals through 2025. From the Gay Officers Action League: The Gay Officers Action League (“GOAL”) is disheartened by the decision to ban our group from participating in New York City Pride. Heritage of Pride (NYC Pride) has long been a valued partner of our organization and …

The New York Times reports: New York City’s annual Pride celebration, which began 51 years ago as a defiant commemoration of an anti-police uprising and has evolved into a city-sanctioned equality jamboree, will take steps to reduce the presence of law enforcement at its events. Starting this year, police and corrections officers will also not be allowed to participate as …

Variety reports: The future star of “The Bachelor” had been hiding his sexuality — from his family, his friends and himself — for his entire life. Underwood knew, at the age of six, that he was different; by his early teenage years, he knew he was attracted to men. But growing up in a religious and conservative small town, especially …

Variety reports: Colton Underwood takes a deep breath, as he tells this story for the first time. According to him, last year, while living in Los Angeles, he secretly visited a spa known for catering to gay clientele. Shortly thereafter, he received an anonymous email, which has been reviewed by Variety, from someone claiming to have taken his nude photos …

Tennessee’s legislature has passed an anti-trans bathroom bill and in a Tennessean op-ed ostensibly calling on Gov. Bill Lee to veto the item, the local Log Cabin Republicans chapter first lays out their anti-LGBT “bona fides” in order to convince right wingers that they’re all on the same side. An excerpt: LGBT leftists tend to hate us because we put …

Reuters reports: Britain will move to ban conversion therapy and provide more support to those in the LGBTQ community who have undergone the treatment, as part of its post-pandemic government agenda. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government said measures would be brought forward to prevent these “abhorrent practices which can cause mental and physical harm,” starting with a consultation on how …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration announced Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that sought to narrow the scope of legal rights in sensitive situations involving medical care. The action by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that federal laws forbidding sex discrimination in …

Axios reports: The leading social media sites — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube — are all “categorically unsafe” for LGBTQ people, according to a new study from GLAAD, the results of which were revealed Sunday on “Axios on HBO.” GLAAD had planned to give each of the sites a grade as part of its inaugural social media index, but …

The Associated Press reports: Germany’s powerful Catholic progressives are openly defying a recent Holy See pronouncement that priests cannot bless same-sex unions by offering such blessings at services in about 100 different churches all over the country this week. The blessings at open worship services are the latest pushback from German Catholics against a document released in March by the …

The Guardian reports: Montana’s governor has signed a bill that bans transgender athletes from competing on school and university sports teams that correspond with their gender. Greg Gianforte’s signing on Friday makes Montana the latest Republican-controlled state to approve such legislation. Conservative lawmakers in state capitols across the US have proposed more than 80 laws this year targeting trans people, …

The Vermont Digger reports: Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed into law Wednesday a ban on using the LGBTQ “panic” defense in court cases. Vermont is the 14th state to enact the ban. The new law, H.128, prevents a defendant at trial or sentencing from justifying violent actions by citing a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Such …

The Arizona Republic reports: A petition to undo Mesa’s newly minted nondiscrimination ordinance has enough voter signatures to head to the ballot. However, the referendum could still face challenges to knock it off the ballot. City and Maricopa County officials each reviewed the submitted signatures for the referendum effort and found there to be more than the roughly 9,100 needed …

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports: Authorities are warning members of Atlanta’s LGBT community to remain cautious following a string of robberies that began as conversations on the popular gay dating app Grindr. Investigators said several men have been robbed in recent months and believe there may be additional victims who have not come forward. “From February to May, we have …

The Disney Parks Blog reports: Just in time for Pride Month 2021, I’m delighted to announce that fans around the world can showcase their LGBTQ+ pride with all-new bespoke products featuring Disney — and for the first time ever – our other iconic brands as well! From apparel to accessories to pins and plush and so much more, there are …

Via press release from Christian Newswire: “Saint Joseph: Model of Courageous Love” is the theme of Courage International’s 34th Annual Conference, which will take place at Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas, from July 15 to 18, 2021. The annual conference draws members of Courage – adults who experience same-sex attractions and desire to live a chaste life – and EnCourage – …

The Associated Press reports: Conservative Republican legislators in Kansas failed Monday to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s school sports. The Senate’s vote to override Kelly was 26-14, leaving backers of the measure one short of the necessary two-thirds majority and blocking an attempt in the House. Idaho enacted …

TMZ reports: We got the California gubernatorial hopeful Saturday in Malibu, and she weighed in on her first big political issue as she takes center stage in her run for Gavin Newsom’s job — telling TMZ she doesn’t support trans girls born as boys participating in all-female school sports. Yeah, we know … it’s a pretty interesting stance — especially …

MetroWeekly reports: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) has signed a bill into law reforming the state’s sex education standards, removing anti-LGBTQ language that previously required teachers to condemn homosexuality and portray it in a negative light. It removes the requirement that teachers must tell students that homosexuality is “not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public” and that “homosexual conduct …

ABC News reports: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) on Wednesday signed into law a bill that prohibits transgender female athletes from playing on women’s sports teams in public middle schools, high schools and universities. The bill cleared the state House last month in an overwhelming 78-20 vote before passing the state Senate in a closer 18-15 vote on April …

Nashville’s ABC News affiliate reports: A CEO who publicly ridiculed a male high school senior who wore a dress to prom with his boyfriend has been fired by his Tennessee company. Cell phone video taken Saturday and posted to several social media platforms shows Dalton Stevens, a senior at Franklin High School, being ridiculed by a man later identified as …