LGBT News

Reuters reports: U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared divided over whether a landmark decades-old federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in the workplace protects gay and lesbian employees as they heard arguments in one of the biggest cases of their current term. Liberal justices signaled sympathy toward arguments that gay workers are covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights …

The New York Daily News reports: Some streets in Washington, D.C., had to be evacuated after a “suspicious package” was found in the area surrounding the Supreme Court building, Capitol Park Police confirmed Tuesday morning. Pro- and anti-LGBTQ rights protesters are planning to stage demonstrations in the nation’s capital to mark what’s being called the most significant legal case in …

The Associated Press reports: Pharmacists in California will be able to dispense HIV prevention pills to patients without a doctor’s prescription after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday that supporters say will greatly reduce the spread of infection. Advocates of Senate Bill 159 say that California is the first state to authorize pre-exposure prophylaxis, also called PrEP, and post-exposure prophylaxis, …

Agence France-Presse reports: A Russian court has ruled that two popular LGBT networking sites be blocked for disseminating “anti-family values”, including a major online group with nearly 200,000 members. The court in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday announced the decision against the groups on VK, a Russian platform similar to Facebook. “An inspection showed they contain information available to the public, …

The Moscow Times reports: A Russian man is seeking more than $15,000 in damages from Apple after claiming that the U.S. tech giant drove him to homosexuality, the Govorit Moskva radio station has reported. The plaintiff, identified as D. Razumilov, alleges that he became “mired in same-sex relationships” this summer after receiving 69 GayCoins on a cryptocurrency payment app he …

Jacksonville’s ABC News affiliate reports: Police are investigating a brutal crime early Friday morning in Northwest Jacksonville: A person was severely beaten and then tied to the bumper of a minivan and dragged for two blocks before the rope was cut and the victim was left lying in the street. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the person, who may have …

The Washington Post reports: Channing Smith’s final Instagram post was a terse message to his followers. “I’m gonna get off social media for awhile,” the 16-year-old from Manchester, Tenn., wrote last week. “I really hate how I can’t trust anyone because those I did were so fake. Bye.” Hours later, Channing was dead, his older brother, Joshua Smith, wrote on …

The Detroit Free Press reports: A federal judge says Michigan cannot stop faith-based adoption agencies that have state contracts from refusing to put children in LGBT homes for religious reasons. District Judge Robert Jonker issued a preliminary injunction Thursday. He says Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel’s [photo] position targets the religious beliefs of St. Vincent Catholic Charities, and such agencies …

Sports Illustrated reports: Know your audience. Megan Rapinoe has always had an uncanny ability to pick the right tone and the right words when she speaks in public, and she did it again on Monday in Milan as she received the FIFA award for the women’s world player of the year. On this occasion, Rapinoe realized that the audience she …

The New York Times reports: The category is “Groundbreaker.” On Sunday night, Billy Porter became the first openly gay man to win the Emmy for best actor in a drama. “I am so overwhelmed and I am so overjoyed to have lived long enough to see this day,” said Porter, 50, while accepting the award. The actor won for his …

Tucson.com reports: Gov. Doug Ducey won’t support extending state laws to prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their sexual orientation. “I’m against discrimination in all its forms,” the governor said Thursday. But Ducey said he does not think it’s necessary to provide people who are gay the same legal protections that exist for already established protected classes. The governor also …

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports: Candidates scheduled to appear are Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard, Joe Sestak and Marianne Williamson. This is the first public event of the 2020 election cycle to focus exclusively on LGBTQ issues. The forum will be hosted by “Pose” star and activist Angelica Ross …

The New York Times reports: Ed Buck, a Democratic donor and activist whose West Hollywood apartment was the scene of two methamphetamine overdose deaths since 2017, was arrested on Tuesday after investigators said a third man suffered an overdose in his home last week. Mr. Buck, 65, who has not faced charges for the earlier overdoses but was subject to …

Indianapolis’s ABC affiliate reports: Josh Owens filed paperwork today to enter the 2020 Governor’s race. “I’m running for Governor now because I believe in an Indiana where teachers are paid what they deserve and where all are welcomed, respected and protected,” Owens said. “We need a leader who will ensure our state budget, policies and laws reflect a bold and …

Oklahoma City’s NBC affiliate reports: A church’s actions are under investigation after a man said he was held down by congregants as they tried to pray away his homosexuality. Sean Cormie, 23, came out as gay in the spring. Since then, he said his family has asked him to go to church and bring his partner, Gary Gardner. On Sunday, …

From the Hollywood Reporter: RuPaul of RuPaul’s Drag Race continues to build his Emmy collection, winning best host of a reality or competition program for the fourth consecutive year on Sunday at the Creative Arts Emmys. As a result, RuPaul is now tied with Survivor host Jeff Probst’s record for most wins in the category. Backstage, RuPaul explained he was …

The Independent report: Former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Thomas has revealed he is HIV positive – and hopes coming forward with his diagnosis can help break the stigma for others living with the virus. Thomas is thought to be the first UK sportsman to go public about living with the condition, and has revealed that he was driven to suicidal …

CNN reports: Vice President Mike Pence once argued that homosexuality was a choice during his fight in the early 1990s against local efforts in Indiana to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Pence’s opposition to LGBT equality has long drawn the scorn of gay rights activists and made him a champion of the Religious Right. But scrutiny of Pence’s record …

The CBC reports: An Edmonton LGBTQ gym has temporarily closed after it was the target of a series of blog posts, prompting an investigation from the Edmonton Police Hate Crimes Unit. In a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday, Queerflex board members said their team had been maliciously identified in posts by Patriot Pride Canada Wide, a far right organization …

USA Today reports: Congrats are in order for Fox News contributor Guy Benson, who married his love Adam Wise in a Napa Valley ceremony Saturday. Benson, who hosts Fox News Radio’s “The Guy Benson Show,” told People that he and Wise first met in 2015 after Benson appeared on Fox News for what he called “the most terrifying television appearance …