LGBT News

Former Log Cabin Republicans president Gregory Angelo and his cabal of self-loathing Quislings have launched a petition to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell which demands that he refuse to allow a vote on the Equality Act.  “We, the undersigned members of the gay community, formally ask that Leader McConnell never bring the Equality Act up for a vote in the …

San Francisco’s NBC News affiliate reports: There is strong reaction from the LGBTQ community after a Bay Area city’s controversial decision to not fly the gay pride flag. The East Bay city of Dublin will not fly the rainbow flag over city hall during Pride next month. The decision came after several residents spoke out against the idea. “If you …

The Texas Tribune reports: Over the tearful opposition of the Legislature’s first-ever LGBTQ Caucus and several failed attempts at a procedural block, the Texas House passed a religious liberty bill Monday that LGBTQ advocates fear would license discrimination against their communities. When the lower chamber first considered the bill just over a week ago, the LGBTQ Caucus torpedoed it with …

The Birmingham Herald reports: Alabama Public Television chose not to air PBS’s Arthur episode that included a same-sex marriage. APT preempted the episode by showing a re-run of Arthur. Mike Mckenzie, director of programming at APT, said APT was notified by WGBH and PBS in mid-April about the episode entitled “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” and decided to show …

Britain’s Channel 4 reports: Two years ago Prime Minister Theresa May gave Ruth Davidson a promise. The UK government would use its influence to advance LGBT rights in Northern Ireland – despite considering Gay Marriage and Abortion to be devolved issues. That promise helped secure Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson’s decision to back Theresa May’s £1 billion deal with the …

Via press release from GLAAD: “LGBTQ Americans are one step closer to being protected by federal law instead of living in a country where hard-working Americans in a majority of states can be fired from their jobs, denied housing opportunities, and turned away from other critical services – including access to health care – simply for being who they are. …

Via press release: Today, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) delivered the following statement in support of H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity: “I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5, the “Equality Act,” which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other core civil rights …

The New York Times reports: As tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the rainy streets of Taipei on Friday, lawmakers in Taiwan voted to legalize same-sex marriage, a first for Asia. “We want to marry!” supporters outside the legislature chanted in approval of the measure, as they applauded and waved signs and rainbow banners. “On May 17th, 2019 in #Taiwan, …

The Washington Post reports: The chief executive of Gilead Sciences, the nation’s leading manufacturer of HIV drugs, insisted before a House committee Thursday that a government patent on Truvada, a key drug that prevents the infection, is invalid. “Our well-supported view is that the U.S. government does not hold valid patents on the use of Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (‘PrEP’), …

The Hill reports: Rep. Daniel Lipinski (Ill.), a centrist Democrat facing a liberal primary challenge, announced Wednesday that he will vote for legislation to expand civil protections for LGBT people despite his concerns that it could conflict with religious liberty. Lipinski is the only House Democrat not to co-sponsor the Equality Act, which is expected to hit the floor later …

STAT News reports: In a bid to maintain its dominance in the HIV market, Gilead Sciences (GILD) allegedly conspired with other drug makers whose medicines were part of a so-called combination cocktail in order to block generic competition, according to a lawsuit filed by AIDS activists and two unions. The complaint describes an unusual scheme concerning these cocktails, which are …

The Nevada Current reports: The bill, SB 97, was sponsored by the Senate Committee on Judiciary on behalf of the Nevada Youth Legislature and bans the “gay panic” or “trans panic” defense, which attempts to reduce sentences for alleged criminals by arguing that their violent actions were provoked or justified because their knowledge of the victim’s sexual orientation or gender …

The Charlotte Observer reports: State Sen. Dan Bishop easily won Tuesday’s 9th District Republican primary, three months after state officials took the unprecedented step of throwing out a 2018 election marred by fraud allegations. Bishop will face Democrat Dan McCready and two third-party candidates on Sept. 10 in what’s expected to be the nation’s most closely watched special election. In …

The Associated Press reports: Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd said on Monday it had agreed to a request by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to sell popular gay dating app Grindr, setting a June 2020 deadline to do so. Kunlun’s decision came after Reuters reported in March that CFIUS, an inter-agency government …

Yahoo News reports: PBS has just confirmed what those with heightened gaydar have suspected for years — Mr. Ratburn, Arthur’s no-nonsense-with-a-heart-of-gold teacher, is gay. Beyond that, in the Season 22 premiere of the PBS Kids show, the admirable educator gets married. The animated children’s series Arthur entered its 22nd season with a celebration in an episode titled “Mr. Ratburn and …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: With a vote on the Equality Act in the U.S. House expected on Friday, a senior administration official indicated exclusively to the Washington Blade that President Trump opposes the bill. “The Trump administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, this bill in its current form …

The Dallas News reports: After the so-called “Save Chick-fil-A” bill was sunk in the Texas House last week, a Senate committee on Monday quietly revived the legislation which LGBTQ advocates say perpetuates anti-gay discrimination. The Senate Bill 1978, filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, is the companion bill to Fort Worth GOP Rep. Matt Krause’s House Bill 3172, which was …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: An independently organized show of gay pride ended with several arrests in Havana on Saturday afternoon. The march started in Old Havana’s Parque Central, where activists had been urged to meet at 4 p.m. Under significant police presence, some with dogs, activists and their supporters started arriving with gay flags and other rainbow-type expressions. Half …

The Corpus Christi Times reports: An openly gay freshman member of the Texas House derailed a bill backed by religious conservatives but denounced by opponents as a tool to target the LGBT community for discrimination. “Hopefully, this is the day of discrimination against the LGBT community dies in Texas,” said State Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Carrollton, after using a procedural maneuver …

The Guardian reports: Israel Folau has been dropped by Asics in response to homophobic social media posts he published last month. The sportswear company is a personal sponsor for Folau as well as the Wallabies and has acted after the 30-year-old was found to have committed a high-level breach of Rugby Australia’s code of conduct. “Asics is dedicated to sport …