LGBT News

The New York Times reports: Fearing the loss of federal funding, the nation’s largest anti-sexual-violence organization has barred its crisis hotline staff from pointing people to resources that might violate President Trump’s executive orders to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The organization, RAINN (the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) has removed more than two dozen resources for L.G.B.T.Q. …

The Des Moines Register reports: In a 34-16 vote on party lines, the Senate confirmed Cheryl Elsloo to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission that enforces the state’s anti-discrimination law and Whitney Smith McIntosh to the Human Rights Board, which serves underrepresented groups across the state. Elsloo has been a lobbyist with Protect My Innocence, which bills itself as a nonprofit …

The Huffington Post reports: A ban on minors attending family-friendly drag shows in Florida was halted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Tuesday after judges ruled 2-1 that it violated the First Amendment. The ruling marks a major victory for Hamburger Mary’s of Orlando, a restaurant in the Sunshine State that offers food and entertainment, …

Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate reports: Philadelphia is turning up the volume during Pride Weekend, starting with its iconic Pride flag, which is back and bigger than ever. The massive flag — now stretching to 600 feet — will debut on Friday, May 30 during Pride Around The City, a powerful display of LGBTQ+ visibility and unity. You can catch the flag …

NBC News reports: The organizers of four of the United Kingdom’s largest LGBTQ Pride marches have banded together to suspend political party participation in their annual events in support of the country’s transgender community. “At a time when trans rights in the UK are under growing attack, our resolve has never been stronger: we will not allow progress to be …

The Associated Press reports: Major social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and X have failed to protect LGBTQ+ users from hate and harassment, in part, because they intentionally rolled back previous safety practices, the advocacy group GLAAD said Tuesday in its annual Social Media Safety Index. The report said that recent “unprecedented hate speech policy rollbacks” from Instagram and …

Cleveland’s NBC affiliate reports: Cuyahoga County Public Library officials, in a police report obtained by 3News, accused a man of checking out 100 books on Jewish history, Black history and LGBTQ education last month before filming a book burning and posting the video on a social media site described by advocates as a hub for white supremacist, neo-Nazi and extremist …

Houston Public Media reports: House Bill 229 strictly defines men and women based on the reproductive organs they were born with, and orders state records to reflect this binary. The bill, titled the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” lays out the “biological truth for anybody who is confused,” said author Rep. Ellen Troxclair, an Austin Republican. The bill passed on second …

The Star Observer reports: Victoria Police confirmed that 35 individuals—mostly males aged 13 to 20—have now been arrested in the past eight months. Police allege that the perpetrators used fake profiles on dating apps to lure men to locations where they were then assaulted, robbed, and subjected to homophobic abuse. In some cases, the attacks were filmed and shared online. …

NBC News reports: The Pentagon will immediately begin moving as many as 1,000 openly identifying transgender service members out of the military and give others 30 days to self-identify under a new directive issued Thursday. Buoyed by Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals in the military, the Defense Department will begin going …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: Kehlani ‘s planned concert in Central Park next month has been canceled after New York City’s mayor raised security concerns about the R&B star’s performance during Pride month, organizers announced Monday. The “After Hours” singer had been set to headline a June 26 concert billed as “Pride with Kehlani” at the Manhattan park as …

The Idaho Statesman reports: The Boise City Council made the Pride flag a city flag Tuesday to get around a new state law. The Legislature earlier this year banned most flags from flying on government property, but left an exception for “the official flag of a governmental entity.” Cheers, boos and expletives erupted from the crowd during the rowdy meeting. …

NBC News reports: Salt Lake City adopted three new city flags Tuesday, an effort to circumvent a new Utah law that effectively banned flying LGBTQ Pride and other flags at public buildings in the state. Mayor Erin Mendenhall, a Democrat, presented the proposal to the City Council, which adopted it at its meeting Tuesday night. It incorporates the city’s flag …

Florida Politics reports: LGBTQ advocates are celebrating several bills — including one that could have banned Pride flags flown at government buildings — stalling out this Session. “Once again, we’ve done what many thought was impossible: not one anti-LGBTQ bill passed this session,” Equality Florida’s Executive Director Nadine Smith said in a statement Saturday. The Legislative Session ended Friday although …

“Doctrine is not the property of the pope, the bishops or the faithful. It must conform to the word of Jesus, no one can modify it. If Jesus says that marriage is between a man and a woman, no one can change this doctrine. The homosexual lobby wants to equate marriage with unions between people of the same sex, but …

Today marks the 21st blogiversary of this here website thingy. Counting this one, we’re at 166,311 posts over 21 years, the last 16 of which have been without a full day off, although my posting on weekends is usually at a slower rate. As I’ve said on this day every year, whether I am insanely committed or am insane and …

Just in via press release: Today, as leaders in the U.S. House and Senate are set to reintroduce the Equality Act — historic federal legislation that would ensure comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people everywhere — a coalition of civil rights organizations urgently calls for the legislation’s swift passage. The bill’s reintroduction comes amidst a dangerous rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative …

The Associated Press reports: Organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington, D.C. The events at the center had been planned for June 5 to 8. Multiple artists and producers involved in the center’s Tapestry of Pride schedule told The Associated Press that their events …

The Hill reports: Demonstrators gathered Thursday on the steps of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a “die-in” over proposed funding cuts at the agency that could devastate programs addressing LGBTQ health disparities. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sought to radically reshape HHS and its approach to health care, including through funding cuts to programs …

Forbes reports: Nearly two-fifths of corporations plan on scaling back engagement for LGBTQ Pride Month this June, while another two-fifths said their support would remain unchanged, according to a survey of corporate executives by Gravity Research. Of the 49 executives surveyed from Fortune 1000 companies, those who said they were pulling back on Pride support cited pressure from conservative activists …