LGBT News

The Texas Tribune reports: A federal appeals court Monday blocked West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler from enforcing a campus drag show ban, ruling that the performances are likely protected under the First Amendment. The 2-1 ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a lower court’s decision upholding Wendler’s 2023 cancellation of a drag show, which …

Tampa’s ABC affiliate reports: Some of St. Petersburg’s most visible street art — including murals celebrating Black history and LGBTQ pride — could soon be erased under a new directive from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Ahead of a city council meeting on the issue, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside City Hall, calling on council members to fight back …

Pink News reports: Trump’s decision to choose Gloria Gaynor as an honoree comes amid increased criticism of his attack on the LGBTQ+ community and their rights in the US. Although there is no public record of Gaynor endorsing or supporting Trump, unfortunately, her past comments about the LGBTQ+ community have been problematic. The Christian singer has refused to confirm if …

NBC News reports: A Minnesota teen filed a charge of discrimination against a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on Tuesday after she alleged that a server followed her into the women’s restroom and demanded she “prove” she was a girl. Gerika Mudra, 18, went to dinner in April with a friend in Owatonna. When she went to the restroom, a server …

Fort Lauderdale’s ABC affiliate reports: The Florida Department of Education has identified more than 50 books it says are no longer permitted in public schools across the state, citing inappropriate and pornographic content. But some parents and advocacy groups are questioning whether the state should have the final say over what books are allowed in schools — including in Broward …

Orlando’s Fox affiliate reports: Florida is renewing efforts to enforce a 2023 law aimed at restricting children from attending drag shows, even as the measure continues to face legal challenges in federal court. Florida is seeking to enforce a law that restricts minors from attending “adult live performances,” including drag shows, despite a statewide injunction currently in place. The state …

The Associated Press reports: Seventeen Democratic officials accused President Donald Trump’s administration of unlawfully intimidating health care providers into stopping gender-affirming care for transgender youth in a lawsuit filed Friday. The complaint comes after a month in which at least eight major hospitals and hospital systems — all in states where the care is allowed under state law — announced …

The Associated Press reports: The liberal mayor of Hungary’s capital was questioned by police Friday over accusations of helping organize an LGBTQ+ Pride event that the country’s right-wing populist government had sought to ban. The Pride march in Budapest on June 28 was the largest event of its kind in the country’s history, according to organizers, despite Prime Minister Viktor …

Michael Lavers reports at the Washington Blade: The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has declared provisions of the St. Lucia penal code that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations unconstitutional. Saint Lucia, along with Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat fall under the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s …

NPR reports: The new president of the German parliament, Julia Klöckner — who is a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative party — says the rainbow flag will no longer be raised on top of the legislature building during Pride month, which runs every year in Germany from June 28 until July 27. She has also prohibited parliamentary public servants …

404 Media reports: Grindr won’t allow users to add “no Zionists” to their profiles, but allows any number of other phrases that state political, religious, and ethnic preferences, according to 404 Media’s tests of the platform and user reports. Several users received an error message that says “The following are not allowed: no zionist, no zionists,” when they tried to …

The Ohio Capital Journal reports: Ohio House Bill 249 would ban drag performers from performing anywhere that is not a designated adult entertainment facility. State Reps. Angie King, R-Celina, and Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Twp., introduced the bill, which has had sponsor testimony.  Ohio House Bill 190 would require parental permission for schools to use different pronouns or different names for …

Just in via press release: We are writing with profound regret to inform you that the 17th annual Desperado LGBTQ+ Film Festival has been canceled. This decision comes in direct response to recent presidential executive orders impacting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts at public institutions, including our community college district. As a publicly funded institution, we must comply with …

Florida Politics reports:  Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Tuesday he is subpoenaing Vero Beach Vice Mayor Linda Moore for an event she was involved in at a local wine bar, Kilted Mermaid. On June 29, the Pride Tea Dance took place at the establishment and featured drag queen performances, with the event’s promotion stating, “Pride is back baby, with a …

The Catholic News Agency reports: A Catholic flight attendant who says United Airlines fired him after he endorsed Catholic teachings on marriage and gender identity while talking with a co-worker can proceed with his lawsuit against his union for not standing up for him, a federal judge has ruled. The flight attendant, Ruben Sanchez, of Anchorage, Alaska, claims the airline …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Lambda Legal announced today that the federal government has restored more than $6.2 million in grant funding to nine organizations that offer vital health and support services for LGBTQ+ people, including those living with HIV. The restored funding follows the ruling in early June from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of …

West Palm Beach’s ABC affiliate reports: The rainbow colors of a pride intersection in Boynton Beach, Florida, have been painted over in black. It wasn’t the work of vandals, but an official action by the city. Officials say they did it, not because they wanted to, but because they had to by following an order from the Trump administration. On …

The San Jose Mercury News reports: California will partner with the Trevor Project to provide suicide prevention support to LGBTQ+ youth, state officials announced Wednesday. The announcement comes weeks after the Trump administration said it will no longer provide national suicide and crisis hotline services to LGBTQ+ youth. “While the Trump administration continues its attacks on LGBTQ kids, California has …

The Christian Post reports: Christian reality TV star Chip Gaines has defended his newest television series, which features a same-sex couple, saying it is consistent with the Christian commandment to “love one another.” “Back to the Frontier,” a new series from executive producers Chip and Joanna Gaines, which premiered on Thursday on the couple’s Magnolia Network, features a gay couple …

The Huffington Post reports: Several months after the National Park Service removed several references to transgender people from its website for the Stonewall National Monument, mentions of bisexuality were next on the chopping block. Multiple references to bisexuality had been deleted from the home page and “history and culture” section for the monument, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising in …