LGBT News

From the Justice Department: A Washington man was sentenced today in federal court for committing a hate crime in connection with an arson at a nightclub and event space in Seattle, Washington. Kalvinn Garcia, 26, of Sedro Woolley, was sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his bias-motivated arson at Queer/Bar, a nightclub …

Outsports reports: The NHL’s decree that players and teams are no longer allowed to wear rainbow-colored Pride jerseys to celebrate the LGBTQ community was bad enough. Now comes word that the league front office has sent all 32 teams a series of memos that include alleged “clarification” on this policy. On top of this — and most egregious of all …

Florida Politics reports: Jacksonville’s Mayor is taking heat from the Republican Party for her decision to participate in this weekend’s Pride Parade. Democrat Donna Deegan, the first Mayor to attend Pride, was the Grand Marshal of the event. However, Duval GOP Chairman Dean Black, a current state legislator, is objecting to Deegan’s participation — and is suggesting that “legislation” might …

Nashville’s NBC affiliate reports: The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU), among others, is suing the City of Murfreesboro over a new anti-drag ordinance and local policy that’s preventing BoroPride. The ACLU said they’re filing this suit on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), founder and host of the annual BoroPride Festival. The suit alleges that the city …

CNN reports: A drag queen who dressed as Jesus Christ and performed a rock rendition of The Lord’s Prayer has been arrested in the Philippines under the country’s obscenity laws, sparking a fierce debate about free speech and protections for members of the LGBTQ community. Amadeus Fernando Pagente, 33, whose drag name is Pura Luka Vega and who uses the …

San Francisco’s Fox affiliate reports: The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus sang a farewell song in the historic rotunda of City Hall in special sendoff honoring late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s work for the LGBTQ+ community. Nearly 100 members, both chorus alumni and active singers, gathered to pay their respects in song. The chorus has a long history with Sen. Feinstein, …

“Pope Francis, in response to the cardinals’ question about whether same-sex unions could be blessed by the church allowed that ‘pastoral prudence’ might find such blessings permissible, as long as they are distinguished from marriage. The problem with blessing homosexual unions is not only that this looks like the church is blessing a ‘same-sex marriage.’ This practice asks God to …

The National Catholic Reporter reports: Pope Francis has expressed openness to Catholic blessings for same-sex couples, under the condition they are not confused with marriage ceremonies for men and women, in what could be a watershed moment for the global Catholic Church. “Pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or several people, that …

The Associated Press reports: Five conservative cardinals from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have challenged Pope Francis to affirm Catholic teaching on homosexuality and female ordination ahead of a big Vatican meeting where such hot-button issues are up for debate. The cardinals on Monday published five questions they submitted to Francis, known as “dubia,” as well as an open …

“Yet another example of the left doing whatever it takes to score clicks while bashing Christian conservatives. This guy has no clue what he’s talking about, and and only furthers narrative that most journalists are a joke. My book, The Test of Lionhood, is about a lion cub who learns what it means to be courageous and BRAVE while on …

Reuters reports: A federal judge in Texas ruled on Tuesday that the state’s new law limiting public drag performances was an unconstitutional restriction on speech and he permanently forbid enforcement of it. “Not all people will like or condone certain performances,” U.S. District Judge David Hittner wrote. “This is no different than a person’s opinion on certain comedy or genres …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: When San Francisco’s AIDS Legal Referral Panel was founded 40 years ago by a loose collective of gay attorneys desperate to help ill friends and loved ones, the vast majority of their work was crafting wills for young men, in some cases days before they died. Bill Hirsh, executive director of the nonprofit agency for …

The Hill reports: The new ad from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), part of a six-figure buy, will air nationwide Monday morning across major national outlets, cable networks and digital streaming services, according to an announcement shared first with The Hill. The 30-second spot calls on voters to tell their representatives in Congress “to reject the politics of hate and …

NBC News reports: The new laws include legislation that focuses on support for LGBTQ youth. One law sets timelines for required cultural competency training for public school teachers and staff, while another creates an advisory task force to determine the needs of LGBTQ students and help advance supportive initiatives. A third requires families to show that they can and are …

USA Today reports: There are some goodbyes that are heavy and sad, the weight of the emotions almost too much to bear. Then there are the goodbyes that are joyous, a celebration of what’s been rather than regret over what’s about to be lost. Megan Rapinoe’s final game with the U.S. women Sunday was very much the latter. Any tears …

The Messenger reports: A planned “Drag Story Hour” at a Brooklyn library was forced to move on Saturday morning after bomb threat were called into 911. Police officers, the bomb squad, a K-9 unit and emergency medical services responded to the threat phoned in by a male caller against the Cortelyou branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. The library was …

Reuters reports: A LGBTQ student group did not have an inherent constitutional right to hold a charity drag show on West Texas A&M University’s campus over the objections of the school’s president, who deemed such performances “misogynistic” and mocking of womanhood, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who before becoming a judge in Amarillo, Texas, was a …

Reuters reports: Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan complained on Thursday that he was uncomfortable with the use of what he described as “LGBT colors” at the United Nations, which is decorated this week with bright colors promoting the Sustainable Development Goals. “One of the issues that bothers me the most … is that when entering the United Nations General Assembly, you …

Axios reports: The military will begin reviewing cases involving LGBTQ+ veterans who may have been forced out of the service under its “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy. Thousands of veterans could receive retroactive honorable discharges, giving them access to the full amount of benefits for their service. The Defense Department announced the initiative Wednesday on the 12th anniversary of …

PBS NewsHour reports: The U.S. Census Bureau asked the Biden administration Tuesday for permission to test questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for people age 15 and above on its most comprehensive annual survey of life in the country. The statistical agency wants to test the wording, response categories and placement of gender identity and sexual orientation questions on …