LGBT News

90 Year-Old Lesbian Sues Air Force Over 1955 Ouster

The Air Force Times reports: Airman Second Class Helen Grace James wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father and her great-grandfather and serve in her country’s military. But her service was cut short after she was investigated, interrogated and then given an “undesirable” discharge from the Air Force because she was a lesbian, the Washington Post reported. Now, …

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Nation’s First Openly Trans State Lawmaker Takes Office

Michael Lavers reports at the Washington Blade: Virginia state Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) was sworn in on Wednesday. Roem last November defeated former state Del. Bob Marshall, an anti-LGBT Republican who had represented the 13th District since 1992. Roem, a former journalist, is the first openly transgender person ever seated in a state legislature in the U.S. Roem is among …

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NEW YORK CITY: Cops Solve 1994 Rape Of Lesbian Who Had Been Smeared As A Liar By Press And NYPD

The Daily Beast reports: On an afternoon in late April 1994, a young woman was raped in broad daylight in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Two days later, the biggest columnist in New York City’s biggest newspaper called her a liar. The woman—black, a lesbian, and an activist—became the target of a vicious smear campaign by a Daily News columnist and sources …

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Costa Rica To Comply With International Court Ruling For Same-Sex Marriage, Many Other Nations Pending

The BBC reports: The Inter-American Court Of Human Rights has ruled that same-sex marriages should be recognised. The court’s rulings apply to countries which have signed the American Convention on Human Rights. Some of the signatories already recognise same-sex marriages while others recognise same-sex civil unions. But others, such as Bolivia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay and Peru do not …

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FLORIDA: Broward County Bans Ex-Gay Torture

Minutes ago the Broward County Commission voted unanimously to ban ex-gay torture, becoming the 16th and largest Florida municipality thus far to take such a stand. Other Florida municipalities with bans on the books include Palm Beach County, Boca Raton, Miami, Tampa, Wilton Manors, Key West, and Oakland Park. Bucking the statewide trend, however, is Miami-Dade County, which rejected a …

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BREAKING: Supreme Court Rejects Lambda Legal’s Appeal Of Mississippi Law Legalizing Anti-LGBT Discrimination By Businesses And Government Workers

Bloomberg reports: The U.S. Supreme Court left intact a Mississippi law that lets businesses and government workers refuse on religious grounds to provide services to gay and transgender people. The justices turned away two appeals by state residents and organizations that contended the measure violates the Constitution. A federal appeals court said the opponents hadn’t suffered any injury that would …

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Figure Skater Adam Rippon Becomes First Openly Gay Man To Qualify For US Winter Olympics [VIDEO]

NPR reports: As of Sunday morning, 28-year-old figure skater Adam Rippon will be the first openly gay man to compete for the United States in the Winter Olympics. Despite a disappointing fourth-place performance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday night, Rippon was selected to join Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou in Pyeongchang next month. “I’m really grateful that the …

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INDIA: Supreme Court To Review Gay Sex Ban

The Times Of India reports: Thanks to the right to privacy being deemed a fundamental right, the Supreme Court (SC) today agreed to reconsider its 2013 decision which criminalised gay sexual relations and said it will review Section 377 of Indian Penal Code that makes such relations a crime. The SC today also issued a notice to the Centre seeking …

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Corey Johnson Elected NYC Council Speaker [VIDEO]

The New York Daily News reports: Corey Johnson was elected City Council speaker in an overwhelming vote Wednesday, capping months of maneuvering that will make him the city’s second-most-powerful elected official. Johnson — a Manhattan Democrat who is gay and HIV positive — was chosen in a 48-1 vote. Councilwoman Inez Barron, who mounted her own last-minute bid for speaker …

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Christian Group Goes Viral With Ex-Gay Video

A Christian “media ministry” called Anchored North went wildly viral over the holiday weekend with an ex-gay video that has racked up 1.3 million views at this writing. Hemant Mehta reports at the Friendly Atheist: Last year, Emily Thomes opened up about how she had come to Jesus after a life of “homosexual practice and drug use.” Her past involved …

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Trump Administration (For Now) Drops Attempt To Block Transgender Troops, Enlistments To Begin January 1st

Newsweek reports: The Trump administration has abandoned its bid to prevent openly transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, the Pentagon announced late Friday night. In July, the Trump administration attempted to delay an Obama-era Department of Defense ruling allowing openly transgender Americans to enlist in the military from January 1. President Donald Trump tweeted last summer that the …

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Breitbart Names Its “Top 6 LGBT Icons Of 2017”

Breitbart this afternoon named its “top 6 LGBT icons of 2017.” Topping their list is Capitol Police Officer Crystal Griner, who is credited with helping stop the deadly attack on a Congressional baseball game. What Breitbart doesn’t mention, of course, is that Trump honored Griner with the Presidential Medal Of Valor just one day after his demand to ban transgender …

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ILLINOIS: Gay Panic Defense Ban Starts January 1st

USA Today reports: Starting in January, Illinois will bar a rare criminal defense allowing the use of a victim’s sexual orientation as justification for violent crime, a ban gay rights advocates say they will attempt to replicate in about half a dozen states next year. Defense attorneys will no longer be able to mount the so-called “gay panic defense” in …

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White House Fires Entire HIV/AIDS Council

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: With no explanation, the White House has terminated members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS amid widespread discontent with President Trump’s approach to the epidemic. After six members of PACHA resigned in June, the White House on Wednesday terminated the remaining 16 members without explanation via a letter from FedEx. Scott Schoettes, …

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OREGON: Appeals Court Upholds $135,000 Fine For Anti-Gay Bakery That Turned Away Couple In 2013

Portland’s NBC affiliate reports: The Oregon Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a ruling — and a $135,000 fine — that two Gresham bakery owners discriminated against a gay couple by refusing to make them a wedding cake, violating Oregon law. The courts did reverse a portion of the Bureau of Labor and Industries decision that said Melissa and Aaron Klein …

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AUSTRALIA: Cher Set To Headline Sydney Mardi Gras

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: You better Believe it – it’s looking like superstar singer and actress Cher will headline Sydney’s 40th gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in March. While it is understood a contract is yet to be signed, sources close to the event have told Fairfax Media the 71-year-old gay icon is almost locked in to perform at …

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RUSSIA: Senator Warns That Banning Cruelty To Animals Is A Slippery Slope To Approving LGBT Rights

The Moscow Times reports: A Russian senator has warned of the slippery slope that legislators risked taking by passing a law against animal cruelty. The Federation Council struck down a bill on Tuesday that sought to ban cruelty against animals used in the training of hunting dogs and birds. “We treat many western fads with humor, including political correctness, the …

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AUSTRALIA: Sydney Archbishop Laments 2017 As An “Annus Horribilis” Because Of Same-Sex Marriage

The Guardian reports: The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher said people of faith might describe 2017 as “annus horribilis” because of euthanasia laws in Victoria, the exposure of child sexual abuse in the Catholic church, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage were failures that challenged “our Christian conceptions of life”. “Like any year, this one has had its challenges …

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BREAKING: Federal Appeals Court Rejects Trump’s Bid To Stop Transgender Troops From Enlisting

Reuters reports: A federal appeals court in Virginia on Thursday rejected a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to prevent the U.S. military from accepting transgender recruits starting Jan. 1. The administration had urged the appeals court to suspend an order by a lower court judge for the armed forces to begin accepting transgender recruits on that date. The administration …

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Gay Man Set To Become New York City Council Speaker

The New York Daily News reports: Mayor de Blasio gave his blessing Thursday to a deal that is likely to make Councilman Corey Johnson the next City Council speaker. Johnson, a Manhattan Democrat, sewed up the backing Wednesday of the Queens and Bronx county Democratic leaders, who brought with them support from enough Council members to give him the win. …

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