LGBT News

The Guardian reports: Malta has become the first country in Europe to ban gay conversion therapy after the parliament in Valetta unanimously approved a bill outlawing attempts to “cure” homosexuals of their sexuality. Under the new Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act, anyone found guilty of trying to “change, repress or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A federal appeals court Tuesday overturned a lower-court ruling that supported the Lake County School Board’s decision to block middle-schoolers from forming a gay-straight-alliance club to combat bullying. In a battle dating to 2011, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling found that the Equal Access Act, which requires federally funded secondary schools to treat all …

From the oh-so-very anti-LGBT LifeSiteNews: For the first time ever, Walmart has scored a “perfect” 100 percent ranking on a leading homosexual lobby group’s “corporate scorecard,” meaning that to keep its score the retail giant will now cover transsexual employees’ “sex reassignment surgeries” as part of its healthcare coverage. The decidedly anti-social-conservative “Corporate Equality Index” (CEI) is produced by Human …

The Today Show reports: For Lady Gaga, kindness has been the key to finding peace in her own life. “I’ve been searching for ways to help myself. And I found that kindness is the best way,” she told TODAY recently while on a visit to Harlem’s Ali Forney Center, a shelter for homeless LGBT youth, to surprise the teens living …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Barbara Poma, the owner of Pulse, said Monday that she does not plan to sell the nightclub to the city of Orlando. Mayor Buddy Dyer’s staff recently revealed that the city had negotiated a $2.25 million purchase price for the club, where 49 people were killed and dozens more were injured in a mass shooting June …

The Guardian reports: Russian MPs have asked the state communications oversight agency to take action against the Fifa 17 video game for violating the country’s law against gay propaganda. Communist MPs sent a letter to the communications oversight and state consumer protection agencies complaining that the popular EA Sports football game, which is rated all ages, “invites users to support …

Oakland fire officials have begun identifying some of the victims in Friday’s warehouse disaster. Erin Rook reports at LGBTQ Nation: Transgender musician Cash Askew, 22, of dream-pop band Them Are Us Too was one of 11 victims identified by authorities as of Monday morning. According to Scout Wolfcave, founder of the Trans Assistance Project, two other trans women are also …

The New York Times reports: Walmart announced on Friday that it had settled a lawsuit that accused the company of discriminating against gay and lesbian employees when it denied health insurance benefits to same-sex spouses. Under the deal, Walmart will set aside $7.5 million, mostly to compensate employees affected by the denial of spousal benefits during the three years before …

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: Rep. Steve Russell was disappointed that his religious freedom amendment was stripped from a federal defense-spending bill the House passed on Friday. But the Oklahoma Republican is encouraged he will prevail in the long-term, telling BuzzFeed News that the incoming Trump administration has given him “very good assurances” it would address the issue upon taking …

The New York Times reports: Since Gov. Mike Pence was chosen as Donald J. Trump’s running mate in July, he has faced complaints from groups critical of his record on gay and transgender rights, who said he has long been an opponent of the gains made by the L.G.B.T. community in recent years. Mr. Pence has been particularly dogged by …

CBS News reports: A special tribute was held in honor of World AIDS Day to the victims who died of the disease in New York City. The AIDS Memorial Park at Saint Vincent’s Triangle in Greenwich Village was dedicated on Thursday. The project was launched in 2011 to remember the men, women and children who have died from AIDS in …

Philly.com reports: Police on Thursday released photos and video of a person of interest in connection with last week’s package bomb that severely injured a man inside his Center City residence. At an afternoon news conference at police headquarters, Commissioner Richard Ross Jr. said the person of interest is seen on camera dropping the package off at Jim Alden’s home …

From Matt Baume: “Donald Trump’s the most pro-gay Republican president-elect in history, right? Well, no — he’s stacking his administration with people who’ve spent their entire careers going after queer people. Here are the ten most dangerous people Donald’s appointed, the harm that they could do in their new jobs, and what you can do to stop them.”

Washington DC’s ABC affiliate reports: Christmas decorations are popping up left and right, but one street in NW Washington has a different kind of decoration this season—rainbow flags. “A respectful message showing, in my case, my disagreement with some of his thinking,” said Ilse Heintzen. The ‘he’ Heintzen is referring to is Vice-President Elect Mike Pence. Pence moved into a …

Metro reports: It’s the ‘insult’ of choice for many a schoolyard bully but being called gay should be not considered offensive, Italy’s high court has ruled. Judges said the term ‘homosexual’ no longer has an ‘intrinsically offensive meaning as, perhaps, might have been considered in the not-so-distant past’, ANSA reports from the Cassation Court in Rome. The judgement was made …

Will this also be the last time we see the red ribbon hanging at the White House? Via press release: December 1 marks World AIDS Day across the globe, and serves as a way to recommit ourselves to ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat. Throughout his Administration, President Obama propelled America’s leadership on HIV/AIDS by both developing the first …

The Associated Press reports: Roy Cooper’s unofficial lead over North Carolina Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has surpassed a key threshold that would block McCrory’s request for a statewide recount if its holds. The Democratic attorney general was ahead of McCrory by more than 10,250 votes as of Wednesday afternoon. His advantage has doubled since election night and grew Wednesday as …

A glimmer of good news, for now. The Voice Of America reports: A compromise version of a massive U.S. defense policy bill omits controversial provisions such as a clause Democrats said allowed discrimination against homosexuals and a requirement that women register for the draft. The $618.7 billion National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, will likely come up for a vote …

NBC News reports: Romania’s constitutional court said Tuesday it would consult with a European court regarding the case of a same-sex couple who want their marriage abroad to be legally recognized in Romania. Court president Valer Dorneanu said he was seeking information from the European Court of Justice to see how other EU countries where same-sex marriages are not legal …

The China Post reports: More than 10,000 same-sex marriage advocates held a sit-in outside the Legislature on Monday, the day of the last public hearing before a legislative committee proceeds with the second reading of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. Supporters waved rainbow flags and held banners reading “no discount on human rights,” and “special treatment is discrimination,” …