LGBT News

The Tennessean reports: The House sponsor of a controversial bill that would require students in public school grades K-12 and higher education institutions to use the restroom that corresponds with their sex at birth is delaying action on the bill until next year. Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, told The Tennessean on Monday that she plans on effectively killing her …

Back in February, I launched a twice-monthly column for the website of Britain’s Pride Life magazine, a quarterly LGBT rights and lifestyle magazine. Today’s fifth installment is titled This Week In US Politics: Battle Over LGBT Rights Inflames Nation. Hit the link for my status report on the situation in North Carolina and Mississippi. DISCLOSURE: Pride Life is owned by …

This may, in part, explain the billboard campaign that popped up in London this weekend. Via Haaretz: In protest over the wide gap between the resources allocated to attract gay tourists to the country and the limited support for local LGBTQ organizations, members of Israel’s gay community are calling to cancel this year’s Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade. The call …

An electronic billboard bearing the message “Imagine London Without Gays” appeared in Britain’s capital this weekend, leading some on social media to ponder its meaning and its source. A supporting website carrying the same message about Madrid, Berlin, and “the world” was also launched. But the billboard’s owner, JC Decaux, may have prematurely given away the plot when they responded …

From the Democratic National Committee: This morning on CNN’s State of the Union, John Kasich was asked whether he would take steps to try to stop states from passing anti-LGBT “Right to Discriminate” laws. His blunt response? “No, I wouldn’t.” He added, “What I like to say is, just relax, if you don’t like what somebody is doing, pray for …

The Washington Post has evaluated North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s statements in the video accompanying last week’s executive order and given him “Three Pinocchios.” They write: By saying he is “taking action to affirm and improve the state’s commitment to privacy and equality” through his executive order, McCrory creates the illusion that there will be more changes than he can …

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory appeared on Meet The Press this morning, where he claimed that he was recently congratulated by black residents for protecting them from evil LGBTs. McCrory also stumbled over the name of the Human Rights Campaign, calling them the “Human Relations, uh, Rights Council.” McCrory then exclaimed, “My God, they are more powerful than the NRA!” …

Add Los Angeles to the lengthy boycott list: The North Carolina law “overturns all state protections for gay and lesbians and puts new discrimination on the books,” according to Councilman Mike Bonin, who proposed the resolution that was approved on a 12-0 vote. Bonin said the Mississippi law allows rental car businesses to turn away gay couples, and allows for …

On Thursday night Bruce Springsteen played Detroit, where he warned his audience that anti-LGBT laws are also in the works in Michigan: Just days after he scrapped a show in North Carolina as a protest against a new anti-LGBT state law, which restricts the public bathrooms transgenders can use, The Boss showed he was still upset about the controversy onstage …

From the Washington Post‘s letters to the editor: Regarding Kathleen Parker’s April 12 op-ed column, “Bigotry raises its hideous head in North Carolina”: Let me set the record straight: North Carolina proudly welcomes all people to live, work and visit our great state. We have long-held traditions of ensuring equality for all of our citizens and our visitors while respecting …

From their statement: Cirque du Soleil strongly believes in diversity and equality for every individual and is opposed to discrimination in any form. The new HB2 legislation passed in North Carolina is an important regression to ensuring human rights for all. We therefore choose to cancel our scheduled performances of OVO in Greensboro (April 20-24) and our scheduled performances in …

NBC Charlotte reports: The NBA Board of Governors met Thursday in New York and on the table for discussion: the 2017 All-Star Game. Controversy from HB2 has put Charlotte’s chances of hosting in jeopardy. It’s the biggest event the city, even the state, has hosted since the Democratic National Convention in 2012. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Friday that while …

From Duran Duran’s website: With respect to the current storm which is howling through this State, we considered cancelling our show on Saturday, but decided to go ahead, both for the sake of our fans and to support those in North Carolina who feel as strongly as we do about this issue. We see this as an opportunity to make …

Reuters reports: Kentucky’s governor on Wednesday signed into law a bill that removes county clerks’ names from the state marriage license forms at the center of a controversy involving an official jailed last year for refusing to issue licenses to gay couples. Senate Bill 216, signed by Republican Governor Matt Bevin, also creates a single form that either heterosexual or …

The Associated Press reports: Charlotte shouldn’t be punished for an ordinance that was ultimately overturned by legislation preventing local and state governments from mandating protections for LGBT people, Mayor Jennifer Roberts said Thursday at a town hall meeting designed to rally support for the repeal of the controversial measure. The town hall, which drew about 200 people to a Charlotte …

From the National Catholic Reporter: Tony Spence, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service since 2004, unexpectedly resigned from that position Wednesday at the request of a U.S. bishops’ conference official. In recent days Spence had been attacked by conservative Catholic blogs for tweets he had posted about controversial religious freedom bills in North Carolina and Georgia. These sites accused …

Yesterday a spokesman for North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory called the Human Rights Campaign “a shadowy, left-wing group funded by anonymous donors that is recklessly leading the charge to mislead the public and smear North Carolina.” Today we get the below HRC clip with calls McCrory out on his lies.

JamBase reports: Tonight, Mumford & Sons will perform before a capacity crowd at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. The band recently announced they will donate all of their profits from the show to a new charitable fund “to support those who have made it their mission to pursue love and justice.” A donation from the fund …

STAT News reports: Men can contract Zika through unprotected sex with other men who are infected with the virus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, a finding that adds to experts’ understanding of how Zika can be transmitted. The CDC said a case of sexual transmission that occurred in Dallas in January — and was reported in …

These guys were allegedly working on behalf of nutcase white supremacist Michael Peroutka [photo]. The Baltimore Sun reports: Maryland’s state prosecutor on Thursday charged two Republican strategists with distributing an illegal robocall considered by many an attempt to smear an openly gay local candidate in 2014. Prosecutor Emmet Davitt announced charges against Dennis Fusaro, a national Republican figure best known …