LGBT News

Michigan Live reports: Bills banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors in Michigan passed the state legislature, Tuesday, June 27 and are headed for the desk of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Once signed by Whitmer, Michigan will join the 21 states, plus the District of Columbia, which have already enacted bans on administering conversion therapy to minors. “Michigan’s LGBTQ+ youth should be …

Bloomberg News reports: Starbucks Corp. plans to issue “clearer centralized guidelines” for in-store visual displays and decorations following a union’s allegations that managers banned Pride-themed decor, which the company disputes. “We have heard from our partners that you want to be creative in how our stores are represented and that you see visual creativity in stores as part of who …

Hartford’s CBS affiliate reports: Police are looking into a potential hate crime after two people disrupted a church service that was celebrating Pride Month. It happened Sunday at a church in Enfield. Pastor Greg Gray of the Enfield Congregational United Church of Christ was in the middle of a sermon during a Pride service at the church when two men …

NBC News reports: Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has asked a federal judge to allow state officials to bar people from changing their birth certificates, a move aimed at enforcing a sweeping statewide anti-trans law that is due to go into effect next week. If the judge allows the request, people in Kansas would be barred from making such changes. …

ABC News reports: The suspect in a mass shooting at LGBTQ bar Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that left five people dead accepted a plea deal Monday. Anderson Lee Aldrich has pleaded guilty to five counts of murder in the first degree, 46 counts of attempted murder in the first degree. Aldrich will receive five consecutive life sentences without …

Ringside News reports: As many people are aware by now, Anthony Bowens is a proud member of the LGBTQ community and has been very transparent about that fact since day one. He stands as a symbol of hope and admiration for anyone in the community. During AEW Rampage this week, a segment featuring The Acclaimed and QTV took place. This …

The New York Times reports: Jubilant marchers are set to fill the streets of Manhattan on Sunday for the New York City Pride March, but the shadow of gathering storm clouds — both literal and metaphorical — was unmistakable. The march, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riot widely viewed as spurring the modern L.G.B.T.Q. rights movement, is the largest of …

The Associated Press reports: NHL teams won’t wear special jerseys for pregame warmups during themed nights next season, the result of a handful of players refusing to use rainbow-colored Pride jerseys this past season and causing unwelcome distractions. The league’s Board of Governors agreed that the refusals overshadowed teams’ efforts in hosting Pride nights that in some cases included auctioning …

The Washington Post reports: Starbucks workers at more than 150 stores launched a week-long strike, alleging that employees at dozens of U.S. locations were restricted or barred from putting up Pride decorations, a claim the company has denied. Starbucks Workers United said the walkout involving more than 3,000 workers in at least 28 states began Friday at the company’s flagship …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: A federal court blocked Florida’s new drag show law, ruling the state’s effort to bar children from attending “adult live performances,” is overly vague and likely unconstitutional. The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell comes only a day after another federal court overturned another Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed law prohibiting gender-affirming care treatment in Florida …

“I don’t think anything can replace parents when you’re talking about major decisions that are needs to be made by our children. And I will tell you this. I want all parents out there to think about something. How many other decisions do you want the government making for you in your home regarding your kids? I don’t want any …

Reuters reports: Mohamed Ali [photo] doesn’t believe gay Africans exist. He says homosexuality is a Western invention imposed on the continent. Openly gay Africans are liars seeking visas to the West or money from rights groups, he adds. Ali is a member of Kenya’s parliament. He is desperate to follow neighbour Uganda by unleashing a sweeping legislative crackdown on LGBTQ …

Via press release from Rep. Jerry Nadler: Today, Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, joined Rep. Mark Takano and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in leading the reintroduction of the Equality Act, landmark legislation to expand LGBTQ+ civil rights in America. “When I first came to Congress in the early 90’s, Representative Nancy Pelosi and …

Reuters reports: A U.S. judge on Wednesday struck down a Florida rule and a statute that banned state Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare, marking the second defeat in two weeks for anti-transgender legislation in the state. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle declared the state’s practices invalid, saying they violated the constitutional right to equal protection under the 14th amendment in …

The Hill reports: Texas has become the latest in a growing number of states to pass legislation that LGBTQ rights groups say targets drag shows, banning “sexually oriented performances” that take place in the presence of minors. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) quietly signed the state’s Senate Bill 12 into law June 18. His office did not immediately respond to …

The Insider reports: Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Twitter, has amped up his anti-transgender campaign and has rejected the use of specific terms on the platform that are important to transgender people. Musk has a tendency to make announcements about Twitter’s policies based on personal whims, but it’s unclear whether this is an official policy that will be upheld. …

From the Justice Department: A Kansas man has been indicted for making online threats to commit acts of violence at an upcoming Nashville Pride event, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. An indictment unsealed this morning charges Joshua Hensley, aka Josh Echo, 25, of Hoisington, Kansas, with two counts of transmitting an interstate threat related to the upcoming Nashville …

Greta Van Fleet frontman Josh Kizska writes on Instagram: Where I’ve settled a home in Tennessee, legislators are proposing bills that threaten the freedom of love. It’s imperative that I speak my truth for not only myself, but in hopes to change hearts, minds, and laws in Tennessee and beyond. These issues are especially close to my heart as I’ve …

Reuters reports: Austrian security services said on Sunday they had thwarted a planned attack on Saturday’s pride parade in the capital. Three suspects between the ages of 14 and 20 were arrested on suspicion of planning to attack the parade in Vienna, which was held to celebrate LGBTQ+ rights and attracted around 300,000 people, officials said. “Through the successful and …

NewJersey.com reports: Tensions in the Westwood Regional School District came to a boil Thursday, at a chaotic board meeting where LGBTQ+ students and opposing activists traded catcalls and accusations and local police were called in to keep the peace. Hundreds of people packed the high school auditorium during the meeting, which came after the K-12 district’s interim superintendent abruptly resigned …