LGBT News

Oregon Public Radio reports: In an unusual sight, people packed into the Crook County Library on Thursday night for a meeting of its board. The topic at hand had drawn the standing room crowd: namely, whether or not to segregate LGBTQ-friendly children’s books into a separate section. By the end of the night, the crowd had spoken overwhelmingly in support …

Yahoo News reports: Pennsylvania formalized nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people after a regulatory board approved new definitions of sex, race and religious creed in the commonwealth’s anti-discrimination regulations. The new regulatory changes provide a more comprehensive definition of the terms “sex,” “religious creed” and “race” as protected classes so that victims of discrimination can better understand how they are protected …

The Associated Press reports: The House is set to give final approval Thursday to legislation protecting same-sex marriages in federal law, a monumental step in a decadeslong battle for nationwide recognition of such unions that reflects a stunning turnaround in societal attitudes. A law requiring all states to recognize same-sex marriages would come as a a relief for hundreds of …

Speaker Nancy Pelosi writes for the Washington Post: In my first speech on the House floor, I declared that “we must take leadership of course in the crisis of AIDS.” During my first speakership, we erased the egregious “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy from the books — ensuring gay and lesbian Americans can openly serve their country. We advanced justice …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to designate Julius’ Bar in the Village as an individual landmark. In the 1960s, the state liquor authority did not allow people to be served alcohol if they were openly gay. “In 1966, we had something called the sip-in,” Julius’ Bar manager Nick Gabriellini said. …

The Denver Post reports: The suspect in the mass shooting at an LGBTQ bar in Colorado Springs last month was charged Tuesday with 305 criminal counts, including first-degree murder, bias-motivated crimes and attempted murder. Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, had been arrested and held on suspicion of five counts of first-degree murder and five hate-crime charges immediately after the Nov. 20 …

The Associated Press reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law that significantly expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBT rights in the country. A 2013 law banned what authorities deem to be spreading “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors. The new law expands that ban to spreading such information to people aged 18 and older. …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in a major case pitting LGBT rights against a claim that the constitutional right to free speech exempts artists from anti-discrimination laws in a dispute involving an evangelical Christian web designer. The justices are set to hear Denver-area business owner Lorie Smith’s appeal seeking an exemption from a Colorado …

From the Justice Department: Minneapolis man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint for illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, on November 28, 2022, Minneapolis Police officers responded to a call that a person at 19 Bar, located near downtown Minneapolis, had pulled out a gun after being asked to …

Axios reports: The Food and Drug Administration is weighing a series of moves to make it easier for gay and bisexual men and other individuals to donate blood amid a nationwide blood shortage. The FDA is considering easing blood donor screening restrictions for men who have sex with men that originated during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s. An option …

“Crusaders for climate change, abortion, euthanasia, gender fluidity, they all lead — eventually, their thinking — to the devaluing of human life. “At its core, being anti-human means being anti- truth because it involves the questioning or denying of objective facts, including those at the very heart of our existence.  “The cult of gender deviancy collapses into meaningless slogans and …

NPR reports: The owner of Club Q, the Colorado Springs, Colo., LGBTQ nightclub where a deadly mass shooting occurred nearly two weeks ago, said that although exact plans are still being decided, the club will reopen. Club Q was a haven for LGBT+ people in the conservative city, and despite the tragedy, work is being done to ensure it continues …

Changing America reports: The number of same-sex households in the U.S. surpassed 1 million for the first time, according to new census data. There were about 1.2 million same-sex households in 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. About 710,000 of those households were married, while 500,000 were unmarried. The percent of same-sex households included in the American household population as …

The BBC reports: A Tokyo court has upheld a ban on same-sex marriage in Japan, but also said that the ban was a violation of human rights. The compensation case was brought by four couples who claimed the law was discriminatory. Japan is currently the only G7 nation that does not recognise same-sex marriage. Campaigners have welcomed the ruling as …

The Associated Press reports: The passage of the legislation with support from both parties is an extraordinary sign of the shifting politics on the issue and a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide. Senate Democrats are moving quickly, …

NPR reports: Lawmakers are moving forward with the vote Tuesday afternoon after securing essential Republican support during a procedural vote on Monday. With bipartisan support, the legislation is expected to clear the Senate Tuesday, then head back to the House where it is expected to be passed quickly and sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law. The …

Atlanta’s Fox affiliate reports: Atlanta Police Department Homeland Security detectives said Atlanta resident Chase Staub posted a series of threats in videos on his Instagram story holding a weapon with cryptic and messages threatening patrons of The Heretic written on sticky notes last week. Police said employees at The Heretic called officers after they saw the video with the threatening …

Congress Minutes reports: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber will vote on three GOP amendments to the legislation — one each from Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Marco Rubio (Fla.) and James Lankford (Okla.) — on Tuesday before voting on final passage. Lee’s, expanding religious protections, set at a 60-vote threshold. Lankford’s amendment, set at a majority threshold. And Rubio’s, …

The Hill reports: Senators ultimately voted 61-35 to advance the amendment to the Respect for Marriage Act that includes language related to religious liberty and conscience protections under the Constitution and federal law. It would also continues to prohibit polygamous marriage. But the voting was held open for almost two-and-a-half hours as senators wrangled over whether additional amendments could come up …

From the haters at the Heritage Foundation: Ahead of another vote on the so-called Respect for Marriage Act, most of the 12 GOP senators who previously voted for the legislation are refusing to divulge whether they support Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s amendment protecting Americans’ religious freedom. Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Senate will hold a procedural vote Monday on …