LGBT News

NBC News reports: Arizona’s Republican governor signed a series of bills Wednesday targeting abortion and transgender rights, joining a growing list of GOP-led states pursuing a conservative social agenda. The measures signed by Gov. Doug Ducey will outlaw abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court allows it, prohibit gender confirmation surgery for minors and ban transgender girls from …

Florida Politics reports: Dade City Republican Rep. Randy Maggard announced Wednesday that he will return $5,000 worth of contributions made by Disney to his 2022 re-election campaign, joining Williston Rep. Joe Harding. The pair decided to return the donations in response to the entertainment giant’s public stance on legislation (HB 1557) sponsored by Harding that has garnered national attention and …

NBC News reports: Billboards popping up in some of Florida’s largest cities are encouraging passersby to “say gay.” The massive roadside messages are a response to the state’s controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed by critics the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday. The billboards — now on display in Orlando, Tallahassee …

Reuters reports: Cuba’s communist government is seeking to rally support for a new family code that would open the door to gay marriage and boost women’s rights, but experts and a recent survey suggest an upcoming referendum vote may not provide a rubber stamp. The new code would legalize same sex marriage and civil unions, allow such couples to adopt …

From the Orlando Sentinel editorial board: The scene said it all. Surrounded by students in blue uniform shirts and plaid ties, some of whom had been given “Protect Children” signs to hold, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1557 — the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that’s been nationally castigated as cruel, divisive and potentially hazardous to the mental and physical …

Newsweek reports: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that the Walt Disney Company “crossed a line” by announcing its plan to repeal the Florida legislation known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which was officially signed into law on Monday. In a press conference in Tallahassee on Tuesday, DeSantis told reporters, “For Disney to come out and put a …

Via press release from the Walt Disney Company: Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law. Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national …

France 24 reports: Far-right candidate Éric Zemmour faces yet another lawsuit in the run-up to France’s presidential election, this time filed by gay rights groups who say he denied that homosexuals were rounded up and deported during the country’s wartime Nazi occupation. Six gay rights associations told AFP that their criminal complaint for “denial of crimes against humanity” stemmed from …

The Associated Press reports: At the Oscars, they said gay. The first political salvo of Sunday night’s Academy Awards in Los Angeles came in the opening monologue, when Wanda Sykes — one of the trio of hosts for the show — took a thinly veiled jab at Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. “We’re going to have a great night …

Florida Politics reports: On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation (CS/HB 1467) that would impose School Board term limit requirements statewide and also offer parents and others a mechanism to purge texts they don’t like from the classroom. The legislation also stoked controversy during the Legislative Session for enhancing the ability of community members to cull potentially objectionable …

The New York Daily News reports: A Staten Island pastor who once equated homosexuality to pedophilia was removed from Mayor Adams’ education policy panel within hours of being hired Tuesday after the Daily News exposed her anti-gay track record. Rev. Kathlyn Barrett-Layne was announced Tuesday afternoon as one of Adams’ nine picks to the Panel for Educational Policy, which serves …

Florida Politics reports: The Florida Democratic Party late Tuesday announced it has postponed the annual Leadership Blue conference after numerous members threatened to boycott the weekend-long event. The party received fierce pushback from its LGBTQ+ Caucus in light of The Walt Disney Company’s prior financial contributions to lawmakers who sponsored a controversial bill, HB 1557, which critics have dubbed the …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Utah legislative leaders on Tuesday announced their plan to meet this Friday for an override session minutes after Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed a bill that would prevent transgender girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identities. In a letter addressed to Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Brad Wilson, Cox defended …

NBC News reports: Florida’s Democratic Party is under fire from its LGBTQ caucus and a top gubernatorial candidate who want it to cancel its annual fundraiser at Disney World because they believe the company did too little to stop legislation to prohibit schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity. Adding to the conflict: The party sent out an …

TMZ reports: The so-called “gay” dog that was given up by its owners over perceived homosexual behavior now has a new home — and that pad is very LGBTQ-friendly – as is his new name! North Carolina’s Steve Nichols tells TMZ he and his longtime partner, John, adopted Fezco Tuesday after hearing the story about him getting abandoned by his …

The Associated Press reports: With some workers across the U.S. threatening a walkout Tuesday, The Walt Disney Co. finds itself in a balancing act between the expectations of a diverse workforce and demands from an increasingly polarized, politicized marketplace. One of the organizers of the walkout, a New York-based employee, said they were expecting participation by workers with the “privilege” …

The Washington Post reports: Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, struck down a bill on Monday that would have banned transgender girls from competing in female sports at school — making him an outlier in a party that has passed similar laws in nearly a dozen states. In a letter addressing his decision, Holcomb wrote that the bill “leaves too …

The Guardian reports: A gay rights activist from Kharkiv, Elya Shchemur was killed during the Russian bombardment of the city centre, her colleagues at Kharkiv Pride said on Thursday. She was killed at the local territorial defence office where she volunteered, they said. “Elya was an activist and a patriot: she participated in all possible actions and democratic events of …

Religion News Service reports: Americans’ support for LGBTQ rights is higher than ever, according to a new report by Public Religion Research Institute, though two groups have “consistently lagged” in their support for key policies: Republicans and white evangelical Protestants. Those findings, released Thursday (March 17), are part of PRRI’s 2021 American Values Atlas project, a seven-year survey measuring Americans’ …

Florida Politics reports: Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia resurfaced on Twitter Thursday, offering an apology to those she offended by suggesting earlier this month that being “gay is not a permanent thing.” Garcia’s remark came during Senate debate over a bill (HB 1557) that would implement classroom restrictions on instruction about sexuality and gender. The assertion drew immediate backlash, and even …