LGBT News

From the Department of Justice: An Oregon man has been charged with a federal hate crime after using the internet to target and brutally assault a gay man because of his sexual orientation. Daniel Andrew McGee, of Springfield, has been charged by criminal complaint with a hate crime. The complaint alleges that McGee attempted to kill the victim. According to …

Orlando’s CBS News affiliate reports: The onePulse Foundation, a nonprofit incorporated by the owner of the Pulse nightclub, is asking for any information on an arson from October. The foundation posted a video on Facebook on Saturday that shows a man in a wheelchair lighting part of the interim memorial on fire. The foundation said it happened on October 12 …

San Diego’s Fox News affiliate reports: The Navy christened its latest ship Saturday, a replenishment oiler named after slain civil rights leader Harvey Milk, during a ceremony in San Diego. The USNS Harvey Milk is the second ship in the Navy’s John Lewis class of fleet replenishment oilers, which will serve to refuel Navy ships at sea. The John Lewis-class …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: The incoming Salt Lake City Council is historic — in multiple ways. For the first time, most of the members — four of the seven — are racial and ethnic minorities. And for the first time, a majority — again four — are openly LGBTQ. “It is different to have a government that makes decisions …

The South China Morning Post reports: A Chinese LGBT advocacy group has suspended operations indefinitely and closed its social media accounts amid a nationwide tightening of social controls. LGBT Rights Advocacy China, a non-profit providing legal support for the LGBT community, announced the move early on Friday. Its final message on WeChat, one of the country’s leading social media platforms, …

Reuters reports: Two suspected drug gang members were shot dead in a beachfront clash between rival groups near the Mexican resort of Cancun on Thursday, authorities said, a couple of weeks after two tourists were killed in crossfire at another beach. A few hours after reports of a shooting began circulating on social media, the attorney general’s office in the …

NBC News reports: Social Security survivors benefits will now be available to same-sex spouses and partners who had been denied access due to previous bans on gay marriage. The Department of Justice and the Social Security Administration on Monday announced that they dismissed appeals filed by the then-Trump administration in two class-action lawsuits related to Social Security survivors benefits for …

The Times Of Israel reports: Hackers believed to be linked to Iran demanded on Sunday a ransom payment of $1 million in digital currency to stop the online leak of personal information from an Israeli LGBT site. The Black Shadow hacking group said in a statement released through the Telegram messaging app that it was “looking for money” and would …

Forbes reports: Kal Penn, the actor best known for his role in the Harold & Kumar films who also worked in the Obama administration, publicly came out for the first time Sunday while promoting his new memoir, announcing his engagement to his partner of 11 years. Penn confirmed his engagement to People magazine, saying he was “really excited” to share …

Boston’s CBS News affiliate reports: A tense exchange at the Franklin School Committee meeting has a student and officials calling for acceptance and tolerance. Franklin High School senior Mackenzie Atwood is still trying to process Tuesday night’s meeting, when she was addressing another speaker about protected classes against bullying. “I am gay,” Atwood told the committee Tuesday. “Call me what …

Carl Trueman writes for the Christian Post: “Deathwork” is a term used by sociologist Philip Rieff. It refers to the act of using the sacred symbols of a previous era in order to subvert, and then destroy, their original significance and purpose. It is one thing for someone unaware of the biblical narrative and the sacred significance of the rainbow …

The Associated Press reports:  Polish lawmakers held an emotional debate Thursday on proposed legislation dubbed “Stop LGBT,” which would ban pride parades and other public gatherings deemed to “promote” same-sex relationships. The lawmakers are due to vote Friday on whether to reject or continue work on the proposal, which is a citizen’s legislative initiative that was submitted to parliament by …

Reuters reports: The Italian Senate voted on Wednesday to block debate over a bill that would make violence against women and LGBT+ people a hate crime, effectively killing off a proposal previously approved by the lower house of parliament. The bill, championed by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), has triggered fierce discussion in Italy, with the Vatican also getting involved, …

NBC News reports: The United States has issued its first passport with an “X” gender marker, which denotes that someone is neither exclusively male nor female, the State Department said Wednesday. This marks a milestone for nonbinary and intersex Americans, who make up an estimated 1.2 million and 4 million Americans, respectively, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA …

The Guardian reports: A-League midfielder Josh Cavallo says he knows there are other players “living in silence” after becoming the only known current male top-flight professional footballer in the world to come out as gay. Cavallo on Wednesday became a rarity in men’s professional sport, announcing on social media he was “ready to speak about something personal that I’m finally …

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports: The fall play at a high school in southwest Ohio was canceled suddenly, reportedly because of concerns that a character in the play was gay. Students at Hillsboro High School still were in rehearsals for “She Kills Monsters,” which was scheduled to open in less than a month at the school’s new auditorium, WCPO Channel …

The BBC reports: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has accused the EU of blackmail in a heated debate with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen over the rule of law. The clash in the European Parliament follows a top Polish court ruling that rejected key parts of EU law. Mrs von der Leyen said she would act to prevent …

The Associated Press reports: A Vermont high school homecoming football game turned into a “drag ball” runway at halftime, with a mix of students and faculty members parading in gowns, wigs and makeup — and a big crowd in rainbow colors to cheer them on. “Things went amazing,” Ezra Totten, student leader of the Gender Sexuality Alliance at Burlington High …

From the Department of Justice: Daniel Jenkins, 22, of Dallas was sentenced today for committing violent crimes as part of a conspiracy to target users of the dating app Grindr. Jenkins was sentenced to a federal prison term of 280 months for his involvement in the scheme to target gay men for violent crimes. He is the last of four …

The Kansas City Star reports: After four months of delays, Wichita City Council passed a nondiscrimination ordinance Tuesday aimed at banning discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. The council voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, with Jeff Blubaugh voting against. The council also rejected a carve out that would have allowed religious groups to fire or refuse to hire …