LGBT News

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 …

Florida Politics reports: As Disney withers criticism from the left and right over a controversial Florida education bill, California’s Governor offered a solution. “Disney, the door is open to bring those jobs back to California — the state that actually represents the values of your workers,” tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The wooing comes less than a year after Disney …

ABC News reports: More than 6 in 10 Americans oppose legislation that would prohibit classroom lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary school, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds. The ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 62% of Americans oppose such legislation, while 37% support it. Support for this type of legislation increases with age, but doesn’t reach majority …

Forbes reports: A state judge blocked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s divisive order for “child abuse” investigations into parents of transgender children receiving gender-affirming medical care, issuing a statewide injunction Friday as the litigation against it plays out. Texas District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum ruled from the bench that the directive should be blocked at the end of a hearing …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek apologized to employees at the company for the company’s handling of Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and said that it would be pausing political donations in the state. Chapek also said that the company will be “increasing our support for advocacy groups to combat similar legislation in other states.” …

The New York Times reports: More than 60 major businesses, including household names in technology and retail, have signed onto a new advertising campaign in Texas protesting a move by the state’s governor to label as “child abuse” medical treatments that are widely considered to be the standard of care for transgender teenagers. In digital ads and a full-page advertisement …

CBS News reports: Two same-sex couples became the first Thursday to legally tie the knot in Chile, which joined countries in majority Catholic Latin America to allow LGBTQ couples to marry. Under a law approved by Congress in December and signed by outgoing President Sebastian Pinera, they can also now adopt children. “We never imagined we would experience this moment …

Via press release from the Human Rights Campaign: After remaining silent as the bill made its way through the Florida state legislature over the past few weeks, [Disney CEO Bob] Chapek spoke out against pending anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and spoke up for LGBTQ+ people in Florida and across the country. In his statement, Chapek shared that Disney recently joined more than …

“When did our public schools, any schools, become what are essentially grooming centers for gender identity radicals? As a mom, I think it’s appalling, it’s frightening, it’s disgusting, it’s despicable. “Florida just passed a bill to keep this type of sexual brainwashing out of schools. Democrats, though, claim the bill is bigoted, branding it as the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill.’ …

Orlando’s NBC News affiliate reports: Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, has now made comments opposing a controversial bill nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.  House bill 1557 received 22 “yes” votes and 17 “no” votes in the Senate on Tuesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated he will sign the bill into law. During a Disney …

The Associated Press reports: House Republicans in Tennessee advanced legislation on Tuesday that would ban public schools from using textbooks or materials that “promote, normalize, support or address LGBT issues or lifestyles.” Critics argue the bill is similar to a measure that Florida’s Republican-dominated legislature passed just hours earlier, which would forbid instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in …

“This one is personal to me. Because of my former boss. I have a 14-year-old son who is gay. Recently came out as gay. I have his permission to talk about this. He didn’t want to tell his friends where I worked. “He was ashamed of where I worked, rightfully so, but also the fact that there’s this ‘don’t say …

From Education Secretary Miguel Cardona: Parents across the country are looking to national, state, and district leaders to support our nation’s students, help them recover from the pandemic, and provide them the academic and mental health supports they need. Instead, leaders in Florida are prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need. The Department of Education …

Via press release from Equality Florida: The Don’t Say Gay bill has passed the FL legislature and now goes to the governor’s desk. Let us be clear: should its vague language be interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher, or family, we will lead legal action against the State of Florida to challenge this bigoted …

Florida Politics reports: A group of Florida students took to the Capitol steps in Tallahassee Monday morning in a last-ditch plea with state Senators to vote down a controversial measure dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its critics. Students chanted “we say gay” and planned sit-in protests throughout the day as the Senate prepares to take up the controversial …

The Associated Press reports: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that he plans to veto legislation passed Friday that would ban transgender student-athletes from competing in girls sports. Without his support, Utah is unlikely to join the 11 states, all Republican-led, that have recently enacted bans on transgender girls wanting to compete in school sports leagues. In vowing to veto the …

The Wrap reports: The Walt Disney Company on Friday responded to calls for action over the Florida House of Represenatives’ passage of a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would limit what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender. However, the media giant sidestepped the bill itself  and instead recommitted itself more broadly to LGBTQ+ rights. “We understand how important …

First Coast News reports: Students across Florida protested the ‘Don’t Say Gay bill’ Thursday by walking out of their classrooms, according to multiple sources. The walk-out protests happened across the state at noon. “With the internet access that children have today, there are children that age asking questions, trying to figure out what it is, even if they don’t know …