Joe.My.God. LGBT News

The Guardian reports: Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak has been handed a one-year ban for wearing the letter “Z” supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during an event in Qatar in March, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has said. The 20-year-old, who won bronze in the parallel bars at the Apparatus World Cup in Doha, displayed the letter as he stood on …

NBC News reports: A Russian soldier on trial for war crimes has pleaded guilty to the murder of a Ukrainian civilian during the early days of the invasion. It’s the first such trial since the war began, and takes place amid mounting allegations of atrocities committed by Russian forces. Sgt. Vadim Shyshimarin, 21, was accused of “violating the laws and …

Reuters reports: A family counselor on Tuesday urged a federal appeals court to strike down a Washington state law banning so-called conversion therapy for minors, a practice that seeks to change a patient’s sexual orientation or gender identity, arguing it violated his right to free speech. Roger Brooks of the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, representing counselor Brian Tingley …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. Soccer Federation reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. The federation announced separate collective bargaining agreements through December 2028 with the unions for both national teams on Wednesday, ending years of often acrimonious …

Law & Crime reports: A federal court on Tuesday ruled that drafts of a letter that was ultimately sent by the U.S. Department of Justice in order to request a citizenship question on the 2020 Census are not public records that can be accessed under the Freedom of Information Act. The original letter, sent by DOJ General Counsel of the …

Yahoo Finance reports: Twitter said it plans to complete its $44 billion merger agreement with Elon Musk, even as the Tesla CEO appears to dither on the deal. “Twitter is committed to completing the transaction on the agreed price and terms as promptly as practicable,” it said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing published Tuesday night, referring to Musk’s …

The Daily Beast reports: The Justice Department has updated its indictment of former President Donald Trump’s billionaire buddy Thomas Barrack, documenting how he quietly tweaked the GOP platform at the 2016 Republican National Convention to avoid mentioning the Saudi royal family’s connection to the 9/11 hijackers. On Monday, the DOJ replaced its original 46-page charging document with an expanded 55-page …

Media Matters reports: You’ve heard a lot about the “great replacement” theory recently. It’s everywhere in the last two days and we’re still not sure exactly what it is. Here’s what we do know for a fact. There is a strong political component to the Democratic Party’s immigration policy. We’re not guessing this, we know this. And we know it …

The Hill reports: Senate Republicans are resisting calls for gun reform in response to the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., frustrating their colleagues across the aisle who say more action is needed in wake of the massacre. “It just doesn’t seem to be helpful to me to go after law-abiding citizens and our Second Amendment rights, so I’m going …

The Associated Press reports: Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday won the GOP gubernatorial primary, beating a Trump-backed challenger who had repeatedly criticized the incumbent for not being conservative enough. The intraparty contest between Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin was an example of the choice GOP voters face nationwide between established candidates and insurgents endorsed by former President Donald …