Tag Archives: LGBT youth

TEXAS: Life Sentence For Man Convicted In 2012 Deadly Attack On Teenage Lesbian Couple [VIDEO]

Corpus Christi’s NBC affiliate reports: A San Patricio County jury has returned a guilty verdict against David Strickland for the 2012 shootings that killed Mollie Olgin and critically wounded Kristene Chapa. Prosecutors were not pursuing the death penalty, therefore the defendant was given an automatic life sentence. Following the verdict, Kristene Chapa spoke to KRIS 6 News. “I was very …

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SHOCK: Court Tosses Conviction Of Student Whose Anti-Gay Bullying Led To Suicide Of Tyler Clementi

The New York Daily News reports: The 15-count conviction against a Rutgers University student who spied on his roommate and caught him kissing another man — leading to the roommate’s suicide — was thrown out by a New Jersey appeals court Friday. Dharun Ravi will face a new trial on some of the original charges, but not all of them. …

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TEXAS: Ex-Gay Torture Billboards Appear In Waco

This is the same lame artwork PFOX was using ten years ago. From the Dallas Morning News: The controversial signs are sponsored by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, a nonprofit organization that, according to its website, was created “to be an alternative to the misinformed gay family groups which insist that parents can only prove their love for …

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NORTH CAROLINA: Flailing Gov. Pat McCrory Attacks Transgender Students In New Campaign Ad [VIDEO]

Mic.com reports: North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory doubled down on his state’s transgender bathroom law in a new ad for his tough re-election bid, saying the law — which requires transgender students to use the restroom of their sex assigned at birth — protects everyone’s “privacy and safety.” There is no evidence to support the claim that transgender-inclusive restrooms are …

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TEXAS: Federal Judge Blocks Implementation Of Obama’s Transgender Guidelines For Public Schools

Bloomberg reports: The Obama administration was barred by a judge from enforcing a directive that U.S. public schools allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to their gender identity. A federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday sided with Texas and 12 other states that argued the administration’s policy usurps local control and threatens students’ safety …

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Seattle City Council Unanimously Bans Ex-Gay Torture

Via press release from the National Center for Lesbian Rights: Today, Seattle City Council unanimously voted to protect LGBTQ youth in the city from conversion therapy, making Seattle the 10th jurisdiction—along with California, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Vermont, Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, and Miami Beach, FL—to protect youth from this dangerous practice. Today’s 9-0 vote protects LGBTQ youth from …

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NORTH CAROLINA: Arguments Begin At Trial To Halt Enforcement Of Hate Law, Judge Skeptical Of HB2

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: A federal judge expressed skepticism on Monday that North Carolina lawmakers were solving a legitimate safety problem when they passed a law in spring that bans many transgender people from restrooms in government facilities that match their gender identity. US District Court Judge Thomas D. Schroeder also seemed flummoxed at one point by how the …

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Ex-Gay Nutjob: Satan Made Your Child Gay

The relentlessly vicious Christian site Charisma News has published a primer of sorts for parents whose children have come out. The first thing to do, ex-gay lunatic David Kyle Foster notes, is to blame Satan. He writes: Despite what the media and all of the pride parades might have you think, no one wants to be gay! Your child did …

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Washington Leads 12 States In Filing Court Brief In Support Of Obama’s Transgender Rights Directive

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: A federal judge should not halt enforcement of Obama administration policies that advance protections for transgender students and workers under existing civil rights laws, according to a dozen states that will file a brief in federal court on Wednesday. “The bottom line is that the federal guidance at issue here threatens no imminent harm,” reads …

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RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Denies Support For Ex-Gay Torture Appears In GOP Platform (It Does)

Yesterday RNC chairman Reince Priebus flatly denied that ex-gay torture is part of the 2016 GOP platform even though it was preliminarily approved last week thanks to Tony Perkins. From the Associated Press: Priebus denied that language inserted into a draft of the party platform encourages “conversion therapy,” which religious conservatives believe can stop gay people from being gay. The …

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SHORT FILM: Son Comes Out To Dad On Prom Night

Out Magazine recaps: In case you didn’t know, Hallmark Cards now has its own streaming service, Feeln. For a few dollars a month you can watch all those feel-good Hallmark Hall of Fame movies as well as original series. Feeln also produces original shorts, including a new addition called The Beginning, which features a young man coming out to his …

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NEW YORK CITY: Court Hears Harlem Hate Church’s Bankruptcy Case, Proceedings Likely To Drag On

Just in from Ali Forney Center founder Carl Siciliano: The ATLAH hearing happened this morning. ATLAH’s attorneys argued they should have the opportunity to make their case that ATLAH should be exempt from their water bills. The Dept of Environmental Protection, and the lien holder argued ATLAH should not have that opportunity in light of past judgements and rulings. Now …

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PHILADELPHIA: Public School System Adopts Sweeping Pro-Transgender Student Rights Policy

Morning Call reports: The governing body of Philadelphia public schools has adopted a new policy that would allow transgender students to use restrooms and join groups — including athletic teams — that correspond with their gender identity. The Philadelphia School Reform Commission adopted the new policy Thursday night. It also allows students to be referred to by a pronoun of …

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UNANIMOUS VOTE: Miami Beach Bans Ex-Gay Torture

Via press release: By a unanimous vote from all members present, the Miami Beach Commission — in a move spearheaded by Commissioner John Aleman at the urging of SAVE, South Florida’s foremost advocate for the LGBTQ community — enacted today a ban on so-called “conversion therapy,” also known as “reparative therapy.” So-called “conversion therapy” is a sham treatment which aims …

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BREAKING: Fourth Circuit Court Stays Pro-Transgender Rights Ruling Pending Possible Review By SCOTUS

NOTE: An important clarification is below. Earlier: That was amazingly fast. Patch.com reports: A stay has been issued in the case of a Virginia school’s transgender bathroom policy, meaning the case will go before the Supreme Court of the United States, according to a report. The Gloucester County School Board passed a policy restricting students to restrooms reflecting their “biological …

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VIRGINIA: Haters Take Trans Case To SCOTUS

Last month the Fourth Circuit Court refused to revisit its ruling, so we knew this was coming. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed: A case challenging the Obama administration’s interpretation of existing civil rights laws as providing protections from discrimination for transgender people will be headed to the Supreme Court this summer. Because the court is soon recessing for the summer, …

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T-Shirts: GLSEN Teams Up With The NBA

Just in from GLSEN: Today, the NBA announced a partnership with Teespring, a leading on-demand commerce platform, and GLSEN on a 2-week campaign supporting LGBT Pride month. As part of this, Teespring will offer PRIDE shirts featuring all 30 NBA teams with officially licensed logos. Each will have a black background with the team logo emblazoned in rainbow. All of …

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Pat McCrory: I’m Not Budging On Anti-LGBT Hate Law

From the Winston-Salem Journal: Gov. Pat McCrory said he will continue to fight for a “respect for privacy” in the face of a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit over the state’s controversial “bathroom bill.” McCrory was speaking at North Carolinians for Home Education’s annual conference, being held this week at the Benton Convention Center. McCrory praised the several hundred families …

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Obama Speaks Out On Transgender Students: We Should Treat Them With Dignity And Kindness [VIDEO]

Chris Johnson report at the Washington Blade: President Obama predicted on Wednesday courts will settle which public restroom transgender students should be able to use amid continuing controversy over the issue. Obama made the remarks in response to a question during a town hall on “PBS News Hour” with Gwen Ifill as part of a trip to Elkhart, Ind., in …

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TEXAS: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Orders Public Schools To Defy Feds On Transgender Student Guidelines

From the Associated Press: The fight over bathroom rights for transgender students escalated in Texas on Tuesday as the state’s lieutenant governor urged schools to defy the Obama administration while parents of transgender children accused Republican leaders of stoking intolerance and making their kids targets for bullying. Few states are as publicly and persistently pushing back on transgender rights as …

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