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2021-2022
Georgia Governor Signs Series of
Controversial Education Bills into Law
Florida Gov Says Those Opposing Don’t-Say-Gay Bill
Complicit In Pedophilia
Gay Lawmaker Confront GOP Colleague Over
Anti-Trans Bill
Those Who Support Laws Against LGBTQ Kids Should Burn in
Hell
US Justice Dept Warns States Against
Treading on Civil Rights of Transgender Youth
Ariana DeBose Becomes First Openly Queer Woman of Color
to Win Acting Oscar
Biden Administration
Warns States That Anti-Trans Laws
Violate Federal Law and Constitution
First Federal Suit Against Florida's
'Don't Say Gay' Law Filed
Don’t Mess With Trans Kids: Charitable
Merch That Raised $120,000
Florida Governor Signs Controversial Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Into Law
SCOTUS Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Grilled on
Marriage Equality
Supreme Court Drafts Opinion to
Overturn Roe v Wade
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled.”
-Justice Samuel Alito
The US Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark
Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft
majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito.
The draft opinion is
a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973
decision which guaranteed federal constitutional
protections of abortion rights (Roe v. Wade) and the
subsequent 1992 decision (Planned Parenthood v. Casey)
that largely maintained the right.
“Roe was
egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito writes.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” he
writes in the document, labeled as the “Opinion of the
Court.”

Supreme Court Draft Opinion Would Overturn Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court has Voted to Overturn Abortion Rights,
Draft Opinion Shows
Ocasio-Cortez: Supreme Court Isn’t Just Coming for Abortion
Amanda Gorman: Reasons to Stand Up for Roe v Wade
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its
reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has
had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a
national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey
have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
-Justice Samuel Alito
The other Republican-appointed justices (Clarence
Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney
Barrett) had voted with Alito in the conference held
among the justices after hearing oral arguments in
December, and that line-up remains unchanged as of this
week.
The three Democratic-appointed justices (Stephen Breyer,
Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan) are working on one or more
dissents, according to the person. How Chief Justice
John Roberts will ultimately vote, and whether he will
join an already written opinion or draft his own, is
unclear.
[Source: Josh
Gerstein & Alexander Ward, Politico, May 2022]
SNL Tribute: Prayer for Ukraine
Ketanji Brown Jackson Schools GOP Senator Who Ranted
About Gay Marriage
Texas Judge Blocks Probes of Trans Kids' Supportive
Parents Statewide
Anti-Trans Legislative Push Starts Again in 2022
At least 7 States Proposed Anti-Trans Bills in First
Week of 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson Schools GOP Senator Who Ranted
About Gay Marriage
Texas Judge Blocks Probes of Trans Kids' Supportive
Parents Statewide
Mallory McMorrow Responds to Lana Theis'
Lies
"I am the biggest threat to your hollow,
hateful scheme."
-Mallory McMorrow
A video of Michigan state Senator
Mallory McMorrow hitting back against a
claim she wants to "groom and sexualize"
children was viewed more than one
million times on social media.
Michigan state Senator Lana Theis, a
Republican, made the claim in a
fundraising email, writing that McMorrow,
a Democrat, and others are "outraged
they can't...groom and sexualize
kindergarteners or that 8-year-olds are
responsible for slavery," Michigan
Advance reported. The e-mail came after
McMorrow walked out of the Senate during
an invocation by Theis.
In recent weeks, some conservatives have
accused people who want to educate
students about LGBTQ issues of being "groomers"
and trying to sexualize children—a claim
condemned by many as a homophobic
attack.

"We have to stand up against
blatant hatred."
-Mallory McMorrow
McMorrow, while speaking on the Senate
floor on Tuesday, blasted the accusation
in a video that has gone viral, being
viewed more than one million times and
causing the senator's name to trend. "I
sat on it for a while, wondering why me?
said McMorrow. "And then I
realized—because I am the biggest threat
to your hollow, hateful scheme. Because
you can't claim that you're targeting
marginalized kids in the name of
'parental rights' if another parent is
standing up to say 'no.'"
Later in the speech, McMorrow responded
to Theis' claim that she believes
8-year-olds are responsible for slavery.
"I am a straight, white, Christian,
married suburban mom who knows that the
very notion that learning about slavery
or redlining or systemic racism somehow
means that children are being taught to
feel bad or hate themselves because they
are white is absolute nonsense," she
said.
McMorrow added: "No child alive today is
responsible for slavery. No one in this
room is responsible for slavery, but
each and every one of us bears
responsibility for writing the next
chapter of history. Each and every one
of us decides what happens next, and how
we respond to history and the world
around us."

"This same rhetoric is now being used to
attack an already marginalized
community, particularly LGBTQ kids to
deflect and scapegoat so that people are
so mad and taking out their anger on gay
kids," she said.
McMorrow said she hopes that more people
like her stand up and fight back, adding
that Democrats cannot listen to polling
that suggests they should not focus on
these social issues. "We can't in good
conscious do that. We have to stand up
against blatant hatred because that's
what allows it to thrive," she said.
[Source: Anthony Stanton, Newsweek,
April 2022]
Mallory vs Lana: Confronting Ignorant Lies and
Misinformation
Mallory McMorrow's Response to
'Grooming' Claim
Lawmaker's Blistering Rebuke After
Colleague's Baseless 'Grooming'
Accusations
Mallory McMorrow Responds to Lana Theis'
Lies
Gay Alabama Lawmaker’s Rant Goes Viral
as Republicans Criminalize
Trans-Friendly Doctors
“In one breathtakingly cruel and
cowardly day, the Alabama legislature
passed the single most anti-transgender
legislative package in history."
-Cathryn Oakley, Human Rights Campaign
“There are very real challenges facing
our young people, especially with
today’s societal pressures and modern
culture. I believe very strongly that if
the Good Lord made you a boy, you are a
boy, and if he made you a girl, you are
a girl. We should especially protect our
children from these radical,
life-altering drugs and surgeries when
they are at such a vulnerable stage in
life. Instead, let us all focus on
helping them to properly develop into
the adults God intended them to be.”
-Kay Ivey, Alabama Governor
“This
is personal y’all. I’m trying to appeal
to you that this is not small
government. This is invasive."
-Neil Rafferty, Alabama State
Representative
An impassioned Democratic lawmaker in
Alabama calling out his Republican
colleagues for their attacks on trans
youth has gone viral after the state
passed a law to jail doctors who provide
gender-affirming care to minors. “I
don’t know how this became a platform
issue for y’all,” said out gay state
Rep. Neil Rafferty (D) in the Alabama
legislature. “I don’t know where it
became a central core issue to pick on
these kids, to pick on these families. I
don’t know where it is or why y’all
think that this is something that we
need to vote on, not just vote on, but
put off the top of the calendar like
it’s a priority.”
Not to be outdone by Florida's recent
anti-LGBTQ legislation, the Alabama
Senate passed an anti-transgender
bathroom bill, requiring transgender
students to use the restroom associated
with the sex on their birth certificate
instead of their gender. At the last
minute, the senators added a copycat
Don’t-Say-Gay bill that’s even more
restrictive than the on Florida passed.
At the same time, the
Republican-controlled Alabama House
passed a law to criminalize doctors who
provide gender affirming care to
transgender youth, and that’s what Rep.
Rafferty (one of 28 Democrats in the
chamber with 75 Republicans) was
speaking out against.
Rafferty (who represents Birmingham)
called out Republicans pushing the bill
for their insinuation that the families
of transgender youth don’t care about
their kids. “It’s a priority for
us to be getting involved in private
family medical decisions that are made
with a team of healthcare providers,
that are made with the parents centering
around the child who are surrounded by a
team of healthcare providers, mental
health professionals who are guiding
them through this process?” he implored
his colleagues. “You want to think
you’re just going to a doc-in-a-box or
willy-nilly, just getting prescribed
this stuff because somebody just said,
hey, this is it.”

“In Alabama, instead of focusing on
critical kitchen-table issues like the
economy, COVID, or addressing the
country’s mental health crisis,
Republican lawmakers are currently
debating legislation that, among many
things, would target trans youth with
tactics that threatens to put
pediatricians in prison if they provide
medically necessary, lifesaving
healthcare for the kids they serve. Just
like the extreme government overreach
we’ve seen in Texas, where politicians
have sent state officials into the homes
of loving parents to investigate them
for abuse — just to harass and
intimidate the LGBTQ community — today’s
vote in Alabama will only serve to harm
kids.”
-Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary
"We want to ensure our elementary
school classrooms remain free from any
kind of sex talk."
-Kay Ivey, Alabama Governor
“It’s hard enough growing up being
different. It’s even harder growing up
being different, and then have a state
legislature, your elected officials, the
leaders of this state, put a target on
children’s backs, put a target on the
parents’ backs, and once again get in
the middle of their decisions.”
-Neil Rafferty, Alabama State
Representative

“That’s not how being transgender
works.” Then he discussed his own
identity. “Trust me, if I didn’t
have to be gay, I wouldn’t be,” Rafferty
said. “You know how much easier my
freaking life would be? This is personal
y’all. I’m trying to appeal to you that
this is not small government. This is
invasive. Just don’t you dare call me a
friend after this,” he said as he left
the stand.
[Source: Alex Bollinger, LGBTQ Nation,
April 2022]
LGBTQ Nation: Gay Alabama Lawmaker’s
Righteous Rant Goes Viral as Republicans
Criminalize Trans-Friendly Voctors
Advocate: Alabama GOP Gov. Signs Bill
Making Gender-Affirming Care a Felony
NPR: Alabama Legislature Votes to Ban
Gender-Affirming Medical Care for
Transgender Youth
Gov. Kay Ivey Signs Don’t-Say-Gay and
Anti-LGBTQ Bathroom Bills Into Law
ABC News: Alabama Governor Signs
Don't-Say-Gay, Trans Care, and Bathroom
Ban Bills
Advocate: Alabama Advances Don't-Say-Gay
Legislation in Last-Minute Amendment
Alabama’s Only Openly Gay Legislator
Opposes Anti-Trans Bill
USA Today: Alabama Passes Expanded
Version of Transgender Bathroom Bill
That Includes LGBTQ Discussion Ban
NBC News: Alabama Governor Signs Bill
Criminalizing Transgender Health Care
for Minors
Groups Say They’ll Sue to Dismantle
Alabama’s New Anti-Transgender Laws
CBS News: Alabama Governor Signs
Sweeping Law Banning Medication for
Transgender Youth
'Say Gay' Billboards Debut Across
Country Opposing Anti-LGBTQ Bills
We're not
trying to turn straight kids into queer
kids.
We're trying to make sure you don't turn
queer kids into dead kids.
After Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis signed
the state's "Don't Say Gay" bill into
law, two organizations are hoping to
send messages of support to LGBTQ youth
across the country. Southern Progress
PAC and FOLX Health kicked off a digital
billboard campaign on March 31,
Transgender Day of Visibility, in
several cities where anti-LGBTQ bills
like "Don't Say Gay" are in the works.
The billboards include messages such as
"Say Gay" and "Protect Trans Youth" as
the two groups hope to combat what they
call the "harmful and unnecessary"
legislation.

"The bill is quite frankly, a solution
looking for a problem. We should let
kids talk about who they are and where
they come from, without fear of
repercussions," Southern Progress PAC
volunteer Ally Sammarco said. "The idea
that teachers are grooming children is a
weird conservative fantasy that helps
them 'explain' why some kids are gay.
It's just not true. Most people know
what the real intent of this bill is,
and if you ask anyone from the LGBTQ
community, they know what the
consequences will be." The messages on
the billboards are straight forward said
Sammarco. "It's OK to say gay. It's more
than OK. It's encouraged," she said. "We
want to make it very clear that it's OK
to talk about who you are and where you
come from and no one can stop you from
doing that."
[Source: Emell Adolphus, Edge Media
Network Contributor, April 2022]
Florida Governor Signs Controversial Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Into Law
Billboards Across Florida Encourage People to Say Gay
First Federal Suit Against Florida's
'Don't Say Gay' Law Filed
Don’t Mess With Trans Kids: Charitable
Merch That Raised $120,000
LGBTQ Group Sues Florida Over
Don't-Say-Gay Law
Homophobic and Transphobic Lies are Now the Basis for
Florida Law
Apple's Tim Cook Raises Concern Over LGBTQ Laws in the
US
Queer Lives Under Attack: Fight Back at
the Polls
Report: LGBTQ Students Are Target of Coordinated
Right-Wing Attack
Out Gov. Jared Polis Slams Republicans
for Attacking LGBTQ People With Over 150 Bills
Texas Judge Blocks Probes of Trans Kids' Supportive
Parents Statewide
Don’t-Say-Gay Bill Passes Florida Senate and Heads to
Governor's Desk
Georgia Legislators Introduce Florida-Style
Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Texas Families Fleeing to Protect Their Kids From Trans
Child Abuse Directive
South Dakota Becomes First State in 2022 to Pass
Anti-Trans Bill
LGBTQ Advocates Fight Measure to Ban Sexual/Gender Identity
Talk in Schools
Anti-Trans Legislative Push Starts Again in 2022
At least 7 States Proposed Anti-Trans Bills in First
Week of 2022
Ariana DeBose Becomes First Openly Queer
Woman of Color to Win Acting Oscar
Ariana DeBose has won the Oscar for best
supporting actress at the 94th Academy
Awards. She makes history as first queer
woman of color to win an Oscar. it
is the same award Rita Moreno won, her
predecessor in the same role in West
Side Story in 1962.
DeBose beat out fellow nominees Jessie
Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”), Judi
Dench (“Belfast”), Kirsten Dunst (“The
Power of the Dog”) and Aunjanue Ellis
(“King Richard”) to take home the
supporting actress trophy Sunday night
at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

DeBose won the prize for her role in the
Steven Spielberg-directed West Side
Story remake, in which she plays the key
role of Anita, the girlfriend of Sharks
gang leader Bernardo, and sings the
famous number America. It makes DeBose
only the second Latina actor to win an
Oscar, after Moreno, and the first queer
woman of color.
To a standing ovation, DeBose celebrated
Moreno as a trailblazer: “I’m so
grateful – your Anita paved the way for
tons of Anitas like me, and I love you,”
she said, gesturing to Moreno. “Now you
see why Anita says ‘I want to be in
America’, because even in this weary
world that we live in, dreams do come
true, and that’s a really heartening
thing right now,” DeBose said.
DeBose has already won a string of
awards for her role in the film,
including best supporting actress at the
Baftas, Golden Globes and Screen Actors
Guild awards.

At the end of her speech, the
31-year-old actor harkened to her early
days as an aspiring performer. “Imagine
this little girl in the back seat of a
white Ford Focus, look into her eyes,”
she said. “You see an openly queer woman
of color, an Afro-Latina, who found her
strength in life through art. And that
is, I think, what we’re here to
celebrate.” To anyone who “has ever
questioned your identity” or “lived in
the grey spaces”, she added, “there is,
indeed, a place for us”.
Ariana DeBose: First Openly Queer Woman
of Color to Win Acting Oscar
West Side Story Cast Performs "America"
From "West Side Story"
Ariana DeBose Becomes First Openly Queer
Woman of Color to Win Acting Oscar
Oscars 2022: Ariana DeBose Wins Best
Supporting Actress for 'West Side Story'
Ariana DeBose Accepts the Oscar for
Supporting Actress
Oscars 2022: Winners Recap 94th Academy
Awards
Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed as
Supreme Court Justice
"I am the dream and the hope of the
slave. It has taken 232 years and
115 prior appointments for a Black woman
to be selected to serve on the Supreme
Court of the United States. But we’ve
made it. We’ve made it, all of us. In my
family, it took just one generation to
go from segregation to the Supreme
Court. I am humbled and “honored to be
given the opportunity to serve as a
justice."
-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
"We witnessed a truly historic moment.
We’re going to look back and see this as
a moment of real change in American
history. I applaud the pose and
composure Justice Jackson showed during
her confirmation hearings, during which
she endured vile and baseless attacks on
her record. It was verbal abuse."
-President Joe Biden
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been
confirmed as a justice of the US Supreme
Court, with three Republicans breaking
with their party, which largely opposed
her. The Senate confirmed her by a vote
of 53-47, with three Republicans joining
all Democrats and independents to
confirm her as the first Black woman to
sit on the nation’s highest court.
Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa
Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of
Utah were the Republicans. She will be
sworn in this summer, after Justice
Stephen Breyer retires. She is currently
a judge on the US Court of Appeals for
the DC Circuit and has been a public
defender and vice chair of the US
Sentencing Commission.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
characterized Jackson as a far-left
judge and other Republicans grilled her
about marriage equality — which she
supports — and tried to paint her as
soft on crime due to her sentences in
child pornography cases, although legal
analysts said the sentences she handed
down were within accepted parameters. US
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even smeared
the three Republicans who supported
Jackson as “pro-pedophile” and called
the Democrats “the party of pedophiles.”
Jackson had the backing of LGBTQ and
other civil rights groups after
President Joe Biden announced her
nomination to the court, and they are
hailing her confirmation. Even though
she had once sat on the board of a
private school that had an antigay
statement on its website, she was a
supporter of LGBTQ equality. She once
said she was primarily working on
fundraising plans for the school and
didn’t know about the antigay statement.
“We are thrilled to join in the
celebration today of the historic and
bipartisan confirmation of Judge Ketanji
Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court,”
Imani Rupert-Gordon, executive director
of the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, said in a press release. “As a
leading civil rights organization that
works through the courts to seek equity
and justice for LGBTQ people, we are
acutely aware of how important it is to
have a judiciary that reflects the
diversity of this country.
“Judge Jackson is immensely qualified to
serve on the nation’s highest court and
brings important professional and
experiential diversity to the position,
which will benefit us all. Her
perspective will enrich the Court’s
deliberations and her presence will
increase public confidence in the
institution. Judge Jackson has already
inspired us with her extraordinary
professional accomplishments and
contributions, and we know that she will
continue to inspire this and future
generations as an exceptional Supreme
Court Justice.”
“As I have pursued this professional
path, and if I’m fortunate enough to be
confirmed as the next associate justice
of the Supreme Court of the United
States, I can only hope that my life and
career, my love of this country and the
Constitution, and my commitment to
upholding the rule of law and the sacred
principles upon which this great nation
was founded, will inspire future
generations of Americans.”
-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

“For too long, our government, our
courts, haven’t looked like America. I
believe it’s time that we have a court
that reflects the full talents and
greatness of our nation with a nominee
of extraordinary qualifications, and
that we inspire all young people to
believe that they can one day serve
their country at the highest level."
-President Joe Biden
“LGBTQ rights are under attack all
across this country, and today’s
confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown
Jackson to the US Supreme Court is a
critical step to ensure our hard-won
progress is not reversed by those using
the courts to fight outdated culture
wars,” added GLAAD President and CEO
Sarah Kate Ellis. “Judge Jackson’s
experience and judicial temperament will
make her one of the most qualified
justices ever to serve on the Court.
GLAAD congratulates Judge Jackson and
our entire nation on this historic and
long overdue representation.”
“Words can only partly express the
soul-deep joy we feel in this moment,”
said Ben Jealous, president of People
for the American Way. “The confirmation
of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who will
be the first Black woman on the Supreme
Court, caps so many years of striving
and struggle by Black women persevering
in the fight for an equal voice in our
society. The future Justice Jackson is a
person of matchless credentials and a
demonstrated commitment to civil rights
and the Constitution, who is poised to
shatter one of our country’s oldest
glass ceilings. As the grandson of a
Black woman who fought for civil rights
throughout the twentieth century and the
father of a Black daughter who sees a
new day dawning for her generation, I
could not be more proud.”
One of the cases Jackson will hear in
the court’s next term, which begins in
October 2022, will involve whether a web
designer has the right to refuse service
to same-sex couples who want to set up
wedding websites.
[Source: Trudy Ring, Advocate, April
2022]
Ketanji Brown Jackson Makes History as
First Black Woman on Supreme Court
Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed to US
Supreme Court
Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed to
SCOTUS Despite GOP Smear Attempts
Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to
Supreme Court: First Black Woman to
Serve as a Justice
GOP Senators Chose to Disrespect Ketanji
Brown Jackson

Current LGBTQ
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Apple's Tim Cook Raises Concern Over LGBTQ Laws in the
US
Queer Lives Under Attack: Fight Back at
the Polls
Report: LGBTQ Students Are Target of Coordinated
Right-Wing Attack
At least 35 Out LGBTQ Athletes in Beijing Winter
Olympics
Out Gov. Jared Polis Slams Republicans
for Attacking LGBTQ People With Over 150 Bills
HIV Discoverer Luc Montagnier Dead at 89
First Year in Office: Long List of Things
Joe Biden has Done for the LGBTQ Community
Don’t-Say-Gay Bill Passes Florida Senate and Heads to
Governor's Desk
Georgia Legislators Introduce Florida-Style
Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Texas Families Fleeing to Protect Their Kids From Trans
Child Abuse Directive
South Dakota Becomes First State in 2022 to Pass
Anti-Trans Bill
LGBTQ Advocates Fight Measure to Ban Sexual/Gender Identity
Talk in Schools
Florida Governor
Signs Controversial Don't-Say-Gay Bill Into Law
"This cruel legislation is an affront to our Nation’s
cherished values and sends a harmful message to our
children. Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans
have chosen to needlessly bully, isolate and demean
LGBTQ students. I am deeply moved by the thousands of
students who have spoken up and walked out to protest
this bigoted legislation. House Democrats proudly stand
with them, and we will continue fighting to enact long
overdue protections for LGBTQ Americans – starting with
the Equality Act."
-Nancy Pelosi
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the Parental Rights
in Education bill, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by
critics. The bill bans classroom instruction on sexual
orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through
third grade and states that any instruction on those
topics cannot occur "in a manner that is not
age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for
students in accordance with state standards," according
to the legislation, HB 1557.
"We will make sure that parents can send their kids to
school to get an education, not an indoctrination,"
DeSantis said before signing the bill Monday. The
legislation states that the Florida Department of
Education would have to update its standards in
accordance with the requirements. Under this bill,
parents can also decline any mental, emotional and
physical health services available to their children at
school, and schools will be required to notify parents
of their child's use of school health services unless
there is reason to believe "that disclosure would
subject the student to abuse, abandonment or neglect."

Parents
could sue their school district if they believe there is
a violation of any of these requirements or
restrictions. The bill is expected to go into effect
July 1, 2022.
"I think the last couple years have really revealed to
parents that they are being ignored increasingly across
our country when it comes to their kids education. We
have seen curriculum embedded for very, very young
children, classroom materials about sexuality and woke
gender ideology. We've seen libraries that have clearly
inappropriate pornographic materials for very young
kids," DeSantis claimed at the signing.
The bill has stirred debate and controversy nationwide.
Critics say that this ban is aimed at ridding classrooms
of LGBTQ content and discussion. They say it will harm
LGBTQ youth by shunning representation and inclusion in
classrooms, putting the mental health and safety of this
group at risk. "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 legislation," local LGBTQ advocacy group
Equality Florida said in a statement.
They also said erasing the presence of the LGBTQ
community from lessons implies students should be
ashamed or should suppress their gender identity or
sexual orientation. Legislators against the bill argued
that students are aware of gender identity and sexual
orientation at a young age and said schools should be
allowed to offer spaces to discuss these topics. The
Biden administration has denounced the legislation and
met with LGBTQ youth and their families in the state.
"Laws around the country, including in Florida, have
targeted and sought to bully some of our most vulnerable
students and families and create division in our
schools," Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in
a statement. He added: "My message to you is that this
administration won't stand for bullying or
discrimination of any kind, and we will use our
authorities to protect, support and provide
opportunities for LGBTQ students and all students."
Supporters
of the bill say that these discussions and decisions
should be left to the parents. "What we're preventing is
a school district deciding they're going to create a
curriculum to insert themselves," Rep. Joe Harding, the
sponsor of the bill, said. He added, "Families are
families. Let the families be families. The school
district doesn't need to insert themselves at that point
when children are still learning how to read and do
basic math."
"This bill is not intended to hurt students," added
Florida state Sen. Kelli Stargel in debate on the
legislation. "This bill is not intended to out gay
children. This bill is intended to strengthen the
family."
More than six in 10 Americans oppose legislation that
would prohibit classroom lessons about sexual
orientation or gender identity in elementary school, a
recent poll found.
[Source: Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, March 2022]
Florida Governor Signs Controversial Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Into Law
Enabling Hate: Fla. Gov. DeSantis Signs
Historic Don't-Say-Gay Bill
ABC News: What is the Don't-Say-Gay Law?
Florida Gov Says Those Opposing Don’t-Say-Gay Bill
Complicit In Pedophilia
LGBTQ Group Sues Florida Over
Don't-Say-Gay Law
Don’t-Say-Gay Bill Signed by Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis
Florida's Governor Signs Controversial Anti-LGBTQ Law
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Limiting LGBTQ
Classroom Instruction
Homophobic and Transphobic Lies are Now the Basis for
Florida Law
Billboards Across Florida Encourage People to Say Gay
More States Are Now Pushing for Don't-Say-Gay Bills and
Censorship Laws
Poll: Most Americans Oppose Laws Prohibiting Elementary
School LGBTQ Lessons
I'm Gay by Randy Rainbow
Judge Says: Kim
Davis Violated Same-Sex Couples' Rights by Refusing
Marriage Licenses
Davis
claims she was acting on God's authority to deny
marriage licenses...
and
to illegally impose her personal religious beliefs on
other people...
Kim Davis — the former clerk in Kentucky whose refusal
to sign marriage certificates for same-sex couples
grabbed national headlines in 2015 — violated their
constitutional rights, a federal judge found. The
decision leaves open the question of whether the former
clerk is responsible for the legal fees of the two
couples who sued and other monetary damages that have
accrued over the nearly seven years of legal
back-and-forth. A jury will decide whether Davis is
liable for those fees and other damages, which likely
stands around hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"After seven years, Judge Bunning finally ruled that Kim
Davis intentionally violated our constitutional rights,"
David Ermold remarked. He is one of the people initially
denied a marriage license by Davis. "Now, the question
is will they hold her financially responsible for the
insensitive and irrational legal mess that SHE created,"
he said. "It feels like seven years of legal purgatory."

The Liberty Counsel, which represents Davis, says it
"will continue to argue that she is not liable for
damages because she was entitled to a religious
accommodation," which Governor Mat Bevin and the
legislature granted. "Davis argues that a finding
of liability would violate the First Amendment Free
Exercise of Religion," says the counsel, a religious
liberty organization that litigates cases involving
evangelical Christian values.
The legal battle started in 2015 when Davis, in her
capacity of a county clerk, defied the Supreme Court's
ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. It's the landmark
decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
She said distributing marriage licenses to such couples
went against her beliefs as a member of the Apostolic
Church, arguing that she could not give them a marriage
license "under God's authority." Her refusal
quickly drew support from social conservatives and anger
from same-sex marriage advocates.

Ermold and now-husband David Moore were denied marriage
licenses three times, and another couple — James Yates
and Will Smith — were denied licenses four times. A
deputy clerk finally approved their licenses while Davis
spent five days in jail for contempt of court.
Both couples say the ordeal has caused mental anguish
and emotional harm, among other issues.
[Source: Jaclyn Diaz, National Public Radio, March 2022]
NPR: Judge Says Kim Davis Violated Same-Sex Couples'
Rights by Refusing Marriage Licenses
USA Today: Judge Rules Kim Davis, who denied same-sex
marriage licenses in Kentucky, violated couples' rights
NBC: Judge Rules Against Kentucky Clerk Who Denied
Same-Sex Marriage Licenses
CBS: Former Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Violated Rights of
Same-Sex Couples, Judge Rules
CNN: Federal Judge Rules Kim Davis Violated Rights When
She Refused Marriage Licenses Same-Sex Couples in 2015
Rolling Stone: Clerk Who Denied Marriage Licenses to Gay
Couples Violated Constitutional Rights, Finds Federal
Judge
LGBTQ Nation: Judge Rules Former KY Clerk Kim Davis
Violated Constitutional Rights of Same-Sex Marriage
Couples
Violence Against
Women Act Expands Services to LGBTQ Survivors
“No one, regardless of gender or sexual orientation,
should experience abuse. Period. And if they do, they
should have the service and support to get through it,
and we’re not going to rest.”
-President
Joe Biden
The Violence Against Women Act, reauthorized in the
spending bill signed into law by President Joe Biden,
now for the first time includes a grant program designed
to aid LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence and sexual
assault.
The act has for some years has barred service providers
from discriminating based on sex, sexual orientation,
and gender identity, but the reauthorized version does
much more, activists note. “This Act creates the first
grant program dedicated to expanding and developing
initiatives specifically for LGBTQ domestic violence and
sexual assault survivors,” said a statement from Liz
Seaton, the National LGBTQ Task Force’s policy director.
“Our sister organization, the National LGBTQ Task Force
Action Fund, participated in a working group on bill
language and advocated for its passage.”

“This legislation has the strongest-ever provisions to
benefit LGBTQ survivors,” added Beverly Tillery,
executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence
Project, which coordinates the National Coalition of
Anti-Violence Programs. “While the LGBTQ community
continues to experience a barrage of anti-trans and
anti-LGBTQ attacks across the nation, VAWA provides a
brief moment of hope that we can and will continue to
make important advancements for our community. This
victory is the result of a strong coalition of advocates
who have been willing to fight with and for the most
marginalized communities in our country.”
At an event celebrating the VAWA reuauthorization, Biden
noted, “No one, regardless of gender or sexual
orientation, should experience abuse. Period. And if
they do, they should have the service and support to get
through it, and we’re not going to rest.”
VAWA was first passed in 1994. Biden helped write it
when he was a US Senator. It requires reauthorization
every five years, but it lapsed in 2019, largely due to
partisan disputes over whether to include a provision
banning gun ownership by dating partners and stalkers
who have been convicted of domestic violence. The
current law bans this for those who have been spouses of
victims, and Democrats agreed to drop the expansion of
the ban in order to get the reauthorization passed.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said it was a “tough
choice” to drop that, but the level of support needed
was simply not there.
[Source: Trudy Ring, Advocate, March 2022]
Violence Against Women Act Expands
Services to LGBTQ Survivors
Don't-Say-Gay
Legislation Moves Forward
The
Florida legislature has passed the controversial
Don’t-Say-Gay bill and sent it to Gov. Ron DeSantis to
sign. The Florida Senate voted 22-17 in favor of the
bill. Republicans Jeffrey Brandes and Jennifer Bradley
joined Democratic senators in voting against it.
The vote came after the Senate rejected a series of
amendments. Republican leadership made clear no
amendments softening the language in the law would be
considered because the chamber wanted to send the bill
directly to DeSantis. The legislation prohibits
instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity
in kindergarten through third grade and places a vague
requirement of “age-appropriate” instruction in all
grade levels.

Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley argued the bill will only
increase parental involvement in children’s schooling.
On the Senate floor, Baxley expressed concern about the
rise in the number of students coming out as LGBTQ while
still in school. He discussed the subject recently with
his son, a psychologist. “Why is everybody now all about
coming out when you are in school?” he said. “There
really is a dynamic of concern about how much of this
are genuine type of experiences and how many of them are
just kids trying on different kinds of things they hear
about and different kinds of identities and
experimenting."
Baxley said many are trying to find some outside
explanation for the number of children coming out at
earlier ages. “Some of it is I’m sure cultural shift of
what’s accepted and that kind of thing. But I know some
of it is just the confusion kids go through,
particularly when you go to middle school and high
school,” he said. Senate amendments from Democrats
and one Republican, the libertarian-leaning Sen. Jeffrey
Brandes, tried to change the bill in a number of ways,
including focusing on actual sexual content, which isn’t
covered in the bill at all.

"Kids
don't turn queer because a teacher told them that queer
people exist. They turn queer because their older
sister's best friend gave them Ani DiFranco's first two
albums on cassette. Everyone knows this."
-Gillian
Branstetter
"Thank
you! Finally! My work here is done!"
-Ani
DiFranco
Gov.
DeSantis’s press secretary received significant
criticism for calling the legislation an anti-grooming
bill. “If you’re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are
probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the
grooming of 4-8-year-old children,” she said. Baxley
made clear during Senate debate that the
legislation had nothing to do with grooming, a term for
the preparation of children to be sexual partners to
adults.
During closing arguments, Sen. Linda Stewart, who is
from Orlando, cited the Pulse nightclub shooting as a
part of Florida history that cannot be discussed in
class under the bill. That hurts “a community which has
been discriminated against as long as probably any of us
have lived on this earth.” She also expressed
concern about the bill potentially opening schools to
lawsuits because it creates a cause of action from
individuals if teachers allegedly run astray of the law.
Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Republican from Miami shared
stories and made comments that revealed her ignorance
about sexual orientation and gender identity. She and
other Republican lawmakers who back the bill are doing
so with the aid of profound misunderstanding and
disinformation.
For much of the past week the Florida Capitol has been
filled with students from around Florida protesting
against the law. Some activists have suggested
that opponents of the bill should flood the Florida
state house with "say gay!" postcards! Many have
already begun addressing postcards to Ron DeSantis with
a simple message: Gay! Gay! Gay! Gay! Gay! Gay! Gay!
In the chamber, Sen. Shevrin Jones, Florida’s first out
senator, shared his personal story of not coming out
until adulthood. He praised the students for expressing
their own identities at a much younger age. “I don't
think y'all understand how much courage it takes to show
up every day,” Jones said.
“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
legislation. We will not sit by and allow the governor’s
office to call us pedophiles. We will not allow this
bill to harm LGBTQ Floridians. We will not permit any
school to enforce this in a way that endangers the
safety of children. We stand ready to fight for
Floridians in court and hold lawmakers who supported
this bill accountable at the ballot box,” LGBTQ rights
group Equality Florida said in a statement.
In response to the Senate passing the bill, US Secretary
of Education Miguel Cardona called out those who voted
for it. “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 has made clear that
all schools receiving federal funding must follow
federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s
protections against discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity.”
He added, “We stand with our LGBTQ students in Florida
and across the country, and urge Florida leaders to make
sure all their students are protected and supported.”
[Source: Jacon Ogles, Advocate Magazine, March 2022]
Don’t-Say-Gay Bill Passes Florida Senate and Heads to
Governor's Desk
Florida Senate Passes Controversial Don't-Say-Gay
Schools Bill
Georgia Legislators Introduce Florida-Style
Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Don’t-Say-Gay Legislation Filed in Georgia General
Assembly
Apple's Tim Cook Raises Concern Over LGBTQ Laws in the
US
Poll: Most Americans Oppose Laws Prohibiting Elementary
School LGBTQ Lessons
SNL: Kate McKinnon on Florida's Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Texas Judge Blocks Probes of Trans Kids' Supportive
Parents Statewide
Texas Judge Temporarily Blocks Investigations into
Parents of Transgender Kids
Texas Judge Hears Case on State's Transgender Care
Investigations
Texas Families Fleeing to Protect Their Kids From Trans
Child Abuse Directive
Idaho Passes Bill That Would Send Loving Parents of
Trans Kids to Prison for Life
Ex-GOP Candidate Calls for Firing Squads for Trans
Rights Supporters
Biden: Government Standing Up to Hateful
Transgender Bills
Russia Invades
Ukraine
“The
prayers of the entire world are with the people of
Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and
unjustified attack by Russian military forces. President
Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a
catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia
alone is responsible for the death and destruction this
attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies
and partners will respond in a united and decisive way.
The world will hold Russia accountable.”
-Joe Biden,
US President
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“Russia’s
launch of a premeditated war against the sovereign
nation of Ukraine is an attack on democracy and a grave
violation of international law, global peace and
security. Putin’s unprovoked actions will cause
devastating loss of life and a diminishing of Russia in
the world order. The United States Congress joins
President Biden and all Americans in praying for the
Ukrainian people.”
-Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
"Who in
the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to
declare new so-called countries on territory that
belonged to his neighbors? This is a flagrant violation
of international law, and it demands a firm response
from the international community."
-Joe Biden, US President
"Putin is
a genius. He's pretty smart. He's going to go in
and be a peacekeeper. Here's a guy who's very
savvy. I know him well. Very very well."
-Donald
Trump
Russia Attacks Ukraine
World Leaders Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
LGBTQ Ukrainians Prepare for Abuse Under
Russian Occupation
Info: Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Biden Condemns Unprovoked and Unjustified Russian
Military Operation
Trump Sides With Putin as Biden Tries to Stop a War
Remarks by President Biden Announcing Response to
Russian Actions in Ukraine
Anti-War Protests in Solidarity With Ukraine Around the
World
Joe Biden Denounces Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Trump's Response to Putin's Invasion of Ukraine Reveals
Divisions Among Republicans
President Biden Remarks on Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Standing on the Side of Russia: Pro-Putin Sentiment Spreads
Online
After marinating in conspiracy theories and Donald
Trump’s Russia stance, some online discourse about
Vladimir Putin has grown more complimentary. The day
before Russia invaded Ukraine, former President Trump
called the wartime strategy of President Putin “pretty
smart.” His remarks were posted on YouTube, Twitter and
the messaging app Telegram, where they were viewed more
than 1.3 million times.
Right-wing commentators including Candace Owens, Stew
Peters and Joe Oltmann also jumped into the fray online
with posts that were favorable to Putin and that
rationalized his actions against Ukraine. “I’ll stand on
the side of Russia right now,” Mr. Oltmann, a
conservative podcaster, said on his show this week.
And in Telegram groups like The Patriot Voice and
Facebook groups including Texas for Trump 2020, members
criticized President Biden’s handling of the conflict
and expressed support for Russia, with some saying they
trusted Putin more than Biden.
The online conversations reflect how pro-Russia
sentiment has increasingly penetrated Twitter, Facebook,
YouTube, right-wing podcasts, messaging apps like
Telegram and some conservative media. As Russia attacked
Ukraine this week, those views spread, infusing the
online discourse over the war with sympathy (and even
approval) for the aggressor.
.png)
The positive Russia comments are an extension of the
culture wars and grievance politics that have animated
the right in the United States in the past few years. In
some of these circles, Putin carries a strongman appeal,
viewed as someone who gets his way and does not let
political correctness stop him. “Putin embodies the
strength that Trump pretended to have,” said Emerson T.
Brooking, a resident senior fellow for the Atlantic
Council who studies digital platforms. “For these
individuals, Putin’s actions aren’t a tragedy — they’re
a fantasy fulfilled.”
Support for Putin and Russia is now being expressed
online in a jumble of facts, observations and opinions,
sometimes entwined with lies. In recent days, commenters
have complimented Putin and falsely accused NATO of
violating nonexistent territorial agreements with
Russia, which they said justified the Russian
president’s declaration of war on Ukraine.
The
pro-Russia sentiment is a stark departure from during
the Cold War, when the Soviet Union was viewed by many
Americans as a foe. In recent years, that attitude
shifted, partly helped along by interference from
Russia. Before the 2016 US presidential election,
Kremlin-backed groups used social networks like Facebook
to inflame American voters, creating more divisions and
resistance to political correctness.
After Trump was elected, he often appeared favorable to
(and even admiring of) Putin. That seeded a more
positive view of Putin among Trump’s supporters,
misinformation researchers said. “Putin has invested
heavily in sowing discord” and found an ally in Trump,
said Melissa Ryan, the chief executive of Card
Strategies, a consulting firm that researches
disinformation. “Anyone who studies disinformation or
the far right has seen the influence of Putin’s
investment take hold.” The Russia-Ukraine war is
now being viewed by some Americans through the lens of
conspiracy theories, misinformation researchers said.
Lisa Kaplan, the founder of Alethea Group, a company
that helps fight online misinformation, said the
pro-Russia statements were potentially harmful because
it could “further legitimize false or misleading claims”
about the Ukraine conflict “in the eyes of the American
people.”

Not all online discourse is pro-Russia, and Putin’s
actions have been condemned by conservative social media
users, mainstream commentators and Republican
politicians, even as some have criticized how Biden has
handled the conflict. “Vladimir Putin’s invasion
of Ukraine is reckless and evil,” Representative Kevin
McCarthy, the House Republican leader, said. And
Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from
Illinois who was censured recently by the Republican
Party for participating in the committee investigating
the Jan. 6 insurrection, criticized House Republicans
for attacking Biden, tweeting that it “feeds into
Putin’s narrative.”
The growing appreciation for Putin was captured in
recent polling from the Economist and YouGov, which
showed he was viewed more favorably by Republicans than
Biden. Another recent poll from Yahoo News and YouGov
found that 62 percent of Republicans believed Putin was
a “stronger leader” than Biden. That sentiment was
echoed in an informal poll online, when a QAnon
influencer asked followers in the Patriot Voice group on
Telegram if they trusted Putin. Nearly everyone who
responded to the question said the same thing: yes.
[Source: Davey Alba, Stuart Thompson, Ben Decker, New
York Times, Feb 2022]
Russia Attacks Ukraine
World Leaders Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
LGBTQ Ukrainians Prepare for Abuse Under
Russian Occupation
Info: Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Biden Condemns Unprovoked and Unjustified Russian
Military Operation
Trump Sides With Putin as Biden Tries to Stop a War
Remarks by President Biden Announcing Response to
Russian Actions in Ukraine
Anti-War Protests in Solidarity With Ukraine Around the
World
Joe Biden Denounces Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Trump's Response to Putin's Invasion of Ukraine Reveals
Divisions Among Republicans
President Biden Remarks on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Current LGBTQ
News
Influential Fashion Journalist André Leon Talley Dies at
73
New Day's Lyric: Amanda Gorman
MJ Rodriguez Becomes 1st Transgender
Actor to Win a Golden Globe Award
Trans Jeopardy Champ Hits $1 Million, Talks Fame, Trans Rights
Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out
Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl, Dies at 99
Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2021
Desmond Tutu, Spiritual Leader and Human Rights Hero,
Dies at 90
LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year
Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021
Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This
Year
Trans Americans Killed in 2021
Gallup Poll:
Twice as Many LGBTQ Americans
A February
2022 survey from Gallup shows that, a decade after a
2012 poll showing that 3.5% of Americans identified as
LGBTQ, twice as many Americans now identify as LGBTQ.
Driven largely by Gen Z, the latest poll shows that 7.1%
of America's population now identifies as something
other than heterosexual and/or cisgender.
The change reflects generational comfort levels with
regard to stepping out of the closet. More than 1 in 5,
or 21 percent, of Generation Z adults identify as LGBTQ,
Gallup found. That's almost double the proportion of
millennials, who are 26 to 41, at 10.5 percent, and
nearly five times the proportion of Generation X, who
are 42 to 57, at 4.2 percent.

Less than 3 percent of baby boomers, who are 58 to 76,
identify as LGBTQ, compared to just 0.8 percent of
traditionalists, who are 77 or older. Not only is the
trend increasing with each generational cohort — it's
also accelerating, at least within the ranks of
Millennials and, especially, Gen Z Americans. The
percentage of Generation Z adults who are queer has
almost doubled since 2017 — jumping from 10.5 percent in
2017 to 20.8 percent. The rise shows that younger Gen
Zers, who have turned 18 since 2017, are more likely
than older Gen Zers to identify as queer.
The poll also suggested that bisexual people constitute
the largest single subset of the LGBTQ rainbow. Here,
too, Gen Z led the way, with a whopping 15% of
respondents from that age group saying they were bi.

But the cultural landscape is not monolithic. While 70
percent of Americans support same-sex marriage rights,
and a majority also support nondiscrimination
protections for LGBTQ people, a "Values and Beliefs"
survey from 2021 saw a noticeable decline in acceptance
for trans people serving openly in the Armed Forces as
compared to a poll from only two years earlier.
Trans athletes, the target of an ongoing and
record-shattering rash of hostile legislation, were also
a notable subject in that 62 percent of Americans say
trans athletes should only be allowed to play on sports
teams that correspond with the sex they were assigned at
birth, according to last year's poll.
[Source:
NBC News, February 2022]
Gallup Poll: Twice as Many Americans Now Identify as
LGBTQ
LGBTQ Identification in US Ticks Up to 7.1%
New Poll: Record 7.1% of US Adults Now Identify as LGBTQ
Percentage of LGBTQ Adults in US has Doubled over Past
Decade
LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20
Million
LGBTQ Olympic
Athletes at 2022
Bejing Winter Games
Beijing is
hosting the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, February 2022,
and it’s not just COVID complicating China’s plans for a
seamless event. Numerous countries, including the United
States, have announced a diplomatic boycott of the games
(a move that keeps those countries’ government officials
from attending), mainly because of China’s alleged
abuses against the Uighurs and other predominantly
Muslim ethnic minorities in the northwest part of the
nation. Additionally, the Chinese government continues
to vilify its LGBTQ citizens, going so far as to ban
“sissy men” from TV last year. Even if most Chinese
athletes are forced to compete in the closet, numerous
queer athletes from around the world will represent
their countries (and the LGBTQ community) at the Games.
There are at least 35 openly LGBTQ athletes competing at
the Beijing 2022 Games, more than double the number at
PyeongChang, South Korea, in 2018 (15) and five times
the number at Sochi, Russia, in 2014 (7).
The athletes (representing 15 countries) will compete in
nine different sports, including ice hockey (12), figure
skating (10), skeleton (3), skiing (3) and snowboarding
(2).
With at least seven out players, Canada’s women’s ice
hockey team is sending more openly LGBTQ athletes to
Beijing than any other country is for its total
delegation (it is also sending two out figure skaters
and one biathlete), with the US (6) and Great Britain
(4) sending the second and third most, respectively.

Figure Skating
Filippo Ambrosini (Italy)
Kevin Aymoz (France)
Jason Brown (USA)
Guillaume Cizeron (France)
Lewis Gibson (Great Britain)
Amber Glenn (USA, reserve)
Timothy LeDuc (USA)
Paul Poirier (Canada)
Simon Proulx Sénécal (Armenia)
Eric Radford (Canada)
Ice Hockey
Brianne Jenner (Canada)
Erin Ambrose (Canada)
Ebba Berglund (Sweden)
Alex Carpenter (USA)
Emily Clark (Canada)
Mélodie Daoust (Canada)
Anna Kjellbin (Sweden)
Aneta Lédlová (Czech Republic)
Jamie Lee Rattray (Canada)
Jill Saulnier (Canada)
Ronja Savolainen (Finland)
Micah Zandee-Hart (Canada)
 |
Biathlon
Megan Bankes (Canada)
Curling
Bruce Mouat (Great Britain)
Skeleton
Andrew Blaser (USA)
Kim Meylemans (Belgium)
Nicole Silveira (Brazil)
Ski Jumping
Daniela Iraschko-Stolz (Austria)
Skiing
Makayla Gerken Schofield (Great Britain)
Gus Kenworthy (Great Britain)
Sandra Naeslund (Sweden)
Snowboarding
Belle Brockhoff (Australia)
Sarka Pancochova (Czech Republic)
Speedskating
Brittany Bowe (USA)
Ireen Wüst (Netherlands)
 |
Olympic Athletes That Identify as LGBTQ
These LGBTQ Athletes and Coaches Are Heating Up the
Games in Beijing
Record Numbers Of Openly LGBTQ Athletes Compete At
Beijing 2022
At least 35 Out LGBTQ athletes in Beijing Winter
Olympics
Notable LGBTQ Olympians Competing in the 2022 Winter
Olympics
LeDuc to Become 1st Openly Nonbinary US Winter Games
Athlete
Olympic Figure Skater Adam Rippon Just Got Married
Trans Jeopardy
Contestant: Amy Schneider's 40-Game Winning Streak Ends
" How
much it's meant to trans people to see me succeed is
something I will always, always be proud of"
-Amy
Schneider
Jeopardy
contestant Amy Schneider’s 40-game winning streak came
to an end on January 26, 2022. Schneider, who became the
second-most-winning contestant in the game show’s
history, finished second, losing to newcomer Rhone
Talsma by a margin of $29,600 to $19,600.
However,
Schneider’s performance will go down in Jeopardy history
as one of the greatest of all time. She walked away with
$1,382,800, making her the highest-earning woman in the
competition's history.

"When I
started, my biggest goal was just to win four games. Not
only did I end up winning 10 times as many, but I've
heard from so many people, especially trans people and
their loved ones, about how much it's meant to them to
see me succeed, and that's something I will always,
always be proud of," says Schneider.
Her journey with Jeopardy! is not over yet. The
California resident will return to the game show later
in 2022 for its Tournament of Champions. Schneider is
the first out transgender contestant to qualify for that
tournament.
Amy Schneider's Jeopardy Run Ends With Loss to Queer
Librarian
Jeopardy: Amy Schneider Defeated After 40 Games
Amy Schneider's Historic Jeopardy Streak Comes to an End
After 40 Wins
Meet the Champion Who Beat Amy Schneider
Amy Schneider’s Historic Jeopardy Run Comes To End

Current LGBTQ
News
Sam Brinton: Biden's Non-Binary Energy Appointment
Survey: Americans' Satisfaction with
LGTBQ Acceptance Hits New High
LGBTQ Afghans Face Surge of Rape and Torture after
Taliban Takeover
Will Humanitarian Aid Reach LGBTQ Afghans in Hiding?
Thierry Mugler, Iconic French Fashion
Designer, Dies at 73
Queer Black Feminist Writer Bell Hooks Dies at 69
Former Senate Majority Leader and Powerful LGBTQ Ally
Harry Reid Dead at 82
Jeopardy Champ Amy Schneider Becomes
Show's Top Female Earner
Canada Bans Conversion Therapy
Chile Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in Historic Vote
If Abortion Rights Go, So Could Gay Marriage
Trans Jeopardy Contestant Makes History
Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality
LGBTQ Advocates
Fight Measure to Ban Sexual/Gender Identity Talk in
Schools
"You are purposefully making your state a harder
place for LGBTQ kids to survive in"
-Chasten
Buttigieg
Chasten Buttigieg
(husband of US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg) critiqued a Florida measure that would
force teachers to out LGBTQ students and ban classroom
discussion around sexual and gender identity.
A version of the bill has passed the Florida State House
of Representatives "largely along party lines" in
January 2022. The state lawmaker who introduced the bill
to the House, Republican Rep. Joe Harding, characterized
the bill as "defending the most awesome responsibility a
person can have: being a parent."
Harding's bill, along with its companion bill introduced
by Florida state Sen. Dennis Baxley (R), would block
teachers in Florida from talking about LGBTQ topics that
are not "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate
for students."
Harding acknowledged that "the law would prevent school
districts from creating curriculum or policies that
encourage teachers to discuss LGBTQ topics in
classrooms," and, while he claimed that the bill "would
not preclude the teaching of LGBTQ history in K-12
classrooms," the lawmaker also specified that the
measure "focuses on 'specific curriculum or coursework
that puts' a student 'in a situation where they have to
have' a discussion about LGBTQ topics."

In a move reminiscent of the Texas law that weaponizes
lawsuits against abortion providers, the proposed
Florida measure "sets up a method for parents to sue
teachers or school officials, and entitles the parents
to potential monetary damages."
Chasten Buttigieg, who is a teacher, spoke out against
the push to outlaw classroom discussion of LGBTQ issues.
Addressing his remarks to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Buttigieg
said, "This will kill kids." He added: "You are
purposefully making your state a harder place for LGBTQ
kids to survive in."
Another state lawmaker, Jon Harris Maurer, spoke against
the measure, saying that "LGBTQ people are a normal,
healthy part of our society. Conversations about us
aren't something dangerous that should be banned. That's
prejudicial, and it sends a terrible message to our
young people, including LGBTQ young people, or young
people who have LGBTQ parents."

Buttigieg cited findings by The Trevor Project, an
organization that combats LGBTQ youth suicide, that
indicate 42% of youth who are non-cisgender and
non-heterosexual "seriously considered attempting
suicide in the past year." Buttigieg also cited
findings that LGBTQ students who learn in class about
issues and people directly relevant to themselves "had
23 percent lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in
the last year."
Advocates have also condemned the proposed measure due
to language in one version of the bills that "would
require educators and administrators to effectively
'out' known LGBTQ students to their parents without
their consent."
[Source: Kilian Melloy, Edge Media Network, January
2022]
Thousands of Florida Students Walk Out to
Protest Don’t-Say-Gay Bill
From Book Bans to Don’t-Say-Gay Bill, LGBTQ Kids Feel
Erased in Classroom
LGBTQ Advocates Fight Measure to Ban Gender Identity
Talk in Schools
Chasten Buttigieg: Florida's Don't-Say-Gay Law will Kill
Kids
Out Gov. Jared Polis Slams Republicans
for Attacking LGBTQ People With Over 150 Bills
Don't-Say-Gay Bill Would Keep Florida Schools From
Teaching Pulse Shooting
Florida's Don't-Say-Gay Bill Will Push Kids Back Into
the Closet
Elliot Page, Ariana Grande and Other Stars Speak Out
Against Texas Gov’s Attack on Trans Youth
Pete Buttigieg Went Full-Gay-Dad When Asked About
Florida’s Don’t-Say-Gay Law
House Committee in Florida Passes Don't-Say-Gay Bill
Florida House Committee Passes Don’t-Say-Gay Bill
Chasten Buttigieg Denounces Proposed Ban on LGBTQ
Discussions in Florida Schools
Don't-Say-Gay Bill Moves Forward in Florida
Tennessee Lawmaker Revives State's
Don't-Say-Gay Bill for Schools
Dramatization: Can't Say Gay in the Classroom
Gay
Fashion Icon André Leon Talley is Dead at Age 73
"No one
saw the world in a more glamorous way than he did ...
No one
was grander and more soulful than he was.."
-Diane
von Furstenberg
André Leon
Talley, the towering former creative director and editor
at large of Vogue magazine, has died. He was 73. Talley
was an influential fashion journalist who worked at
Women's Wear Daily and Vogue and was a regular in the
front row of fashion shows in New York and Europe. At
6-feet-6 inches tall, Talley cut an imposing figure
wherever he went, with his stature, his considerable
influence on the fashion world, and his bold looks.
In a 2013 Vanity Fair spread titled "The Eyeful Tower,"
Talley was described as "perhaps the industry's most
important link to the past." Designer Tom Ford told the
magazine Talley was "one of the last great fashion
editors who has an incredible sense of fashion history.
... He can see through everything you do to the original
reference, predict what was on your inspiration board."

Designer Diane von Furstenberg praised Talley: "No one saw the world in a more
glamorous way than you did ... No one was grander and
more soulful than you were."
In his 2003 memoir, ALT: A Memoir, Talley focused on two
of the most important women in his life: his maternal
grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis and the late fashion
editor Diana Vreeland. "Bennie Frances Davis may
have looked like a typical, African American domestic
worker to many of the people who saw her on an ordinary
day, but I, who could see her soul, could also see her
secret: that even while she wore a hair net and work
clothes to scrub toilets and floors, she wore an
invisible diadem," he wrote.
His relationship with Vogue started at Duke University,
where his grandmother cleaned dorms; Talley would walk
to campus in his youth to read the magazine.
Talley was also a familiar figure to TV audiences,
serving as a judge on America's Top Model and appearing
on Sex and the City and Empire.
Raised in Durham, NC, Talley worked assorted jobs before
arriving in New York in the 1970s, soon meeting Vreeland
striking up a friendship that lasted until her death in
1989.

Talley worked as a park ranger in Washington, DC, and
Maryland, where he told visitors about slaves who built
Fort Washington and dressed up like a Civil War soldier,
he told The Associated Press in 2003.
After stints with Interview magazine and Women's Wear
Daily, Talley was hired at Vogue in 1983 by Editor in
Chief Anna Wintour and was appointed its creative
director in 1988. Talley released another memoir in
2020, The Chiffon Trenches, that included gossipy
behind-the-scenes tales about Wintour and other fashion
figures like the late designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Of all the elements of a person's apparel, Talley
considered shoes to be most important. "You can tell
everything about a person by what he puts on his feet,"
Talley told the AP. "If it's a man and you can see
the reflection of his face on the top of his black
shoes, it means they've been polished to perfection. ...
If it's a woman and she's wearing shoes that hurt ...
well, shoes that hurt are very fashionable!"
[Source: Associated Press, January 2022]
Iconic Vogue Editor André Leon Talley Has Died at Age 73
André Leon Talley, Fashion Industry Icon and Former
Creative Director of Vogue, Dead at 73
Iconic Fashion Journalist André Leon Talley Dies at 73
Fashion Icon André Leon Talley is Dead at Age 73
Influential Fashion Journalist André Leon Talley Dies at
73
Iconic
Actor and Longtime LGBTQ Ally Betty White has Died at 99
"Don't try to be young. Just open your mind and stay
interested in stuff. There are so many things I won't
live long enough to find out about, but I'm still
curious about them."
-Betty White
The beloved actress who was set to celebrate her 100th
birthday on January 17, 2022 died on December 31 in Los
Angeles. She was revered by her many LGBTQ fans.
She stood by the LGBTQ community as a strong ally and
supporter.
She said
recently, “My 100th birthday! I cannot believe it is
coming up! I’m so lucky to be in such good health and
feel so good at this age. And People Magazine is
celebrating with me!" And a nationwide theatrical
event of “Betty White Birthday Celebration: 100 Years
Young,” was scheduled.

Reacting to the news about White’s death from their home
in Wilmington, Delaware, President Joe Biden said,
“That’s a shame. She was a lovely lady.” The First Lady,
Dr. Jill Biden said, “Who didn’t love Betty White? We’re
so sad.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement
Friday saying: “Betty was a trailblazer, and easily one
of the most beloved and lasting figures in television.
She co-founded her own production company in the 1950s,
one of two women at the time wielding creative control
on both sides of the camera. Her 80-year career is the
longest for any woman in television, and her work on
Golden Girls created a cultural touchstone that remains
relevant almost 40 years after its premiere.
“But above all else, she was a beacon of hope throughout
her career, bringing joy and humor to everything she
did. Although she may not have been born here, she was a
timeless Californian treasure, through and through, and
was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2010.
Betty happily shared her talents with the world, and her
spark will live on, inspiring generations to come.”
White became a TV sitcom star in “The Mary Tyler Moore
Show,” “The Golden Girls,” "Hot In Cleveland," and
countless other TV shows and films. Betty White’s
career spanned nine decades. Her appearance on
“Saturday Night Live” in 2010 earned her a new
generation of admirers.

In an
interview with Frontiers LA Magazine Features Editor
Jeremy Kinser, White attributed her huge following in
the LGBTQ community to her racy characters and her love
of animals. “Throughout my career, I’ve always portrayed
characters that were humorous, but also weren’t afraid
to speak their minds, especially when it came to racy or
controversial topics,” says White, whose résumé includes
The Mary Tyler Moore Show‘s sardonic Sue Ann Niven and
The Golden Girls‘ naïve Rose Nyland. “I think this
struck a chord with the LGBTQ community. We both also
share a very strong love for animals. When you combine
the two, it’s a very strong match." She joked: “Gays
love old ladies.”
She was revered in Hollywood and around the world for
her sharp wit and warmth, and was passionate about human
and animal rights. In 2010 she came out publicly
in support of LGBTQ rights and equal marriage.
White was an early supporter of same-sex marriage
telling Parade magazine in 2010, ”I don’t care who
anybody sleeps with,” she said . “If a couple has been
together all that time – and there are gay relationships
that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I
think it’s fine if they want to get married. I don’t
know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own
business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry
about other people so much.”
[Source: Brody Levesque, Los Angeles Blade, December
2021]
AP News: Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl, Dies at 99
PBS: Betty White's Career Spanned Six Decades
Betty White on Saturday Night Live
Pink News: Betty White, Hollywood Legend and Gay Icon,
Dies at Age 99
LGBTQ Nation: Ever Charming and Beloved:
Betty White has Died at 99
CBS: Betty White Dies at 99
Edge Media: Betty White's Legacy Includes
Golden Girls Episode Addressing HIV
IMDB:
Betty White
MSNBC: Legendary Actress Betty White Dies At 99
Harry the Dirty Dog: Read by Betty White
Advocate: Betty White Understood Gay Men, and We Loved
Her for It
LA Blade: Iconic Actor and Longtime LGBTQ Ally Betty
White has Died at 99
Golden Girls Moments
People: Betty White Reveals Her Secrets to a Happy Life
at 100: I'm So Lucky to Be in Such Good Health
Daily Beast: What Betty White Meant to Gay Men Like Me
Best of Elka Compilation: Hot In Cleveland
Today: Betty White, Golden Girl of Film and Television,
has Died at 99
Betty White Singing: It's a Good Day (1954)

Current LGBTQ
News
Republican Senator Accuses Dr. Anthony Fauci of
Overhyping HIV on World AIDS Day
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Says Fauci Overhyped
COVID-19 Like He Did AIDS
Stephen Sondheim, Musical Theater Legend, Dead at 91
We Stand With You: Honoring Transgender
Day of Remembrance
Biden Marks Deadliest Year on Record for Transgender
Americans on Day of Remembrance
NPR: US Navy Commissions Ship Named After Slain Gay
Rights Leader Harvey Milk
Election Day Produces LGBTQ Firsts Around the Nation
Dr. Rachel Levine Is Now First Trans
4-Star Admiral in US History
Doritos Day of the Dead Commercial With
Queer Couple Goes Viral
Joe Biden Sends Love to LGBTQ People for
National Coming Out Day
Kimi Cole Aims to Be First Trans Politician to Win
Statewide Race
Lambda Legal Secures Social Security Survivor's Benefits
for Same-Sex Partners
Doritos and Dia de Muertos: Nunca Es Tarde Para Ser
Quien Eres
Colin Powell Dies: Supporter and Then Critic of Don't
Ask Don't Tell
LGBTQ Affirming Oreo Ad: Proud Parent
As States Pursue Wave of Anti-LGBTQ Laws,
Cities Move in Opposite Direction
Masked Christmas: Jimmy Fallon, Ariana
Grande, Megan Thee Stallion
Desmond Tutu:
Spiritual Leader and Human Rights Hero Dies
Sad news.
Tremendous loss. South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu
died December 2021, at the age of 90.
He will be remembered as an anti-apartheid hero, an
aggressive human rights advocate, a veteran of
non-violent struggle against oppression worldwide, and a
Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Desmond
Tutu was wise and compassionate. He was a patriot
without equal, a true humanitarian, a leader of
principle and pragmatism, and the moral compass of his
time. Among his
accolades... Uncompromising foe of apartheid...
Contagious laugh... Great sense of humor...
Brought people together... Peacemaker... Freedom
fighter... Principled leader... Elder statesman...
Global ambassador... Activist for racial justice and
LGBTQ rights...

The Dalai
Lama:
“We have lost a great man, who lived a truly meaningful
life. He was devoted to the service of others,
especially those who are least fortunate. I am convinced
the best tribute we can pay him and keep his spirit
alive is to do as he did and constantly look to see how
we too can be of help to others."
Barack
Obama:
"A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the
struggle for liberation and justice in his own country,
but also concerned with injustice everywhere. He never
lost his impish sense of humor and willingness to find
humanity in his adversaries, and we will miss him
dearly.”
Bill
Clinton:
"He had an
"unshakeable faith in the inherent decency of all
people. His own heart was good enough to seek
reconciliation not revenge, to reject demonization and
embrace his uncanny ability to bring out the best in
others. Those of us touched by the gift of his life owe
it to him to pass it on."

Tutu
campaigned internationally for human rights, especially
LGBTQ rights and same-sex marriage.
"I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is
how deeply I feel about this," he said in 2013,
launching a campaign for LGBTQ rights in Cape Town. "I
would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would
say, 'Sorry, I would much rather go to the other
place.'"
Tutu said he was "as passionate about this campaign for
LGBTQ rights as I ever was about apartheid. For me, it
is at the same level." He was one of the most prominent
religious leaders to advocate for LGBTQ rights. Tutu's
very public stance put him at odds with many in South
Africa and across the continent, as well as within the
Anglican church.
Desmond Tutu, South African Equality Activist, Dies at
90
Moral Giant: The World Reacts to Desmond Tutu’s Death
Tutu's Advocacy for LGBTQ Rights Did Not Sway Most of
Africa
Bishop Gene Robinson Pays Tribute to Archbishop Desmond
Tutu
Desmond Tutu, South African Equality Activist and Nobel
Peace Prize Winner, Dead at 90
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South African Anti-Apartheid
Leader, Dies at 90
Desmond Tutu's Laugh was Contagious and His Fight for
Freedom was Deadly Serious
1st US Gay Bishop Remembers Tutu's Generosity and
Kindness
Bell Hooks:
Queer Black Feminist Writer Passes Away
Esteemed queer Black feminist author bell hooks has died
at age 69. She died in Dec 2021 at her home in Berea,
KY. She had been ill, and friends and family were with
her.
Her dozens of books included essays, poetry, and works
for children, and she dealt with issues of
intersectionality long before many others. These issues
were at the core of her 1981 book
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism,
which examined the impact of sexism on Black women
throughout history as well as racism within the feminist
movement.

All About Love: New Visions,
first published in 2000, deals with how love can heal a
polarized society and asserts that love cannot be
separated from justice. Amid the protests against police
brutality and systemic racism last year, it “became
sought-after reading,” according to the Bell Hooks
Center at Berea College.
She was one of Time’s 100 Women of the Year in 2020, and
the magazine called her a “rare rock star of a public
intellectual.” Utne Reader in 1995 listed her among its
100 Visionaries Who Can Change Your Life.
She once described her identity as “queer-pas-gay.” She
was critical, however, of those who viewed racism and
homophobia as the same. “White people, gay and straight,
could show greater understanding of the impact of racial
oppression on people of color by not attempting to make
these oppressions synonymous, but rather by showing the
ways they are linked and yet differ,” she wrote in
1999’s
Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black.
She was born in 1952 in Hopkinsville, KY, as Gloria Jean
Watkins. Her pen name, "bell hooks," was her
great-grandmother’s name, which she styled in all
lowercase letters as a way to place importance on
“substance of books, not who I am,” she said.

Growing up in Kentucky, she attended segregated schools
that did not teach about the impact of racism. She went
on to study at Stanford University, then earned a
master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin and a
doctorate at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
She taught at Stanford, Yale University, and the City
College of New York, then joined Berea’s faculty in
2004. Berea was founded in the 1850s by abolitionists
who were dedicated to equal education for people of all
races and genders.
The Bell Hooks Center at Berea hosts speakers on
feminism and social justice, and seeks “to chart a new
chapter in Berea College’s great, historical commitments
— one that cultivates radical coalition between women,
LGBTQ students, and students of color,” according to its
website. The college also houses Hooks’s papers and
artifacts. “Berea College is deeply saddened about the
death of bell hooks, Distinguished Professor in
Residence in Appalachian Studies, prodigious author,
public intellectual and one of the country’s foremost
feminist scholars,” said a statement from the school.
“I want my work to be about healing,” Hooks once said.
“I am a fortunate writer because every day of my life
practically I get a letter, a phone call from someone
who tells me how my work has transformed their life.”
[Source:
Trudy Ring, Advocate, December 2021]
Bell
Hooks: Biographical Notes
Queer Black Feminist Writer Bell Hooks
Dies at 69
Bell Hooks: Queer Black Feminist Writer
Passes Away
Trailblazing Feminist Author, Critic and
Activist Bell Hooks Dies at 69
Bell Hooks Institute
Famed Feminist Writer, Bell Hooks, Dies
at Age 69
Canada Bans
Conversion Therapy, Joining a Handful of Other Nations
Canada
banned conversion therapy in Dec 2021, a debunked
treatment that aims to change a person's sexual
orientation or gender identity. Several other countries,
including Germany and Brazil (and 20 US states) have
banned the debunked practice.
A bill making it a crime to subject Canadians of any age
to the discredited practice became law Wednesday after
Canada's Parliament passed the measure. "It’s official:
Our government’s legislation banning the despicable and
degrading practice of conversion therapy has received
Royal Assent — meaning it is now law. LGBTQ Canadians,
we’ll always stand up for you and your rights," Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

The
Canadian law is the latest instance of a growing global
effort to eradicate conversion therapy, a practice that
ranges from religious counseling to electric shock
therapy and has been associated with “severe
psychological distress.”
Canada's ban follows that of Germany, Malta, Ecuador,
Brazil and Taiwan. Some of the nations, such as Germany,
have passed bans exclusively for minors, whereas others,
like Malta, have passed bans for all citizens. In the
United States, 20 states and the District of Columbia
have restrictions in place for minors, according to the
Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank.
Three states (Florida, Alabama, Georgia) are in a
federal judicial circuit with an injunction that blocks
conversion therapy bans.
In addition to Canada, France's Senate voted in favor of
legislation this week that would also criminalize the
practice, with prison sentences of two to three years
and fines up to $50,000.

In 2019, the American Medical Association voiced its
support for state and federal efforts to ban conversion
therapy, saying that it "has no foundation as
scientifically valid medical care and lacks credible
evidence to support its efficacy or safety.” And
last year, the United Nations called for the practice to
be banned internationally and released a detailed report
on the practice's global implications. “The attempts to
pathologize and erase the identity of individuals,
negate their existence as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans
or gender diverse and provoke self-loathing have
profound consequences on their physical and
psychological integrity and well-being,” the report
stated.
LGBTQ advocates hailed the Canadian law's passage. "To
the survivors who have fought for years for a safer,
more equal future: thank you and congratulations. This
is your moment," No Conversion Canada, a Canadian
nonprofit coalition to end conversion therapy SAID.
[Source: Matt Lavietes, NBC News, Dec. 2021]
Canada Bans Conversion Therapy, Joining a Handful of
Other Nations
Canada Bans Dangerous Practice LGBTQ
Conversion Therapy
After Two Failed Attempts, Canada Bans Conversion
Therapy
Canadian MPs Vote to Ban LGBTQ Conversion Therapy
Canada Bans Conversion Therapy, a Practice Trudeau Calls
Despicable and Degrading
We'll Always Stand Up for Our LGBTQ Residents: Canada
Bans Conversion Therapy
Canada Bans Conversion Therapy
French Parliament Bans LGBTQ Conversion Therapy
Stephen
Sondheim, Musical Theater Legend, Dead at 91
The gay composer and lyricist of greats like
Into
the Woods and
Company died
suddenly after reportedly spending Thanksgiving with
friends. Out songwriter and composer Stephen Sondheim
died November 2021 at the age of 91. Sondheim’s work
reshaped American musical theater and has influenced
generations of songwriters.
His death was announced by his lawyer and friend,
Richard Pappas, according to The New York Times. Pappas
said Sondheim wasn’t known to be ill, and his death was
sudden. The Broadway legend had spent Thanksgiving with
some friends, Pappas said.

Sondheim’s success stretched from the 1950s, writing
lyrics for West Side Story,
to the 1990s, writing for such musicals as
Assassins and
Passion. The
first Broadway show that he wrote the music and lyrics
for was the 1962 comedy A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum.
It won a Tony Award for best musical.
The Times noted that the 1970s and 1980s were his “most
productive” years. His works in those decades included
Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific
Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the
Woods, and
Sunday in the Park With George.
“If you think of a theater lyric as a short story, as I
do, then every line has the weight of a paragraph,” he
wrote in his 2010 book Finishing the Hat,
which was the first volume of his collection of lyrics
and comments.
Sondheim majored in music at Williams College in
Massachusetts, going on to study with avant-garde
composer Milton Babbitt after graduation, reports the
Associated Press.

According to a 2013 HBO documentary, Six by
Sondheim, he liked
to write his music lying down and would occasionally
have a cocktail to help him write. He also revealed in
the documentary, directed by frequent collaborator James
Lapine, that he only fell in love after he turned 60.
Most recently, he had been in a relationship for several
years with Jeff Romley.
In April of 2020, at the height of lockdowns, musical
theater luminaries came together in a virtual event to
celebrate Sondheim’s momentous birthday with Take Me to
the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration. The
event was hosted by Raúl Esparza and included
performances from Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Ben
Platt, Jake Gyllenhaal, Beanie Feldstein, Bernadette
Peters, Mandy Patinkin, and Katrina Lenk, among so many
others. The comedic showstopper of the evening arrived
courtesy of Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, and
Meryl Streep, who delivered a boozy “The Ladies Who
Lunch.”
During a 2010 event renaming the Henry Miller Theatre on
Broadway as the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Sondheim said,
“I’m deeply embarrassed. I’m thrilled, but deeply
embarrassed,” according to the AP. “I’ve always hated my
last name. It just doesn’t sing.”
[Source: Alex Cooper, Advocate Magazine, November 2021]
Stephen Sondheim, Musical Theater Legend, Dead at 91
Musical Theater Master Stephen Sondheim Dies at 91
Stephen Sondheim, Master of Musical Theater, Dead at 91
Remembering Stephen Sondheim: The Best There Ever Was
Stephen Sondheim, Legendary Broadway Composer and
Lyricist, Dies at 91
We Stand With
You: Honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance began over two decades
ago, and the number of names to be remembered has grown
each year, with the past few years seeing an epidemic of
violence against transgender people, especially trans
women of color. This year, with six weeks remaining, at
least 46 transgender people have been murdered, making
it the deadliest year since the Human Rights Campaign
began tracking the murders in 2013.
Many of these murders qualify as hate crimes, but the
reporting of hate crimes and the enforcement of hate
crime laws are woefully inadequate. In turn, the Deep
South (where transgender people face significant
barriers to equality) remains a hotbed of hate against
the trans community, demonstrating the intersection of
bias based on sex, race and gender identity.

Today the Southern Poverty Law Center recognizes the
Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors those who
have lost their lives to hate crimes and denounces the
surge of violent attacks against the transgender
community in recent years. “Far too many of our
transgender friends and family members are taken from us
as a result of bigotry and prejudice, and there are
anti-transgender hate and extremist groups whose goal it
is to erase transgender people,” said Scott McCoy,
interim deputy legal director for LGBTQ Rights and
Special Litigation at the SPLC. “This day is important
because it reminds us to recognize and appreciate the
humanity and dignity of transgender people, and it
forces us to acknowledge the hatred that confronts
transgender people on a daily basis.”
Nikole Parker, director of transgender equality for
Equality Florida, says that the number of murders
resulting from anti-trans hate is likely higher than is
known, as victims are often misnamed and misgendered.
“As a Black, trans woman, this is definitely
terrifying,” Parker said. “We want to live authentically
and in our truth, and the fact that we’re still being
targeted is horrifying. This is a scary time, where
people feel like they could kill you for just being
you.”
To respond
to bias against the transgender community, Equality
Florida and the SPLC are working in the legal,
legislative and education arenas to ensure that LGBTQ
people achieve full equality under the law and are
protected from hate crime. “There needs to be a lot more
public education on how dangerous and deadly this
violence is,” said Jon Harris Maurer, Equality Florida’s
public policy director. “We’re actively working to
provide public education around transgender rights in
venues across Florida, and we’re mobilizing our work by
reaching out to lawmakers to call attention to this
issue.”
Even in
2021, the LGBTQ community and especially the transgender
community, encounter discrimination in many aspects of
their lives, including the education system, the
immigration system, the economic and social safety net
system, the health care system and the criminal justice
system. “This oppression and discrimination are
compounded for many LGBTQ people with the intersection
of sexism and racism,” McCoy said. “Discrimination is
particularly acute for transgender women of color, which
causes them to experience the highest rates of poverty
and violence, including murder, of LGBTQ people and at
much higher rates than the cisgender population.”
Today is a day when the violence must be recognized.
“Even though we lost these individuals, we remember who
they were and how they lived,” Parker said. “I want
lawmakers to see and to listen – to understand that I’m
a human, too. I don’t want to die because someone
doesn’t understand my identity.”

As one of its initiatives, Equality Florida works with
local law enforcement and prosecutors to treat hate
crime victims with dignity while investigating and
prosecuting their attackers. “We train law enforcement
to improve cultural competency around the LGBTQ
community and particularly the transgender community
amid this atmosphere of fear and distrust,” Maurer said.
“But these aren’t one-and-done events. It’s an ongoing
process of educating law enforcement, and we want those
cultural competencies to be ingrained into their
practice every day.”
LGBTQ youth, especially transgender and nonbinary youth,
have become particular targets in the culture war being
waged by hate groups and extremists, making them more
vulnerable to hate violence. “Opponents of equality
vilify the transgender community due to misinformation
that allows them to play on fear,” Maurer said.
“Equality Florida is working to humanize the transgender
experience by taking the lead to eliminate the
‘gay/trans panic defense,’ a legal tool that essentially
shifts blame from a perpetrator of violence to an LGBTQ
victim. Fifteen states have already banned this, but the
law is still active in Florida.”
In 2009, Equality Florida helped build vital support
among Florida’s representatives in Congress to pass the
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes
Prevention Act, even though a number of Florida
Republicans voted against the measure. The Act added
gender, sexual orientation and gender identity to the
list of categories protected under the federal hate
crime law. “I think it’s incredibly important to
recognize that we have protections for the LGBTQ
community,” Maurer said. “Often our opponents will try
to mark them as special rights, but we’re really just
seeking equality. We want the same shot at life and
happiness as everyone else does. And because there are
systemic barriers, we have to turn to policy solutions
in some cases to make sure we have protections.”
The SPLC has urged the Biden administration to
prioritize investigating hate crimes committed against
transgender people and enforcing laws intended to
protect the transgender community. And each year the
SPLC lobbies the Florida Legislature to pass a bill to
include gender identity and disability in the list of
protected characteristics under the state’s hate crimes
statute. “All of our work to recognize transgender
people, vindicate their rights and combat
anti-transgender hate and extremist groups has the
effect of raising awareness of and familiarity with the
transgender community on the part of the general
public,” McCoy said. “Such awareness leads to greater
acceptance and understanding and has the effect of
shifting the cultural narrative that transgender people
exist and are worthy of dignity and respect.”
For Parker, today is an extremely difficult day. “We’re
mourning,” she said. “We’re losing them; they’re being
shot 20 times, their eyes are being gouged out. These
are real things happening to our community. This is an
important day, but it’s a very tough day, because it
always reminds me that no matter what I try to do, no
matter how much good I try to do, someone will look at
me as the enemy simply for living my truth.”

To combat
the injustices and violence against the transgender
community, Parker said it’s important to be a good ally.
“I always tell people to educate yourself about
transgender people, to do research and challenge your
friends and family,” she said. “When transgender
subjects come up in conversations, I encourage people to
ask others why they believe what they do. People have
preconceived notions and being an ally can get them to
see things differently.”
Because people play on fear and lack of understanding
toward the transgender community, getting to know a
transgender person and understanding their challenges
can be incredibly important. “Conversations can change
the hearts and minds of others, and ultimately they can
change policy for the better,” Maurer said.
As the nation remembers those lost, today serves as a
reminder that the cost of complacency and inaction is
much too high. “For the SPLC, this day is also a
demonstration of the intersectionality of bias and the
need for solidarity among communities feeling the impact
of hate,” McCoy said. “On Transgender Day of
Remembrance, we say to the transgender community: We see
you. We remember you. We love you. We stand with you.”
[Source: Liz Vinson, Southern Poverty Law Center, Nov
2021]
We Stand With You: Honoring Transgender
Day of Remembrance
Brilliant, Bold, Brave: Trans People Who
Made Waves in 2021
2021 Now Deadliest Year on Record with 45
Trans Victims of Lethal Violence
Biden Marks Deadliest Year on Record for Transgender
Americans on Day of Remembrance
Non-Stop Horrific News for the Trans Community
Trans People in Survival
Mode: Increased Violence and Anti-Trans Laws
Trans Activist Tells the Queer Community:
Show Up for Us

Current LGBTQ
News
Swiss Voters Approve Same-Sex Marriage In
Nationwide Referendum
National Coming Out Day: People Who Came Out in 2021
LGBTQ History Month: Must-Read Books About Queer History
Biden at UN: We Must Defend Rights of LGBTQ Individuals
Liz Cheney Says She Was Wrong In Opposing Same-Sex
Marriage
Police Depts Across US Mandating LGBTQ Training
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' Wedding Marks 1st Same-Sex
Marriage Of Sitting Governor
Advocate: Shepard Smith Discusses Being Token Gay at Fox
News for 25 Years
First Out Trans Bishop Installed by Lutheran
Denomination
Statue of Trans Icon Marsha P Johnson
Erected in New York City Park
Pete Buttigieg Announces He and Husband,
Chasten, Are Now Parents
Carl Nassib is First Active NFL Player to Come Out
as Gay
Victory for Transgender Student: Supreme Court Declines
to Hear Bathroom Dispute
Nevada Pageant Winner Becomes First
Transgender Miss USA Contestant
20 States Sue Over Biden Administration's LGBTQ Rights
Guidelines
US Navy Launches
New Ship Honoring Harvey Milk
The US
Navy has launched a ship named after a gay rights
activist forced to resign from the service because of
his sexuality in the 1950s. The USNS Harvey Milk was
launched in San Diego in November 2021 in a service
attended by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro and Milk's
nephew, Stuart.
It is one of six new ships to be named after famed US
civil rights leaders. Others include former Chief
Justice Earl Warren and slain presidential candidate
Robert Kennedy.
Milk served as a diving officer and Lieutenant aboard
the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake during the
Korean War. But he was forced out of the service
following two weeks of interrogation about his sexuality
in 1955.

He later became one of America's first openly gay
politicians, elected in 1977 to the San Francisco Board
of Supervisors. But a year later he was shot and killed
by Dan White, a former city supervisor with whom he had
frequently clashed.
Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary Del Toro said that
it had been wrong that Milk had been forced to "mask
that very important part of his life" during his time in
the Navy. "For far too long, sailors like Lt. Milk were
forced into the shadows or, worse yet, forced out of our
beloved Navy," Del Toro said. "That injustice is part of
our Navy history, but so is the perseverance of all who
continue to serve in the face of injustice."
When the Obama administration first announced its
intention to name a ship after Milk in 2016 some
expressed opposition to the move. They suggested that
Milk would have disapproved of lending his name to a
Navy ship given his well known opposition to the Vietnam
War.
[Source: BBC, November 2021]
BBC: US Navy Launches Ship Named for Gay Rights Leader
Harvey Milk
NPR: US Navy Christens Ship Named After Slain Gay Rights
Leader Harvey Milk
Advocate: US Navy Launches Ship Honoring
Harvey Milk
USA Today: Navy Christens Ship USNS Harvey Milk, Named
After Gay Rights Activist
CNN: US Navy Launches Ship Named for Gay Rights Activist
Harvey Milk
LGBTQ Nation: Navy Officially Launches Ship Named After
Gay Trailblazer Harvey Milk
NBC: Navy Launches Ship Named for Gay Rights Leader
Harvey Milk
Video: Navy Launches Ship Named for Pioneering Gay San
Francisco Leader Harvey Milk
Election Day
Produces LGBTQ Firsts Around the Nation
State and local elections in Nov 2021 yielded some
notable LGBTQ firsts and some important reelections.
Detroit elected its first out queer woman to its City
Council. Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who grew up in the
city after immigrating from Mexico, was elected from
District 6, easily defeating Hector Santiago (no
relation); there was no incumbent in the race. She is a
Democrat, but City Council elections are officially
nonpartisan. A longtime community organizer, she is the
first Latinx woman from the LGBTQ community to be
elected in the state of Michigan.
Cleveland also elected its first out queer female City
Council member, Rebecca Maurer. She narrowly beat
incumbent Tony Brancatelli in Ward 12 in a nonpartisan
race. She is a lawyer who has focused on housing and
consumer law. In Ward 3, incumbent Kerry McCormack, a
gay man, was reelected, defeating challenger Ayat Amin.
Transgender man Dion Manley became the first out trans
person elected in Ohio by winning an at-large seat on
the Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools Board in the suburbs
around Columbus. There were just five other trans men in
elected office around the nation; one of them, Phillipe
Cunningham of the Minneapolis City Council, lost his bid
for reelection.
In Pennsylvania, Xander Orenstein won their race for the
Allegheny County Magisterial District Court and became
the first nonbinary person elected to a judicial
position in the United States. In Massachusetts, Thu
Nguyen was elected to the Worcester City Council,
becoming the first nonbinary person in elected office in
that state. Orenstein and Nguyen join nine other out
nonbinary elected officials in the US.
Christopher Coburn, a queer man, was elected to the
Bozeman City Commission in Montana, making him the first
Black member of the LGBTQ community to be elected in
that state. Coburn was appointed to the commission in
April to fill a vacancy left by Michael Wallner’s
resignation, while having to run for election in
November to determine if he would serve the remaining
two years of Wallner’s term. Coburn is one of just seven
out LGBTQ elected officials in Montana.

While Cunningham was not reelected in Minneapolis, Black
trans woman Andrea Jenkins easily won reelection to the
City Council there. She and Cunningham were both
originally elected in 2017. She represents Ward 8, which
includes George Floyd Square.
“In the wake of George Floyd’s death, it was Councilor
Jenkins who led the fight for racial and social
justice,” JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president of
policy and political affairs at the Human Rights
Campaign, said in a press release. “She understands
firsthand the challenges facing transgender people
today, especially transgender women of color. She has
never stopped fighting on behalf of those on the margins
of society and against the systemic racism and
injustices that pervade our world. We congratulate her
on her victory tonight. We look forward to continuing to
work with her in the years to come.”
[Source: Trudy Ring, Advocate, November 2021]
US Will Now Have 1,000 Out Elected Officials in Historic
First
LGBTQ Candidates Celebrate Historic Election Firsts
Across the Country
After Election, More Than 1,000 LGBTQ Officials Will
Serve in the US
Election Day Produces LGBTQ Firsts Around the Nation
Most of Salt Lake City’s City Council Will be LGBTQ
People Now
Danica Roem Reelected in Virginia: Longest-Serving Out
Trans Official
There are Only 5 Black Trans Elected Officials Across
the Entire United States
Dr. Rachel
Levine Is Now First Trans 4-Star Admiral in US History
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
announced in Oct 2021 that the nation’s first openly
transgender four-star officer across any of the eight
uniformed services of the United States.
Admiral Rachel Levine, who serves as the HHS Assistant
Secretary for Health and head of the US Public Health
Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, was ceremonially
sworn in as a four-star admiral. Admiral Levine now
serves as the highest-ranking official in the USPHS
Commissioned Corps and its first-ever female four-star
admiral. Admiral Levine will lead 6,000 Public Health
Service officers who are dedicated to serving our
nation’s most underserved and vulnerable populations.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that making Levine an
admiral is a proud moment for HHS. “She is a highly
accomplished pediatrician who helps drive our agency’s
agenda to boost health access and equity and to
strengthen behavioral health,” Secretary Becerra
explained. “She is a cherished and critical partner in
our work to build a healthier America.
In response to becoming a four-star officer, Levine
said, “This is a momentous occasion, and I am both
humbled and pleased to take this role for the impact I
can make, and for the historic nature of what it
symbolizes. May this appointment be the first of many
like it as we create a more inclusive future.”
In a recent interview, Levine provided an update to all
the work she’s been doing during the first six months of
her tenure as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human
Services. “I’m very much enjoying the job. We have a
fantastic staff, and Secretary Becerra is wonderful,
sincere, and compassionate. I love collaboration, and
that collaboration for the issues we’re working on
extends all the way up to the president and vice
president, and that’s something that Americans of every
stripe should take great comfort with.”
[Source: John Casey, Advocate, Oct 2021]
Call Her Admiral Rachel Levine Now
Dr. Rachel Levine Is Now First Trans 4-Star Admiral in
US History
Rachel Levine, Nation’s Highest-Ranking Openly
Transgender Official, Sworn in as Four-Star Admiral
Dr. Rachel Levine: First Transgender Four-Star Officer
Across All Uniformed Service Branches
What's Going On
In Texas?
How ignorant, irresponsible and hateful can Texas
become? For starters, Texas has Senator Ted Cruz
and Governor Greg Abbott and lots of other conservative
republican politicians. Texas is pro-gun and
anti-abortion. Texas doesn't believe in the
climate crisis. But, it had a huge power outage,
caused by unexpected severe weather, which it handled
badly. Texas banned vaccine and mask mandates.
Texas pretty much banned all abortions. Texas now
officially has more legislative control over vaginas
than guns. Texas is also anti-LGBTQ. Texas is
trying to restrict trans youth from high school sports.
And now, surprise surprise, they're trying to remove transgender
protections....

The Texas
Department of Family and Protective Services has been
accused of removing a web page featuring information
about a suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ youth after
one of Gov. Greg Abbot’s primary challengers criticized
him for having it up.
Challenger Don Huffines posted a video where he accused
the child welfare agency of “promoting transgender
sexual policies to Texas youth.” The web page was
quickly removed. “These are not Texas values, these are
not Republican Party values, but these are obviously
Greg Abbott’s values,” Huffines said. The website
for the Texas Youth Connection, part of Family and
Protective Services, was also taken down. The site
pointed young people in foster care not only to the
resources found on the LGBTQ web page but also to
housing and education assistance.
In a recent tweet, Huffines boasted about the web page’s
removal. “I told Texans I would get this DFPS website
taken down and stop Greg Abbott from using our tax
dollars to promote transgender ideology,” Huffines
wrote. He added that the reporting about the removal
“shows I kept my promise.” And “We’re just getting
started,” he wrote. While the governor’s office declined
to comment on the removal of the webpage, public records
requests by the Houston Chronicle show the office had
discussed the page after Huffines’s initial social media
post.
A spokesperson for Family and Protective Services,
Patrick Crimmins, contacted the person who oversaw the
page, Darrell Azar. “Darrell — please note we may need
to take that page down, or somehow revise content,”
wrote Crimmins. “The state is responsible for these
kids’ lives, yet it intentionally removed a way for them
to find help when they need it the most,” said Ricardo
Martinez, chief executive of advocacy group Equality
Texas, according to the Associated Press. “This action
is unconscionable, and it reminds us that political
aspirations are part of every attack on LGBTQ kids in
Texas.”

Texas has
pushed several anti-LGBTQ bills this year. One is
heading to a final vote soon and would ban trans student
athletes from joining sports teams that align with their
gender identity. Earlier this year, Abbott asked the
child welfare agency’s commissioner to determine if
gender affirmation surgery on minors was child abuse.
The commissioner released a memo agreeing with Abbott.
LGBTQ advocates point out that such surgeries are
extremely rare for youth.
The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis
intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, stated that
the organization had received more than 4,000 crisis
contacts from trans and nonbinary youth in Texas this
year. That number is a 150 percent jump from last year.
“The Trevor Project’s crisis counselors have been
hearing from transgender and nonbinary youth in Texas
who are scared and worried about anti-trans laws being
debated in their state — and some have even expressed
suicidal thoughts. This is a crisis,” the Trevor
Project’s CEO and executive director, Amit Paley, said
in a release at the time.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, the
Trevor Project’s counselors are available 24/7 at (866)
488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by
texting START to 678678.
[Source: Alex Cooper, Advocate, October 2021]
Texas House OK's Anti-Trans Sports Bill, Senate Passage
Likely
Texas Removes Access to Youth LGBTQ Suicide Hotline and
Resource Page
Human Rights Campaign Condemns Texas
House Passage of Discriminatory Anti-Trans Sports Ban
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Orders Ban on COVID-19 Vaccine
Mandates
Federal Judge Blocks Enforcement of Texas Abortion Law
Texas Lawmaker Argues Same-Sex Marriage Is Still Illegal
in the State
Lawmaker Wants Texas to Allow People Option Not to
Recognize Marriage Equality
Texas School District Suspended Male & Nonbinary
Students For Having Long Hair
Trans Lives Are Precious: Trucks With a Message for
Texas Politicians
Joe Biden Sends
Love to LGBTQ People for National Coming Out Day
Today, we celebrate National Coming Out Day and the
courage of LGBTQ people who live their lives with pride,
create community with open arms and hearts, and showcase
the strength of being your authentic self. Today and
every day, I want every member of the LGBTQ community to
know that you are loved and accepted just the way you
are – regardless of whether or not you’ve come out.
My Administration is committed to ensuring that LGBTQ
people can live openly, proudly, and freely in every
corner of our nation. I am proud to lead an
Administration with LGBTQ officials serving openly at
the highest levels of government — and prouder that
together we have made historic progress advancing
protections and equal opportunities for the LGBTQ
community. From acting on Day One to prevent and combat
discrimination, to enabling all qualified Americans –
including transgender Americans – to serve their country
in uniform, to defending the human rights of LGBTQ
people around the world, my Administration has been
clear that we will continue to champion the dignity,
equality, and wellbeing of the LGBTQ community.

Despite the extraordinary progress our nation has made,
our work to ensure the full promise of equality is not
yet done. Anti-LGBTQ bills still proliferate in state
legislatures. Bullying and harassment — particularly of
young transgender Americans and LGBTQ people of color —
still abounds, diminishing our national character. We
must continue to stand together against these acts of
hate, and stand up to protect the rights, opportunities,
physical safety, and mental health of LGBTQ people
everywhere. From defeating discriminatory bills to
passing the Equality Act, we have more work to do to
ensure that every American can live free of fear,
harassment, and discrimination because of who they are
or whom they love.
To LGBTQ people across the country, and especially those
who are contemplating coming out: know that you are
loved for who you are, you are admired for your courage,
and you will have a community — and a nation — to
welcome you. My Administration will always have your
back, and we will continue fighting for the full measure
of equality, dignity, and respect you deserve.
[Source: President Joe Biden, October 2021]

Current LGBTQ
News
Sept 11 Tribute: Firsthand Witness to
America’s Greatest Attribute
Bruce Springsteen: Performs at September 11 Memorial
Two Gay Champions: Saint of 9-11 and Hero of Flight 93
Paul Simon: September 11 Tribute on SNL
Remembering Fearless Gay Hero Mark Bingham
Saturday Night Live: September 11 Tribute
Supporters Push for Gay Priest Who Died on 9-11 to Be
Made a Saint
Bruce Springsteen: My City of Ruin
Rugby Star, 9-11 Hero Mark Bingham Leaves Lasting Legacy
20 Years After United Flight 93 Crash
Paul Simon 9-11 Tribute: Sounds of Silence
How Mark Bingham Left a Legacy On and Off the Rugby
Field
Record Number of Out LGBTQ Athletes at Tokyo Summer
Olympics
NPR Report: LGBTQ Adults Facing Hunger At Twice Rate As
Others
James Hormel, First US Ambassador to Come Out as Gay,
Dies at 88
Ariel Nicholson: Makes History as First Trans Model on
Cover of Vogue
Liz Cheney
Admits She Was Wrong to Oppose Same-Sex Marriage
Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney has said she was
“wrong” to oppose marriage equality in the past. The
55-year-old has represented Wyoming’s at-large
congressional district since 2017 and is up for
re-election in 2022.
While previewing her campaign on 60 Minutes (Sept), she
made a surprise detour into comments she made in 2013
against same-sex marriage, which fuelled a rift between
her and her sister Mary, who is gay. Liz told 60
Minutes: “I was wrong, I was wrong."
“I love my sister very much. I love her family very much
and I was wrong. It is a very personal issue and very
personal for my family. I believe that my family was
right. “My sister and I have had that conversation.”
Shocked 60 Minutes host Leslie Stahl replied: “Wow, I
was not expecting that.”
“Freedom means freedom for everybody,” Cheney added,
quoting her father, former vice president Dick Cheney,
who had previously voiced support for marriage equality.

Liz Cheney, who was stripped this year of her position
as the third-ranking Republican in the House of
Representation for her rallying against Donald Trump’s
claims of election fraud, said recently that meeting a
trans woman helped give her perspective on her approach
to LGBTQ rights.
“We were at an event a few nights ago,” she recalled,
“and there was a young woman who said she doesn’t feel
safe sometimes because she’s transgender. “Nobody should
feel unsafe,” she insisted.
Liz Cheney spoke out against same-sex marriage in 2013,
during an unsuccessful run for Senate. During a spot on
Fox News she said he believed “in the traditional
definition of marriage” – despite her own sister being a
lesbian. “I love Mary very much,” Liz said, “I love her
family very much. This is just an issue on which we
disagree.”
Mary, who is married to Heather Poe and was involved in
the Supreme Court effort to legalize marriage equality
in California, responded with a public social media post
at the time. Writing in a 2013 Facebook post, Mary said
her sister opposing her right to marry the person she
loves left her feeling like a “second-class citizen”.
She wrote, “Liz, this isn’t just an issue on which we
disagree. You’re just wrong. And on the wrong side
of history.” She later told The New York Times
that she would never reconcile with Liz unless she
changed her position on marriage equality. The pair had
not spoken for months even before her comments.
Overall, support for LGBTQ rights (and marriage equality
in particular) has steadily risen in recent years among
Republican supporters. Just 30 per cent of Republicans
in 2013 were in favor of it. By June 2021, a thumping 55
per cent proudly said they support marriage equality,
according to a Gallup poll.
[Source: Josh Milton, Pink News, Sept 2021]
NPR: Liz Cheney Says She Was Wrong In Opposing Same-Sex
Marriage
NBC: Rep. Liz Cheney Says She was Wrong to Oppose
Same-Sex Marriage
People: After Rift with Gay Sister, Liz Cheney Now
Admits She Was Wrong to Oppose Same-Sex Marriage
ABC: Dick Cheney's Daughter Marries Her Partner
Advocate: Mary Cheney Says Sister Liz is Dead Wrong on
Marriage Equality
Biden at United
Nations: We Must Defend LGBTQ Rights
President Joe Biden addressed world leaders at the
United Nations General Assembly in Sept 2021, where he
spoke about the need to protect the rights of LGBTQ
people around the world. “We all must defend the rights
of LGBTQI individuals so they can live and love openly
without fear,” Biden said
“As we pursue diplomacy across the board, the United
States will champion the democratic values that go to
the very heart of who we are as a nation and a people —
freedom, equality, opportunity and a belief in the
universal rights of all people,” he added. In his
speech, Biden specifically spoke about LGBTQ rights
violations in Chechnya and Cameroon. For years, Chechen
authorities have organized lethal crackdowns against
LGBTQ people in the Russian republic. Earlier this year
the Russian LGBTQ Network reported that Chechen men
forcibly returned a man to the republic from Moscow and
interrogated him about LGBTQ people in the area.

Human Rights Watch reported in April 2021 that
authorities in Cameroon had arrested, beaten, or
threatened around 24 people for allegedly participating
in same-sex conduct or gender nonconformity. The
organization noted one person was made to take an HIV
test and an anal examination. “These recent arrests and
abuses raise serious concerns about a new upsurge in
anti-LGBTQ persecution in Cameroon,” said Neela Ghoshal,
HRW's associate LGBTQ rights director, at the time. “The
law criminalizing same-sex conduct puts LGBTQ people at
a heightened risk of being mistreated, tortured, and
assaulted without any consequences for the abusers.”
The Biden administration has been open about
prioritizing LGBTQ rights in its foreign policy, a shift
from the previous administration. Around 69 UN
member states still criminalize consensual same-sex
activity, according to the international LGBTQ rights
groups ILGA. The group found that at least 34 countries
still enforce these policies in 2020.
[Source: Alex Cooper, Advocate, Sept 2021]
Biden at UN: We Must Defend Rights of LGBTQ Individuals
Biden Highlights LGBTQ Rights in UN General Assembly
Speech
President Biden Includes LGBTQ Rights In United Nations
Address
President Biden Calls for Increased LGBTQ Rights and
Equality Around the Globe at UN General Assembly
20th
Anniversary: Remembering Gay Hero Mark Bingham
Mark
Bingham (1970-2001) was a gay American rugby player,
public relations executive, and founder of the Bingham
Group. During the September 11 attacks in 2001, he was a
passenger on board United Airlines Flight 93. Bingham
was among the passengers who, along with Todd Beamer,
Tom Burnett and Jeremy Glick, formed the plan to retake
the plane from the hijackers, and led the effort that
resulted in the crash of the plane into a field near
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, thwarting the hijackers' plan
to crash the plane into a building in Washington DC,
most likely either the Capitol Building or the White
House. Bingham's heroic efforts on United 93, as well as
his athletic physique, have been noted for having
diminished the gay stereotype.

On the
morning of September 11, Bingham overslept and nearly
missed his flight, on his way to San Francisco to be an
usher in his fraternity brother Joseph Salama's wedding.
He arrived at Newark International Airport at 7:40 am,
ran to the gate, and was the last passenger to board
United Airlines Flight 93, taking a seat next to
passenger Tom Burnett.
United Flight 93 was scheduled to depart at 8:00 am, but
the Boeing 757 did not depart until 42 minutes later due
to runway traffic delays. Four minutes later, American
Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's
North Tower. Fifteen minutes later, at 9:03 am, as
United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower, United
93 climbed to cruising altitude, heading west over New
Jersey and into Pennsylvania. At 9:25 am, Flight 93 was
above eastern Ohio, and the pilots received an alert on
their ACARS device, "Beware of cockpit intrusion." Three
minutes later, air traffic controllers could hear
screams over the cockpit's open microphone. Moments
later, the hijackers took over the plane's controls and
told passengers, "Keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb
on board". Bingham and the other passengers were herded
into the back of the plane. Within six minutes, the
plane changed course and headed for Washington DC.

After the hijackers veered the plane sharply south, the
passengers decided to act. Bingham, along with Tom
Burnett and Jeremy Glick, formed a plan to take the
plane back from the hijackers. They relayed this plan to
their loved ones and the authorities via telephone.
Bingham stated, "This is Mark. I want to let you guys
know that I love you, in case I don't see you again, I'm
on United Airlines, Flight 93. It's being hijacked."
Alice Hoagland, Mark's mother, said that her son spoke
"confidentially" with a fellow passenger, to form a plan
to retake the plane. And the call cut off after about
three minutes. Hoagland, after seeing news reports of
the plane's hijacking, called him back and left two
messages for him, calmly saying, "Mark, this is your
mom. The news is that it's been hijacked by terrorists.
They are planning to probably use the plane as a target
to hit some site on the ground. I would say go ahead and
do everything you can to overpower them, because they
are hellbent. Try to call me back if you can." Bingham,
Burnett, and Glick were each more than 6 feet tall,
well-built and fit. They were joined by Todd Beamer, Lou
Nacke, Rich Guadagno, Alan Beaven, Honor Elizabeth
Wainio, Linda Gronlund, and William Cashman, along with
flight attendants Sandra Bradshaw and Cee Cee Ross-Lyles
who stormed the cockpit and in an effort to take over
the plane.
According to the 9-11 Commission Report, after the
plane's voice data recorder was recovered, it revealed
pounding and crashing sounds against the cockpit door
and shouts and screams in English. "Let's get them!" a
passenger cries. A hijacker shouts, "Allah akbar!" ("God
is great"). Jarrah repeatedly pitched the plane to knock
passengers off their feet, but the passengers apparently
managed to invade the cockpit, where one was heard
shouting, "In the cockpit. If we don't, we'll die." At
10:02 am, a hijacker ordered, "Pull it down! Pull it
down!" The 9-11 Commission later reported that the
plane's control wheel was turned hard to the right,
causing it to roll on its back and plow into an empty
field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 580 miles an
hour, killing everyone on board. The plane was 20
minutes away from its suspected targets in Washington
DC.
Remembering Fearless Gay Hero Mark Bingham, Who Saved
Hundreds of Lives on 9-11
Rugby Star, 9-11 Hero Mark Bingham Leaves Lasting Legacy
20 Years After United Flight 93 Crash
How Mark Bingham Left a Legacy On and Off the Rugby
Field
9-11 Flight 93: Mark Bingham's Mother Speaks
Mark Bingham: Biographical Notes
LGBTQ Heroes of
Sept 11
Father Mychal Judge. New York Fire Department
Catholic chaplain Judge, 68, was killed while
ministering to a fallen firefighter at Ground Zero.
Mark Bingham, 31, a passenger on United Airlines Flight
93 that crashed in Pennsylvania, helped to thwart the
plane’s hijackers. September 16 is officially designated
Mark Bingham Day in San Francisco.
Michael Lepore, 39, was a project analyst at Marsh &
McLennon. He is survived by his partner of 18 years,
David O’Leary.

Carol
Flyzik’ was aboard American Airlines Flight 11, It was
the first of two to crash into the World Trade Center.
Flyzik, who was a registered nurse and a member of the
Human Rights Campaign, is survived by Nancy Walsh, her
partner of nearly 13 years.
David Charlebois, the co-pilot of American Airlines
Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. Charlebois
was a member of the National Gay Pilots Association.
Charlebois is survived by Tom Hay, his partner of almost
13 years.
Graham Berkeley, 37, a native of England who lived in
Boston, boarded United Airlines Flight 175 on Sept. 11
on his way to a conference in Los Angeles. His plane
became the second hijacked airliner to crash into the
World Trade Center.
Ronald Gamboa, 33, and his partner of 13 years, Dan
Brandhorst, 42, were traveling with their 3-year-old
adopted son, David. Brandhorst and Gamboa were founding
members of the Pop Luck Club, an L.A. organization for
Gay men interested in adopting children.
James Joe
Ferguson, 39, director of geography education outreach
for the National Geographic Society, was on American
Airlines Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon.

John Keohane was killed by falling debris. Keohane
worked at One Liberty Plaza near the World Trade Center
and died when the towers collapsed. After the planes hit
the Trade Center towers, Keohane met Mike Lyons, his
partner of 17 years, on the street when Keohane was
suddenly killed by falling debris. Tragically, Lyons
committed suicide March 1, 2002, on his 41st birthday.
“Roxy Eddie” Ognibene, member of the Renegades of New
York’s Big Apple Softball League, worked as a bond
trader for Keefe, Bruyette & Woods on the 89th floor of
WTC 2 and was tragically lost in the Sept. 11 World
Trade Center attack.
Luke A. Dudek, Was a food and beverage controller at
Windows on the World. Dudek is survived by his partner
of 20 years, George Cuellar. Dudek’s first day back to
work in New York was Sept. 11. He died in the attacks on
the World Trade Center.
Catherine Smith, 44, who worked on the 97th floor of one
of the World Trade Center towers.
Waleska
Martinez, 37, a computer whiz in the Census Bureau’s New
York office, was aboard flight 93 that crashed outside
Shanksville, PA.
Jeffrey Collman, flight attendant on American Airlines
Flight 11, which crashed into the north tower. He is
survived by Keith Bradkowski, his partner of 11 years.

Eugene Clark, worked on the 102nd floor of the south
World Trade Center tower. He sent his partner Larry
Courtney a voice message stating “I’m OK. The plane hit
the other tower. And we’re evacuating.” Clark was never
seen by his partner again.
Andrew LaCorte. worked in One WTC and was killed
instantly when the first plane hit. At the time he had
no partner but is remembered and missed by his many
friends and family.
Renee Barrett, Renee was injured in the September 11
terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, died on
October 18 of her injuries. Barrett was a member of the
Gay Metropolitan Community Church of New York. She
leaves behind her life partner Enez Cooper and her
18-year-old son, Eddie.
Seamus O’Neal, also lost his life in the attacks on the
World Trade Center. He is survived by his partner Tom
Miller.
Patricia McAneney was the fire marshal of her floor in
the first World Trade Center tower. She is survived by
Margaret Cruz, partner of 18 years.
Pamela Boyce, was at work on the 92nd floor of the World
Trade Center’s north tower when it was struck. She is
survived by Catherine Anello her partner.
The Stories of 9-11's LGBTQ Heroes
Remembering the LGBTQ Victims and Heroes of 9-11
Two Gay Champions: Saint of 9-11 and Hero of Flight 93
Supporters Push for Gay Priest Who Died on 9-11 to Be
Made a Saint
Remembering Gay Co-Pilot of Flight 77
First Officer David Charlebois Fought for LGBTQ
Recognition and Helped Change Company Culture
National Gay Pilots
Association
Colorado Gov.
Jared Polis' Wedding Marks 1st Same-Sex Marriage Of
Sitting Governor
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis wed his longtime
partner in Sept 2021, marking the first same-sex
marriage of a sitting United States governor.
In 2018, Polis became the first openly gay man ever
elected governor in the US. A decade earlier, he was the
first openly gay man elected to the US House. "Over the
course of Jared's career in Congress, you know, we
didn't set out to be the first of anything. Things sort
of happened that way," said his now-husband, Marlon
Reis.

As recently as 2014, same-sex marriage was prohibited in
Colorado. The US Supreme Court made gay marriage legal
across the country in 2015. "As I was growing up,
marriage was not even in the realm of possibility," Reis
said. "And in fact, the reality was that there was a lot
of misinformation out there about what could potentially
happen if you came out — what opportunities would you
lose, how it would negatively impact you. So for a long
time, the idea of getting married, we didn't talk about
it."
Both men are now in their 40s. Polis noted the
stereotypes that came along with being gay when he was
younger. "When people thought of gay people, they
thought of AIDS, unfortunately," he said. 'That was, I
think, in both of our cases our parents' first fears,
they were like, 'Oh, I hope you don't get AIDS. Be
careful.' That's the main thing you knew about gay
people in the '80s and '90s."
The couple was married in a traditional Jewish ceremony
at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Polis and Reis
decided to hold their wedding on a significant day to
them personally: the 18th anniversary of their first
date. They picked CU-Boulder because that's where Reis
graduated from college. "We met online and went out on a
date and we went to the Boulder bookstore and then went
to dinner," Polis said.

During the
ceremony, the couple's 7-year-old daughter served as the
flower girl; their 9-year-old son was the ring bearer.
Polis said their daughter was probably more thrilled
than anyone about the wedding. "She was all in on being
a flower girl. She's been prancing around. She got a
great dress. She's terrific." Their son was also happy,
but more ambivalent about it all. "Kids are so modern
that their responses to things are sometimes funny. Our
son honestly asked us, 'Why do people get married?' "
Reis said. He said he explained the legal rights
afforded to married couples and that it's an "expression
of the caring that you feel for one another."
Practically speaking Reis has been considered the
state's first gentleman since Polis took office, but
Polis said the wedding meant the world to them. "People
could say we took 18 years to get around to it, or you
could say we took six years to get around to it," said
Polis, counting back from the Supreme Court ruling in
Obergefell v. Hodges. "But it was great to celebrate our
love for one another with our family."
[Source: Bente Birkeland, National Public Radio, Sept
2021]
NPR: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' Wedding Marks 1st
Same-Sex Marriage Of Sitting Governor
CNN: Colorado Governor Weds Longtime Partner in First
Same-Sex Marriage for Sitting Governor
Advocate: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Marries Husband in
Historic First for Nation
Denver Post: Jared Polis, First Openly Gay Elected
Governor, Marries Longtime Partner Marlon Reis
People: Colorado Governor's Wedding Makes History
Record Number of
Out LGBTQ Athletes at Tokyo Summer Olympics
At least 168 publicly out gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender, queer and nonbinary athletes are headed to
Tokyo for the Summer Olympic Games, more than triple the
number who participated at the 2016 Rio Games.
The number of publicly out LGBTQ athletes in Tokyo is
also greater than the number athletes who have
participated in all of the previous Olympic Games
(Summer and Winter) combined while publicly out. The
massive increase in the number of out athletes reflects
the growing acceptance of LGBTQ people in sports and
society. The rise of social media, especially Instagram,
has given athletes a forum where they can live their
lives openly and identify directly with their followers.

In contrast, Outsports counted 23 publicly out Olympians
in 2012 and 56 in 2016 at those Summer Games. “Competing
at the Olympics as an openly gay athlete is pretty
amazing,” Canadian swimmer Markus Thormeyer told
Outsports. Thormeyer was not out when he competed at the
2016 Rio Olympics and came out publicly as gay in a 2020
essay for Outsports. “Being able to compete with the
best in the world as my most authentic self at the
biggest international multi-sport games shows how far
we’ve come on inclusion in sport. I’m hoping that by
competing at these Games I can show the LGBTQ community
that we do belong and we can achieve anything we put our
minds to.”
His comments were echoed by Elissa Alarie, a Canadian
rugby player. We originally did not have Alarie on our
list, but she contacted us and told us she was LGBTQ
(she also gave us the names of three out teammates whom
we also added). “Growing up in a small French town in
Quebec, I didn’t know or even know of a single LGBTQ
person or athlete until I was older,” Alarie said. “I
hope the increased visibility can give young people a
sentiment of belonging and encourage communities to be
inclusive and welcoming.”

This year at least 27 different countries will be
represented by at least one publicly out athlete in 30
sports, including the first trans Olympians. The United
States has the most out athletes at these Olympics, with
the more than 30 out athletes we know of about a fifth
of all the attendees on the list. Team USA is currently
followed in the number of publicly out LGBTQ athletes by
Canada (17), Britain (16), Netherlands (16), Brazil
(14), Australia (12) and New Zealand (10). We will
update the numbers as we learn more about the current
Olympic athletes. These numbers include reserve athletes
who have been practicing with the team and are traveling
to Tokyo with the team.
Women on the list outnumber men by about a 8-1 margin,
with women’s soccer having more than 40 out players.
This continues a trend seen at past Olympics and is
reflective of out athletes in elite non-Olympic sports
where women also proliferate.
[Source: Outsports, July 2021]
Outsports: Record Number of Out LGBTQ Athletes at Tokyo
Summer Olympics
BuzzFeed: Tokyo Olympics is Gayest Games Ever
NBC News: Over 160 LGBTQ Athletes Competing ion Tokyo
Olympics
Olympic Athletes: Out and Proud
ESPN: Tokyo Olympics is Most Inclusive Event for LGBTQ
Athletes
Reuters: More LGBTQ Athletes Than Ever at Tokyo Olympics
Time: Record Number of LGBTQ Athletes Competing in Tokyo
Games
Today: Erica Sullivan is Witty, Charming, and Gay

Current LGBTQ
News
Biden and Buttigieg
Celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month
US Adds Third Gender Option to American Passports
Special Pride Message From President and First Lady
How LGBTQ Pride Will March On In 2021
Music, Movies, Media:
Celebrate LGBTQ Pride
Message From Pulse
Shooting Survivor Brandon Wolfe
Biden's Message to Trans Youth: Your
President Has Your Back
Pulse Nightclub Site to be Designated a National
Memorial
Biden Revives LGBTQ Protections Against Healthcare
Discrimination
Biden Announces
Two Judicial Nominees Who Are Lesbians
Deidre Downs: Miss America and Her Wife are Having a
Baby
State Department to Allow X Gender
Markers on US Passports
NBC: Alan
Turing is First Gay Man on a British Bank Note
Sesame Street Features
Married Gay Couple with Daughter
How Joe Biden Became the Most LGBTQ-Friendly in US
History
Evangelicals Trying to Survive the Rainbow Onslaught
CNN: Support for Same Sex
Marriage Reaches Record High
Metro Weekly: Most
Republicans Now Support Same-Sex Marriage
Biden Selects Trans and
Lesbian Officials for Dept of Defense
Global Survey: 1 in 5 Young Adults Are Not Straight
Advocate: Britain Unveils Bank Note Honoring Alan Turing
Infamous
Homophobe Anita Bryant's Granddaughter is a Lesbian
Meet Sarah Green! She is the granddaughter of
Anita Bryant! She is a lesbian and she's getting
married! Sarah Green's grandmother is one of the
best-known anti-LGBTQ activists in history, so she might
not invite her to her wedding. In the 1970s, former Miss
America contestant and singer Anita Bryant spearheaded a
virulent anti-gay crusade that cost her dearly.
The granddaughter of arch anti-LGBTQ activist Anita
Bryant is getting married to another woman, and she
doesn’t know whether to invite her homophobic
grandmother to her wedding. Bryant’s granddaughter Sarah
Green said that her grandmother refused to even believe
that she’s gay after she came out on her 21st birthday.
The 81-year-old Christian conservative activist is still
praying for Green to find a husband.
Now Green is getting married. Like many queer people,
she’s not sure whether to invite her grandmother. But
unlike most people, her grandmother organized one of the
first major anti-LGBTQ campaigns in the country,
accusing gay people of being pedophiles.

Bryant won
the 1958 Miss Oklahoma pageant and was a brand
ambassador for the Florida Citrus Commission, but she’s
best known for mounting the infamous “Save Our Children”
campaign in the 1970s to repeal a local ordinance in
Dade County, Florida, that banned discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation. Bryant focused on gay
teachers, saying that gay people are child molesters who
go into teaching to hurt kids. “Homosexuals cannot
reproduce, so they must recruit,” she said, also saying
that gay people were “human garbage.”
“What these people really want, hidden behind obscure
legal phrases, is the legal right to propose to our
children that theirs is an acceptable alternate way of
life,” she said in 1977. “I will lead such a crusade to
stop it as this country has not seen before.” And she
did. Jerry Falwell Sr. flew to Florida to help out as
she put together the first major anti-LGBTQ campaign,
coming up with arguments and tactics that would be used
by anti-LGBTQ activists for decades.
That didn’t stop her granddaughter Sarah Green from
coming out to her on her 21st birthday. Green said that
Bryant sang “Happy Birthday” to her and told her that
she would have a husband one day. “And I just snapped
and was like, ‘I hope that he doesn’t come along because
I’m gay, and I don’t want a man to come along,'” Green
said.
Bryant
then told her granddaughter that homosexuality doesn’t
exist. Robert Green (Sarah Green’s father and Anita
Bryant’s son) said that his mother’s “face froze” when
his daughter came out. “All at once, her eyes widened,
her smile opened, and out came the oddest sound: ‘Oh,'”
he said. “Instead of taking Sarah as she is, my mom has
chosen to pray that Sarah will eventually conform to my
mom’s idea of what God wants Sarah to be.”
“It’s very hard to argue with someone who thinks that an
integral part of your identity is just an evil
delusion,” Green said. “She wants a relationship with a
person who doesn’t exist because I’m not the person she
wants me to be.” She said she doesn’t know if she should
invite her grandmother, unsure whether Bryant will be
offended if she’s left off the invitation list. “I think
I probably will eventually just call her and ask if she
even wants an invitation, because I genuinely do not
know how she would respond,” she said. “I don’t know if
she would be offended if I didn’t invite her.”
[Source: Alex Bollinger, LGBTQ Nation, July 2021
Advocate: Another Pie in
the Face for Anita Bryant
Edge Media Network: Anita Bryant's Lesbian Granddaughter
to Wed
LGBTQ Nation: Anita Bryant's Granddaughter is Marrying a
Woman
Senate Confirms
Historic LGBTQ Nominees to Defense Department
In July 2021, he US Senate confirmed two groundbreaking
LGBTQ appointees to the Department of Defense by
unanimous consent. Gina Ortiz Jones was confirmed
as undersecretary of the Air Force, becoming the first
out lesbian to be an undersecretary of any branch of the
military. Shawn Skelly was confirmed as assistant
secretary of defense for readiness, making her the
highest-ranking out transgender person in Defense
Department history and only the second trans person ever
confirmed by the Senate (Dr. Rachel Levine, assistant
secretary at the Department of Health and Human
Services, was the first).

Jones and Skelly are among more than 200 LGBTQ political
appointees put forth by President Joe Biden. Both sailed
through their confirmation hearings last month without
controversy.
Jones was an intelligence officer in the Air Force and
was deployed to Iraq during the war there, serving under
“don’t ask, don’t tell.” After leaving the Air Force,
she worked for the federal government as an adviser on
intelligence and trade, with agencies including the
Defense Intelligence Agency and Office of the US Trade
Representative.
She was the Democratic nominee for the US House of
Representatives from Texas’s 23rd Congressional
District, which stretches from El Paso to San Antonio,
in 2018 and 2020, losing narrowly to incumbent
Republican Will Hurd in 2018 and by a somewhat larger
margin to Republican newcomer Tony Gonzales in 2020.

A Filipina-American, she is the first woman of color to
be an undersecretary of a military branch and the second
member of the LGBTQ community. Eric Fanning, a gay man,
was undersecretary of the Air Force for two years during
President Barack Obama’s administration, then became
secretary of the Army.
Skelly served 20 years as a naval flight officer,
retiring with the rank of commander, and then in 2013
joined the Obama administration as the first trans
veteran appointed by a U.S. president. Her positions
included special assistant to the undersecretary of
defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics at
the Department of Defense and ultimately as the director
of the Office of the Executive Secretariat at the U.S.
Department of Transportation.
She most recently worked for CACI International, a
company that provides technology and expertise for
national security purposes, and she is cofounder and
vice president of Out in National Security, an advocacy
group for LGBTQ people in the military, defense
contracting, and related areas. She was also part of the
Biden transition team.
“Gina and Shawn served their country when living openly
could result in discharge and a lost career, so their
ascension to key leadership positions is a powerful
moment for those service members who served or continue
to serve in silence,” said Annise Parker, president and
CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Institute, in a press release.
“Their confirmation will transform perceptions of LGBTQ
people within the ranks of the U.S. military, but also
among the leaders of militaries we work with around the
world. While they were confirmed because of their
unquestionable qualifications and experience, they
symbolize our continued progress and will further
disrupt any lingering notion that LGBTQ people are
somehow unfit to serve.”

“The Biden team is building the most LGBTQ-inclusive
administration in U.S. history and the impact it will
have on policies and legislation is enormous,” added
Ruben Gonzales, Victory Institute executive director.
“Gina and Shawn will join at least a dozen other out
Defense Department appointees who understand the
challenges LGBTQ service members face and will make
their well-being a priority. Our military, like our
government, is strongest when it reflects the diversity
of the people it serves and ensures all are treated with
dignity and respect. Gina and Shawn are shattering
lavender ceilings that will encourage more LGBTQ people
to consider public service.”
Another out Defense Department nominee is awaiting a
confirmation hearing — lesbian Sue Fulton, a retired US
Army captain who is nominated to be assistant secretary
of defense for manpower and reserve affairs.
Victory Institute, a sister organization to the LGBTQ
Victory Fund, provides training and leadership
development to LGBTQ people who aspire to elected or
appointed political office. Its Presidential
Appointments Initiative has recommended and advocated
for numerous qualified candidates for positions in the
Biden administration, including Jones and Skelly.
[Source:
Trudy Ring, Advocate, July 2021]
Senate Confirms Historic LGBTQ Nominees to Defense
Department
Skelly and Jones Confirmed
by US Senate: LGBTQ Firsts
Dr. Rachel Levine Confirmed for Assistant Health
Secretary
Reggie Greer: White House
Senior Advisor on LGBTQ Issues
Trump's Judicial
Appointments Will Impact LGBTQ Rights Beyond Presidency
Biden Appoints Two Gay Men
to Key Roles in His Administration
Most Pro-Equality President in History:
Biden’s Ambitious LGBTQ Agenda
Biden Administration to be
Most LGBTQ-Inclusive in US History
Biden Picks Pete Buttigieg
for Secretary of Transportation
Trans Physician Rachel Levine: Biden's Choice for HHS
Assistant Secretary
Jeff Marootian: Biden's
New Environmental Advisor is Gay
Sarah McBride: Makes
History as First Openly Trans State Senator
Gay Man Carlos Elizondo
Named Biden's White House Social Secretary
American
Passports Will Now Have Third Gender Option
Nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming Americans
will be able to choose a gender option other than “male”
or “female” when applying for a US passport, the State
Department announced in June 2021.
Passport applicants will be able to self-select their
gender without providing supporting medical
documentation.
The policy change is part of the department’s effort to
take “further steps toward ensuring the fair treatment
of LGBTQ US citizens, regardless of their gender or
sex,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

It is not yet known when the third gender marker,
reportedly to be an “X,” will be available. Blinken said
the department is currently “evaluating the best
approach to achieve this goal” and noted that adding a
gender option “is technologically complex and will take
time.”
Once the US has a third gender option in place, it will
join a growing number of countries with such a passport
option, including Australia, Canada, Germany, India,
Nepal and New Zealand.
In the more immediate term, US passport applicants will
be able to self-select their gender and will no longer
be required to provide medical documentation if their
gender identity does not match the gender marker on
their other identity documents.
The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ
advocacy group, applauded the upcoming policy changes,
saying they will “decrease the risk of discrimination,
harassment, and violence for an already vulnerable
group.”

“This is
an important step towards achieving meaningful progress
for LGBTQ equality in America, and will empower and
enable millions of citizens to travel domestically and
internationally with greater confidence that the United
States recognizes their gender identity,” HRC President
Alphonso David said in a statement. He also called for
the US to “encourage other nations to adopt inclusive
policies that support non-binary and transgender
people.”
[Source: Brooke Sopelsa, NBC News, June 2021]
Lambda Legal: State Department Allows X Gender
Markers on US Passports
NBC News: US Adds Third Gender Option to American Passports
Advocate: US State Dept
Introduces Gender Neutral Passports
Them: US State Dept Allows
X Gender Markers on Passports
NPR: US Adds Third Gender
Option On Passports
Nevada Pageant
Winner Becomes First Transgender Miss USA Contestant
Kataluna Enriquez, who was crowned Miss Nevada USA in
June 2021, will become the first openly transgender
woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant. With a
platform centered on transgender awareness and mental
health, Enriquez, 27, beat out 21 other contestants at
the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. “I didn’t
have the easiest journey in life,” she said. “I
struggled with physical and sexual abuse. I struggled
with mental health. I didn’t have much growing up. I
didn’t have support. But I’m still able to thrive, and
I’m still able to survive and become a trailblazer for
many.” After her win, Enriquez thanked the LGBTQ
community, writing, “My win is our win. We just made
history. Happy Pride.”
In March 2021, Enriquez, who previously competed in
trans-specific pageants, became the first transgender
woman crowned Miss Silver State USA, the main
preliminary for Miss Nevada USA. During the pageant’s
question-and-answer segment, Enriquez said being true to
herself was an obstacle she faced daily. “Today I am a
proud transgender woman of color. Personally, I’ve
learned that my differences do not make me less than, it
makes me more than,” she said. “I know that my
uniqueness will take me to all my destinations, and
whatever I need to go through in life.”

Enriquez, who is Filipina American, designs her own
outfits, including a rainbow-sequin gown she wore Sunday
night in honor of Pride Month “and all of those who
don’t get a chance to spread their colors,” she
explained. "Pageantry is so expensive, and I
wanted to compete and be able to grow and develop skills
and create gowns for myself and other people," Enriquez
said.
She will represent Nevada at the 2021 Miss USA pageant,
being held November 2021 at the Paradise Cove Theater at
the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Miss Universe pageant system, of which Los
Angeles-based Miss USA is part, began allowing
transgender entrants in 2012. If she is crowned Miss
USA, Enriquez will be the second trans contestant in a
Miss Universe pageant, after Spain’s Angela Ponce in
2018.

Miss
America, a separate organization headquartered in New
Jersey, did not immediately reply to an inquiry about
whether transgender women or nonbinary individuals are
allowed to compete in its annual competition. As of
2018, the pageant was reportedly only open to “natural
born women,” according to the Advocate.
In February, a federal judge upheld the right of another
organization, Nevada-based Miss United States of
America, to bar transgender contestants from its
pageant.
[Source: Dan Avery, NBC News, June 2021]
Advocate: First Trans Contestant to Compete in Miss USA
NBC News: Nevada Pageant Winner Becomes
First Tansgender Miss USA Contestant
Washington Post: Kataluna Enriquez Dreamed of Seeing a
Transgender Miss USA Contestant
Miss Nevada USA Winner Makes History: 1st Trans Woman to
Hold the Title
2021 Miss Nevada Winner is First Transgender Woman
Crowned in Pageant's History
Biden and Buttigieg Celebrate LGBTQ
Pride Month
President
Joe Biden celebrated Pride Month at the White House in
June 2021, a reflection of the growing stature of the
LGBTQ community at the highest level of government.
“Pride Month represents so much,” Biden said. “It stands
for courage. The courage of all those in previous
generations and today who proudly live their truth.
Stands for justice. Both the steps we’ve taken and the
steps we need to take. And above all, Pride Month stands
for love.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first
openly gay person confirmed to a Cabinet post, joined
the president and first lady in the White House's East
Room and also gave remarks. “Us even being here proves
how much change is possible in America," Buttigieg said.
“So many lives have been changed, saved by the sustained
advocacy, the moral resolve, the political courage of
countless LGBTQ leaders and allies, some elected, some
invisible, some long gone, some in this room right now.”
A White House hallway was lit in the colors of the
rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ movement, and Biden
said he takes the hallway each day as he goes between
the residence and the Oval Office. Also on display was a
candle carried during the AIDS vigil and a pair of
sandals owned by Matthew Shepard, a gay college student
who was fatally beaten in 1998 and whose death inspired
new hate crime laws.
Also on
Friday, Biden named Jessica Stern as a special
diplomatic envoy at the State Department for LGBTQ
rights. Her responsibilities will involve ensuring that
US diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect
LGBTQ rights around the world. Stern is currently
executive director of OutRight Action International,
which defends human rights and works to prevent abuses
of LGBTQ people. In her new role, Stern will help put in
place a presidential memorandum to advance the rights of
LGBTQ people as well as bring together like-minded
governments, nonprofits and corporations to uphold
equality and dignity, according to the White House.

The focus also carries personal resonance for many in
the Biden administration. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White
House's principal deputy press secretary, tweeted out
her own story about coming out to her mother at the age
of 16 and the revolted look in response that left her
sexuality a family secret for many years. “I’m proud to
be an out Black Queer woman and I have been for quite
some time,” she wrote. “I’m happy to say, my Mother is
now proud of ALL of who I am; she loves my partner and
she loves being a doting grandmother to the daughter we
are raising.” Jean-Pierre added that her journey toward
acceptance was not easy, but it was worthwhile.
Biden also signed into law a measure that designates the
Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, as a national
memorial. A mass shooting at the gay nightclub in June
2016 left 49 people dead and 53 wounded in what was the
deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in US history.
[Source: Josh Boak and Darlene Superville, Associated
Press, June 2021]
Biden and Buttigieg
Celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month
Biden Marks Pride Month
With Speech Recognizing LGBTQ
Legislators
Biden Recognizes LGBTQ Pride Month

Current LGBTQ
News
President Biden's Pro-LGBTQ Timeline
Arkansas Lawmakers Enact
Trans Youth Treatment Ban
State Rep. Park Cannon:
Black Queer Lawmaker Arrested in Georgia
Arkansas Governor Signs
Bill Allowing Medical Workers to Refuse Treatment to
LGBTQ People
Record Number of Anti-Trans Bills
Introduced in States This Year
29 States File Bills to
Ban Trans Athletes in Sports
Police Officer Defends
Trans Daughter Against Anti-Trans Legislation
New Poll: 73 Percent of
People Support Trans Kids in Sports
Mother Testifies Against
Anti-Trans Legislation in Texas
Father of Trans Daughter
Testifies Against Trans Youth Athlete Ban
Troubling Rise in Business Owners
Refusing LGBTQ Customers
Caitlyn Jenner Launches Bid for California Governor
Dr. Rachel Levine Confirmed for Assistant Health
Secretary
Advocate: Salute to Amazing LGBTQ Women of 2021
GLAAD Media Awards: Who
Are the Big Winners?
Alan Turing's Face Is Now
on a New £50 Note in United Kingdom
Leyna Bloom: Makes History
on Cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition
New Poll: 75% of Americans
Support LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Laws
LGBTQ Celebrities Who Came
Out in 2020
Reggie Greer: White House
Senior Advisor on LGBTQ Issues
Lindsey Graham: Aggressive
Opponent of LGBTQ Civil Rights Bill
Japanese Court Rules
Same-Sex Marriage Ban is Unconstitutional
Carl Nassib: NFL Football Player Comes
Out as Gay
Las Vegas
Raiders lineman Carl Nassib just made sports history by
becoming the first active player in the National
Football League to come out as gay (or anywhere on the
LGBTQ spectrum, for that matter).
Nassib made the announcement on Instagram and quickly
put his money where his mouth is, announcing a donation
to and partnership with the Trevor Project, which aids
LGBTQ youth in crisis.
“What’s up, people?” Nassib said in a video post. “I’m
at my house in West Chester, Pa. I just wanted to take a
quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to
do this for a while now but finally feel comfortable
getting it off my chest. I really have the best life,
the best family, friends, and job a guy can ask for.

“I’m a
pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m
not doing this for attention. I just think that
representation and visibility are so important. I
actually hope that one day, videos like this and the
whole coming-out process are not necessary, but until
then I will do my best and my part to cultivate a
culture that’s accepting and compassionate and I’m going
to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project.
They’re an incredible organization, they’re the number
one suicide prevention service for LGBTQ youth in
America and they’re truly doing incredible things. I’m
very excited to be a part of it and help in any way that
I can, and I’m really pumped to see what the future
holds.”
Nassib, 28, has played with the Raiders for two years
and has been in the NFL six years overall, including
stints with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay
Buccaneers. Nassib played college football at the
University of Pennsylvania.
While other NFL players have come out after retiring,
Nassib is the first active out player in the league.
Michael Sam famously came out after finishing his
college career at the University of Missouri and was
drafted into the NFL but never made a team roster.
Nassib is getting support. “The NFL family is proud of
Carl for courageously sharing his truth today,” NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell told Outsports in a
statement. “Representation matters. We share his hope
that someday soon statements like his will no longer be
newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the
LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this
coming season.”
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis issued this
statement: “Carl Nassib’s powerful coming out is a
historic reflection of the growing state of LGBTQ
visibility and inclusion in the world of professional
sports, which has been driven by a long list of brave
LGBTQ athletes who came before him. As an accomplished
athlete who is now the first out gay active player in
the NFL, Carl Nassib’s story will not only have a
profound impact on the future of LGBTQ visibility and
acceptance in sports, but sends a strong message to so
many LGBTQ people, especially youth, that they too can
one day grow up to be and succeed as a professional
athlete like him.”
[Source: Neal Broverman, Advocate Magazine, June 2021]
Advocate: First Active NFL Player Has Come Out
NBC: Carl Nassib Comes Out
Publicly as Gay
LGBTQ Nation: Raiders' Carl Nassib Comes Out
CBS: Carl Nassib Comes Out as Openly Gay NFL Player
OutSports: NFL World
Supports Carl Nassib
CNN: Carl Nassib is First Active NFL Player to Come Out
as Gay
NFL News: Raiders DL Carl Nassib Becomes First Active
NFL Player to Come Out as Gay
Time: Carl Nassib is First Active NFL Athlete to Come
Out as Gay
USA Today: Who is Carl Nassib?
Bio: Carl Nassib
Trans Students Protected by Title IX
The US
Department of Education announced, in June 2021, that
transgender students protected at school by Title IX.
This moved reverses the GOP-authored guidance that said
those students were not protected by any federal laws.
The announcement from the Department of Education comes
not only during Pride Month, but also during a national
debate over whether transgender athletes should be
allowed to compete in sports that match their gender
identities. Such debates have prompted a wave of
anti-trans legislation from GOP-led state legislatures.
“Today, the Department makes clear that all students
(including LGBTQ students) deserve the opportunity to
learn and thrive in schools that are free from
discrimination,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said
in a statement. “The Supreme Court has upheld the right
for LGBTQ people to live and work without fear of
harassment, exclusion, and discrimination – and our
LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the
same protections."

The interpretation of the law reverses guidance issued
under former President Donald Trump. That
administration, in turn, had rescinded guidelines that
said Title IX applied to discrimination based on gender
identity.
"This is a day that transgender kids and their families
have been waiting for," said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen,
deputy executive director for the National Center for
Transgender Equality. The Biden administration,
Heng-Lehtinen said, "will defend their right to fully
participate in school."
The news
comes one year after the Supreme Court ruled gay and
transgender workers are protected by the Civil Rights
Act, legislation that bans discrimination in the
workplace. The Education Department's interpretation
says gay and transgender students will have those same
protections in schools. The new guidance is particularly
important for students in places where state-level
protections for transgender youth don’t exist, said
Christy Mallory, legal director at the University of
California-Los Angeles’ Williams Institute, which
conducts research on sexual orientation and gender
identity law and policy.
According to research by GLSEN, an LGBTQ youth advocacy
organization, more than half of all states lack
comprehensive guidance concerning transgender, nonbinary
and gender-nonconforming students.

Title IX guidance changed under Obama, Trump, and Biden.
Former President Barack Obama's administration made
clear to schools in 2016 that Title IX, a 1972 law
prohibiting sex-based discrimination in schools,
protected transgender students. In 2017, the Trump
administration rescinded the Obama-era guidance that
spelled out schools' legal responsibilities. The Trump
administration also threatened to withhold federal
funding from schools that allowed transgender students
to participate in school sports.
Trump's secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, also
suggested the Office of Civil Rights, a branch of the
Department of Education, would not investigate
discrimination complaints from transgender students.
None of those actions changed the law, but they created
confusion.
The June 2021 notice clarifies that confusion by
reminding public schools of their obligation under Title
IX to provide safe and non-discriminatory environments
to LGBTQ students, said Paul D. Castillo, a lawyer and
students' rights strategist at Lambda Legal, a civil
rights organization that defends LGBTQ people. And it
signals the Office of Civil Rights will review their
complaints with the same vigor as other complaints, he
added.
[Source: Erin Richards, Alia Wong, Lindsay Schnell, USA
Today, June 2021]
USA Today: Transgender Students Protected at School by
Title IX
Advocate: Education Dept Will Protect Students From
Anti-LGBTQ Bias
NBC News: Education Dept Says Title IX Protects LGBTQ
Students
LGBTQ Nation: Biden
Administration Extends Title IX Protections to LGBTQ
Students
CBS News: Title IX Protection Extended to Trans Students
New Awesome Toy: LGBTQ Lego Set
Kind of
awesome: A new rainbow Lego set arrives just in time for
Pride Month.
You’ve heard of “Everything Is Awesome,” the catchy
theme song of the “Lego Movie” franchise. Now get ready
for “Everyone Is Awesome,” a new, rainbow-colored Lego
set introduced by the toy company ahead of LGBTQ Pride
Month, the first ever
LGBTQ-themed set.
The 346-piece collection, available for purchase
starting June 1, includes a different figurine for each
color of Lego’s rainbow: black, brown, red, orange,
yellow, green, dark blue, purple, light blue, white and
pink.
Lego said that the model was inspired by the classic
rainbow flag, an enduring symbol of solidarity for the
LGBTQ community.

“Everyone is unique, and with a little more love,
acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all
feel more free to be our true AWESOME selves!” said
Matthew Ashton, Lego’s vice president of design. “I am
fortunate to be a part of a proud, supportive and
passionate community of colleagues and fans. We share
love for creativity and self-expression through LEGO
bricks and this set is a way to show my gratitude for
all the love and inspiration that is constantly shared.”
“I wanted
to create a model that symbolizes inclusivity and
celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who
they love," Matthew Ashton said in a press release.
“Everyone is unique, and with a little more love,
acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all
feel more free to be our true awesome selves! This model
shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone
is awesome!'”
"Having
LGBTQ-inclusive toys creates a space for families to let
LGBTQ children know that they are loved and accepted,"
Joe Nellist, from the UK's LGBT Foundation.
Social
media erupted with joy for the product, despite past
criticism claiming LGBTQ Pride merchandise had become an
overly commercialized space. "You know what. I like this
one," wrote one person.
[Source: Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times; Zamira Rahim,
CNN; Alexander Kacala, NBC Today; May 2021]
CNN: Lego Unveils First LGBTQ Set Ahead of Pride Month
LA Times: New Rainbow Lego Set Arrives Just in Time for Pride
Month
NBC Today: Lego Announces 1st Rainbow Set for LGBTQ Pride Month
The Guardian: Lego Launches First Set with LGBTQ Theme
USA Today: New Lego Set Proclaims Everyone is Awesome
Biden
Bans Discrimination Against LGBTQ People in Healthcare
"No one
should ever be denied access to health care because of
their sexual orientation or gender identity."
-President Joe Biden
"So now
it's clear. There is no ambiguity. You cannot
discriminate against people based on sexual orientation
or gender identity."
-Health &
Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra
The US
will protect gay and transgender people against sex
discrimination in healthcare, the Biden administration
announced in May 2021, reversing a Trump-era policy that
sought to narrow the scope of legal rights in sensitive
situations involving medical care.
The action by the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) affirms that federal laws forbidding sex
discrimination in healthcare also protect gay and
transgender people.

The Trump administration had defined “sex” to mean
gender assigned at birth, thereby excluding transgender
people from the law’s umbrella of protection.
“Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo
care, which can have serious negative health
consequences,“ the HHS secretary, Xavier Becerra, said
in a statement. “Everyone – including LGBTQ people –
should be able to access healthcare, free from
discrimination or interference, period.”
Becerra said the Biden administration policy will bring
HHS into line with a landmark supreme court decision
last year in a workplace discrimination case, which
established that federal laws against sex discrimination
on the job also protect gay and transgender people.
Despite that ruling, the Trump administration proceeded
to try to narrow the legal protections against
healthcare discrimination, issuing rules that narrowly
defined “sex” as biological gender. A federal judge had
blocked those rules from taking effect, although Trump
administration officials argued that as a legal matter
healthcare discrimination was a separate issue from the
employment case the supreme court decided.

The action
means that the HHS Office for Civil Rights will again
investigate complaints of sex discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Hospitals, clinics and other medical providers can face
government sanctions for violations of the law.
The Biden administration action essentially restores
policy established during the Obama years. The
Affordable Care Act included a prohibition on sex
discrimination in healthcare and the Obama
administration had interpreted that to apply to gay and
transgender people as well. It relied on a broad
understanding of sex shaped by a person’s inner sense of
being male, female, neither or a combination.
[Source: Associated Press, May 2021]
Biden Revives LGBTQ Protections Against Healthcare
Discrimination
US Bans Sex Discrimination Against LGBTQ People in
Healthcare
Biden Administration Prohibits Anti-LGBTQ
Health Care Discrimination
Arkansas Governor Signs
Bill Allowing Medical Workers to Refuse Treatment to
LGBTQ People
Conscience Rule Will Threaten LGBTQ
Healthcare
Hospitals Make Tremendous
Strides Toward LGBTQ Inclusive Care
Trump's Military Ban Ignores Science to
Inflict Harm
Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump
Administration
Trump Administration Exacerbating LGBTQ Healthcare
Discrimination
Biden Affirms
LGBTQ and Trans Youth in Speech to
Congress
President Joe Biden stood up for
transgender rights and called on the
Senate to pass the Equality Act in a
historic speech before a joint session
of Congress.
“I hope
Congress can get to my desk the Equality
Act to protect the rights of LGBTQ
Americans,” Biden told Congress while
discussing major initiatives that are
being held up in the Senate. Then he
specifically addressed trans youth: “To
all the transgender Americans watching
at home — especially the young people
who are so brave – I want you to know
that your president has your back.”

Biden’s mention of transgender people
comes at a time when dozens of states
across the country are considering bills
to reduce transgender rights, attacking
trans youth’s rights to health care and
to participate in school sports. The
Biden administration’s position is that
these laws are already illegal under
federal law, and he signed an executive
order stating that Title IX’s ban on
discrimination “on the basis of sex” in
education bans discrimination against
LGBTQ students as well. Civil rights
groups say that they are preparing to
file federal lawsuits to overturn these
state laws.
The Equality Act would add sexual
orientation and gender identity to
existing federal civil rights
legislation, extending
anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ
people. The bill passed in the House
mostly along party lines and is stalling
in the Senate, where Senate rules
currently require 60 votes for the bill
to proceed and Democrats only control 50
seats. Signing the bill into law in his
first 100 days in office was the Biden-Harris
campaign’s main promise to LGBTQ voters,
and those voters turned out for him and
were necessary for his victory. Today is
the 100th day of his presidency, though,
and there’s no sign that the Senate will
pass the bill in the near future.

LGBTQ organizations praised Biden for
renewing the call to pass the Equality
Act. “The fact that President Biden will
spotlight the inequalities LGBTQ
Americans face every day and call for
passage of the Equality Act speaks
volumes about how important this
legislation is and how much this new
Administration is doing to ensure full
equality and acceptance,” said GLAAD
President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
“LGBTQ lives are on the line, and it’s
time for the U.S. Senate to take action
and send the Equality Act to the
president’s desk for his signature.”
His speech was also noteworthy because,
for the first time in U.S. history, the
leaders of the House and the Senate who
sat behind him while he addressed a
joint session of Congress were both
women. “Madame Vice President,” he said,
referring to Vice President Kamala
Harris. “No president has ever said
those words from this podium, and it’s
about time.”
[Source: Alex Bollinger, LGBTQ Nation,
April 2021]
Biden Affirms LGBTQ and Trans Youth in
Speech to Congress
President Biden Acknowledges Trans
Americans During Speech to Congress
Biden to Transgender Americans: Your
President has Your Back
Biden's Message to Trans Youth: Your
President Has Your Back
Biden Made a Lot of Progress on LGBTQ
Rights in First 100 Days
President Biden's Pro-LGBTQ Timeline
Improving the Lives and Rights of LGBTQ
People in America

Current LGBTQ
News
Advocate: Salute to Amazing LGBTQ Women of 2021
Senate Majority Leader Schumer Talks
About the Equality Act
PBS Documentary: Famous Gay Neurologist Oliver Sacks
GLAAD Media Awards: Who
Are the Big Winners?
Transgender Day of
Visibility: Celebrating Our Existence and Fighting for
Our Rights
First Presidential
Proclamation of Transgender Visibility Day
New Survey: Most Young
People Are Supportive of Transgender Peers
Dutch Couple Celebrates 20th Anniversary of World's
First Same-Sex Marriage
Alan Turing's Face Is Now
on a New £50 Note in United Kingdom
Leyna Bloom: Makes History
on Cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition
New Poll: 75% of Americans
Support LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Laws
LGBTQ Celebrities Who Came
Out in 2020
Time
Magazine: Elliot Page Is Ready for This Moment
Reggie Greer: White House
Senior Advisor on LGBTQ Issues
Lindsey Graham: Aggressive
Opponent of LGBTQ Civil Rights Bill
Japanese Court Rules
Same-Sex Marriage Ban is Unconstitutional
Gay and Bi Teen
Boys Are Coming Out to Parents in Record
Numbers
Generation Z teenagers have been more
open to family members about their
sexual identities than the generations
that preceded them. But hurdles still
remain. A record-breaking number of gay
and bisexual teenage boys are out to
their parents.
A new study, published in the Psychology
of Sexual Orientation and Gender
Diversity journal, shows that 66 percent
of those in this demographic (ages 13 to
18) are out to their mothers, while 49
percent are out to their fathers. This
is a marked uptick from older
generations. In the 1990s, for example,
40 percent of boys were out to mothers
and less than 30 percent were out to
fathers, the study noted. The study
polled nearly 1,200 teenage boys
attracted to those of the same gender
from January 2019 to January 2020 as
part of an HIV prevention survey. People
born between 1998 and 2018 are
classified as Generation Z.

While the
findings were encouraging to
researchers, lead author David A.
Moskowitz, PhD, noted there were still
hurdles to overcome. "This study is
encouraging in that it shows that many
teens, including those under 18 years
old, are comfortable with their
sexuality," said Moskowitz, an assistant
professor of medical social sciences at
Northwestern University's Institute for
Sexual and Gender Minority Health and
Wellbeing. "At the same time, we must be
cautious, as the data also point to some
of the same barriers and discrimination
that previous generations have faced.
Work still needs to be done."
To wit, among this demographic, the
level of comfort with being out to
parents varied based on factors like
race, identity, and religion. White
participants were more likely to be out
than Black participants; gay
participants were more likely to be out
than bisexual participants; and those
who were less religious were more likely
to be out than those who were more.
"This gives us an understanding of the
factors that move teenagers to share
this type of information with the people
closest to them," Moskowitz said. "We
can now compare these practices with how
other generations deal with these issues
and think about what it all means for
future generations."

Moskowitz noted that the study will open
doors to more research about sexuality
within Generation Z, including views on
coming out among young women. "This
study provides a road map for such an
effort," Moskowitz said. "In the
meantime, these findings should be
helpful to those who work with teenagers
identifying as sexual minorities."
[Source: Daniel Reynolds, Advocate
Magazine, April 2021]
Study: Gay & Bi Teen Boys Are Coming Out
to Parents in Record Numbers
Survey: More Than 1 In 3 LGBTQ Youth
Experience Discrimination At Work
Many LGBTQ Youth Don’t Identify with
Traditional Sexual Identity Labels
Trevor Project: 40 Percent of LGBTQ
Youth Considered Suicide in the Past
Year
Survey: More Than Half of LGBTQ Youth
Have an Eating Disorder
Research Update: Crucial Role of
Community Members in the Lives of LGBTQ
Youth
Arkansas Lawmakers Ban Treatment for
Transgender Youth
In April 2021,
The Arkansas legislature overrode Gov.
Asa Hutchinson’s veto of a bill denying
gender-affirming health care to minors,
making Arkansas the first state with
such a law. And American Civil Liberties
Union officials said they were preparing
a lawsuit.
Hutchinson had vetoed House Bill 1570,
saying it was overly broad. It bans not
only gender-confirmation surgeries
(which doctors do not recommend for
minors anyway) but also hormone
treatments and puberty blockers. “If
this was just to ban gender reassignment
then I would support it, but those who
are taking treatment are not
grandfathered in, this is not the right
path to put them on,” the Republican
governor said. “While the population of
minors dealing with this is an extreme
minority, this could lead to significant
harms from suicide to drug use to
isolation,” he added.
But the Arkansas House of
Representatives voted 71-24 to override
Hutchinson’s veto, and the Arkansas
Senate voted 25-8 to do so. Civil rights
groups immediately condemned the
legislature’s action. “Today Arkansas
legislators disregarded widespread,
overwhelming, and bipartisan opposition
to this bill and continued their
discriminatory crusade against trans
youth,” said a statement from Holly
Dickson, executive director of the ACLU
of Arkansas. “As Governor Hutchinson
noted in his veto message, denying care
to trans youth can lead to harmful and
life-threatening consequences. This is a
sad day for Arkansas, but this fight is
not over — and we’re in it for the long
haul. Attempting to block trans youth
from the care they need simply because
of who they are is not only wrong, it’s
also illegal, and we will be filing a
lawsuit to challenge this law in court.
We are hearing from concerned families
all over the state who are afraid about
the impact of this bill and others like
it. We are committed to doing all we can
to support these families and ensure
they know how to continue to fight for
their rights and get the care and
resources they need.
“No matter what these politicians do or
say, one thing has not changed: trans
youth are loved, they are seen, and we
will never stop fighting to defend their
dignity, their rights and their lives.
To everyone who spoke out against this
bill: now is the time to stay loud, not
only for trans lives, but for all the
fundamental rights that politicians are
hellbent on attacking.”

“The Arkansas Legislature has ignored
dozens of local doctors and national
medical experts, as well as trans youth
and their parents,” added Chase Stangio,
deputy director for transgender justice
with the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project.
“This bill will drive families, doctors
and businesses out of the state and send
a terrible and heartbreaking message to
the transgender young people who are
watching in fear. Gender-affirming care
is life-saving care and banning that
care will have devastating and in some
cases deadly consequences. Trans youth
in Arkansas: We will continue to fight
for you. The ACLU is preparing
litigation as we speak. ACLU supporters
from around the country spoke out
against this bill. We will always have
your back and will be relentless in our
defense of your rights.”

Sam Brinton, vice president of advocacy
and government affairs for the Trevor
Project, issued this statement: “To the
transgender and nonbinary youth of
Arkansas, please know that you deserve
love and support and to be affirmed in
your gender identity. We will not stop
fighting until this cruel and illegal
ban is overturned. “Governor Hutchinson
listened to trans youth and their
doctors, the state legislature clearly
did not. We knew this override could
happen, but it is nonetheless
devastating because we also know it
could have deadly consequences. It is
not extreme or sensational to say that
this group of young people, who already
experience disproportionate rates of
violence and suicide attempts, would be
put at significantly increased risk of
self-harm because of legislation like HB
1570 pushing them farther to the margins
of society.”
Similar bills are pending in several
other states.
[Source: Trudy Ring, Advocate Magazine,
April 2021]
NBC News: Arkansas
Lawmakers Enact Trans Youth Treatment Ban
Advocate: Arkansas Bans Gender-Affirming
Care for Trans Minors
LGBTQ Nation: Arkansas Lawmakers Ban
Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth
Arkansas Teachers Fear
for Their Trans Students
Record Number of Anti-Trans Bills
Introduced in States This Year
29 States File Bills to
Ban Trans Athletes in Sports
Police Officer Defends
Trans Daughter Against Anti-Trans Legislation
New Poll: 73 Percent of
People Support Trans Kids in Sports
Mother Testifies Against
Anti-Trans Legislation in Texas
Father of Trans Daughter
Testifies Against Trans Youth Athlete Ban
Attack After Attack:
Trans Youth Speak Out on Health and
Sports Bills Aimed at Them
Meanwhile: In North
Carolina
Alan Turing's Face on
£50 Note in United Kingdom
Gay Icon
Alan Turing's Face Is Now on a New £50
Note in United Kingdom. Bank of England
Unveils New £50 Note Featuring Alan
Turing. The honor comes after he was
arrested and chemically castrated for
his sexuality.
The Bank of England in March 2021
unveiled their new £50 note featuring
gay mathematician, cryptographer, and
biologist Alan Turing. Turing was
selected by public nomination in 2019
when the Bank sought to honor a British
scientist on the note. Despite his
instrumental contributions breaking Nazi
Germany’s famed Enigma code during World
War II, the heroic cryptopgrapher was
later chemically castrated following his
1952 arrest for having a sexual
relationship with another man.

“Turing is best known for his
codebreaking work at Bletchley Park,
which helped end the Second World War,”
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey
said in a statement. “However in
addition he was a leading mathematician,
developmental biologist, and a pioneer
in the field of computer science. He was
also gay, and was treated appallingly as
a result. By placing him on our new
polymer £50 banknote, we are celebrating
his achievements, and the values he
symbolizes.”
“Turing was embraced for his brilliance
and persecuted for being gay,” echoed
GCHG Director, Jeremy Fleming. “His
legacy is a reminder of the value of
embracing all aspects of diversity, but
also the work we still need to do to
become truly inclusive.”
The new £50 polymer note features
Turing’s likeness on the back along with
other symbolic imagery representing his
many achievements. These include images
and technical drawings of his early
attempt at computers along with a key
component of his codebreaking machine,
ticker tape depicting his birthdate in
binary code, as well as a quote he gave
to The Times in 1949 where he said “This
is only a foretaste of what is to come,
and only the shadow of what is going to
be.”

The Bank of England released a video on
YouTube which featured gay author and
actor Stephen Fry, who noted Turing “was
among the thousands of men who were
harried and harangued by the
authorities” during the post-war United
Kingdom, and that he was filled with
delight both with the honoring of Turing
but also the manner in which he was
selected.
“The choice of Alan Turing and the
manner in which it was arrived at by
public nomination marks another step in
our nation’s long overdue recognition of
this very great man,” Fry said in the
video.
Turing was a key visionary and pioneer
in the fields of theoretical computer
science and artificial intelligence. He
was instrumental in his efforts at famed
Bletchley Park just outside London where
he and his team broke Nazi Germany’s
Enigma code, which was thought to be
unbreakable. Much of his work was
covered by the Official Secrets Act at
the time, and so he was never fully
recognized for his contributions.

He was arrested in 1952 for homosexual
activity with a consenting 19-year-old
man. Given the choice between prison or
chemical castration, he chose the
latter. As a result of his conviction,
the authorities took away his security
clearance and barred him from further
cryptography work for the British
signals intelligence agency. He died in
1954 at the age of 41, having consumed
cyanide. Turing’s life and story were
famously portrayed in the 2014 film The
Imitation Game staring Benedict
Cumberbatch.
Fleming said he sees Turing’s appearance
on the note as a “landmark moment” in
his country’s history and a cause for
both celebration and reflection. “Not
only is it a celebration of his
scientific genius which helped to
shorten the war and influence the
technology we still use today, it also
confirms his status as one of the most
iconic LGBT+ figures in the world.”
[Source: Donald Padgett, Out Magazine,
March 2021]
Advocate: Britain Unveils Bank Note
Honoring Alan Turing
Alan
Turing's Face Is Now on a New £50 Note
in United Kingdom
Bank of
England Video: Alan Turing on UK Bank
Note
BBC: Alan Turing the Creator of Modern
Computing
GLAAD: Alan Turing Inspires Queer Woman
of Color in Tech
Can Medical Workers Refuse
Treatment to LGBTQ Patients?
In March 2021,
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law legislation
allowing doctors to refuse to treat someone because of
religious or moral objections, a move opponents have
said will give providers broad powers to turn away LGBTQ
patients and others. The measure says health care
workers and institutions have the right to not
participate in non-emergency treatments that violate
their conscience.
Opponents of the law, including the Human Rights
Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union, have
said it will allow doctors to refuse to offer a host of
services for LGBTQ patients. The state Chamber of
Commerce also opposed the measure, saying it sends the
wrong message about the state.
Hutchinson opposed a similar measure in 2017 that failed
before a House committee. But he said the law he signed
was narrower and limits the objections to particular
health care services, not treating specific types of
people. “I support this right of conscience so long as
emergency care is exempted and conscience objection
cannot be used to deny general health service to any
class of people,” Hutchinson said in a statement
released by his office. “Most importantly, the federal
laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race,
sex, gender, and national origin continue to apply to
the delivery of health care services.”

Opponents have said types of health care that could be
cut off include maintaining hormone treatments for
transgender patients needing in-patient care for an
infection, or grief counseling for a same-sex couple.
They’ve also said it could also be used to refuse to
fill prescriptions for birth control, or by physicians
assistants to override patient directives on end of life
care.
“There is no sugarcoating this: this bill is another
brazen attempt to make it easier to discriminate against
people and deny Arkansans the health care services they
need,” ACLU of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson
said in a statement. The ACLU did not say whether it
planned any legal action to try and block the law before
it takes effect.
The law is among several measures targeting transgender
people that have easily advanced through the
majority-Republican Legislature this year. Hutchinson on
Thursday signed a law that will prohibit transgender
women and girls from playing on sports teams consistent
with their gender identity.
A final vote is scheduled on another proposal that would
prohibit gender confirming treatments and surgery for
minors.

The Human Rights Campaign announced that it would air a
television ad in Arkansas during the Arkansas-Oral
Roberts game in the NCAA Tournament denouncing measures
such as the transgender athlete restrictions in Arkansas
and other states. “Trans kids are kids. They don’t
deserve this cruelty,” the 30-second spot says.
The bills are advancing as a hate crimes measure backed
by Hutchinson has stalled in the Legislature after
facing resistance from conservatives. The bill would
impose additional penalties for committing a crime
against someone because of their characteristics,
including their sexual orientation or gender identity.
[Source: PBS News Hour, March 2021]
Arkansas Governor Signs
Bill Allowing Medical Workers to Refuse Treatment to
LGBTQ People
Arkansas Passes Bill to Ban
Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth
NPR: Alabama Considers Banning Medical
treatment for Trans Youth
Religious Exemption Laws Explained
List of States: Religious Exemption Laws
Troubling Rise in Business Owners
Refusing LGBTQ Customers
Alabama Senate Votes to
Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
Record Number of Anti-Trans Bills
Introduced in States This Year
29 States File Bills to
Ban Trans Athletes in Sports
Police Officer Defends
Trans Daughter Against Anti-Trans Legislation
New Poll: 73 Percent of
People Support Trans Kids in Sports
Father of Trans Daughter
Testifies Against Trans Youth Athlete Ban

Current LGBTQ
News
LGBTQ Nation: 70% of
Voters Support Equality Act
Golden Globes: Jane
Fonda's Speech on Diversity and Inclusion
Jodie Foster Wins Golden
Globe Award and Kisses Her Wife
NBC News: US House of Reps Passes Sweeping LGBTQ Rights
Bill
New Poll: Americans Identifying as LGBTQ More Than Ever
Congressman Says God Detests LGBTQ People
Randy Rainbow:
Mr. Biden Bring My Vaccine
The Inauguration We Can’t
Enjoy
LGBTQ Reaction to Biden's Inauguration
C-SPAN: Joe Biden and
Kamala Harris Inauguration Ceremony
Ashley Biden Wears Tuxedo
on Inauguration Night
Biden Reverses Trump's
Transgender Military Ban
Sarah McBride: Most
Inspiring Elected Official in America
Advocate: Half of Gen Z Believes Gender
Binary is Outdated
Alabama Senate Votes to
Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
Gay Rep. David Cicilline
Speaks at Trump Impeachment Trial
50 Years a Scapegoat:
LGBTQ Community Once Again in GOP Crosshairs
Biden Lifts Trump's Trans
Military Ban
Teen Sensation JoJo Siwa: Comes Out and Changes the
World for LGBTQ Youth
Buttigieg Thanks Husband
During Senate Confirmation Hearings
Jojo Siwa Talks to Jimmy
Fallon About Her Amazing Girlfriend
President Biden's Pro-LGBTQ Timeline
President Biden committed to being a champion for LGBTQ
people every day in the White House, and he’s off to a
historic start. From protecting people from
discrimination to addressing the epidemic of violence
against trans people to ensuring a safe future for LGBTQ
youth, there’s so much good we can do together. We’re
tracking every action taken by this White House to
defend our communities and expand our rights.

February 23, 2021 - Department of Veterans Affairs
Expands Support for Trans Veterans - At President
Biden’s direction, the Department of Veterans Affairs
announced it would begin reviewing its policies to
ensure they are inclusive of all gender identities and
gender expressions. This includes a plan to end the ban
on gender-affirming care for trans veterans.
February 19, 2021 - President Biden Encourages Passage
of the Equality Act - After reintroduction of the
Equality Act in the House, President Biden shared his
support for the legislation and called on Congress to
swiftly sign it into law. The Equality Act would create
sweeping protections for LGBTQ people in housing,
education, health care and more. The White House later
put out its official statement of administration policy
supporting the legislation.
February 11, 2021 - Fair Housing Act Enforced to Protect
LGBTQ People - The Department of Housing and Urban
Development, at the direction of President Biden,
announced it would enforce the Fair Housing Act to
prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people, a step
toward addressing the housing challenges many in our
community face.

February 10, 2021 - Biden-Harris Administration
Postpones Discriminatory Trump-Era HHS Rule Change - The
Biden-Harris administration announced it would halt
implementation of a discriminatory Trump-era rule under
the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The
rule would have permitted discrimination against LGBTQ
people, religious minorities and women in programs
related to foster care, adoption, HIV and STI
prevention, youth homelessness, refugee resettlement,
elder care programs and more.
February 9, 2021 - Press
Secretary Psaki Affirms Trans Rights are Human Rights -
During a daily press briefing, Press SecretaryJen Psaki
received a question regarding the administration’s
stance on transgender students participating in sports.
Psaki made the President’s position clear - trans rights
are human rights.
February 4, 2021 - Memorandum on Protecting Rights of
LGBTQ People Abroad - President Biden issued a
memorandum aimed at protecting the rights of LGBTQI
people worldwide. This memorandum comes at a time when
same-sex relations are still criminalized in 69
countries, with same-sex conduct punishable by death in
nine of them.

February 2, 2021 - Pete Buttigieg Confirmed as
Transportation Secretary - Pete Buttigieg was confirmed
by the Senate with a vote of 86-13 to become the next
Transportation Secretary. He is now the first-ever
openly LGBTQ Cabinet member confirmed by the full
Senate.
January 28, 2021 - Global Gag Rule Rescinded - President
Biden signed an executive memorandum to immediately
rescind the so-called Mexico City Policy, also known as
the “global gag rule,” a decades-old policy barring
international nonprofits from receiving U.S. funding if
they provide abortion counseling or referrals.
January 25, 2021 - Repeal
of the Ban on Transgender Military Service - Within his
first week in office, President Biden followed through
on his promise to repeal the discriminatory ban on
transgender people serving openly in the military. An
estimated 15,000 service members were impacted by the
policy enacted under Trump.
January 23, 2021 - Department of Justice Reversal of
Trump Era Memorandum Designed to Limit Bostock
Implementation - Implementing President Biden’s
executive order regarding Bostock v. Clayton County, the
Department of Justice revoked a Trump era memorandum
that was designed to substantially limit application of
the decision with respect to workplace nondiscrimination
law and to refute application to other areas of law.

January 22, 2021 - First Lady Dr. Jill Biden Visits
Whitman-Walker Health - As one of her first official
visits as First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden visited
Whitman-Walker, one of the foremost LGBTQ clinics and
providers for those living with HIV & AIDS. The visit
was a clear indication that this administration will
make our health and well-being a priority.
January 21, 2021 - Trump Ban on Diversity Training
Revoked - President Biden revoked a former Trump order
that had banned federal agencies, contractors and
recipients of federal funding from conducting certain
diversity training on race and sex that also had
implications for trainings on sexual orientation and
gender identity.
January 20, 2021 - Equity Orders on Racial Equity &
Support for Underserved Communities - President Biden
issued an executive order advancing racial equity and
support for underserved communities through the federal
government, explicitly including LGBTQ people within the
measures. The executive order includes a commitment to
ensuring equitable access to government programs,
engagement with underserved communities and the creation
of an Interagency Working Group on Equitable Data.
January 20, 2021 - Executive Order Implementing the
Bostock Decision - On day one, President Biden issued
the most substantive, wide-ranging LGBTQ executive order
in U.S. history, extending protections against
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and
gender identity. The executive order affirmed the
Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock vs. Clayton County,
which secured workplace protections, and applied the
holding of the Court to laws prohibiting discrimination
in housing, education, health care and credit.
[Source: Human Rights Campaign]
HRC: President Biden's Pro-LGBTQ Timeline
Most Pro-Equality President in History:
Biden’s Ambitious LGBTQ Agenda
NBC News: US House of Reps Passes Sweeping LGBTQ Rights
Bill
LGBTQ Reaction to Biden's Inauguration
Biden Reverses Trump's
Transgender Military Ban
Biden Lifts Trump's Trans
Military Ban
Biden Issues Order Against Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination
Biden Administration to be
Most LGBTQ-Inclusive in US History
Biden Picks Pete Buttigieg
for Secretary of Transportation
Trans Physician Rachel Levine: Biden's Choice for HHS
Assistant Secretary
Jeff Marootian: Biden's
New Environmental Advisor is Gay
Biden Appoints Two Gay Men
to Key Roles in His Administration
Reggie
Greer: White House Senior Advisor on LGBTQ Issues
Reggie Greer, the Black gay man who was LGBTQ vote
director for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, now has
a job in the White House. President Biden named Greer
senior adviser on LGBTQ issues at the White House and
director of priority placement in the White House’s
Presidential Personnel Office. He is one of more than 50
LGBTQ appointees in the Biden administration so far, and
the administration is likely to top the record of 330
set over the course of President Barack Obama’s tenure.
For the Biden campaign, Greer’s duties included leading
the Out for Biden effort, aimed at getting LGBTQ voters
to the polls. Before joining the campaign a year ago,
Greer spent more than three years as director of
constituent engagement at the LGBTQ Victory Institute,
which among other things provides training to current
and future LGBTQ candidates and campaign workers and
works to place out appointees in pro-equality
presidential administrations through its Presidential
Appointments Initiative.

He was previously
deputy director of public engagement at the US
Department of Transportation, working with Secretary
Anthony Foxx during Obama’s administration. In 2016
he was appointed to Washington DC Mayor Muriel
Bowser’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee.
LGBTQ activists praised Biden’s choice of Greer.
“Reggie is a ray of sunshine in the conflict-driven
world of politics and the respect and trust he’s
earned from LGBTQ leaders will make him an extremely
effective adviser,” Annise Parker, president and CEO
of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Victory Institute,
said in a press release. “He exemplifies the America
United ethos, with a rare ability to bring diverse
communities and interests together and rally them
behind a common cause and vision. He will be
invaluable as a bridge between the administration
and the millions of LGBTQ Americans relying on
President Biden to bring needed change to our
nation. I am thrilled about his appointment and am
eager to continue working together on moving
equality forward for our community.”
Arli Christian, campaign strategist with the American
Civil Liberties Union, released this statement: “We're
thrilled the White House is prioritizing LGBTQ issues by
appointing Reggie Greer as LGBTQ senior advisoer. We
look forward to working with Director Greer on our top
ask of the Biden-Harris administration: an executive
order updating the process by which federal agencies
change gender markers on IDs. Over 67,000 people have
signed our petition calling on the White House to issue
this executive order, and we’re excited to work
alongside Director Greer in support of transgender,
nonbinary, and intersex people nationwide.”
During the presidential campaign, Greer lauded Biden in
an interview with The Advocate. “Joe Biden spent his
entire career fighting systemic injustice,” Greer said.
“He listens to people when they explain the types of
systemic issues that they face. What makes this country
great is that we include every voice in the political
process."
[Source: Trudy Ring,
Advocate Magazine, March 2021]
Reggie Greer: White House
Senior Advisor on LGBTQ Issues
Victory Institute Applauds Appointment of
Reggie Greer
Reggie Greer: Biden Campaign's LGBTQ Engagement Director
Gallup
Poll Shows Growing LGBTQ Population
In February 2021, Gallup released a new poll that showed
a growing percentage of adults in the US are LGBTQ
identifying. In response, Human Rights Campaign
President Alphonso David released the following
statement:
“This poll confirms what we have long known—that the
LGBTQ community is powerful and a growing force in the
United States, and around the world. Young adults, in
particular, feel empowered to publicly claim their
identities—a compelling finding and validation for the
past generations of LGBTQ advocates who have long fought
for full equality. As a growing percentage of the
population comes out as LGBTQ, it only amplifies the
need for the Equality Act to be passed through Congress
swiftly and with bipartisan support in order to secure
consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections
for LGBTQ people across all areas of life.”
Key Points from the poll: Results from a 2020 Gallup
poll were released that showed the estimate of LGBTQ
identifying American adults has risen by more than one
percentage point from the previous 2017 update.
--5.6% of US adults
identify as LGBTQ. The current estimate is up from 4.5%
in Gallup's previous update based on 2017 data.
--More than half of LGBTQ individuals (54.6%) identify
as bisexual.
--One in six adults in Generation Z identify as LGBTQ,
more than any previous generation.
--Women are more likely than men to identify as LGBTQ
(6.4% vs. 4.9%, respectively).
--Americans have grown increasingly supportive of equal
rights for the LGBTQ community and a growing percentage
of Americans identify themselves as LGBTQ—signaling that
public acceptance is critical for LGBTQ individuals to
feel safe identifying as their true selves.
Gallup Poll: Percentage of LGBTQ Population Rises
in US
NBC News: New Poll Says Americans Identifying as LGBTQ More Than Ever
USA Today: Young People Driving Numbers as LGBTQ
Percentage Increases
ABC News: Increase in Percentage of Americans
Identifying as LGBTQ
Mr. Potato Head Goes Gender
Neutral
Mr. Potato Head is no
longer a mister. Hasbro, the company that makes the
potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender
neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on
boxes this year.
Toy makers have been updating their classic brands to
appeal to kids today. Barbie has shed its blonde image
and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes.
Thomas the Tank Engine added more girl characters. And
American Girl is now selling a boy doll.
Hasbro said Mr. Potato Head, which has been around for
about 70 years, needed a modern makeover. Kimberly Boyd,
a Hasbro executive who works on the Potato Head brand,
said that kids love the toy because it provides a canvas
onto which they can project their own experiences.

“The sweet spot for the
toy is two to three years old. Kids like dressing up the
toy, then playing out scenarios from their life. This
often takes the form of creating little potato families,
because they’re learning what it means to be in a
family.” The Potato Heads played into this tendency to
create families over the decades. In 2012, the toy giant
celebrated Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head‘s 60th wedding
anniversary with a boxed set featuring the couple.
Today, the company wants to stop leaning so heavily into
this traditional family structure. “Culture has
evolved,” she tells Fast Company. “Kids want to be able
to represent their own experiences. The way the brand
currently exists (with the “Mr.” and “Mrs.”) is limiting
when it comes to both gender identity and family
structure.”
[Source: Nexstar Media Wire and Associated Press, Feb
2021]
Mr. Potato Head Rebrands
Hasbro Drops Mr. From Potato Head Brand
Mr. Potato Head Goes Gender Neutral
Hasbro to Make Mr. Potato Head More Inclusive

Current LGBTQ
News
Former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton: Peaceful
Transfer of Power
Biden Issues Order Against Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination
Most Pro-Equality President in History:
Biden’s Ambitious LGBTQ Agenda
Biden Administration to be
Most LGBTQ-Inclusive in US History
Biden Picks Pete Buttigieg
for Secretary of Transportation
Trans Physician Rachel Levine: Biden's Choice for HHS
Assistant Secretary
Jeff Marootian: Biden's
New Environmental Advisor is Gay
Meet Your Republican Insurrectionists
Jen Ellis: Meet the
Teacher Behind Bernie Sanders' Mittens
Lesbian Mom/School Teacher
Hand-Knitted Bernie's Famous Mittens
Gay Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Was Ready to Fight Off Mob
at Capitol
Republicans Condemn Cindy
McCain for Supporting LGBTQ People
Country Music Star TJ
Osbourne Comes Out as Gay
Trump's Attempted Coup
Requires Bold Response
Biden Appoints Two Gay Men
to Key Roles in His Administration
Arizona GOP Lawmakers:
Ignorant Comments About Non-Binary People
Advocate: Trans People
Lost to Violence in 2020
US House of Reps Passes Equality
Act
In February 2021, the US
House of Representatives passed HR 5, the Equality Act,
a far-reaching measure that has been decades in the
making and would prohibit discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity. The vote was 224-206,
with three Republicans joining all the Democratic
representatives in favor of federal legislation that
will update existing federal nondiscrimination laws,
including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair
Housing Act, to confirm that discrimination based on
sexual orientation or gender identity is unlawful
discrimination based on sex. The Equality Act clarifies
sex discrimination laws to prohibit LGBTQ discrimination
in employment, housing, credit, education, and other
areas, and explicitly extends sex discrimination
protections to public accommodations and federally
funded programs.

Lambda Legal CEO Kevin
Jennings issued the following statement: “Today, the US
House of Representatives passed, yet again, the Equality
Act, as it has done in years past. And, once again, the
Equality Act now goes to the US Senate. We hope and
trust this year, it will finally get the hearing in the
Senate that it so richly deserves. After years of
ignoring this important legislation, the Senate needs to
take care of business and pass the Equality Act. Since
the introduction of the first Equality Act in 1974
(nearly 50 years ago), LGBTQ advocates and our
supporters in Congress have been fighting to win
explicit protections for LGBTQ people in federal
nondiscrimination laws. The time has come to enact those
protections: 47 years is long enough to wait for
protection of our basic rights as citizens."
The legislation was passed by the House in 2019 but
blocked in the Republican-led Senate. This time around,
Democrats now control the White House, House and Senate.
President Biden has signaled his support for the
measure, but it still faces an uphill fight in the
Senate, where it would need 60 votes to break a
legislative filibuster.

The Equality Act enjoys
bipartisan support in Congress. It was introduced by US
Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and US Sen. Jeff Merkley
(D-OR), with dozens of co-sponsors. “Madam
speaker, discrimination is wrong. As children, we learn
the golden rule: treat others the way you yourself want
to be treated. Right now discrimination is a fact of
life for millions of LGBTQ Americans,” Cicilline said on
the floor ahead of the vote. “The fact is that in most
states an LGBTQ person is at risk of being denied
housing, education, or serve on a jury because of who
they are. That's why we are here to consider HR 5, the
Equality Act. The equality act does no more and no less
than say LGBTQ people deserve the same rights and
responsibilities as all other Americans — most
fundamentally the right to live lives free of
discrimination.”
LGBTQ Nation: Landmark LGBTQ Civil Rights Legislation
Passes US House
Advocate: US House of Reps Passes Equality Act; Now Onto
the Senate
NBC News: US House of Reps Passes Sweeping LGBTQ Rights
Bill
CNN: House of Reps Passes Equality Act to End LGBTQ
Discrimination
Lambda Legal Applauds Passage of Equality Act by House
of Representatives
Good Riddance Bigot King Rush Limbaugh
Anti-LGBTQ talk radio
host Rush Limbaugh died in February 2021 in Florida.
Limbaugh, 70, last year announced he had lung cancer.
Limbaugh had been a prominent figure in conservative
politics since the 1980s. Over 600 stations in the US
aired his daily radio program. Limbaugh also frequently
mocked and insulted people with HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ people,
women and other groups. Limbaugh last February said,
“America’s still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing
his husband on the debate stage as president” in
reference to now-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
kissing his husband, Chasten Buttigieg. Then-President
Trump in his 2020 State of the Union address presented
Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “Rush
Limbaugh spent much of his career attacking LGBTQ
people, including mocking those impacted by the AIDS
crisis,” said GLAAD Head of News and Campaigns Barbara
Simon in a statement to the Washington Blade. “He spread
misinformation to his listeners and fueled distrust and
division across the country.”
-Michael K. Lavers, Washington Blade

Rush Limbaugh died on Wednesday. Fox News called him a
pioneer; HuffPost (correctly) proclaimed him a “bigoted
king.” I’ll go with powerful ghoul. Rush said racist,
sexist, and odiously right-wing shit every day for hours
and hours on end, for years. He played the theme song
from The Jeffersons whenever he talked about Carol
Moseley Braun, the first Black woman to serve in the US
Senate. He spoke terribly of those who had recently been
killed—so no need to bother with the fake civility. If
it’s unclear where to stand, just know the New York
Times rolled out its code word for a terrible man who is
newly dead: “provocateur.” Whether Limbaugh is good or
bad isn’t really worth pondering. (Donald Trump gave him
the Presidential Medal of Freedom.) The better question
is why he was able to be an ass, and such an important
one, for so long. In 1995, when Mother Jones wrote about
Rush (“Wizard of Ooze“), he was the center of Republican
politics, having helped bring about a conservative
takeover of the House. Politico Mary Matalin said this
to us: “You cannot underestimate, and you cannot
overstate, the power of Rush Limbaugh.”
-Jacob Rosenberg, Mother Jones

As a gay man, Limbaugh hated me. There’s no question
about that, and he’s hated me since he first opened his
big mouth to vomit vile venom about “homosexuals” and
every conceivable and unacceptable descriptor that was
me. He used every word in the vocabulary in his attempt
to diminish me. Limbaugh loathed me more than I loathed
myself, and he loathed anyone like me, and he loathed
people like me during the AIDS crisis, when his
sickening, repugnant voice screeched abhorrence to
anyone sick with the disease. He did not speak kindly of
the dead during that era. I imagine he never had a
grandmother or anyone with an ounce of decorum who told
him not to speak ill about the deceased. He was the
antithesis of truth and honor. The anti-Larry Kramer.
Limbaugh lied about the disease, about the supposed
decadence, and about the deceased. Souls and lives
didn’t matter to Limbaugh, only perpetuating falsehoods
to score ratings points.He railed against same-sex
marriage. He compared us to pedophiles. Limbaugh said
that the movement for marriage equality was akin to a
movement to normalize pedophilia. His outer ugliness was
only outmatched by his inward deplorableness and bloated
bigotry. Limbaugh was furious when the Supreme Court
affirmed that LGBTQ+ people were entitled to protection
from employment discrimination.
-John Casey, Advocate

Limbaugh saturated America’s airwaves with cruelty and
conspiracies, amassing millions of listeners and
transforming the Republican Party. An opponent of
marriage equality — which he suggested was “perverted”
and “depraved” — Limbaugh argued in 2016 that legalizing
gay marriage would lead to bestiality. “What happens if
you love your dog?” he said. He once referred to
transgender people as being mentally ill. Throughout the
1980s and ’90s, Limbaugh also frequently denigrated
those who were HIV positive, saying the best way to stop
the spread of the virus was to “not ask another man to
bend over and make love at the exit point.” He spoke out
against federal funding to fight the virus too, calling
it the “only federally protected virus.”
-Nick Robins-Early and Christopher Mathias, Huffington
Post
Advocate: Why Should I say Anything Nice About Rush
Limbaugh?
HuffPost: Rush Limbaugh, Bigoted King of Talk Radio,
Dies at 70
Queerty: Homophobic Hypocritical Radio Host, Rush
Limbaugh, Dies
ABC News: Controversial Talk Show Host, Rush Limbaugh
Dies
Salon: Rush Limbaugh Created America's Modern Fascist
Aesthetic
Advocate: Hateful Homophobe Rush Limbaugh Dead at 70
Rolling Stone: Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin
America
Queerty: Rush Limbaugh's AIDS Updates
WBUR Boston: The Obituary Rush Limbaugh Deserves
Mother Jones: Rush Limbaugh Mastered the Art of Being an
Asshole
Day One: Biden Issues LGBTQ
Executive Order
"This is
exactly the kind of clear statement that we hoped to get
from the Biden administration. And that absolutely is
the right approach, because there's nothing about the
Supreme Court's explanation for why sexual orientation
or gender identity discrimination as an aspect of sex
discrimination should be limited just to the employment
context.”
-Sharon
McGowan, Lambda Legal Chief Strategy Officer and Legal
Director
President Biden Issues
Most Substantive, Wide-Ranging LGBTQ Executive Order In
US History! The Human Rights Campaign responded to
the release of an executive order that implements the US
Supreme Court’s ruling in the consolidated cases Bostock
v. Clayton County, Altitude Express v. Zarda and R.G. &
G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC. The Order is included
in a series of Day One Executive Orders that also
includes executive actions launching a
“whole-of-government” response to address racial equity,
improving response to the COVID-19 pandemic and reducing
its economic impact on the vulnerable, and combating
climate change.

Alphonso David, President of the Human Right Campaign,
responded with this statement: “Biden’s Executive
Order is the most substantive, wide-ranging executive
order concerning sexual orientation and gender identity
ever issued by a United States president. Today,
millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief
knowing that their President and their government
believe discrimination based on sexual orientation and
gender identity is not only intolerable but illegal. By
fully implementing the Supreme Court’s historic ruling
in Bostock, the federal government will enforce federal
law to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in
employment, health care, housing, and education, and
other key areas of life. While detailed implementation
across the federal government will take time, this
Executive Order will begin to immediately change the
lives of the millions of LGBTQ people seeking to be
treated equally under the law. The full slate of Day One
Executive Orders mark a welcome shift from the politics
of xenophobia and discrimination to an administration
that embraces our world, its people and its dreamers. We
look forward to continuing to engage with the White
House, Department of Justice, and other agencies to
ensure that Bostock is properly implemented across the
federal government.”
On Day One Biden Issues Order against
Anti-LGBTQ Discimination
Biden Issues Executive Order Expanding
LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Protection
Day One: Biden Calls for LGBTQ
Protections and Angers Conservatives
Biden's Pro LGBTQ Order: Even Bigger Than
You Think
The Inauguration We Can’t
Enjoy
LGBTQ Reaction to Biden's Inauguration
Former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton: Peaceful
Transfer of Power
Biden Issues Order Against Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination
Biden Restoring What Trump Stole From LGBTQ Americans
Most Pro-Equality President in History:
Biden’s Ambitious LGBTQ Agenda
Biden to Soon Reverse Trans Military Ban
Biden Administration
to be
Most LGBTQ-Inclusive in US History
Biden Picks Pete Buttigieg
for Secretary of Transportation
Trans Physician Rachel Levine: Biden's Choice for HHS
Assistant Secretary
Jeff Marootian: Biden's
New Environmental Advisor is Gay

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