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PASSAGES: Chicago musician, producer and DJ Don Crescendo
Queer Chicago musician, producer and DJ Rodney Donovan Taylor, a.k.a. Don Crescendo, was fatally stabbed on the evening of Sept. 12 in his Avondale neighborhood apartment building. He died Sept. 15 at Illinois Masonic Hospital after ...
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Arrests, fights punctuate battles across Canada over gender diversity in schools
Arrests were reported in the Canadian cities of Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver and Victoria, among others, on Sept. 20 as opposing groups clashed on how schools address issues of gender identity and how teachers refer to transgender ...
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Chicago musician, producer and DJ Don Crescendo killed in Avondale stabbing
Chicago's LGBTQ+ nightlife community and allies have rallied around the family and close friends of local longtime musician, producer and DJ Rodney Donovan Taylor, a.k.a. Don Crescendo, in the wake of his death by stabbing last ...
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Illinois appeals court hears Jussie Smollett request
On Sept. 12, an Illinois appeals court heard oral arguments regarding embattled gay actor Jussie Smollett lying about a racist and homophobic attack, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The actor himself—sporting a casual beige jacket and ...
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Protest action to be held at site of Sept. 9 Jason Aldean concert in Tinley Park
The Revolution Club Chicago has announced a protest action against 46- year-old country music star and Nashville resident Jason Aldean outside of his Highway Desperado Tour appearance Sept. 9 at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre. The protest ...
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Matthew Shepard film to be shown ahead of 25th anniversary of his death
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death, a new two-hour documentary has been announced to honor the posthumous impact made by the gay college student who died after being abducted, beaten and left for ...
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Gilbert Baker Foundation reacts to death of shop owner who flew the rainbow flag
--From a press release
In response to the murder of Laura Ann Carleton over flying the Rainbow flag in her shop in California, the Gilbert Baker Foundation released the statement below. Facebook refused to post the statement as it did not "...meet their standards." ...
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Breaking down the origins and impact of the 'gay/trans panic defense'
The final episode of the Max documentary series "Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York" reveals that the man behind the brutal murders and ...
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Calif. store owner killed over Pride flag display
In California, Cedar Glen business owner Laura Ann Carleton was shot and killed after a dispute over the Pride flag she'd displayed outside her shop, The Advocate reported. Authorities received a report that someone had been ...
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WORLD Ethiopia, London attack, monument vandalized, British royals
Ethiopian LGBTQ+-rights activists said that authorities are targeting venues frequented by LGBTQ+ people in the nation, particularly in the capital city, Addis Ababa, per The Advocate. In addition, LGBTQ+ Ethiopians ...
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Man pleads guilty to hate crime at UpRising Bakery
Alsip, Illinois resident Joseph I. Collins, 25, pled guilty on Aug. 16 to committing a hate crime last summer at UpRising Bakery and Cafe, a Lake in the Hills business that was preparing to host a ...
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Gay opera star, husband plead guilty to sexual assault
David Daniels—one of the opera world's most well-known countertenors—and husband Scott Walters pled guilty in a Houston district court to drugging and raping a young vocalist, grad student Samuel Schultz, in 2010, NPR reported. Schultz was ...
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Teen suspect arrested in killing of gay dancer
The New York Police Department arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley, who was attacked last weekend at a Brooklyn gas station. According to The Advocate, Sibley, a professional dancer, had been ...
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Suspect arrested in the murder of O'Shae Sibley, GLAAD comments
--From a press release
(New York, NY - August 4, 2023) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to news that the 17-year-old suspect in the stabbing death of 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley has been arrested in New ...
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Dancer O'Shae Sibley murdered amid rising violence against LGBTQs; GLAAD highlights trend
--From a press release
At least five LGBTQ people have been murdered in recent weeks, following a dramatic spike in anti-LGBTQ hate and harassment during Pride month. GLAAD: "[O'Shae] Sibley's shocking murder follows a disturbing rise in violence and harassment ...
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Kevin Spacey found not guilty of sexual-assault charges
Two-time Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has been cleared of all charges after a month-long trial in London on claims of sexual assault. Spacey had tears in his eyes as the jury at Southwark Crown Court found ...
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NATIONAL Rufus Gifford, school items, N.C. situation, Texas judge
Rufus Gifford, the highest-ranking openly LGBTQ+ official at the State Department, is leaving his post as chief of protocol to become finance chair for President Joe Biden's re-election campaign, The Advocate reported. Gifford, who is married ...
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Elton John, husband called as defense witnesses in Spacey trial
Superstar singer Sir Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, have been called as witnesses for the defense in Kevin Spacey's trial, Deadline reported. The couple appeared via video link on July 17 from Monaco in ...
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Large mob storms Pride event in Eurasian country of Georgia
On July 8, hundreds of counterprotesters stormed Georgia's annual LGBTQ+ Pride festival in the capital of Tbilisi, causing authorities to evacuate the event, Politico reported. In a statement, Tbilisi Pride organizers said they had been forced ...
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SHOWBIZ Sheryl Lee Ralph, 'The Other Two,' Colton Ford, celebrity splits
Emmy-winning actor, author, singer, philanthropist and community activist Sheryl Lee Ralph, along with The DIVA Foundation, unveiled the new documentary short "Unexpected" at the 2023 Essence Film Festival in New Orleans, a press release noted. The ...
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Prime Minister Trudeau condemns Canadian university stabbings
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the June 28 stabbings of a professor and two students in a gender-studies class at the University of Waterloo after police revealed the motive was hate-related, calling it "heinous violence," ...
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WORLD Australia case, Turkey march, Elton John, Mexico City, China
In Australia, the judge overseeing an inquiry examining the 30-year-old unsolved murder of former AC/DC manager Crispin Dye criticized New South Wales (NSW) Police after the revelation of explosive evidence in the case, The Advocate noted. ...
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Colorado Springs shooter pleads guilty, gets life in prison
On June 26, the suspect in a mass shooting that killed five people at Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q last year pled guilty to the crimes and received life in prison. The sentencing of Anderson ...
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Chicago's DFSS launches emergency financial assistance for gender-based violence, human trafficking survivors
--From a press release
CHICAGO — The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) today announced the official launch of the Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) for Gender-based Violence and Human Trafficking (GBV/HT) Survivors ...
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WORLD Pride celebrations, puberty blockers, British military, killer sentenced
Gay Pride Buenos Aires is slated to take place Oct. 27-Nov. 4, according to GayTravel4U.com. More than 30 organizations and groups host activities that will begin a week before the parade (which is on Nov. 4). ...
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Oregon man pleads guilty to Idaho hate-crime charges
On June 15, an Oregon man pled guilty to being charged with two federal hate crimes that took place in Boise, Idaho, per a U.S. Department of Justice release. According to court records, on Oct. 8, ...
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Violent clash takes place at Calif. school-board meeting over LGBTQ+ rights
On June 6, protesters clashed and fights erupted outside a meeting of the Glendale Unified School District board, which was scheduled to vote on recognizing June as Pride Month, ABC7 reported. After the skirmishes, police in ...
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State Rep. Kelly Cassidy denounces violent acts stemming from political speech
--From a press release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, along with members of the House Dobbs Working Group responded to increasing acts of violence and threats stemming from political attacks on reproductive rights and the LGBTQ community ...
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VIEWPOINT The Panama Papers: Rogue capitalism robs your wallet
On April 03, 2016, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists [ICIJ] started publishing almost 12 million files of leaked documents revealing the details of tax havens sheltering more than a ...
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Report reveals abuses against LGBTQ+, transgender community, people living with HIV in the criminal legal system
--From a press release
(NEW YORK, NY — April 20, 2023) Today, Lambda Legal, in partnership with Black and Pink National, released Protected and Served? 2022 [ https://www.protectedandserved.org/2022-report ] , a report that reveals ...
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WORLD Grindr in Egypt, police report, queer tango, Human Rights Watch, Gay Games
Dating app Grindr is warning its users in Egypt that police are allegedly using fake accounts to entrap those seeking dates on the platform, after a spike in recent arrests of LGBTQ+ people, MSN noted via ...
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ELECTIONS 2023 Mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson discusses religion, LGBTQ+ issues, holistic approach
Chicago mayoral candidates Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas seem to have little in common. Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, has embraced a more progressive platform that employs everything from a more holistic approach to crime to ...
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NATIONAL Drag shows, LGBTQ+ honors, Bragman memorial, Fred Karger
Video below
Dozens of supporters turned out outside the Crazy Aunt Hellen's restaurant in D.C. in anticipation of a drag show's planned protest by the far-right group Proud Boys—but police said members of the far-right, neo-fascist organization didn' ...
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Ex-Colts player accused of attacking son and his boyfriend
Former Indianapolis Colts lineman and radio personality Joseph "Joe" Andrew Staysniak was arrested on Feb. 21 after a domestic incident in which he was accused of assaulting his son and choking his son's boyfriend in the ...
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ILGA-Europe report: 2022 was the deadliest year for anti-LGBTI violence
ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association)-Europe's "Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People in Europe and Central Asia"— announced Feb. 20 in Brussels, Belgium—reveals ...
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WORLD Pope Francis, non-binary minor, athlete dies at 35, Taiwan
Pope Francis made headlines when he told the Associated Press on Jan. 24 that "being homosexual is not a crime," although he also described being gay as sinful, Gay City News noted. The pontiff called on ...
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NATIONAL Missing student, Utah bill, Atlanta Pride, crime items, Castro bar
A New York City law student has been missing for weeks—and his brother said his last known location was The Q, a gay bar in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, NBC News reported. Jordan Taylor, 29, a ...
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Equality Illinois responds to violence, murder of Black and Brown trans people on the south side
--From a press release
Statement by Myles Brady Davis, Director of Communications at Equality Illinois, the state's civil rights organization for LGBTQ+ people, regarding the violences and murders of Black and Brown trans people on the south side of Chicago: ...
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Pope says being gay no crime, cites anti-LGBTQ laws in 70 countries. LGBTQ leaders respond
--From press releases
(January 25, 2023) — Pope Francis called laws that criminalize same-sex relationships "unjust," stating that "being homosexual is not a crime" in an interview with the Associated Press today. The Pope also called for the Roman ...
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Rogers Park's R Public House's door destroyed by homophobic vandal
The lesbian-owned restaurant and bar R Public House, 1508 W. Jarvis Ave., was targeted by a hammer-wielding man yelling anti-LGBTQ slurs at about 5:40 p.m. during happy hour on Monday, Jan. 16. Owners (and married couple) ...
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LGBTs nine times more likely than non-LGBTe to be victims of violent hate crimes
-- From a Williams Institute press release
About one out of 10 violent victimizations against LGBT people are hate crimes, according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. LGBT people are nine times more likely than non-LGBT ...
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NATIONAL 'Queer to Stay,' gay pol dies, drag-show attacks, 'Don't Say Gay' lawmaker
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Showtime announced the 25 recipients of "Queer to Stay: An LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative" to support and uplift small businesses that focus on LGBTQ+ people of color, women and the trans+ community ...
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NATIONAL $1M donation, church departures, Harvey Milk, abortions, Grindr
In Ohio, Dayton-based insurance company CareSource is donating $1 million to United Church Homes to support the development of a senior living facility at the site of the former Longfellow School that will also aim at ...
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The Northalsted Business Alliance makes statement on Club Q Shooting in Colorado Springs
-- From a press release
The Northalsted Business Alliance shares its thoughts and prayers with our LGBTQ+ family in Colorado suffering from yet another senseless gun tragedy. We mourn the five lives lost and stand with those injured and traumatized ...
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OnePulse releases statement on Club Q mass shooting
-- From a press release
Orlando, FL — onePULSE Foundation, the not-for-profit established following the June 12, 2016 tragedy to honor and preserve the legacy of those killed and create a sanctuary of hope, today released the following statement: "We are ...
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Chicagoans pay tribute to Club Q victims
Community advocates and political officials were among those who gathered for a candlelight vigil outside Nobody's Darling, 1744 W. Balmoral Ave., the evening of Nov. 20 to remember the LGBTQ+ individuals killed and injured the previous ...
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Equality Illinois on the Club Q shooting
-- From a press release
Statement from Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state's LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, on the Club Q shooting: On a day already marked by sadness, the LGBTQ+ community woke up to the tragic news ...
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Lambda Legal reacts to shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs
-- From a press release
New York, November 20, 2022 — Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings issued the following statement about the mass shooting at Club Q, the LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado: "We mourn with the LGBTQ+ community in ...
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GLAAD responds to mass shooting in Colorado Springs
-- From a press release
(New York, NY - November 20, 2022) - GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs that killed ...
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HRC responds to fatal shooting at LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs
-- From a press release
Colorado Springs, CO — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, responded to media reports of a fatal shooting at Club Q in Colo ...
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Five dead after mass shooting at Colorado LGBTQ+ nightclub
At least five people are dead and 18 people were injured after a mass shooting took place at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub late the evening of Nov. 19, according to multiple reports. An unidentified suspect ...
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Tulsa business attacked after hosting drag event, HRC responds
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Oct. 31, news broke that a business based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Donut Hole, was vandalized when someone threw a Molotov cocktail — a hand-thrown incendiary weapon — after hosting an event ...
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Nancy Pelosi's husband violently attacked at home [UPDATE]
Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked at the couple's home in San Francisco early on Oct. 28. Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, said the assailant is in custody ...
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Chicago mural of Kanye West painted over in wake of antisemitic remarks
A West Loop mural image of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, was painted over on Oct. 27, as fallout continued over the Chicago native's recent controversial and antisemitic public statements, The Chicago-Sun Times ...
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WORLD Anti-LGBTQ+ countries, UK monkeypox/MPV, vigil, intersex activist
Video below
Thirty-four Commonwealth nations still have anti-LGBTQ+ laws—roughly three-fifths of the group's total of 53 nations, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. Worldwide, 69 countries still cling to such anti-homosexuality laws. Just ...
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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH Podcast sheds light on forgotten murders of gay men in Montreal
When people ask about or Google the murders of gay men in Montreal in the '90s, it all leads to the podcast "The Village: The Montreal Murders." LGBTQ+-rights advocates encouraged me to listen to the podcast. ...
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Jury sides with Kevin Spacey in Anthony Rapp case [UPDATE]
A New York jury sided with Kevin Spacey in a $40-million civil lawsuit, finding that the Oscar-winning actor did not molest fellow actor Anthony Rapp when the latter was a teenager and is not liable for ...
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Report: Anti-trans violence doubled between 2017 and 2021
The number of homicides of transgender people in the country nearly doubled between 2017 and 2021, and were mostly driven by gun violence, according to a new report from Everytown for Gun Safety, The Hill reported. Known transgender homicides ...
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Spacey sobs on stand during trial, blames publicist for apology to Rapp
Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey became visibly distraught in a New York City courtroom on Oct. 17, breaking down as he blamed his publicist for convincing him to publicly apologize to Anthony Rapp in 2017 after ...
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Ezra Miller pleads not guilty to burglary charges
On Oct. 17, The Flash star Ezra Miller pled not guilty to felony burglary charges in Vermont, Deadline reported. Allowed to appear remotely for the session in the criminal division of the Vermont Superior Court, the ...
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Father Michael Pfleger faces another sexual-abuse claim, steps away from duties
For the second time in less than two years, minister/activist the Rev. Michael Pfleger, 73, is stepping away from his ministry while under investigation for a decades-old sexual abuse allegation, The Chicago Tribune reported. In the ...
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Police: Calif. serial-killer suspect has no connection to 2018 Chicago shootings
In California, as Stockton police continue to dig for any clues that could lead to an arrest in a series of killings, investigators were looking into a possible connection in Chicago; however, police confirmed that Chicago ...
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Two die in connection to shooting at Slovak LGBTQ+ bar
Two people are dead in connection to an Oct. 12 shooting in front of a popular LGBTQ+ bar in the old town neighborhood of the Slovak capital of Bratislava, The Washington Blade reported. The Polícia Slovenskej ...
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New arrest connected to killing of northern Illinois LGBTQ+ police officer
Another person has been arrested in connection with the killing of one police officer and the wounding of a second at a northern Illinois hotel in late December 2021, ABC 7 Chicago reported. The announcement came ...
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Attorney general's office receives $390K grant for hate-crime training
Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office was awarded a $394,772 Department of Justice (DoJ) grant for a 48-month project to provide specialized hate-crime training to law enforcement officers and prosecuting attorneys ...
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Kevin Spacey's sexual-misconduct trial starts Oct. 6
Actor Kevin Spacey is the defendant in a lawsuit filed by Anthony Rapp, the actor who in 2017 made the first in a string of sexual-misconduct allegations, MassLive noted, citing the Associated Press. The trial, expected ...
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GLAAD responds to weekend of anti-LGBTQ+ violence, poll suggests 2/3 of GOPs back discussion of LGBTQ+s in schools
-- From a press release
(Monday, September 26, 2022) GLAAD condemns a wave of violence against the LGBTQ community across the country and calls for increased protections and support for LGBTQ people and youth, as new data reveals that a vast ...
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DoJ announces $22M to address, prevent sexual assault on campuses
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced nearly $22 million in upcoming grant awards to address and prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking on college campuses; provide services to youth victims and children ...
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Ban on same-sex relations overturned in Saint Kitts and Nevis
In a major advance for LGBTQ+ rights in the Caribbean, a court for Saint Kitts and Nevis struck down a colonial-era law that banned the "abominable" crime of "buggery," LGBTQ Nation reported. The same court overturned ...
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Activists, community leaders gather for town-hall meeting in wake of Jeffery Pub hit-and-run
In the wake of the investigation and apprehension of a suspect in the vehicular deaths of three gay Black men in the third district of Chicago, a quickly assembled town hall meeting was held Aug. 25 ...
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Lake View church vandalized over pro-abortion stance
A Lakeview church was vandalized Aug. 24 by two women who appeared to be upset by its sign backing reproductive rights, Block Club Chicago reported. Second Unitarian Church of Chicago, 656 W. Barry Ave., put up ...
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Man charged with killing three in hit-and-run at Jeffery Pub [UPDATE]
South Side resident Tavis Dunbar has been charged with murder after a hit-and-run crash that killed three people and injured a fourth person outside the Black gay bar Jeffery Pub last week, Block Club Chicago reported. ...
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Families and activists gather to honor Jeffery Pub hit-and-run victims
On Aug. 21, a brief memorial service was held at The Rainbow Beach Field House to honor the three victims of a hit-and-run incident that took place in front of the Black gay bar The Jeffrey Pub, located on Chicago's South ...
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WORLD Trans activist, COVID surveys, Michael Sam, Saudi Arabian sisters
Some people in London, Ontario, Canada's LGBTQ+ community reacted strongly to how a popular trans activist was treated by London Police Services earlier this month, CBC reported. Clara Sorrenti, 28, known as Keffals on the online ...
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Suspect arrested in rape/murder of Kenyan non-binary lesbian
The family of Sheila Lumumba—who was raped and murdered in Nyeri County, Kenya, in April—stated that a suspect has been charged in connection with their death, according to openDemocracy. A man was arraigned in court in ...
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