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Jussie Smollett back to work; BET+ plans to show his directorial debut
Embattled former Empire actor Jussie Smollett is back to work after being convicted of faking a hate crime in Chicago earlier this year, ABC 7 Chicago reported. Smollett, 39, makes his directorial debut in the movie ...
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Okla. governor signs anti-trans, strict abortion measures
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has recently signed a couple controversial measures into law. According to ABC News, Stitt has signed a bill requiring public school students to use only the bathroom of the sex listed on ...
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Milwaukee LGBT Community Center has first Black executive director
The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center has broken a barrier by hiring its first Black executive director, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The board of directors named Kevin Turner-Espinoza—who identifies as a Black, Mexican and gay cisgender ...
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Jodie Foster to star in fourth season of 'True Detective'
The Silence of the Lambs star Jodie Foster is to lead the fourth iteration of HBO's True Detective franchise, True Detective: Night Country, Deadline reported. Foster, who will also executive-produce, will play Detective Liz Danvers in ...
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LGBTQ Victory Fund endorses 20 more LGBTQ candidates
-- From a press release
Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, endorsed 20 more out LGBTQ candidates. Victory Fund has now endorsed 292 candidates running in the 2022 ...
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Trevor Project: 45% of LGBTQ youth considered suicide in the past year
The Trevor Project recently released its 2022 survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. According to an introduction from Trevor Project CEO & Executive Director Amit Paley, the survey demonstrates that rates of suicidal thoughts ...
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The Museum of Public Relations to address wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation June 2
-- From a press release
(New York, NY) - The Museum of Public Relations in New York City will host its fourth annual event focused on "The LGBTQ Experience in Public Relations" on June 2, 2022, from 6pm to 8pm ET. ...
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Indiana institutes anti-trans sports ban, overrides Holcomb's veto
The Indiana General Assembly overturned Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb's veto of House Bill 1041, which prohibits transgender girls from playing girls school sports, according to the IndyStar. The House voted to override the veto 67-28; the ...
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NBA coach/former Chicago Bull pleads for gun control after Texas shootings
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr discussed something besides basketball in his pregame news conference heading into Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Many 24, ESPN noted. "Since we left ...
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CDC publishes new HIV surveillance reports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a new HIV surveillance report: Diagnoses of HIV Infection in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2020; and a new HIV supplemental surveillance report: Monitoring Selected National ...
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Ricky Gervais courts controversy with graphic anti-trans jokes
(WARNING: There is graphic language in this article.) Yet another Netflix special is courting controversy because of a comedian making anti-trans jokes. Ricky Gervais' Netflix comedy special SuperNature has drawn criticism for a string of grap ...
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Actor/model David Pevsner challenges age and body stereotypes in recent book
When writing his recent book—Damn Shame: Desire, Defiance and Show Tunes—actor/model/filmmaker David Pevsner noticed three themes coming to the fore: body shame, sexuality and ageism. "All three of those are ...
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NIH LGBTQ+ webinar to be presented June 9
On Thursday, June 9, 1-2:30 p.m. CT, the NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office will host a special Pride edition of the Scientific Webinar Series to spotlight the recently released National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, ...
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Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith named to Time100 List
-- From a press release
St. Petersburg, FL — TIME named Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith to the 2022 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes appear in ...
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Report: Southern Baptist Convention leaders mishandled allegations of sexual abuse
A bombshell report stated that leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) mishandled allegations of sexual abuse, intimidated victims and their advocates, and resisted attempts at reform over the course ...
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Billy Masters: Theater
"Well, thanks Colin. That's the end of my career. Because you know, that role really should have been mine."—Rupert Everett tells Piers Morgan his reaction when he heard Colin Firth would play the lead in Tom ...
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NATIONAL Idaho groups, Clay Aiken, Radio Milwaukee, Louisville school
In northern Idaho, two groups with different agendas plan to hold events on the same day (June 11) at Coeur d'Alene City Park—and both organizations have issued statements, according to the Bonner County Daily Bee. The ...
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SHOWBIZ Broadway, JoJo Siwa, WEHO Pride, 'Jurassic World,' Madonna
The Broadway League announced that all 41 Broadway theaters in New York City have extended the current mask requirement for audiences through at least June 30, Playbill noted. Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, ...
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Comedian criticized for letting Chappelle open and tell anti-trans jokes [UPDATE]
Comedian John Mulaney surprised his audience—and drew criticism from some fans—when Dave Chappelle appeared as the opener and reportedly told "transphobic jokes," per Variety. Chappelle's opening set occurred during a ...
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Penn. LGBTQ+ candidates mostly suffer losses on primary night
LGBTQ+ candidates running for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, lieutenant governor and a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in Philadelphia's "gayborhood" each lost their races in the Keystone State's May 17 Democratic primary, The ...
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Johnny Weir envisions his dream of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest's live stream
Johnny Weir envisions his dream of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest's live stream by Jerry Nunn Out figure skater Johnny Weir is an award-winning Olympian and an LGBTQ+ champion. This gay media spokesman brings past experience ...
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TELEVISION Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson and others to exit 'SNL'
In a major shake-up on the long-running hit Saturday Night Live (or SNL), several of the main stars are leaving—including out cast member Kate McKinnon, Deadline reported. McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson (who's ...
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Monkeypox in U.S., other countries; cases include gay, bi men
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating a confirmed case of monkeypox in the United States, according to a press release from the CDC Health Alert ...
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For International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia HRC highlights grants
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, is commemorating International Day Against ...
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GLSEN holds Respect Awards in New York
On May 16, the pro-LGBTQ+ education organization GLSEN held its New York Respect Awards in Gotham Hall. At its first in-person Respect Awards in three years, the organization introduced new Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers in their ...
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Billy Masters
"Why is that so gross? We kiss each other where we pee."—Sarah Silverman responds to The View co-hosts' disgust that she shares a toothbrush with her boyfriend. Even more priceless is Sara Haines' reaction, which you ...
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SHOWBIZ Queer playwright, LGBTQ+ films, BMI Pop Awards, new superhero
Jeremy O. Harris, the queer Tony-nominated author of Slave Play, has been named the presiding playwright for the 2023 Yale Drama Series Prize—one of the theater world's most prestigious playwriting honors, Deadline noted. Harris joins the ...
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NATIONAL New York synod, Danica Roem, legal action, Pride news, PFLAG
The Metropolitan New York Synod (MNYS), the regional body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, announced Christopher Vergara as its newly elected vice president, according to a press release. Vergara is the first openly gay ...
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TV Writer Joel Kim Booster, director Andrew Ahn take a trip to 'Fire Island'
Based on the classic Jane Austen book Pride and Prejudice, the new Fox Searchlight film Fire Island has an important story to tell LGBTQ+ audiences specifically. In that story, there are plenty of laughs along the ...
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Los Angeles LGBT Center mourns passing of legendary LGBT activist, leader Urvashi Vaid
-- From a press release
LOS ANGELES, May 14, 2022—"The world has lost a giant in the movement for LGBTQ freedom, justice and equality. After a valiant battle with cancer, Urvashi Vaid died today," said Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Lorri ...
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Nat'l Association of Black and White Men Together to hold July 6-9 conference
The National Association of Black and White Men Together—described on its website as "a gay multicultural, anti-racism organization committed to fostering supportive environments wherein racial and cultural barriers can be ...
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PASSAGES Urvashi Vaid dies, The National LGBTQ Task Force releases statement
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC……Legendary attorney, LGBTQ activist, and author Urvashi Vaid, known for her extensive career an advocate for LGBTQ rights, women's rights, anti-war efforts, immigration justice and many other social causes ...
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Judge blocks part of Alabama law criminalizing care for trans youth
On May 13, U.S. District Judge Liles Burke blocked part of an Alabama law that made it a felony to prescribe gender-affirming puberty blockers and hormones to transgender minors, USA Today reported. ...
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Texas court okays child-abuse inquries into families of trans kids
On May 13, the Texas Supreme Court unanimously cleared the way for the state child-welfare agency to resume investigating parents and doctors who provide gender-affirming care for trans youth—actions Gov. Greg Abbott has equated to child ...
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MUSIC Ty Herndon releasing 'personal' album 'Jacob' on July 15
Out gay Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning country artist Ty Herndon announced the release date of his forthcoming album, Jacob. Jacob—called Herndon's "most personal album to date"—will be out July 15. ...
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Judge: Dallas hospital must start gender-affirming treatment for trans youth
In Texas, Dallas County Judge Melissa Bellan temporarily removed all barriers for transgender youth seeking medical treatments from Children's Medical Center Dallas—providing a major win for doctors fighting to restore ...
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Peacock to debut horror film 'They/Them' on Aug. 5
Peacock announced that its new original film They/Them (pronounced "They-slash-Them), from Blumhouse will premiere Friday, Aug. 5. The LGBTQIA+ horror film, formerly known as Whistler Camp, is a queer empowerment story ...
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U.S. COVID-19 death toll exceeds 1 million
One million Americans have now died from the coronavirus, according to an announcement President Joe Biden made May 12, according to ABC News. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 is now equivalent to the population ...
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Plaque unveiled in NYC to honor headquarters of NAACP, other progressive groups
On May 11, Village Preservation and The New School were joined by historians David Levering Lewis, Amy Aronson, Brian McGrath and Stephen Brier for the unveiling of a plaque marking 70 Fifth Ave. as the historic ...
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LGBTQ Religious Archives Network holds 'AIDS, Activism and American Christianity' webinar
LGBTQ Religious Archives Network (LGBTQ-RAN) held an "AIDS, Activism and American Christianity: A Conversation" virtual webinar on May 5. The event focused on Christian activism during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s and ...
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U.S. Senate Republicans and one Democrat block abortion-protection bill
On May 11, the U.S. Senate failed to advance a Democrat-led bill that would enshrine broad protections for legal abortion nationwide—a vote triggered by a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that indicates Roe v. Wade will ...
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HRC calls for passage of the Women's Health Protection Act
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON - Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, joined a growing number of organizations calling for the ...
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Florida schools censoring students even before Don't Say Gay law goes into effect
-- From a press release
TALLAHASSEE, FL — As the school year ends, students across Florida are experiencing the inevitable censorship of Florida's anti-LGBTQ Don't Say Gay law recently signed by Governor DeSantis. The law's harmful impacts are not limited to ...
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LGBTQs 4X more likely than non-LGBTQs to choose a college away from home
-- From a press release
A new study from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law conducted in collaboration with the Point Foundation, the nation's largest LGBTQ scholarship fund, finds LGBTQ people were four times more likely than non-LGBTQ people ...
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AUTOS 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz answers the right questions
You may think the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz answers questions nobody asked, but if that's true, somebody should have asked. A car-based pickup is not a new idea. Chevrolet and Ford offered the El Camino and ...
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FILM 'The Adventures of Priscilla' to show nationwide on June 2
Iconic Events Releasing will kick off Pride Month with a special nationwide rerelease of MGM's classic 1994 Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Screenings will take place in select theaters nationwide on ...
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Grindr going public in $2.1-billion deal
The people behind the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr said the company would go public through a merger with a blank-check acquisition firm—a deal that values it at $2.1 billion and features Tiga Investments CEO Raymond Zage ...
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COMEDY Netflix holds 'Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration'
On May 7, Billy Eichner hosted Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival's "Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration" at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The historic celebration featured LGBTQ+ comedy legends and emerging talent. Highlights included ...
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Tonys: Queer-themed 'A Strange Loop' leads nods; 'Paradise Square,' 'MJ' close behind
Nominations for the 75th Tony Awards were announced May 9—and a Pulitzer Prize-winning original musical and a play that recounts the 2008 financial crisis led the nods, CNN reported. Leading the nominations was A Strange Loop, ...
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Billy Masters
"Walt Disney is looking down & he's not happy ok? He said whatever happened to my beautiful Magic Kingdom?"—While I am delighted Mr. Trump is communing with the late Walt Disney, I'd much rather hear an ...
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White Party returns to Palm Springs; celebrities make appearances
After a two-year hiatus, the 32nd Annual White Party Global (formerly White Party Palm Springs) celebrated its return with more than 20,000 attendees from around the globe, a press release noted. Recognized as the longest-running and ...
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NATIONAL Rainbow flagpole, Washington Blade, Don Lemon, Black leaders
Four years after the Trump Administration abruptly nixed plans to bring a rainbow flag to federal land adjacent to NYC's Christopher Park, the Biden Administration is planning to install a permanent flagpole at the park, Gay ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Hacks,' 'Love, Victor,' Indy 500, Ariana DeBose, queer singers
Queer, non-binary actor Carl Clemons-Hopkins (they/them and he/him) told Out Magazine he is elated with the warm reception received by the show Hacks and his character. "When I started in this years and years ago, there ...
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33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York honor Judith Light, Wilson Cruz and more
-- From a press release
New York - Friday, May 6 — GLAAD announced recipients for 16 of this year's 30 categories for the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards on May 6. Additional categories were announced in Los Angeles on April ...
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LGBTQ+-rights activist, Steamworks co-founder Rick Stokes dies at 87
Rick Earl Stokes, famously "the other gay candidate" who ran against Harvey Milk for San Francisco supervisor in 1977, died May 3 at age 87, according to the Bay Area Reporter. Stokes died in San Francisco ...
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All WNBA courts to honor Brittney Griner
The WNBA announced plans to acknowledge the importance of Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner to the league, according to a press release. During the 2022 season that tips off Friday, May 6, Griner's initials and jersey ...
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'LGBT Milwalkee' project earns first round of funding
-- From a press release. LGBT Milwaukee history video below
Milwaukee, WI. - Thanks to generous financial support, the LGBT MILWALKEE project has achieved its first round of fundraising goals and will launch a local walking tour app on Thursday, June 1. "To date, we've received ...
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Virginia trans teen killed at party
The life of Black transgender girl Ariyanna Mitchell, 17, ended violently at a party in Hampton, Virginia, on April 2—and the accused killer asked her if she was a boy or a girl before shooting her, ...
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LGBTQ+ woman appointed as White House press secretary; GLAAD comments
On May 5, President Biden announced Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoted to be assistant to the president and White House press secretary, according to a White House media release. Jean-Pierre will step into the press secretary ...
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TELEVISION Peacock cancels rebooted 'Saved by the Bell'
Only a month after the reboot of the classic NBC comedy Saved by the Bell won Outstanding Comedy Series at the GLAAD Media Awards, Peacock has canceled the show after two seasons, Deadline reported. The second ...
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MUSIC Madonna curating, releasing dance-music compilation 'Finally Enough Love'
Madonna made history once again when she topped the Dance Club Songs chart for the 50th time, making her the first and only recording artist to have 50 number-one hits on any Billboard chart. To celebrate ...
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Chappelle attacked at Netflix event; man charged with misdemeanors [UPDATES]
Social media exploded overnight on May 3 with reports that comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked at his Hollywood Bowl Show, which was a part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, according to Deadline. Apparently, Chappelle ...
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NBJC celebrates and remembers trans journalist/activist Monica Roberts on her birthday
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) celebrates the life and accomplishments of Monica Roberts, a revered transgender journalist, activist, and founder of the award-winning publication TransGriot. ...
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MUSIC Dolly Parton, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie among newest Hall of Fame inductees
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its newest class of inductees. The musicians who the Hall's voters chose include Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics and Carly Simon, according ...
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LGBTQ+ lawmakers in 16 states have or will introduce laws to protect trans kids
Equality California, California state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), LGBTQ Victory Institute and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California announced the national, queer-led rollout of trans refuge state legislation in 16 ...
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Abortion decision leak sounds 'fire bell' for LGBTQ+ activists
In an unprecedented development, a purported draft of what is believed to be the U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on abortion indicates not only that the court is poised to overturn its long-standing decisions protecting the ...
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LGBTQ Catholic resource Outreach launches
Outreach—a new website designed to help LGBTQ Catholics, their families and friends, and those who minister to them in the church—has launched. Outreach will publish news stories and essays from around the world; offer a resource ...
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Billy Masters
"I'm super-conscious that I'm close to death. And it doesn't really bother me that much. What bothers me is that my body is, you know, basically not mine! My knees are not mine, my hips are not mine, my shoulder's not ...
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DoJ files suit challenging Alabama's trans youth law
The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) filed a complaint alleging that Alabama's controversial law banning gender-affirming care for youth is unconstitutional, according to AL.com. In the complaint filed in federal court ...
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United Methodist Church splitting over LGBTQ acceptance
Theologically conservative Methodists have broken away from the United Methodist Church (UMC) over LGBTQ acceptance. According to a king5.com item, the breakaway denomination, called the Global Methodist Church, formed because ...
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HRC holds Greater New York Dinner; Hochul, Schumer among speakers
On April 30, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) hosted its Greater New York Dinner at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, per a press release. The event featured speeches from HRC Interim President Joni Madison, who used ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Broadway Rising,' Webby Awards, 'Kinky Boots,' Tom Ford
The upcoming documentary Broadway Rising will have its world premiere on June 13 at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, Playbill noted. The documentary follows theater subjects—ranging from stage doorman to actors—on their journeys back to the ...
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NATIONAL Campus Pride, HIV and the military, IVF suit, Billie Jean King
Campus Pride—along with 36 other national/regional organizations such as GLSEN, PFLAG National and TransAthlete.com—requested that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) incorporate non-binary students into ...
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Okla. governor bans non-binary gender identities on birth certificates
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill explicitly barring the use of non-binary gender markers on state birth certificates—a ban experts say is the first of its kind in the nation, according to an NPR item. ...
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Georgia guv signs anti-LGBTQ+ measures; Kansas has pro-LGBTQ+ result
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law legislation curbing talk of so-called "divisive concepts" (including discussions about race) in the state's classrooms and barring transgender athletes from participating on school ...
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