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NATIONAL North Carolina, 'Pride Heroes,' school news, gay publication folds, Iowa
Video below
The Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) and Campus Pride released a report focused on the life, school, and health experiences of LGBTQ+ people in North Carolina. The report's release comes as the North Carolina General Assembly ...
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Lightfoot to teach at Harvard in the fall
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is slated to teach at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she will lead a course tentatively titled "Health Policy and Leadership," The Chicago Sun-Times reported. The course ...
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San Francisco's Harvey Milk School celebrates birthday of its namesake
Students at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in San Francisco's LGBTQ Castro neighborhood took to the streets Monday, May 22, and marched on Harvey Milk Day. The day of special significance in California honors the ...
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Illinois middle-school teacher loses job for promoting 'This Book Is Gay'
Making This Book Is Gay available to her eighth-grade students resulted in Illinois teacher Sarah Bonner being reported to policeand eventually losing her job, according to an item from The Advocate. According to Today.com, Bonner (who ...
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NCLR, GLAD, Trevor Project, coalition of groups support Biden administration's proposed Title IX Athletics Rule
--From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC — The National Center for Lesbian Rights, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), and The Trevor Project — along with the National Education Association and more than a dozen other organizations — have submitted ...
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UIC's 'lavender' graduates step out into the world
On May 2, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) held its 17th annual Lavender Graduation Ceremony in front of a crowded room of queer graduates and their friends, allies and families. The event was held in ...
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Louisiana House passes discriminatory education bill targeting LGBTQ+ youth, HRC responds
--From an Human Rights Campaign press release
Baton Rouge, Louisiana â Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, condemns the Louisiana House for passing HB ...
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Indiana governor signs anti-LGBTQ+ bill that focuses on students
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a measure that will require schools to notify a parent if a student requests a name or pronoun change at school, according to ABC 7 Chicago. It was one of the ...
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Illinois to become first state to punish book-banning
Illinois is about to become the first state to punish public institutions that ban books. Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has said he supports a House bill that would withhold state funding from any of the state's ...
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Families, doctors challenge Oklahoma's ban on health care for trans youth
--From a press release
OKLAHOMA CITY - Families, transgender adolescents, and their medical providers are challenging a new law criminalizing age-appropriate medical care for transgender adolescents signed by Governor Kevin Stitt yesterday. In a ...
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LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project hosts first art exhibit at Center on Addison
On April 28, the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project hosted on opening reception to kick off its first ever art exhibit, Iridescent Footprints: Stories and Glories of Our Lives, at Center on Addison. The exhibition features collaborative ...
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CDC: One in four high-schoolers identifies as LGBTQ
CDC: One in four high-schoolers identifies as LGBTQ Approximately one in four high school students identifies as LGBTQ, according to a report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on April 27, The Hill ...
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Biden administration files lawsuit challenging Tennessee's ban on trans youth care, HRC responds
--From an HRC press release
WASHINGTON- Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, applauded the Department of Justice's filing of a federal lawsuit ...
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NATIONAL Trans-rights cases, Brittney Griner, Elton John, law firm, passages, Twitter
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals plans to meet as a full court to consider a pair of trans-rights cases from West Virginia and North Carolina, NBC News reported. The Richmond-based appeals court said it ...
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Lambda Legal: Proposed national transgender youth sports ban 'ignorant and despicable'
(Washington, DC, April 19, 2023) — Today the U.S. House of Representatives considered HR 734, the Orwellian-titled Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, that would ban trans girls and women from participating in school ...
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Florida bans teaching of sexuality, gender identity in K-12 public schools
The Florida Board of Education has forbidden the teaching of gender identity and sexuality throughout all grades in K-12 public schools. In doing so, it is extending a nearly year-old legislative ban on such lessons from ...
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PASSAGES Charles "Chuck" Williams was founder of the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity Law, Public Policy
Charles "Chuck" Williamsthe founder of the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, a think tank at the UCLA School of Lawpassed away April 11. Williams Institute Executive Director Brad Sears ...
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Conversion therapy doc sparks healing conversation in Hyde Park
On April 15, United Church of Hyde Park, 1448 E. 53rd St., hosted a showing of Pray Away, an Emmy-nominated 2021 documentary depicting the complex harms from conversion therapy. The event was hosted by United Church's ...
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SAVOR Chef aims to help youths in oppressed communities; Hotel Zachary space opens
The Evolved Network aims to help youths in systemically oppressed communities through gardening, culinary training and employment opportunities, among other ways. The organization is the brainchild of Sebastian White, a ...
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Chicago Academy for the Arts meets million-dollar challenge with gala
The Chicago Academy for the Arts held its "Inspire: Red Carpet Gala" on April 1 at Chicago's Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. The event, according to an email from school head Jason Patera, raised more than $400,000 ...
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Iowa, Georgia ban medical treatment for trans minors
Two more states have enacted laws that prohibit medical treatment for transgender minors. On March 22, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed two bills into law that affect transgender minors in the state, NBC News reported. Senate ...
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NATIONAL Folx Health, gay mayor arrested, powerlifter's suit, Versace visit
Boston-based Folx Healthwhich provides primary healthcare services and gender-affirming healthcare to LGBTQIA peoplemade Fast Company's list of the world's 50 most innovative businesses. A few of the other healthcare companies ...
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Center on Halsted presents annual Intergenerational Talent Show
On March 2, Center on Halsted hosted its Fifth Annual Intergenerational Talent Show, featuring performances from participants from the Youth and Family Services and the Senior Services programs. Participants in the free event presented a program ...
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Adler president reflects on being out in academia
Adler University President Raymond Crossman admits that leaders in higher education sometimes feel that they have to act as robots. "We always have to give the right answer, and not offend anybody—because you don't want to ...
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More LGBTQ PoC report barriers to academic achievement than white LGBTQ peers
--From a Williams Institute 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 nonprofit, finds more than twice as many LGBTQ POC as white LGBTQ ...
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Queer songwriter donates $500K to Chicago Academy for the Arts
Returning to the school that they said saved their life years ago and set them on a path to becoming one of the most celebrated activists and songwriters of the modern era, it was announced Feb. ...
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Billy Porter discusses his fashion choices, personal ambitions
Billy Porter—the Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner—needs no introduction—especially to the many fans of his character Pray Tell on Ryan Murphy's hit TV series Pose. Coming up exclusively in theaters Feb. 3, Porter will star as ...
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WORLD Conversion therapy, Indian school, trans boxers, anti-LGBTQ+ move
South Florida Gay News noted that efforts to ban so-called conversion therapy gained a lot of traction around the world in 2022. For example, Canada and France introduced LGBTQ+-inclusive bills to ban conversion therapy for minors ...
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NATIONAL Office vandalized, George Santos, HRC official dies at 24, law students
Protestors vandalized an openly gay New York City Council member's office and entered his apartment building, The Advocate reported. Erik Bottcher—whose district includes Greenwich Village, Chelse and Hell's Kitchen, among ...
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OPINION Remember the youngest victims of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination
On Dec. 13, the Ohio State Board of Education voted 10-7 in favor of a non-binding resolution opposing proposed changes to the federal government's Title IX protecting LGBTQ+ students. It was just one more blow for ...
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National AIDS Memorial names 2022-2023 Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship recipients
-- From a press release
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Nov. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National AIDS Memorial has announced its 2022/2023 Pedro Zamora Young Leaders scholars, its largest and most diverse class ever, providing ...
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NATIONAL Pageant ruling, AOC, gay journalists, Dwyane Wade, trans activist
A federal appeals court ruled that the operator of the Miss United States of America pageant (not to be confused with the Miss USA pageant) can't be forced to allow openly transgender women into its competitions, ...
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Chicago Teachers Union: Lightfoot's CPS team must remove Jones HS principal, address racially hostile environment
-- From a Chicago Teachers Union press release
CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 The Chicago Teachers Union issued the following statement after learning of another incidence of intolerance at Jones College Prep High School, which has been dogged by complaints of antisemitism, racism and ...
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QPOC and transgender elders become focus of grad school student's master's thesis
When we think about how LGBTQ+ age, helping people feel connected and "seen" is just one of the many ways a community can care for LGBTQ+ elders. It can contribute to their mental health as they ...
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NATIONAL Birth certificates, university items, drag-show standoff, 'Models of Pride'
Following a lawsuit from ACLU, ACLU of West Virginia and the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources' Vital Registration Office has introduced more accessible and safer policies ...
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NATIONAL Michigan bill, trans woman killed, school musical, Alabama drag queen
Michigan House Republicans recently introduced legislation that could have the potential to throw parents and doctors in prison for life for offering gender-affirming care to children under the age of 18, MLive.com reported. Under House Bill ...
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Trevor Project returns donation from controversial tech company
The Trevor Project—a leading nonprofit devoted to the mental well-being of LGBTQ+ youth which wants "a world where all LGBTQ young people see a bright future for themselves," according to its website—has returned a donation from ...
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Newsom signs bill making California a sanctuary state for trans youths
On Sept. 29, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that aims to protect transgender youths and their families from bans against gender-affirming care, the Los Angeles Times reported. Senate Bill 107, by state ...
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GLAAD releases third annual 20 Under 20 list
-- From a press release
New York, NYGLAAD revealed its third annual 20 Under 20 list, spotlighting 20 young LGBTQ people, ages 20 and younger, who are accelerating acceptance of LGBTQ people while shaping the future of media and activism. GLAAD's ...
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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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Pritzker appoints Isoye to chair the Illinois State Board of Education
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appointed Dr. Steven Isoye, a former educator and superintendent, to chair the Illinois State Board of Education, effective immediately. Isoye follows in the footsteps of Darren Reisberg, a member of the LGBTQ+ ...
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NATIONAL Marriage bill, drag queen dies, Dutch queen visits, university sued
A bipartisan group of senators trying to pass same-sex marriage protection legislation pushed a vote until after the November electiona move the officials say increases their chances of success but avoids forcing the GOP on record ...
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SCOTUS sides with New York university's LGBTQ+ club for now
On Sept. 14, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of five to four, declined a request from Yeshiva University in New York to block a New York County Supreme Court order that requires the university ...
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Campus Pride releases 'absolute worst, most unsafe campuses for LGBTQ+ people'
-- From a press release
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Campus Pride released The Worst List documenting the "Absolute Worst, Most Unsafe Campuses for LGBTQ+ Youth." The Worst List is an annual listing of colleges and universities that have chosen to openly ...
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Miami-Dade school board rejects LGBTQ History Month over 'Don't Say Gay' fears
On Sept. 7, the Miami-Dade School Board struck down a proposal that would have recognized October as "LGBTQ History Month" out of concern that it would violate the state's Parental Rights in Education law, known by ...
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NATIONAL Convicted killer, school groups, Gloria Casarez, 'Gay Days'
A Philadelphia jury convicted Abdullah El-Amin of third-degree murder for taking the life of trans woman Mia Green, per The Philadelphia Gay News. He faces a lengthy prison term when sentenced in November. Green, 27, was ...
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Indiana Supreme Court upholds firing of gay Catholic-school teacher
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled on Aug. 31 that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indiana was within its rights to direct the termination of a Catholic-school teacher who was married to a person of the same ...
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LGBTQ+ youths, adult allies gather at Action Camp 2022
LGBTQ+ young people and adult allies gathered under the sun and stars Aug. 1-5 for the 10th Annual Action Camp, co-hosted by the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago's (PHIMC's) Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance ...
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Vietnam ends LGBTQ+ conversion therapy
Vietnam has said that being LGBTQ+ is "not an illness" and ordered medical providers to end controversial practices like "conversion therapy," UPI reported. The government's health ministry said that being a member of the LGBTQ+ community ...
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Court upholds injunction blocking Ark. ban on healthcare for trans youth
On Aug. 25, a federal appeals court has said that Arkansas cannot enact Act 626, its law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth because the law relies on sex discrimination, LGBTQ Nation reported. The three-judge panel ...
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Campus Pride unveils 'Best of the Best' colleges, universities for LGBTQ+ students
Campus Pride—a resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education—announced the annual Best of the Best Colleges and Universities for LGBTQ+ students in the United States, recognizing ...
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Florida school to refer to students by 'biological sex' and ask LGBTQ+ students to leave
A religious school in Florida said it will only refer to students by their sex assigned at birth, while pupils who are LGBTQ+ "will be asked to leave the school immediately," NBC News reported. A June ...
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Penn. governor ends conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed Executive Order 2022-2 "to protect Pennsylvanians from conversion therapy," according to a press release from his office. "Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the ...
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GLAAD publishes back-to-school guide
LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD is publishing a new back-to-school guide on how to respond to book bans and school censorship, titled "Back To School [Redacted]." The organization also announced that it has joined two national efforts ...
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Sexual-misconduct report findings force Chicago charter-school leader to leave
A Chicago Public Schools inspector general's report substantiating allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct with a student forced Tim King, the head of a prominent charter school network, to resign recently, WBEZ reported. King, who founded Urban ...
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NU sued by student on school's Qatar campus
On July 28, Northwestern University was slapped with a civil-rights lawsuit in Illinois Northern District Court, according to Law.com. The lawsuit was brought by Disparti Law Group on behalf of a student of the university's Qatar ...
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Utah school district removes LGBTQ+ books from libraries
A Utah school district removed 52 books from its library shelves due to parent complaints mainly concerning LGBTQ+-focused material, LGBTQ Nation noted. A spokesperson for Alpine School District tells The Salt Lake Tribune that the district ...
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NATIONAL Lesbian activist dies, school report, Robin Roberts, Joe Rogan
Rita Addessaa civil-rights activist and the first executive director of the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force (PLGTF, later the Pennsylvania Lesbian and Gay Task Force)passed away July 9 at Penn Hospice in Philadelphia at age ...
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Florida school districts sued over 'Don't Say Gay' law
Florida teens and their families, along with advocacy groups, have sued to block a law that restricts classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity, NBC News reported. The Parental Rights in Education lawdubbed the "Don't ...
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Queer teen artist/activist talks Girl Scout Gold Award, LGBTQ+ inclusion, future plans
When Molly Kasch became a Brownie at age 8, she never dreamed she would earn the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award 10 years later for her "Scouting the Rainbow" project. The award "is the highest achievement ...
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New 988 National Suicide Prevention Hotline number launches
On July 16, Vibrant Emotional Health—the nonprofit that operates the lifeline on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)—launched ...
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Wis. Supreme Court allows pro-TGNC+ student policy to remain in effect
-- From a press release
MADISON The Supreme Court of Wisconsin allowed a school policy, which protects the right of students to use different names or pronouns at school without being forcibly outed by school faculty, to stay in effect ...
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Hulu's 'Love, Victor' draws to a proud conclusion with season three
Love is in the air for Pride Monthas the television show Love, Victor concludes with its third season. The gay rom-com Love, Simon came out in 2018 and inspired the Love, Victor Hulu series two years ...
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Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law takes effect
Florida's Parental Rights in Education lawwhich some have nicknamed the "Don't Say Gay" lawwent into effect July 1, and some of the state's public school districts have begun rolling out new policies to limit LGBTQ issues ...
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Indiana Univ. establishes Kinsey-Kelley Center for Gender Equity in Business
A new research center at Indiana University (IU) Bloomington will address issues of gender inequity, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in the workplace, through an innovative partnership between the Kinsey Institute and the Kelley School of ...
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NATIONAL Biden's proposal, VP Harris, Elizabeth Taylor, outbreak, candidates
Lambda Legal issued a press release lauding the Biden administration for issuing proposed regulations that will help protect LGBTQI+ youth against unlawful discrimination. The proposed rules, issued by the U.S. ...
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Biden's historic executive order strengthens protections for the 2M LGBT youth in U.S.
-- From a press release
Today, President Biden signed an executive order that includes actions to protect LGBTQI+ youth from conversion therapy, expand LGBTQI+ access to comprehensive health care, support LGBTQI+ youth in schools, end ...
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DCFS enhances training for foster parents, staff; expands resources, housing options for LGBTQI+ youth
-- From a press release
Illinois DCFS enhances training for foster parents and staff, expands resources and housing options to support LGBTQI+ youth in care during Pride Month CHICAGO — June is Pride Month and the Illinois Department of Children and ...
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300K youth in the U.S. identify as transgender
-- From a press release
New estimates show 300,000 youth ages 13-17 identify as transgender in the US About 1.3 million adults—0.5% of the adult US population—identify as transgender Approximately 1.6 million people ages 13 ...
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NATIONAL Mysterious death, Tennesee law, lesbians of color, Guam
Gay bilingual mental-health counselor Julio Ramirez died in April after he fell unconscious in a taxi following a night out at gay bars in Hell's Kitchenand then his bank accounts were allegedly drained days later, leaving ...
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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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Batavia public school rally to call for equity in education
-- From an Equality Illinois press release
BPS Parents for Equity and Justice and Batavia Public School (BPS) students to host a rally and call to action in response to ongoing inequities in the treatment of all marginalized groups and the district's reluctance ...
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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 Parkand both organizations have issued statements, according to the Bonner County Daily Bee. The ...
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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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