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Kentucky, Tennessee allowed to enforce anti-trans youth healthcare bans
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed Tennessee and Kentucky to enforce laws banning gender-affirming medical care for minors, such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery, Reuters reported. The ruling is the ...
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GLAAD: GOP primary debate includes question on anti-LGBTQ+ violence, candidates duck
--From a press release
GLAAD: "Instead of addressing the critical issue of the safety and rights of all Americans, GOP primary candidates ignored the rise in violence and hateful rhetoric aimed at the LGBTQ community and our allies. Several chose ...
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WORLD African efforts, HIV in Amsterdam, Donatella Versace, 'The Queen in Me'
A new attempt to prevent the recognition of and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people in Kenya through a constitutional amendment has been introduced in Parliament, The Washington Blade reported. The move was in response to this ...
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SHOWBIZ Outfest, Halo, 'Sex Education,' trans singer, 'Doctor Who'
Outfest announced that it will honor Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine with the James Schamus Ally Award and trans actress Trace Lysette with the Trailblazer Award at the 2023 Legacy Awards presented by Genesis Motor America, per ...
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NATIONAL Bisexual politicians, DADT, NBJC awards, crimes, Buttigieg
For Bi Visibility Day (Sept. 23), The Advocate ran a piece titled "35 Bisexual Politicians You Should Know." Just a few on the list include trans Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, Nevada Assemblymember Cecelia Gonzalez, U.S. ...
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Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes some LGBTQ+ measures and approves others
For California's LGBTQ+ community, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has made things interesting over the last few days. Late last week, Newsom vetoed three progressive measures—including an unexpected rejection of a ...
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Lambda, TLDEF urge 4th Circuit to uphold rulings protecting gender-affirming care in NC, WV
--From a press release
(RICHMOND, VA - Thursday, Sept 21) — Today, a full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit heard arguments in two cases involving equal access to health care for transgender people. State ...
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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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WORLD French fund, mausoleum, Abrazo Grupal, Biden, Billie Jean King
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced a fund to help promote the rights of LGBTQ+ people, French24 reported. She made the announcement at the 15th anniversary of an LGBTQ+ group at the United Nations at the ...
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NATIONAL Sarah McBride, TIME100 lists, Kentucky clerk, suspects arrested
A poll showed that Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride—who is bidding to become the nation's first openly transgender member of Congress—leads her primary opponents by a wide margin, The Hill reported. In a survey of likely Democratic ...
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19th annual Andersonville Arts Weekend Sept. 29 - Oct. 1
--From a press release
CHICAGO (September 18, 2023) The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is pleased to welcome back its 19tn annual Andersonville Arts Weekend, with the neighborhood transformed into a "walkable art gallery" ...
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WORLD Quebec lesbians, violence study, Rugby World Cup, Ugandan bill
The hidden history of Quebec lesbians is being explored, the CBC reported. Between 1985 and 1996, a group of lesbians leased the Plateau-Mont-Royal school and ran it as a community center. The school was also home ...
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SHOWBIZ Kim Petras, LGBTQ+ movies, TIFF, canceled shows, yachts
Video below
Ahead of her Feed the Beast world tour, Grammy-winning international trans pop singer/songwriter Kim Petras has shared reimagined, symphonic, seven-piece string-ensemble performances of fan favorites from her debut album Feed ...
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NATIONAL Lesbian politician, Nancy Pelosi, bomb threat, politician dies, Lyft
Kathy Kozachenko—the first out politician elected to public office in the country—will be honored with a statue on the 50th anniversary of her historic election, per The Advocate. The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, will honor ...
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MAP reports on obstacles trans people face with healthcare, legal recognition
--From a press release
Today the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) released Banning Medical Care and Legal Recognition for Transgender People, the fifth in MAP's report series, Under Fire: The War on LGBTQ People in America. The report details how the ...
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Olivia Hill becomes first trans person elected in Tennessee
Olivia Hill is the first openly transgender person ever elected to Nashville's Metro Council, per The Tennessean. And according to LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Hill, 57, is the first transgender woman elected in Tennessee. Hill secured one ...
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Prime minister of Andorra comes out as gay
Xavier Espot Zamora, the head of the government of the tiny European country of Andorra, has come out as gay—although he added that he never hid his sexual orientation, according to a translated article from The ...
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NATIONAL Historic political win, Columbus situation, trans coach, Gold + Williams
Fabian Nelson won a Democratic primary runoff in Mississippi's 66th state House district—and he's now the state's first openly gay legislator, The Guardian noted. (Republicans are not running a candidate for the general election sched ...
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Aging LGBTQ+ Americans face additional caregiving challenges
While Darcy Connors was a nursing home administrator in the South, she also operated a COVID-19 recovery center. Connors and her staff noticed that two of the patients in their charge had a strong connection with ...
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Fundraiser held for MWRD Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis
Fundraiser held for MWRD Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis By Carrie Maxwell A fundraiser was held Aug. 31 at Sidetrack for newly sworn-in Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRC) Commissioner ...
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NATIONAL Sorority suit, trans woman's win, school policy, activist honored
U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson dismissed a civil lawsuit against Kappa Kappa Gamma and Artemis Langford—the first openly trans woman to join a sorority at the University of Wyoming, according to Oil City News. Johnson ...
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Brave Space Alliance holds Post Pride Mixer
On Aug. 27, Brave Space Alliance held its Post Pride Mixer at popular lesbian-owned bar Nobody's Darling. The social gathering celebrated past accomplishments while looking forward to new horizons for both the service organization and the ...
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Queer parenthood explored: A transparent dive into surrogacy and hope
By Matthew Schueller. Guest commentary for News is Out
I feel extraordinarily lucky. As a kid, I never imagined my life could look like this. Growing up in the closet in the mid-Willamette Valley of Oregon, an area many consider to be the conservative Bible ...
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Musician Carlos Santana deletes apology after anti-trans rant
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana took down an apology he posted on his Facebook page after a viral video emerged showing him saying transgender people should stay "in the closet" while performing ...
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NATIONAL James Baldwin Awards, archdioceses, school items, 'RuPublicans'
On Aug. 21, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) hosted the 3rd Annual James Baldwin Legacy Awards to honor the contributions of Black men and masculine elders within the Black LGBTQ+/same gender loving (SGL) movement and ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Bros,' Lady Gaga, Zaya Wade, Idina Menzel, actor dies
According to an annual report by USC's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, 80% of all transgender characters in the 100 top-grossing movies of 2022 were in one movie—Bros, Out reported. The study revealed that in the top 100 ...
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Court allows anti-trans youth healthcare ban in Alabama
On Aug. 21, a three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a district court judge's temporary injunction against Alabama's law banning gender-affirming care for people under 19, The Hill reported. The development ...
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Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Fest announces 41st edition program
--From a press release
Chicago, Illinois (August 18, 2023) — Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival today announced its full slate of programming for the 41st edition of the second-longest running LGBTQ+ film ...
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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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Federal Judge issues injunction restoring health care for Georgia transgender children
--From a press release
ATLANTA—A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction late Sunday halting a provision in Georgia Senate Bill 140 ("SB 140," the "Health Care Ban," or the "Ban") from taking effect while a lawsuit filed by four Georgia ...
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Trans women banned from world chess events for females
Lausanne, Switzerland-based federation Fide—the world's top chess federation—ruled that trans women cannot compete in its official events for females until a review of the situation is made by its officials ...
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NATIONAL Lawsuit, trans activist passes, murder suspect, panic defense, Baylor Univ.
A federal district court in Tucson granted the plaintiffs' request to certify a class action in a case challenging Arizona's requirement that transgender people must have surgery to change the gender marker on their birth certificates, ...
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N.C. legislators override governor's veto of three anti-trans youth bills
On the evening of Aug. 16, the North Carolina legislature's Republican supermajority overrode vetoes from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper regarding several bills—including three that target transgender youth, CNN reported. The ...
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Center on Halsted leaders discuss transition and organization's future
In March—after a 15-year tenure that was productive but also controversial in spots—Modesto Tico Valle officially stepped down from his position as CEO of Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ+ ...
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Law will reduce barriers to gender-neutral multiple-occupancy restrooms in businesses, universities, building
--From a press release
CHICAGO — Advocates celebrated Governor JB Pritzker's signing of House Bill 1286, legislation that will reduce barriers for businesses serving their communities and customers by allowing for the adoption of ...
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Illinois attorney general joins push against anti-trans laws
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined a multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general opposing laws in Kentucky and Tennessee that severely limit transgender youths' access to critical healthcare, per a press release. The amicus brief ...
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NATIONAL Medical news, Fauci's successor, O'Shae Sibley, Grindr, trans death
The American Academy of Pediatrics again expressed its support for gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors, The Advocate reported. In an unanimous vote, the group's board of ...
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New HRC data: LGBTQ+ youth still lack critical support and acceptance
From a press release: WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in partnership with the ...
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Mothers of murdered trans people to host annual picnic in memory of De'Janay Stanton
A mother whose trans daughter was murdered is hosting an annual picnic to celebrate her memory and raise awareness about violence against trans people.� Valerie Griffin lost her daughter De'Janay Stanton in 2018 and has been ...
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Stonewall veteran Miss Major visits Brave Space Alliance
Miss Major, a Black transgender activist who has fought for more than 50 years for her trans/gender nonconforming community, is on tour to call attention to anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ laws across the country. Traveling with her ...
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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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SHOWBIZ Tyler Perry, marriages and splits, Beyonce, strikes, Sinead tribute
Videos below
Tyler Perry has offered $100,000 to anyone with information that leads to a conviction in the murder of 24-year-old Black queer musician Josiah "Jonty" Robinson, according to Out. An autopsy concluded that the cause of Robinson's ...
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WORLD Marielle Franco, trans student dies, Iranian official, 'Drag Race'
Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino announced a plea agreement with one of two police officers accused of assassinating Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, a Black lesbian and human-rights activist who was killed by gunfire from ...
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Okla. anti-trans order narrows gender definitions
In yet another attack on transgender people, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has directed state agencies to use narrow definitions of "female" and "male," according to NBC News. Stitt signed the executive order surrounded by women from ...
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LGBTQ+ cycling club builds both community and awareness
By Charlie Kolodziej
For the second summer in a row, Cruise Chi, Chicago's new LGBTQ+ cycling club, has been fostering a sense of community while supporting queer- and trans-advocacy. The group, led by co-founders Alton Deon and Shai Garcia, ...
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WORLD Global conference, asylum-seekers, HIV study, lesbian couple, The 1975
More than 400 people attended a global LGBTQI+-rights conference that took place in Mexico City, The Washington Blade reported. Jessica Stern, the special U.S. envoy for the promotion of LGBTQ and intersex rights; and Victor Madrigal-Borloz, ...
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NATIONAL Laws challenged, trans man killed, lesbian bars, conversion therapy
The organizers of Montana's largest LGBTQ+ Pride parade joined a lawsuit challenging a state law aimed at restricting drag performances, according to NBC News. A group of Montanans, including a transgender woman and the owners of ...
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Darius Caffey offers a seat at The Table On Air
Darius Caffey is making moves at Chicago Access Network Television with a new program titled The Table On Air. He's the host of the show focusing on the work and accomplishments of Black LGBTQ+ members of ...
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Study: 40% of trans people have attempted suicide
A new study from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that 81% of transgender adults in the country have thought about suicide, 42% of transgender adults have attempted it and 56% have engaged ...
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Springfield YMCA targeted by anti-trans activists and Illinois House Freedom Caucus members
The Kerasotes branch of the Springfield, Illinois YMCA was the target of an anti-trans rally on July 13, after a family complained about a transgender woman using the women's locker room. The rally was held at ...
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Quigley responds to GOP attacks on LGBTQ+ projects
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois)—ranking member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee, and a staunch LGBTQ+ ally—and fellow Reps. ...
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Russia's lower house bans gender-reassignment surgery
In that country's most recent attack on LGBTQ+ people, Russia's lower house of parliament (the State Duma) passed a new law banning gender-reassignment surgery, the BBC reported. The measure will also ban people changing their genders ...
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Trans women cyclists banned from competitive events for females
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has banned transgender women who have undergone male puberty from competing in the female category of competitive events, ESPN reported. The union, cycling's governing body ...
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Rep. Cassidy condemns The Freedom Caucus, backs Springfield YMCA's stance on equitable restroom access
--From a press release
Chicago, IL - The following is a statement from Rep. Kelly Cassidy as it relates to the controversy surrounding changing areas at the Springfield YMCA. "Yesterday, several of my House colleagues from the self-described "Freedom Caucus" ...
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FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act would undercut equality, Modern Military Assoc of America comments
--From a press release
Washington D.C. - Anti-equality House members are using the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act to pass dangerous amendments targeting healthcare, gender-affirming care, education, and LGBTQ+ friendly services and resources. The ...
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Dwyane Wade is newest Chicago Sky co-owner
Retired NBA champion and onetime Chicago Bull Dwyane Wade has joined the WNBA's Chicago Sky ownership group, ESPN reported. Wade told the sports outlet, "It's a great opportunity to be a part of the league in ...
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WORLD Greece and marriage, Latvia, Japan ruling, Tanzania, soccer news
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in a Bloomberg interview that the legalization of same-sex marriage is part of his government's strategy, per The Pappas Post. "Same-sex marriage will happen at some point and it's part ...
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SHOWBIZ Emmys, 'Top Chef,' Hyphen Hyphen, Da Brat, 'Transparent,' Ben Cohen
Videos below
As the Emmy nominations were announced (with Succession leading with 27 noms), openly gay Paris Barclay made history. According to Deadline, the two-time Emmy winner is the first Black (and, certainly, Black gay) director to sweep ...
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NATIONAL Passings, governors' actions, document bans, mpox in Minnesota
Lilli Vincenz, an activist in the LGBTQ+-rights movement since the early 1960s, died at age 85 of natural causes June 27 at a care facility in Oakton, Virginia, according to The Advocate, citing The Washington Blade. ...
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HRC calls on House of Representatives to vote down anti-trans amendments to National Defense Bill
WASHINGTON—Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, called upon members of the House of Representatives to reject extremist ...
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Brady-Davis sworn in to new water commissioner post
Community members gave a warm welcome to activist Precious Brady-Davis when she was sworn as the newest Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner the afternoon of July 12. Brady-Davis was greeted with a ...
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A Transparent Musical debuts at LA's Mark Taper Forum, first Amazon original series on stage
--From a press release
CULVER CITY, California—July 10, 2023—For the first time, Amazon Studios has debuted an original series on stage with A Transparent Musical. The musical began performances at Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles ahead of Pride Month ...
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Miss Netherlands crowns first trans woman
On July 8, Rikkie Valerie Kolle was named Miss Netherlands—becoming the first transgender woman to win the title, according to media reports. Kolle will now advance to represent her homeland at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant, ...
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Federal court lifts Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care
A federal appeals court lifted Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, meaning the law will now take effect. According to CNN, the appeals court granted a stay of a lower-court injunction, which had been blocking ...
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Students sue to block discriminatory Idaho restroom ban
--From a Lambda Legal press release
(Boise, ID, July 7, 2023) — Lambda Legal, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP, and Alturas Law Group, PLLC, last night filed a federal lawsuit against the Idaho State Superintendent of Education Debbie Critchfield and other Idaho ...
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NATIONAL Bi state senator, La. guv, PrEP act, Comcast, D.C. standards
Bisexual Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt has filed a defamation lawsuit against far-right lobbying group the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, which accused her of being a "groomer," per LGBTQ Nation. "These malicious and false lies about Hunt ...
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WORLD Trans official, Bolsonaro, Pride marches, school policy, Qantas
Symmy Larrat—a transgender woman who is a member of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government—told The Washington Blade that the storming of her country's Congress, Presidential Palace and ...
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Out at CHM hosts its first 2023 event
On June 28, Chicago History Museum (CHM), 1601 N. Clark St., transformed itself into a "supportive space for trans joy" to mark its support for transgender individuals. The event was presented as part of Out at ...
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Activist Brady-Davis named by Pritzker for MWRD Board
Longtime LGBTQ-rights- and environmental-activist Precious Brady-Davis was appointed by Gov. JB Pritzker as a Commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) on July 5. Brady-Davis is the first openly ...
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Equality Illinois celebrates Precious Brady-Davis' historic appointment to Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
--From a press release
Chicago - Today, Governor JB Pritzker appointed Precious Brady-Davis to serve as the next Commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, filling the vacancy created by Kim DuBuclet's appointment to the Illinois General Assembly. Precious ...
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Woman running to be first openly trans president in world's history
Tamara Adrian recently registered as a presidential candidate in the Venezuelan primary—becoming the first openly transgender person in the world to do so, The Washington Blade reported. The professor/attorney/author/LGBTQI+-rights activist—a ...
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NATIONAL Title IX, anti-drag law, Sarah McBride, march, Wellness in Action
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) recognized the 51st anniversary of Title IX—the groundbreaking 1972 law passed to protect individuals from discrimination in education on the basis of their sex. In a statement, HRC President Kelley Robinson ...
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Illinois attorney general files brief to protect trans students' privacy
--From a press release
Chicago — Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 16 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief supporting schools' ability to protect the privacy of transgender students who have shared their identity with school staff. The brief is ...
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Nepal's Supreme Court orders marriage registration for same-sex couples
The Supreme Court of Nepal recently issued an interim order directing the office of the prime minister and council of ministers as well as other relevant ministries to establish a "transitional mechanism" to ensure the registration ...
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Judges block gender-affirming bans for minors in Tennessee, Kentucky
Federal judges have temporarily blocked most aspects of the Tennessee and Kentucky bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, according to media reports. The Tennessee injunction, issued June 28, lets the ban on gender-affirming surgeries for ...
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