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Grassroots march focuses on Black, Brown trans lives
Organized by a host of grassroots organizations focused on assisting marginalized communities around the city, the Pride Without Prejudice/Reclaim Pride march kicked off at the Belmont Red Line station at noon on June 28. The march ...
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Lambda files suit over Trump anti-trans policies
Lambda Legal announced June 22 that it is suing the federal government over rollbacks the Trump administration announced June 12 to protections against healthcare-related discrimination previously afforded LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender community members. Lambda filed the ...
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Groups respond to Indianapolis archdiocese's anti-trans guidelines
Pro-LGBTQ organizations responded to news about the Indianapolis archdiocese issuing new guidelines warning that transgender students may not be able to enroll in its Catholic schools. The archdiocese's "Policy and Complementary Norms on Sexual Identity in ...
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TELEVISION Marvel's first openly trans actor on Pride, BLM and Hollywood
Zach Barack made cinematic history as Marvel's first openly trans actor in the 2019 film Spider-Man: Far from Home. He talked with Windy City Times about his experiences in Hollywood, his stand-up comedy, current social issues ...
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Organizations respond to murder of trans Chicagoan
A number of organizations released statements on the May murder of a Chicago Latinx transgender woman who, at the time of her death, had been misgendered by both authorities and local media. Selena Reyes-Hernandez, 37, was ...
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Local transgender man on being affected by healthcare rollback
Oli Rodriguez is a transgender man who hopes to carry a child and become a father in the near future. Following news that President Donald Trump rolled back protections inscribed in the Affordable Care Act, however, ...
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At least two marches centering on Black trans Chicagoans planned for June 28 SEE UPDATE
UPDATE: ACTIVATE:CHI march and rally cancelled. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/ACTIVATE-CHI-march-and-rally-cancelled/68818.html . The grassroots activist organization ACTIVATE:CHI announced June 19 that it is collaborating with a number of local organizations and businesses, among them Chicago Pride and Northalsted Business Alliance, ...
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NATIONAL Trans youth guide, march items, Dallas Pride flag, Key West
The Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic ( HLAC ) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights ( NCLR ) published a first-of-its-kind legal resource guide for transgender youth in the United States, a press release ...
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SHOWBIZ Lee Daniels, 'Walking Dead' star, Sylvester, Richard Simmons
Openly gay producer/director Lee Daniels ( TV's Empire; producer of the movie Monster's Ball ) said he was the original director of the Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain, but couldn't get the film made as "nobody wanted ...
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TV: Sam Feder, Laverne Cox discuss trans documentary 'Disclosure'
Disclosure is a new original documentary debuting on Netflix in time for Pride season. Through a series of movie and television clips plus personal interviews, Disclosure gives a history of the depiction of the transgender community ...
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Bail denied for teen charged with murder of Chicago trans woman
On June 16, bail was denied for high school senior Orlando Perez, who is accused of fatally shooting a transgender woman in her Southwest Side home May 31, The Chicago Tribune reported. Perez—who is 18 and ...
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Comprehensive legal resource for transgender youth launched by Harvard, NCLR
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today, the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic ( HLAC ) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights published a first-of-its-kind legal resource guide for transgender youth in the United States. The ...
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NATIONAL Justice in Policing Act, trans women killed, marches, W.Va. politician
The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund issued a statement in support of the Justice in Policing Act, a press release noted. Executive Director Rea Carey said, in part, "The Justice in Policing Act is a ...
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WORLD Global Pride, trans woman attacked, Poland items, singer comes out
Organizers of the June 27 virtual event Global Pride said that former U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and artists Laverne ...
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Trump administration removes ACA healthcare protections for transgender people
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced June 12 that it was rolling back health protections for transgender Americans that had previously been inscribed in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The rollback creates numerous ...
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Transgender advocates outline challenges during pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic will likely intensify challenges experienced by transgender Americans, especially transgender persons of color, according to local advocates. In a May 29 forum presented by Chicago House and Social Service Agency, transgender activists and ...
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Ketchum wins seat on Wheeling City Council, first out trans person elected in WV
Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed candidate Rosemary Ketchum won a seat on the Wheeling City Council and became the first out trans person ever elected in West Virginia. Currently there are just 26 ...
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WORLD Trans woman's death, NZ trans politician, cyberattack
In Colombia, trans woman Alejandra Monocuco died with coronavirus symptoms after paramedics learned she was HIV-positive and allegedly refused to treat her, PinkNews reported. She lived in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Bogota and was a ...
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NATIONAL Court ruling, Trevor Project, trans man killed, George Floyd statements
A federal district court ruled that the U.S. Social Security Administration's ( SSA's ) refusal to consider the claims for survivor's benefits by same-sex spouses who were unable to be married for nine months because of ...
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SHOWBIZ Trans movie, Diana Ross, GLAAD study, celebrities take stand
The Netflix original documentary Disclosure will launch Friday, June 19, a press release noted. Directed by Sam Feder and executive produced by Laverne Cox, Disclosure shows how the fabled stories of Hollywood deeply influence how Americans ...
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EXCLUSIVE
Trans Minneapolis city councilmember talks about violence, George Floyd
In 2017, Phillipe Cunningham ( a DePaul University graduate ) made history when he became one of the first openly transgender men to be elected to public office in the United States. He defeated a two-decade ...
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Chicago House to present Impact of COVID-19 on trans communities May 29
CHICAGO, IL — Transgender people, who traditionally experience barriers accessing safe and affirming health care and having their concerns listened to and understood, are facing new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the specific ...
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WORLD New HIV news, Catholic event, conversion therapy, Hungary anti-trans bill
A global trial stated that a new HIV drug injected every two months effectively reduces the rate of infection, and provides longer and stronger protection, than taking pills, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The four-year trial—conducted ...
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Chicago artists virtually unveil mural honoring LGBTQ community
CHICAGO, IL — Chicago artists Andy Bellomo and Sandra Antongiorgi have virtually unveiled a new mural that highlights queer artists of color who use their life's work to improve community well-being and create social change. "Rebirth" ...
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U.S. Supreme Court backs Idaho trans woman's reassignment surgery
The United States Supreme Court denied Idaho's application to stop a transgender inmate's reassignment surgery, East Idaho News reported. The court order said that two justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, would have granted the request ...
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Trevor Project releases report on mental health of trans, non-binary youth
The Trevor Project's research team has published a new peer-reviewed article titled "Understanding the Mental Health of Transgender and Nonbinary Youth" in the Journal of Adolescent Health ( JAH ). Among the key findings: —When accounting ...
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Brave Space Alliance announces board of directors
Brave Space Alliance—a Black- and trans-led "LGBTQ center on the South Side of Chicago that is dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming and services for LGBTQ individuals on the South ...
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'Matrix' co-creator cites Chicago LGBTQ organization in tweet
Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski cited Chicago LGBTQ organization Brave Space Alliance in a tweet, Variety noted. The transgender director was not happy that Elon Musk and Ivanka Trump were quoting her movie. Tesla and SpaceX CEO ...
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Report: HHS rule will negatively affect 1.5M transgender Americans
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to announce a final rule in the coming weeks that reverses federal protections prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity in health care. The Williams Institute ...
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VIEWS LGBTQ discrimination is a disgrace
Named plaintiff in landmark Supreme Court gay marriage case talks cases now before court
Re the New York Times article, "Aimee Stephens, 59, Plaintiff in Transgender Rights Case" ( obituary, May 14 ): Our world has long been gripped by questions of mortality and legacy, perhaps more than ever in ...
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NATIONAL Harvey Milk, trans woman killed, 'Queer the Census,' NYC Pride
LGBTQ-rights icon Harvey Milk would have turned 90 on May 22—and San Francisco is coming together ( virtually ) that day, a press release noted. Openhouse, SF Queer Nightlife Fund and the Tenderloin Museum will present ...
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Navy grants first waiver for trans service member
The U.S. Navy granted a waiver allowing a transgender service member to serve "in their preferred gender" for the first time since the military enacted an anti-transgender ban, CNN.com reported. "The acting Secretary of the Navy ...
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NATIONAL Early release, Zara settlement, arrests in Puerto Rico, D.C. gay bars close
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy J. Shea, the city's lead prosecutor, informed his office's Hate Bias Task Force that he objected to a decision by a judge to grant the early release of ...
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Trans-rights advocate Aimee Stephens dies
Aimee Stephens—the Michigan transgender funeral home worker whose firing led to a U.S. Supreme Court case that could decide the employment rights of millions of transgender and gender-nonconforming people—has died at age 59. According to NBC ...
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WORLD Blood-donation ban, Kenyan refugees, trans activist, club COVID-19 outbreak
The top court in Brazil ruled the country's ban on men who have sex with men ( MSM ) from donating blood is unconstitutional, The Washington Blade noted, citing Reuters. Seven of the 11 judges who ...
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SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, Quibi shows, Alexandra Billings, 'Queer Eye,' podcasts
Lady Gaga announced that her sixth studio album, Chromatica, will be released Friday, May 29, via Interscope Records, a press release noted. The album features collaborations with Ariana Grande, Elton John and Blackpink, and is executive-produced ...
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WORLD Turkish president, Honduras killing, Pope Benedict, Tom of Finland
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported Turkey's top Muslim cleric, who caused a firestorm by claiming homosexuality "brings disease and causes this generation to decay," NBC News reported. In his first sermon during the holy month ...
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NUNN ON ONE TELEVISION Trans actress' dreams come true on 'Supergirl'
Actress Nicole Maines represents a new generation of transgender activists who are growing both artistically and publicly. Maines was assigned to being male at birth and at three years old showed that was incorrect. Later in ...
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NATIONAL Colorado governor, Texas judge, trans woman killed, Indiana, festivals
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis defended his decision to lift some restrictions imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus and permit some businesses to reopen, Politico reported. In an interview on CNN's State of the Union, ...
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Transgender adults with underlying health conditions at risk for COVID-19
An estimated 319,800 U.S. adults who identify as transgender have one or more medical conditions, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, or HIV, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. The Centers for Disease ...
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Online seminar for families of transgender individuals May 3
Are you a family member of a transgender person? Do you want to be supportive but sometimes have a hard time understanding? An online seminar for families of transgender individuals, planned for May 3, 2020 from ...
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NATIONAL Trans students, HIV+ men released, LGBTQ judge, centers, Joe Biden
North Carolina's transgender students are worried that their privacy and safety are being put at risk as schools switch to teaching students online during the coronavirus pandemic, The Herald reported. North Carolina's public schools use a ...
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Idaho anti-trans law challenged
A lawsuit was filed April 15 challenging Idaho's recently passed law that bans women and girls who are transgender as well as many women and girls who are intersex from participating in school sports, according to ...
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NATIONAL Virginia's pro-LGBTQ moves, trans teen, Dr. Fauci, AIDS Quilt
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a law requiring the state's Department of Motor Vehicles to offer a non-binary option on driver's licenses, according to The Washington Blade. The governor signed Senate Bill 246, which now offers ...
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REPORT Evening TV news gave less than 20 minutes to anti-trans violence in 2019
Amid what the American Medical Association called a "disturbing pattern of violence toward black transgender women," a new report from Media Matters for America, a nonprofit media watchdog, of corporate evening broadcast and cable TV news ...
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NATIONAL Coronavirus deaths, the CARES Act, Ritchie Torres, trans-youth study
Lorena Borjas—a transgender Latina activist who fought for immigrants and sex workers—died of COVID-19 at age 59 at Coney Island Hospital, CNN.com reported. Her passing inspired tributes from countless activists and leaders, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, ...
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SHOWBIZ Sam Smith, Showtime, pro-trans song, Colton Underwood, Shea Coulee
Singer Sam Smith will postpone the release of their third album, To Die For, so it can be renamed due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, LGBTQ Nation noted. "I have done a lot of thinking ...
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WORLD Trans Day of Visibility, Hong Kong judge, Ugandan police, Elton John
On the International Trans Day of Visibility ( March 31 ), Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David issued a message. "Transgender and non-binary people face significant cultural, legal and economic challenges, but continue to bravely share ...
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ELECTIONS 2020
Jill Rose Quinn heads toward being state's first openly transgender judge
Among those notching victories on March 14, during Illinois' primary, was Democratic judicial candidate Jill Rose Quinn. Her win was significant in many ways—including the fact that she will apparently be the first openly transgender judge ...
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Advocates: LGBTQs face additional complications in pandemic
Members of the LGBT community face additional healthcare challenges as they contend with the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, according to national LGBTQ-health advocates and officials speaking in a March 25 webinar. Those challenges are especially pronounced for ...
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Idaho governor signs two anti-trans bills
On March 30, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed two bills into law that restrict the rights of transgender people. According to CNN, one item ( House Bill 500, also called the Fairness in Women's Sports Act ...
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Brave Space Alliance, Trans Liberation Collective begin COVID-19 Trans Relief Fund
CHICAGO — On the International Trans Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to the celebration and liberation of the trans community worldwide, two of Chicago's leading trans organizations have collaborated to announce a Trans Relief Fund ...
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NCLR condemns Idaho law barring transgender girls from sports
BOISE, ID — The National Center for Lesbian Rights strongly condemns Idaho Governor Brad Little's decision to sign HB 500, a law that bars transgender girls from participating in sports. As a result of the Governor's ...
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Chicagoan alleges anti-trans bias against Orangetheory location
Following two years of repeated requests to address alleged anti-trans discrimination at Orangetheory Fitness Chicago-Edgewater, non-binary Chicagoan Jes Scheinpflug posted about their experiences on their blog to raise awareness about the issue. However, the company has ...
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PFLAG to launch TransKids, SoFierce social media campaign on March 31
WASHINGTON, DC—Beginning Tuesday, March 31, PFLAG invites allies, family, and friends of transgender kids ( trans kids ) to join a an uplifting social media campaign called #TransKids #SoFierce ( pflag.org/transkidssofierce/ ). #TransKids #SoFierce is a ...
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WORLD Non-binary ruling, Qantas grounded, trans actor, conversion therapy
A British court ruled out adding a third option on passports for people who define themselves as neither male nor female, following a lengthy legal battle, Openly News reported. The Court of Appeal ruled in favour ...
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NATIONAL Curriculum law, N.Y. trans rule, Andrew Gillum, LGBT Health Week, COVID-19
The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina entered a consent decree that declares South Carolina's 1988 discriminatory anti-LGBTQ curriculum law unconstitutional and bars its enforcement, according to a joint statement from Campaign for ...
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Judge releases Chelsea Manning from jail
On March 12, U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga ordered the release of former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning—ending about a year of incarceration that she had served for refusing to testify to a grand jury, a ...
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NATIONAL Puerto Rico trans death, APA revisions, conversion therapy, LGBTQ gym
Puerto Rico's governor condemned the killing of a transgender woman—whose death ignited a dialogue about transphobia on the island—as a hate crime, HuffPost reported. The body of Alexa Negron Luciano, who was also known as Neulisa ...
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South Side LGBTQ Center Brave Space Alliance expands staff, office
CHICAGO — Brave Space Alliance has doubled its staff by hiring Zahara Bassett as Director of Development and External Relations, and Brittney Thomas as Director of Programs. The two new hires bring further vibrancy, skills, and ...
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BOOK REVIEW The Trans Generation
By Ann Travers $25; New York University Press; 261 pages Boy or girl? That's a common enough question, if you're an expectant parent. You might've even wondered it yourself: will you need pink things or blue, ...
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Non-binary author Jacob Tobia holds reading in A'ville
To celebrate the paperback release of their debut book, Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story, non-binary author, actor and producer Jacob Tobia held a reading and book-signing event March 5 at Women & Children First in Andersonville. Tobia ...
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ELECTIONS 2020 Report: 378K trans citizens could encounter voting hurdles
A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law says that an estimated 965,350 transgender adults will be eligible to vote in the 2020 general election—but that approximately 378,000 of them could have ...
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Majority of active duty servicemembers oppose trans military ban
WASHINGTON — Today, the Modern Military Association of America ( MMAA ) — the nation's largest non-profit organization dedicated to advancing fairness and equality for the LGBTQ military and veteran community — responded to new survey ...
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ELECTIONS 2020 JUDICIAL Transgender attorney Jill Rose Quinn on judicial race, making history
Since 1997, Jill Rose Quinn has had her own private law practice working on family and criminal law, LGBTQ issues, financial matters and trusts and estates among other legal services. She is the first ever out ...
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Trans scientist kicks off TGNC-affirming symposium
Transgender climate scientist, humanist and activist Dr. Mika Tosca's keynote kicked off the day-long "Being a Stronger Ally: A Trans/GNC Affirming Symposium" Feb. 22 at the Chicago Waldorf School in Andersonville. Andersonville Chamber of Commerce's Trans/GNC ...
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Suburban district settles anti-trans lawsuit
After more than four years, Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 settled a lawsuit brought by transgender former student Nova Maday, who alleged discrimination. The Daily Herald reported that the district decided to pay Maday and her ...
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Starbucks pro-trans ad airs, but employees criticize company
Starbucks UK released an ad showing a young trans man getting to use his chosen name while getting a coffee—but the ad has been criticized as well, BuzzFeed reported. While many have lauded the ad, transgender ...
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'Being a Stronger Ally'
symposium Feb. 22
Registration is open for "Being A Stronger Ally: Trans/GNC Affirming Symposium"—which the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce ( ACC ) is hosting in partnership with Chicago Therapy Collective—on Saturday, Feb. 22, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Chicago Waldorf ...
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Bloomberg under fire for anti-trans comments; campaign responds [UPDATE]
Days after unveiling a five-part, multi-pronged LGBT platform, Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is being criticized for anti-trans comments he made in 2016. That year, he referred to transgender women ...
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Virginia passes laws that protect LGBTQs
On Feb. 6, Virginia legislators passed comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation ( the Virginia Values Act ) that activists said makes the state the first in the South to have such protections for LGBTQ people, ABC News reported. ...
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OPINION 'Trans-formal' education
"The year started well, but substitute teachers were not told about Dave's name," my friend Pat told me. "My son was called a distinctly feminine name in a time and at a place where no one ...
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WORLD Glenn Greenwald, Swiss chocolatier, Chick-fil-A, South Korean trans soldier
A coalition of approximately 40 human-rights and free-speech NGOs signed an open letter—organized by Freedom of the Press Foundation and Reporters Without Borders—addressed to Brazilian authorities ( including President Jair Bolsonaro ) condemning the charges that ...
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ELECTIONS 2020 Lightfoot backs trans candidate Quinn
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has endorsed transgender candidate Jill Rose Quinn for Cook County judge ( the K. Sheehan vacancy ). "I'm proud to endorse the historic candidacy of Jill Rose Quinn," Lightfoot said in a ...
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Lightfoot criticizes aldermen over LGBT study
On Jan. 15, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot criticized aldermen for objecting to a plan to determine if the LGBT community faces obstacles in obtaining city contracts, CBS Chicago reported. "I feel compelled to speak to this ...
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