LGBTQ

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West Virginia's Transgender Sports Ban Gets Bad News

4th US Circuit Court of Appeals says it's a Title IX violation

(Newser) - A federal appeals court has overturned a West Virginia transgender sports ban, finding that the law violates Title IX, the federal civil-rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The ruling Tuesday from the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals blocks a West Virginia law banning transgender girls from playing...

Rowling's Rift With Harry Potter Stars Might Be Irreparable

Author hits out at celebs who backed movement 'intent on eroding' women's rights

(Newser) - The rift between JK Rowling and actors she watched grow up might be a lasting one as the Harry Potter author has indicated she won't be quick to forgive those who opposed her much-publicized views on the transgender community. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson were among those to defend...

These Are the 10 Most Challenged Books

LGBTQ themes feature in many of the books highlighted by the American Library Association

(Newser) - Book censorship hit "the highest levels ever documented" last year, according to the American Library Association , which saw the number of challenged titles climb 65% in 2023 over the previous year. "These are books that contain the ideas, the opinions, and the voices that censors want to silence—...

Transgender Christians Slam 'Hurtful' New Vatican Document

Declaration approved by Pope Francis says surrogacy, gender-affirming surgery are affronts to human dignity

(Newser) - The Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy as grave threats to human dignity, putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that violate God's plan for human life. The Vatican's doctrine office issued "Infinite Dignity," a 20-page declaration that's been in...

JK Rowling to Scotland: Go On, Arrest Me
Police Say They
Won't Arrest
JK Rowling
UPDATED
Apr 2, 2024 4:38 PM CDT

Police Say They Won't Arrest JK Rowling

Comments on trans women 'are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken'

(Newser) - Police in Scotland said Tuesday that they have received complaints about a tweet from JK Rowling but her "comments are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken." In the post, the author described several transgender women as men and dared police to arrest...

Player Apologizes After Rapinoe Calls Out Reposts

Korbin Albert had liked content critical of LGBTQ+ people, retired star

(Newser) - Hours after Megan Rapinoe responded that "Kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate," a current US women's team player apologized Thursday for liking and sharing social media posts that mocked the retired soccer great and other LGBTQ+ people. Acknowledging that the posts were "offensive,...

In Thailand, a First for Same-Sex Marriage

Thai House of Representatives passes bill; it now moves on to Senate, king to be turned into law

(Newser) - The first big step to giving the legal green light to same-sex marriage in Thailand is complete. The New York Times reports that the nation's House of Representatives "overwhelmingly" passed a bill Wednesday that would legalize LGBTQ unions, with a vote of 400-10. Two members of the 415-member...

Settlement Clears Up Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill

Teachers can talk about sexual orientation, gender identity, just not as part of instruction

(Newser) - Students and teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms, provided it's not part of instruction, under a settlement reached Monday between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who'd challenged a state law that critics dubbed "Don't Say Gay." The settlement...

DOE Turns Spotlight on Nex Benedict's Death

Feds to investigate what happened in Oklahoma school district where nonbinary teen died

(Newser) - Federal officials are opening an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where a nonbinary 16-year-old high school student was in a fight before dying last month, according to a letter sent by the US Department of Education on Friday. Nex Benedict, whose family says the teen was bullied at Owasso...

Before Her Murder, the Texts Got Tense

Man found guilty of killing Black transgender woman, the first federal hate-crime trial of its kind

(Newser) - A South Carolina man was found guilty Friday of killing a Black transgender woman in the nation's first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity. After deliberating for roughly four hours, jurors convicted Daqua Lameek Ritter of a hate crime for the murder of Dime Doe...

Kristen Stewart Says Twilight Is a 'Gay Movie'

33-year-old actor chats with 'Variety' about embracing her queerness

(Newser) - It's been 15 years since viewers first got to witness the Bella-Edward-Jacob love triangle on the big screen, and now, the actor who plays the female protagonist is looking back on that film with a "fresh perspective," per People . "It's such a gay movie,"...

France's New PM Is Nation's Youngest, and Openly Gay

Gabriel Attal, 34, takes over after the resignation of Elisabeth Borne

(Newser) - Gabriel Attal was named Tuesday as France's youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron's office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government...

Chappelle Rips on Trans, Disabled People in New Netflix Show

Comedian says he's done with trans jokes in new Netflix special, then pokes fun of them again

(Newser) - Dave Chappelle's most recent controversy involved comments he made regarding the Israel-Hamas war, but he's now returning to a source of previous backlash. The 50-year-old comedian had taken heat in the past for remarks about the transgender community in his Netflix special The Closer, but that didn't...

Governor Vetoes Trans Ban: It's 'About Protecting Human Life'

GOP's Mike DeWine of Ohio bucks own party, nixes ban on gender-affirming care, sports play

(Newser) - Republican Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a measure Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes' participation in girls and women's sports, in a break from members of his party who championed the legislation. GOP lawmakers hold enough seats to override DeWine's veto, but if...

Cop Enters Classroom to Search for LGBTQ+ Book

Massachusetts police, school have both since apologized

(Newser) - Earlier this month, a Massachusetts police officer entered a middle school classroom to search for a book about LGBTQ+ issues—an incident for which both the department and the school are now apologizing. A parent called the Great Barrington Police Department to report that they were concerned about an illustration...

Pope: Priests Can Bless Same-Sex Couples

Those seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to 'exhaustive moral analysis' to get it

(Newser) - If same-sex couples go to their priest looking for a blessing, Pope Francis is cool with it. This news comes via a new document approving a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to "an exhaustive moral...

Police Raid Moscow Gay Bars After Anti-LGBTQ+ Ruling

Supreme Court decision effectively outlaws movement

(Newser) - Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow on Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country's top court banned what it called the "global LGBTQ+ movement" as an extremist organization. Police searched venues across the capital, including a nightclub, a male sauna, and a...

Museum: Roman Emperor Was Transgender

Texts suggest Elagabalus identified as a woman, though historians argue they aren't creditable

(Newser) - A museum in the UK has made the decision to refer to an ancient Roman emperor as "she" and "her," saying evidence shows Elagabalus, who reigned for four years from AD 218-222, was a transgender woman. The council-run North Hertfordshire Museum in Hitchin, which has a silver...

Barry Manilow: State Farm Jingle Was 'My Greatest Hit'

Singer also talks about how his partner 'saved my life'

(Newser) - When Barry Manilow publicly came out as gay in 2017, he described the reaction from the public as "beautiful." But there would've been a very different reaction had he come out much earlier. "Back in the '70s it would have killed a career," according...

Pink Has a Feisty Response to Florida Book Bans

Singer will give out thousands of banned or restricted books at Miami, Sunrise concerts this week

(Newser) - Groups and individuals have said they're boycotting visits to Florida and refusing to hold events in the Sunshine State due to Gov. Ron DeSantis' new laws on gender-affirming care, abortion, gun ownership, and teaching race- and LGBTQ+-themed subjects in school, among others. Pink is taking a different tack: The...

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