New York City – The board of directors of the GLSEN, the national nonprofit organization working to make sure K-12 education is safe and affirming for all students including LGBTQ youth, announced January 26 that Melanie Willingham-Jaggers has been named the new executive director for the organization, the first black and nonbinary person to hold the position. Willingham-Jaggers said their vision for the next chapter of GLSEN’s work is “rooted in the belief that education can and should be an experience that is safe, affirming and liberating — and that we can achieve that goal only when we build in […]
France bans conversion therapy with jail, fines as penalties
Paris, France – The French National Assembly banned conversion therapy on January 25. The new law not only forbids the practice but establishes criminal and civil penalties for so-called therapists who claim to “cure” homosexuality or gender nonconformity. Conversion therapists are now liable to prison terms of up to two years and fines of 30,000 euros ($34,000). The punishment can increase to three years imprisonment and fines of 45,000 euros ($50,000) for cases involving minors or other particularly vulnerable people. The law also allows victims of conversion therapy to file civil suits seeking monetary damages, and authorizes activists to file […]
GOP official believes school has litter boxes for Furries
Midland, MI – Bil Browning reports in LGBTQ Nation that a Michigan school superintendent has been forced to send a message to parents that debunks the rumor that a high school had installed litter boxes to accommodate “furry” students. The rumor was started by an anti-LGBTQ parent upset over federal regulations that allow transgender students to use the restroom in school that matches their gender identity. She insisted that students who identify as cats can use litter boxes in one school’s unisex restroom. The ridiculous rumor was widely mocked until it was picked up and amplified by local Republicans online. […]
Gay Trump loyalist gets house arrest for role on 1/6/21
Washington, D.C. – Brandon Straka, the 44-year-old New York-based hairstylist and Trump loyalist who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge for his role in the January 6 Capitol Insurrection, was sentenced on January 24. Federal Judge Dabny Friedrich, a Trump appointee, gave Straka no jail time but sentenced him to three months of house arrest, 36 months of probation, $5,500 in fines, and community service. According to court documents, FBI officials identified Straka from a since-deleted video he posted to his own social media page in which he could be heard shouting “Go! Go!” to the other insurrectionists […]
Out fashion icon and Vogue editor Andre Talley has died
New York City – Molly Sprayregen reports for LGBTQ Nation that André Leon Talley, an icon of fashion journalism, has died at the age of 73. Best known for his roles at Vogue as creative director and editor-at-large, which spanned from the 1980s to 2013, he has long been considered one of the fashion industry’s most prominent figures. Talley’s incredible career led him to work with everyone from Andy Warhol to Oscar de la Renta to Michelle Obama. Beyond his work at Vogue, he was the Paris bureau chief of Women’s Wear Daily, a judge on America’s Next Top model, […]
Photo Exhibit of New York’s piers notorious cruising spot
New York, NY – David Hudson writes for Queerty about a photo exhibit documenting the notorious westside piers in lower Manhattan at the end of Christopher Street. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, the riverside western edge of Manhattan was far less developed than today. Infamously, many gay men went to the abandoned piers near Christopher Street looking for sex, or as a place to hang out and sunbathe during the summer months. Fences around the piers kept most people out. However, the flimsy barricades were pretty easy to transverse if one wanted to do so. Before the […]
Survey finds depression higher in LGBTQ youth in the South
Charlotte, NC – LGBTQ youth in the south are disproportionally underserved. Many don’t have access to spaces that affirm their identity. According to a recent analysis by The Trevor Project, unsupportive environments are linked to an increased likelihood of depression and even suicide. The same survey found 69 percent of those same young adults had fair or poor mental health and that LGBTQ youth in the south had a nine percent greater possibility of a past-year suicide attempt when compared to other regions of the United States. The Trevor Project found that overall, nearly half of LGBTQ youth in the […]
Years & Years Alexander to be sexier after protests
London, England – Josh Milton reports for Pink News that Olly Alexander has vowed to be even sexier after the Years & Years BBC New Year’s Eve concert courted complaints for being “overly sexualized”. The British singer, 31, hosted The Big New Years & Years Eve Party on BBC One with guests Kylie Minogue and the Pet Shop Boys. But apparently, Alexander’s sheer beauty was simply too much for some viewers to handle – 179 of them to be exact. According to Metro, the broadcaster was slapped with complaints from pearl-clutching viewers. “179 people complained I was too sexy,” the […]
HRC urges Red Cross to update blood donation questions
Washington, D.C. – The American Red Cross said the U.S. is in the middle of its greatest blood shortage in more than a decade. On some days, there is less than a one-day supply of blood. The Human Rights Campaign called on the FDA to revise the questionnaire used to screen potential donors that excludes most gay and bisexual men from donating. “We are facing a national blood shortage. This is a crisis that can in part be addressed by modernizing the Food and Drug Administration’s discriminatory policy that bans men who have sex with men from donating blood,” said […]
Florida Gay activist murdered and body found in landfill
Tallahassee, FL – Alex Bollinger reports for LGBTQ Nation that Florida LGBTQ activist Jorge Diaz-Johnston – who was a plaintiff in a historic marriage case – has been found dead at age 54 in a landfill in Jackson County. Diaz-Johnston went missing on January 3 and his body was found face-down in a trash pile on the morning of Saturday, January 8. Tallahassee Police have ruled his death a homicide and said they suspect foul play. Tallahassee Police want anyone with information about the homicide to call 1-850-891-4200. They have not released any details of the ongoing investigation. In July […]