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ELECTIONS 2023: Incumbent 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden talks accomplishments, second term goals
ELECTIONS 2023: Incumbent 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden discusses accomplishments, second term goals By Carrie Maxwell This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal ...
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THEATER REVIEW Andy Warhol in Iran juggles art, celebrity and geopolitics
Andy Warhol in Iran. Playwright: Brent Askari At: Northlight Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie Tickets: 847-673-6300 or www.Northlight.org; $30-$89. Runs through Feb. 19 The prolific 20th century gay ...
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ELECTIONS 2023: 49th Ward challenger Belia Rodriguez on why running, differences from incumbent
This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal elections taking place Feb. 28. Belia Rodriguez is a lifelong Chicagoan who attended Chicago Public Schools. ...
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ELECTIONS 2023: 48th Ward candidate Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth on why running, biggest differences from other challengers
A lifelong Chicagoan, Leni Manaa-Hoppeworth is running to become the next 48th Ward Alderperson. She is currently a small business owner (Chicago Dance Supply, 5301 N. Clark St., for the past 20 years) in the ward ...
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ELECTIONS 2023 Lamont Robinson talks political switch, guns, LGBTQ+ issues
This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal elections taking place Feb. 28. When it comes to politics, Lamont Robinson has, for several years, ...
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ELECTIONS 2023: Candidate Larry Svabek describes his vision for the 48th Ward
This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal elections taking place Feb. 28. Twenty-nine year old Larry Svabek has been an instructor, lecturer and ...
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ELECTIONS 2023 Jessie Fuentes: 26th Ward candidate talks mental health, LGBTQ+ Chicagoans
This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal elections taking place Feb. 28. The 2023 race to represent Chicago's 26th Ward—which includes parts of ...
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ELECTIONS 2023: Incumbent 35th Ward Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa seeks third term, talks accomplishments
This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal elections taking place Feb. 28. A life-long Chicagoan, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) is running unopposed ...
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ELECTIONS 2023 Raymond Lopez on running for alderman, endorsing Willie Wilson
This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal elections taking place Feb. 28. The last time Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez talked with Windy City ...
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NATIONAL Missing student, Utah bill, Atlanta Pride, crime items, Castro bar
A New York City law student has been missing for weeksand his brother said his last known location was The Q, a gay bar in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, NBC News reported. Jordan Taylor, 29, a ...
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Quigley commends progress in FDA LGBTQI+ blood donation draft guidance
--From a press release
Washington, DC — Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), Vice-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, released the following statement commending long-awaited updates to the FDA's blood donation guidance for LGBTQI+ ...
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Equality Illinois responds to violence, murder of Black and Brown trans people on the south side
--From a press release
Statement by Myles Brady Davis, Director of Communications at Equality Illinois, the state's civil rights organization for LGBTQ+ people, regarding the violences and murders of Black and Brown trans people on the south side of Chicago: ...
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NATIONAL Calif. bills, DeSantis, HIV vaccine, Meta, college items
Buried within the bills California legislators filed after Gov. Gavin Newsom released his budget proposal for the 2023-2024 fiscal year is a line seeking to retrieve $13 million back from the state's Transgender Wellness and Equity ...
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WORLD Dutch vote, landmark ruling, French teen, UK items
Dutch senators voted 56-15 in favor of including an explicit ban on discrimination on the grounds of disability or sexual orientation in the constitution, DutchNews.nl reported. This development clears the way for the constitution to be ...
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Early voting in downtown Chicago to start Thursday, January 26
--From a press release
CHICAGO, IL — Early voting in Downtown Chicago for the February 28, 2023 Municipal Election will start at two vote centers — the Voter Supersite at 191 N. Clark and Board Offices at 69 W. Washington, ...
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NATIONAL Asylum-seekers, equality updates, cannabis, HIV and COVID
Advocacy groups that specifically work with LGBTQI+ asylum-seekers and migrants criticized the Biden administration's expansion of the use of "expedited removal" of Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans who enter the ...
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Illinois General Assembly passes legislation to protect reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare, leaders respond
--From a news release
From Equality Illinois Statement from Equality Illinois Deputy Director Mony Ruiz-Velasco on passage by the Illinois General Assembly of essential legislation to protect patients, providers, and families seeking and providing ...
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NATIONAL Democrats and trans issues, political wins, gay bars, HIV drug
Republicans and Democrats differ widely in their views on gender identity and transgender issuesbut there are notable differences among Democrats, too, especially by race and ethnicity, according to Pew Research. Overall, 60% of U.S. adults say ...
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26th Ward alderman withdraws from race; LGBTQ+ candidate still in it
The Chicago Board of Elections confirmed that 26th Ward Ald. Roberto Maldonado has withdrawn from the race, The Chicago Tribune reported. After 13 years, there will be another person representing the ward—which includes Humboldt Park and ...
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Brave Space Alliance to Illinois General Assembly: Don't back down on trans protections
-- From a press release
CHICAGO, IL - January 4, 2023 - Brave Space Alliance (BSA), the South Side LGBTQ+ Center, has been made aware of active discussions to exclude protections for trans people and gender-affirming care from pending legislation that ...
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NATIONAL Indiana's 'Don't Say Gay,' drag show, Citi, new LGBTQ+ terms
GOP lawmakers in Indiana have said that a proposal to restrict discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools—modeled after Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill—will be drafted in the new year, according to INTO. The ...
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LGBTQ+ police officer remembered as 'wonder woman'
On Dec. 29, the friends and loved ones of LGBTQ+ Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic gathered at the Comfort Inn in Bourbonnais to mark the one-year anniversary of her passing, ABC 7 Chicago reported. The hotel ...
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Gay GOP congressman admits to lying about background
Long Island Rep.-elect George Santos—a newly elected gay GOP U.S. congressman who defeated an openly gay Democrat in November—told The New York Post that he lied on the campaign trail about his education and work experience, the publication ...
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2022: Gains made against a backdrop of attacks
There was no shortage of dramatic and consequential events to consider as the top stories for the LGBTQ+ community in 2022, and most of those events threaten to spill over into 2023: the Supreme Court's interest ...
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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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Activists gather outside Pritzker's home, call for lesbian prisoner Bernina Mata's release
Free Bernina Team and Love and Protect members, among other groups and individuals, gathered outside of Gov. J.B. Prizker's Chicago home Dec. 19 to call for the release and commutation of 52-year old Latinx lesbian prisoner ...
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NATIONAL Testifying in D.C., Brittney Griner, marriage law, school policies
WARNING: This week's news contains graphic content. Survivors of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs that killed five people and injured approximately 20 others joined GLAAD and other advocates in providing testimony before the House ...
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Outgoing state Rep. Greg Harris feted at Baton retirement party
In recognition of his 16-year career in the Illinois House of Representatives, many efforts in public service, not to mention staunch support of the LGBTQ community, state Rep. Greg Harris, who is also the house majority ...
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Cook County's Kevin Morrison attends signing of Respect for Marriage Act at the White House
-- From a press release
Washington D.C. — December 13thth 2022 — Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison attended the signing of the historic Respect for Marriage Act recently passed by both chambers of congress. The bill guarantees the federal rights ...
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With President Biden's signature, Respect for Marriage Act is law
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — celebrated today as President Biden signed the Respect ...
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Trans activist Precious Brady-Davis endorses Mayor Lightfoot's reelection campaign
-- From a press release
Chicago, IL — This week, transgender activist Precious Brady-Davis endorsed Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot's reelection campaign. Brady-Davis is a celebrated author and activist who published the memoir I Have Always ...
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NATIONAL 'Queer to Stay,' gay pol dies, drag-show attacks, 'Don't Say Gay' lawmaker
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Showtime announced the 25 recipients of "Queer to Stay: An LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative" to support and uplift small businesses that focus on LGBTQ+ people of color, women and the trans+ community ...
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Johnson among HRC Chicago's Nov. 12 honorees
E. Patrick Johnson, dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University, was recognized by HRC Chicago at its 2022 gathering Nov. 12 at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park ...
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GLAAD post-election poll shows surge of LGBTQ+ voters in midterm elections
-- From a press release
(New York, NY, TBD) GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is releasing the findings of its 2022 post midterm election poll of ...
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Attorney General Raoul joins coalition to protect access to gender-affirming care
From a press release
CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today stood up for transgender rights, joining a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting efforts to promote equal access to healthcare in West Virginia ...
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Groups and leaders celebrate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act
-- From press releases
U.S. Representative Mike Quigley: Washington, D.C.— Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), Vice-Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, released the following statement celebrating the passage of ...
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Congress passes Respect for Marriage Act, sends to President Biden for signature
-- From a press release. Video below
(New York, NY - December 8, 2022) — GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act in the U.S. ...
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Brittney Griner released, national groups respond
-- From press releases
GLAAD: GLAAD the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to news that Brittney Griner has been released from prison in Russia. President Biden tweeted with photos of an elated President Biden, Vice President Harris ...
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Greg Harris: Outgoing state rep and majority leader discusses historic terms
In November 2021, Illinois House Democratic Majority Leader Greg Harris announced that he would not run for another term—bringing an end to a historic era. Harris was first elected in 2006, succeeding former Rep. Larry McKeon, ...
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Warnock's win marks major victory for LGBTQ+ equality
-- From a press release
GEORGIA Georgians re-elected U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock to a full six-year term this evening, repudiating months of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and millions of dollars in anti-LGBTQ+ advertising from his opponent, Herschel Walker, that sought to attack ...
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Mpox Working Group sends letter to Congress calling for $900 million in funding
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, in partnership with 39 other leading public health, HIV/AIDS, medical ...
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NATIONAL Trans officials, marriage equality, Karl Schmid, Pelosi, Buttigieg
Video below
Once all of the newly elected officials are seated, there will be nine transgender state legislators (up from eight this year) and nine non-binary state legislators across the country, NBC News noted, citing The Victory Institute. ...
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Bulls, Blackhawks lose; Lightfoot-Fire FC link
The Chicago Bulls (9-12) fell to the Phoenix Suns (15-6) 132-113 in Arizona on Nov. 30, dropping the Bulls to 12th in the Eastern Conference. Phoenix now leads the Western Conference. Devin Booker scored 51 for ...
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Landmark step toward equality: Senate passes bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act
-- From press releases
WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — today celebrated the bipartisan passage of the Respect ...
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Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth submits 2000+ petition signatures to run for seat vacated by Harry Osterman
-- From a press release
CHICAGO, IL Early this morning, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, candidate for 48th ward, submitted 2166 petition signatures — over four times as many as the 473 minimum required — in order to get on the ballot for ...
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Transgender Day of Resilience: Town Hall panelists tackle allyship, discrimination and immigration
Brave Space Alliance (BSA), Life Is Work (LIW) and Chicago Therapy Collective (CTC) hosted three free events across the city that they namedTDOR Weekend: A New Era, Together to celebrate ...
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Gay candidates Lopez, Lawson file papers for 2023 aldermanic race
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward), an openly gay City Council member who has been an ardent foe of Mayor Lightfoot, announced Nov. 21 that he was dropping his bid for Lightfoot's mayoral seat, and would instead ...
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Kris Mayes shatters lavender ceiling; first LGBTQ person elected Arizona Attorney General
-- From a press release
Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Kris Mayes won the election for Arizona Attorney General. With this historic win, she is now the first out LGBTQ Attorney General in Arizona history. Mayor Annise Parker, ...
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Equality Illinois on the Club Q shooting
-- From a press release
Statement from Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state's LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, on the Club Q shooting: On a day already marked by sadness, the LGBTQ+ community woke up to the tragic news ...
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NATIONAL Respect for Marriage Act, lesbian judge, gay official resigns
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said that debate on the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) is suspended and will continue on Nov. 28, when the Senate reconvenes after Thanksgiving, LGBTQ Nation reported. The RFMA ...
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WORLD Brazilian musician, top LGBTQ+ cruises, Elon Musk, anti-trans attack
Brazilian musician Pedro Sampaio revealed that he dates men and women, Out noted. Sampaio has 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, more than 5 million followers on Instagram and several music videos with more than 50 ...
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VIEWPOINT The geopolitics of being Brittney Griner
WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. On Feb. 17, the Russian Federal Customs Service detained Griner at Sheremetyevo International Airport for allegedly transporting cannabis-derived ...
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Reports: Senate to vote on marriage equality law Nov. 16
The U.S. Senate will vote on a measure enshrining marriage equality into law Wednesday, according to reports. Supporters of the measure, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, which aims to protect against an eventual repeal ...
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NATIONAL Political results, communicable-disease law, Urvashi Vaid
Sharice Davids won the election for Kansas' 3rd Congressional District. In 2018, she made history when she became the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from Kansas and one of the first two Native American women ever ...
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REPORTS: Tunney will not run to be Chicago mayor
Outgoing Ald. Tom Tunney (44th ward) will not be among the challengers to incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the upcoming city election, according to multiple reports. Tunney's decision was first reported Nov. 10 in Chicago Tribune. ...
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Erick Russell shatters lavender ceiling; first Black LGBTQ person elected to statewide position in U.S. history
-- From a press release
Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Erick Russell won the election for Connecticut state Treasurer. With this victory, he is now the first Black out LGBTQ person ever elected to statewide office in U.S. ...
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HISTORY MADE: Oregon's Tina Kotek one of first lesbian governors in U.S history
-- From a press release
SALEM — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, hailed the victory of HRC-endorsed Tina Kotek in her bid to become the governo ...
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History made: More LGBTQ+ people elected to congress than ever before
-- From an HRC press release
Washington, DC — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — hailed the victory of at least ...
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Eric Sorensen wins Illinois' 17th Congressional District general election
-- From a press release
MOLINE, IL — Tonight, Eric Sorensen declared victory in Illinois' 17th Congressional District General Election and issued the following statement: "From day one, we said this campaign was about electing a Representative who was known and ...
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Wednesday morning election results: LGBT+ governor, congressional candidates
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a popular Democrat in a deeply blue state, coasted to victory Tuesday as predicted, becoming the first lesbian to be elected governor of any state. Another lesbian candidate for governor, Tina ...
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ELECTIONS 2022 Illinois Supreme Court results (Updated)
The Illinois Supreme Court has been in Democratic control since 1969 and seems likely to remain that way for the next ten years. Democratic candidate and 19th Circuit Court Associate Judge Elizabeth Rochford defeated Republican candidate ...
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ELECTIONS 2022 U.S. Senate and House races in Illinois results (Updated)
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D), as was widely expected by political commentators, defeated challengers Kathy Salvi (R) and Bill Redpath (I) with 57 percent of the vote. In the House, three members from Illinois are ...
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Election 2022: Guide to the LGBTQ+ candidates' results
This year's general election featured many openly LGBTQ+ candidates on ballots throughout Illinois. Here are results known as of publication the evening of Nov. 8. Windy City Times will update this list as more information becomes ...
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Pritzker projected to defeat Bailey, win second term as governor
Incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker was projected to quickly and handily win a second term in the governor's mansion the evening of Nov. 8, defeating state Sen. Darren Bailey in a contentious race that had seemed to ...
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Maura Healey shatters lavender ceiling in Massachusetts; no U.S. state had elected a lesbian governor
-- From a press release
Washington, DC — Tonight LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Maura Healey won the Massachusetts gubernatorial race — becoming the first out LGBTQ governor of Massachusetts and one of the first out lesbian governors in U.S. history. Tina ...
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WORLD Gay governor, Tokyo partnership policy, Daniel Radcliffe, Korean first
On Oct. 30, the first openly gay governor of Brazil was re-elected in a runoff election, The Washington Blade noted. Rio Grande do Sul Gov. Eduardo Leite, a member of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party, ...
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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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Officials visit Brittney Griner for first time in months
Officials from the U.S. embassy in Moscow met with Brittney Griner on Nov. 3, according to Reuters. It was the first visit in months for the out lesbian WNBA star who is jailed in Russia and could soon be transferred to ...
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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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HRC Chicago to bestow annual Community Visibility Award, spotlight local partners
-- From a press release
CHICAGO, IL, November 3, 2022 — E. Patrick Johnson, Dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor of Performance Studies and African American Studies at Northwestern University is to be recognized for distinguished service ...
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2023 ELECTIONS Sarandon, Epps back Green; Johnson enters mayoral race
Chicago mayoral candidate Ja'Mal Green has received the endorsement of two high-profile celebrities in his run, according to a campaign press release. Actress Susan Sarandon and actor/comedian Mike Epps both offered their full support to energize ...
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Brazil's far-right president Bolsonaro defeated in election
Brazil's former leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has completed an astonishing political comeback, beating the far-right, staunchly anti-LGBTQ+ incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in one of the most significant elections ...
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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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N.Y. governor signs bill that helps LGBTQ+ seniors
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law making New York the latest state to expand the accessibility of services to LGBTQ+ people ages 60 and oldera demographic that is disproportionately affected by poverty ...
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Nancy Pelosi's husband violently attacked at home [UPDATE]
Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked at the couple's home in San Francisco early on Oct. 28. Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, said the assailant is in custody ...
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