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GLSEN holds Respect Awards in New York
On May 16, the pro-LGBTQ+ education organization GLSEN held its New York Respect Awards in Gotham Hall. At its first in-person Respect Awards in three years, the organization introduced new Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers in their ...
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Florida schools censoring students even before Don't Say Gay law goes into effect
-- From a press release
TALLAHASSEE, FL — As the school year ends, students across Florida are experiencing the inevitable censorship of Florida's anti-LGBTQ Don't Say Gay law recently signed by Governor DeSantis. The law's harmful impacts are not limited to ...
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LGBTQs 4X more likely than non-LGBTQs to choose a college away from home
-- From a press release
A new study from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law conducted in collaboration with the Point Foundation, the nation's largest LGBTQ scholarship fund, finds LGBTQ people were four times more likely than non-LGBTQ people ...
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Queer college salutatorian plans to help community through food
Back in March, Jose Cueva got an unexpected phone call from the president of Kennedy-King College: Cueva's perfect 4.0 GPA meant he would be graduating as salutatorian. "I was in shock; I wasn't expecting that," Cueva ...
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Florida legislature passes anti-Disney bills in wake of 'Don't Say Gay' fight
On April 21, the Florida legislature passed a pair of bills aimed at Disney—weeks into the company's feud with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over its objections to a new law (the "Don't Say Gay" statute) that ...
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Kane County high school 'promposal' criticized as racist
A recent promposal involving students at Kane County's Central High School has been criticized as racist, ABC 7 Chicago reported. A photo of the promposal that's being shared on social media shows two teens holding a ...
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Columbia College to confer honorary degrees on journalist, Center CEO
At its upcoming 2022 commencement exercises, Columbia College Chicago will confer honorary degrees on journalist/alumnus Danny Fenster and Center on Halsted CEO Modesto "Tico" Valle. The honorary degree recipients will ...
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CircEsteem's youth-led 'Spring Circus' on May 7, 14 and 21
CircEsteem's Spring Circus is back in-person for the first time since 2019. The CircEsteem Spring Circus will take place on May 7, 14 and 21 at CircEsteem, 4730 N. Sheridan Rd., at 2 and 6 p.m. ...
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HRC Foundation launches inaugural 'LGBTQ+ School Inclusion Efforts' report
-- From a press release. Video below
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization released the 2021 Annual Report from ...
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Youth Outlook's Joliet/Lockport drop-in center to open April 19
Youth Outlook—which offers safe, supportive and affirming services for LGBTQ+ youth, their families, and the community—announced that its newest drop-in center, for those in Joliet/Lockport, will open Tuesday, April 19. ...
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Ohio unveils more severe 'Don't Say Gay' measure
In Ohio, two Republican state lawmakers introduced a bill that closely resembles Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" law. House Bill 616 would ban the teaching or providing of "any curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation ...
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Race Forward launches H.E.A.L. Together, event talks anti-CRT, book bans, silencing of LGBTQIA movements
-- From a press release
NEW YORK — Before an audience of over 850 attendees, Race Forward and partners kicked off their much-anticipated H.E.A.L. (Honest Education Action & Leadership) Together initiative. The campaign promotes equitable ...
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Out gay NU dean to receive Frederick Douglass Medal
University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf will present the Frederick Douglass Medal during a ceremony on Thursday, March 31, to E. Patrick Johnson, dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University and the Annenberg University ...
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Arizona Gov. Ducey signs anti-trans bills; pro-LGBTQ+ groups vow to file suit
On March 30, Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a series of bills targeting abortion and transgender rights, joining a growing list of GOP-led states pursuing a conservative social agenda, NBC News reported. The measures will ...
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DeSantis signs Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill
On March 28, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis banned public-school teachers in from holding classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity after signing the controversial "Parental Rights in Education" ...
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Louisiana files own 'Don't Say Gay' bill
Louisiana became the latest state to file a Florida-style "Don't Say Gay" bill when state Rep. Dodie Horton (R-Haughton) introduced new legislation March 17 on the house floor, according to WWNO.org. The bill, HB 837, would ...
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Barrington LGBTQ+ students allegedly targeted by pellet-gun shootings
Two Barrington High School students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community were allegedly targeted in a pellet-gun shooting on campus this week, The Chicago Tribune reported. Officials said the incident is likely related to the ...
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Groups ask appeals court for new order blocking investigations of trans Texas youth
On March 17, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Texas asked the Texas Third Court of Appeals for an emergency order to ensure that the statewide temporary injunction granted March 11 remains in effect ...
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Celebrities voice support for LGBTQ+ students at religious schools
-- From a press release
Alan Cumming, Dominique Jackson, Michael Urie, and Margaret Cho are among the celebrities shining a light on how taxpayer dollars are being used to fund LGBTQ+ discrimination at faith-based schools and colleges. In a new PSA, ...
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VIEWS Queer kids are under attack and we must speak out
LGBTQ+ kids are under attack. Last week, legislation was passed in Florida that restricts elementary school teachers from addressing gender and sexuality in the classroom. But cisgender and heterosexual identities ...
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U.S. Rep Quigley's projects in support of LGBTQ equality, health care, public safety become law, get funding
-- From a press release
Chicago, Ill. Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Committee on Appropriations and Chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, announced that the House and Senate included all ten ...
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Congressman Davis praises HHS' LGBTQ+ foster-care guidance
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-Massachusetts) and Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-Illinois) recently released a statement applauding new Department of Health and ...
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CPS to drop mask mandate March 14; no state COVID deaths for March 6-7
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced masks will be optional for staff and students at schools and on school buses beginning Monday, March 14—setting up another showdown with the Chicago Teachers ...
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Gov. Pritzker issues updated COVID-19 executive order regarding schools
-- From a press release
CHICAGO — With Illinois continuing to see vast improvement in recent weeks of COVID-19 hospitalizations and transmission, Gov. JB Pritzker released an updated executive order lifting the school exclusion requirements ...
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Florida students stage walkouts in response to 'Don't Say Gay' bill
Across Florida, students staged school walkouts in response to legislation—nicknamed the "Don't Say Gay" bill—that would prohibit discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in the state's primary schools, NBC News ...
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PHIMC grants $50K to support Illinois Safe Schools Alliance program
-- From a press release
CHICAGO, IL - Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC) announced it is one of the 2022 recipients of the Hollister Confidence Fund grant program, a 501(c)(3) charity that supports ...
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ACLU, Lambda Legal sue to block Texas from investigating parents who support trans kids
-- From a press release
AUSTIN, Texas The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, and Lambda Legal today asked a Texas state court to block the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) from investigating parents who work ...
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Report claims gay men excel academically but lesbians don't
A paper published in the American Sociological Review on Feb. 20 concludes that gay men excel academically as opposed to their straight counterparts, NBC News noted. Joel Mittleman—a University of Notre Dame sociologist and the paper's ...
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National AIDS Memorial honors Pedro Zamora's 50th birthday, naming 11 scholars
-- From a press release
SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 28, 2022) — The National AIDS Memorial is honoring the legacy of AIDS educator and activist Pedro Zamora on what would have been his 50th birthday by formally announcing the latest recipients of ...
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MAP reports on efforts to ban medical care for trans youth
In 2021 alone, legislatures in 22 states have introduced bills to ban best practice medical care for transgender young people. Movement Advancement Project's (MAP's) report, Efforts to Ban Health Care for Transgender Youth, provides an ove ...
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Indiana anti-trans youth bill advances
On Feb. 22, the Indiana Senate refused to amend a Republican-backed bill that would prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity, putting it on the fast track to ...
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UPDATE: 'Don't Say Gay' amendment pulled; overall bill still on track, though
A new amendment to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill would require schools to inform parents of their children's sexual orientation within six weeks of learning the student isn't straight, according to an item from The Hill ...
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National Puerto Rican Day Parade launches 2022 scholarship program
-- From a press release
New York City, February 15, 2022, - The National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) is now accepting applications for its 2022 National Scholarship Program. For the sixth consecutive year, the NPRDP will award 100 scholarships valued ...
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Israel, New Zealand ban conversion therapy
Two more countries have banned the widely discredited practice known as conversion therapy. In Israel, the health ministry issued a circular Feb. 14 banning medical professionals from practicing it, The Jerusalem Post reported. The circular stresses ...
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Biden criticizes Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill
On Feb. 8, President Joe Biden offered support to LGBTQ students while speaking out against a Florida bill that would ban the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state's public schools, Business Insider ...
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DePaul University allows students to self-identify gender in school records
DePaul University recently implemented the option for students to self-select their gender identity on the school's online portal. ...
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Chicago Public Schools to reopen Jan. 12
Following a deadlock that spanned four school days, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) approved a proposal for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to resume in-person classes Wed., Jan. 12, The Chicago Tribune reported. The delegates also voted ...
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LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Youth Led Study on Youth and Young Adult COVID-19 Vaccination Finds Surprising Results
—From a news release
BOULDER, CO - Out Boulder County in partnership with El Centro AMISTAD and Unwoven Ventures with the leadership of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth created ...
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Lightfoot, CTU still stuck in stalemate; classes canceled Jan. 10 [UPDATE]
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are still stuck in a stalemate over remote versus in-person learning, with classes canceled again for Jan. 10. ...
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Laws targeting TGNC youth already proposed in several states
In the first week of 2022, officials in at least seven states have already proposed laws that would limit the rights of transgender and non-binary youth, The Hill reported. Legislators in Arizona, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, ...
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CPS canceling classes Jan. 5-7 after union votes to go virtual [UPDATE]
Classes have been canceled Jan. 5-7 in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) after the teachers union voted to refuse to appear for in-person work, The Chicago Tribune reported. Mayor Lori Lightfoot criticized the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) for ...
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Monks separate from school after it hires coach in same-sex marriage
The group of Benedictine monks governing Lisle's Benet Academy announced it will cut ties with the school after the hiring of a lacrosse coach who is in a same-sex marriage, according to Naperville News 17. Benet ...
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Pritzker signs bill repealing Parental Notification Act
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed House Bill 370, which repeals the Parental Notification Act (PNA). According to a press release from his office, "Rescinding the PNA ensures that while a pregnant minor can choose to ...
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CPS schools' restrooms now gender-inclusive
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has directed school leaders to post signs the district said "makes it clear that our restrooms are open for use to anyone who feels comfortable in that space," The Chicago Tribune reported. ...
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NBJC, for 18th anniversary, gives micro-grants to Black LGBTQ+/SGL Youth-serving groups
--From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC In celebration of the 18th anniversary since its founding, the National Black Justice Coalition will provide tens of thousands of microgrants to youth-serving organizations supporting Black LGBTQ+ ...
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LGBTQ+ youth advocates call for action after increased bullying reports
Officials from LGBTQ+-advocacy organizations Equality Illinois, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, Rainbow Cafe and Youth Outlook announced a sharp increase in the number of bullying incidents directed against LGBTQ+ students across ...
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Honoring Emmett Till's mother's 100th birthday, Medill launches institute
--From a Northwestern University press release
EVANSTON, Ill. —- November 23 marks the 100th birthday of Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicago boy who was brutally lynched in the Mississippi Delta in 1955. Her decision to "let the ...
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Missouri district returning LGBTQ+ books to high school libraries
In Missouri, the North Kansas City School district said it would return two books exploring LGBTQ+ themes to its high school libraries following public outcry, The Hill noted. The district announced its plans to reshelve All ...
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CPS staffers fired in wake of Marine Leadership Academy scandal
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) officials announced that 12 employees at Marine Leadership Academy and a school volunteer either committed or covered up sexual misconduct that dates back five years, The Chicago Tribune reported. Ten adults have ...
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Chicago Public Schools principal fosters social justice, safe space for LGBTQ+ students
When Jas Thurmond became principal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy of Social Justice in 2016, the K-8 school had only recently been renamed. That was an important change, Thurmond said, but as she stepped ...
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"Safe Schools For All" to help students take action against bullying
--From a press release
WASHINGTON As schools and school districts across the country face hostile protests of LGBTQI+ inclusive education, students who are experiencing discrimination, bullying and harassment based on their sexual orientation ...
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Downers Grove parents complain about LGBTQ books
Continuing a battle that's been taking place in several other states, parents in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove say they want publications they call "pornography" removed from the high schools' libraries, according to WGN-TV. At ...
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Northwestern University researchers present data on COVID-19 impacts on minoritized youth
Two Northwestern University-affiliated researchers presented a webinar Nov.9 about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth in minoritized communities in the United States, among them youths in the LGBTQ+ community. The webinar was part of ...
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New posters advise Native American caregivers on raising LGBTQ-2S children
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni
On Oct. 27, the Family Acceptance Project (FAP) at San Francisco State University further expanded its ongoing "Healthy Futures" poster series by launching three new behavioral guides for indigenous parents ...
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Chicagoans to sleep outside Nov. 18 to support homeless youth
--From a press release
On Thursday, Nov. 18, people from across Chicago and around the region will be spending the night away from the comfort of their homes, to raise awareness about and funds for young people overcoming homelessness. This ...
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Bisexual youth tell their identity stories in new book
While Zoomer (Gen Z) and millennial young adults are increasingly rejecting traditional sexual labels, Ritch C. Savin-Williams explores the topic of bisexuality in his newest book BI: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid ...
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NATIONAL Intersex snapshot, teacher fired, 'Living Rainbow,' Task Force
In honor of Intersex Awareness Day (Oct. 26), the National Institutes of Health's Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) released the DSD & Intersex Research Portfolio Snapshot of the NIH FY 2019 SGM Portfolio Analysis, ...
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Howard Brown Health unveils new Broadway Youth Center
--From a press release
Howard Brown Health recently unveiled the new permanent home for Broadway Youth Center, its program for LGBTQ people ages 12-24 and young people experiencing homelessness. Located at 1023 W. Irving Park Road, the new space has ...
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Campus Pride releases list of worst anti-LGBTQ schools
Campus Pride officially released its 2021 Worst List, naming 180 campuses across the country as "the absolute worst, most unsafe campuses for LGBTQ youth." The colleges and universities included in this year's list have either received ...
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Illinois high schoolers distribute anti-LGBTQ+ survey
At Anna-Jonesboro Community High School in Anna, Illinois, a student group calling itself the "Anti-Queer Association" distributed a survey asking others if they think "queers" should be allowed to use the school restroom with "normal people," ...
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On Spirit Day, celebrities and others reach LGBTQ+ youth around the world
--From a press release. Video below
New York, NY, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 - Yesterday, GLAAD celebrated Spirit Day, when participants around the world wear purple or go purple online in a united stand against bullying and show of support for LGBTQ ...
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Northwestern Univ. names first woman president
Rebecca M. Blank, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been named the next president of Northwestern University, the school announced. Blank—the university's first woman president in the school's 170-year ...
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HRC marks National Coming Out Day with new resource for youth
On Oct. 11, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is commemorating the 33rd annual National Coming Out Day (NCOD) by announcing the release of a new resource, "Online Communities and LGBTQ+ Youth." "National Coming Out Day exists ...
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NATIONAL Victory Institute, LGBTQ books, youth items, NASA, LGBTQ Nation
LGBTQ Victory Institute and nine additional candidate-training organizations announced a partnership with Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, to provide a native-to-mobile tool to encourage young people to run for office, a press release noted. ...
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Texans protest anti-trans youth measures at capitol in Austin
GLAAD and Equality Texas issued a release highlighting a week of protest at the Texas state capitol in Austin—where measures targeting transgender children are being considered during the legislature's third special session of the year. Three ...
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Crystal Lake's Raue Center for the Arts opens new school
On its 20th anniversary, the Crystal Lake, Illinois-based nonprofit organization Raue Center for the Arts has launched a new school. Raue Center School for the Arts (RCSA) will provide youth and adult classes in a wide ...
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Indiana students sue over gay-straight club's alleged treatment
In Pendleton, Indiana, a group of Pendleton Heights High School students has filed a lawsuit against the school and South Madison Community School Corporation over allegations that the school has been treating its Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) ...
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OPALGA+ Scholarship Gala taking place Oct. 23
The 2021 OPALGA+ (Oak Park Area Lesbian & Gay Association+) Scholarship Gala will take place Saturday, Oct. 23, at Nineteenth Century Club, 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park. Cocktails will begin at 6 p.m., with the program/dinner ...
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[UPDATE] Lisle school offers job to lacrosse coach in same-sex marriage
The administration at Lisle’s Benet Academy, a west suburban Catholic school, has reversed course and offered a job to a woman in a same-sex marriage after initially rescinding the offer, The Chicago Tribune reported. ...
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Equality Illinois 'deeply troubled' by investigation into pro-LGBTQ teacher
Equality Illinois issued a press release stating it is "deeply troubled" after a DuPage County teacher is being investigated for posts about LGBTQ history and racial justice. The videos, which were reposted to Twitter in early ...
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Students urged to apply for Musical Theatre Awards
Broadway in Chicago is inviting high schools across Illinois to participate in the 11th Annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in high school theater throughout the state. Beginning Thursday, Sept. 16, ...
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Virginia school district settles with Gavin Grimm
A Virginia school district that discriminated against a transgender individual by making him go to the bathroom in a converted supply closet will have to pay $1.3 million in attorney's fees and other costs accrued over ...
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Report features eight Illinois child-welfare agencies working with HRC Foundation
--From a press release
WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a new report ...
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Campus Pride names one Illinois school to 'Best of the Best' list
Campus Pride chose 30 schools this year for the 2021 Best of the Best LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges & Universities List. This list is based on the campuses overall ratings on the Campus Pride Index and specific LGBTQ-inclusive ...
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Indiana school district wrestles with Pride flag issue
A Pride flag hanging in a middle-school classroom has caused an issue that could give rise to a new policy in Indiana's Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District, WANE.com reported. District Superintendent Dr. Brad Yates wrote in a ...
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