| |
Biden and Harris are inaugurated; Biden signs LGBTQ executive order
Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in Jan. 20 as the next president of the United States, ushering in a much-improved political climate for LGBT people and, many might say, the nation. In one of his first ...
|
| |
| |
Biden, Harris inaugurated, leaders comment
--From press releases. Come back for additional statements
Planned Parenthood Illinois: Statement attributed to Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action: As the eyes of the world turn from the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol two weeks ago to today's inauguration ...
|
|
| |
| |
Super Bowl to have first woman referee
NFL referee Sarah Thomas will be the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 7, in Tampa, Florida, according to Sports Illustrated. The league announced its officiating assignments for Super Bowl LV and ...
|
| |
| |
Groups sue to overturn Dept. of Ed regulation that forces funding of anti-LGBTQ groups
--From a press release
Washington, D.C.—January 19, 2021—Today, the national civil rights organizations American Atheists and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, on behalf of the Secular Student Alliance and a California ...
|
| |
| |
Biden nominates Dr. Rachel Levine, first trans person nominated for Senate-confirmed position
--From press releases
From Victory Institute: Washington, DC — President-elect Joe Biden nominated Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine to be the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health — a historic nomination that makes her the first out trans ...
|
| |
| |
Biden picks transgender assistant health secretary
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health—positioning her to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, a Seattle Times ...
|
| |
| |
Billy Masters
"Honey … when you got talent, you don't need all this shit."—Siegfried Fischbacher (of Siegfried & Roy) to Bette Midler, after she commented on the magical duo's high-tech show. (The story was related to me by ...
|
| |
| |
SHOWBIZ LGBTQ movies, 'Color Purple,' Nick Jonas, gay coach
The film Draw with Me has launched its virtual theatrical release at ArenaScreen through Feb. 9, and was the subject of the first-ever panel at the United Nations on Transgender Health, a release stated. Featuring Jennifer ...
|
| |
| |
NATIONAL Defamation case, inauguration items, PrEP, Capitol riot
A New York appeals court ruled that falsely accusing someone of being gay is no longer considered defamation per se, NBC News reported. Defamation is a false statement that damages someone's reputation. "It meant that it ...
|
| |
| |
1.2 million Black LGBT adults live in the US
--From a press release by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law
A new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that an estimated 1.2 million adults in the U.S. identify as Black and LGBT. Researchers found that Black LGBT people fare worse than ...
|
|
| |
| |
Research on military trans ban shows urgency of Biden acting on pledge
--From a press release by The Palm Center
President-elect Joseph Biden has promised to reverse the military's ban on service by transgender Americans on "day one" of his presidency. Research recently released by the Palm Center explains why lifting the ban is an urgent ...
|
| |
| |
40+ national LGBTQ and movement leaders call for removal of President
--From a GLAAD press release
GLAAD and more than 40 national LGBTQ and movement leaders have signed onto a statement calling for the removal of Pres. Trump from office: "Our nation's security and the personal security of every American is in ...
|
| |
| |
U.S. House votes to impeach Trump again
On Jan. 13, a majority of the U.S. House has voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time. Trump would be the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. This development occurred a week ...
|
| |
| |
Two-Spirit/LGBTQAI Native American Powwow plans a week of virtual events
--From a press release
Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) exists to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural ...
|
| |
| |
GLSEN executive director stepping down
After a dozen years leading the national organization GLSEN—which aims to create a better world for LGBTQ+ students—Executive Director Eliza Byard is stepping down March 1. Deputy Executive Director Melanie ...
|
| |
| |
Report: Here are the highest grossing LGBTQ+ actors on Netflix
--From a Journalistic.org press release
Highest grossing LGBTQ+ actors on Netflix - Kristen Stewart comes in first, with a net worth of 70 million dollars - Bisexual women are the top earning members of the LGBTQ+ community - The TV industry ...
|
| |
| |
'Mombian Database' released
Mombian columnist Dana Rudolph has released the Mombian Database of LGBTQ Family Books, Media, and More, with more than 500 books, music albums, movies, games and toys for and about LGBTQ families. The site offers multiple ...
|
| |
| |
Choucair part of Biden/Harris COVID-19 response team
Dr. Bechara Choucair—the senior vice president and chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente, and onetime commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health—is part of new President Joe Biden and ...
|
| |
| |
Vulnerable communities slow to adopt key strategy to stop HIV's spread
--From a UCLA press release
LOS ANGELES — Taking a daily pill to prevent HIV transmission is one of the most effective biomedical strategies available to combat the virus' spread, yet use of this health regimen remains low among vulnerable communities ...
|
| |
| |
SHOWBIZ Laverne Cox, lesbian coach, Jim Parsons, 'Brokeback,' theater items
Laverne Cox is teaming with Meryl Streep and Rashida Jones to executive-produce a new documentary exploring one of the most critical issues at the intersection of race, feminism, and power: the sex industry, out.com noted. Sell/Buy/Date ...
|
|
| |
| |
NATIONAL Anti-bias rule nixed, trans deaths, lesbian archivist dies
Under the cover of chaos the day after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the Trump administration officially nixed regulations barring federal grantees in the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) from discriminating against LGBTQ ...
|
| |
| |
WORLD Greece appointee, India trans items, top LGBTQ issues
The center-right government of Greece announced the country's first out minister, out.com reported. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed Nicholas Yatromanolakis as the new deputy minister of culture. The 44-year-old native ...
|
| |
| |
Billy Masters
"Harry Styles is looking REALLY good. I'm into the fishnets. And we have very similar tastes. I think sharing a closet, sharing a life together, it just makes sense."—Miley Cyrus. I'd rather see Harry with Miley's ...
|
| |
| |
Calif. court blocks Trump administration's asylum rule
In response to a request from Immigration Equality, Lambda Legal, and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order on Jan. 8 blocking, in its ...
|
| |
| |
African American Arts Alliance, Black Ensemble to present MLK event Jan. 18
The African American Arts Alliance of Chicago and Black Ensemble Theater will present the 10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. The online event will be free. This ...
|
| |
| |
Trump to skip Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration
Outgoing President Donald Trump conveyed on social media that he will not be attending new President Joe Biden's inauguration. "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January ...
|
| |
| |
OP-ED: New Year's Eve circuit parties go on despite COVID-19 travel concerns
This past New Year's Eve, thousands of gay men flocked to Mexico to attend a New Year's eve "White Party" hosted by long time party promoter Jeffrey Sanker—the host of the annual white party in Palm ...
|
| |
| |
National LGBTQ organizations call for Trump's removal from office
--From a press release
New York, NY - Thursday, Jan. 7, 2020 - GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, along with leading LGBTQ legal, health, youth, justice and equality organizations, is callin ...
|
| |
| |
NCLR joins call for removal and impeachment of President Trump
--From a press release
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — After witnessing President Trump's role in instigating the violence that took place in Washington, D.C. yesterday, NCLR joins the growing bipartisan call for removal and impeachment of the president in order to ...
|
| |
| |
LGBTQ task force wants 25th Amendment used to remove Trump
On Jan. 6, the National LGBTQ Task Force and National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund issued a press release for the immediate removal of outgoing President Donald Trump under the 25th Article. The release read, in ...
|
|
| |
| |
Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate
A look at the numbers in the Jan. 5 U.S. Senate races in Georgia indicate that Democrats have won control of the Senate—a development with enormous favorable consequences for the LGBT community and the nation. As ...
|
| |
| |
Congress finalizes Biden's win after Capitol is stormed
After an extraordinary day in which supporters of outgoing Republican President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, Congress was finally able to finalize Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's win. Vice President ...
|
| |
| |
National Minority AIDS Council responds to attack on U.S. Capitol
Jan. 6, 2021 - National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) Executive Director Paul Kawata has released the following statement on today's attack on the U.S. Capitol. "NMAC is completely saddened, sickened, and in total shock over the riots at the U.S. ...
|
| |
| |
Georgia elects Rev. Warnock and Jon Ossoff, NCLR comments
--From a press release
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Last night, Georgia voters made history by electing Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to represent the Southern state in the United States Senate. Rev. Warnock's election is truly historic as he ...
|
| |
| |
Report: In four years, judicial landscape has become more anti-LGBTQ+
Washington, D.C. — In just four years, President Trump has ushered in a judicial landscape that is significantly more hostile toward LGBTQ+ people, with nearly 40% of Trump's confirmed federal appellate judges having demonstrated anti-LGBTQ+ bia ...
|
| |
| |
Pfleger answers after being charged with sexually abusing child more than 40 years ago (UPDATE)
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich sent a letter to the St. Sabina parish stating that longtime activist Father Michael Pfleger will be stepping away from his ministry after being accused of sexually abusing a child more than ...
|
| |
| |
Officer who shot Jacob Blake won't face criminal charges
In Wisconsin, Kenosha County prosecutors announced Jan. 5 that the officer who shot Jacob Blake won't face criminal charges for firing several bullets into the former Evanston man's back, The Chicago Tribune reported. "No Kenosha law ...
|
| |
| |
NATIONAL Marriage proposal, Creating Change, mural erased, 'Queer Santa'
A COVID-19 vaccine appointment at a Canton, South Dakota, hospital turned into a marriage proposal for one healthcare couple, CNN.com noted. Robbie Vargas-Cortes, 31, a paramedic and EMS supervisor, was scheduled to get his vaccination on ...
|
| |
| |
SHOWBIZ 'Tales' star dies, 'Wonder Woman 1984,' holiday songs, 'Drag Race'
Marcus D'Amico—the original Michael "Mouse" Tolliver from the miniseries Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City—died at age 55, Queerty noted. In 1992, he also originated the role of Louis in the National Theatre's London run of ...
|
| |
| |
Billy Masters
"Gay man has too much to drink and legally changes name to Celine Dion."—New Year's Day headline from England. Not only is it embarrassing, it's woefully out of date. I mean, Celine Dion—how retro! I know ...
|
| |
| |
Pelosi narrowly re-elected House speaker
On Jan. 3, Nancy Pelosi was narrowly re-elected speaker of the U.S. House, as she again leads the Democrats' slender majority, media outlets reported. After serving for 17 years in charge of the House Democrats, Pelosi ...
|
| |
| |
First woman coaches NBA game
Becky Hammon became the first woman to lead an NBA team as a head coach during the regular season when she took over for San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after he was ejected during a game ...
|
| |
| |
New reports from Palm Center look at military transgender ban, Biden's position
—From a press release
President-elect Joseph Biden has promised to reverse the military's ban on service by transgender Americans on "day one" of his presidency. Research recently released by the Palm Center explains why lifting the ban is an urgent ...
|
| |
| |
OPINION Where do we go from here (redux)?
The year 2020 has been a stressful one. With George Floyd's death as an inflection point about race and racism in America, an unprecedented presidential election and social unrest during an ongoing pandemic with a rising ...
|
| |
| |
Billy Masters
"Although self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths—and of none—are discovering that it presents and opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect in prayer or meditation."—Queen ...
|
| |
| |
SHOWBIZ Trans movie, best/worst LGBTQ films, sports items, Whitney
Shout! Studios entered into an exclusive deal with Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions (KKP) and Scatena & Rosner Films (SNR) to distribute the new LGBTQ-focused documentary The Sound of Identity, a press release noted. The movie chronicles ...
|
| |
| |
NATIONAL Aimee Stephens, GNC teen murdered, Katie Hill, Amazon
A consent decree ordered that Michigan business Harris Funeral Homes—which fired the late Aimee Stephens for being transgender and led her to sue the business in litigation that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court—must ...
|
| |
| |
'Party Monster' killer Michael Alig dies at 54
Michael Alig who was at the center of the LGBTQ "club kids" scene in late 1980s and early '90s Manhattan, and whose involvement in the murder and dismemberment of his drug dealer was chronicled in the 2003 film Party Monster died Dec. 25th ...
|
| |
| |
LGBTQ leader Raghavan to serve as Deputy Director, Office of Presidential Personnel
--From a LGBTQ Victory Institute press release
Washington, DC — President-elect Joe Biden appointed out LGBTQ leader Gautam Raghavan to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel — a position key to identifying, recruiting and vetting the more than 4,000 ...
|
| |
| |
Judge issues pro-diversity federal workplace ruling
On Dec. 22, U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman issued a nationwide preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from implementing an executive order that bars federal contractors and grantees ...
|
| |
| |
BOOKS: The best of 2020
You've got a little extra time this month, and you don't want to waste it. You want to read something good, the possibilities are endless, and the best place to begin is with these Best Books ...
|
| |
| |
Lambda Legal, others challenge Trump administration's asylum rule
Lambda Legal, Immigration Equality and co-counsel Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP filed a federal lawsuit, Immigration Equality v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, challenging the Trump administration's recently published ...
|
| |
| |
200 athletes support trans women and girls playing sports
On Dec. 21, sports icon Billie Jean King, U.S. National Women's Soccer Team co-captain and World Cup Champion Megan Rapinoe, and WNBA trailblazer and legend Candace Parker joined nearly 200 fellow athletes in women's sports to ...
|
| |
| |
11th Circuit urged to reverse decision allowing LGBTQ youth conversion therapy
--From a Born Perfect press release
ATLANTA, GA — The Born Perfect campaign submitted a friend-of-the-court brief on Friday urging reversal of a recent decision by a three-judge federal panel validating the dangerous unethical practice known ...
|
| |
| |
Top 10 stories of 2020
In 2020, the nation faced two existential threats: an out-of-control coronavirus pandemic that killed more than 300,000 people in the United States in less than a year and an erratic, self-obsessed Republican president whose administration withheld ...
|
| |
| |
SHOWBIZ 'Drag Race,' year-end honors, 'Guardians,' Taylor Swift
VH1 unveiled a game-changing twist from the upcoming season of the Emmy-winning RuPaul's Drag Race, premiering Friday, Jan. 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, a press release noted. For the first time in Drag Race "herstory," queens ...
|
| |
| |
NATIONAL Equality Virginia, trans case, Hitler video, Pentagon
Equality Virginia discussed proposed guidelines for transgender rights in schools in during a virtual town hall that guided participants through crafting public comments in support of the guidelines which solidify protections for trans students and school ...
|
| |
| |
Billy Masters
"You are a weak, scared, stupid, inept, negligent, vindictive, narcissistic, criminal. I hope you live a long life in prison where you become the most popular boyfriend to all the inmates."—Debra Messing's tweet to El Presidente. ...
|
| |
| |
'Pose' star headlining virtual talent benefit Dec. 16
Dominique Jackson—an activist and co-star of the FX series Pose—is headlining the #REFUGEE RAINBOW EXTRAVAGANZA Talent Show "Still Here, Still Queer" on Wed., Dec. 16, 5-6 p.m. CT. ORAM (Organization for Refugee, Asylum and Migration) is ...
|
| |
| |
Reports: Biden asks Buttigieg to be transportation secretary
President-elect Joe Biden has reportedly tapped Pete Buttigieg to lead the U.S. Transportation Department, Reuters reported. The appointment of Buttigieg, 38—who competed in the Democratic presidential primary—is another step in ...
|
| |
| |
Biden to name Buttigieg Sec. Transportation, first open LGBTQ+ Cabinet Secretary
--From press releases
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Democratic candidate for president, to serve as the next Secretary of Transportation. ...
|
| |
| |
HotHouse to stream Cuban jazz festival "Jazz Plaza" Jan. 21-24
--From a press release
CHICAGO — Marguerite Horberg, executive director of the award-winning Chicago-based nonprofit arts presenter HotHouse, today announced that it has been awarded the exclusive rights to stream the 2021 legendary Cuban ...
|
| |
| |
Supreme Court rules for same-sex couples in Indiana case
The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari in Box v. Henderson—a case out of Indiana about the state's obligation to recognize same-sex spouses and different-sex spouses equally on their children's birth certificates, according t ...
|
| |
| |
Electoral College officially declares Joe Biden president
California's 55 electors put Joe Biden over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become president on Dec. 14, affirming Biden's election as the 46th president of the United States. Electors for all 50 states and ...
|
| |
| |
SCOTUS decision supports equal recognition of LGBTQ families on birth certificates
--From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the United States Supreme Court denied a Petition for Certiorari in Box v. Henderson, a case out of Indiana about the state's obligation to recognize same-sex spouses and different-sex spouses equally on ...
|
| |
| |
Billy Masters
"I don't agree that only gay actors should play gay. … I don't agree with having to laser focus the casting of it all, or else you'll be playing yourself the rest of your life."—Juan Pablo ...
|
| |
| |
SHOWBIZ Trans acting challenge, NYE parties, Charlize Theron, Diana Ross
Michael D. Cohen, with support from Nickelodeon, is launching the Trans Youth Acting Challenge, according to a press release. Trans and non-binary kids can submit audition self-tapes online (preferably through their parents), and the top 12 ...
|
| |
| |
NATIONAL Federal rule, anti-LGBTQ crimes, restroom case, Karamo
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced a final rule that dramatically expands the ability of federal contractors to claim religious exemptions from federal nondiscrimination ...
|
| |
| |
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Texas' bid to overturn election results
On Dec. 11, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton—which outgoing President Donald Trump backed—to block the ballots of millions of voters in battleground states that went in favor of ...
|
| |
| |
Report: Take Off Your Mask So I Know How Much to Tip You
--From a press release
Today, One Fair Wage, a national nonprofit organization representing subminimum wage and other tipped workers, in partnership with #TimesUp, the UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center, Professor Catharine MacKinnon, Professor Louise Fitzgerald and ...
|
| |
| |
COVID-19 Ellen DeGeneres tests positive; talk-show production halted
Ellen DeGeneres has tested positive for COVID-19, and has stopped production on her talk show until January, according to media outlets such as Deadline and EW.com. "Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that ...
|
| |
| |
Creating Change announces program, honorees, virtual format
--From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. 9, 2020… Community leaders Gloria Allen, Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, Javier Hernandez, and Gayle Rubin will all be honored at the 33rd annual Creating Change Conference. Held virtually from January 28 through January 31, ...
|
| |
| |
Lambda Legal, Immigration Equality to challenge asylum ban
On Dec. 10, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice announced they will soon publish a new rule that Lambda Legal said "eviscerates the United States asylum system," according to a joint press release ...
|
| |
| |
Chicago trans icon Gloria Allen among Creating Change honorees
Community leaders Gloria Allen, Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, Javier Hernandez and Gayle Rubin will all be honored at the 33rd annual Creating Change Conference, run by the National LGBTQ Task Force. Held virtually Jan. 28-31, 2021, the ...
|
| |
| |
Kylie Minogue's 'Infinite Disco' to stream New Year's Eve
Singer Kylie Minogue announced that her performance event "Kylie: Infinite Disco" will be streaming New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, at 9 p.m. across respective time zones. The performance premiered last month following the release of Kylie's ...
|
| |
