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Arrests, fights punctuate battles across Canada over gender diversity in schools
Arrests were reported in the Canadian cities of Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver and Victoria, among others, on Sept. 20 as opposing groups clashed on how schools address issues of gender identity and how teachers refer to transgender ...
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WORLD Quebec lesbians, violence study, Rugby World Cup, Ugandan bill
The hidden history of Quebec lesbians is being explored, the CBC reported. Between 1985 and 1996, a group of lesbians leased the Plateau-Mont-Royal school and ran it as a community center. The school was also home ...
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NATIONAL Historic political win, Columbus situation, trans coach, Gold + Williams
Fabian Nelson won a Democratic primary runoff in Mississippi's 66th state House district—and he's now the state's first openly gay legislator, The Guardian noted. (Republicans are not running a candidate for the general election sched ...
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UIC among nation's top 30 campuses for LGBTQ+ students
--From a press release
The University of Illinois Chicago has been named one of the top 30 colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students, according to Campus Pride, a national organization serving LGBTQ+ and ally student leaders and campus organizations in ...
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NATIONAL James Baldwin Awards, archdioceses, school items, 'RuPublicans'
On Aug. 21, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) hosted the 3rd Annual James Baldwin Legacy Awards to honor the contributions of Black men and masculine elders within the Black LGBTQ+/same gender loving (SGL) movement and ...
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Planned Parenthood of Illinois receives $525K grant for youth STI pilot program
—From a press release. CHICAGO - Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) received a $525,000 grant to pilot a new Chicago Healthy Adolescents & Teens (CHAT) STI testing initiative for adolescents 13 to 24-years-old in Chicago. The ...
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N.C. legislators override governor's veto of three anti-trans youth bills
On the evening of Aug. 16, the North Carolina legislature's Republican supermajority overrode vetoes from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper regarding several bills—including three that target transgender youth, CNN reported. The ...
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Center on Halsted leaders discuss transition and organization's future
In March—after a 15-year tenure that was productive but also controversial in spots—Modesto Tico Valle officially stepped down from his position as CEO of Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ+ ...
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New HRC data: LGBTQ+ youth still lack critical support and acceptance
From a press release: WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in partnership with the ...
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40% of Florida parents surveyed want to leave the state because of the Don't Say Gay law
--From a press release
New research from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and Clark University finds 40% of Florida parents surveyed said they would like to move out of Florida—20% very much so and 19% somewhat—because of ...
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Florida to now allow AP psychology to be taught after anti-LGBTQ+ flap
UPDATE: The Florida Department of Education said over the weekend of Aug. 5 that it will now allow the full curriculum for an advanced placement (AP) psychology class to be taught to high school students, The Advocate reported. ...
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EXCLUSIVE Legendary coach Dorothy Gaters on her career, being part of the LGBTQ+ community
One thing became apparent during a recent talk with iconic John Marshall Metropolitan High School girls' basketball coach Dorothy Gaters. She IS Marshall High School. Even though the talk took place in an office (alongside her ...
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Center on Halsted's Jenny Urban trains a new generation of chefs
Recently, Windy City Times chatted with Chicago chef Jenny Urban, the Director of Culinary Arts at Center on Halsted. Urban has been in the Chicago restaurant scene for more than a decade, and they've recently brought ...
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Northwestern University volleyball player sues over alleged hazing
A former Northwestern University volleyball player has filed a lawsuit against the school, alleging university officials failed to properly address a hazing incident that took place two years ago, NPR reported. The anonymous plaintiff (identified as ...
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Darius Caffey offers a seat at The Table On Air
Darius Caffey is making moves at Chicago Access Network Television with a new program titled The Table On Air. He's the host of the show focusing on the work and accomplishments of Black LGBTQ+ members of ...
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NATIONAL Rufus Gifford, school items, N.C. situation, Texas judge
Rufus Gifford, the highest-ranking openly LGBTQ+ official at the State Department, is leaving his post as chief of protocol to become finance chair for President Joe Biden's re-election campaign, The Advocate reported. Gifford, who is married ...
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UPDATE: NU fires football coach in wake of hazing scandal
Northwestern University fired longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10 amid allegations of widespread hazing within the football program, according to media reports. ...
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Students sue to block discriminatory Idaho restroom ban
--From a Lambda Legal press release
(Boise, ID, July 7, 2023) — Lambda Legal, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP, and Alturas Law Group, PLLC, last night filed a federal lawsuit against the Idaho State Superintendent of Education Debbie Critchfield and other Idaho ...
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Campus Pride: College administrations must articulate plans to combat systemic racism in admissions
--From a Campus Pride press release
CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 30, 2023 — Campus Pride decries the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, which prohibits colleges and universities from considering race as an ...
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One in five LGBT high school students experiences hunger because of food insecurity
--From a press release
A new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds 20% of LGBT high school students—an estimated 371,000 youth—experienced hunger last month because there was not enough food at home. Among older youth ...
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Guest essay by Florida mom Nicole Pejovich: What's Happening to Florida's Public Schools?
Related video below
A queer Florida parent answers questions about recent laws, how Floridians are coping, and how you can help Books pulled from school library shelves by the dozens. All evidence of inclusivity stripped from classrooms. The politically ...
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Art-felt: Pearl Dick helps young victims of trauma with mentoring
Almost a decade ago, glass artist Pearl Dick and clinical psychologist Dr. Brad Stolbach co-founded Project FIRE (Fearless Initiative for Recovery and Empowerment), an arts program that provides victims of trauma the chance to heal through ...
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Artist Isabella Mellado illuminates the masks within community
By Jess Savage
Chicago-based artist Isabella Mellado's paintings and sculptures are vibrant, colorful and larger than life. Her work represents autobiographical and allegorical scenes, nearly all of it featuring characters inspired by the ...
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Fabrizzio Subia navigates loss and grief through art
When it comes to loss, Fabrizzio Subia may know more than most people. Having dealt with everything from familial loss to the erasure of his history, the Ecuadorian-American multidisciplinary artist (who has also done things like ...
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NATIONAL La. bills, LGBTQ Southerners, gay-bar shooting, Maddow, Lemon, Grindr CEO
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued a press release criticizing Louisiana legislators for advancing three discriminatory bills targeting LGBTQ+ youth. The Senate passed a Gender Affirming Care Ban (HB 648) ...
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Violent clash takes place at Calif. school-board meeting over LGBTQ+ rights
On June 6, protesters clashed and fights erupted outside a meeting of the Glendale Unified School District board, which was scheduled to vote on recognizing June as Pride Month, ABC7 reported. After the skirmishes, police in ...
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NATIONAL North Carolina, 'Pride Heroes,' school news, gay publication folds, Iowa
Video below
The Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) and Campus Pride released a report focused on the life, school, and health experiences of LGBTQ+ people in North Carolina. The report's release comes as the North Carolina General Assembly ...
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Lightfoot to teach at Harvard in the fall
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is slated to teach at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she will lead a course tentatively titled "Health Policy and Leadership," The Chicago Sun-Times reported. The course ...
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San Francisco's Harvey Milk School celebrates birthday of its namesake
Students at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in San Francisco's LGBTQ Castro neighborhood took to the streets Monday, May 22, and marched on Harvey Milk Day. The day of special significance in California honors the ...
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Illinois middle-school teacher loses job for promoting 'This Book Is Gay'
Making This Book Is Gay available to her eighth-grade students resulted in Illinois teacher Sarah Bonner being reported to police—and eventually losing her job, according to an item from The Advocate. According to Today.com, Bonner (who ...
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NCLR, GLAD, Trevor Project, coalition of groups support Biden administration's proposed Title IX Athletics Rule
--From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC — The National Center for Lesbian Rights, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), and The Trevor Project — along with the National Education Association and more than a dozen other organizations — have submitted ...
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UIC's 'lavender' graduates step out into the world
On May 2, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) held its 17th annual Lavender Graduation Ceremony in front of a crowded room of queer graduates and their friends, allies and families. The event was held in ...
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Louisiana House passes discriminatory education bill targeting LGBTQ+ youth, HRC responds
--From an Human Rights Campaign press release
Baton Rouge, Louisiana — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, condemns the Louisiana House for passing HB ...
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Indiana governor signs anti-LGBTQ+ bill that focuses on students
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a measure that will require schools to notify a parent if a student requests a name or pronoun change at school, according to ABC 7 Chicago. It was one of the ...
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Illinois to become first state to punish book-banning
Illinois is about to become the first state to punish public institutions that ban books. Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has said he supports a House bill that would withhold state funding from any of the state's ...
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Families, doctors challenge Oklahoma's ban on health care for trans youth
--From a press release
OKLAHOMA CITY - Families, transgender adolescents, and their medical providers are challenging a new law criminalizing age-appropriate medical care for transgender adolescents signed by Governor Kevin Stitt yesterday. In a ...
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LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project hosts first art exhibit at Center on Addison
On April 28, the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project hosted on opening reception to kick off its first ever art exhibit, Iridescent Footprints: Stories and Glories of Our Lives, at Center on Addison. The exhibition features collaborative ...
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CDC: One in four high-schoolers identifies as LGBTQ
CDC: One in four high-schoolers identifies as LGBTQ Approximately one in four high school students identifies as LGBTQ, according to a report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on April 27, The Hill ...
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Biden administration files lawsuit challenging Tennessee's ban on trans youth care, HRC responds
--From an HRC press release
WASHINGTON- Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, applauded the Department of Justice's filing of a federal lawsuit ...
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NATIONAL Trans-rights cases, Brittney Griner, Elton John, law firm, passages, Twitter
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals plans to meet as a full court to consider a pair of trans-rights cases from West Virginia and North Carolina, NBC News reported. The Richmond-based appeals court said it ...
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Lambda Legal: Proposed national transgender youth sports ban 'ignorant and despicable'
(Washington, DC, April 19, 2023) — Today the U.S. House of Representatives considered HR 734, the Orwellian-titled Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, that would ban trans girls and women from participating in school ...
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Florida bans teaching of sexuality, gender identity in K-12 public schools
The Florida Board of Education has forbidden the teaching of gender identity and sexuality throughout all grades in K-12 public schools. In doing so, it is extending a nearly year-old legislative ban on such lessons from ...
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PASSAGES Charles "Chuck" Williams was founder of the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity Law, Public Policy
Charles "Chuck" Williams—the founder of the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law—passed away April 11. Williams Institute Executive Director Brad Sears ...
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Conversion therapy doc sparks healing conversation in Hyde Park
On April 15, United Church of Hyde Park, 1448 E. 53rd St., hosted a showing of Pray Away, an Emmy-nominated 2021 documentary depicting the complex harms from conversion therapy. The event was hosted by United Church's ...
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SAVOR Chef aims to help youths in oppressed communities; Hotel Zachary space opens
The Evolved Network aims to help youths in systemically oppressed communities through gardening, culinary training and employment opportunities, among other ways. The organization is the brainchild of Sebastian White, a ...
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Chicago Academy for the Arts meets million-dollar challenge with gala
The Chicago Academy for the Arts held its "Inspire: Red Carpet Gala" on April 1 at Chicago's Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. The event, according to an email from school head Jason Patera, raised more than $400,000 ...
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Iowa, Georgia ban medical treatment for trans minors
Two more states have enacted laws that prohibit medical treatment for transgender minors. On March 22, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed two bills into law that affect transgender minors in the state, NBC News reported. Senate ...
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NATIONAL Folx Health, gay mayor arrested, powerlifter's suit, Versace visit
Boston-based Folx Health—which provides primary healthcare services and gender-affirming healthcare to LGBTQIA people—made Fast Company's list of the world's 50 most innovative businesses. A few of the other healthcare companies ...
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Center on Halsted presents annual Intergenerational Talent Show
On March 2, Center on Halsted hosted its Fifth Annual Intergenerational Talent Show, featuring performances from participants from the Youth and Family Services and the Senior Services programs. Participants in the free event presented a program ...
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Adler president reflects on being out in academia
Adler University President Raymond Crossman admits that leaders in higher education sometimes feel that they have to act as robots. "We always have to give the right answer, and not offend anybody—because you don't want to ...
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More LGBTQ PoC report barriers to academic achievement than white LGBTQ peers
--From a Williams Institute 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 nonprofit, finds more than twice as many LGBTQ POC as white LGBTQ ...
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Queer songwriter donates $500K to Chicago Academy for the Arts
Returning to the school that they said saved their life years ago and set them on a path to becoming one of the most celebrated activists and songwriters of the modern era, it was announced Feb. ...
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Billy Porter discusses his fashion choices, personal ambitions
Billy Porter—the Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner—needs no introduction—especially to the many fans of his character Pray Tell on Ryan Murphy's hit TV series Pose. Coming up exclusively in theaters Feb. 3, Porter will star as ...
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WORLD Conversion therapy, Indian school, trans boxers, anti-LGBTQ+ move
South Florida Gay News noted that efforts to ban so-called conversion therapy gained a lot of traction around the world in 2022. For example, Canada and France introduced LGBTQ+-inclusive bills to ban conversion therapy for minors ...
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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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OPINION Remember the youngest victims of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination
On Dec. 13, the Ohio State Board of Education voted 10-7 in favor of a non-binding resolution opposing proposed changes to the federal government's Title IX protecting LGBTQ+ students. It was just one more blow for ...
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National AIDS Memorial names 2022-2023 Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship recipients
-- From a press release
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Nov. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National AIDS Memorial has announced its 2022/2023 Pedro Zamora Young Leaders scholars, its largest and most diverse class ever, providing ...
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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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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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QPOC and transgender elders become focus of grad school student's master's thesis
When we think about how LGBTQ+ age, helping people feel connected and "seen" is just one of the many ways a community can care for LGBTQ+ elders. It can contribute to their mental health as they ...
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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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NATIONAL Michigan bill, trans woman killed, school musical, Alabama drag queen
Michigan House Republicans recently introduced legislation that could have the potential to throw parents and doctors in prison for life for offering gender-affirming care to children under the age of 18, MLive.com reported. Under House Bill ...
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Trevor Project returns donation from controversial tech company
The Trevor Project—a leading nonprofit devoted to the mental well-being of LGBTQ+ youth which wants "a world where all LGBTQ young people see a bright future for themselves," according to its website—has returned a donation from ...
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Newsom signs bill making California a sanctuary state for trans youths
On Sept. 29, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that aims to protect transgender youths and their families from bans against gender-affirming care, the Los Angeles Times reported. Senate Bill 107, by state ...
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GLAAD releases third annual 20 Under 20 list
-- From a press release
New York, NY—GLAAD revealed its third annual 20 Under 20 list, spotlighting 20 young LGBTQ people, ages 20 and younger, who are accelerating acceptance of LGBTQ people while shaping the future of media and activism. GLAAD's ...
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GLAAD responds to weekend of anti-LGBTQ+ violence, poll suggests 2/3 of GOPs back discussion of LGBTQ+s in schools
-- From a press release
(Monday, September 26, 2022) GLAAD condemns a wave of violence against the LGBTQ community across the country and calls for increased protections and support for LGBTQ people and youth, as new data reveals that a vast ...
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DoJ announces $22M to address, prevent sexual assault on campuses
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced nearly $22 million in upcoming grant awards to address and prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking on college campuses; provide services to youth victims and children ...
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Pritzker appoints Isoye to chair the Illinois State Board of Education
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appointed Dr. Steven Isoye, a former educator and superintendent, to chair the Illinois State Board of Education, effective immediately. Isoye follows in the footsteps of Darren Reisberg, a member of the LGBTQ+ ...
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NATIONAL Marriage bill, drag queen dies, Dutch queen visits, university sued
A bipartisan group of senators trying to pass same-sex marriage protection legislation pushed a vote until after the November election—a move the officials say increases their chances of success but avoids forcing the GOP on record ...
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SCOTUS sides with New York university's LGBTQ+ club for now
On Sept. 14, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of five to four, declined a request from Yeshiva University in New York to block a New York County Supreme Court order that requires the university ...
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Campus Pride releases 'absolute worst, most unsafe campuses for LGBTQ+ people'
-- From a press release
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Campus Pride released The Worst List documenting the "Absolute Worst, Most Unsafe Campuses for LGBTQ+ Youth." The Worst List is an annual listing of colleges and universities that have chosen to openly ...
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Miami-Dade school board rejects LGBTQ History Month over 'Don't Say Gay' fears
On Sept. 7, the Miami-Dade School Board struck down a proposal that would have recognized October as "LGBTQ History Month" out of concern that it would violate the state's Parental Rights in Education law, known by ...
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NATIONAL Convicted killer, school groups, Gloria Casarez, 'Gay Days'
A Philadelphia jury convicted Abdullah El-Amin of third-degree murder for taking the life of trans woman Mia Green, per The Philadelphia Gay News. He faces a lengthy prison term when sentenced in November. Green, 27, was ...
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Indiana Supreme Court upholds firing of gay Catholic-school teacher
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled on Aug. 31 that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indiana was within its rights to direct the termination of a Catholic-school teacher who was married to a person of the same ...
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LGBTQ+ youths, adult allies gather at Action Camp 2022
LGBTQ+ young people and adult allies gathered under the sun and stars Aug. 1-5 for the 10th Annual Action Camp, co-hosted by the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago's (PHIMC's) Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance&# ...
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