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Because of last year’s backlash, Target is planning to cut LGBTQ+-themed merchandise from some of its stores during Pride Month, Yahoo! noted, citing Bloomberg News. Target plans to offer the full assortment of the merchandise online but is reportedly analyzing store-level data to decide which physical locations will carry the products. The move comes after Target was forced to remove some items, including certain transgender swimsuits, from its LGBTQ+ themed collection last year after facing customer backlash and confrontations between customers and employees in some stores. A Target spokesperson said it was committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round.
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Utah public schools have been rushing to prepare students and teachers as the state starts cracking down on any school found not enforcing new bathroom restrictions for trans people, NBC News reported. Under state law, residents and visitors have to use bathrooms and changing rooms in government-owned buildings that correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Schools and government agencies now face fines of up to $10,000 per day for each violation. Republican Utah state Rep. Kera Birkeland, the bill’s primary sponsor, has claimed it’s a necessary safeguard against people who might claim they’re transgender in order to infiltrate a gendered area.
To mark Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, LGBTQ Nation listed 20 history-making AAPI LGBTQ+ artists, advocates and trailblazers who continue to inspire. Just a few are Rosalie “Rose” Bamberger, a Filipina lesbian who founded the Daughters of Bilitis, the first U.S. lesbian organization; Korean-born actor/writer/director Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island); Korean American comic Margaret Cho; Manvendra Singh Gohil, the first out gay prince in India; Japanese American musician Hayley Kiyoko; deaf, genderqueer, the late Indian American activist Urvashi Said; Chinese Jewish actor Chella Man; and Mark Takano, the first out gay Asian American Congressman.
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The Rev. Dr. Norman Kansfield, who was famously defrocked in 2005 over officiating his daughter’s same-sex marriage, died at 83 on Jan. 27, per The New York Times. (His passing had not been widely reported.) Kansfield went beyond responding with warm acceptance when his daughter came out to him; in June 2004, he insisted that he officiate her wedding, held in Massachusetts weeks after the state legalized same-sex marriage. There had been no other known instance of a Reformed minister officiating at a same-sex wedding; earlier that same year, the General Synod, the church’s annual meeting, voted to affirm marriage “as the union of one man and one woman.” Kansfield was famously put on trial, found guilty of failing to keep the faith of the denomination, and defrocked.
LGBTQ+ Victory Institute has chosen seven LGBTQ+ elected and public officials for its David Bohnett Leaders Fellowship—a program that includes a three-week intensive leadership development course at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, per a press release. The fellows include San Leandro Councilperson Victor Aguilar, Tennessee judge Rachel Bell, Michigan state Rep. Jason Hoskins, Arkansas state Rep. Tippi McCullough, Mississippi state Rep. Fabian Nelson, South Dakota state Rep. Kameron Nelson and Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr. “We chose these seven Bohnett Leaders Fellows because of their deep commitment to community leadership and public service,” said LGBTQ+ Victory Institute President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker. “Each of the communities these fellows represent will benefit from their time at Harvard Kennedy school, where they’ll learn about skills and policies they can implement back home.
Houston ER nurse Molly Cook declared victory in a special election to decide who will serve out the remaining months of John Whitmire’s term in the Texas Senate, after early returns and a portion of Election Day results showed her comfortably leading state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, The Texas Tribune noted. The win was historic as it made Cook the first out LGBTQ+ member of the state’s upper chamber, an LGBTQ+ Victory Fund press release announced. President & CEO (and former Houston Mayor) Annise Parker said, “For too long, the LGBTQ+ community has been the punching bag of bigots in the Texas Senate. Now, they’ll have an out LGBTQ+ peer as their colleague who will look them in the eye and make them see the Texans they’re hurting. We know Molly will not only be a powerful voice for LGBTQ+ Texans, she’ll do a wonderful job fighting for the needs of all her constituents in District 15, including myself. Between now and May 28, I’ll be doing everything I can to ensure another victory for Molly and the cause of equality.” Cook will be on the ballot again for the primary runoff election on May 28, where she’s competing for the full term that starts next year.
Andrea Doria Dos Passos, a transgender Latina woman, was recently found murdered in front of the Miami Ballet company facility, The Georgia Voice noted. Gregory Fitzgerald Gibert, who was out on probation, is charged with the second-degree murder of Dos Passos; video footage showed him repeatedly hitting her in the head and face with a metal pipe while she was sleeping in front of the venue. Victor Van Gilst, Dos Passos’s stepfather, confirmed she was trans and experiencing homelessness.
A California man was sentenced to five years in prison (suspended) for attacking gay fashion designer Pol’ Atteu in what prosecutors now acknowledge was a hate crime, per Metro Weekly. Jesus Rodolfo Zepeda was previously convicted of assaulting Atteu during a September 2019 charity fashion show at St. John’s Cathedral in Los Angeles. Zepeda—who was reportedly upset after Atteu had cut his 9-year-old daughter from the show—was apprehended but released shortly afterward due to policies intended to prevent the spread of COVID among prisoners at the height of the pandemic. Zepeda received a suspended sentence of five years in state prison for the assault but will only be required to serve four days in county jail, and has been credited with time already served. However, Atteu and husband Patrik Simpson have been granted a 10-year order of protection against Zepeda.
A man was charged with murder after Black transgender woman Starr Brown was shot dead in Memphis, Tennessee, per PinkNews. According to local news outlet Fox13 Memphis News—which misgendered Brown and used her birth name—she was last seen with Cordova restaurant co-worker Alexavier Williamson, who has been charged with second-degree murder. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said Starr is at least the 11th trans person, and second Black transgender person, killed in the United States this year.
New York City was hit with a lawsuit claiming it discriminates against gay male city employees by only covering the costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for women and opposite-sex couples, Reuters reported. The proposed class action was filed in Manhattan federal court by former assistant district attorney Corey Briskin and his husband; they say they were forced to delay having a family for years because the city’s employee health insurance plan denied them coverage for IVF procedures. The suit claims that the plan only covers IVF treatments for employees and their partners when they are infertile and defines that term in a narrow way that excludes gay men.
Students and alumni of Adrian College—a private liberal arts school near Ann Arbor, Michigan—were reportedly outraged that anti-trans activist Riley Gaines delivered the school’s commencement address, per LGBTQ Nation. They said the decision to invite Gaines violates the school’s mission statement of being “committed to the pursuit of truth and dignity of all people” and could’ve endangered the campus’ LGBTQ+ students and Gaines herself. Gaines has been crusading against trans athletes since 2022, when she tied for fifth place with trans University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the women’s 200-meter freestyle final at the National Collegiate Athletics Association swimming and diving championships.
New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli sent a letter to Best Buy questioning if the company changed its commitment to inclusivity and supporting LGBTQ+ groups, NBC News reported. The letter was sent four weeks after the news outlet was the first to report that the consumer electronics giant offered to screen LGBTQ+ nonprofit donations following conservative pressure. In part, DiNapoli urged the company to send him responses “regarding the actions Best Buy is taking to address the risks articulated,” and invited Best Buy CEO Corie S. Barry and Board Chair J. Patrick Doyle to meet with his office to discuss the matter further.
In an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, WNBA star Brittney Griner detailed the harsh prison conditions in Russia that made her consider dying by suicide, HuffPost noted. “I felt less than human,” Griner said of her 10 months in Russian captivity. For example, her prison cell’s toilet was just a hole in the ground and she had to use one of her ripped-up T-shirts as toiler paper. She also said that after being transferred to another facility, she was fed porridge “that was more like cement,” was allowed one roll of toilet paper a month and was given toothpaste that had expired 15 years earlier. Griner even said that spiders built a nest in her hair. Even though she won’t play overseas anymore, Griner will make an exception for this year’s Paris Olympics.
There’s been more fallout over openly gay author/actor Maulik Pancholy (TV’s 30 Rock) being allowed to speak at a Pennsylvania middle school on May 22, according to PennLive. Cumberland Valley School director Brian Drapp has resigned his school board seat over the district’s handling of the talk. “I believe you have a board president that’s basically just rubber-stamping anything the superintendent wants, and not consulting with the board,” Drapp said. He had opposed Pancholy’s appearance at Mountain View Middle School when board colleague Bud Shaffner initially called for canceling it.
The D.C.-based organization Center for Black Equity (CBE) has a new leader. Outgoing President/CEO Earl Fowlkes posted on Facebook, “Well, it’s done. After 25 years at the helm of the Center for Black Equity, I am afforded the opportunity to past the torch of leadership to my very capable deputy—Kenya A. Hutton. Kenya will become the board-appointed Interim President/CEO [on] August 1, 2024. I will continue to support the CBE and my peer Kenya in my role as President/CEO Emeritus.” The CBE describes itself as a “leading national organization dedicated to achieving racial equity and economic justice for Black LGBTQ+ communities” through “advocacy, education, and empowerment programs,” per The Washington Blade.
A gay man who previously worked as a waiter at a Memphis restaurant will receive $60,000 in back pay and damages—and the restaurant will revise its anti-harassment policies—as part of a recent settlement, per Metro Weekly. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the restaurant in 2023 on the employee’s behalf, claiming he had been subjected to a hostile work environment and forced to endure on-the-job harassment due to his sexual orientation. After multiple incidents, the gay man complained to his general manager, who told him he would fire the other waiter if the behavior continued. However, the company did not investigate the employees’s report of a hostile environment and did not speak with anyone who may have witnessed the harassment.
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history—and will become Scouting America, the AP noted. It’s a major shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following sexual-abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion. The organization began allowing gay youth in 2013 and ended a ban on gay adult leaders in 2015. Two year later, it made the historic announcement that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts as of 2018 and into the flagship Boy Scout program, renamed Scouts BSA, in 2019. More than 6,000 girls have now achieved Eagle Scout status.
Established in 1968, the Mark—Indiana’s oldest LGBTQ+ bar—is still closed for repairs, missing its targeted date for reopening in early March, per Public News Service, citing the Ball State Daily News. As of now, there is no update about whether or not it will reopen after a pipe burst in January. Since its initial opening, the bar has moved buildings, closed and reopened its doors multiple times while going through ownership changes. However, it remained a staple of Indiana and the Muncie LGBTQ+ community.
And speaking of bars, the owners of Hell’s Kitchen Italian restaurant ViceVersa, in NYC, have definitely embarked upon a change, per W42ST. The restaurant closed its doors in mid-February—and now partners and co-owners Franco Lazzari and Stefano Derzi have converted the space to VV Bar, an ancient Rome-themed gay bar. The space, on West 51st Street between 8th and 9th avenues, has been redesigned; a life-size statue of a naked Julius Caesar with a disco ball now greets patrons.
Denver PrideFest will celebrate its 50th anniversary June 22-23, per BreakingTravelNews.com. The first LGBTQ+ pride celebration in Denver was held in 1974 as a small gathering in Cheesman Park organized by members of the Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire. From that first parade, The Center on Colfax was founded in 1975; the organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides year-round programs and services for the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s 50th-anniversary festival kicks off with the Pride 5K, followed by the two-day Denver PrideFest event at Civic Center Park that will feature 250+ exhibitors, 30 food vendors and live performances.
On Wed., May 22, in West Hollywood, ”Pride Starts Here” with the second annual Jose Sarria Drag Pageant. The event is organized by the City of West Hollywood and West Hollywood Drag Laureate Pickle, and is co-sponsored by the Imperial Court and by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. Each year, the City of West Hollywood celebrates the artistic contributions of the LGBTQ+ community by starting WeHo Pride season with an annual Harvey Milk Day event. Sarria was the first openly gay person to run for office in the United States, helped pave the way for Harvey Milk’s successful run for office, was a well-known drag performer under the name the Window Norton, and founded the International Imperial Court System.
Openly gay former U.S. Rep. George Santos has revived drag persona Kitara Ravache in a new video on Cameo, Yahoo! noted. Santos has claimed he pockets six figures from making videos on the site where people can pay celebrities for personal video messages. “It’s your favourite, Kitara. After 18 years in the closet, George Santos pulled me back out, whatever,” he said in recent footage.
A Los Angeles penthouse condo has sold for $24 million in what could be a record price for the area, USA Today noted. CaliforniaListings.com describes the 6,451 square-foot condo (in West Hollywood) as having four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths and “14-foot ceilings with full-height wood paneling.”
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