Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed three new bills into law over the weekend to strengthen the state’s protections for LGBTQ people. Continue reading “CA Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs LGBTQ Protections Into Law”
U.S. Supreme Court – Fall 2022 (public domain)The Supreme Court has ruled that a woman who has never designed a wedding website – but doesn’t want to design one for a same-sex couple in the future – won’t have to.
In its ruling, 303 Creative v. Elenis, the high court decided the designer has a First Amendment right to refuse services for same-sex marriages even though the state of Colorado, where the woman lives and works, has laws prohibiting such discrimination against gay people. Continue reading “Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of LGBTQ Discrimination”
(image via Depositphotos)Texas Republicans are currently advancing new legislation that would basically overturn local regulations across the state from LGBTQ rights ordinances to water restrictions during droughts.
The move is an apparent effort to weaken bluer cites and counties in the Lone Star state. Continue reading “Texas Bill Could Revoke Local LGBTQ Protections”
Even though far-right politicians and pundits would have you think differently, a new national survey finds that Americans of almost all religions and no religion support LGBTQ protections. Continue reading “Survey: 80% Of Americans Support LGBTQ Protections”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (image via official Twitter)Look – some good news for LGBTQ folks!
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed into law legislation that will expand LGBTQ protections under the New Mexico Human Rights Act and remove the requirement that name changes be published in a newspaper. Continue reading “New Mexico Governor Signs LGBTQ Protections Into Law”
(image via Depositphotos)Some news items you might have missed:
• The Hill: New Mexico lawmakers have passed legislation to update the state’s anti-discrimination law by adding explicit protections for LGBTQ people. Continue reading “New Mexico Approves LGBTQ Protections + Stormy Daniels + More”
In response to reports that Alaska’s Attorney General quietly rolled back LGBTQ protections last summer, the state’s first-ever out, queer lawmakers sponsored a bill in the Alaska House to enshrine anti-discrimination protections in law. Continue reading “Out Alaska Lawmakers Propose LGBTQ Discrimination Protections”
(image via Depositphotos)In 2021, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights (ASCHR) published new guidelines saying Alaska’s LGBTQ protections included employment, finance, government practices and public accommodation.
The official ASCHR website was updated to specifically say that it was illegal to discriminate against someone due to sexual orientation or gender identity.
In fact, the executive director for the state commission co-authored an essay calling the new policy “a sea change under Alaska law for LGBTQ+ individuals’ right to be free from discrimination.”
A year later, the commission quietly u-turned on that decision and deleted the related language from its website. Continue reading “Alaska Quietly Dropped Most Of Its LGBTQ Protections”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot (via official Facebook)Some news items you might have missed:
• The Advocate: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot won’t return for a second term in office after voters turned on Lightfoot over concerns about crime and the city’s slow recovery from the pandemic. Lightfoot is the city’s first Black woman and first out gay person to serve as mayor. Continue reading “Chicago Says No 2nd Term For Mayor Lori Lightfoot + News”
L-R Alexander Lincoln, Alexander King in ‘In From The Side’ (via Instagram)Some news items you might have missed:
• Queerty: Acclaimed actor Alexander Lincoln, who hit everyone’s radar last year with his knock-out performance in the British gay rugby film In From The Side, clarified on Instagram this week he’s not straight. Continue reading “‘In From The Side’ Actor Sets Things Straight + More News”