Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” law prevents school from anti-bullying measures.

Students in a Florida school district can no longer access a training video aimed at helping prevent anti-LGBTQ bullying thanks to the state’s recently enacted “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Read the original article at LGBTQ Nation.

Duval County Public Schools removed the 12-minute video, which had been used in the district’s All In for Safe Schools program, from YouTube according to an investigation by WJCT Public Media’s Jacksonville Today.

Duval Schools District spokesperson Tracy Pierce confirmed that the video had “been removed for legal review to ensure the content complies with recent state legislation.”

According to Gay Straight Alliance faculty sponsor Scott Sowell, the video was created for students with the input of Duval LGBTQ students with funding from a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant.

House passes bill codifying same-sex marriage right, with some Republicans joining Democrats

Source: ABC News

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage in the wake of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade -- with one justice writing that the right to same-sex marriage should also be reversed.

The final vote was 267-157, with 47 Republicans joining every Democrat in the majority.

Notable among those conservatives was Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming -- in a break from her past stance on the issue, which famously put her at odds with her parents and sister, who is gay. In 2021, Cheney reversed her opinion and said, "I was wrong." (By contrast, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, of California, voted no on the legislation Tuesday.)

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., kicked off debate on the bill -- The Respect For Marriage Act -- which would prevent state discrimination related to marriage based on "sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin." It would also repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

The legislation, Nadler said, "would reaffirm that marriage equality is and must remain the law of the land."

Hyde Park (Boston) Senior House vandalized with anti-gay hate and threats

Hyde Park Senior House vandalized with anti-gay hate and Threats

From Gretchen Van Ness:

Last night cowards vandalized The Pryde, spray painting threats to kill us & burn down our building. Join the Hyde Park community TODAY 7/10 at 4PM to stand against hate & for a welcoming, inclusive & diverse Boston.

STOP GAY HATE!

Out Texas rugby player shares inspiring story as IRL bans trans women - LGBTQ Nation

 “You’re putting so much more pressure on yourself because you can’t just be yourself.”

By John Russell Sunday, June 26, 2022 

Original Article: LGBTQ NATION

Texas rugby player Knute O’Donnell is sharing his story of self-acceptance and coming out this Pride month. In a short documentary for Texas-based broadcaster and streaming platform FloSports, the 29-year-old, who plays for Austin rugby club the Austin Blacks, describes dealing with crippling anxiety and self-hatred that led him to suicidal ideation.

“I was putting things into my body, I was just hoping that I wasn’t gonna wake up anymore.”

When he finally got help, O’Donnell says his sexuality was a major topic of discussion with his therapist.

“Why do I have so much…self-hate?” he recalls thinking. “The reality is, you’re putting so much more pressure on yourself because you can’t just be yourself.”

O’Donnell further describes what it was like revisiting this painful time in a new essay for OutSports. “You forget how much trauma you bury until you go to therapy, and certain interview questions in the video reignited those traumas,” he writes. “It was important to go back through these events no matter how difficult. It reminded me how far I have come and ultimately made me feel like a burden was lifted.”

O’Donnell says his biggest fear was losing friends when he came out. And initially, his best friend advised him against telling their other friends.

“I did lose a couple friends, but not as many as I originally thought,” he says in the doc.

His family and Austin Blacks teammates were a different story.

“When I told my rugby teammates in Texas the news, they immediately embraced me, and it made all my relationships stronger,” he writes. “All my teammates are straight, and we play a very macho sport in a top division of rugby here in the U.S., so the fear of not being accepted or ridiculed was constantly present.”

The team instead accompanied O’Donnell to Austin’s Pride celebrations in 2018 and 2019.

But as O’Donnell tells his inspiring story of gay acceptance, the world of sports continues to grapple with trans inclusion. This week, the International Rugby League announced a temporary ban on trans women from women’s matches as it conducts research and finalizes its inclusion policy.

Read the original article here: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/06/texas-rugby-player-shares-inspiring-story-irl-bans-trans-women/ 

Alison Steinberg of OAN Goes on GAY HATE RANT

 

Alison Steinberg, allegedly a contributor at the shaky One America Network, goes on a hateful rant against the Pride flag in Huntington Beach, California. 

"Guess what I came home to be greeted with," she says, "This fucking bullshit. What the hell is that? Huntington Beach is the home of good old fashioned hardworking American people. The people that worked all through the Covid lockout. That's right Huntington Beach never shut down through any of the Covid nonesense fuckery. And now we're peddling this garbage. What the hell is this?"

She ends by blurting "Whoever is in charge of this city should be fired." (This blog has not checked, but the people who are in charge are likely elected officials, it is uncertain if Ms. Steinberg understands how elections work.)

In our opinion, not only did Ms. Steinberg embarrass the good people of Huntington Beach, she completely embarrassed herself. 

This is exactly the type of gay hate that needs to stopping. 

Harvey Milk Exhibition - SFO Museum

 

Harvey Milk (1930-1978) made history in 1977 when he became the first openly-gay individual elected to office in the state of California. He would serve just eleven months on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors before his assassination on November 27, 1978.

Harvey Milk "The Mayor of Castro Street"