Blythe del Kuzio

Even though Republicans have successfully used “parents’ rights” to push anti-LGBTQ+ policies in public schools, a new poll shows that most voters feel extremely concerned about these policies and consider other educational issues far more important to focus on. A survey of 1,000 registered voters across the nation conducted by the progressive U.S. polling firm Navigator Research found that majorities of parents and voters across the political spectrum have concerns over Republican policies like banning books, restricting classroom instruction on LGBTQ+ issues, and inspecting children’s genitals before allowing them to play on sports teams. Related Stories Anti-trans attacks aren’t the winning election issue the right thinks it is The right keeps losing elections and irritating voters with its anti-trans attacks, but it still won’t stop them. Approximately 66% of all surveyed voters expressed concern about “prohibiting teachers from teaching age-appropriate lessons

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) signed an executive order on Wednesday that he’s calling a “Women’s Bill of Rights.” It asserts that “a person’s biological sex is defined at birth” and isn’t subject to change in the eyes of state law. The order mandates the governor’s own definitions of “woman, “girl”, “man” and “boy” be used in the “promulgation of administrative rules, enforcement of administrative decisions and the adjudication of disputes” among state agencies. Related Stories Lauren Boebert says conservatives are more oppressed than trans people after teacher scolds student “Our education system has a deep-rooted problem with liberal bias. DON’T TREAD ON HIM!” Pillen’s signature on the executive order comes weeks after a nearly identical “Women’s Bill of Rights” was signed by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). Both orders define a female as a “person whose biological reproductive system is designed to produce ova” and a male as a “person whose biological reproductive

Barbie and Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa appears to have come out as queer. In a new profile in Elle UK , the 30-year-old Rwandan-Scottish actor discussed how playing a gay teen in Netflix’s Sex Education “undid a lot of the [internalized] hate I had.” Related Stories Jinkx Monsoon to play a “major role” in new ‘Doctor Who’ The high-profile sci-fi role follows her sell-out Broadway run in the musical “Chicago.” “I’ve experienced racism my whole life, and while I always believed in myself, always knew [racists] were stupid and uneducated, I guess it did misinform my view of how the world works,” he explained. “It makes you think everyone has that opinion and you’ll constantly have to fight through life – then you learn that you don’t: you can find a tribe, you can find your people.” Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. Gatwa, who is set to play the latest incarnation of the Doctor in the upcoming seaso

A former writer for a conservative political advocacy group’s website has pleaded guilty to making threats against the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). In a press release Wednesday, the Justice Department said that 34-year-old Adam Michael Nettina of West Friendship, Maryland, pleaded guilty in a U.S. District Court in Baltimore to a federal crime for using a telephone to threaten the Washington, D.C.-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group. Related Stories Catholic website writer threatened to “slaughter” LGBTQ+ people. He got arrested. “We’ll cut your throats. We’ll put a bullet in your head,” he said in a voicemail left with HRC. According to court documents, the HRC, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization, received a threatening voicemail from Nettina on March 28. In his message, Nettina referenced the March 27 mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, in which a 28-year-old shooter, who was reportedly transgender, killed six people, including three

Country singer Ty Herndon has tied the know with his partner, Alex Schwartz, in an outdoor ceremony in Tennessee. Over 300 people, including celebrities like Kristin Chenoweth and Herndon’s longtime friend, Sally Struthers, attended the celebration. Related Stories This epic at-home celebrity performance from multiple “Hairspray” casts has gone viral The casts of the Broadway, movie, and television productions of “Hairspray” united, because even under lockdown, you can’t stop the beat. The decor featured “the formality of black and white juxtaposed against the casual backdrop of the farm,” Herndon told PEOPLE . “We like to call it country chic and everyone loved having a little bit of both experiences.” Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. The men chose Owen Farm, a property on the banks of the Cumberland River, for their big day. “We knew we wanted something that captured our personalities and we fel

Mississippi just elected its first-ever out gay state legislator: 38-year-old Fabian Nelson Nelson beat his Democratic primary opponent in an election runoff for a southern House district on Tuesday. Because no Republican candidates ran for the seat, Nelson will run unopposed in the upcoming November general election and be seated in January, NBC News reported . Related Stories 3000 people showed up to celebrate Pride in the Mississippi town that banned it “I never expected to have this many people,” the mayor said. “I still think I’m in a dream. I’m still trying to process it and take it in,” Nelson told the media outlet. “It’s still shocking to me, I have to be honest.” Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. When he first ran for the same seat in a 2020 special primary election, he ran against six candidates and got just 33 votes — something he blamed on an inability to campaign in person due to COVID-

In Blount County, Tennessee, local attorney general Ryan Desmond sent a letter Tuesday to organizers of a Pride event scheduled for Saturday, threatening them with prosecution for what he anticipates will be violations of Tennessee’s drag ban. The chilling warning comes despite the fact a federal judge blocked the drag ban in June, ruling it unconstitutional. Related Stories Bomb threat fails to shut down drag queen story hour event The drag queen led kids in a fun-filled conga line to a new location as police searched the area. That hasn’t stopped Desmond from claiming he has the authority to prosecute any drag performer who “appeals to a prurient interest,” in the words of the Adult Entertainment Act. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. “It is certainly possible that the event in question will not violate any of the criminal statutes,” Desmond wrote in a three-page “notice” addressed to Blount Prid

A Texas school district halted access to new library books ahead of the 2023–2024 school year over concerns about “sexually explicit” materials. One newly-elected board member went so far as to cite a children’s book about a kitten who wants to be a unicorn as an example. In late June, the Katy Independent School District’s board of trustees ordered superintendent Ken Gregorski to halt purchases of new books and to place new books that had already been purchased in storage until the board could develop new procedures for evaluating materials. According to the Houston Chronicle, the measure was an effort to comply with Texas’s recently passed H.B. 900 , which bans “sexually explicit” materials from school libraries. Related Stories This Texas school blocked suicide prevention websites. Students are fighting back. The district won’t let kids visit the Trevor Project’s website, implying that the LGBTQ suicide prevention organization is full of child predators. At the bo

Six Wyoming sorority sisters sued the national chapter and a transgender student in a ridiculous attempt to force the student out of the local chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The group of mean girls launched vicious and dehumanizing attacks against their fellow sister, Artemis Langford, in court papers. While the women tried to keep their identities a secret, the judge refused the request and publicly schooled Jaylyn Westenbroek, Hannah Holtmeier, Allison Coghan, Grace Choate, Madeline Ramar, and Megan Kosar for their asinine lawsuit. Related Stories Two women kissed in front of an anti-gay Trump supporter & now they’ve gone viral “This dude was homophobic and a Trump supporter so you know we had to do it to him.” The judge noted that the lawsuit was so basic that the women didn’t even lay out any logical reasoning for their case. Instead, Judge Alan B. Johnson pointed out that most of the paperwork submitted by the sisters was nothing more than personal smears.

In September, LGBTQ Nation honors heroes in the community, the heroes who are already among us even as the community faces attacks from the outside. And we want to know about the LGBTQ+ heroes in your community. Who is making your community a better place? Who is trying to change the world for the better? Who inspires you to be the best person you can be? LGBTQ Nation  Heroes is about recognizing good people doing good things. Next month, you’ll be able to vote daily in nine categories among heroes in various fields who were nominated by the editorial team at  LGBTQ Nation . If you know someone who should be recognized,  fill out this nomination form  by the end of the day today. We’ll announce the winners in late September. source https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/08/this-is-your-last-chance-to-tell-us-about-your-lgbtq-hometown-hero/

source https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/08/barbie-outgrossed-harry-potter-at-the-box-office-heres-why-thats-huge/

Right-wingers have increasingly accused Disney of “pushing” an “LGBTQ+ agenda” onto schoolkids . But when one conservative was sked about it on camera, he admitted that he has no idea whether that’s actually happening or not. Davram Stiefler, one-half of the conservative-skewering comedy duo The Good Liars, interviewed a grandparent in a red cap who was touting his support for former President Donald Trump during Trump’s arraignment in Georgia. Related Stories DeSantis’s feud with Disney is costing Florida taxpayers millions of dollars Legal fees for Disney’s district are expected to more than triple in 2024. “Disney was advertising gayness to our kids,” the silver-haired man said in one of The Good Liars’ recent TikTok videos while waving his hands around for emphasis. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. “Sorry,” Stiefler said, “just clarify that, if you don’t mind.” “I don’t,” the man continued. “

Out White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre couldn’t believe the question asked by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy at a recent White House press briefing. “Does President Biden want to limit Americans to two beers a week?” Doocy asked. Related Stories Joe Biden unloads on Fox reporter for asking a “garbage” question Fox’s Peter Doocy asked if Joe Biden is going to give immigrants $450,000. Biden called out his “garbage.” Shaking her head no, Jean-Pierre stammered, “I — I — where is this coming from?” adding, “Maybe I didn’t miss you so much.” Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. Doocy claimed that Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), said, “The U.S. may soon follow Canada and recommend just two beers a week.” Doocy asked the press secretary, “How do you guys think that’s going to go over?” Dr. Koob’s comments on the matter appeared in the B

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong made waves on Fox’s reality series Stars on Mars earlier this summer for clashing with fellow contestants over whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete against cisgender athletes. Now, the show’s winner, out Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, has opened up about what really happened behind the scenes. Rippon says that when Armstrong, who was stripped of his Tour de France titles and an Olympic bronze medal in 2012 for using performance-enhancing drugs, brought up his opinions about trans athletes, “everything changed” on the show. Related Stories Nikki Haley says trans athletes are making teen girls suicidal Haley currently ranks a distant third, behind DeSantis and Trump, for winning the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. “In the show, it’s a few minutes, but in reality, that was a long-winded conversation and it really shifted the focus,” Rippon told Entertainment Weekly . “It changed my experience totally. It was