Blythe del Kuzio

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) continues his battle with Disney in court, the House of Mouse has expressed fear for the future of the First Amendment should DeSantis come out on top. The lawsuit accuses DeSantis of a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint” after the entertainment company publicly criticized his “Don’t Say Gay” law. In court documents filed on Monday, Disney reportedly warned that a DeSantis victory would lead to a slew of other companies being punished for expressing a “disfavored viewpoint.” Related: Tennessee GOP rejects millions in funding to avoid LGBTQ+ mandates State schools and clinics will lose vital funding because of anti-queer Republican politics. “If the line is not drawn here, there is no line at all,” Disney stated. “The retaliation against Disney for crossing the Governor’s ‘line’ was swift and severe: for the explicitly-stated purpose of punishing Disney ...

The Republican Congressman behind a recent resolution to expel disgraced Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from the House has suggested there may be enough votes to make it happen. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY)  introduced the resolution last week, and according to The Hill , he said Monday, “I think there is an opportunity for it to pass, because I think we have the opportunity to set a new precedent.” Related: Could anti-LGBTQ+ extremist Mike Johnson cost Republicans the House? As Republicans try to hold on to a razor thin majority, one columnist believes Johnson is the democrats’ “dream candidate.” The resolution, introduced Thursday, gave the House’s Republican leaders two legislative days to decide whether to allow a vote or move the resolution to a committee. Either decision will require a majority vote. The House went into recess last Thursday afternoon and will return this Wednesday. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who c...

Anti-LGBTQ+ extremist Chaya Raichik – who runs the social media account “Libs of TikTok” – has been sparring with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) over the organization’s decision to include her in its Glossary of Extremism. After Raichik made a stink about being labeled an extremist, threatening legal action if she wasn’t removed from the list, the Jewish anti-hate organization angered progressives by caving to her demands. Related: Elon Musk brutally mocked for saying “cis” is a “heterosexual slur” “The word ‘musk’ is a slur for ugly white men. shame on anyone who uses it.” ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I’m calling on the @ADL to immediately remove my name from their “Glossary of Extremism.” Not only have they defamed me, they also lumped me in with terrorist organizations like Hamas. They have until Oct 31st to remove this defamatory entry before I’m forced to… pic.twitter.com/lJTsmgO454 — Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) October 24, 2023 Get the Daily Brief The news y...

Vermont’s largest school district, the Champlain Valley School District, has passed a set of policies that affirm transgender and nonbinary students’ identities. The policies require schools to let trans students access school facilities, play on sports teams, and use pronouns and names that match their gender identity without informing potentially unsupportive parents. The policies, which closely follow the trans- and nonbinary-inclusive guidelines issued by the state Agency of Education in 2017, were developed using “feedback from principals, school counselors, and nurses, students, and parents, along with staff from the Vermont Department of Health and Outright Vermont,” the independent state publication Seven Days reported . The school board unanimously voted in favor of the policies, which underwent two rounds of legal review and will affect the district’s over 4,000 students. Related: Children born in Vermont can now be identified as non-binary from birth Parents c...

The self-loathing anti-LGBTQ+ organization Gays Against Groomers (GAG) held a rally last weekend at Lambeau Field in Wisconsin, home of the Green Bay Packers. Twelve people showed up. Related: Alabama lawmaker & Moms for Liberty want to expand “Don’t Say Gay” law to all grades The angry mothers are on board for an “age appropriate curriculum” bill in high school. The sad gathering was another indication of the diminishing influence of the group, which has been riven by internal strife as the organization’s leaders battle over which candidate for the Republican presidential nomination best embodies GAG’s hateful ideology. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter The group, founded in Wisconsin by political operative Jaimee Michell, claims to oppose the “sexualization and indoctrination of children.” This largely means opposing transgender-inclusive social policies, LGBTQ+ content i...

A school district in Missouri is considering an anti-trans bathroom policy that includes a provision aimed at banning litter boxes. As the Los Angeles Blade reports, the Francis Howell School District in suburban St. Louis held a public hearing last week concerning the policy , which would require students to use either single occupancy gender-neutral restrooms or restrooms that correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth. The policy requires district schools to provide “at a minimum, one single-use restroom for student use.” Related: Montana’s top education official says schools are letting kids use cat litterboxes The only problem: It’s complete BS. But as journalist Erin Reed notes , single-occupancy restrooms can be inconveniently located, and forcing trans students to use them can lead to students being outed. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter The district’s propos...

CNN’s Jake Tapper has no time for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) hypocrisy when it comes to antisemitism. Reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel, the State Of the Union host tore into the anti-LGBTQ+ congresswoman – who has a history of making antisemitic comments – for introducing a resolution to censure Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for her statements against Israel. “The degree to which some folks only pretend to care about antisemitism when they can weaponize it never ceases to amaze,” Tapper opened, proceeding to detail Greene’s laundry list of antisemitic indiscretions. Related: Marjorie Taylor Greene suddenly cares about LGBTQ+ rights when she can attack Muslims One of the most anti-LGBTQ+ people in the country is suddenly concerned about tolerance for what she calls “gender lies.” “Greene spoke at the white supremacist conference run by Holocaust denier, racist, anti-semite Nick Fuentes, who participated in that hateful 2017 Charlottesville ral...

Out gay legislator Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) has introduced two bills to research and create a National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture. Though it’s the second time that he and House Democrats have introduced this legislation, It’s unlikely the bills will pass in the Republican-led House. The first bill would create an eight-person commission of museum planners and LGBTQ+ researchers to identify potential locations for the museum and develop a fundraising plan so it may fully operate without government funding. The commission will have 18 months to complete its study and submit a legislative plan of action to Congress, The Hill reported . The second bill would formally create the museum. Related: Museum of Pop Culture removes JK Rowling’s name from exhibit & calls her “a joy-sucking entity” The Harry Potter author’s “hateful and divisive” views got her booted from Seattle. In its report, the commission must address whether the museum should become a par...

Gay dads on an outing with their daughter were attacked and chased through downtown Albuquerque by a young man screaming homophobic slurs, as seen in a newly released police bodycam video . Michael Drennan and his husband Matthew Kisner were visiting family in nearby Santa Fe and thought a trip on the New Mexico Rail Runner to Albuquerque would make for a fun Father’s Day celebration. Related: Attacker who murdered gay men & stabbed the eye of another is going away for a long time Yousef Palani pleaded guilty to the horrific violence. Soon after disembarking from the train, the family was accosted by a young man screaming obscenities. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter “This homeless guy like, attacked us. He hit us with a pole. He’s following us. He’s aggressive. He’s cursing, he’s screaming. My daughter’s scared,” Kisner told Albuquerque police dispatch at the time.  ...

It’s sometimes more satisfying to strike back when someone hurts you. Whether it’s thoughtless or purposeful, a hurtful comment can ruin your day. So when a Twitter troll sent a gay minister a snide comment, no one would have denied him a snarky reply. In the queer community, it might have been expected or celebrated. Related: The spectacular freedom of embracing she/ he/they pronouns My gender truly does feel all-encompassing. It’s fluid, it’s masculine, it’s feminine, it’s all of it, it’s none of it. But his gentle response to the troll’s message has been viewed millions of times, showing that love is frequently the most effective weapon. Sometimes, the worst in other people brings out the best in us. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter “No one caress [sic] that you’re gay,” the person wrote. “But why do you have to shove it in our faces every single day. And you wonder why yo...

In the early 90s, as the AIDS crisis reached a fever pitch and LGBTQ+ hate crimes rose to their highest level in decades, a serial killer preyed upon New York City’s queer community.  Based on the true-crime book by Elon Green, HBO’s docuseries Last Call chronicles the story of a string of queer murders in four parts. The series deep dives into both the heinous killings and the botched investigation thereafter. To cover a case this dynamic, the filmmakers behind the series spoke to a wide swath of subjects. The episodes are stacked with interviews from LGBTQ+ activists, NYPD officials, victims’ families, and club owners, all amist the backdrop of early 90s Manhattan archival footage.  Related: Bygone no more: This ’60s film about teachers accused of lesbianism could easily take place today The “groomer” narrative is nothing new. It has just been repackaged. One of the most influential aspects of the case was the NYPD’s neglect. Through interviews with law enf...

Spooky season means more than just putting on your scariest — or, if you’re a certain type of gay, sexiest — costume and partying well past the witching hour. The days leading up to Halloween are a perfect time to queue up a slew of horror movies for your own private fright fest. And as Derek Le Beau, the film buff behind Queer Cinema Archive , explains, LGBTQ+ people have a very unique relationship to the genre. “So many of us are drawn to horror,” he says. “I think part of that is because for decades it was one of the only genres where we had representation, whether it was good or bad.” Related: 5 iconic films that have defined the queer experience New York’s LGBTQ+ film festival, NewFest, is celebrating its 35th anniversary. So we asked staff about the most influential films it has shown. On his Queer Cinema Archive Instagram and TikTok accounts, Le Beau exhaustively catalogs and analyzes LGBTQ+ representation and queer coding across a wide spectrum of films. He’s c...