Florida school board reverses decision nixing access to children’s book about a male penguin couple
Months after access to a popular children’s book about a male penguin couple hatching a chick was restricted at school libraries because of Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay law, a central Florida school district says it has reversed that decision.
New blood donation rules allow more gay men to give in US
New blood donations rules will allow sexually active gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to give in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration guidelines ease decades-old restrictions on blood donations put in place to protect the blood supply from HIV.
LGBTQ community plans to march in Broward against ‘discriminatory’ bills in Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis′ administration is moving to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” as the Republican governor continues to focus on cultural issues ahead of his expected presidential run.
Israeli doctors reject Netanyahu allies' anti-LGBTQ remarks
Israel’s largest medical center and health care workers from hospitals around the country have spoken out against remarks by allies of Benjamin Netanyahu calling for a law to allow discrimination against LGBTQ people in hospitals and businesses.
Rubio, Scott explain votes against bill protecting same-sex marriage
Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, both Republicans, explained their decision to side with the majority of their GOP colleagues in voting against the Respect for Marriage Act, which ultimately passed the Senate with support from Democrats and some Republicans.
U.S. Soccer is making a statement with Pride Crest during World Cup in Qatar
There are many reasons to criticize FIFA for the way they’ve handled the Men’s World Cup that is about to begin in Qatar, and at the top of that list is that they chose to have it in a nation with egregious human rights violations.
South Florida LGBTQ group keeping eye on monkeypox cases amid links to gay events, sauna
Organizers with a South Florida LGBTQ group say they have no plans to cancel an upcoming Pride festival amid suspected links between the current monkeypox outbreak and gay events and saunas, but they are paying close attention to a rise in cases.
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Miami-Dade LGBTQ community debating new version of rainbow pride flag
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – There is a fight brewing to replace the pride flag with something more inclusive, but some in the Miami-Dade County LGBTQ community to don’t want it flying at County Hall. It’s the most iconic, global symbol of lesbian gay bisexual trans and queer pride, and the fight for equality for all. But the historic rainbow flag is now facing a question of whether it should be replaced with a new progressive pride flag, hailed as a more inclusive symbol with black, brown, pink, white and light blue stripes, representing the most marginalized within the LGBTQ community. Now, the Miami Dade County LGBTQ advisory board is debating whether they should follow. Update: Late Wednesday afternoon the advisory board voted 9-to-2 in favor of replacing the rainbow flag with the new, progressive flag at the county building during pride month.
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Study: Pandemic eats into LGBTQ representation on network TV
The percentage of regularly seen LGBTQ characters on streaming as well as prime-time broadcast TV and cable during the 2020-21 season fell. Prime-time broadcast fell to 9.1% after reaching an all-time high of 10.2% last season. GLAAD's report, “Where We Are on TV,” found that 70 out of 773 series regular characters on broadcast scripted prime-time TV were LGBTQ. The group found good news on the second request in the latest study — over half of LGBTQ characters on cable television were people of color, meeting GLAAD’s challenge. The advocacy group noted that nearly half of all LGBTQ representation in prime-time scripted cable is seen on just three networks — FX, Freeform and Showtime.
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Sarah McBride becomes the first openly transgender person to be elected state senator
While most Americans continued awaiting the presidential election results, history was silently being made in Delaware. Sarah McBride, 30, made history on election night by becoming the first openly transgender person to be elected to the state Senate in U.S. history. “I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too,” McBride tweeted Tuesday night after the election was called. McBride is a former spokesperson for the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign and also became the first trans person to speak at a major political convention. McBride will represent parts of Bellefonte, Claymont and Wilmington, the state’s largest city.
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New channel offers fare for women in the LGBTQ community
LOS ANGELES – An online channel devoted to women in the LGBTQ community is launching with shows including a pandemic-set romantic comedy and a paranormal drama. The channel debuts Thursday as part of Revry, a digital platform that offers free, queer-focused programming, including the 24/7 Revry News channel. “I’m overjoyed to offer a free, living and breathing space for queer female stories to be seen across the world,” Revry co-founder LaShawn McGhee said in a statement. Now called OML, it's become “a tentpole brand for the lesbian and queer female communities,” McGhee said. OML has expanded its female-driven content and outreach to a larger audience, a goal that will be enhanced by its partnership with Revry, OML founder Shirin Etessam said in a statement.
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Mixed Philippine reaction on pope nod on gay civil unions
MANILA – Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions drew mixed reactions Thursday in the Philippines, Asia’s bastion of Catholicism, with a retired bishop saying he was scandalized by it while an LGBT group welcomed the pontiff’s remarks with relief. President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said the Philippine leader has long expressed support to same-sex civil unions but added it needed to pass through Congress. Retired Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said he “had very serious doubts about the moral correctness” of the pontiff’s position. He said it ran against long-standing church teachings, which explicitly permit only the union of man and woman whether in civil, legal or church sacramental unions. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte has long supported same-sex civil unions and the papal endorsement may finally convince legislators to give their approval.
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Show us your Pride to celebrate National Coming Out Day
Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day, and for many LGBTQ+ Americans, there are many reasons to celebrate their Pride. National Coming Out Day has been celebrated for 32 years now, and it’s an important reminder on just how far the queer community has come since earlier times. There was an entire generation of LGBTQ Americans who had live inside the closet because of laws and discrimination. So if you’re proud to be out and want it to shout it from the rooftops, tell us about it below! If you have advice for people still in the closet struggling with their identity, maybe offer some advice, and tell us how your life has improved since coming out.
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Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office launches initiative aimed at stopping hate crimes against LGBTQ community
MIAMI – The Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s office announced a new effort to protect South Florida’s LGBTQ community. This comes following a new study revealing a startling amount of hate crimes targeting the group. Now a new FIU study is giving insight into just how severe the issue of crime against members of the LGBTQ community in Miami-Dade County really is. Most victims of reported hate crimes in Miami-Dade County tend to be young and Black, and offenders tend to be older and Hispanic. “The phycological, the emotional, the physical trauma that is experienced, now we have the benefit of this research,” said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
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Sheriff: Silence is standing in the way of ‘Justice for Bree’
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Bree Black’s killer remains on the loose. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said the community can’t allow this and needs to speak up about what they witnessed the night she died. Combined with the offering from Broward Crime Stoppers, that brings the total reward up to $8,000. Bryan Tutler and Detective Louis Bonhomme are asking anyone with information about the murder to call 954-321-4377 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue paramedics found Bree Black dead on July 3.
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‘Harry Potter’ actors come out in support of trans community after J.K. Rowling’s comments
I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter himself, was the first star to make a statement on the matter. His thoughts were long, but to many “Harry Potter” fans, his words were very comforting. And in my opinion, nobody can touch that.”Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, tweeted out in support of the trans community. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.
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Sexual orientation prevents married physicians from rushing to donate plasma after surviving coronavirus
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Dr. John Whitehead and his husband, Dr. Alain Ramirez were both diagnosed with the new coronavirus disease in March. But they are unable to donate the convalescent plasma because they are gay and sexually active. Plasma donor creates website to help COVID-19 patients in needGay and bisexual men face U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s blood donation restrictions dating back to the 1980s. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gay and bisexual men account for about 70% of new HIV infections in the U.S. each year. “We would all like to get our lives back together, but, we have to be safe.”Blood plasma requirements (Local 10 News)
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Miami Beach LGBTQ community icon dies of coronavirus
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Henrietta Robinson, who was an icon among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, died on Friday of complications with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Robinson’s friend Troy Kurtz said she recently underwent hernia surgery and was recovering at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach when her health started to deteriorate. When she shared her story, she would say was reborn in 1959 in Miami Beach. TWIST, a famous South Beach gay club, was her second home. LGBTQ icon Henrietta Robinson dies of coronavirus in Miami BeachRobinson loved gowns.
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Wade says he is proud dad of 12-year-old LGBTQ child
MIAMI – The Ellen DeGeneres Show released a YouTube video Tuesday showing Dwyane Wade said he is proud of his transgender daughter Zaya. The Miami Heat legend recently told DeGeneres that he and his wife, Gabrielle Union, are taking their role as parents of a 12-year-old child, who is a member of the LGBTQ community, very seriously. “Zion, born as a boy, came home and said, ‘Hey! So, I want to talk to you guys. It’s our opportunity to allow you to be a voice.’”
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Drag queens to star in Super Bowl LIV ad
MIAMI – Two drag queens who were RuPaul Drag Race contestants will appear in a Super Bowl LIV commercial for hummus. Sabra Dipping, a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, chose Sang-Young Sin, known as KimChi, and Maxwell Heller, known as Miz Cracker, for their RiDIPulous campaign. "The Super Bowl is the biggest dipping occasion of the year and we’re making sure Sabra plays an unforgettable role in this years, game,” said Jason Levine, Sabra’s chief marketing officer since March 2019. Sabra’s Super Bowl LIV campaign also includes rapper T-Pain and Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Teresa Giudice and Caroline Manzo.

More LGBTQ characters on television than ever before
iStock/Rikke68(CNN) - A record-breaking number of LGBTQ characters will appear on broadcast television by the time this year's season is over. Of the 120 LGBTQ broadcast characters, 62 (52%) are people of color. Similarly, 48% of recurring LGBTQ characters on cable are people of color, a 2% increase from last year. Just 41% of the 153 LGBTQ characters are people of color, marking a 7 percentage point drop from the previous year. GLAAD reports 33% of broadcast and 30% of cable LGBTQ characters are lesbian, both jumps from the prior year.

Fort Lauderdale passes anti-discrimination law protecting LGBTQ residents
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass several protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents. The 44-page non-discrimination ordinance protects the city's LGBTQ community from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations in the city. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said the ordinance doesn't create special rights for the city's LGBTQ community. "It is to establish equal rights for a population that has long been denied such rights," Trantalis said. "For the city of Fort Lauderdale to specifically step up and be such a leader in the area of policy is exceptionally exciting," Saunders said.

NJ mayor: LGBTQ rights movement 'an affront to almighty God'
BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (CNN) - A New Jersey mayor called the LGBTQ rights movement "an affront to almighty God" at a town council meeting and warned that people who support "unrighteous laws" will be held accountable. Barnegat Township Mayor Alfonso Cirulli, a former assistant principal, began Tuesday by condemning a state law that requires LGBTQ-inclusive material be taught in public school. He said, "There is no hate or bigotry intended here," and that his comments did not represent the Barnegat Township Committee. Fuscarino said, however, that Garden State Equality has a "great working relationship" with the Barnegat school district and called Cirulli "an outlier." In a statement posted on its website, superintendent Dr. Brian Latwis wrote that the Barnegat Township School District would comply with state guidelines.

LGBT activist murdered in Russia
(CNN) - An LGBTQ rights activist who was murdered in St. Petersburg had received death threats and was named on a website urging vigilante violence, campaigners have said. Grigoryeva also protested against Russia's backing of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, Olga Smirnova, a friend and fellow activist, told CNN. A spokeswoman for the Russian LGBT Network told CNN that Grigoryeva's name was included on a Russian website that identified LGBT activists and called for vigilante action against them. "The situation is scary, especially for LGBT activists. Asked about threats that Grigoryeva received, Smirnova said: "She did not just complain, she kept us informed about all the threats that she received.

LGBTQ leader apologizes after welcoming accused men to gala
The executive director of a group dedicated to protecting LGBTQ rights is now apologizing after welcoming four men accused in a hate crime to the organization's Champions of Equality Gala. Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Leader of LGBTQ group apologizes after welcoming men accused in hate crime to equality gala
MIAMI - The executive director of a group dedicated to protecting LGBTQ rights is now apologizing after welcoming four men accused in a hate crime to the organization's Champions of Equality Gala. The four men who were welcomed to the gala are accused of beating up a gay couple on Miami Beach last April. Lima said the accused wanted to get involved with his organization, so he offered them the ability to rehabilitate and volunteer. The men bought their own tickets to the gala, Lima said. "I don't remember ever saying 'wrongfully accused,'" Lima said.

Leader of LGBTQ group apologizes after welcoming men accused in hate crime to equality gala
MIAMI - The executive director of a group dedicated to protecting LGBTQ rights is now apologizing after welcoming four men accused in a hate crime to the organizations Champions of Equality Gala. "I really am sorry to the victims, Lima said. Lima said the accused wanted to get involved with his organization, so he offered them the ability to rehabilitate and volunteer. The men bought their own tickets to the gala, Lima said. I don't remember saying wrongfully accused, Lima said.

Thousands expected to take to NYC streets for WorldPride
(CNN) - New York has always been a major Pride destination, but this year's celebration is expected to draw record crowds. "The LGBTQ community is an essential part of NYC," New York Police Department Commissioner James O'Neill said at a news conference on Tuesday. Sunday's march caps off a month of events that included a rally commemorating Stonewall 50, Youth Pride and Pride Island, a three-day outdoor music festival. "New York City is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement," Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted last week. Last year's march in New York City featured more than 550 groups and more than 100 floats.

Young adults becoming less tolerant of LGBTQ community, poll suggests
NEW YORK - As millions of people arrive in New York City to celebrate 50 years of victories in the gay rights movement, a new poll shows that young people are growing less tolerant of the LGBTQ community. "I think our country is very polarized right now," one person in NYC to celebrate Pride said. When it comes to rights for Americans who identify as transsexual, a Pew Research Center poll shows that 39 percent of Americans say enough has been done. Trans activists say that isn't the case, pointing to the Trump administration policies against LGBTQ Americans, including a ban on trans men and women serving in the military. "He's created another, 'Don't ask, don't tell,'" said Monica Helms, a transgender activist and U.S. Navy veteran.

Are young adults becoming less tolerant of LGBTQ community?
As millions of people arrive in New York City to celebrate 50 years of victories in the gay rights movement, a new poll shows that young people are growing less tolerant of the LGBTQ community. Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Country star Jake Owen claps back at anti-LGBTQ commenter
(CNN) - Please "Believe" that Jake Owen will not allow people to diss the LGBTQ community. The country singer took on an Instagram commenter who had words to say regarding Owen's latest song. "Some of my closest friends and coworkers, are part of the #lgbt community and I couldn't be more happy for the progress they have made," Owen wrote in the caption. Owen went on to say, "I BELIEVE the world needs more love. The singer asked the commenter to come find him for a hug at the concert if he or she attended.
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Miami Beach Pride Week: Friday events
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The LGBTQ community is celebrating Pride Week with several events Friday in Miami Beach. Here is the list:SUNSET SOCIALMusician Emily Estefan is hosting a happy hour with complimentary Tito's drinks from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. atThe Standard Spa at 40 Island Ave., in Miami Beach. ELEGANT GALAThis year Morgan Stanley presents the Pride VIP Gala at the Emanuel Luxury Venue at 1723 Washington Ave., in South Beach. POOL PARTYThis Women's Pride Weekend events includes this Fling party for lesbians from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the rooftop of The Palace at 1052 Ocean Dr. in South Beach. The event benefits Miami Beach Pride.