According to The Dallas Voice, an Ohio trans woman announced her candidacy for the state’s legislature, challenging an anti-LGBT+ Republican. Arienne Childrey announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination in Ohio House District 84, saying, “If you’re going to harm our communities, then you have to compete against someone from our community.” The District 84 incumbent State Rep. Angela King co-sponsored legislation last year to ban drag in Ohio and supported legislation that would reduce transgender people’s access to gender-affirming care and school sports. Childrey calls herself, among other things, a “bird mother of six” and “proud trans activist” on her Instagram page.
But, PinkNews noted that another trans candidate in Ohio was barred from running for the state’s House of Representatives due to her concealment of her last name. Vanessa Joy had intended to run for District 50 as a Democratic member. However, if a candidate has changed their name in the last five years, they are required by state law to list their previous names on their election requests. Candidates who change their names after marriage are exempt from the law.
Alba Martinez, a director in Vanguard’s Retail Investor Group, has been named the city commerce director by Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, according to Philadelphia Gay News. The second Latina and openly LGBTQ+ person to hold this position will be Martinez, who is originally from Puerto Rico. Although this is undoubtedly a city-wide position, Martinez, who is gay, said, “I do recognize the importance of representation and inclusion.” “I want to make sure that the LGBTQ+ community receives the presence, recognition, and help it deserves because it plays a really important part in the financial tale of our capital.”
Some people will be surprised by the 10 states that passed the worst anti-LGBT+ laws in 2023, according to a piece by The Advocate. They include North Carolina, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky (overriding Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto), and Florida (expanding its notorious “Don’t Say Gay” measure to public-school instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity through high school graduation). Senate Bill 150, a “don’t say gay” measure that also forbids gender-affirming care for minors, was vetoed by Andy Beshear in Montana and Iowa. Anti-LGBT+ policy was also passed in Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming last year.
According to Gay City News, U.S. District Judge Stephen H. Locher issued a preliminary injunction against Iowa leaders for preventing the implementation of many provisions of the recently passed Senate File 496. The law, which was signed into law on May 26, 2023, is intended to prohibit any “programs, promotion, and education relating to gender identity and sexual preference” for students in grades K through 6 and to require the removal of books and other materials from school libraries if they contain descriptions of “sexual acts.” Among other things, Locher referred to the limitations on library content as “incredibly broad” based on the facts asserted by the plaintiffs.
Researchers in a controversial study that was published in Science Advances examined 450,000 people in the United Kingdom and came to the conclusion that the genes underlying lesbian behavior are different from those driving unique same-sex behavior and may be linked to risk-taking. Authors hypothesize that this link to risk-taking may also help to explain why men who have a history of lesbian behavior continue to have relatively high numbers of offspring, despite having fewer than homosexual men. The association between lesbian behavior and risk-taking, according to research co-author Jianzhi Zhang, a geneticist at the University of Michigan, “is an empirical observation.” We believe that taking risks has advantages and disadvantages (depending on the circumstances), just like almost any other character.
According to NBC Miami, two men—Jorge Giovani Estevez and Daiken Fernandez—were arrested in connection with a November-recorded terrible beating of LGBTQ+ women in Miami’s Wynwood community. After leaving an event on November 26, a group of gay and trans women claimed they were verbally and physically assaulted. One of the victims remarked, “Basically, this group of guys just started screaming things at us, anti-lesbian comments, like, ‘You’re only lesbians because you haven’t received actual,’ and he used a profanity word… out of nowhere.” Fernandez was charged with misdemeanor battery with discrimination, while Estevez was accused of battery without discrimination.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Grapevine diner Piaf Kitchen + Wine + Bar in Texas canceled a drag show from its New Year’s Eve party program after receiving criticism on social media. On December 31, Piaf promoted a “drag show” as part of the circus work at an expensive party that also featured draft throwing, magicians, palm readers, dinner, music, and a DJ. To maintain a more universally pleasurable and safe experience for all, the cafe later posted that the portfolio had been changed: “For the safety of our Performers, and Staff, as well as for the enjoyment of our Guests.” One of those criticizing the drag show was Julie McCarty, the leader of the Grapevine-based True Texas Project drink party group, who also criticized having the palm reader. Eventually, it was planned for the drag performers to perform somewhere else.
According to The Maine Wire, the Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) has awarded $8.7 million in state and federal tax credits to affordable housing projects in Bangor, Bath, Portland, and Westbrook. The largest combined state and federal tax credits have been awarded to Portland’s Equality Community Center, which will fund the development of 45 units of affordable housing “for LGBTQ+ seniors and allies.” The center’s mission is to provide affordable housing with easy access to public services, healthcare, entertainment, and recreation in the heart of Portland.
According to The Bay Area Reporter, California has implemented a new LGBTQ+ cultural competency training requirement for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians licensed in the state. The training, required by January 1 due to the passage of Assembly Bill 2194 authored by gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) in 2022, was delayed by a year to give the state pharmacy board time to implement it and for accredited professional organizations to develop training on LGBTQ+ issues.
After electing Bevan Dufty as chair for 2024, the board of directors of BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in California may have gay leadership for the second consecutive year, as reported by The Bay Area Reporter. Dufty, a gay man representing District 9 in San Francisco, was previously elected president in 2019. He announced in 2023 that he would not run for re-election to the BART board.
Dr. Jesse R. Peel, who inspired the Drs. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center at East Carolina University (ECU), passed away in Atlanta at the age of 83, according to WNCT. A UNC Chapel Hill graduate who also completed his residency in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, Peel was listed in an ECU web profile. After leaving the military, he worked at a gay men’s clinic in Atlanta during the AIDS crisis. The center at ECU, established in 2014 through a gift from him and his family, is the largest of its kind in the UNC system.
The Independent reported that openly gay former CNN host Don Lemon criticized GOP political candidate Nikki Haley for asking for forgiveness after failing to mention slavery as the cause of the Civil War at a New Hampshire town hall event. Lemon wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Nikki Haley asks for grace for using a poor choice of words when, after I misspoke in some comments involving her, she didn’t offer me that same grace.” When Lemon was a CNN anchor in February, he made comments about Haley that prompted his response. “Nikki Haley is past her prime,” he said at the time, referring to a remark Haley made about potential “mental competency tests” for politicians older than 75. Haley then referred to Lemon as a CNN liberal in an email to supporters.
According to The Hill, U.S. District Judge Liles Burke in Alabama denied the Biden administration’s request to pause a legal case against the state of Alabama’s ban on transgender youth while other judicial bodies, including the US Supreme Court, consider related issues in other states. Burke stated in a stay that “may actually be the most efficient way to proceed in this case, but only if it signals that it will determine the governing standard of review.”
CNN reported that U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015, to pay the couple’s attorneys $260,000 in fees and costs in addition to the jury-awarded $100,000 in damages last year. David Ermold and David Moore sued after Davis or her office repeatedly denied them marriage licenses. Bunning ruled in 2022 that Davis had violated their constitutional rights, and a jury awarded the couple $100,000 in damages in September 2023.
NBC News reported that New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella’s office filed a civil rights lawsuit in June against the neo-Nazi organization NSC (Nationalist Social Club)-131. Formella accused 19 unidentified members and leader Christopher Hood of violating state anti-discrimination laws by using intimidation to try to stop a cafe’s drag story hour. The event was hosted at Teatotaller, an LGBTQ-owned coffee shop in Concord, and featured drag queen Juicy Garland.
According to an OutSFL article that cited the Nebraska Examiner, Nebraska state senator John Fredrickson and his husband Jeff Formanek established the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). New UNL students who support LGBTQ rights and causes may receive continued financial aid from the account. Fredrickson stated in a movie, “We feel so fortunate that this new system may actually have an impact on paving the way for Nebraska and Nebraskans.”
According to The Washington Blade, authorities sectioned off a well-known band in Takoma Park, Maryland, following the bomb threat that shut down firms, including Tara Hoot’s holiday performance. Mike Rothman, the general manager of MotorKat, claimed that around lunch, Takoma Park authorities informed them of a bomb threat to their operations. (Hoot was giving a performance at MotorKat when the evacuation order was received.) Later that evening, businesses resumed operations.
According to a press release, the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists is accepting website votes for its 2024 Excellence in Journalism Awards. People can apply for the Excellence in Journalism Awards, including non-members and editors who do not recognize as LGBTQ+. Submission date is noon ET on Monday, April 1. Visit website nlgja.org/excellence-in-journalism-awards/ for more information.
According to the AP, Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned in the face of accusations of plagiarism and criticism over witness at a legislative hearing, where she was able to categorically state that calling for the murder of Jews on campus would go against the school’s do policy. Following the parliamentary witness, Liz Magill, the current president of the University of Pennsylvania, resigned on December 9. Gay is the next Ivy League leader to step down in the past month.
The Juneau Empire noted that the first-ever Miss Gay Alaska had just been crowned in the state funds. Following a two-night rivalry among five challengers at the Juneau Arts and Cultural Center, anchor native Lamia Monroe was crowded. But, Miss Guise, the winner and second runner-up, are both moving forward to engage in the national pageant on January 16 and 19, deviating from the usual rules for pageants. Soon after being crowned, Monroe remarked, “It feels a tiny surreal.” It is Alaska’s primary federal system, according to reports. Therefore, it seems a little bigger than only me.
One of the oldest gay restaurants in Scottsdale, BS West, announced its intention to shut on January 7 after 35 years, according to AZCentral.com. “We want to express our sincere gratitude and best wishes to those who made our journey worthwhile as we approach the end of an era,” according to a Facebook post. “Thank you to the staff, show throws, companions, and devoted customers who over the years helped us establish a welcoming environment.” Since its founding in 1988, BS West has been known as a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ group. It took up two floors on Fifth Avenue and held drag displays, trans nights, and go-go dancers.
The infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s partners were identified in court documents that were made public. Prince Andrew of Great Britain, original U.S. president Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, Michael Jackson, and David Copperfield are among the high-profile names mentioned in the court documents, according to The Guardian. The names of these associates were listed in court documents submitted as part of Epstein complainant Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty in December 2021 of sex trafficking and other related offenses for obtaining young girls for shamed financial magnate Epstein.
Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon, criticized the company’s ongoing efforts to promote equality and diversification, Newsweek noted. Wilson, who left the company in 2015, expressed his displeasure with Lululemon’s “whole diversity and inclusion factor” and the way the folks in its advertisements appeared, saying they appeared “unhealthy,” “ill,” and “not inspirational.” “Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon, and his opinions do not reflect our company views or ideas,” a company director wrote to Newsweek via email.
