LGBTQ

Nike has dropped Manny Pacquiao from its label in light of his recent comments today. Nike does so in light of the boxer’s recent comments remarks where he said those in gay relationships “are worse than animals.” USA Today reports that Nike wasted no time immediately dropping Pacquiao for his homophobic statement and issued a […]

http://cdn3.wibbitz.com/player?id=bfc015d096782430b9d861a8163867925 Manny Pacquiao has been receiving a ton of backlash over his controversial statements on gay relationships, most particularly the part where he emphatically said that those who practice such acts are “worse than animals.” The Filipino boxer, who is running for a Senate seat in the 2016 Philippine elections, may be skilled at dodging […]

Ashley Diamond, a transgender woman denied medical care while in prison, has settled her lawsuit with Georgia prison officials. Savannah Morning News reports that Diamond, 37, voluntarily withdrew her lawsuit last week, after the state of Georgia agreed to pay her $250,000 to settle out of court. However, according to attorney Chinyere Ezie, the compensation […]

Gay students in Winchester, Tennesse, wanted to start a club where they could safely discuss issues important to them: sexual orientation, bullying, and equal rights. They did what students across the country have done. They started a Gay-Straight Alliance, where students of all sexual orientations could meet in a safe place to discuss such issues […]

Would same-sex marriages be endangered if Donald Trump or Ted Cruz wins the White House in November? Both Trump and Cruz have made their objections to Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage, abundantly clear. Both have said they’ll ignore or change the law if elected to the White House. Marco […]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new regulations Saturday that would curb the use of so-called “Gay Conversion Therapy” in the Empire State, CNN is reporting. The new rules don’t outright ban the practice, but rather instead place tight restrictions on it. Specifically, Cuomo’s regulations would prevent public and private insurers from paying for gay […]

Lily-Rose Depp is speaking about the reports that labeled her as “queer” last year. The daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis says she doesn’t understand why her sexuality suddenly became a hot topic. The 16-year-old opened up about her sexuality in the latest issue of Nylon magazine. Back in August, 2015, Lily-Rose made headlines […]

A transgender Girl Scout has taken a bad experience from a local bully and turned it into a positive experience, selling thousands of boxes of cookies after her story went viral, Buzzfeed is reporting. Nine-year-old Stormi (her last name has not been disclosed, in order to protect her and her family’s privacy) is biologically male, […]

An anti-gay unions rally in Rome, Italy, drew thousands of protesters to Rome’s Circus Maximus on Saturday. The Italians who attended the anti-gay marriage rally turned out in hopes of urging the government to drop legislation that would legally recognize homosexual couples and give them limited rights to adopt. The introduction of the Italian same-sex […]

An 82-year-old veteran just received an honorable discharge six decades after the U.S. Army kicked him out for being gay, the CBS News reported. When a 21-year-old Donald Hallman was “undesirably” discharged by the U.S. Army in 1955 under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” he was so scared and ashamed that he burned all his military […]

Nearly 100 towns and cities across Italy saw protesters roll out in their tens of thousands on Saturday in a bid to support gay civil unions and encourage the government to legally recognize gay and lesbian couples and their families. The protest comes ahead of a bill scheduled to be debated in Parliament on Thursday […]

University of Victoria Professor Aaron Devor, internationally recognized sex and gender expert, was named the world’s first chair of transgender studies. His goal will be to research ways to improve the lives of transgender people. World’s only Chair in Transgender Studies announced today @TransArchives #trans #canqueer https://t.co/k6loIuhpVZ https://t.co/k5FvHPUGs9 — UVic News (@uvicnews) January 15, 2016 […]

Shortly after 14-year-old Jazz Jennings co-authored the book, I Am Jazz, TLC picked up the rights to adapt the book and the lives of the Jennings family for television. Now, the story of Jazz Jennings’ life, her struggles and experiences, are available for the world to see. While the transgender teenager has achieved a measure […]

Chief Justice Roy Moore, of Alabama, recently re-entered the seemingly settled battle over marriage equality. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in the summer of 2015, officials in several states have continued to fight to try to either prevent same-sex couples from marrying in their states or counties, or to at least make receiving a marriage […]

Cate Blanchett is stunning, elegant, and sophisticated. But she has still made her fashion mistakes. She recently told Allure that her biggest regret was dying her arm hair in high school. “Bleaching my arm hair in high school — it was copper orange in patches and purple in others. Never again.” Cate Blanchett also spoke […]

A new private school will open in Georgia to cater to LGBT members of the youth and academe. The Pride School in Atlanta is a K-12 educational institution that aims to provide a safer and discrimination-free learning environment to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students. In addition, the school also encourages teachers from the LGBT […]

The New Year’s day Mummers parade was denounced by Philadelphia’s mayor, Jim Kenney, and organizers of the 116-year-old annual event. Some of the marchers based their entire acts around Caitlyn Jenner jokes, while others allegedly harassed and and mocked gay and transgender people. Racist jokes were also made about Mexicans using brownface, although the Mummers […]

Eddie Redmayne is an Oscar winner, but now he will be a father, which will undoubtedly be the biggest role of his entire life. Daily Mail reports that Redmayne and his wife, Hannah Bagshawe, are expecting their first child sometime in June. This news comes as the couple recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary and […]

The Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality may seem like old news and settled law, but for some politicians, it’s still a battle to be fought. In Tennessee, at least one State Representative is still bringing up an idea some states have already considered and discarded: eliminating marriage licenses altogether. Some marriage equality supporters say […]

A transgendered teen girl (who is biologically male) has been granted the right to use the girls’ locker room at a suburban Chicago high school, and now some of the girls who will be forced to change clothes in her presence are speaking out, the Daily Signal is reporting. Palatine, Illinois, is a well-to-do suburb […]

Making the commitment to live life as a member of the opposite sex and revealing the change to family members and friends can be both tough and relieving at the same time. However, a Canadian man took the decision further, choosing to not only live his life as a woman but also revert back to […]

Transgender prisoner Vicky Thompson, a 21-year-old in Leeds, England, may have killed herself when she was transferred to an all-male prison, according to a new report from the BBC. Thompson was discovered unresponsive at Armley prison on Nov. 13. She had previously been sentenced to a 12-month jail term (suspended for two years) on an […]

The mother of a transgender teen in Chicago is speaking out, after a great deal of controversy over her fight to have her daughter allowed equal access to the girls’ locker room. Because her daughter is transgender, critics have called the fight an excuse to let a boy see nude teen girls, and a danger […]

A same-sex couple’s foster child was ordered removed from the home earlier this month, with the judge in the case declaring that the child should be placed instead with a heterosexual couple, because, he said, those homes are better for children. The backlash was immediate, and the order was quickly reversed — at least temporarily. […]

Starbucks has declared its shops are a “Safe Place” for the LGBT community. The coffee house chain confirmed its Seattle stores are now officially LGBT friendly, and the workforce has been trained to be sensitive to the issues faced by the community. Starbucks announced Wednesday that its Seattle stores are officially “Safe Places” for members […]

A transgender man, 29-year-old Kayden Coleman, had been transitioning for 10 years, and he recently found out that he was 21 weeks pregnant. Coleman had been on hormone treatments for 10 years to suppress the ability to get pregnant. However, at the time of conception, the transgender man had been off hormones to prepare for […]

Obama has become the first U.S. president to be featured on the cover of OUT Magazine. His opinions and stance on issues faced by the LGBT community were the reasons; he graced the cover of OUT magazine’s OUT100 issue as “Ally of the Year.” Barack Obama has become the first sitting U.S. president to appear […]

Concern and fear is growing within the transgender community in the United States due to an alarming spike in the number of murders being committed against its members in the past 12 months. The Guardian reports that murders have almost doubled over 2014, with an estimated 22 transgender or “gender non-conforming” individuals being killed in […]

While the Church of Latter-Day Saints isn’t exactly known for its progressive view on LGBT issues, one new stance of the religion has sent shockwaves through the Mormon gay community. According to new policy described in its official handbook, the Mormon church will no longer allow minors who are living under the roof of same-sex […]

Beyonce has come under fire from a Houston LGBT group after the “Drunk in Love” singer stayed silent as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance comes under threat. Activist Carlos Maza reached out to Beyonce, who is a Houston native, to help his cause, but Beyonce has yet to speak out, sparking the ire of the […]

A lesbian couple on vacation in Hawaii were roughed up and arrested after a Honolulu cop didn’t care for their public displays of affection, including kissing in public, the couple allege in a lawsuit filed this week. Uh… WTF: Lesbian couple files lawsuit claiming cop punched and arrested them simply for kissing https://t.co/9JRdt00Ah2 — huffpostgay […]

In Islamic society, not much consideration is given for those who are gay, and gay rights are a distant dream. While being gay is not actually illegal, the staunchly religious Indonesian province of Aceh will start dispensing punishment in the form of public canings — 100 lashes by thin rattan sticks — for any discovered […]

Julia Roberts never intended to be an outspoken supporter of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, but like her friend George Clooney before her, once she heard about the initiative and learned about the amazing work that they do, she couldn’t help but be a fan and supporter. People reported that Julia Roberts first […]

LGBT conversion therapy ban protests spark heated debate nationwide. In 2014, the Obama administration called for an end to the counseling offered to gay and lesbian young people. A taxpayer-funded study prompted a new government report also calling for such a therapy ban. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report stated that […]

Dylan Settles, 20, received a letter from his Arkansas church approximately three months after her came out as gay. The young man claims that the Woods Chapel General Baptist Church in Brookland, Arkansas, sent him a letter noting that he had “immediately” been removed from the church roll due to the fact he was openly […]

An Illinois woman named Ellen Maurizio learned nine years ago that her husband of 30 years was transgender, and wanted to transition into a woman named Erica. Despite the change in gender identity, Ellen says that though she was initially shocked, she knew that she loved Erica and couldn’t image her life without her other […]

As Kim Davis faces a possible class action lawsuit, her attorneys at the Liberty Counsel aren’t backing down. They’re demanding the ACLU back off, instead — and encouraging others to follow in Davis’ footsteps by ignoring the Supreme Court ruling. The Liberty Counsel announced Friday that its attorneys had filed a response to the ACLU’s […]

National Coming Out Day, established by Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary in 1988, according to About, was founded in celebration of the second gay march on Washington a year earlier. The day is designed to celebrate those in the LGBTQ community and the process of coming out. Coming out is defined loosely as the process […]

Chris Burns, an assistant basketball coach at Bryant University, is the first openly gay Division I men’s basketball coach in NCAA history. Burns chose to reveal his sexual orientation by publishing an essay on OutSports. Speaking from his heart, Chris Burns chose to discuss his decision to come out, revealing that the reality is a […]

The Philadelphia Police Department is asking the public for help in bringing the murderers of Keisha Jenkins to justice. According to reports, officers were called in to check on an alleged robbery in progress and a possible shooting at around 2:30am on Tuesday. When they arrived, the officers found Jenkins on the ground and immediately […]

It looks like Pope Francis met with a same sex couple during his historic U.S. visit. The news, reported by CNN, comes as a bit of a balm to shell-shocked LGBT rights supporters this week. On Tuesday, news broke that the Pope met with Kim Davis, the notorious clerk refusing to sign same-sex marriage certificates […]

Pope Francis continues to create newsworthy moments even after his first visit to the United States through a meeting with controversial Kentucky clerk Kim Davis. Davis, who previously spent six days in jail after denying marriages licenses to same-sex couples in her county, sat down with the Pope in a private meeting held Thursday at […]

A California kindergarten student was kicked out of the Mt. Erie Christian Academy because she has two moms. The 5-year-old girl attended both preschool and summer school offerings at the academy, but was reportedly denied permission to enroll in kindergarten classes before the new school year started, just after Labor Day. The California kindergarten student’s […]

Still fresh from her short stint in jail, Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis may yet again find herself behind bars. On September 14, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ended Davis’ jail sentence on the condition that she wouldn’t interfere with her deputy clerks as they issue marriage licenses to all eligible applicants, including same-sex couples. […]

Who knew chips could be used to make a difference in the world? That’s just what Doritos is hoping to achieve in the LGBT community with its new rainbow-colored snack, but don’t go to your local supermarket looking for a bag. If you want a bag of the rainbow-colored snacks, you’ll have to donate at […]

The Supreme Court ruled this June that marriage equality is the law of the land — that is, that laws forbidding marriage between same-sex couples are unconstitutional and cannot be upheld. Since then, a number of magistrates have left their jobs, others have refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and one has even […]

The Vatican has declared that transgender people will not be recognized as godparents by the Catholic Church. The church claims that the decision is not based on discrimination, but on the fact that transgender people cannot fulfill all the duties that a godparent is required to conduct. The stance on transgenders as godparents was raised […]

In Oregon, Judge Vance Day is at the center of an investigation for refusing to perform same-sex marriages and telling his staff to refer gay couples to other judges. Day claims his deeply held religious beliefs prompted his decision, and he’s already preparing for a legal battle. Oregon officially started recognizing same-sex marriages in 2014, […]

A 48-year-old transgender woman, Christine Kitzler, has been told by a Pennsylvania judge that she can go ahead with her gender reassignment surgery despite her parents pleads to halt the surgery due to their daughter’s “mental illness.” The woman’s parents claim that their daughter is unfit to make the decision to go through with gender […]

The Hillsboro High School transgender bathrooms controversy sparked a student walkout on Monday. Missouri senior transgender student Lila Perry’s request to use both the girls bathroom and locker room at the pubic school ignited the heated debate and mass walkout. During the past school year, Lila Perry, born a genetic male, came out as transgender […]