LGBTQ

Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat who led efforts to help the LGBTQ community, announces he won't seek reelection in 2022.

At least 47 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been violently killed in the U.S. so far this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Companies are shaking up boards and entry-level hiring. But inequalities will persist if middle managers aren’t involved too.

In Abomey-Calavi near the port city of Cotonou in Benin, a voodoo priestess organises a large, traditional ceremony bringing together dozens of twins to be honoured as deities. In southern Benin, Nigeria and Togo, twins are worshipped as demigods.

The comedian has been facing backlash regarding his most recent Netflix special, which released three weeks ago.

Dr Rachel Levine is already the nation's most prominent openly transgender federal official.

What was once a notional solidarity between nationalists on both sides of the Atlantic is turning into something more durable.

Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day, and for many LGBTQ+ Americans, there are many reasons to celebrate their Pride.

Doctor on Demand is partnering with Walmart and large employers on a new program to tackle Black health disparities through a telemedicine program.

U.S. Marine Bryan Lett served in Afghanistan in 2010. He recorded a video blog to help him cope with what he experienced.

Just like Kesha said in her hit song “Tik Tok,” well, “the party don’t start till I walk in,” and that goes for her Kesha Cruise that is setting sail in 2022.

At least 28 publicly out Paralympians will be competing in the summer games in Tokyo, more than double the number that took part in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, according to the website Outsports.

The decision came after the 29-year-old rapper directed comments against those in the LGBTQ community and people with HIV/AIDS during his set at the Rolling Loud festival.

Kentucky has finalized its contract with a Baptist-affiliated foster care and adoption agency after months of dispute over whether to include language that expressly bans LGBTQ discrimination, the state announced Friday.

The advocacy group just released its annual film survey, which found the percentage of LGBTQ characters of color also increased. But there were still issues with lack of transgender representation.

The T-shirt depicts a man in biker attire pointing a gun. "In Wyoming we have a cure for AIDS," it reads. "We shoot f---in' f------."

Screenshots circulated on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, showing how WeChat accounts run by university LGBTQ groups went dark on July 7.

"Unfortunately, we are not seeing anything positive," Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chiel Alan Cominsky said.

The Hometown Heroes Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. along a stretch of downtown Manhattan known as the Canyon of Heroes.

The storm is expected to make landfall along the north Florida Gulf Coast by late Wednesday morning before it moves across the Southeast.

Flooding the main concern as Elsa churns toward Tampa Bay, but with sustained winds near 70 mph, Florida governor warns residents to "take it seriously."

Elsa is expected to strengthen on Tuesday and could be near hurricane strength before it makes landfall.

Search crews at the collapse site worked through the night while dealing with the rain bands and gusty wind from the storm.

He spent just under three hours talking with families of those who lost loved ones in when the building suddenly crumpled last week.

The company and Allen Weisselberg, its longtime chief financial officer, pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday.

The salon owner told our sister station he hopes this move makes people in the LGBTQ community feel more comfortable.

At least 18 people died in the collapse and more than 140 are unaccounted for.

The death toll in the collapse rose to 18 on Wednesday and more than 140 people are unaccounted for.

The longtime chief financial officer for the Trump Organization surrendered to authorities in Manhattan early Thursday.

It's the first time any diplomatic mission has flown a gay pride flag in the religiously conservative Arab Gulf, causing controversy.

The death toll rose to at least 12 on Tuesday, and 149 people are unaccounted for.

U.S. Catholics support same-sex marriage more so than the national average, according to a 2006-2020 Gallup poll.

While it's not clear what caused the building to collapse, there is concerning new information about possible structural damage.

Created by the British, 377 has had a widespread damaging effect in former colonies, say activists.

California has added five more states including Florida to the list of places where state-funded travel is banned because of laws that discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community.

With four more bodies identified, the death toll stands at nine. Search and rescue efforts are still underway.

The confirmed death toll stands at 9, but search and rescue efforts are still underway with 152 people still unaccounted for after the building collapse.

More than 150 people remained unaccounted for.

No one has been found in the rubble since Friday morning.

The punishment came after the former Minneapolis police officer broke his more than yearlong silence in court.

The principal of the New Jersey school is seen taking away the teen’s speech.

The principal of the New Jersey school is seen taking away the teen’s speech.

The principal of the New Jersey school is seen taking away the teen’s speech.

President Joe Biden is celebrating Pride Month at the White House, a reflection of the growing stature of the LGBTQ community at the highest level of government.

At least one person is confirmed dead after much of a multi-story condominium building collapsed into a huge pile of rubble in Surfside, near Miami Beach, authorities said.

At least one person is dead and dozens unaccounted for. President Biden declared a state of emergency for Florida. The search for a cause is just beginning.

Former police officer Derek Chauvin will be sentenced Friday afternoon in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As we all know, June is Pride Month, and what better way to celebrate the rainbow flag than listening to some music made by those in the LGBTQ community?

Pride Month is about much more than glitter and garments and galas. It's about protest, community and love.

Dozens of fire rescue units at the scene in Surfside, near Miami Beach, where a multi-story building collapsed into a huge pile of rubble.

The president is expected to announce a series of actions to crack down on crime.

Las Vegas Raiders football player Carl Nassib made history Monday when he became the first active NFL player to come out of the closet.

The driver was part of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, the group's president said.

It’s Pride Month!

Chicago's Jennivee's bakery is booming, even during the pandemic, thanks to community support.

It's the first time the two leaders are meeting since Biden took office in January, and while expectations have been set low, the stakes are high.

Watch CBSN Sacramento, the 24/7 free live news stream covering Sacramento, Modesto, and Stockton, California.

Dexter Williams would prefer to remain behind the scenes, but on Wednesday Williams found himself in front of a camera as KPRC2 highlighted his work in the community.

Since House Democrats staged a walkout that killed Republicans’ priority elections bill for the regular session, the governor and the leaders of the state House and Senate have diverged notably in interviews about how they are approaching the overtime round.

June helps mark the celebration of Pride Month, which some LGBTQ+ advocates said looks and feels different this year.

From pop-up markets to pool parties, here are some of the events happening this summer in honor of Pride Month around the area.

Caitlyn Jenner's Republican campaign for California governor has elicited angry reaction from some members of the LGBTQ community.

Caitlyn Jenner's Republican campaign for California governor has elicited angry reaction from some members of the LGBTQ community.

More than 400 companies __ including Tesla, Pfizer, Delta Air Lines and Amazon __ have signed on to support civil rights legislation for LGBTQ people that is moving through Congress.

A 10-year-old Houston girl traveled to Austin this week to tell the Senate committee on state affairs why she believes a proposed bill should be left off the Texas law books.

Arizona lawmakers have approved changes to sex education laws that make them some of the strictest in the nation when it comes to teaching about LGBTQ issues.

The Texas Senate has revived a push to ban cities and counties from requiring companies to provide specific employee benefits like paid sick leave.

“The trans community is one of the most overlooked communities in times of disaster,” said Austin Ruiz, communications and marketing manger at The Montrose Center. AdWhen COVID-19 hit, The Montrose Center, which serves Houston’s LGBT community, saw a sharp increase in requests for help among Houston’s trans community. “We found there were a lot of community members, specifically trans community members, that do not feel safe to go to other social service agencies because they were afraid they’d be turned away or discriminated against because of their status as a trans community member,” Ruiz said. Through a foundation grant, Save Our Sisters United has been able to provide money for food, shelter, basic necessities and medication like HRT’s. She added that ongoing therapy sessions with her counselor at the Montrose Center continues to make all the difference in the world.

HOUSTON – The U.S. House has passed sweeping legislation to ban discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to provide protection for LGBTQ individuals. If approved by the Senate and signed by President Biden, it would be the most sweeping federal LGBTQ Civil Rights Bill to ever become law. The same act passed the Democratic-controlled House in 2019 but stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate. “The best thing you can do is make yourself heard when it comes to your Civil Rights.

HOUSTON – Harris County deputies have charged a former convict with capital murder in the death of a man they said he targeted for robbery using a gay dating app. Deputies said he opened an account on an app called Grindr to find people to rob. According to deputies, Davis told them he turned on Betanzos once he was in his apartment, knocking him unconscious. Police said Davis told detectives that he used a scarf to strangle him. Deputies said Davis told detectives that he poured bleach on the Betanzos’ body in an effort to destroy evidence, and drove off in the dead man’s truck after taking his iPhone and iPad.

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.

Over the last several months, panels of educators and medical professionals formulated recommendations to overhaul the health and sex education policies. This marks the board’s first thorough revision to its sex education policy since 1997, and will affect millions of students in the state. In 2017, they unsuccessfully pushed a policy preventing transgender people from using public bathrooms that match their gender identity. Experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association oppose abstinence-only education and champion comprehensive sex education. This type of sex education prioritizes accurate and exhaustive information about contraception, human sexuality and sexually transmitted infections.

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.

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.

After backlash from lawmakers and advocates, a state board voted Tuesday to undo a rule change that would have allowed social workers to turn away clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability. The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council voted unanimously to restore protections for LGBTQ and disabled clients to Texas social workers’ code of conduct just two weeks after removing them. The governor’s office recommended removing language that prohibited social workers from turning away clients on the basis of disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. That set off an immediate firestorm of criticism from social workers, LGBTQ advocates and advocates for people with disabilities. “This is a recognition of the key principle that a social worker’s personal beliefs must never impede a person’s right to self-determination or access to services.”

Advocates called the move by the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners, which has not yet been finalized, an attempt to create “two classes of Texans” during a press conference organized by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. There is currently no law in Texas that protects LGBTQ people from discrimination. The code will no longer prohibit social workers from discriminating on the basis of a disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. Greg Abbott’s office recommended the change, board members said, because the nondiscrimination protections went further than those laid out in state law. The change sparked national backlash, including from 11 members of Texas’ congressional delegation who called on Abbott and the board to reverse the decision.

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.

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.

SAN ANTONIO – The City of San Antonio has been ordered to lift the ban on Chick-fil-A at the city’s international airport. The order comes after the city council banned the restaurant from the airport with a 6-4 council vote. An investigation into the city’s potential violation of federal law and Transportation Department regulations went into effect when the city was suspected of banning Chick-fil-A from operating a restaurant in the San Antonio International Airport based on the company’s religious beliefs. The Federal Aviation Administration announced that San Antonio International Airport will offer Chick-fil-A a lease opportunity for space in Terminal A. "To exclude a respected vendor based on religious beliefs is the opposite of tolerance and is inconsistent with the Constitution, Texas law, and Texas values.

As the nation wraps up Pride Month in June, we look back at the foundation of Houston’s Pride Parade, one of the country’s largest events celebrating Pride. The beginning of Houston’s Pride ParadeAccording to Houston LGBT History, the first official Houston Pride Parade was held in Montrose on July 1, 1979. On June 20, 1976, the University of Houston’s Gay Activist Alliance took its first steps in the gay movement with a Houston Pride Parade. Event article clipping from June 19, 1976 (Larry Butler, courtesy of JD Doyle, HoustonLGBTHistory.org)The official Houston Pride Parade began three years later on July 1, 1979. For the first time since 1977 when the parade was canceled due to lack of funds, Houston’s Pride Parade was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

Stacy Bailey, who was on paid leave, reached a $100,000 settlement with the Mansfield Independent School District last week, her attorney said. The teacher was transferred to Lake Ridge High School, which is in the same school district, at the end of the 2018 school year. The school district said the teacher refused to follow administration directions "regarding age-appropriate conversations with students" about sexual orientation. The settlement also requires the school district to provide Bailey with a "neutral" letter of recommendation. "I think this settlement was a win-win for Stacy, the educators and the students of Mansfield ISD," Smith said.