Tag Archives: LGBTQ Youth

The Bangor Daily News reports: When no adults would revive the community Pride parade in Belfast, a group of motivated Belfast Area High School students stepped up to make sure that the event — which has been on a pandemic hiatus — happens this year. In Belfast, the city’s first-ever Pride parade and festival took place in 2016, and became …

The Greek Reporter reports: Greece banned conversion therapy, or a widely criticized method of attempting to change one’s sexual or gender identity, for minors on Wednesday. The bill, which passed in parliament, will impose hefty fines and even prison terms on psychologists and other mental health professionals who conduct conversion therapy on LGBT minors without their explicit consent. Additionally, advertising …

Click Orlando reports: The yearbook controversy has come to an end. Lyman High School students will receive a complete yearbook — without covered photos and captions. The Seminole County Public Schools board voted unanimously Tuesday night to put disclaimer stickers in the yearbook instead of covering three photos from a student-led walkout with stickers. Students were upset after school officials …

Detroit’s ABC News affiliate reports: Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow delivered a passionate speech on the Capitol floor in Lansing on Tuesday, defending herself from what she said was an attack from a fellow lawmaker. McMorrow, a Democrat from Royal Oak, defended herself from baseless claims by Republican State Sen. Lana Theis in a fundraising email. Theis is from Brighton. …

The Daily Beast reports: Fox News’ overtly anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and coverage of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill has generated outrage from elsewhere within the Murdoch media empire. An employee networking and resource group for Fox Corporation’s LGBTQ staffers and allies earlier this month condemned the conservative cable giant’s “hateful” coverage of the new Florida law and issues surrounding sexual orientation …

Changing America reports: The Brooklyn Public Library is trying to fight back against a spike in censorship and book bans in the United States by making its resources available to teens and young adults across the country. On Wednesday, the library launched a new program entitled Books UnBanned, that allows 13 to 21 year olds to apply for a free …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Education Agency released statewide standards Monday for how school districts should remove and prevent “obscene content” from entering Texas public school libraries. In the agency’s model policy, there is an emphasis that parents should have a role in how books are selected. The agency says that districts should make new selections readily available for …

The Washington Post reports: As Disney employees protested what they considered a delayed and lackluster response from the company to what critics call Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill, a Disney heir who recently came out as transgender watched in silence. Now, Charlee Corra Disney, who uses they/them pronouns, is speaking out. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published …

The Hill reports: Parents and political groups lodged complaints against nearly 1,600 books in more than 700 libraries and library systems across the country in 2021, a new record of conservative activism that largely targeted tomes involving race, gender and the LGBTQ community, a new report has found. The American Library Association (ALA) said in its annual assessment that twice …

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports: More than 100 protesters at the high school here Monday chanted messages supporting the LGBTQ community and turned their backs on school board presenters who shared the “other side” of recent conversations on equity. The Child Protection League describes itself as an organization committed to protecting children from exploitation and indoctrination. Barb Anderson helped form the …

Via press release from Equality Florida: The Don’t Say Gay bill has passed the FL legislature and now goes to the governor’s desk. Let us be clear: should its vague language be interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher, or family, we will lead legal action against the State of Florida to challenge this bigoted …

The Associated Press reports: The Florida Senate on Tuesday passed controversial legislation that regulates lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in public school classrooms, despite concerns from activists and student groups that argued the bill would have a chilling impact on gay, lesbian and transgender students. The legislation, which Florida Democrats and LGBTQ activist refer to as the “Don’t …

The Idaho Capitol Sun reports: The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill Monday afternoon that critics said could lead to librarians being prosecuted for checking out materials that are deemed harmful to minors. Following a long debate, the Idaho House voted 51-14 to pass House Bill 666. If passed into law, the bill would remove an exemption that protects …

The Associated Press reports: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that he plans to veto legislation passed Friday that would ban transgender student-athletes from competing in girls sports. Without his support, Utah is unlikely to join the 11 states, all Republican-led, that have recently enacted bans on transgender girls wanting to compete in school sports leagues. In vowing to veto the …

First Coast News reports: Students across Florida protested the ‘Don’t Say Gay bill’ Thursday by walking out of their classrooms, according to multiple sources. The walk-out protests happened across the state at noon. “With the internet access that children have today, there are children that age asking questions, trying to figure out what it is, even if they don’t know …

Politico reports: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the first openly gay man to be elected governor, criticized the push for anti-LGBTQ laws in Republican-led states. “Look, words matter. Laws matter. When a group of people, LGBTQ youth, feel targeted by the words and laws that some politicians espouse, of course, it can increase anxiety, depression,” he said during an interview with …

The New Zealand Herald reports: Parliament has passed a bill in its third reading that will ban conversion practices, such as those attempting to change people’s sexuality and/or gender. The bill passed with 112 MPs in favour, including all those from Labour, Act, the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori. Eight National MPs opposed the bill. It was an emotional …

The Jerusalem Post reports: The Health Ministry issued a circular on Monday morning banning medical professionals in Israel from providing conversion therapy. The circular stresses the risks to mental health posed by conversion therapy and prohibits all professionals from the offering, publicizing, or providing such “therapies.” Licensed professionals who do so will face sanctions, including severe disciplinary proceedings and the …

Via press release from Equality Florida: Governor Ron DeSantis is taking a page from Anita Bryant’s playbook, using anti-LGBTQ legislation like “Don’t Say Gay” as a springboard to serve his national political ambitions. From banning books and electronic monitoring of teachers to white-washing history and allowing the state to dictate our health care decisions, Governor DeSantis is committed to an …

CNN reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared Monday to voice support for a controversial state bill that would ban certain discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. DeSantis, a Republican, said it was “entirely inappropriate” for teachers and school administrators to have conversations with students about their gender identity, saying that, in some schools, children are told …