News Roundup *54

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U.S. Conservatives declare war on LGBTQ suicide prevention hotline

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If you needed further proof that the “Don’t Say Gay” bills popping up all over America were just the beginning of an anti-queer moral panic crusade here is another example: They’d rather have a dead child than a gay child.

U.S. Conservatives have spent the last couple months calling everyone who disagrees with them a pedophile, and now they’re setting their sights on the Trevor Project, an organization that runs a hotline and other resources to fight LGBTQ youth suicide.

Colin Wright, an editor of the anti-LGBTQ website Quillette, shared a comic from the Trevor Project that explained how teens could erase browser history and escape the site quickly so that they could get help even if they are worried about being outed to their parents.

Wright didn’t seem able to understand how something like this could help young people and instead said that the point of the feature is to “keep parents in the dark.”

Others on the right equated the Trevor Project with pedophilia, implying that an organization reaching out to LGBTQ teens in crisis is the same as a child sex abuser having sexually charged conversations with minors, as if any conversation involving LGBTQ identities is inherently pornographic.

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News Roundup *53

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“Don’t Say Gay” was just the beginning

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Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill seems to have finally brought real attention to the years-long legislative crisis unfolding against LGBTQ+ (and especially trans) people. Signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis late last month, the bill bans discussion of gender and sexual orientation until third grade, and could potentially bar such discussions at all age levels depending on what is determined to be “age appropriate.”

Among its many egregious measures, it empowers parents to sue school districts for perceived violations, and also requires schools to notify parents of any changes related to a student’s “mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.”

Although the bill’s catchy “Don’t Say Gay” moniker has drawn international attention, this risks misleading people into believing that the law is uniquely evil. Unfortunately, it’s one of hundreds of bills filed over the past few years that seek to essentially eradicate queer people from public life. Whether framed as upholding “parental rights” or “protecting our children,” conservatives’ focus on public schools as a site of amoral contagion has been renewed with a fury perhaps not seen since the days of Anita Bryant.

As of April 13, the ACLU counts 42 bills that have been filed this year alone pertaining to school and curriculum restrictions. Below, read about three other bills that also target schools as a place to roll back LGBTQ+ rights. Unlike Florida’s, these bills are still in progress — meaning there’s still time to campaign against them.

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It has been *that* kind of week in American state senates

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Last week gay Missouri lawmaker Ian Mackey called out an anti-trans bill by State Rep. Chuck Basye in a moving speech that has been watched over 1.6 million times on TikTok since.

Meanwhile Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow delivered an impassioned response after a Republican colleague accused her of supporting pedophilia by opposing “Don’t Say Gay” bills, reiterating a common right-wing talking point.

News Roundup *52

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Florida student takes queer education into own hands

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High school GSA presidents continue to carry the entire LGBTQ+ community on their backs, as one high school student demonstrated in a viral video from this past weekend. After their teacher said he didn’t know what Stonewall is, Will Larkins decided to teach their U.S. history class themselves..

On Sunday, 17-year-old Will Larkins posted a short clip of themself educating their fourth period U.S. history class on the history of the Stonewall riots. This might be otherwise unremarkable if it wasn’t for the fact that Larkins attends Winter Park High School in Florida, the state that recently signed a so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law.

The law outright bans discussion of gender and sexuality in kindergarten through third grade classes, or “age-inappropriate” discussions of sexuality or gender at any educational level. And judging from the number of insane conservative replies to Larkins’ tweet, including accusations of pedophilia and grooming, it’s safe to say that “age-appropriate” discussion of LGBTQ+ issues amounts to none at all in the eyes of the proponents of the law.

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Ariana Grande raises funds to support trans youth

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Ariana Grande has quickly established herself as a pop sensation and a modern-day diva. Now, she’s also a philanthropist: the Don’t Look Up star is using her status and fame to support transgender youth.

It’s been a tumultuous time for trans youth recently, with countless anti-trans bills, proposals, and measures sweeping the country. The “sweetener” singer is determined to push her fans into funding services that can help aid trans youth. “Right now, there are hundreds of disgraceful bills pending in state legislature that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights,” the singer wrote on her Instagram post. “The impact of fighting these anti-trans bills and policies is felt all year by trans people, their families and loved ones.”

“Please join me in donating to this fundraiser which will provide critical funds to organizations advocating for the rights of trans youth in states currently targeted by anti-trans policies,” she wrote. “The Human Rights Campaign claims that there are more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that are being put forth right now. 300! Many of these discriminatory bills target transgender kids, including dozens upon dozens of bills that try to ban trans kids from playing sports or receiving life-saving health care. These bills are dangerous and discriminatory, and they have economic implications: more than 150 major corporations have so far signed a letter warning that these bills will have a negative effect on their employees, customers, competitiveness, and state and national economies.”

The funds raised by Grande will go to eighteen different organizations, such as the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, Lucie’s Place and the Zebra Coalition. Grande will also be matching donations up to $1.5 million totaling up to $3 million.  You can learn more about and donate to Ariana Grande’s fund here!

via Into

News Roundup *51

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UK makes ridiculous U-turn after U-turn on gay conversion ban

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Boris Johnson and his spineless conservative UK government first ditched their long-promised gay conversion therapy ban. ITV News reported yesterday that an official briefing document confirmed Johnson “has agreed we should not move forward with legislation to ban LGBT conversion therapy”. This was despite a ban on the practice being announced in the Queen’s Speech last year, and the government running a major consultation on the issue.

Johnson has swiftly been slammed by queer and human rights campaigners for his “despicable betrayal” of the LGBT+ community after adding his broken promise to the many lies and disgusting political maneuverers of his time in office. Mere hours after the news broke, the government made a U-turn on its decision in the wake of the public outcry because of it.

“The Prime Minister has changed his mind off the back of the reaction to our report and he WILL now ban conversion therapy after all,” said Paul Brand of ITV News, the journalist who broke the story. But because even good things never come without a nasty detail when Boris Johnson is involved, the ban will only apply to gay conversion, not the practice of “converting” trans people. What an announcement to make on Trans Visibility Day…

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