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tracker developed by the American Civil Liberties Union.According to the ACLU, Oklahoma currently has the most proposed anti-LGBTQ bills with 36 — though many of them are redundant, with lawmakers introducing their own versions of nearly identical bills.The state with the next highest number of bills is Missouri, which has introduced 28, and South Carolina, which has introduced 26.Most of the bills target the transgender community, taking the form of efforts to either redefine transgender existence out of law or place restrictions on transgender people’s ability to self-identify, access spaces, or receive services that affirm their gender identity.More than 200 bills focus on educational matters, including proposed athlete bans, curriculum censorship bills, and at least 38 requiring LGBTQ-identifying students to be outed to their parents in the name of “parental rights.”Another 120 seek to restrict access to gender-affirming health care for trans-identifying minors, with some even seeking to require transgender adults to overcome a number of bureaucratic or regulatory obstacles to receive transition-related treatments, which critics say is an attempt to frighten medical providers into refusing to see transgender patients altogether.Already, 24 states have passed some form of restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, resulting in a flood of legal challenges from families with transgender children and from doctors who are penalized for prescribing gender-affirming care under the laws.While most lower-level federal courts temporarily blocked such bans last year, only one statewide ban, in Arkansas, has been declared unconstitutional.Other bans in Indiana, Montana, and Florida remain blocked, although bans in states

Axios in an exclusive interview that the location-based queer dating app is currently testing “Roam,” a feature that allows users to temporarily place their profile in a location ahead of a trip. That way, they can chat with locals to arrange potential meet-ups or crowdsource places to eat, shop, or sightsee.“Roam” appears to be similar to “Venture,” a feature that has existed for years on Scruff, another queer dating app.“For decades, the global LGBTQ+ community has physically connected in cities around the world, creating hubs, or Gayborhoods, for local gay, bi, trans, and queer people to freely express themselves, enjoy a sense of safety and intimacy, and foster community through spaces created specifically for us,” Arison wrote in a post for Grindr’s blog on April 16.“However, not all of us are able to access a physical Gayborhood,” he noted.

Seattle Times. Members of the LGBTQ community have said that Denny Blaine Park has been a safe haven for them for decades.Hundreds of people packed a public meeting last month, filling Seattle’s MLK FAME Community Center beyond capacity, with no attendees speaking in support of the plan.

Serving in Secret.The documentary, a co-production of MSNBC Films and TIME Studios, is one of several films in Trevor Noah’s documentary series “The Turning Point,” a collection that examines hot-button issues in the United States. Serving in Secret focuses on the historical prohibitions put in place to prevent gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals from serving in the U.S.

Bible Belt Baby, was released last October, it didn’t gain as much exposure until Sean Feucht, a Christian nationalist preacher with ties to former President Donald Trump, criticized her and fellow Christian musician, Derek Webb, for working together on the song “Good Day.”Feucht also criticized Grant for performing in drag, calling her collaboration with Webb a sign of “the last days,” and claiming that she’d never carve out a spot within the Christian music genre.Feucht’s comments, which came amid an ongoing right-wing campaign against drag and the visibility of transgender people — as evidenced by the introduction of more than 500 bills specifically targeting public expressions of gender-nonconformity in 49 states — only served to boost Grant’s profile.Not long after people learned of Feucht’s feud with Grant, Bible Belt Baby shot to the top of the iTunes Christian music charts, remaining there for nine straight days, while “Good Day” reached as high as No. 2 on the individual song charts.While the expectation for Christian music stars has generally been to embrace the right-wing ideology that so often accompanies evangelical religious beliefs, Grant’s success on the charts was indicative that there might be some space — even among the genre’s most fervent fans — for artists that don’t adhere to expectations or conform to a certain mold.

website, the “Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite” event will be held on Tuesday, June 13 and Thursday, June 15 inside the Anaheim, California-based amusement park. The after-hours celebration will kick off with a three-hour pre-party mix-in, starting at 6 p.m., with the private party running from 9 p.m.

The New York Post.Umberger, 33, and Ramirez, 25, died from “acute intoxication” from a mix of fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol, and other drugs, according to the New York City Medical Examiner’s office, which ruled both deaths homicides earlier this month. Ramirez was found dead inside a taxi on the Lower East Side in April of last year after being seen leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a gay club in Hell’s Kitchen, with three unidentified men.His wallet and phone were missing, delaying notification, and his family later reported that his bank account had been emptied of about $20,000 through apps such as Venmo and Zelle. His credit cards were maxed out after being used to purchase items like expensive dinners and spa services. In January, an NYPD spokesman told ABC New York that a man, Andre Butts, had been arrested last June for using Ramirez’s credit card to buy two pairs of Nike sneakers for $544.38 at an upscale store in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, just hours after Ramirez’s body was discovered. Umberger was last seen on Saturday, May 28, 2022 after a night out at the gay nightclub Q NYC, while in town for a work trip.

found dead in a taxi on the Lower East Side in April.The second man, D.C. resident John Umberger, was found dead in an Upper East Side townhouse a month later. Following their deaths, the men’s families discovered that thieves had drained the victims’ bank accounts using facial recognition technology.

ABC News. “One year later, after we had posted on our website and made a stance, [in] December of 2022 we raised $14,809.”As a result, UCA has announced it will close its doors in May, at the end of the current school year.The school shared several letters from churches and individual donors taking issue with the statement of support for the LGBTQ community with ABC News.In one, a church that withdrew its support of UCA called the LGBTQ community “a diverse collection of behaviors,” adding, “Our greatest concern about the Accepting and Affirming stance is that it denies the Biblical definitions of sin and identity and thereby renders the grace of God meaningless.”Other letters were harsher.“Do not call yourself a Christian school if you are affirming sin,” one donor wrote.

The former Mr. Gay World has been served with a gag order over statements he’s made about the competition.Pageant organizers have slapped former Mr. Gay World winner Louw Breytenbach with a public gag order after he made statements regarding his short tenure as titleholder.The situation began in 2021 when Breytenbach, a former Mr.

hostile and tense ANC meeting earlier this month, when a handful of residents concerned about issues like noise, drunk and disorderly patrons, and public safety lobbed attacks against As You Are Bar, with some even suggesting that the bar, like its predecessors, would ultimately fail or would lead to frequent disputes between residential neighbors and As You Are staff. But on Tuesday, many of the public commenters had nothing but positive things to say.“My family and I would find it extremely meaningful to have these amazing proprietors run their business in our neighborhood,” neighborhood resident Sean Cuddihy told the ANC commissioners.

Metro Weekly in an interview that organizers are still looking for performers for the block party, which he described as a mini-concert that would provide an opportunity for local and regional performers to gain some visibility. “Our goal is, as it is with the different stages of the Pride Festival, to show a variety of different types of talent,” Bos said. “If you go to the Monument Stage at the festival, for example, it’s a smaller stage, a more intimate setting.

preliminary exit polls, Newsom’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic — the chief issue that led to his being recalled in the first place — helped propel him to victory, with the pandemic ranking as the No. 1 issue on voters’ minds, but just 3 in 10 voters saying Newsom’s pandemic-related policies were too strict.

The Ask Rayceen Show.Held on the first Wednesday of each month from March to November, The Ask Rayceen Show showcases the talents of local artists, musicians, rappers, poets, dancers, burlesque performers, actors, comedians, authors, and other creatives, especially those who are Black and/or LGBTQ, from across the District and the surrounding metropolitan area.

for the past six years.“Six years, I thought, was a good run and I thought it was just time for me to sort of pass the baton to someone else, to continue the work and continue some of the progress that we have made and in our agency, as well as me looking forward to what’s next in my life,” Reid told Metro Weekly in an interview.

Related: Capital Pride Alliance now accepting nominations for Capital Pride HonorsIn her role with DCPS, Chelston facilitates competency trainings, designs and distributes informational resources, and manages LGBTQ-specific community outreach and engagement to ensure schools are providing an inclusive environment for LGBTQ students. Vance, who is raising a teenage son with his husband, John, became executive director of Rainbow Families in 2018.

But this year, the Democratic Party came up with the idea of selecting ‘real’ people who reflect the values and issues that are important to us as a District.

Obergefell v.

New York City Pride

MPD Lt. Brett Parson — Photo: Todd Franson