Real LGBTQ

Remember one part of LGTBQ is embracing love and acceptance of others. Many of you can’t do that with my last post. Though here’s a poem I wrote.

In the hush of twilight softly whispered,

A transformation slowly takes its course,

From hidden truths that long have been obscured,

Emerging now with bold and fearless force.

Some are born queer, some transgender they find,

Others kemonomimi, in between worlds reside,

Afraid once to reveal what lay inside,

Now embracing all they are, their fears aside.

Becoming more than what the eye can see,

Wolf ears that prick atop a fearless head,

A tail that wags with joyful symmetry,

Teeth sharper, mouth open to be fed.

Through suffering and pain, we come into our own,

Embracing our true selves, seeds of beauty sown.

A journey of discovery, a dream unfurled,

Love shining bright across this changing world.

To adulthood we stride with courage firm and clear,

Embracing animals within us, wild and near.

Being ourselves unashamed, full of grace,

Like birds taking flight in an endless space.

Our body image altered by the hands of time,

Cat-like grace and dog-like loyalty entwined.

Childhood memories blend with present's glow,

Shaping who we are as the past we sow.

In the dance of change, we find our true form,

A mix of human and beast amidst life’s storm.

Overcoming adversity with a roar and a purr,

Philosophical ponderings in our heart stir.

The essence of transformation lingers strong,

Magical realism weaving through each song.

Bravery in every step we dare to take,

Compassion guiding us, no love forsake.

Confusion fades as contentment takes its place,

Enjoying the freedom of newfound space.

Excitement bubbles up, happiness brims high,

Hope shining bright across an endless sky.

Pride in who we’ve become, relief in the release

From masks that hid our truest self's increase.

Satisfaction found in being wholly true

As stress melts away beneath skies so blue.

Side note: Remember we are all human on this floating rock. We all have struggles and bad day. Why does it matter what someone is. As many of you guys have problems with kemonomimi, Therian and Furries. So if we don’t start fostering understanding and love who will. Our community is meant to show that and are we?

This flag is intended for a diverse range of individuals, including those who identify as furries, therians, or kemonomimis. I am a husky kemonomimi.

In order to elucidate these concepts, it is necessary to begin with a brief overview of the relevant terminology.

The term "furries" is used to describe a subculture of individuals who exhibit a fascination with anthropomorphic animals. It is important to emphasise the creative and expressive potential of anthropomorphic characters and art.

The term "therian" is used to describe individuals who have a spiritual or psychological connection with a specific animal. It is recommended that emphasis be placed on the spiritual or psychological connection that an individual may have with a specific animal.

Kemonomimi is a phenomenon whereby individuals are born with traits that are commonly associated with specific animals, such as dogs or cats. Such individuals typically exhibit a preference for wearing only ears and a tail. Not suits like a Furry. Some individuals may simply feel at ease with their current appearance, without any recollection of past traits.

In my estimation, I exhibit a number of traits that are similar to those of a husky. These include a tendency towards high levels of activity, a tendency towards high levels of excitement, and a tendency towards high levels of vocalization. Furthermore, I am prone to vocal outbursts, which can occur at any time of the day or night. This results in a more tranquil and contented state of mind. Additionally, I experience a sudden onset of intense hyperactivity at approximately 1 a.m., which manifests as a compelling urge to vocalize or make some type of noise. If I do not express this feeling, I experience a state of intense physical distress. Additionally, my voice becomes highly pitched and accelerated in speed.

Hey there, wonderful souls of the internet! 🌈✨

I'm Ben, a 21-year-old on the cusp of turning 22, and I want to share a piece of my heart with you. Life's journey has taken me through highs and lows, and today, I find myself standing at a crossroads - one that revolves around love, self-discovery, and the strength to embrace my authentic self.

It's no secret that the quest for love can be both thrilling and challenging. Recently, I've faced the hurdles that come with self-image and acceptance. As I celebrate who I am, I've also grappled with the realities of gaining weight, reaching 98 kgs. It's been a journey of self-reflection, and yes, some heartache too.

One chapter of my life saw a previous relationship come to an end, with weight becoming a focal point. It stung, but it also became a catalyst for my personal growth. I realized that true love begins within, with a deep and unyielding love for oneself. It's about embracing every curve, every inch, and celebrating the unique person we are.

So, here I am, standing tall and proud, sending out vibes of self-love and positivity into the vast expanse of the internet. As I navigate the path to finding love again, I am reminded that the right person will see beyond the superficial and appreciate the beauty that lies within.

To those who have faced similar struggles, remember that you are not alone. Let's encourage each other to be our authentic selves and radiate the confidence that comes from within. Love, after all, knows no bounds and transcends societal expectations.

As I blow out the candles on my 22nd birthday cake, I'm making a wish not just for me but for anyone who has ever felt the weight of judgment or struggled to find love: May we all find someone who sees us for the incredible beings we are, beyond appearances and societal norms.

Here's to the journey of self-love, growth, and the hope that true connection awaits us just around the corner. 🌈💖✨

With love, Ben

When the US evangelical preacher and anti-LGBTQ+ crusader Scott Lively landed in Uganda in 2009 to warn of the “gay agenda”, he was arriving after a series of culture-war defeats at home.

More and more US states were recognizing same-sex marriage, and opinion polls were showing fewer and fewer Americans objected. Lively was there to offer Uganda’s lawmakers some advice on how to drum up outrage. “Emphasize the issue of the homosexual recruitment of children,” he advised.

Five years later, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni signed a law that made same-sex relationships punishable by death, asserting that western groups and gay people were “coming into our schools and recruiting young children into homosexuality”.

From the closeted to the overexposed, this is a lineage of queer indie rock icons.

Really great documentary!

In the 1950s and ’60s, an underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men found refuge at a modest house in the Catskills region of New York. Known as Casa Susanna, the house provided a safe place to express their true selves and live for a few days as they had always dreamed—dressed as and living as women without fear of being incarcerated or institutionalized for their self-expression. Told through the memories of those who visited the house, the film provides a moving look back at a secret world where the persecuted and frightened found freedom, acceptance and, often, the courage to live out of the shadows.

Seven Republican state attorneys general are warning Target that its recently launched Pride campaign, which included "tuck-friendly" swimsuits, may be in violation of child-protection laws.

More than 6,000 United Methodist congregations — a fifth of the U.S. total — have now received permission to leave the denomination amid a schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination.

Those figures emerge following the close of regular meetings in June for the denomination’s regional bodies, known as annual conferences. The departures began with a trickle in 2019 — when the church created a four-year window of opportunity for U.S. congregations to depart over LGBTQ-related issues — and cascaded to its highest level this year.

Church law forbids the marriage or ordination of “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals,” but many conservatives have chosen to leave amid a growing defiance of those bans in many U.S. churches and conferences.

Gay Republicans are abandoning Florida Gov. and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R) in droves after his rapid response team shared a bizarre video bragging about his reign of terror against the LGBTQ+ community.

The video opens with several clips of Donald Trump – DeSantis’s top primary opponent – expressing support for LGBTQ+ people and frames these comments as damning. Most of the comments are from before he was elected president in 2016. Then, the clip abruptly shifts to intense music and a photo of DeSantis shooting lasers out of his eyes, followed by snapshots of headlines about the anti-LGBTQ+ laws DeSantis has passed.

The video proudly shares that DeSantis has been called “evil,” “dangerous,” “draconian,” and “public enemy no. 1” and even includes a clip accusing DeSantis of passing legislation “that literally threatens trans existence.” It also contains images of shirtless buff muscle men inter-spliced with these statements about how DeSantis is hurting LGBTQ+ people in his state.

And despite DeSantis’s years-long crusade against LGBTQ+ people, this video, for whatever reason, seems to be the last straw for gay conservatives who had formerly viewed the Florida governor as a palatable alternative to Trump.

“Not only did DeSantis show that he is as anti-LGBTQ+ as the mainstream media has alleged, he made a mockery of any GOP candidate that shows an interest in LGBTQ+ rights, setting the whole party back decades,” wrote Yvonne Dean-Bailey, former Republican state legislator in New Hampshire, in an op-ed for the Daily Beast.

Dean-Bailey called the video “the most anti-LGBTQ+ ad in recent history,” adding that his actions “tarnish the image of the conservative movement.”

“As a lifelong conservative, I believe in the principles of limited government, personal responsibility, and individual liberties. Yet, DeSantis’ approach to LGBTQ+ issues goes against these very principles.”

Well-known conservative activist David Leatherwood also shared his disappointment over the ad on Twitter.

“I spent the last 7 years of my life working with Trump to make the GOP a more welcoming place for gays WHILE ALSO being anti-groomer, anti-woke and pro religious liberty. I’ve even worked WITH DeSantis on this agenda. This ad is a slap in the face, and makes any LGBT person supporting DeSantis look like an absolute idiot.”

Even disgraced gay Rep. George Santos (R-NY) got in on the anti-DeSantis action. Santos – who is currently facing 13 criminal charges – told The Hill he “used to think DeSantis was a great governor” but is now “starting to think differently.”

Santos has long been on team Trump but spoke out in favor of DeSantis’s Don’t Say Gay law. “I still stand by the bill in its nature,” he said, “but now it seems that it had a more perverse agenda behind it.”

“I’m starting to see [DeSantis] for what he is,” Santos added. “His rhetoric is to diminish and remove rights away from people like myself, and I can’t support that.”

The LGBTQ+ conservative group Log Cabin Republicans criticized the ad as “divisive and desperate.”

“Conservatives understand that we need to protect our kids, preserve women’s sports, safeguard women’s spaces and strengthen parental rights,” the group said in a statement, “but Ron DeSantis’ extreme rhetoric has just ventured into homophobic territory.”

“Ron DeSantis and his team can’t tell the difference between commonsense gays and the radical Left gays. He, sadly, sees them all the same. His naive policy positions are dangerous and politically stupid.”

And it isn’t just gay Republicans speaking out against the ad. DeSantis has been slammed and mocked from all angles.

The New Republic published a piece positing it could be “the weirdest ad in American political history.”

And out Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg pointed out the “strangeness of trying to prove your manhood by putting up a video that splices images of you in between oiled-up shirtless bodybuilders” before blasting DeSantis for focusing on bullying marginalized groups rather than helping Americans.

Christina Pushaw, the DeSantis campaign’s Rapid Response director, defended the video on Twitter after former Trump official Richard Grenell called it “undeniably homophobic.”

“Opposing the federal recognition of ‘Pride Month’ isn’t ‘homophobic.’ We wouldn’t support a month to celebrate straight people for sexual orientation, either… It’s unnecessary, divisive, pandering. In a country as vast and diverse as the USA, identity politics is poison.”

DeSantis is currently in a distant second place in 2024 Republican primary polling, getting an average of 21.5% support in recent polls, according to RealClearPolitics. Trump is first with an average of 52.4%.

In state after state, conservative lawmakers this year have banned medical treatment designed for transgender youth dealing with changes in their gender identity. Now, a growing number of federal judges are blocking those laws from taking effect.

US district court judges have halted such laws in six states so far – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee – finding that they infringe on the constitutional guarantee to equal protection under the 14th amendment to the US constitution. John Wieners.

Two lawsuits challenging laws in Montana and Georgia have yet to be ruled on, and in Oklahoma the opposing sides in May agreed to set aside the law until the court case is heard.

The court rulings offer temporary relief from the recent rush of bills banning transgender youth from receiving treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Twenty states have passed such bans, with the bulk of them signed into law this year.

“It’s quite noteworthy that the results in these cases have so far been so consistent,” said Tobias Wolff, a University of Pennsylvania law professor specializing in constitutional law and LGBTQ rights. “And it’s not because the law in this area was such a slam-dunk. It’s because the facts are so clearly against these laws.”

Many conservative lawmakers have endorsed the laws as part of an effort to defend traditional conservative values and portray progressives as out of touch on issues of sex and religion.

Democrats, LGBTQ advocacy groups and health providers say the bans unjustly target a community for whom gender-affirming care can be life-saving and which is under attack.

“The courts are starting to find very consistently that these laws are ridiculous,” said Kevin Jennings, chief executive of Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization focused on LGBTQ issues. “They violate the equal protection clause, they’re motivated by animus not science and they serve no state interest.”

Judges, including three appointed by Republican former US president Donald Trump, have found that gender-affirming care is medically necessary for transgender youth suffering from gender dysphoria – the stress caused by the divergence between one’s gender identity and sex assigned at birth.

The judges also have said laws banning such care violate a parent’s right to make healthcare decisions for their children.

“Courts are really taking time to understand and recognize the humanity of the families and children impacted by these bans,” said Cynthia Cheng-Wun Weaver, litigation director for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy in the United States.

Supporters of the laws are undeterred, saying courts have erred and that the prevailing medical consensus will change.

Shit's going south real fast 😰

Two news directors at a Michigan NBC affiliate were ousted on Thursday following the circulation of an internal memo calling for scaled-back coverage of Pride Month events and directing the station’s journalists to “get both sides” on LGBTQ issues, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

The email, sent earlier this month by Stanton Tang, news director of Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV, and Amy Fox, the station’s assistant news director, said the “polarizing” nature of Pride events had upset some of its conservative viewers, CNN previously reported.

“We need to recognize that some stories related to LGBTQ issues are going to be controversial and polarizing in our community,” the memo sent by Fox said. “While you personally may not agree with a certain position, people are entitled to their opinions and they are our viewers.”

“If we are covering Pride events we need to consider how to make the story balanced and get both sides of the issue,” she added.

The memo sparked fierce backlash from the newsroom’s staff, prompting the station’s owner, Texas-based Nexstar, to launch an investigation into the matter. In a statement to CNN earlier this month, Nexstar said the email was “not consistent with Nexstar’s values, the way we cover the news, or the respect we have for our viewers” and apologized for offending members of the LGBTQ community and WOOD-TV’s viewers.

On Thursday, Gary Weitman, a Nexstar spokesperson, confirmed to CNN that the company had made changes to WOOD-TV’s newsroom leadership team to “ensure its ability to continue providing outstanding local news coverage and service to the Grand Rapids community and surrounding area.”

“As these are internal personnel decisions involving matters of personal privacy, we will decline further comment,” Weitman said.

Two of the station’s executive producers, Luke Stier and Madeline Odle — who had, among others, publicly voiced their concern over the directive — were fired, the pair announced Friday on Twitter.

“We’ve had a front row seat to history for countless events in the city we love, working with the best journalists in the industry,” Stier and Odle wrote. “We are heartbroken to not be with our team today continuing the incredible legacy we have fought so hard for.”

DENVER — A Colorado web designer who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday could refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples cited a request from a man who says he never asked to work with her.

The request in dispute, from a person identified as "Stewart," wasn't the basis for the federal lawsuit filed preemptively seven years ago by web designer Lorie Smith, before she started making wedding websites. But as the case advanced, it was referenced by her attorneys when lawyers for the state of Colorado pressed Smith on whether she had sufficient grounds to sue.

The revelation distracts from Smith's victory at a time when she might have been basking in her win, which is widely considered a setback for gay rights.

Smith named Stewart — and included a website service request from him, listing his phone number and email address in 2017 court documents. But Stewart told The Associated Press he never submitted the request and didn't know his name was invoked in the lawsuit until he was contacted this week by a reporter from The New Republic, which first reported his denial.

"I was incredibly surprised given the fact that I've been happily married to a woman for the last 15 years," said Stewart, who declined to give his last name for fear of harassment and threats. His contact information, but not his last name, were listed in court documents.

He added that he was a designer and "could design my own website if I need to" — and was concerned no one had checked into the validity of the request cited by Smith until recently.

Smith's lawyer, Kristen Waggoner, said at a Friday news conference that the wedding request naming Stewart was submitted through Smith's website and denied it was fabricated.

She suggested it could have been a troll making the request, something that's happened with other clients she has represented. In 2018 her client Colorado baker Jack Phillips won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing to make a gay couple's wedding cake, citing his Christian faith.

"It's undisputed that the request was received," Waggoner said. "Whether that was a troll and not a genuine request, or it was someone who was looking for that, is really irrelevant to the case."

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Friday called the lawsuit a "made up case" because Smith wasn't offering wedding website services when the suit was filed.

Weiser didn't know the specifics of Stewart's denial, but said the nation's high court should not have addressed the lawsuit's merits "without any basis in reality."

About a month after the case was filed in federal court challenging an anti-discrimination law in Colorado, lawyers for the state said Smith had not been harmed by the law as they moved to dismiss the case.

Her lawyers maintained Smith did not have to be punished for violating the law before challenging it. In February 2017 they said even though she did not need a request in order to pursue the case, she had received one.

"Any claim that Lorie will never receive a request to create a custom website celebrating a same-sex ceremony is no longer legitimate because Lorie has received such a request," they said.

Smith's Supreme Court filings briefly mentioned she received at least one request to create a website celebrating the wedding of a same-sex couple. There did not appear to be any reference to the issue in the court's decision.

In 2018, the lesbian activist Urvashi Vaid embarked on what would become her final project before her death in 2022.

From 1989 to 1992 Vaid served as the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force — now the National LGBTQ Task Force — and was the first woman of color to lead the organization.

She was a fierce activist during the HIV/AIDS crisis and went on to start the first lesbian political action committee, served on the boards of ACLU and Planned Parenthood, and even co-founded the American LGBTQ+ Museum of History and Culture.

Vaid had realized there wasn't robust research about the discrimination and violence LGBTQ+ women were facing, says Jaime Grant, a sex educator and activist who collaborated with Vaid.

So Grant and Vaid, along with 22 other scholars and activists, got together and developed a nationwide survey of LGBTQ+ women's lives and experiences with disability, discrimination, harassment and intimate partner violence.

Over the course of two years, they surveyed more than 8,000 people who either currently identify or previously identified as a woman about what life looks like for LGBTQ+ women who partner with women in the U.S.

The executive summary of the survey report, entitled "We Never Give Up the Fight: A Report of the National LGBTQ+ Women's Community Survey," was released this week. It found that while LGBTQ+ women experience high rates of violence in multiple areas of their lives, they regularly rely on their friends, not institutions – such as the education system, law enforcement, or religious organizations – for support.

Specifically, 76% of respondents reported experiencing harassment, discrimination, or violence in educational settings, and 43% said their childhood faith traditions became a source of conflict because of their identity as an LGBTQ+ woman.

"Across the board, institutions that are critical to our well-being are failing us," says Grant.

According to the survey, LGBTQ+ women experience intimate partner violence at higher rates than women in the general population, with 47% of respondents reporting experiences with emotional violence – defined as gaslighting, control over social life, or isolation from family – as well as physical, or sexual violence from their partner.

One of the rich pieces of data the survey provides is more information about who is doing the abusing and how. "We actually know very little about the people who are being abusive," says anti-violence advocate Shannon Perez-Darby, who helped the team of researchers make sense of the survey data for the intimate partner violence section. Having a better understanding of both the abused and the abuser will help advocates against domestic violence and healthcare providers offer better support to survivors of intimate partner violence.

In the intimate partner violence section, respondents gave details about their abusers, no matter the gender or sexuality. "Many lesbian identified people in the study had children with cisgender, heterosexual men and left marriages," explains Grant.

The results showed that cisgender, heterosexual men use more lethal forms of violence that have a bigger impact on someone's ability to stay alive. In contrast, women and gender-diverse people use more social control as a form of violence, the survey found.

"We did see differences from the survey data that was telling us that the kinds of harms that cisgendered men were causing to their queer female partners was different than the kinds of harms that queer women who were being abusive were enacting on their partners," says Perez-Darby.

Perez-Darby warns against making simple conclusions about patterns of abuse across gender simply based on the findings of the survey. "The impact of domestic violence was equally crushing to their lives," says Perez-Darby, "No matter the gender or sexual orientation of the partner who was abusing them."

Grant hopes that this data can serve as the grounds for education campaigns in healthcare settings where doctors may come in contact with different types of domestic violence survivors, as well as in the broader LGBTQ+ community.

The report also shows that only 20% of domestic violence survivors sought support from institutions – such as hospitals, domestic violence shelters or the police – whereas more than half of survivors did not look for help in these spaces and instead relied on their friends.

Therein lies the potential solution for this problem. "The most consistent aspect of domestic violence is isolation," says Perez-Darby. "If there was one thing we could all do, it would be to stay better connected to our people, to our friends, and to our family." The strong value that LGBTQ+ people place on their queer and trans communities is what Perez-Darby calls a "resiliency that can help us prevent domestic violence."

The survey also gives insight into the joy and resilience that exist in the LGBTQ+ community.

One of the surprising results from the survey for Grant was that gender and sexuality remain fluid and changing for LGBTQ+ women. 24% of respondents reported their gender as "fluid or changing" and 32% described their sexuality as "fluid or changing." "LGBTQ+ women's identities across the board are very expansive," says Grant.

This fluidity "reflects how things are changing in our society in terms of understanding nuances in gender and sexuality," says Amanda Pollitt, an assistant professor at the Center for Health Equity Research at Northern Arizona University. "I wasn't really expecting to see quite so much diversity and especially gender identities."

One of the last questions of the survey asked: "What are your favorite things about being an LGBTQ+ woman?"

Of the 21,000 answers from 7,000 respondents, Grant says what people love is self-determination, community and the freedom to choose who they want to be with. For Perez-Darby, the survey underscores "the resiliency of queer and trans communities, how we have held each other, and all the different ways we figure out how to be in relationship with each other to survive and thrive."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/913836

Ron DeSantis’s flailing campaign team couldn’t let Pride month pass without stepping on their own dick.

Tallahassee, Florida – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, condemns Gov. DeSantis for signing SB 1580, a “​​License to Discriminate in Healthcare” bill that will allow healthcare providers and insurers to deny a patient care on the basis of religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. It creates a license to discriminate by allowing healthcare employers to discriminate in hiring, and it bars medical Boards from disciplining doctors for spreading misinformation.

In response, HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow released the following statement:

“Religious beliefs are fundamental rights in our country. These core values have shaped our nation and strengthened our union. Unfortunately, bills like SB 1580 distort our foundational freedoms into tools to limit the rights of others, including the LGBTQ+ community and other vulnerable people. Personal beliefs should not be wielded as a sword to deny critical medical care. The Human Rights Campaign strongly condemns Gov. DeSantis for signing this dangerous bill.”

Last month, the President of HRC Kelley Robinson held a roundtable discussion with Equality Florida – the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida's LGBTQ+ community – teachers, parents, and students to slam Gov. DeSantis and Florida legislators for advancing a slate of hateful anti-LGBTQ+ bills and proposals. HRC also deployed mobile billboards at the State Capitol, the Governor’s mansion, the Pride Festival in Tallahassee, and South Beach and took out a full page ad in the Miami Herald slamming DeSantis for his attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.

Acting at the behest of the administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine also adopted a politically motivated and discriminatory rule that denies age-appropriate gender-affirming care to Florida's transgender youth. The rule (64B8-9.019) was filed with the Florida Department of State on February 24, 2023 and became effective on March 16, 2023. HRC is one of several organizations representing Florida families challenging the state’s ban on medically necessary healthcare for their transgender children and filed a motion asking the court to halt the ban while their case proceeds. Parents told the federal district court in their motion for a preliminary injunction that the ban is causing their children significant harm through canceled doctors appointments and denials of treatment.

So far in 2023, HRC is opposing more than 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been introduced in statehouses across the country. More than 220 of those bills would specifically restrict the rights of transgender people, the highest number of bills targeting transgender people in a single year to date. This year, HRC is tracking:

• More than 125 gender-affirming care bans — bills that would prevent transgender youth from being able to access age-appropriate, medically-necessary, best-practice health care; this year, 14 have already become law in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Georgia, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Dakota, Montana, and Oklahoma;

• More than 30 anti-transgender bathroom bills filed;

• More than 100 anti-LGBTQ+ curriculum censorship bills, and;

• 45 anti-LGBTQ+ drag performance ban bills.

Americans believe the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is excessive, agreeing it is “political theater.” Likely voters across all political parties look at GOP efforts to flood state legislatures with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as political theater. Recent polling indicates that 64% of all likely voters, including 72% of Democrats, 65% of Independents, and 55% of Republicans think that there is “too much legislation” aimed at “limiting the rights of transgender and gay people in America” (Data For Progress survey of 1,220 likely voters, 3/24-26, 2023).

By comparison, last year in 2022 politicians in statehouses across the country introduced 315 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, 29 of which were enacted into law. These efforts — the result of a coordinated push led by national anti-LGBTQ+ groups, which deployed vintage discriminatory tropes seeking to slander, malign, and stigmatize LGBTQ+ people — only yielded a less than 10% success rate, as more than 90% of anti-LGBTQ+ bills were defeated. The majority of the discriminatory bills – 149 bills – targeted the transgender and non-binary community, with the majority targeting children. By the end of the 2022 state legislative season, a record 17 bills attacking transgender and non-binary children were enacted into law.

More than 300 major U.S. corporations have stood up and spoken out to oppose anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being proposed in states across the country. Major employers in tech, manufacturing, hospitality, health care, retail, and other sectors are joining with a unified voice to say discrimination is bad for business and to call on lawmakers to abandon these efforts. Four of the largest U.S. food companies also condemned “dangerous, discriminatory legislation that serves as an attack on LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender and nonbinary people,” and the Walton Family Foundation issued a statement expressing “alarm” at the trend of anti-transgender legislation that recently became law in Arkansas.

According to the latest data this year from PRRI, support for LGBTQ+ rights is on the rise in Florida and nationwide: 80% of Florida residents support nondiscrimination protections, and 66% of Florida residents oppose refusal of service on religious grounds. About eight in ten Americans (80%) favor laws that would protect LGBTQ+ people against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing. This reflects a dramatic increase in the proportion of Americans who support nondiscrimination protections since 2015, when it was 71%.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

Michigan will soon join 21 states that have banned conversion therapy for minors after the state Senate passed legislation on Wednesday that forbids the practice.

The pseudo-scientific attempt to turn LGBTQ+ children straight or cisgender has been proven dangerous to mental health and decried by every major medical organization. The religious right frequently promotes it despite the increased suicide risks to children who are told that they are wrong and need fixing.

“Banning it is just one less thing that LGBTQ children will have to worry about going forward in Michigan,” said state Rep. Jason Hoskins (D), the first LGBTQ+ person of color elected to the legislature, according to The Associated Press.

The bill now goes to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who is expected to sign it into law. Whitmer previously called the quack treatment a “dangerous practice.”

Religious conservatives have tried to fight conversion therapy bans as violations of their “free speech” and “religious freedom,” stating that people should have the right to rid themselves of “gender confusion” and “same-sex attraction.”

But the actual methods of ex-gay therapy are fraudulent. They include telling people not to masturbate, rigorous exercise, Bible study, “covert aversion” (making LGBTQ identity seem dangerous, unhealthy, and repulsive), and “reframing desire” onto “heterosexual surrogates” (re-directing sexual desire onto opposite-sex partners). Other methods include not shaking hands with anyone of the same sex and not listening to music.

“We applaud Michigan for using Pride Month to eliminate prejudice,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out, an organization that opposes so-called ex-gay therapy. “Conversion therapy is rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health association and has left a long trail of survivors who tell horror stories about conversion efforts. Most leaders of conversion therapy eventually come out of the closet as LGBTQ and warn people not to enter such programs.”

Indeed, a 2013 survey found that 84% of former conversion therapy patients said they felt lasting shame and emotional harm as a result of undergoing the pseudoscientific practice.

“No one should live in fear of being subjected to the discredited and dangerous practice of so-called conversation therapy,” said Sarah Warbelow, vice president of legal for the Human Rights Campaign, in a statement. “While it’s a shame that this practice has been allowed to take place for so long, today’s passage is just another example of how Michigan is rapidly progressing toward being a more inclusive and safe state for LGBTQ+ people.”

-Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted the Supreme Court for siding with a web designer who wanted to not serve same-sex couples.

-Sotomayor wrote a firey dissent, arguing that high court's decision will lead to LGBTQ+ Americans becoming second-class citizens.

-"Today is a sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people," she wrote.

The situation is a thousand levels of not good. :(