LGBTQ

Allies and members of the LGBTQ community gathered together all across the city as many observed International Transgender Day of Visibility.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has compared the policies of the Bosnia Serb separatist leader to those of Russian President Vladimir Putin following his moves to curb dissent and LGBTQ rights. Dodik is the entity's president and leading politician who has repeatedly advocated for the breakup of Bosnia and clashed with Western officials in the Balkan country. Dodik also announced a law in the upcoming months to prohibit access for LGBTQ activists to kindergartens, schools and universities. Dodik, who is staunchly pro-Russia, has rejected Western criticism and said his entity would break off relations with the U.S. and British embassies in Bosnia. He has dismissed the need for U.S. support and blasted Washington's engagement in Bosnia, including continued financial backing.

Following a lawsuit over the forced cancellation of a drag show at West Texas A&M, a federal judge has denied students' request for a preliminary injunction that would allow the show to continue.

A fearless advocate for the LGBTQ community, Cole was crowned the world's oldest drag performer in 2016 by Guinness World Records.

Four families filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging rules adopted by Florida medical boards that prohibit doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender children, arguing the rules intrude on “parents’ fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their adolescent children.”

The gay dating app is sending regular warnings to its users in Egypt, alleging that the authorities are using fake accounts for entrapment.

The Blackhawks have previously worn Pride warmup jerseys and donned special warmup jerseys on some other themed nights this season. There had been ongoing conversations with players about Pride jerseys prior to the decision, according to the person who talked to the AP. Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed jerseys for the Sharks on Saturday. The New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night in January despite previously advertising that plan. While Chicago will go without Pride warmup jerseys this year, the team has planned a variety of activities in conjunction with Sunday's game.

The Blackhawks have previously worn Pride warmup jerseys and donned special warmup jerseys on some other themed nights this season. There had been ongoing conversations with players about Pride jerseys prior to the decision, according to the person who talked to the AP. Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed jerseys for the Sharks on Saturday. The New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night in January despite previously advertising that plan. While Chicago will go without Pride warmup jerseys this year, the team has planned a variety of activities in conjunction with Sunday's game.

CHICAGO — (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday's Pride Night game against Vancouver because of security concerns involving a Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights in the country. The Blackhawks have worn Pride warmup jerseys previously and donned special warmup jerseys on some other themed nights this season. The decision by the Blackhawks comes after San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to take part in warmups with Pride-themed jerseys. The New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night in January despite previously advertising that plan. Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed jerseys for the Sharks on Saturday.

The bill now will go to President Yoweri Museveni, who can veto or sign it into law. The bill also creates the offense of “attempted homosexuality,” punishable with up to 10 years in jail. The bill is “ill-conceived” and unconstitutional because it “criminalizes individuals instead of conduct,” said lawmaker Fox Odoi, representing the dissenters. The bill, if signed into law, “would violate multiple fundamental rights, including rights to freedom of expression and association, privacy, equality, and non-discrimination, according to Human Rights Watch. Uganda’s LGBTQ community in recent years has faced pressure from civilian authorities who wanted a tough new law punishing same-sex activity.

The Washington Post cited politicians and activists opposed to Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds to argue that she has been unfairly "targeting the LGBTQ community."

Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Thursday codifying LGBTQ protections into the state's civil rights law, permanently outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the state. The Michigan Legislature advanced a repeal of the state's "right-to-work" law earlier this week. The Michigan House and Senate passed the LGBTQ protections earlier this month with the large majority of Republicans voting in opposition, claiming that it could infringe on religious groups' rights. The bill's sponsor, Jeremy Moss, the state's first openly gay state senator, said Thursday that amending the state's civil rights act to include LGBTQ protections has been 40 years in the making. The Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act also prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status and marital status.

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Thursday that will permanently outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the state.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is moving to revoke the liquor license of a Miami hotel that hosted a Christmas drag show.

Florida Republicans are advancing a proposal to ban classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity through the eighth grade, expanding the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”.

A Michigan man who threatened Democratic politicians and members of the LGBTQ community was charged with a gun crime. The mentally ill man was making death threats on social media.

Gov. Tim Walz has signed an executive order protecting the rights of LGBTQ people from Minnesota and other states to seek and receive gender affirming health care.

"There’s a new bill every day but we have to call it for what it is," said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), who recently began his first term in Congress.

The Michigan state Senate voted Wednesday in favor of a proposal to expand the state's civil rights law to include the LGBTQ community under anti-discrimination policies.

Flagler School Board member Christy Chong demanded that a "safe space" poster associated with LGBTQ groups and anti-bullying be removed.

An Arizona teacher spoke out against a proposed bill for schools to ban books discussing sexuality and LGBTQ ideology, arguing that parental input in the classroom is a "mistake."

A CBS News investigation found many of those kicked out for their sexual orientation are still struggling to get their honorable discharge status.

For the second time in less than five months, a federal judge has rejected a lawsuit seeking to block a controversial Florida law that restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Japan’s prime minister fired an aide who said he “doesn’t even want to look” at same-sex couples, sparking outcry and renewing attention on LGBTQ rights.

Pope Francis has criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church. “Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of “sin.”

India’s highest court will hear arguments on whether to legalize same-sex marriage on March 13, a landmark for the country of 1.4 billion people and for the global movement for LGBTQ rights. A ruling that finds gay marriages are allowed under India’s constitution would run counter to the socially conservative sentiment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as wide swaths of the country’s Muslim community. But younger Indians tend to be more accepting

LONDON — (AP) — The Church of England formally apologized Friday for its treatment of LGBTQ people, even as it said that same-sex couples still won't be allowed to marry in its churches. The apology from the church's bishops came in a report following five years of debate on the church’s position on sexuality. Same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales since 2013, but the church did not change its teaching when the law changed. Church leaders described the decision on church services as a significant change that acknowledges the lived experience of some faithful Christians. “We’ve had apology after apology after apology, and this one frankly, sounds hollow and cruel,'' Ozanne wrote on Twitter.

A pair of Orlando businesses that cater to the LGBTQ community was targeted by a vandal who shattered several windows before running away.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is requiring state universities to provide information from the past five years about services they have provided to people with gender dysphoria, according to documents released Wednesday.

India’s highest court will hear arguments on whether to legalize same-sex marriage on March 13, a landmark for the country of 1.4 billion people and for the global movement for LGBTQ rights. A ruling that finds gay marriages are allowed under India’s constitution would run counter to the socially conservative sentiment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as wide swaths of the country’s Muslim community. But younger Indians tend to be more accepting

Frank Norviel, 57, arrested Tuesday

ORLANDO, Fla. — School librarians in Florida are being trained on what children can learn. The hour-long training is meant to break down the state laws limiting how race and LGBTQ issues can be taught in Florida schools. Read: Registration open for free prenatal support group classes for new Orange County parentsLibrarians have to select books in compliance with those laws. Watch: SpaceX successfully launches OneWeb Launch 16 mission aboard Falcon 9 rocketLawmakers said they put the task of developing the training on the Florida Department of Education to avoid over legislating. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

By 2025, Minnesota’s teacher licensing board will require all aspiring teachers to teach and promote the core tenets of LGBTQ ideology and critical race theory.

More than 2,000 members of the LGBTQ community and their supporters have returned to New Delhi streets after a three-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to press for equal marriage rights

The Chargers presented Richard Fierro, an Army veteran who stopped a gunman at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, with tickets to the Super Bowl.

NAIROBI, Kenya — (AP) — Police in Kenya are investigating the death of an LGBTQ activist whose body was found stuffed in a metal box. Edwin Chiloba's body was found on Wednesday on a road in Uasin Gishu County, in the west of the country. Police say a motorcycle taxi operator reported seeing the box being dumped by a vehicle with no license plates. Officers who opened the box found the decomposing body of a man, whom they described as wearing women's clothes. LGBTQ people living in Kenya have often decried discrimination and attacks in a country where sex between men is illegal.

After a five-year legal battle, a sharply divided federal appeals court Friday upheld a St. Johns County School Board policy that prevented a transgender male student from using boys’ bathrooms at a high school.

The Oxford English Dictionary included 18 new words related to gender identity throughout 2022 out of their more than 2,000 additions to the English language.

The federal government is launching a "first-of-its-kind" investigation into a Texas school district after the superintendent lobbied to remove some LGBTQ content.

The first annual Children's and Family Emmy Awards saw shows with progressive topics like gender identity win big, with award recipients shouting out LGBTQ youth.

Fired nuclear official Sam Brinton helped craft a model policy on suicide prevention that tells school districts to keep "unaffirming" parents in the dark about a child’s LGBTQ identity.

Club Q shooting survivors testified to Congress about constant threats and violence against members of the LGBTQ community.

Zephyr and SJ Howell are the first two openly transgender people to be elected to the Montana Legislature. The first openly transgender lawmaker in the United States took office in 2018. Transgender rights and medical treatment for transgender minors are highly charged issues around the country, leading to threats and violence. The Montana bill comes as Arkansas, Alabama and Arizona have all passed legislation to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors. A Texas judge has temporarily blocked a law that would have allowed the state to investigate parents for child abuse if their minor children received transgender medical care.

President Biden signed landmark legislation Tuesday, the Respect for Marriage Act., granting federal protections to same-sex and interracial couples. Here are the stories of 13 couples whose marriages will be protected under the new law.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — A top court in Barbados has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalize gay sex, becoming the third nation in the conservative Caribbean region to do so this year. While the laws were rarely invoked, they signal that LGBTQ people are criminal and lesser citizens, Braun said. Earlier this year, Caribbean courts have found such laws in Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis unconstitutional. The Barbados High Court issued only an oral ruling saying it found such laws unconstitutional, and won’t release a written judgment detailing its reasons until late January. “The dismantling of these laws is the first major step, but not the last step.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

A top court in Barbados has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalize gay sex

The State Board of Education is slated this week to scrutinize LGBTQ support guides and bathroom policies for transgender students in 10 school districts, as state officials question whether they are violating a law known as the "Parents' Bill of Rights" and other measures.

North Carolina drag performers and LGBTQ community members fear for their safety after an attack on the electrical grid in Moore County left tens of thousands without power for several days.

The suspect accused of entering a Colorado LGBTQ nightclub, opening fire and killing five people and wounding 17 others is set to appear in court Tuesday to learn what charges prosecutors will pursue.

The suspect accused of entering a Colorado Springs gay nightclub and killing five people and wounding 17 others was formally charged with 305 criminal counts including hate crimes and murder.

Holiday movie season is ramping up again, and so is queer visibility in its formulaic wintry rom-coms.

303 Creative v. Elenis isn’t about LGBTQ rights, as many people believe it to be, but about what constitutes speech.

Club Q owner Nic Grzecka told NPR he and his staff are working on a yet-to-be-determined temporary solution. The Nov. 20 shooting killed 5 people and wounded another 17. A suspect has been arrested.

The upper house of Russia’s parliament has unanimously approved a bill that significantly expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights in the country

The Senate has passed landmark bipartisan legislation to protect same-sex marriages.

Beyond These Walls, a trans-led group out of the Pacific Northwest, provides reentry services for LGBTQ individuals leaving prison.

Focus on the Family, a prominent Christian organization in Colorado Springs, was vandalized on Thanksgiving Day with a message tying the facility to the Club Q shooting.

The newspaper's editorial board implored the extremist Republican to "stop the intolerance."

Ed Sanders, 63, a regular at the club, had stopped by for a drink on the night of shooting. He was shot in the back.

The suspect in the Club Q shooting that left five people dead and many injured appeared in court virtually Wednesday and was held without bail.

The suspect in the deadly mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs, Colo., made a virtual court appearance on Wednesday. In a video feed from El Paso County Jail, Aldrich appeared in an orange jumpsuit slumped over in a wheelchair with visible facial bruises. According to police, Aldrich used an AR-15-style semiautomatic weapon in the attack. “It has all the trappings of a hate crime,” Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said on NBC’s “Today” show Monday. No explosives were found, prosecutors did not pursue charges, and the case was sealed, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, the 22-year-old suspected of killing five people at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., made an initial court appearance on Wednesday.

The alleged shooter facing possible hate crime charges in the fatal shooting of five people at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub has been ordered held without bail in an initial court appearance.

Some World Cup players planned to wear arm bands in support of LGBTQ rights, but Qatar and FIFA quashed them.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez read the preferred pronouns and names of the five people killed in the shooting at Club Q. LGBTQ advocates say it matters.

In the mostly conservative city of Colorado Springs, Club Q has long been a go-to spot for members of the LGBTQ community — a safe space where many felt they could just be themselves.

There are many reasons to criticize FIFA for the way they’ve handled the Men’s World Cup that is about to begin in Qatar, and at the top of that list is that they chose to have it in a nation with egregious human rights violations.

Legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages has crossed a major Senate hurdle, putting Congress on track to take the historic step of ensuring that such unions are enshrined in federal law.

Doctors will no longer be allowed to provide treatments such as puberty-blocking medications, hormone therapy and surgery to transgender people younger than 18, under rules approved Friday by the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine.

A Florida Board of Medicine panel signed off on a draft rule Friday that would restrict doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment to children and adolescents.

Threats from Neo-Nazis have forced an LGBTQ community center in Orlando to cancel a planned “Drag Queen Story Hour” event for this weekend.

County school boards and charter schools will have to follow new requirements for notifying parents about policies involving access to bathrooms and locker rooms, under a rule approved unanimously Wednesday by the State Board of Education.

Several hundred people have joined an LGBTQ pride march in Montenegro that was held amid strong opposition from the influential Serbian Orthodox Church in the small conservative Balkan country.

Hundreds of people have gathered in Montenegro for a protest led by the Serbian Orthodox Church against holding an LGBTQ pride march this weekend.

One of the biggest LGBTQ events in Florida returns with a full week of activities culminating in a festival, parade and fireworks around Orlando’s Lake Eola.

Hundreds of attendees decked out in rainbow garb crowded downtown Melbourne on Saturday for Space Coast Pridefest.

The Space Coast Pride Festival and Parade returns this week at a new location in Brevard County.

Riot police clashed with soccer hooligans in Belgrade, where an international Pride march has been held despite threats from anti-gay groups and an official earlier ban in theconservative Balkan state.

Thousands of opponents of a pan-European LGBTQ event planned for this week in Belgrade marched through the Serbian capital on Sunday despite an announced ban of Europe’s largest annual gay gathering.

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for an LGBTQ group to gain official recognition from a Jewish university in New York, though that may not last.

Social media sensation JoJo Siwa will be honored by the LGBTQ education group GLSEN next month for her anti-bullying and advocacy efforts.

Orange County health officials are expanding the number of locations to get a monkeypox vaccine, and the number of doses available.

A lawsuit filed in federal court on behalf of students, parents and advocates for the LGBTQ community is seeking to have a judge declare Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law unconstitutional.

The Senate has unexpectedly launched a new push to protect same-sex marriage in federal law.

Pressure is mounting on a French government minister to quit over comments stigmatizing homosexuality and LGBTQ people.

A group of academics from Yale University and other schools says a plan by Florida health officials that likely would restrict Medicaid insurance coverage for gender dysphoria treatments for transgender people lacks any sound medical justification.

A new report says social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok are failing to stop hate and threats against LGBTQ users.

The Zebra Coalition is accepting applications for its Jefferson R. Voss scholarship, which is aimed at promoting access to education for LGBTQ students.

With homeownership rates among the LGBTQ+ community below the general population, a Central Florida realtor team is working to change that.

News 6 sat down with the newly-selected superintendent of the Orange County Public School District. Dr. Maria Vazquez opened up about key topics like school security, the controversial parental rights in education Law, teacher raises and more.

Several key, controversial laws here in Florida are set to go into effect this Friday, July 1.

Will Larkins, 17, organized and led the walkout at Winter Park High School in protest of Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, catching the attention of the New York Times.

Florida’s health care agency will hold one public hearing on a proposed rule that would stop Medicaid payments to gender-affirming treatments for children and adolescents.

As we all know, June is Pride Month, and it’s a time for the LGBTQ+ community to come together and celebrate being out and proud.

Have you ever had dreams of starring in a Broadway show and singing your heart out to hundreds of people in a packed New York theater?

In the month of June, several Central Florida businesses and groups will be offering free wellness events to support mental health with community-wide activities.

The Orlando teenager who made national news when she became her school’s first transgender homecoming queen has graduated high school.

Zebra Coalition, which helps homeless youth members of the LGBTQ community, said it’s now been two years in a row that they’ve missed out on critical funding from the state budget.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration issued a report Thursday that could set the stage for the Medicaid program to deny coverage for treatments such as puberty-blocking medication and hormone therapy for transgender people.