Royal romances are the best kind. Directed and cowritten by Tony-winning scribe Matthew López,Red, White & Royal Blue adapts Casey McQuiston’s immensely popular New York Times best-selling novel in fabulous fashion. Red, White & Royal Blue follows two men with incredible family pedigrees—British prince Henry (Cinderella’s Nicholas Galitzine) and American first son Alex Claremont-Diaz (The Kissing Booth’s Taylor Zakhar Perez)—who must engage in a crisis-PR truce even though they get on each other’s nerves. But the more they talk, the more Henry and Alex discover that the line between love and hate is quite thin. “There are a lot of projects that have come and gone in my career that I have had the ability to let go of,” López told VF, “but if I wasn’t able to make this movie, it would’ve cost me something.” He got his wish as the helmer of this feel-good, fizzy romance, which also features none other than Uma Thurman as the president of the United States. You can paint yourself Red, White & Royal Blue when the film hits Amazon Prime August 11.
Some feel-good queer romances also double as camp classics. Look no further than But I’m a Cheerleader, the ’90s satirical rom-com which stars a young Natasha Lyonne as Megan Bloomfield, a lesbian cheerleader who gets sent to conversion therapy camp. Yes, that may not sound like the grounds for a feel-good queer love story—but in the hands of Lyonne, director Jamie Babbit, and screenwriter Brian Wayne Peterson,But I’m a Cheerleader becomes a romp about the queer experience, with Lyonne’s sexually confused cheerleader falling pom-poms-over-heels for Clea DuVall’s Graham, a cool, confident college student also at the camp. Along with DuVall and Lyonne, the cast includes once and future stars like Melanie Lynskey, Michelle Williams, and RuPaul, who does his darndest to butch it up as counselor Mike. RuPaul as an ex-gay? That’s even funnier than the hilarious Ross Mathews.
The United States on Tuesday sharply limited Hungary’s participation in its visa waiver program over security concerns regarding new passports issued between 2011 and 2020.
Under the American Visa Waiver Program, citizens of participating countries can travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa, and simply need a so-called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
But starting Tuesday, ESTA validity for Hungarian passport holders will be reduced from two years to one, and an ESTA will only be valid for a single use.
The unprecedented move, in response to security concerns, affects Hungary as the only one of 40 countries participating in the U.S. program.
After coming to power in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government implemented a major policy change that granted citizenship to ethnic Hungarians abroad — including in Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. Domestic critics say Orbán’s controversial move was designed to boost his electoral prospects.
David Pressman, the U.S. ambassador in Budapest, told POLITICO in an interview ahead of the announcement, “There are hundreds of thousands of passports that have been issued by the government of Hungary as part of the simplified naturalization program without stringent identity verification mechanisms in place.”
The U.S. government has been engaging the Hungarian government on this “security vulnerability” for many years and across multiple administrations, Pressman said. But “the government of Hungary has opted not to close” it.
Responding to the American decision, Hungary’s interior ministry said the country “will not disclose the data of Hungarians beyond the border with dual citizenship because that would risk their security” and accused the White House of “taking revenge on Hungarians with the new visa waiver limit.”
“This is a really unfortunate day,” Pressman said. “This is not the outcome the United States sought or is seeking.”
Washington’s move comes at a time when Hungary’s relationship with Western partners is at a low point.
Budapest’s NATO allies are deeply frustrated that Hungary’s parliament has yet to ratify Sweden’s bid to join the alliance.
There are also ongoing concerns about senior Hungarian officials promoting Kremlin-style narratives at home, as well as over efforts to water down European sanctions targeting Moscow. Earlier this year, the U.S. imposed sanctions on a Hungary-based bank linked to Russia.
Many Western countries have spoken out about deteriorating democratic standards in Hungary, as well as policies and rhetoric they say undermine the rights of LGBTQ+ people there.
Pressman underscored how American experts had previously identified ways the security concerns could be addressed.
The U.S. in 2017 made Hungary’s status in the visa waiver program provisional, while security concerns were also behind a decision to render Hungarians born outside the country ineligible starting in 2020.
Now, however, all Hungarian passport holders will be affected.
“This is about a choice,” the ambassador said. “The Hungarian government thus far has chosen not to address that security concern, which has led the United States to respond.”
This article has been updated with a response from the Hungarian interior ministry.
J-Pop idol Shinjiro Atae, a member of the renowned group AAA, shared his truth with over 2,000 fans at a fan meet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
According to EW, he proudly announced that he is a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The crowd erupted with applause as Atae, 34, opened up about his journey to self-acceptance and offered support to others facing similar struggles.
Atae unveiled a touching new song titled “Into The Light” to mark the momentous occasion. Even more inspiring, a portion of the song’s proceeds will be donated to Pride House Tokyo, Japan’s first LGBTQ+ center, and ReBit, an organization aiding LGBTQ+ youth.
Shinjiro Atae
— Photo: Nina Menconi
Atae’s announcement is particularly significant in Japan, where advocates push for stronger pro-LGBTQ+ legislation. As one of the first API idols to come out, he hopes his story will encourage inclusivity and empower others to embrace their true selves.
The music video for “Into the Light” captures Shinjiro’s emotional journey, directed by Tsubasa Maruno. It portrays the darkness and loneliness he experienced before finding acceptance.
Moreover, Atae revealed he is teaming up with Oscar-winning producers Peter Farrelly and Fisher Stevens for a documentary about his life, directed by creative duo Carlie Mantilla-Jordan and John Eliot Jordan.
Atae’s move to public self-acceptance shines a positive spotlight on LGBTQ+ representation as he’s achieved 7 No. 1 albums in Japan and three No. 1 singles.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The scientifically discredited practice of so-called conversion therapy, which aims to “convert” LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality or traditional gender expectations, is now banned for minors in Michigan under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Michigan becomes the 22nd state to outlaw conversion therapy, which state lawmakers defined as any practice or treatment by a mental health professional that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. That does not include counseling that provides assistance to people undergoing a gender transition.
Whitmer, who is the mother of a member of the LGBTQ community, said in a statement that banning the “horrific practice,” of conversion therapy was necessary to making Michigan a place “where you can be who you are.” She signed an executive directive in 2021 prohibiting the use of state and federal funds for conversion therapy on minors.
An estimated 15% of LGBTQ minors in Michigan have reported that they have been threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy as of 2022, according to the advocacy group The Trevor Project.
LGBTQ rights advocates have decried the practice for years, citing research suggesting the practice can increase the risk of suicide and depression.
The ban was approved by the Michigan Senate last month in a 21-15 vote — with one Republican siding with Democrats — after previously being passed by the state House. Republicans in opposition said the legislation could interfere with the work of mental health professionals.
Protecting the rights of Michigan’s LGBTQ community has been a priority for Democrats since they took control of the state government earlier this year. In March, lawmakers amended the state’s civil rights act to codify LGBTQ+ protections and permanently outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the state.
Lawmakers in Minnesota, where Democrats also seized control earlier this year, passed a similar ban on conversion therapy in April. In Arizona, Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order last month that prohibits state agencies from using funds to promote or facilitate conversion therapy.
The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community in May in response to what it called an “unprecedented and dangerous” spike in discriminatory legislation sweeping statehouses this year. The emergency declaration is the first in the 43-year history of the HRC.
SARASOTA, Fla., July 24, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– Nationally renowned CAN Community Health (CAN) has named Terry Dyer as the Director of Donor Development. In this new role, Dyer will lead the charge to expand donor development and stewardship across CAN’s national markets which include Central and South Florida, Dallas/ Arlington, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, Virginia, South Carolina, and recently Nevada.
“We are excited to have Terry join us at this pivotal moment of growth and development across the United States,” said Rogelio Capote, Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer. “We welcome his keen ability to establish new partnerships, engage donors who share our mission and to brand our successful model of healthcare.”
Dyer has a solid history of working with Fortune 100 and 500 companies and nonprofit organizations to help reach their maximum potential and growth. His background consists of talent acquisition management, recruitment, client services and program management. Most recently, Dyer was the Executive Director of the World AIDS Museum and Education Center. During his tenure, he is credited with initiating fundraising efforts that raised more than $400,000. In addition, he established several impactful partnerships that resulted in innovative programming to end the stigma of HIV.
Additionally, Dyer has volunteered his time to various organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and South Florida communities. For several years, he served as a member of the San Francisco LGBTQ Speakers Bureau, which aimed to dispel homophobic and transphobic violence by educating people about the everyday lives of those in the community. In 2010, while working with STOP AIDS Project, POZ Health magazine named him “African American Person of the Month.”
In July 2020, Dyer became the bestselling author of “Letters to a GAY BLACK BOY,” a memoir sparking conversations around racism, inequality, homophobia and more. Also in 2020, he was the recipient of the Kujichagulia Award for Self-Determination, presented at the Black Brothers Esteem (San Francisco AIDS Foundation) annual Kwanzaa event.
In 2021, Dyer was presented the Ujima Men’s Collective Community Leadership Award and named by South Florida Gay News (SFGN) as 2021 Best New LGBT Activist. In 2022, he received SFGN’s nomination for Best LGBT Activist. During Black History Month 2023, Dyer received a proclamation from the City of Wilton Manors naming February 14th “Terry Dyer Day”. In May 2023, he was also recognized by the White House for his advocacy work. Currently, he is a board member of Plays of Wilton (POW) and is a member of the South Florida HRC Steering Committee. He also chairs the Black LGBTQ Planning Council.
Dyer received his bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Chico State University and a second degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations from Sacramento State University. He is a former All American collegiate volleyball player, a high school All-American track and field athlete, a competitive tennis player and a former contestant on the acclaimed TV show Star Search.
ABOUT CAN COMMUNITY HEALTH
CAN Community Health (CAN) is a not-for-profit, community-based organization with clinics in Florida, Arizona, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. CAN provides medical, pharmacy, dental, case management, mental health, and comprehensive prevention and services such as nPEP, PrEP, and education. CAN also provides screening and treatment for Viral Hepatitis, STDs and Gender Affirming Services. For more information about CAN Community Health and its services, please call (844) 922-2777 or visit www.cancommunityhealth.org.
Italy’s right-wing government is removing lesbian mothers’ names from their children’s birth certificates as part of a crackdown on same-sex parenting and surrogacy.
In the northern city of Padua, 27 mothers have been removed from their children’s birth certificates, CNN reported Friday. And in Bergamo, at least one mom was removed from her child’s birth certificate, the Daily Mail reported.
The draconian new measure allows only a child’s biological parent to be listed on their birth certificate. The measure will also block men in same-sex relationships from registering the birth of their child with both dads’ names, according to CNN.
The extremist new law was put into place by Premier Giorgia Meloni, the country’s first female prime minister. She has routinely attacked what she has called the “the LGBT lobby, and has said she wants to ensure that “all babies are born from a man and a woman,” according to CNN.
“The ban is one of the most concrete manifestations of the fury that the right-wing majority is unleashing against LGBTI people,” Gabriele Piazzoni, secretary general of Arcigay, Italy’s largest LGBTQ+ rights group, told Reuters.
Michela, a 38-year-old lesbian mom who spoke to the Daily Mail, said she “cried for ten days when I opened the letter” revealing her name had been removed from her child’s birth certificate.
“I suspect the government is afraid that a family that looks different, like ours, can be as happy – maybe even happier sometimes – as a traditional family,” Michela told the publication. “On paper, they say Giulia has one mother but we know she has two. We will do everything possible to prove we are a good family.”
A queer teen endures blood, sweat and tears ― yes, literally ― as he stumbles his way toward a prickly path of self-acceptance in “Big Boys,” writer-director Corey Sherman’s stunning debut feature.
Sherman, who is based in Los Angeles, drew heavily on his own youthful experiences while writing the “Big Boys” screenplay. As a result, the movie is imbued with a level of intimacy and charm that feels unusual on the big screen, even for an independent production.
The film follows Jamie (played by Isaac Krasner), a 14-year-old boy who is excited to join his brother Will (Taj Cross) and cousin Allie (Dora Madison) on a camping trip by a secluded California lake. To Jamie’s chagrin, Allie invites her new boyfriend, Dan (David Johnson III), to join the adventure.
At first, Jamie feels intimidated by Dan, who exudes confidence and cocky bravado. Over time, the pair form a heartfelt bond that arouses long-suppressed feelings within Jamie ― in an endearingly awkward way.
In an interview with HuffPost conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Sherman said he hoped to capture “the moment [a queer person] comes out to themselves and realizes that they are OK with the thing inside themselves that they’ve been resisting for quite some time.”
“I’ve always been curious in exploring the moment in someone’s life when they push past their isolation and find a sense of belonging, or come into their own sense of self-acceptance,” he added. “This is the first time Jamie has met someone that he’s really let himself fall for in this way, and he sees just how intoxicating and wonderful it can be.”
In recent years, a number of films and TV series have examined the experience of being a LGBTQ+ teen or young adult in a world where queer people enjoy advancements such as same-sex marriage, but are nonetheless facing an uphill battle when it comes to full equality.
From left: Taj Cross, Isaac Krasner and David Johnson III in “Big Boys.”
Gus Bendinelli/Perfect Dog Pictures
In 2017, “Moonlight” became the first LGBTQ-themed film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. About a year later, “Love, Simon” made history as Hollywood’s first major studio film to feature a gay teen protagonist and spawned a wonderful spinoff show, “Love, Victor.”
And next month, Netflix viewers will once again be swept away by teen boyfriends Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) when the beloved British series “Heartstopper” returns for a second season.
But as its title suggests, “Big Boys” differs from those mainstream predecessors by featuring a larger-bodied teen as its protagonist, who also happens to fantasize about a hirsute older man.
“As a big guy myself, it was important to me that the actors who played these characters would be that body type,” Sherman said. “There are a lot of people who are attracted to bigger people, but in movies and TV shows, the love interest is always someone who is thin and muscly. If a bigger character is presented as worthy of romance, it’s in spite of their size, or it’s because they have a good sense of humor. But Jamie is attracted to Dan in part because of his size. I wanted my movie to take that seriously.”
In depicting Jamie’s giddy crush, Sherman opted for a unusual conceit. For those scenes, he has an adult actor (Jack De Sanz) step in to portray a grown-up Jamie to show the character imagining himself in intimate situations with Dan.
“I’ve always been curious in exploring the moment in someone’s life when they push past their isolation and find a sense of belonging,” filmmaker Corey Sherman told HuffPost.
Katie Waldron/Perfect Dog Pictures
Given the inherent challenge in translating a teenager’s pinings for an adult on film, that choice prevents “Big Boys” from stepping outside the confines of good taste. To Sherman, it also made sense for Jamie to “picture himself as a very put-together, collegiate version of himself in a cable-knit sweater, because that speaks to who he is.”
Following its Outfest screening this week, Sherman is hopeful that “Big Boys” will be picked up for wider distribution, either in cinemas or on a streaming platform. And though he’s tight-lipped on specifics, he’d also like the movie to broaden the scope of projects he’s able to tackle as a filmmaker in the future.
“I want to make movies that feel smaller scale, like this one, but also have a rich emotional life to them,” he said. “I love characters who wear their hearts on their sleeve and are extremely vulnerable, but also have a lot of love to give to the world.”
“Big Boys” will be screened on July 22 at Outfest Los Angeles. Viewers also will be able to watch online from July 24 to July 30.
Russian lawmakers on Friday passed a law banning gender-affirming procedures in the country as the Kremlin continues its campaign of dismantling individual freedoms and instilling values it believes to be “traditional.”
Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of the parliament, unanimously approved the bill in its third and final reading.
The law seeks to introduce major amendments that outlaw any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person” and prohibit people from changing the gender marker in official documents or public records as well as becoming foster or adoptive parents.
The authorities will also be able to dissolve marriages involving people who previously “changed gender” even if this union is “of different sexes,” the document says.
The bill will need to be approved by the Federation Council, the upper house of the parliament, and then get President Vladimir Putin’s signature. There is little doubt that the bill, which deals another blow to the country’s oppressed LGBTQ+ community, will breeze through the bureaucratic hoops and come into force.
File photo of a 2022 session of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament.
Getty Images
Russian officials lauded the bill as means of protecting the country’s “national interests” against what they called “Western anti-family ideology” and preserving Russia’s “traditional foundations” for the sake of future generations.
“The Western transgender industry is trying to seep into our country, to open up the window for its multibillion-dollar business,” Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy said at a recent hearing before launching a scaremongering tirade about the “network of sex change clinics with trans-friendly doctors” that allegedly target young people for profit.
“This won’t lead to anything good; this is total satanism,” said the speaker of the parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, in the same hearing.
Tolstoy also mocked what he called “an emotional conclusion” issued by the country’s Health Ministry, which warned of the bill’s harmful effects on transgender people.
Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy speaker of the Russian parliament’s lower house, the State Duma,during an interview with AFP in Moscow on January 26, 2018.
VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP via Getty Images
“If the bill is passed, there will be a deadlock when individuals whose gender, officially recognized by medical professionals, does not align with the sex stated in their passports, would find themselves unable — poor things — to reconcile their passport data with their self-perceived reality,” he said.
“This discrepancy could result in ethical, medical, and social issues, and may even — can you believe it? — lead to a rise in suicides across the country,” Tolstoy added.
This anti-Western, anti-LGBTQ+ stance dates back to a decade ago when Putin steered his platform towards conservatism with “traditional family values” as the cornerstone of the country’s domestic policy.
Multiple discriminatory laws have been passed since, starting with 2013 legislation restricting LGBTQ+ rights known as the “gay propaganda” law, which banned any public endorsement of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors.
Since the invasion of Ukraine last year, Russian authorities ratcheted up their rhetoric, methodically weeding out anything they deemed a “degrading Western influence,” including rights groups that advocated anything from helping domestic abuse victims to preserving records of Soviet repressions.
In 2022, the original law targeting “gay propaganda” was expanded to cover adults, outlawing any positive or even neutral representation of LGBTQ+ people in the public sphere, movies, literature or media, forcing the already rare number of LGBTQ+-friendly spaces to shrink.
The executive director of the Independent Psychiatric Association of Russia, Lyubov Vinogradova, called the law “misanthropic” in comments to the Russian newspaper Kommersant in late June.
“It was prepared without any consultation with psychiatrists. We see an attempt to regulate issues related to science, medicine, by non-professional legislators — without discussion, without public hearings, but simply jumping on this for political reasons,” said Vinogradova.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Thursday that the state would be picking up a conservative Southern California school district’s slack.
Last month, the board for the Temecula Valley Unified School District, which has several far-right members, voted 3-2 against approving elementary school social studies materials that briefly mentioned gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The board has not yet approved a replacement for the classroom material, according to a press release from Newsom’s office sent to HuffPost.
Newsom, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Senate President pro-Tempore Toni G. Atkins, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson said they would provide textbooks to the district’s students ahead of their Aug. 14 school start date if their school board does not approve new material by its next meeting. The school board must apparently choose one of four textbooks approved by the state to teach in the coming year.
The rejected materials are approved across the state and would significantly update Temecula’s books, which have not been updated since 2006, according to the governor’s press release.
Additionally, Newsom, Thurmond, Atkins, Rivas and Jackson are seeking to push through state legislation that would fine school districts that do not provide their students with learning materials.
The news comes as Republicans across the country have sought to ban books or materials that mention race or the LGBTQ community. More than 2,571 books were banned or challenged across the country in 2022 alone.
“Cancel culture has gone too far in Temecula: radicalized zealots on the school board rejected a textbook used by hundreds of thousands of students and now children will begin the school year without the tools they need to learn,” Newsom said in a statement to HuffPost.
“If the school board won’t do its job by its next board meeting to ensure kids start the school year with basic materials, the state will deliver the book into the hands of children and their parents — and we’ll send the district the bill and fine them for violating state law.”
Dr. Joseph Komrosky, president of the district’s Board of Education, told HuffPost in a statement that Newsom and others have “mischaracterized not only what has occurred, but why.”
“The Board of Education of the Temecula Valley Unified School District did not ‘ban’ a book at its May 16, 2023 regular meeting. Instead, the Board of Education determined not to adopt as curriculum a history-social science program for District-wide use that had been part of a pilot study conducted by the District,” Komrosky said.
The pilot study included 1,300 students in the district.
Komrosky added that a large, but unspecified, number of stakeholders are working on putting together a curriculum that conforms to state standards to be run by the board on July 18.
He also maintained that there is another plan in place to ensure students get materials, should the curriculum not be approved at the July 18 meeting.
“Following the decision by the Board of Education in May not to adopt the pilot curriculum, the District made arrangements with the publisher of its currently adopted curriculum to provide enough textbooks for every single K-5 student of the District (which are the grade levels [affected] by this issue),” he added.
But Steven Schwartz, another board member, told HuffPost he supported the governor’s effort.
“I fully support the effort of the governor to help the students of TVUSD. I respect the expertise of the teachers who piloted the program and recommended it for use in our district. I voted to approve it and will do so again if it is proposed in our next agenda,” he said.
Board member Allison Barclay agreed with Schwartz.
“Speaking as an individual not representing our board as a whole, I am pleased to hear that the State of California is willing to support our students and ensure that they have access to the most up to date and accurate information. Our students deserve the best and having to continue to learn from a completely outdated curriculum that doesn’t meet state standards is not what’s best for them,” she told HuffPost.
Candace Cameron Bure tried to clear the air this week after finding herself embroiled in yet another social media controversy regarding her stance on the LGBTQ community.
On Thursday, actor Miss Benny shared a video on TikTok in which she reflected on being cast as Casey, a gay character on “Fuller House.”
Though her “Fuller House” experience was critical in helping her land her current role on Netflix’s “Glamorous,” she said she feared being terminated from the series because “one of the Tanner sisters” was “very publicly not for the girls, if that makes sense.”
“I remember I got sat down by the writers and the studio to basically warn me how this person allegedly was trying to get the character removed and not have a queer character on the show,” Miss Benny, who reintroduced herself as a transgender woman last month, said.
She went on to note that she’d been warned that “this person’s fan base might be encouraged to target me specifically.” Later in the clip, she added: It “continuously blows my mind how queer people, specifically queer young adults and queer children, are being targeted and having to advocate for themselves against adults.”
Though Miss Benny didn’t mention the name of the “Fuller House” actor she may be referring to in the video, she used the hashtag #candacebure in the accompanying caption.
On Friday, Bure issued a statement to People and other outlets denying the claims, and wished Miss Benny “only the best.”
“I never asked Miss Benny’s character to be removed from ‘Fuller House’ and did not ask the writers, producers or studio executives to not have queer characters on the show,” said Bure, best known for her portrayal of DJ Tanner on the “Full House” franchise. “‘Fuller House’ has always welcomed a wide range of characters. I thought Miss Benny did a great job as ‘Casey’ on the show. We didn’t share any scenes together, so we didn’t get a chance to talk much while filming on set. I wish Miss Benny only the best.”
Bure, who has been outspoken about her conservative Christian views, has drawn the ire of the LGBTQ community on more than one occasion.
A year ago, she was involved in another widely publicized social media dustup with actor and YouTube superstar JoJo Siwa, who is pansexual. Just months later, she faced backlash when she explained her recent move from the Hallmark Channel ― where she has more than two dozen movies to her credit ― to Great American Family, a more conservative network.
When asked by The Wall Street Journal if viewers can expect the network’s holiday programming to include stories about LGBTQ people, Bure replied: “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”
After the remark was broadly condemned by GLAAD and other advocacy groups, Bure went on the defensive and accused the media of “using this opportunity to fan flames of conflict and hate.”
The scourge of new laws banning medical treatment for young transgender people is seemingly hitting a legal wall, as federal judges in several predominately red states have temporarily—and, in one case, permanently—blocked them from taking effect. Federal judges in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida have found that the laws infringe on the Equal Protection Clause found in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, as Reuters pointed out. While 20 states have passed laws barring minors from obtaining gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy treatment, these decisions are an early sign that the courts could be a check on conservatives’ anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.
“The courts are starting to find very consistently that these laws are ridiculous,” Kevin Jennings, the chief executive of Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ+ civil rights group, told Reuters. “They violate the equal protection clause, they’re motivated by animus, not science and they serve no state interest.”
In Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, the laws have been blocked temporarily as the challenges unfold in court. However, district judge James Moody Jr., a Barack Obama appointee, made a permanent injunction last month striking down an Arkansas law that had been the first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for young people. Per Reuters, challenges to anti-trans laws in Montana and Georgia have yet to be ruled on as well. The US district judges involved in the cases found the clause to be applicable because gender-affirming care is medically essential for young people experiencing gender dysphoria. They have also said the laws impede the right of parents to make healthcare choices for their own children. (Interestingly, three of the judges blocking red state anti-trans laws were appointed by Donald Trump.)
These legal fights play out as Republican presidential candidates continue to take hard-line anti-LGBTQ+ positions in their national campaigns. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, whose administration has made anti-LGBTQ+ legislation a central part of his agenda in Florida, even attacked Trump in an ad shared last week by his campaign for making sympathetic comments toward these communities in the past, including one made after the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub. Trump, meanwhile, in a speech Friday, vowed to cut federal spending on schools pushing “transgender insanity” and “to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age” through federal agencies, if elected president again.
Since the passage of that Arkansas law in 2021, Republican state lawmakers and conservative activists have worked to pass similar laws across the country, with dozens still under consideration. The Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-trans group that recently had a major victory in the Supreme Court with a ruling that effectively allows some businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ customers, seems hopeful that the challenges in other states will dissipate: “Courts get it wrong sometimes,” Matt Sharp, ADF’s senior counsel, told Reuters. “This is still early in the process.”
The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have both expressed support for “age-appropriate, gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary people.” The Equal Protection Clause rules that states cannot deny “any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has broken her silence about transphobic backlash after a video she made in partnership with Bud Light led to harassment from people who vowed to boycott the beer company. Bud Light is now no longer the top-selling beer in America, ceding that spot to Modelo.
Mulvaney, 26, said Bud Light failed to stand with her amid the outrage as she faced a wave of hate that left her afraid to leave her home.
“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse, in my opinion, than not hiring a trans person at all,” she said in a TikTok posted Thursday.
The controversy began in April when Mulvaney posted a video to her Instagram page promoting Bud Light, which sent her a beer can with her face on it as part of a March Madness campaign. Prominent conservatives were quick to respond with videos of their own, showing themselves destroying Bud Light stock while complaining the company had gone “woke.”
In response, Bud Light CEO and Anheuser-Busch owner Brendan Whitworth wrote a tepid statement: “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
Suspected Bud Light purchase likely led to altercation outside Vaughan liquor store: police
Mulvaney feels the company’s response wasn’t enough, and criticized Bud Light for failing to reach out to her in the months since the controversy began.
“What transpired from that video was more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined,” Mulvaney said. “For months now I’ve been scared to leave my house, I’ve been ridiculed in public, I’ve been followed, and I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
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“I patiently waited for things to get better, but surprise, they haven’t really. And I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me but they never did.”
The TikTok star, who has more than 10 million followers on the platform, indicated that Bud Light’s lack of a response to the wave of hate “gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want.”
“To turn a blind eye and pretend everything is OK, it just isn’t an option right now,” she said.
“We remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best — brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers,” a spokesperson wrote.
Mulvaney said in her video that she’s not looking for pity in sharing her experience with harassment.
“I’m telling you this because if this is my experience from a very privileged perspective, know that it is much, much worse for other trans people,” she said. “The hate doesn’t end with me. It has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community and, you know, we’re customers too. I know a lot of trans and queer people who love beer, and I have some lesbian friends who could drink some of those haters under the table.”
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Mulvaney first rose to fame on TikTok with her “Days of Girlhood” series of videos, which saw her document her gender transition near-daily while racking up hundreds of millions of views.
She urged her followers on Thursday to support the transgender community and to continue doing so outside of Pride Month.
“Supporting trans people, it shouldn’t be political,” she said. “There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us, and I know it’s possible, because I’ve worked with some fantastic companies who care. But caring about the LGBTQ+ community requires a lot more than just a donation somewhere during Pride Month.”
“I’ve always tried to love everyone, even the people that make it really, really hard,” Mulvaney said. “It’s OK to be frustrated with someone, or confused, but what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel.
“Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history, ever.”
Dylan Mulvaney breaks silence on Bud Light controversy: “Dehumanization has never fixed anything”
Transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney said Bud Light failed to support her or even reach out after she became the focus of conservative backlash stemming from a video she posted featuring a personalized can sent to her by the company.
“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse, in my opinion, than not hiring a trans person at all,” Mulvaney said in a video on Thursday. “It gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want.”
The 26-year-old, who has 10.6 million followers on TikTok, detailed her experience working with Bud Light, a company she said she loved. Mulvaney said she filmed one Instagram video on April 1 with a customized Bud Light can that had her face on it, which she said the company sent her.
“I’m bringing it up because what transpired from that video was more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined,” Mulvaney said.
She said she took time to respond to the backlash because she was waiting for the anger to die down and for the brand to reach out to her — two things that haven’t happened, according to the social media star.
“I should have made this video months ago, but I didn’t and I was scared and I was scared of more backlash,” Mulvaney said. “I patiently waited for things to get better, but surprise, they haven’t really. And I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did.”
Mulvaney, who grew her social media presence with her “Days of Girlhood” series, said the hate she’s received because of the collaboration has made her feel personally guilty for what happened and fearful for her safety.
“For months now, I’ve been scared to leave my house, I have been ridiculed in public, I’ve been followed,” the influencer said. “I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
She also noted that the online attacks directed at her have reverberated throughout the trans community.
“The hate doesn’t end with me. It has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community,” Mulvaney said. “To turn a blind eye and pretend everything is okay, it just isn’t an option right now.”
Mulvaney lamented that LGBTQ+ rights and support are still considered controversial.
“There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us,” she said. “Caring about the LGBTQ+ community requires a lot more than just a donation somewhere during Pride Month.”
A spokesperson for Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch told CBS News in a statement, “We remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.”
Anheuser-Busch did not address whether or not it or Bud Light had reached out to Mulvaney since the controversy began.
In a “CBS Mornings” interview on Wednesday, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth avoided answering whether he would send the personalized can to Mulvaney again if he had the chance to do things over again. He said the company is sending financial assistance to distributors and wholesalers affected by the dip in sales since Mulvaney’s video.
Whitworth also said that the impact on the company’s employees is what “weighs most on me.”
Bud Light has seen a decline in sales since collaborating with Mulvaney, recently losing its long-held spot as the best-selling beer in the U.S.
The CEO of Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, said financial assistance has already begun being sent to wholesalers and beer distributors affected by a two-month sales decline caused by an ongoing customer boycott.
Brendan Whitworth acknowledged his accountability as CEO for the repercussions faced by employees, consumers, and distributors due to the backlash that began in response to a video posted on Instagram by transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney. The video showcased personalized Bud Light cans Mulvaney received as a “gift” according to Whitworth.
Bud Light, which had held the distinction of America’s top-selling beer for over two decades, lost its position to Modelo in May, signifying a significant shift in the beer market.
“I think it’s the impact, honestly on the employees that weighs most on me. Again, as I mentioned, seeing the pride and the commitment that they have, working on behalf of 165-plus-year-old American institution is what gives us energy as we look to move forward and focus on what we do best,” Whitworth, told “CBS Mornings” exclusively.
Conservatives like Kid Rock and Travis Tritt joined the uproar, calling for a boycott of the popular brew. Viral videos even showed people shooting and dumping Bud Light cans. As a result, many members of the LGBTQ+ community also joined the boycott, upset with how Anheuser-Busch distanced itself following the backlash through a series of statements.
When asked about Bud Light’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights, Whitworth highlighted the company’s history of supporting the queer community since 1998. He stressed their commitment to supporting organizations and communities they’ve been associated with for years while focusing on their product.
“As we move forward, we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble in listening to them, making sure that we do right by our employee, take care and support our partners, and ultimately make an impact in the communities that we serve,” he said.
Despite the recent setbacks, Whitworth said Anheuser-Busch plans to triple its investment in Bud Light this year as they launch their upcoming summer campaign and prepare for the upcoming NFL season.
“Over the last month we’ve talked to over 100,000 consumers and their feedback is very clear. What is it? The feedback is to reinforce what Bud Light has always meant to them, which is good times goodwill, and easy enjoyment,” he said.
The dream of owning a home seems out of reach for millions of Americans, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. But in Peoria, Illinois, Alex Martin owns a home at age 30 — something she never thought would be possible.
“I’m black. I’m trans, and I’m visibly so, and so having a space that, like, I made that I can just come in and recharge, I’m ready to face the world again,” she said.
And she’s not alone. In recent years, many LGBTQ+ people and people of color, who are statistically less likely to own homes because of discrimination and wealth gaps, are moving to the same city.
At first, they came from places like New York and Seattle, where home prices are sky-high. Now, many are coming from some of the 21 states that have passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Last year, realtor Mike Van Cleve sold almost 80 homes, and nearly one-third were sold to people moving from out of state.
Angie Ostaszewski says she has almost single-handedly grown Peoria’s population by about 360 in three years thanks to TikTok.
“When I first started making TikToks about Peoria, it was about ‘improve your quality of life,'” she said. “But in the last six months especially, people are relocating here more for survival, and that’s such a different conversation.”
Ostaszewski also said she would like for her posts to help spread the word even further.
“I love the idea of shaking up that big cities are the only places that LGBTQ+ people can thrive,” she said.
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of effusive marchers danced to club music in New York City streets Sunday as bubbles and confetti rained down, and fellow revelers from Toronto to San Francisco cheered through Pride Month’s grand crescendo.
New York’s boisterous throng strolled and danced down Fifth Avenue to Greenwich Village, cheering and waving rainbow flags to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising, where a police raid on a gay bar triggered days of protests and launched the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights.
While some people whooped it up in celebration, many were mindful of the growing conservative countermovement, including new laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender children.
“I’m trying not to be very heavily political, but when it does target my community, I get very, very annoyed and very hurt,” said Ve Cinder, a 22-year-old transgender woman who traveled from Pennsylvania to take part in the country’s largest Pride event.
“I’m just, like, scared for my future and for my trans siblings. I’m frightened of how this country has looked at human rights, basic human rights,” she said. “It’s crazy.”
Parades in New York, Chicago and San Francisco are among events that roughly 400 Pride organizations across the U.S. are holding this year, with many focused specifically on the rights of transgender people.
One of the grand marshals of New York City’s parade is nonbinary activist AC Dumlao, chief of staff for Athlete Ally, a group that advocates on behalf of LGBTQ+ athletes.
“Uplifting the trans community has always been at the core of our events and programming,” said Dan Dimant, a spokesperson for NYC Pride.
People participate in the Annual New York Pride March on June 25, 2023 in New York City.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
San Francisco Pride, another of the largest and best known LGBTQ+ celebrations in the United States, drew tens of thousands of spectators to the city Sunday.
The event, kicked off by the group Dykes on Bikes, featured dozens of colorful floats, some carrying strong messages against the wave of anti-transgender legislation in statehouses across the country.
Organizers told the San Francisco Chronicle that this year’s theme emphasized activism. The parade included the nation’s first drag laureate, D’Arcy Drollinger.
“When we walk through the world more authentic and more fabulous, we inspire everyone,” Drollinger said at a breakfast before the parade.
Along Market Street, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank were spotted riding together.
In Chicago, a brief downpour at the beginning of the parade didn’t deter parade goers, who took shelter under awnings, trees and umbrellas.
“A little rain can’t stop us!” tweeted Brandon Johnson, the city’s newly elected mayor.
Chicago’s 52nd annual celebration on Sunday featured drag performers Marilyn Doll Traid and Selena Peres, as well as Young Bud Billiken dancers, who received loud praise from the crowd as they represented the celebration of Black roots in Chicago’s South Side.
A dancer participates in the 51st Chicago Pride Parade in Chicago, Sunday, June 26, 2022.
Jon Durr via Associated Press
Thousands of people also flooded the streets Saturday night in Houston to celebrate pride parades and embrace the LGBTQ+ community.
“Houston is one big diverse family. Today is about celebrating people who are themselves, their authentic selves and letting everyone know that this is a city full of love, not division, not hate,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
San Antonio also celebrated its Pride parade Saturday night, with hundreds of people lining downtown streets.
“This year’s theme is ‘Just Say Gay.’ We feel so strongly about the legislation that’s occurring, not only here in Texas, but in other states throughout the United States that are trying to put us back in the closet,” Phillip Barcena, Pride San Antonio president, told KSAT.
Also Saturday, first lady Jill Biden made an appearance at the Pride parade in Nashville, Tennessee, where she told the crowd “loud and clear that you belong, that you are beautiful, that you are loved.”
Many other cities held their marquee events earlier this month, including Boston, which hosted its first parade after a three-year hiatus that began with COVID-19 but extended through 2022 because the organization that used to run it dissolved under criticism that it excluded racial minorities and transgender people.
A key message this year has been for LGBTQ+ communities to unite against dozens, if not hundreds, of legislative bills now under consideration in statehouses across the country.
Lawmakers in 20 states have moved to ban gender-affirming care for children, and at least seven more are considering doing the same, adding increased urgency for the transgender community, its advocates say.
“We are under threat,” Pride event organizers in New York, San Francisco and San Diego said in a statement joined by about 50 other Pride organizations nationwide. “The diverse dangers we are facing as an LGBTQ community and Pride organizers, while differing in nature and intensity, share a common trait: they seek to undermine our love, our identity, our freedom, our safety, and our lives.”
Earlier Sunday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill that would make the state a “safe haven” for transgender youth and forbid law enforcement agencies from providing information that could undermine the ability for a child to get gender-affirming care.
NYC Mayor Adams made a similar move this week, issuing an executive order preventing city resources from being used to cooperate with out-of-state authorities in detaining anyone receiving gender-affirming care in the city.
The Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD, a national LGBTQ+ organization, reported 101 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in the first three weeks of this month, about twice as many as in the full month of June last year.
Sarah Moore, who analyzes extremism for the two civil rights groups, said many of the incidents coincided with Pride events.
Nevertheless, Roz Gould Keith, who has a transgender son, is heartened by the increased visibility of transgender people at marches and celebrations across the country.
“Ten years ago, when my son asked to go to Motor City Pride, there was nothing for the trans community,” said Keith, founder and executive director of Stand with Trans, a group formed to support and empower young transgender people and their families.
This year, she said, the event was “jam-packed” with transgender people.
AP writers Juan Lozano in Houston; Erin Hooley in Chicago; Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California; James Pollard in Columbia, South Carolina; Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Trisha Ahmed in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge struck down Arkansas’ first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for children as unconstitutional Tuesday, the first ruling to overturn such a prohibition as a growing number of Republican-led states adopt similar restrictions.
U.S. District Judge Jay Moody issued a permanent injunction against the Arkansas law, which would have prohibited doctors from providing gender-affirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18.
Arkansas’ law, which Moody temporarily blocked in 2021, also would have prohibited doctors from referring patients elsewhere for such care.
Republican lawmakers in Arkansas enacted the ban in 2021, overriding a veto by former GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who left office in January, said the law went too far by cutting off treatments for children currently receiving such care.
The ruling affects only the Arkansas ban but may carry implications for the fates of similar prohibitions, or discourage attempts to enact them, in other states.
At least 19 other states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors following Arkansas’ law, and federal judges have temporarily blocked similar bans in Alabama and Indiana. Three states have banned or restricted the care through regulations or administrative orders.
Florida’s law goes beyond banning the treatments for youth, by also prohibiting the use of state money for gender-affirming care and placing new restrictions on adults seeking treatment. A federal judge has blocked Florida from enforcing its ban on three children who have challenged the law.
Children’s hospitals around the country have faced harassment and threats of violence for providing such care.
The state has argued that the prohibition is within its authority to regulate the medical profession. People opposed to such treatments for children argue they are too young to make such decisions about their futures. Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose the bans and experts say treatments are safe if properly administered.
The state is likely to appeal Moody’s decision to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which last year upheld the judge’s temporary order blocking the law.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Hutchinson’s successor, in March signed legislation attempting to effectively reinstate Arkansas’ ban by making it easier to sue providers of gender-affirming care for children. That law doesn’t take effect until later this summer.
A roughly two-week trial before Moody included testimony from one of the transgender youths challenging the state’s ban. The teenager testified in October that the hormone therapy he has received has transformed his life and that the ban would force him to leave the state.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law legislation that bans trans athletes from participating on collegiate sports teams that match their gender identities on Thursday. The new law will take effect in September.
S.B. 15 — also called the “Save Women’s Sports Act” by its supporters — builds on legislation passed in the state in 2021 that banned trans women and girls in K-12 schools from participating on sports teams aligned with their gender identities. It forces athletes to compete on teams on the basis of their “biological sex,” or the sex that was “correctly stated” on their birth certificate, according to the text of the legislation.
The bill includes provisions that prevent trans athletes who have had their sex changed on their birth certificates from participating on sports teams aligned with their gender identities by defining sex as what was “entered on or near the time of the student’s birth,” and only recognizes changes made to birth certificates that were done to correct a clerical error.
I signed a law in 2021 to stop biological boys competing in girls’ sports at the K-12 level.
Today, we expanded that protection to women’s collegiate sports.
“Today is an important day for female athletes across the state of Texas, including little girls who aspire to one day compete in college sports,” said Abbott in a press release. “The Save Women’s Sports Act protects young women at Texas colleges and universities by prohibiting men from competing on a team or as an individual against them in college sports.”
Abbott has consistently called trans women and girls “men” and “biological boys” in his messaging around the bill — the latter of which LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization GLAAD calls “a term to avoid.”
“‘Biological boy’ is a term anti-trans activists often use to disregard and discredit transgender girls and deny them access to society as their authentic gender identity,” writes GLAAD.
Advocacy organizations were quick to condemn the new law, with the ACLU of Texas tweeting that the law is “unfair, unconstitutional, and just plain cruel.”
“Trans students deserve to participate in the sports they love,” the ACLU of Texas added.
BREAKING: Gov. Abbott just signed a bill into law banning trans athletes from playing sports at public universities and colleges.#SB15 is unfair, unconstitutional, and just plain cruel.
Trans students deserve to participate in the sports they love.
“Even as elected officials ignore their duty to serve Texans and instead target a vulnerable minority, create problems that do not exist, and use our taxpayer dollars to do so — transgender lives can never be erased,” said Marti Bier, vice president of programs at the Texas Freedom Network. “No matter what laws are passed by the extremists currently in power, our communities will find love and support within each other.”
According to Best Colleges, at least 16 other states have similar restrictions on trans athletes participating in collegiate sports, and at least 22 states have bans on K-12 trans athletes from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks legislation impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
Washington — Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld — an anesthesiologist, Navy veteran and father — made history this week when he was inaugurated as the new president of the American Medical Association, becoming the first openly gay leader of the nation’s largest group of physicians and medical students.
“So after three years of experiencing so much stress, with COVID, you know, we’ve had a ‘twindemic:’ a pandemic of the disease, plus a pandemic of misinformation, and bad information,” Ehrenfeld told CBS News of some of the top issues facing physicians today.
“We have a health care system in crisis, I hear that from my physician colleagues,” Ehrenfeld said.
“Today, there are so many backseat drivers telling us what to do…You know, we’ve got regulators that are discarding science and telling physicians how to practice medicine, putting barriers in care,” he explains.
He says those barriers include what he considers the criminalization of health care.
“Well, in at least six states, now, if I practice evidence-based care, I can go to jail,” Ehrenfeld said. “It’s frightening. When a patient shows up in my office, if I do the right thing from a scientific, from an ethical perspective, to know that that care is no longer legal, criminalized and could wind me in prison.”
He says that criminalization has occurred in areas including gender-affirming care and abortion services.
“Health care has been a target as of late in a way that has been deeply damaging, not just to the health of patients who are seeking specific services, but to every American,” Ehrenfeld said. “So we see patients who no longer can find an OB-GYN because OB-GYNs are leaving a state where they have criminalized certain aspects of care. That affects all women in the state.”
Ehrenfeld hopes to improve health equity for all underserved groups and be a role model for any young doctors, as well as for his own sons.
“I hope that they learn that they shouldn’t let anything get in their way of following their dreams,” Ehrenfeld said. “And for anybody who’s different out there, I hope that they see themselves, my children, the example that I’ve set, that they shouldn’t let anybody tell them that they can’t just because of who they are.”
GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, announced on Thursday that its third annual Social Media Safety Index found that all five major social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter — received low or failing scores on its platform scorecard for the second year in a row — with Twitter receiving the lowest grade in its ability to protect LGBTQ+ users.
“These platforms continue to fail at enforcing the safeguarding of LGBTQ users from online hate speech, fail at providing transparency in the use of LGBTQ-specific user data and fail in expressing commitments to protecting LGBTQ users,” the organization wrote on Twitter.
In particular, transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming users are subject to hate speech and harassment on social media, the report found.
This year, GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Index found that all five major social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter – received failing scores on the SMSI Platform Scorecard for the second consecutive year: https://t.co/IlChGi2Vkmpic.twitter.com/xTCHwQzjKr
According to GLAAD, “the SMSI Platform Scorecard offers an evaluation of LGBTQ safety, privacy, and expression on five major platforms…based on 12 LGBTQ-specific indicators,” which include the ability for users to add pronouns to their bios, public disclosure that a platform does not recommend content to a user based on their inferred gender identity or sexual orientation without their explicit consent and internal corporate structures to actualize the protection of LGBTQ users from harm.
Twitter received only a 33% score this year, down 12 points since Elon Musk took over the platform in 2022, while all other platforms improved their score from the previous year. By contrast, Instagram scored 63%, Instagram 61%, TikTok 57% and YouTube 54% score on the 2023 report.
The SMSI identified issues of inadequate content moderation and enforcement across the board, “harmful” algorithms, and a general “lack of transparency and accountability across the industry, among many other issues — all of which disproportionately impact LGBTQ users and other marginalized communities who are uniquely vulnerable to hate, harassment, and discrimination.”
“Dehumanizing anti-LGBTQ content on social media such as misinformation and hate have an outsized impact on real world violence and harmful anti-LGBTQ legislation, but social media platforms too often fail at enforcing their own policies regarding such content,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah-Kate Ellis.
Additional key findings in the 2023 SMSI include anti-LGBTQ+ online rhetoric leading to harm in offline life, anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech is “an alarming public health and safety issue” and platforms across the board are guilty of a lack of transparency in how they report. Platforms were also found to disproportionately suppress LGBTQ+-centered content through demonitization and content removal.
The SMSI includes “key recommendations” for each of the platforms to improve the climate for LBGTQ+ users.
On Twitter, attacks on LGBTQ+ users have increased substantially since Musk took over, according to a combined report by Media Matters and GLAAD. The report found that retweets of posts from anti-LGBTQ+ accounts that contained “groomer” rhetoric increased over 1200% since Musk’s purchase of Twitter.
In April, Twitter removed a policy against the “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.”
“We want our products and platforms to be safe for everyone. We engage with civil society organizations around the world in our work to design policies and create tools that foster a safe online environment,” a Meta spokesperson told CBS News.
“This approach is always evolving, and input from LGBTQ+ safety and advocacy organizations is critical to informing and continually improving Meta’s technologies and programs.”
TikTok said they were “always looking to strengthen our approach” with the help of their users and experts such as GLAAD.
“At TikTok, we’re focused on building a safe and supportive platform where the LGBTQ+ community can keep inspiring and thriving,” said a statement from a company spokesperson. “We’re proud to have strong policies aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from harassment and hate speech, including misgendering and deadnaming.”
A YouTube spokesperson told CBS News that its policies “prohibit content that promotes violence or hatred against members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
“Over the last few years, we’ve made significant progress in our ability to quickly remove this content from our platform and prominently surface authoritative sources in search results and recommendations. We remain committed to this important work, and we appreciate the thoughtful feedback from GLAAD.”
Twitter’s press email auto-replied with a poop emoji — as has been custom for months since Musk let go of the members of Twitter’s public relations team.
