Minneapolis police have arrested 18-year-old Dominic James Burris for allegedly killing one person and injuring six others in an August 11, 2023, shooting at Nudieland, an LGBTQ+-inclusive punk rock music venue. Burris and his suspected accomplice, 17-year-old Cyrell Ernest Boyd, now face seven felony charges. Prosecutors say their alleged actions were motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ hatred. Burris and Boyd allegedly went to the venue on the night in question and attempted to flirt with two lesbian women who expressed disinterest and said not to touch them, according to a transgender patron named Aa ..read more

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider its third major abortion case in two years—and the third brought with the help of a legal nonprofit attempting to infuse American life with its far-right brand of Christianity. Not only is the group, Alliance Defending Freedom, behind legislation to ban abortion, it is also increasingly representing state governments in their efforts to protect and enforce the bans. The result is an ethically fraught arrangement that puts legal representation of the public in the hands of a religious organization that hauls in more than $100 million per year in tax ..read more

More than 400 current and former NCAA athletes – including longtime partners and LGBTQ+ greats Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird – have signed on to an open letter urging the collegiate athletic association to stand up for trans inclusion in sports. The letter to the NCAA Board of Governors opens by reminding the group that the NCAA is “meant to serve athletes and our wellbeing, to ensure the lifesaving power of sport is accessible to all athletes who compete in the championship and emerging sports and for NCAA-member institutions – including transgender athletes.” It continues, “To deny transgender ..read more

Out Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made a major announcement that will upgrade air travel for Americans. The Biden administration has cracked down on hidden fees from businesses, and the new rules continue that trend. Airlines are now required to disclose extra costs for baggage or canceling tickets, but the biggest change involves canceled or severely delayed flights. Buttigieg has implemented sweeping changes to improve passengers’ experience and hold airlines accountable for poor service, including record-breaking fines for multiple meltdowns by companies that canceled flights for ..read more

“Do you feel better about your life and about your country today than you did four years ago?” This primary question has become a mainstay of candidates for elective office in the United States, especially those who desire to unseat opposing incumbent candidates. Gallup’s 2024 World Happiness Report shows that those in the United States feel less good about their lives. The study was released this month to highlight the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness. Of the 143 countries analyzed, the U.S. fell out of the top 20 for the first time, dropping to 23. While U.S. residents&nb ..read more

Disgraced former Congressman George Santos (R-NY) is willing to say anything to make a buck. He even made a video celebrating NAMBLA, the National Man/Boy Love Association, an organization that promoted pedophilia in the U.S. When he was called out on social media for supporting the harmful group, he was outraged… at the woman who pointed it out. “Hi, NAMBLA! I just wanted to stop by to offer you my full support and that I am here for you if you need anything,” Santos said in a Cameo video. Cameo is an app where people can pay celebrities – or even notorious former elected officials – to crea ..read more

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) has signed a law explicitly allowing anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptive parents to take in LGBTQ+ youth with no provision to take into account the young person’s wishes on the matter. S.B. 1738, called the Tennessee Foster and Adoptive Parent Protection Act, states that the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) cannot require a current or prospective foster or adoptive parent “to affirm, accept, or support any government policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the parent’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs.” The legislation ..read more

The gay conservative organization Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) of Los Angeles posted a meme to their Instagram stories that appeared to advocate for the death of President Joe Biden. The meme – using the “Kombucha Girl” format – showed a woman disgusted while looking at the text “Joe Biden 2024,” a reference to Biden’s campaign. She then looks interested when the text changes to “Joe Biden 1942-2024.” Biden was born in 1942, so it was implying that it would be a good thing if he died this year. The meme was screen-captured by Meidas Touch Network, but since it was in an Instagram story, it i ..read more

On September 17, 2023, a video went viral of a pregnant mother bursting into tears at her own gender reveal event. Millions of people watched the anguish wash over Kendra Evens’ face when she learned she was having her fourth girl — or at least a fourth child who’d be assigned female at birth.  The clip shows Evens keeling over with sadness beside her husband and three daughters as the family observes pink fog emerging from a jack-o’-lantern. It has been viewed a whopping 5.5 million times and has reignited an impassioned debate about whether parents like Evens have a right to this kind ..read more

After widespread disapproval, a Pennsylvania school board has reversed its decision to cancel gay actor Maulik Pancholy’s anti-bullying speech at a middle school. Board members initially canceled the speech over worries that he’d “impose” his “activism” and “lifestyle” onto students, but it’s unclear if Pancholy will re-accept the school’s invitation to speak. On Wednesday night, community members packed a high school auditorium and criticized the board for several hours over its April 15 decision to cancel the talk. The board ultimately voted 5-to-4 to reinstate the invitation, The New York ..read more