Even During War, Ukraine's Zelensky Works to Advance LGBTQ+ Rights

GEMMA Collins looked incredible as she showed off her shrinking figure while hitting the ski slopes. Earlier today Gemma, 41, revealed she'd  jetted off for a trip to the Austrian Alps with Gareth Malone and Melvin Odoom to film for a new show.

For the survivors of the Pulse shooting, the Club Q shooting this weekend delivered flashbacks of the worst kind.On Saturday, a gunman opened fire at the gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo. Five people were killed and 19 were injured.

, multiple European teams have walked back plans to wear rainbow armbands during the global soccer competition.The teams representing England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands announced that they would no longer wear the OneLove armbands for “diversity and inclusion” shortly before their campaigns were scheduled to start on Monday, per . The gesture, small as it may seem, speaks volumes in Qatar, which has  since it was chosen to host the back in 2010, due to its harsh criminalization of homosexuality and mass exploitation of migrant workers. Although the teams said that they would be willing to accept a fine, FIFA told them just hours beforehand that any player wearing an armband would receive a yellow card, per .

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Equality Texas, Transgender Education Network Texas, and others filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on Monday, alleging violations of Title IX.The ACLU is seeking an investigation of the Keller Independent School District (Keller ISD), which banned all books depicting or referencing transgender or nonbinary people earlier this month.The ACLU stated in its letter that the policy was intended to erase the existence of transgender and non-binary people.Three conservative school board members were elected to the seven-member Keller ISD board six months ago, resulting in Keller ISD’s anti-transgender policy.

Charli and Mark's Freestyle, falling back in love with dancing again.

Jeopardy! winner Amy Schneider has made LGBTQ+ history again with her Tournament of Champions win.

A transgender woman in Maine and her father have filed suit against the Department of Defense because military health insurance excludes gender-affirming surgical procedures for dependents covered by the government program.The Military Health System does not cover surgical treatments for gender dysphoria for dependents of service members under a federal law dating back 46 years. Despite the fact that active duty service members can receive this essential treatment, dependents cannot, highlighting an unacceptable double standard, according to the lawsuit.It was filed by Boston-based GLBTQ Advocates and Defenders, or GLAD, on Monday on behalf of the family.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner Christopher Biggins believes Matt Hancock could make the final of the show in a surprising turn of events.The former Health Secretary was tipped to be the first contestant to leave the jungle, but has so far avoided being voted off the show by the public. So far, the MP has proved to be a good sport by successfully completing his Bushtucker Trials.He has also told campmates he was looking for forgiveness after breaking his own social distancing rules last year. Speaking out on his antics, Christopher said: "He's doing everything brilliantly and however much you may hate him he is a player and he goes for it, he really does go for it he gets all the stars."He feeds the camp, he's charming and has won over the camp and I think is winning the audience over too."Scarlette Douglas ‘devastated’ by Jonnie Irwin's terminal cancer newsLike many others, the former winner thought Matt would be the first contestant to leave the show.However he is yet to receive the lowest amount of votes to kick him out by the public.So far, Charlene White, Scarlette Douglas and Sue Cleaver have been given the boot, leaving Jill Scott as the only remaining female in camp. Christopher added on the Mail Online's Jungle Confidential podcast: "Originally people thought the best thing would have been if he was first to go out.

Bouquets of flowers sit on a corner Monday, Nov. 21, near the site of the Nov. 19 mass shooting at a Club Q in Colorado Springs. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Drag Race star Courtney Act has slammed Liberal senator Alex Antic for accusing her of grooming children.

Speaking up. Meghan Markle discussed female sexuality on the latest episode of her “Archetypes” podcast — and she did not hold back when commenting on the “stigma” many women face when it comes to sexual exploration.

Herschel Walker, the Republican nominee for U.S. senator from Georgia, is being blasted for delivering an anti-transgender speech and running an anti-trans ad the day after the mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs. The five people killed at Club Q included a trans man and a trans woman.Walker, who is up against incumbent Democratic Sen.

More gay men in NYC are coming forward to share stories disturbingly similar to those of two gay men who were drugged, killed, and had their bank accounts emptied after a night out drinking earlier this year.John Umberger, 33, of Washington D.C., was drugged, robbed, and killed after a night visiting gay bars in Hell’s Kitchen on May 28. He was last seen with a group of men exiting a taxi and his body was found on June 1.

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(CNN) – With a crippling freight rail strike looming in two weeks, leaders of four railroad unions and management of the major US freight railroads are due back at the negotiating table this afternoon.It will be the first joint negotiating session for the four unions, whose rank-and-file members rejected the five-year labor agreements similar to deals accepted by the eight other rail unions in recent months.The latest no vote came from the largest union, the transportation division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail Transportation union, or SMART-TD, which represents 28,000 conductors, brakemen, and other workers. About 51 percent of those members voted against the deal reached in a 20-hour bargaining session in September, just hours before a previous strike deadline.“A strike could be averted.

Attacks on gay bars across America continue, with a New York City venue being attacked for the fourth time in a month.

(CNN) -- Some people attending 2022 World Cup matches have said they have experienced difficulties in Qatar when trying to enter stadiums wearing clothing in support of LGBTQ rights.At the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Monday, ahead of the United States Men's National Team's (USMNT) match with Wales, US football journalist Grant Wahl and former Wales captain Laura McAllister both said they had been told to remove rainbow-colored items of clothing by security staff.Wahl said he was detained and briefly refused entry to the match because of the "rainbow soccer ball t-shirt" he was wearing, posting on Twitter that security staff had told him: "You have to change your shirt. It's not allowed."The journalist wrote on his website that when he tweeted about the incident on his phone, "one guard forcibly ripped my phone from my hands.""One security guard told me that my shirt was 'political' and not allowed," Wahl wrote.

Most of us are devastated by the horrible tragedy perpetrated on our community at Club Q in Colorado Springs this weekend, with five people shot to death and nearly 20 wounded.While not all of us can go to Colorado Springs and hug every LGBTQ+ person we run into, we can help in other ways. We can take care of each other and reach out to LGBTQ+ people who are feeling isolated right now.

Auto news: Shock new reason behind car delays - drive.com.au© 2022 Nine Entertainment Co.

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Jinkx Monsoon hopes you’re going to be good to mama, as she announced she’s joining the cast of Chicago on Broadway.

(CNN) — Michael Anderson was mixing drinks at Club Q Saturday night when he heard popping sounds amid the loud, thumping music.He wasn't worried at first. The pops sounded like some sound effects popular at LGBTQ clubs, the bartender told CNN's Don Lemon. Then he looked up and a figure came into his line of sight, clutching a weapon."I saw the outline of a man wearing a rifle at the entrance of the club," he said.Anderson froze.Confused and suddenly terrified, he ducked behind the bar.

Jill Scott talked about the different experiences that LGBTQ+ men and women footballers have with coming out.

It was not the first time that Daníel Arnarsson, a well-known Icelandic LGBTQ+ rights campaigner, had faced homophobic insults on the streets of the capital, Reykjavik.

NBC News’ senior reporter Ben Collins is calling for media outlets to have a “come to Jesus moment” – a dose of reality in order to make a major change – in the wake of the Colorado Springs hate crime mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub, Club Q, that left five people dead. A clip of his segment is going viral, with many agreeing the media needs to do a better job.

A CNN guest on Tuesday slammed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker for releasing an ad targeting teen transgender athletes hours after a gunman murdered five people at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs.

LONDON: The implosion of cryptocurrency exchange FTX shows the need to bring the crypto world within the regulatory framework, Bank of England (BoE) Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe said on Monday (Nov 21).

Sam Smith has shared more details about the creative process of making their hit single, Unholy, with Kim Petras.

Colorado officials have publicly identified the five people tragically killed in a mass shooting at Club Q this weekend.

In reaction to seeing their sunglasses on the faces of members of the Proud Boys who were disrupting a drag fundraising event in North Carolina, the manufacturer has said it will donate money to LGBTQ-friendly causes.Clad in their yellow and black colors, members of the far-right radical white supremacist group donned distinctive sunglasses outside an event in Sanford in images shared on Twitter last Sunday.Protest photographer and astrophysics professor at Elon University Anthony Crider posted a series of photos showing the scene where these men stood to menace patrons and LGBTQ+ supporters.

Although Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk, claimed it would not be a "hellscape" for LGBTQ+ people, human rights groups and advocates say it already is only days after Musk took the reins. On Thursday, the world's richest man completed his long-anticipated takeover of the social media platform. And with his acquisition, out goes content moderation, critics say. As seemingly one of his first acts, Musk eliminated some of the app's safeguards.The billionaire claimed, however, he had yet to change Twitter's content moderation."Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints," the billionaire tweeted.

Although Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk, claimed it would not be a "hellscape" for LGBTQ+ people, human rights groups and advocates say it's already there only days after he took the reins. On Thursday, the world's richest man completed his long-anticipated takeover of the social media platform. And with his acquisition, out goes content moderation, critics say. As seemingly one of his first acts, Musk eliminated some of the app's safeguards.The billionaire claimed, however, he had yet to change Twitter's content moderation."Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints," the billionaire tweeted.

(CNN) — The University of Florida Board of Trustees unanimously approved Republican US Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska as the university's new president Tuesday in the face of faculty and student criticism over the secretive search process, his limited relevant experience and his past criticisms of same-sex marriage.Ahead of the vote, Sasse spoke to the board Tuesday and outlined his reasons for taking the job and his plans to position UF to succeed in what he called an age of technological disruption."I'm here rather than at some other school, or rather than trying to claw to stay in the United States Senate for decades, because I believe that this is the most interesting institution in the state that has the most happening right now, and is therefore the best positioned to help lead our country through a time of unprecedented change," Sasse told the board Tuesday.When asked about his plans related to LGBTQ faculty and students, Sasse said he expected that his positions would be the same as that of outgoing President Kent Fuchs.

The National LGBTQ Task Force has assembled a group of straight and queer, transgender, and cisgender men for a campaign to persuade cis men to support the fight for reproductive freedom.The campaign, “Ban the Reproductive Binary,” consists of several short videos from a diverse set of male-identified voices, was released ahead of the midterm election to emphasize why reproductive rights affect cis men. The project was produced with funding from the Pop Culture Collaborative.The recent Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v.

The Kroger supermarket chain has settled a lawsuit via a consent decree with two former employees in Arkansas who claimed they were fired for refusing to wear aprons with a rainbow heart which they felt violated their religious beliefs.The two believed the heart was in support of the LGBTQ+ community. On Thursday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the Kroger Limited Partnership I agreed to pay $180,000 to former employees Trudy Rickerd, then 57, and Brenda Lawson, then 72, in return for dropping their suit. Both employees were subsequently disciplined and fired in 2019, although Kroger maintains they were not terminated in retaliation for their actions.

An advocacy group in Denver is bringing attention to domestic violence as an ongoing issue. Men and LGBTQ+ people have been calling for help in more significant numbers since the pandemic began, according to the group.SafeHouse Denver is hoping to snap the stigma of speaking out for anyone who is a victim of domestic violence. According to its website, the group is the only agency in the city and county of Denver that offers comprehensive domestic violence services to the victims of domestic abuse.The most common perception of domestic violence is that it is specific to women with cis-male partners.While SafeHouse Denver reports an increase in the number of men and people who identify as LGBTQ+, only 5 percent of their clients are males, and 13 percent are LGBTQ+, according to Denver Fox affiliate KDVR.According to the CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 44 percent of lesbians and 61 percent of bisexual women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 35 percent of straight women.LGBTQ+ members reported high rates of intimate partner violence, according to the 2013 CDC study.

RICHLAND, Washington (KAPP) — By a 4-to-1 vote, the Richland School Board approved a contentious policy that instills certain restrictions on the way race, sexuality and culture are allowed to be discussed in the schools’ curriculum.During a school board meeting on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 25, four of the five Richland School Board members agreed to Policy 2360, which is entitled ‘Race, Culture, and the Curriculum.’It’s a near-identical policy to one that was passed by the Kennewick School Board earlier this year. The following passage comes directly from the document shared during this meeting:The Board recognizes that students must learn factual U.S.

(CNN) – World Cup host Qatar has praised the Australian men’s national team for its efforts to raise awareness on “important matters” and said that “no country is perfect,” a spokesperson for Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said on Friday.In a video message produced by Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and released Wednesday, 16 Socceroos called on Qatar to recognize same-sex relationships and improve the rights of migrant workers.

As school boards vote to limit access to LGBTQ-themed books, an advocacy group has found that more LGBTQ+ people are running for school board positions than ever before.Data released by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national political organization that works to elect LGBTQ+ people to public office, shows that 82 out people are seeking school board seats. That's more than double the number in 2018, while in 2020 the number was 43.As of April, only 90 of the 90,000 school board members in the United States had been known to be out LGBTQ+ people, according to the Victory Fund-affiliated Victory Institute’s “Few & Under Fire: LGBTQ School Board Members in the U.S.” national report about the state of LGBTQ+ representation on school boards across the country.Victory Fund reported that of the LGBTQ+ school board members surveyed 47 percent had been the target of anti-LGBTQ+ verbal attacks as a candidate, and 51 percent had been the target of anti-LGBTQ+ verbal attacks as a school board member.

(CNN) — The University of Florida Faculty Senate approved a no-confidence resolution Thursday on the selection process to appoint US Sen. Ben Sasse as the next president, officials said.The 67 to 15 vote comes after Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, became the only person considered for the high-ranking position at one of Florida's largest universities.

Russian men are looking to potential scammers on the application Telegram to purchase fake HIV diagnoses to avoid the Russian draft.LGBTQ Nation reported that the groups contain tens of thousands of users and offer transportation to bordering countries in addition to work and housing. The falsified HIV and hepatitis diagnoses can be paid via Bitcoin and come alongside forged government documents and currency exchanges.The fake diagnoses come in the wake of the September 21 announcement from Russia’s anti-LGBTQ president Vladimir Putin ordering 300,000 male citizens to aid in his ongoing invasion of Ukraine.An anonymous seller told the global tech website Rest of World, “At the moment, the most effective way [to avoid being drafted into the Russian military] is to get a certificate that you have HIV or hepatitis.”He added, “Vendors offered HIV diagnoses that would be added to the Ministry of Health’s database, rendering someone as unfit for military service, for $620.

BENTON, Louisiana (KTBS) -- A special session was held at Benton United Methodist Church to decide if it will split from the United Methodist Conference.The session comes as some members are grappling with differing views about whether, or how to include members of the LGBTQ+ community in the church.Some in the Methodist church advocate for inclusion of LGBTQ+ Christians, however, many feel strongly that the church should uphold its current stance against gay pastors and same-sex marriage.However, some churches allowing LGBTQ+ clergy and performing same-sex ceremonies are prompting a split within the denomination.Many churches are voting this year to exit in time for confirmation this fall.Two-thirds of members must approve before the church can disaffiliate.The Methodist Book of Discipline states that a local church has the right to disaffiliate under the basis of deep conflict around the issues of human sexuality.As for Benton UMC and churches like it throughout the United States and worldwide, the church would owe the conference a one-time payment, before the end of 2023.Exiting churches must pay two years of apportionments and pension liabilities.A total of 3,000 to 5,000 churches are expected to leave the conference by 2023.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company.

South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster, seeking re-election to a second full term, denigrated the marriages of same-sex couples in a debate Wednesday and said if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn its 2015 ruling that found a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry, he would ensure they could not. He also took the opportunity to attack transgender children in his response.

Wagner, a private military company in Russia, has initiated a mass recruitment of Russian prisoners who have a severe infectious disease.The main targets of the prisoners are those with HIV and hepatitis C, according to the Kyiv Post. In a report on October 25 from Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, more than 100 prisoners with confirmed HIV or hepatitis C have been “mobilized” to Wagner.The fighters, who came from penal colony No.

In two weeks Arizona voters could elect a Trump-endorsed Republican and former TV news reporter who just approved an ad featuring what many would assume is a mild-mannered small business owner who apparently was thinking of voting for Democrat Katie Hobbs for governor but says she’s just “too liberal” so he has to vote for Kari Lake because of “President Biden’s” inflation.

British human rights activist Peter Tatchell was briefly stopped in Qatar on Tuesday for staging a public demonstration in Doha, the country's capital city. According to the Peter Tatchell Foundation, he was "detained" for holding the first pro-LGBTQ+ protest in any Gulf state.With less than a month to go before the FIFA World Cup, which is expected to draw huge crowds of tourists from around the world to the nation, Tatchell stood outside the National Museum of Qatar with a sign calling attention to the nation’s mistreatment of LGBTQ+ people.“Qatar arrests, jails & subjects LGBTs to ‘conversion’ #QatarAntiGay,” read a sign that the activist held while wearing a T-shirt with the same hashtag emblazoned on it.The foundation’s YouTube page shows that Tatchell was standing peacefully in a pedestrian area along a street when a security officer approached him and folded up his sign. The video ends as the security official walks away from Tachell.But Tatchell’s supporters tweeted that he had been seized and that his whereabouts had been unknown for some time.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has closed a gap in survivor benefits for those who were not able to marry a same-sex, now-deceased veteran spouse before the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges marriage equality ruling and therefore weren’t married long enough to qualify.The VA’s minimum length-of-marriage requirement is one year, and higher benefits are available to survivors who were married to a veteran spouse for eight years or more.

The Florida Board of Education Wednesday adopted rules on restroom use and teacher licensing over the objections of many LGBTQ+ rights advocates.One rule requires public and charter schools to notify parents by mail and also post online if they allow students to use restrooms and changing rooms “according to some criteria other than biological sex at birth.”This is an “attempt to bully and intimidate districts” that accommodate transgender students, Joe Saunders, senior political director at Equality Florida, said in a press release.“The Board of Education’s facilities separation rule does not and cannot prevent transgender students from accessing facilities aligned with their gender identity — we know federal law and the constitution protect these rights,” Saunders said. “Florida school districts have been following federal law for more than a decade, establishing policies we know will continue to work long after this politically motivated proposed rule.