Florida Father Sues School for ‘Proselytizing’ in Favor of ‘Homosexual Lifestyles’ Under DeSantis Don’t Say Gay Law

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

The father of the accused Club Q shooter has expressed relief that his child isn’t gay.Aaron Brink, the father of Anderson Lee Aldrich, gave a homophobia-filled interview to San Diego TV station KFMB. Brink, 48, who has worked as a porn star and mixed martial arts fighter and coach, said he wondered what his offspring was doing in a gay bar. Aldrich, 22, is accused of killing five people and injuring nearly 20 at the Colorado Springs nightclub Saturday night.When Brink heard from Aldrich’s defense attorney Sunday, “they started telling me about the incident, a shooting involving multiple people,” Brink said told the station Tuesday.

Like many, I woke up Sunday morning to the horrific, gut-wrenching news of yet another mass shooting — this time at Club Q in Colorado. A pit hardened in my stomach as I learned of the hate-fueled attack on my own community, in a place I used to go to feel safe as a young,queer college student living in Colorado Springs.Sadly, the feeling was all too familiar — it was the same one I felt after the tragedy at Pulse nightclub in Orlando: My achy queer heart spilling over in every direction with grief, with rage, with bewilderment, and more than anything, with love for my LGBTQ+ community.I went to Colorado College in Colorado Springs, a city where, as in many other places, there were forces — including radical antigay extremism — that made it challenging to be queer.

 (CNN) -- People take strange things on planes -- that's nothing new. And the suitcase checked for a journey from New York JFK to Orlando, Florida, on November 16 certainly contained some oddities.

GEMMA Collins has opened up about the terrifying moment she was robbed during a holiday abroad. The 41-year-old was in Mexico when she discovered her hotel room has ben ransacked while she was on a night out.

The Heritage Foundation, an anti-LGBTQ think tank, is reportedly spending $1.3 to air an anti-LGBTQ ad on TV and online during Thanksgiving weekend.

Ky Schevers, who once was a poster child for the “detransition” movement, now says she regrets embracing that.Schevers, assigned female at birth, came to identify as a trangender man and took testosterone to transition. She eventually stopped the treatment and spoke out about detransitioning. But then she saw that anti-trans bigotry was rampant among those who championed detransitioning, she recently told ABC News.“I never liked people who call transitioning mutilation or call trans bodies mutilated.

Filmmaker Cheryl Allison didn’t let the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic keep her from making a new friend — and forging a relationship that changed both their lives. No spoilers, but have some Kleenex handy.In March 2020, Allison and her wife, Natalie Murray, were on lockdown in Dallas. Unable to see any other friends or family, Allison began taking walks around Turtle Creek Park in their neighborhood.

Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is on the defensive after many pointed out the correlation between her attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and this weekend's mass shooting at a queer Colorado nightclub near her district, where five people died and at least 18 were injured.Boebert, a gun fetishist narrowly reelected to Congress this month, has made a political career of villainizing minorities, including sexual and gender minorities. She often conflates transgender people with drag artists and has attacked both groups of people.

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and the Keith Haring Foundation awarded a team of geriatricians at Mount Sinai’s Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in New York $1.25 million to expand their work with elderly HIV patients.This funding will support programs that will can be utilized by other health systems and hospitals to help older people living with HIV all across the country.AIDS-related deaths have significantly decreased over the years due to advancement in treatment and preventions.

CNN) -- The 22-year-old accused of carrying out a mass shooting inside an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, over the weekend is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for the first time since the attack that left five dead and more than a dozen injured.Anderson Lee Aldrich is expected to attend the initial court hearing via video conference from the El Paso County Jail.The hearing will include "the advisement of the arrest charges as well as advisement of bond conditions," according to Colorado's Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen.Aldrich is set to be held without bond, Allen added.Preliminary charges include five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime -- elsewhere called a hate crime -- causing bodily injury, per El Paso County Court's online docket.Formal charges can be expected within about 10 days, Allen said.Ahead of the hearing, attorneys for Aldrich submitted a court filing stating the suspect identifies as non-binary."They use they-them pronouns, and for the purposes of all formal filings, will be addressed as Mx.

(CNN) — Josh Cavallo, the only openly gay top-flight male soccer player in the sport, has told CNN that FIFA's decision to ban players from wearing "OneLove" armbands at the Qatar 2022 has made him feel "excluded."The captains of several European teams decided not to wear "OneLove" armbands at the World Cup due to the danger of receiving yellow cards.England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and Wales were set to participate in the "OneLove" campaign to promote inclusion and oppose discrimination.But those countries' associations said in a statement on Monday that the armband — which features a striped heart in different colors to represent all heritages, backgrounds, genders, and sexual identities — would not be worn in Qatar."I'm disappointed in FIFA. They have made me feel excluded," Cavallo told CNN's Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday."You know, representation is so important and there's so many people watching these games, you know, that it just shows that FIFA's intentions are not to make ...

Legislation to ban ‘conversion therapy’ has been announced in Belgium, bringing an end to the cruel practice for all LGBTQ+ people.

A veteran who was instrumental in taking down the gunman in the Club Q shooting has spoken out about the tragedy in Colorado Springs.

Germany’s national team contested FIFA’s ban on pro-LGBTQ+ gestures at the Qatar World Cup in their first match of the tournament.

Huwelijken tussen mensen van hetzelfde geslacht die op een ambassade in het buitenland zijn gesloten, worden in Nederland erkend. Minister Weerwind voor Rechtsbescherming schrijft aan de Tweede Kamer dat de onduidelijkheid die hierover in de praktijk was ontstaan, moet worden weggenomen.

A local gay man was arrested on Tuesday for the recent brick attacks on a popular Hell’s Kitchen gay bar in NYC. Sean Kuilan, 34, was taken into custody and charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of a weapon for three of the four incidents at the VERS gay nightclub which took place within the past two weeks, The Gothamist reports. Three of the incidents were caught on video, and Kuilan was identified with the help of tips to the Crime Stoppers hotline.NYPD chief of detectives James Essig said investigators do not believe the crimes were motivated by anti-gay hatred, but instead resulted from a personal dispute Kuilan’s female friend had with the VERS nightclub.“Basically, what he says [is] he knows a girl who had a problem with one of the guys in the bar and he was ‘exacting revenge,’” Essig was quoted by the NY Post. “As of right now we don’t have any reason to believe it is [a hate crime].”Video of the “perp walk” at the NY Post showed the muscled and handcuffed Kulian escorted to an awaiting unmarked police car.“I’m gay myself,” he quietly responded to reporters’ questions in the video.“Something personal,” he responded when asked why he allegedly threw the bricks.Kuilan, who reportedly goes by the moniker “Paper Kid” in the neighborhood, was also arrested on an outstanding warrant for a 2021 incident of menacing.

The founder of the anti-trans hate group Gays Against Groomers appeared on Fox News Tuesday night and put the blame on the mass shooting at Club Q on gender-affirming health care.Jaimee Michell spoke to Tucker Carlson and suggested that shootings like the one at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., would continue until the “evil agenda” of gender-affirming health care was put to an end.“You know, saying that ‘groomer’ is an anti-LGBTQ+ slur, that is doing irreparable damage to us as a whole, and it’s putting a really large target on our backs,” Michell told Carlson.Carlson and other pundits on Fox News have continued to target LGBTQ+ people in recent years, especially trans people and gender-affirming health care.Michell said her group saw the violence coming “from a mile away,” adding, “Sadly I don’t think it’s going to stop until we end this evil agenda that is attacking children.”Michell and her group argue that gender-affirming care for trans youth is child abuse, which goes against most medical associations' support for gender-affirming care as life-saving medicine.  NBC News’s Kat Tenbarge wrote on Twitter, “Fox News broadcast that mass shootings in LGBTQ spaces will continue unless we adopt laws that medically discriminate against transgender people. This is direct amplification of the threat of mass murder for political gains.” Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that left 49 people killed and press secretary of LGBTQ+ rights group Equality Florida, wrote, “Here’s [Gays Against Groomers] founder on Fox with a crystal clear threat: “The mass murders will continue until you do as you’re told”He added, “My blood is boiling all over again.

A LOVE Actually star was forced to wear dead people's clothes in a care home after she was swindled out of her £65,000 life savings. Meg Wynn Owen, 82, had her savings raided by costume designer Brian Malam, 60, who had been made her power of attorney. Instead of transferring money to the home the actress was staying in, Malam helped himself to £53,000 in electronic payments.

Anderson Lee Aldrich and his mother, Laura Voepel, in July 2022

The post Drag Race UK stars Black Peppa and Cheddar Gorgeous reflect on “super competitive” season 4 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Actor Lee Pace has criticised online debate over Heartstopper actor Kit Connor’s sexuality, comparing it to his own experience of Hollywood.

The foreign secretary James Cleverly has stated that Qatari officials have taken ‘real steps’ to keep LGBTQ+ fans safe during the World Cup in the state.

Olly Alexander performed an emotional rendition of the hit Years & Years song Shine alongside an inclusive new choir.

SINGAPORE: When it comes to investing in early stage companies, there are no high returns without the high risks involved, analysts told CNA after the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Attorneys for the suspected gunman in a mass shooting at a gay nightclub say their client is nonbinary.Anderson Lee Aldrich is accused of killing five people and injuring 19 others after entering Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday night.“Anderson Aldrich is nonbinary. They use they/them pronouns, and for the purposes of all formal filings, will be addressed as Mx.

Purple Foundation Inc. on Nov. 19 announced its largest donation in a single year — a total of $200,000 to its three beneficiaries, Resource Center, AIDS Services of Dallas and Legacy Cares.

Jennifer Pizer

Josh Cavallo has slammed FIFA after it threatened teams with sanctions for wearing the OneLove armband. 

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.

Social media influencer Gena Tew announced in March that she has been battling AIDS, which is caused by untreated HIV. She has since documented her journey on her Instagram and TikTok, where she has amassed close to a million followers.Recently, she took to her social media to address questions regarding her fertility since revealing her diagnosis, as well as revealing she is not undetectable and growing healthier by the day.“So, I haven’t had a period in over a year, and I was actually worried about that myself,” she said in the video before adding that her menstruation returned.

A middle school in central Oregon pulled its students from an outdoor educational camp after some parents and students expressed concern over the presence of nonbinary and transgender folks serving as cabin counselors. The camp’s director, however, said they were acting in accordance with the state’s civil rights laws.According to a report in the Central Oregon Daily, Culver Middle School superintendent Stefanie Garber said she made the “no-win” decision to pull all Culver Middle School students from Camp Tamarack in Singer last Monday after some students complained.“More than one of our boys’ cabins expressed that they were uncomfortable to our teacher,” Garber told the Daily.

(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.

(CNN) – SpaceX's Falcon Heavy — a towering, three-pronged vehicle that is the most powerful operational rocket in the world — returned to the skies on Tuesday for the first time since mid-2019.The rocket launched at 9:41 a.m. ET from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hauling satellites to space for the U.S.

In a blow to trans rights, a Florida medical board committee has moved forward with a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth. 

In a blow to trans rights, the Florida Board of Medicine has moved forward with their ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth. 

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.

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.

STONINGTON, Connecticut (WFSB) — After heated debate Tuesday night, the Stonington Board of Education voted to allow pride flags to fly once again.A potential ban had been discussed earlier this month.Many passionate opinions came for and against the flags during public comment, but it was determined the pride flags were not political.The crowded meeting room included many who showed up clad in rainbow clothing and other signs of LGBTQ support.Supporters said the flags stand for inclusivity and diversity and cross all party lines.“The whole idea that this is political, that the pride flag is political. It’s not.

Organizers for a drag queen story hour in Orlando canceled the event following a string of threats from neo-Nazi groups.The LGBT+ Center Orlando announced the sold-out event, scheduled for October 29, will not proceed.George Wallace, executive director of the Center, said most threats were not explicitly violent but suggested the event would have turned into a platform for hate. Concerned such an event could quickly turn violent, he said it was canceled for safety purposes.“Especially with an event that was going to have children, this was not something that A, I wanted them to see, or B, would put anyone in harm’s way,” he tells The Advocate.Drag queen Bridgette Galore was expected to read books at the event for 75 children and their families.Wallace suggested the current political environment contributed to the escalation in the language used, though he declined to name any politicians in particular.But other leaders in the area were less reluctant.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called gender-affirming care “chemical castration” and defended the state’s “don’t say gay” law in a Monday debate with his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist.DeSantis, a Republican with presidential ambitions, has taken many anti-LGBTQ+ stances.

The Social Security Administration will now allow people to self-select their gender on their Social Security number record.The policy, announced Wednesday, is effective immediately.“The Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan includes a commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the Social Security number card application process,” Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi said in a press release. “This new policy allows people to self-select their sex in our records without needing to provide documentation of their sex designation.”Those who update their gender marker in Social Security’s records will need to apply for a replacement Social Security card.

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.

believed to have allowed — their trans-identifying children to access gender-affirming medical treatments. In one Orwellian example, a transgender eighth grader was pulled from class by state child welfare agency officials and grilled for an hour about their identity, home life, and gender dysphoria — all without informing his parents.In Florida, Republicans are best known for having pushed the state’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, dubbed by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibits discussions of LGBTQ content in primary grades, and only permits discussion in secondary grades if the content is considered “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” The law has been blamed for censorship of textbooks, as well as efforts to ban books that are not currently being used as part of in-class lesson plans but deal with LGBTQ content — either directly or tangentially — from school libraries.Some students claim that they’ve had their free speech rights censored or have been barred from certain school activities due to their pro-LGBTQ advocacy, with teachers and administrators citing the law’s provisions as justification.

Republicans in the House of Representatives introduced legislation based on a right-wing conspiracy theory and proposed what critics are calling a federal “don’t say gay” bill.The bill prohibits using federal funds for programs or events that contain “sexually-oriented material” geared toward children under 10, such as drag queen story hours, which have attracted the attention of conservative politicians and right-wing activists. On Tuesday, Louisiana Rep.

A high school student in Grant, Mich., has been accused of promoting witchcraft with some images in an LGBTQ-inclusive mural she created at the school.There will now be changes to the mural, but the LGBTQ+ imagery will remain, Michigan TV station WZZM reports.The student artist, Grant High School sophomore Evelyn Gonzales, won a contest to create a mural at the Grant Middle School health center. Her winning design included a boy wearing pink, light blue, and white, the colors of the transgender Pride flag; a girl in the colors of the bisexual flag, pink, royal blue, and purple; and a girl in rainbow colors.The final mural, however, had some elements that weren’t in her design, including a character from the video game Genshin Impact that had the face of a demon and a Hamsa hand (also known as the hand of Fatima), which is used as a symbol of good luck and protection in many cultures.