Republican Attempts to Create Special Religious Rights Fail as Bipartisan Historic Same-Sex Marriage Bill Passes Senate

In her recently released interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Chaya Raichik, the bigot behind the Libs of TikTok social media account, accused LGBTQ people and their allies of grooming children for sexual abuse.

The woman behind the far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ social media account Libs of TikTok finally showed her face in an interview with Tucker Carlson that premiered Tuesday.During the hour-long interview, Chaya Raichik said LGBTQ+ people and the people who support them are grooming children — that is, preparing them for sexual abuse.  Appearing Tuesday on Tucker Carlson Today on the Fox Nation subscription streaming service, Raichik sat down with Carlson, one of her biggest supporters, and spewed anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry and conspiracies. At the start of the show, Carlson lamented how the public ought to be cautious in its consumption of news and information because of bias in reporting while simultaneously declaring Libs of TikTok a legitimate news source (it's not).Carlson played a 58-second clip of videos shared by Libs of TikTok, mostly of teachers with colorful hairstyles discussing personal pronouns and non-gendered concepts in classrooms. "That's information that you should definitely have but have never had until Libs of TikTok bothered to put it in one place and show you, and for doing that, the person who runs Libs of TikTok has been the focus of a lot of hate and many threats.

season three , posed for a kiss in front of the Christmas tree with her husband Charlie McDowell while wearing matching pajamas. would be horrified by the fashion choices here, which might be the point.On Christmas Day, shared two snaps on her Instagram grid. In the first, Collins (still rocking Emily's season three ), McDowell, and their dog are sitting outside in their matching long-sleeve white crewneck pajamas with red reindeer, trees, and snowflakes.

Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced a coalition of 18 attorneys general that are opposing Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act — also known as the “don’t say gay” law.Racine’s office said in a press release late last week that the law posed a threat to LGBTQ+ students, emphasizing that they are at particular risk and harm to discrimination.“My office has a strong track record of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in the District and across the country to make sure that everyone can simply be who they are and love who they love,” Racine said.

Dame Joan Collins wowed her fans as she celebrated Christmas Day in Beverly Hills in style.

An incoming government minister in Israel suggested that doctors should be allowed to refuse treatment to LGBTQ+ patients on religious grounds.

Perthshire Pride is “committed to working with all people” in the region after legislation to make it easier for individuals in Scotland to change their legally recognised gender was passed by MSPs at Holyrood last week.

The third season of The L Word: Generation Q has brought more twists and turns than ever before.

Showtime has released a first look at Lauren Ambrose as Van in the upcoming second season of hit LGBTQ+ teen drama Yellowjackets.

Traitors' John McManus has insisted “I’m no bully”, after facing a backlash over his clash with co-star Aaron Evans on the show.

Spice Girls star Melanie C has pulled out of her upcoming New Year’s Eve performance in Poland. 

Congressman-elect George Santos, who is out, confirmed that he had deceived voters by fabricating parts of his professional and academic history.In interviews with conservative-owned media outlets, The New York Post and WABC-AM radio, Santos, 34, admitted to some of the lies uncovered in a New York Times investigation.And while he did admit to those misrepresentations, he told the Post that still plans to take office.“I am not a criminal,” he told the paper.The Times investigation alleged that Santos lied about going to Baruch College before going on to work at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. The college and those companies said they couldn’t find any record of Santos’s graduation or employment.He told the Post that he “never worked directly” with those two companies, but that he work with them through a company called Link Bridge.Santos also said he never graduated from Baruch or any college.“I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume,” he said.

Gay American footballer Collin Martin has shared his thoughts on why the Premier League has no openly queer players. 

Drag Race star Mistress Isabelle Brooks has shut down fatphobic “fans” with a powerful statement on social media.

“Of course, I found a kind of permanent love - that’s very ungracious, but I got married nearly eight years ago and that’s changed things.“Especially talking about that child early on who knew he was gay and saw ahead of him only a life of exile and shame.”Stephen admitted: “The prospect that I could ever actually be married and live happily and for it to be no big deal to anybody[…].That’s made a big difference.”Back in 2016, Stephen credited Elliot with saving his life after falling madly in love and tying the knot the year before.Stephen has been open about his battle with depression and attempted to commit suicide in 2012. But the national treasure gushed over his husband, who he credited for helping him get to "a great place”."My husband has saved my life," Stephen told The Sun. "I think just the happiness and security and calm of being with him. I am in a great place right now." He added: "Rates of suicide and self harm are terrifying through Britain.

Spoilers ahead for episode five of Willow

BBC has finally released the first sneak peek at Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney in the upcoming Doctor Who specials. 

Gay icon Cher may or may not be engaged.On Christmas morning, Cher posted an image of a large diamond ring on Twitter. “There r no words, Alexander, A.E.,” she wrote.

Dear Plus Reader,Sheryl Lee Ralph has made a career of being a trailblazer, so breaking boundaries is nothing new for the Emmy winning legend of stage and screen — which is why we’re so very excited to have her grace the cover of our annual African American issue. In addition to paving the way for women of color in the entertainment industry (she directs and produces too), Ralph was one of the first high-profile celebrities to use her platform to raise awareness around HIV and AIDS.

Amy Grant, the Queen of Christian pop who crossed over to the mainstream with several hit songs, recently announced she is hosting the same-sex marriage of her niece.The Grammy winner, 2022 Kennedy Center Honor recipient, and the first Christian artist to have an album go platinum described her progressive views to The Washington Post: “Jesus, you just narrowed it down to two things: love God and love each other. I mean, hey, that’s pretty simple.” Grant also detailed her reaction when her niece first came out: What a gift to our whole family to just widen the experience of our whole family.Grant, in 2013, told Pride Source, “I know that the religious community has not been very welcoming [to LGBTQ+ people], but I just want to stress that the journey of faith brings us into community, but it's really about one relationship. The journey of faith is just being willing and open to have a relationship with God.

(CNN) -- After thousands of customers in Pierce County, Washington, were affected Sunday when burglars vandalized three energy substations, power was then knocked out for even more homes after a suspect or suspects gained access to a fourth substation, vandalizing the equipment and causing a fire, according to an update from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.The damaged equipment cut power to around 14,000 customers, police said, weeks after an attack in North Carolina left thousands in the dark for days amid federal warnings of extremist threats to electricity infrastructure.The Christmas Day vandalism near Tacoma marked more such incidents in the state, where two November attacks on Puget Sound Energy substations were investigated by the FBI.

(CNN) -- "My whole life: 'She ain't Black enough. She ain't White enough.' Well, how about she's not obedient enough? How 'bout she ain't fearful enough?"That's Whitney Houston, played by Naomi Ackie, in Kasi Lemmons' moving and elegant new biopic, "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody." She's responding to criticisms that she's out of touch with Black audiences -- that she's merely an ingénue whose image and sound have been carefully constructed by White music executives to do just one thing: people-please.The scene is one of many in the movie neatly capturing the pressures the real-life Houston navigated as she walked a professional tightrope, trying to maintain her identity and integrity while meeting the demands of the record moguls who wanted her to tamp down her Blackness, behave "respectably" and quash even suggestions of queerness.

GEMMA Collins looked stunning in a sparkly low-cut mini dress as she celebrated Christmas with her loved ones. The Essex star, 41, slipped into a gold sequin frock as she posed alongside fiancé Rami Hawash, who sported a Santa costume and white beard. The former Towie star put her famous curves on display in the glitzy figure-hugging ensemble.

Imagine a world where a parent, upon seeing their young child moving in and out of the gender binary, becomes excited and proud, and when a dad comes home to see little Alejandro wearing his mom’s dress, immediately rings his own parents to tell them the great news, or when Mariposa asks to work construction with her dad, mom beams with pride at her beading circle. Historically, that was the way Two-Spirit children were honored by many tribes.

Sajid Ikram, 49, is an IT entrepreneur living in Canada. This is an edited version of his story, as told to CNA Insider.

The creators of Netflix’s Wednesday have opened up about a potential Wednesday and Enid romance in future seasons.

Less than a week after two people were arrested for trespassing at the apartment building of gay New York City Council member Erik Bottcher, police have now identified a third suspect who is wanted for assault. Bottcher represents the city’s District 3, including Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Hudson Square, Flatiron, Times Square, the Theater District, and the Garment District. When The Advocate spoke to City Council Member Bottcher last Monday, he said that two people were arrested for entering his apartment building unlawfully and that a third suspect was being investigated for assaulting a nearby neighbor of Bottcher.The neighbor was on his way home to his building down the block when he encountered the multiple hate groups stationed outside Bottcher’s building in Chelsea, Bottcher said. Now, police have identified David Nieves as the accused assailant. Authorities allege Nieves struck his victim in the face, cutting the victim.

(CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law a bill that expands a ban on so-called LGBTQ "propaganda" in Russia, making it illegal for anyone to promote same-sex relationships or suggest that non-heterosexual orientations are "normal."The ban was rubber-stamped by Putin just days after a harsh new "foreign agents" law came into effect, as the Kremlin cracks down on free speech and human rights as its military operation in Ukraine falters.The new laws significantly broaden the scope of a 2013 law which banned the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information to minors. The new iteration extends the ban on promoting such information to adults as well.The new laws make it illegal to promote or "praise" LGBTQ relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientations or suggest that they are "normal."The package of amendments signed by Putin include heavier penalties for anyone promoting "non-traditional sexual relations and/or preferences," as well as pedophilia and gender transition.

(CNN) -- As the Supreme Court gathered for more than two hours on Monday to discuss whether a graphic designer can refuse to do business with same-sex couples, the justices somehow strayed into dueling hypotheticals concerning Black and White Santas and dating websites.Hypotheticals are nothing new at the high court as the justices probe how cases before the court could impact different challenges down the road.

(CNN) – When James Michael Grimes fell overboard from a Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico, he said the sheer will to live, along with strength from God, kept him alive as he miraculously swam for what he believes was more than 15 hours.Grimes, 28, who described himself as an “average guy” who likes hunting, fishing, and being outdoors, was rescued late on Thanksgiving Day and told CNN he is “blessed to be here.”The Alabama native was onboard the Carnival Valor with 18 members of his family for the week of the Thanksgiving holiday. It was the night before Thanksgiving when Grimes, who was at an onboard bar with his sister, went to use a restroom around 11 p.m., his sister recalled, according to a Carnival statement to CNN.The last thing he remembers before regaining consciousness in the water was going to listen to live music aboard the ship with family, he said, and he doesn’t remember where, or how, he fell off the ship.

(CNN) – Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupted on Sunday, blanketing roads and homes in volcanic ash and prompting evacuations of nearly 2,000 residents in East Java province, according to authorities in the country.A statement Sunday from Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB) said no injuries or deaths have so far been reported and evacuees have taken shelter in public facilities, including village halls and schools. More than 20,000 face masks have been handed out to mitigate respiratory health risks from volcanic ash, it added.Mount Semeru, which lies around 400 miles (640 kilometers) southeast of the capital Jakarta, began erupting at 2:46 a.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in yet another Colorado case of a right wing Christian business owner who claims their work is artistic expression which entitles them to discriminate against LGBTQ people who want to use their product for a same-sex marriage. And once again conservatives on the nation’s highest court are being asked to, and could move towards striking down another decades-old ruling in favor of the far Christian right.

A recent court ruling in Japan has delivered mixed results on the issue of marriage equality.A Tokyo District Court on Wednesday upheld the country’s ban on marriage equality, but also ruled the lack of legal protections for same-sex partners and their families infringed on their human rights. Japan is currently the only state among the G7 nations that does not recognize marriage equality.“This is actually a fairly positive ruling,” Nobuhito Sawasaki, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told Reuters.

Police in Minnesota arrested a man after he allegedly pulled a gun and made threatening remarks at a historic gay bar this week.Conell Walter Harris, 31, was taken into custody at the 19 Bar in Minneapolis late Monday evening and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and making threats of violence.In a charging document posted online, authorities allege Harris “entered the bar and was ‘acting strangely,’” and later “became upset” after an employee asked to see his ID.When a different employee asked Harris to leave, he allegedly pulled out a gun, held it in his hand, and said “I ain’t going nowhere.”Harris allegedly “squared up” with the employee, and when a patron stepped between the two to “deescalate the situation,” he allegedly threatened them saying “what watch the f*ck you’re saying” and “I’m going to f*ck you up.”As he left the bar, Harris allegedly said “I’ll f*cking kill your d*ke *ss” to a bartender.Harris returned to the bar a short time later and played pool. Police arrived and “immediately saw several people pointing at a male later identified” as Harris.

The number of same-sex couple households documented by the U.S. Census Bureau exceeded 1 million for the first time in 2021, according to Census data released in late November.The figure came to 1.2 million, including 710,000 households where same-sex couples were married and 500,000 where the couples were unmarried.

A record 120 cities have earned a perfect 100 score on this year’s Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index, which rates cities on antidiscrimination laws, benefits for public employees, and other factors that contribute to a positive climate for LGBTQ+ people.That number is up from 110 in the 2021 index and just 11 in its inaugural year, 2012, “illustrating the striking advancements municipalities have made despite some being in states that have seen increased extremist-led anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation,” notes an HRC press release. The HRC Foundation released the index in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute.“LGBTQ+ people everywhere deserve to live in welcoming places that are focused on building equality for all,” JoDee Winterhof, HRC senior vice president of policy and political affairs, said in the release. “Since its launch 11 years ago, the main priority of the Municipal Equality Index remains supporting and celebrating the work cities do to serve LGBTQ+ people in the places they call home.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) lashed out with a Bible verse Wednesday morning, after the Senate passed legislation protecting same-sex and interracial marriage, while rejecting his attempt to infuse special religious rights through an amendment that even some Republicans refused to support.

The U.S. Senate voted 61-36 Tuesday to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which will write marriage equality into federal law, maintaining it even if the Supreme Court overturns its 2015 ruling that established equal marriage rights nationwide.The bill has already been passed by the House of Representatives, but the Senate added an amendment to it aimed at protecting religious freedom, so the new version needs to be voted on by the House before it can go to President Joe Biden for his expected signature.“Today, after many rounds of bipartisan talks and after many doubts that we could even reach this point, we are taking the momentous step forward for greater justice for LGBTQ Americans,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote.He said the first person he would call after the vote would be his daughter Alison, who is in a same-sex marriage."What a great day," he added after the vote finished.The push for the Respect for Marriage Act came after Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Obergefell v.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will put the Respect for Marriage Act on the Senate floor late Monday afternoon. It is expected to pass, thanks to about a dozen Republicans who are expected to vote to protect, at least at the federal level, the marriages of same-sex and interracial couples.

(CNN) -- Federal surveys like the U.S. Census are gradually taking their transgender respondents into account. But they rarely ask specific questions unique to trans life: Have they been denied access to reproductive health care? Is their life better than it was before they came out as trans?Enter the U.S.

(CNN) -- FIFA President Gianni Infantino pleaded with countries to let football take center stage ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, but it hasn't quite worked out like that.Soccer's global governing body has found itself at loggerheads with seven European nations over the threat of sanctions for any player wearing a "OneLove" armband during games.The eleventh-hour announcement from FIFA has created a rift between soccer's governing body and the seven nations involved, although neither side has emerged free from criticism.The "OneLove" armband -- which features the outline of a heart striped in different colors -- was intended to be worn by captains from England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and Wales at the World Cup to promote inclusion and display solidarity with people of different genders and sexual identities.But hours before England captain Harry Kane was scheduled to wear the armband against Iran on Monday, FIFA said any player wearing the armbands would receive a yellow card, putting them in danger of being sent off or banned from a later game in the tournament.FIFA regulations state that team captains must wear armbands provided by the governing body, even though it said it "supports all legitimate causes, such as 'OneLove.'"However, the debacle has rumbled on as a sideshow to the tournament itself.If players like Kane didn't wear the armband, Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib did as she talked to Infantino at the World Cup game between Belgium and Canada on Wednesday.German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also wore the armband with Infantino sitting close by during her country's 2-1 defeat against Japan."It's quite scary for LGBTQ+ communities around the world to see our