CNN Reporter Called Out for Anti-Gay Tweets

Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old college student who died 20 years ago on October 12, days after suffering a brutal homophobic attack from two men in Laramie, Wyoming, will finally be laid to rest at the Washington Na... Show more

tional Cathedral on October 26. “We’ve given much thought to Matt’s final resting place, and we found the Washington National Cathedral is an ideal choice, as Matt loved the Episcopal Church and felt welcomed by his church in Wyoming,” said Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, in a written statement. “For the past 20 years, we have shared Matt’s story with the world. It’s reassuring to know he now will rest in a sacred spot where folks can come to reflect on creating a safer, kinder world.” Judy Shepard and her husband, Dennis, founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation to confront the issue of anti-LGBTQ and other hate-fueled harassment and violence. A release this week from the foundation noted that there have been 22 known murders of transgender people in the US this year, and that, since 2016, the rate of bias attacks against Latinx and Muslim Americans has risen even faster than against LGBTQ people. “Due to the environment that the current administration has impressed upon us, our wor

Homophobe Close to Winning Presidency of Brazil

Can’t fault CNN for liberal bias. They hired Kaitlan Collins as a White House correspondent in 2017 — directly from her serving in the same post for the right-wing Daily Caller website that was founded by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. ... Show more

lson. Now the 26-year-old Collins is in trouble for a 2011 tweet calling someone a “fag” and another pondering, “Idk [I don’t know] if I wanna room with a lesbian” as a student at the University of Alabama. The Log Cabin Republicans tweeted out screen shots of the offending messages. Collins responded, “It was immature but it doesn’t represent the way I feel at all.” But as an entertainment reporter in 2014 at the Daily Caller she did not abandon her biased ways, writing a derisive column mocking the short stature and appearance of US Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. Collins was suspended by the White House in July for shouting questions at the president and not leaving when told to — earning a statement of solidarity from the president of Fox News. Collins was trying to ask Trump if he felt betrayed by Michael Cohen, his former lawyer who is now cooperating with federal prosecutors.Comment on this story.

Susan Collins Dumped

Right wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro won 46 percent in the first round of voting for president of Brazil, short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff on October 28. Bolsonaro will face off against S?o Paulo Mayor Ferna... Show more

ndo Haddad of the Workers’ Party, who got 29 percent in a country beset by a bad economy and political corruption. Leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Haddad’s party was barred from running by the Superior Electoral Court. Bolsonaro has been a member of Congress for seven terms and is most famous for his anti-LGBTQ, anti-women, and racist remarks that earned him federal hate crimes charges. He is a former captain in the army, is assembling top military leaders in his circle, and wants to use the military to “purge a corrupt ruling elite,” the New York Times reported. He is backed, as Trump was, by a burgeoning evangelical population in Brazil. The first round voting pulled out 80 percent of eligible Brazilians. Out gay journalist Glenn Greenwald, an American who lives in Brazil, called Bolsonaro “the most misogynistic, hateful elected official in the democratic world.” This leader of the Social Liberal Party (!) has five children, first four boys and then “in a mom

De Blasio Signs Gender Marker Reform

US Senator Susan Collins’ defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh got her removed as an honorary co-sponsor of the International Human Rights Art Festival set for New York’s Wild Project November 12-18. The festiv... Show more

stival posted, “Her lack of candor, empathy, her reliance on ‘junk science’ to ignore Dr. [Christine Blasey] Ford’s claim, and her insincerity has led us to believe that we do not want her name attached to an event that includes such a sincere and passionate collection of artists, activists, performers and speakers.” Those festival participants had hit organizers with an “outpouring of indignation” over Collins inclusion. The festival includes an LGBTQ improv, “Thank You for Coming Out,” on Sunday, November 18 at 6 p.m. The Wild Project is at 195 E. Third Street, between Avenues A and B. For more information, visit ihraf.or g.Comment on this story.

Tokyo Enacts LGBT Rights Law

At an October 9 ceremony at the Edie Windsor SAGE Center in Chelsea, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation to give a third gender option on New York City birth certificates, allowing people who identify as non-binar... Show more

y or gender-nonconforming to mark an X rather than an M or F. The legislation also eliminates the requirement in changing a gender designation on a birth certificate that a physician or health care provider attest to the individual’s gender change. People born in New York City can now submit their own affidavit affirming their gender identity. “For too long, older transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people have lived in the shadows, unable to live their lives openly and authentically, suffering widespread discrimination, high rates of violence, significant social isolation, and mounting health care barriers,” said SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “We are exceptionally proud and honored to host Mayor Bill de Blasio as he signs this groundbreaking legislation.”Comment on this story.

Trans Student Excluded During Shelter Drill

The Metropolitan Government of Tokyo passed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity on October 5 — moved by the coming of the Summer Olympics to the capital in 2020. Human Rights W... Show more

Watch worked with the government to comply with the Olympic Charter’s human rights provisions. The International Olympic Committee in 2014 adopted a policy of only holding games in cities that ban such discrimination. The Japanese government in recent years has committed to outreach efforts on LGBTQ issues in schools and taking positive steps to protect and recognize queer people, but, like the US, has no federal LGBTQ rights law. Tokyo’s action may spur the national government to enact one.Comment on this story.