THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Equality California, the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Equality Florida announced the "Coast-To-Coast for Equality" campaign, per a press release. It's a cross-nation alliance built in response to Republican "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' anti-LGBTQ+ campaign and its ignition of an escalating, nationwide assault on LGBTQ+ rights, civil liberties, and democratic principles," the release stated. "The solidarity from across the country not only provides resources to help us fight back on the front—it is a huge morale boost to know people all across the country understand that this is the frontline of a national fight," said Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith.

Campus police at Michigan State University say they identified the suspects they believe assaulted two students because of their sexual orientation, The Advocate reported. A spokesperson for MSU said a group of five high school-aged teens approached two students on the first floor of the MSU Main Library; the group then allegedly made disparaging remarks about the two students' perceived sexual identity. The teens allegedly followed the students to the lounge and then attacked. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and that they will turn over their findings to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office with a request for charges against the suspected attackers. However, according to LGBTQ Nation, Michigan state law currently considers only racial bias for hate-crime consideration.

SiegedSec—described as a "gay furry hacker group"—has claimed responsibility for leaking the data from a far-right media outlet, per the website them. In a post to its Telegram channel, the group announced that it had hacked the app for Real America's Voice, a right-wing media outlet founded in 2020 that regularly features far-right activists such as Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk. On April 8, the group announced that it had doxxed Rob Ketterling, the lead pastor of River Valley Church in Burnsville, Minnesota; according to the group's Telegram channel, it received an email claiming that Ketterling was "causing problems with transgender individuals as well as publicly posting transphobia."

Malcolm Kenyatta became one step closer to becoming the first out LGBTQ+ person elected for a statewide office in Pennsylvania. On April 23, Kenyatta—a state representative who represents North Philadelphia—defeated Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley in the Democratic race for state auditor general. He'll take on Republican incumbent Timothy DeFoor in the November general election. The auditor general serves as the state's fiscal watchdog, responsible for reviewing government departments and checking how public dollars are spent. DeFoor, who was elected in 2020, did not face a GOP primary opponent this year.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the state will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on an appeals court ruling that allowed a transgender athlete to compete on her middle school teams, Gay City News reported. A Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled that West Virginia's transgender sports ban violated Becky Pepper Jackson's rights under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bars sex-based bias in schools. Jackson, 13, has been taking puberty-blocking medication and publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently suggested that state public school teachers should be banned from wearing clothes that don't conform to traditional gender norms, raising the possibility that the GOP-controlled Legislature could pursue restrictions on transgender teachers and how they dress, The Texas Tribune noted. Abbott, addressing the Young Conservatives of Texas convention in Dallas, made the remarks as he recounted the story of a male teacher in North Texas who wore a pink dress for his school's spirit day earlier this year. Rachmad Tjachyadi—who taught chemistry at Hebron High School in Carrollton—resigned last month after a conservative social-media account posted a video of him wearing the dress. However, a student told Dallas' KXAS-TV that Tjachyadi "never brought his sexuality or any of his political ideas into his teaching" and was "always teaching chemistry."

GLAAD and the global advertising, marketing and public relations agency Ogilvy have launched new content in the digital campaign "Protect This Kid" in support of LGBTQ youth, exclusively at ProtectThisKid.com, a press release noted. The "Protect This Kid" short-form film—featuring the Billie Eilish song "What Was I Made For?"—is at www.youtube.com/watch and at www.protectthiskid.com . The new film, directed by MG Evangelista, features LGBTQ+ notables such as Margaret Cho, Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart), Sherry Cola (Joy Ride; Good Trouble), author/former NFL player Ryan "R.K." Russell, Yvie Oddly (RuPaul's Drag Race), athlete Chris Mosier, producer Daniella Carter and filmmaker River Gallo.

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed several Republican-led bills—including those that would have allowed discrimination against transgender people and would have allowed public school teachers to post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms, The Los Angeles Blade noted. Republicans responded with predictable outrage to Hobbs' veto of their "Arizona Women's Bill of Rights," which would have eliminated any mention of gender in state law and replaced it with a strict and inflexible definition of biological sex. Trans-rights advocates say, and at least one study has found, that there is no evidence showing that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that aligns with their identity makes those spaces less safe for everyone else who uses them.

Missouri state Sen. Greg Razer—the second ever openly LGBTQ+ member of the state's Senate—is spearheading the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act (MONA), which would ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, Fox 2 Now noted. This isn't the first time the bill has been presented to the legislature, as it has been introduced and defeated in past sessions. During the recent hearing, the bill faced opposition from those who argued that it might lead to frivolous discrimination lawsuits against employers, incur legal costs for small businesses, and potentially infringe on religious freedoms.

Activists gathered in D.C. recently to demand European Union sanctions on Uganda over the African country's Anti-Homosexuality Act, LGBTQ Nation noted. The law "is driving already marginalized people away from needed services and codifies state-sponsored discrimination and violence against real or perceived LBGTQ people in all areas of life," the Convening for Equality coalition wrote in a letter to EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen before the demonstration. The law made what is described in the law as "aggravated homosexuality" punishable by the death penalty, imposed a life sentence for "recruitment, promotion and funding" of same-sex "activities," and even banned identifying as LGBTQ+.

Bisexual former umpire Brandon Cooper is suing Major League Baseball, claiming he was sexually harassed by a female umpire and discriminated against because of his gender and his sexual orientation, per The Washington Blade. "I wanted my umpiring and ability to speak for itself and not to be labeled as 'Brandon Cooper the bisexual umpire,'" Cooper—who worked in the minor league Arizona Complex League last year—told Outsports. "I didn't want to be labeled as something. It has been a passion of mine to simply make it to the Major Leagues." Cooper claims that upon learning Cooper was bisexual, fellow umpire Gina Quartararo insulted him and fellow umpire Kevin Bruno by using homophobic slurs and crude remarks.

Openly gay actor Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock) thanked fans for their "outpouring of support" after a Pennsylvania school board canceled a scheduled author visit over his "lifestyle" and "activism," The Wrap noted. In an Instagram video, Pancholy put both words in air quotes as he shared his reaction to the Cumberland Valley School District's decision to rescind his invitation to speak at Mountain View Middle School in Mechanicsburg. He said, in part, "When I visit schools, my 'activism' is to let all young people know that they're seen … to let them know that they matter."

Ruling against anti-LGBTQ+ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton two to one, a state appeals court declined to dismiss a State Bar of Texas ethics complaint accusing Paxton of dishonesty when he sought to overturn then-President Donald Trump's 2020 election defeats in four swing states, The Dallas Morning News reported. Paxton argued that he couldn't be sued by the state bar's Commission for Lawyer Discipline because he petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court as part of his official duties. However, the Dallas-based 5th Court of Appeals disagreed, saying the commission's lawsuit accused Paxton of violating the state's code of ethics, which bars lawyers from conduct "involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation."

Camp' Camp—a summer camp for LGBTQ+ adults—will host the 26th season of its unique all-inclusive vacation at an exciting new location in central Maine on Aug. 11-18, per a press release. Conceived in 1997 as an alternative to alcohol- and sex-focused LGBTQ+ bars and other venues, 'Camp' Camp offers a fun and relaxing week-long vacation for queer folx of all ages, gender identities and sexual orientations, but with a twist: There's a strong focus on fostering true connection and community-building. After 25 seasons at its original location in southwestern Maine, Camp's move to a new location between Augusta and Bangor, Maine will offer the same experience, but with an expanded schedule of activities, upgraded accommodations and the capability to host even more LGBTQ+ folx from across the globe. See CampCamp.com .

After being closed for four years, the iconic San Francisco bar The Stud has a new home, NBC Bay Area noted. The Stud's new location is at 1123 Folsom Street in the South of Market neighborhood—just a few blocks away from its previous location on 9th Street. The Stud opened its doors in 1966 and is the city's oldest, continuously operated queer bar.

Chicago's Hyde Park Art Center announced that it has completed the transition to a contribution-based model for 100% of its art classes, per a press release. The initiative, Open Arts, launched in spring 2022 with 70% of the courses on a contribute-what-you-can basis. The completion of this pioneering initiative makes the Art Center's Oakman Clinton School + Studio the nation's first fully contribute-what-you-can visual art school for all ages.