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As some Guardian Angels began leaving Sliwa's side to attend to an off-screen disturbance, the camera panned to show them confronting an unidentified man, pushing him to the sidewalk and placing him in a headlock. The spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether any members of the Guardian Angels were under investigation for their role in the altercation. The incident came after a brawl in Times Square between police and a group of migrants generated waves of backlash against the city's asylum seekers. The Guardian Angels have been a fixture in New York since 1979 when Sliwa founded them to patrol the streets and subways during the city's high-crime days. City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents the area around Times Square, said the group should not be detaining people without legal authority.

Persons: Curtis Sliwa, Sean Hannity, ” Sliwa, Hannity, Sliwa, ”, wouldn’t, Erik Bottcher, ” Bottcher, “, Jordan Neely, Daniel Penny Organizations: —, Guardian Angels, Fox News, Times, Yorker, New York Police Department, Police, Associated Press, U.S . Marine Locations: New York City, Bronx, New York, U.S

☆ Drag Story Hour protest in NYC caps a year of anti-drag attacks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The latest occurred Thursday outside a public library in the borough of Queens, where a Drag Story Hour event for children was scheduled. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said one person was arrested in connection with Thursday’s protest. Demonstrators gather for a protest in support of the Drag Story Hour outside the Queens Public Library in New York on Thursday. Demonstrators gather to protest against Drag Story Hour outside the Queens Public Library in New York on Thursday. Yuki Iwamura / AFP via Getty ImagesThursday’s incident marks at least the second protest of a Drag Story Hour event in New York City this month.

Last year, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, labeled 2021 the “worst year” for LGBTQ rights in modern U.S. history, citing a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country. “The LGBTQ+ community is really under siege right now,” said Ricardo Martinez, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas. One bill that was successfully implemented, and gained national headlines for months, was Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The word “grooming” has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers. Those losses came after some conservative groups ramped up misleading or inflammatory campaign ads targeting transgender rights.

Two people were arrested at a New York City Council member's apartment building Monday after opponents of a drag reading event targeted it with messages the politician called “pure hate, unmasked,” officials said. A group had targeted the public reading event geared toward neurodiverse children at a library in Chelsea on Saturday, NBC New York reported. Our resolve is strengthened.”Earlier Monday, the hallways inside the building that houses Bottcher’s council district office were also vandalized, police said. Right-wing figures and influencers have targeted drag events, sometimes with incendiary rhetoric about “groomers." Bottcher, who was elected to represent District 3 in 2021 and took office in January, said after Saturday's event that reading helps children grow, and he thanked the drag reading event organizers.

☆ Protesters swarm NYC library hosting Drag Story Hour for kids
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Protesters trying to shut down a reading event geared toward neurodiverse children at a branch of the New York City Public Library were met by a wall of counterprotesters. NYC Councilmember Erik Bottcher / via TwitterSaturday's protest was just the latest in a string of standoffs across the country from a fringe movement targeting drag events over unsubstantiated allegations of grooming. New York City Council member Erik Bottcher shared images and videos online of the protesters, some of whom he tried speaking with before entering the children’s reading event. “I want to show you the face of hate, right here in Chelsea,” Bottcher said in a video shared on Twitter, before showing the counterprotesters clad in rainbows. A representative for the New York Public Library said the event went on as planned and added that the library would continue to offer programs supporting diverse voices.

☆ After Club Q attack, LGBT venues grapple with safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Kendall Allen holds a sign as she attends a vigil with her wife Kaycie Franks after a mass shooting at the Club Q LGBTQ nightclub, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., November 21, 2022. Those bars and other LGBT spaces around the country are again weighing how to keep their staff and patrons safe after a gunman killed five people and injured 17 more at an LGBT club in Colorado Springs. "It was definitely an eye-opening moment," said Eric Sosa, co-owner of C'mon Everybody and Good Judy in New York City. But as queer venues grapple with safety, several LGBT activists and club owners said no amount of security personnel or technology would protect them from the anti-LGBT rhetoric they blame for stoking such violence. Raimo still performs for adults, including a drag bingo night he was hosting on Tuesday at a Nashville gay bar.

The cases were weeks apart and eerily similar: Two young men at popular New York City gay bars. Both of their bank accounts were drained. The New York City Police Department said that the city’s medical examiner is still determining the official causes of Ramirez’s and Umberger’s deaths. John Umberger was found dead in New York City in May and his bank accounts were drained. “It’s horrifying and infuriating that people are being preyed upon and victimized in New York City in this way,” Bottcher said.

☆ NYPD confirms it is investigating the deaths of 2 gay men earlier this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The New York City Police Department confirmed Monday that it is investigating a string of robberies and assaults that may be connected to the deaths of two gay men earlier this year shortly after they left gay bars in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. In April, Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, was found dead in the back of a taxi an hour after being seen leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge with three unidentified men. About a month later, Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant, was found dead after he and two unidentified men left another popular Hell's Kitchen gay bar, the Q. The unidentified men transferred about $20,000 out of Umberger's bank accounts and maxed out his credit cards, according to Umberger's mother, Linda Clary, who also believes her son was drugged. Neither a representative for Bottcher's office nor for the New York County District Attorney’s Office immediately responded to a request for comment.

☆ Gay meteorologist, allegedly fired for using adult webcam site, pleads for his job back
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

A gay meteorologist in New York City who was allegedly fired after someone sent nude webcam photos of him to his employer and to his mother is pleading for his job back and accusing the sender of revenge porn. He said he was not paid for his appearances on the site and apologized for taking part. “I unequivocally do not apologize for being sex-positive and for being myself — for being an openly gay man,” he said. Adame, 39, said he never spoke at work about his involvement with the website, which is owned by Unit 4 Media Ltd. New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher, who represents the Manhattan district where Spectrum NY1 is located, appears to agree.

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