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☆ Top New York official asks Best Buy about its commitment to LGBTQ groups after conservative pressure
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Brooke Sopelsa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The New York state comptroller sent a letter to Best Buy last week questioning whether the company changed its commitment to inclusivity and supporting LGBTQ groups. The comptroller's office manages the state's $207 billion public pension fund, which has invested in Best Buy. He also denied that the NCPPR pressured Best Buy to stop supporting LGBTQ groups in general. "This contentious and vast disagreement between radical gender theory activists and the general public has nothing to do with Best Buy selling electronics." Peck did not ask Best Buy to stop its donations to the HRC, saying in the email, "We understand that it's unrealistic for Best Buy to leave HRC in the near future because of their political clout."

Persons: Thomas DiNapoli, Corie, Barry, J, Patrick Doyle, DiNapoli, Scott Shepard, Shepard, Trevor, Carly Charlson, Charlson, Eric Bloem, Bloem, Ethan Peck, Peck, Marina Rizzo, hadn't, Rizzo Organizations: NBC News, Securities, Exchange Commission, National Center for Public Policy Research, Best, NBC, NCPPR's Free Enterprise, SAGE, GLAAD, Human Rights, SEC, NCPPR's Free Enterprise Institute, HRC, PRIDE Locations: York, States

☆ Best Buy offers to screen LGBTQ nonprofit donations after conservative pressure, filing shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Brooke Sopelsa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"Best Buy has partnerships with and contributes to organizations and activists that promote the practice of gender transition surgeries on minors and evangelize gender theory to minors. Why are Best Buy shareholders funding the proliferation of an ideology seeking to mutilate the reproductive organs of children before they finish puberty?" "This contentious and vast disagreement between radical gender theory activists and the general public has nothing to do with Best Buy selling electronics." "Were Best Buy to agree to such a compromise with us, we will not make a splash about it." In an email on Friday, GLAAD, one of the LGBTQ nonprofits mentioned in the SEC filing, expressed its displeasure with Best Buy.

Persons: hasn't, Carly Charlson, NCPPR, —, Ethan Peck, Peck, Marina Rizzo, Rizzo, we're, Bud Light, Bud Light's, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Sarah Kate Ellis Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, National Center for Public Policy Research, Best, HRC, NCPPR's Free Enterprise Institute, SAGE, GLAAD, Rights, PRIDE, NBC, Anheuser, Busch Inbev Locations: States

A Louisiana man was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for kidnapping and attempting to murder a gay teen as part of a broader hate crime scheme targeting men on an LGBTQ dating app, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. His decadeslong sentencing rested on a variety of factors, the Justice Department revealed, including that Seneca intentionally targeted the teen and other gay men because of their sexual orientation. Within days of his assault on White, Seneca allegedly attempted to kidnap a different man and allegedly kidnapped another, the Justice Department said in a previous statement. The Louisiana case is one of several where people have used Grindr, a dating app founded in 2009 that is predominantly used by gay men, to target LGBTQ people around the world. In 2018, it was widely reported that Egyptian authorities and residents were using Grindr and other dating apps to entrap and persecute gay men.

NFL Hall of Famer and NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy is facing renewed criticism for his history of anti-LGBTQ statements after he tweeted an anti-transgender conspiracy theory last week. That’s the criteria for avoiding hell.”In another tweet from 2020, Dungy wrote that being “LGBTQ is a lifestyle,” a sentiment that suggests being queer is a choice. . . things will happen.’’Cyd Zeigler, an LGBTQ advocate and a co-founder of the LGBTQ sports site Outsports.com, has been raising the alarm bells on Dungy’s anti-LGBTQ sentiments for years. “I’ve never called for Tony Dungy to be fired or lose his job or his ability to provide for his family,” Zeigler said. Zeigler said he isn’t convinced that Dungy’s anti-LGBTQ rhetoric would stop anytime soon.

Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said claims that he performed as a drag queen are “categorically false.” His denial comes shortly after a Brazilian drag performer shared on social media an image of herself and another person in drag, whom she identified as the newly elected congressman. “The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or ‘performed’ as a drag Queen is categorically false,” Santos, who has been the subject of international headlines for weeks for fabricating parts of his résumé, tweeted Thursday morning. Rochard, who is identified as Eula Rorard in the photo, claims the other person in drag went by the stage name Kitara Ravache and is, in fact, Santos. As of Thursday afternoon, the images had been widely circulated on social media and news websites. A lawyer for Santos did not return NBC News’ request for comment regarding the congressman’s stance on the proposed policies related to drag performances.

The only HIV vaccine in a late-stage trial has failed, researchers announced Wednesday, dealing a significant blow to the effort to control the global HIV epidemic and adding to a decadeslong roster of failed attempts. “I don’t think that people should give up on the field of the HIV vaccine,” Fauci said. Fauci said that a critical limitation of the Mosaico vaccine was that it elicited what are known as non-neutralizing — as opposed to neutralizing — antibodies against HIV. As with the Thai trial, the hope is to channel research findings into future HIV vaccine development. To prove a vaccine works, researchers must recruit participants who remain at substantial risk of HIV over time.

A federal judge dismissed on Thursday a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ students who allege the Department of Education doesn't protect them against discrimination from more than two dozen religiously affiliated universities that receive federal funding. Last year, the group of current and former college students filed the suit in an attempt to challenge the religious exemptions granted under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs or activities that receive federal funds. The plaintiffs alleged that, by design, the exemptions permit religiously affiliated institutions to discriminate against students on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. The legal group representing the students, the Religious Exemptions Accountability Project, slammed the judge's ruling and said it was considering whether to appeal. Some of the plaintiffs alleged they were denied admission to or expelled from the religiously affiliated universities because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Bella Ramsey, the star of the highly anticipated HBO television series “The Last of Us,” recently shared that her gender has always been very fluid. However, she added, “Being gendered isn’t something that I particularly like, but in terms of pronouns, I really couldn’t care less.”Bella Ramsey in season eight of "Game of Thrones." Helen Sloan / HBORamsey, 19, joins a growing number of young adults who identify as neither exclusively male nor female. The British actor also joins a growing number of celebrities who identify as nonbinary or gender fluid. The dystopian series centers on Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler, who is tasked with escorting lesbian teen Ellie (Ramsey) across a post-pandemic United States.

From start to finish, Tuesday's 80th annual Golden Globe Awards was a very queer affair. Here are some of the evening's queerest (and gay Twitter meme-worthy) moments. Jerrod Carmichael apologizes to Jennifer Coolidge 'on behalf of all the gays'Jerrod Carmichael hosted the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday. The 26-year-old actor, who already has two Emmy awards for the same role, was not present to accept her Golden Globe. The Burnett award was started in 2019, with its namesake, comedian Carol Burnett, being its first honoree.

Once considered taboo in film and television, gay entertainers and characters will be hard to miss at the 80th Golden Globe Awards. Some of the evenings most nominated films — including sci-fi dramedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and psychological thriller “Tár,” — and TV series that include “The White Lotus” and “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” — star LGBTQ actors or feature fictional queer characters. And to top off the evening, the Golden Globes will honor gay television writer and producer Ryan Murphy, perhaps best known for co-creating “Glee,” “Pose” and the “American Horror Story” franchise, with a lifetime achievement award. While this year’s pool of Golden Globe nominees ups the awards ceremony’s queer factor, many of the most anticipated wins involve seemingly straight actors playing queer characters. The Golden Globes airs on Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.

Gay men, who have arguably been the lifeblood of “The Real Housewives” fanbase, will finally get a drama-filled reality TV show they can call their own. On Thursday, MTV announced it is launching on Jan. 20 “The Real Friends of WeHo,” which will follow six gay friends living in Los Angeles' premiere gayborhood, West Hollywood. “If you like the wives, don't miss these new house guys,” a narrator says in the trailer, in what appeared to be a nod to Bravo's “Real Housewives” franchise. “Went ahead and preemptively muted 'the real friends of weho' from my timeline,” one Twitter user wrote. '” But, she later added, “I will also be honest and say that I will probably be watching the show.”“The Real Friends of WeHo” premieres Jan. 20 on MTV at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

☆ George Santos arrived in D.C. this week. No one is more riled than N.Y.'s other gay congressman.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Matt-Lavietes-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Matt Lavietes | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The House Republican chaos has a silver lining,” Torres tweeted Wednesday, referring to Republicans’ difficulty in electing a House speaker. Does Stefanik have George Santos in mind?” Torres tweeted Tuesday. In another tweet last week, Torres posted a screenshot of an invitation Santos sent to supporters, inviting them to celebrate his swearing into Congress. “He’s a pathological liar who cannot be trusted to serve the very public he defrauded,” Torres told MSNBC’s Joy Reid on Monday. “No one has handed me anything on a silver platter,” he previously told NBC News.

"Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts made a surprise announcement on the ABC morning show Monday, saying she's ready to tie the knot with her girlfriend of nearly 18 years, Amber Laign. OK, I’m saying ‘yes’ to marriage,” Roberts told motivational speaker and author Gabby Bernstein during a conversation about setting intentions for the new year. The pair's decision to wed comes amid a nationwide uptick in same-sex couple households. For the first time, the number of same-sex couple households in the U.S. has surpassed 1 million, data from the Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey revealed in November. In 2021, there were more than 1.2 million same-sex couple households across the country, up from 540,000 in 2008, an increase of more than 120%, the data found.

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.

The New York Attorney General’s Office said it is “looking into a number of issues" surrounding Congressman-elect George Santos, who was the subject of a bombshell New York Times investigation that questions whether the incoming Republican lawmaker fabricated much of his biography, including his education, work history and financial dealings. The office, however, did not confirm whether it had opened an official investigation into Santos and declined to comment further on the matter. A lawyer for Santos, Joe Murray, told NBC News in an email Thursday afternoon that he had "not been contacted by anyone" from the New York Attorney General's Office. Monday evening, Santos posted a statement on Twitter from his attorney dismissing the Times' report. Santos' competitor in the November election, Democrat Robert Zimmerman, said members of both parties "should be grateful" that the state's attorney general is looking into Santos.

As the nation's drag performers face an unprecedented wave of protests and threats directed against their events, drag icon RuPaul Charles addressed the incidents for what appears to be the first time publicly Friday. "I pray for our country, and the world really, and I still believe in the power of love." Notably, a doughnut shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was vandalized and firebombed by a Molotov cocktail in two separate incidents after it hosted a drag event in October, according to KFOR and KJRH, NBC affiliates in Oklahoma. Aside from the protests and attacks, at least eight bills seeking to restrict drag have been introduced in state legislatures this year, according to GLAAD. RuPaul during the monologue on "Saturday Night Live" in New York, on Feb. 8, 2020.

Elon Musk got into a Twitter spat with former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly on Sunday after the billionaire entrepreneur appeared to take another high-profile swipe at the LGBTQ community's use of gender pronouns. "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci," Musk, who took control of Twitter in October, wrote, referring to chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci. The retired astronaut, who is also the twin brother of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., scolded Musk for his flippant remark. Musk, who in addition to being at the helm of Twitter is also the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, doubled down in his response Kelly. On Sunday evening, after his spat with Kelly, Musk was met with a mix of boos and applause when he made a surprise appearance during comedian Dave Chappelle’s show in San Francisco.

A GOP congresswoman went viral Thursday for tearfully begging her colleagues to vote against a bill that would protect same-sex marriage nationwide. “Today, my aunt Vicky started crying because gay people like me can get married,” Andrew, 24, said in the video, which was shared Thursday. “I’ll tell you my priorities: Protect religious liberty, protect people of faith and protect Americans who believe in a true meaning of marriage," Hartzler said through tears. In addition to ensuring that the federal government recognizes same-sex marriages that were validly performed, the legislation will also protect interracial marriages. The legislation went on to pass the House by a vote of 258-169, with 39 Republicans supporting the legislation.

A gay California lawmaker revealed Tuesday that he received a bomb threat laced with homophobic tropes and rhetoric, amid a simmering culture war that has sparked widespread anti-LGBTQ threats and attacks nationwide. California state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said an unnamed individual threatened to bomb his home and shoot up his office. Within the last two weeks, Greene called Wiener a “communist groomer” on Twitter, and Kirk accused Wiener of releasing “pedophiles” from jail without further explanation. In response to NBC News’ request for comment, Greene’s communications director, Nick Dyer, called Wiener “ridiculous” without expanding further. The latest threat against Wiener comes amid widespread bigoted rhetoric, threats and attacks directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people across the country.

☆ Colorado shooting prompts top drag queens to tour with armed guards and metal detectors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Matt-Lavietes-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Matt Lavietes | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Curtis Brown“We’re trying to smile and make people happy for the holidays, and in the back of our heads we’re thinking, ‘I hope I don’t get shot,’” said Jinkx Monsoon, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season five and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season seven. For months, many right-wing lawmakers, media personalities and activists have accused LGBTQ people — and drag performers in particular — of “grooming,” “indoctrinating” and “sexualizing” children. Latrice Royale, who has appeared on both “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” reasoned that the backlash is due to the greater visibility of drag brought on by the global success of the RuPaul-led competition shows, which have spinoffs in at least 16 other countries. Drag performers who have hosted events that have catered to children, such as Drag Story Hours at public libraries or family-friendly drag brunches, have particularly drawn the ire of conservative protesters. Them.”BenDeLaCreme, who appeared on the sixth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the third season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” shared a similar sentiment.

☆ Being LGBTQ in Colorado Springs wasn’t always easy. Now, some feel more exposed than ever.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Matt-Lavietes-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Matt Lavietes | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Then just days later, a gunman entered the city’s sole LGBTQ dance club, killing five people and injuring 19 others. Colorado Springs has long been considered a stronghold of evangelism, an identity of Christianity that has a history of opposing LGBTQ equality. The city has very few spaces where its LGBTQ people say they feel a sense of freedom and acceptance. Christopher Aaby, 39, moved to Colorado Springs when he was about 6. Jimmy Gomez-Beisch, 40, a gay burlesque dancer who was born and raised in Colorado Springs, struck a more hopeful tone for the community’s future.

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.

☆ Lesbians score big political gains in midterm election's 'rainbow wave'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The 2022 midterm elections ignited what LGBTQ advocates called yet another “rainbow wave,” with over 430 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates emerging victorious. Across the country in Oregon, fellow Democrat and lesbian Tina Kotek was in a much tighter three-way gubernatorial contest. Lesbians and other queer women were successful in down-ballot races as well, according to advocacy groups and political action committees that have been tracking these races. “These are people who have taken the normal political path and are ready for the big leap,” she said, referring to lesbian election winners. “Queer women, just like all other women, understand that we’re in a really fraught time here in America.”Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

☆ 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.

☆ In historic House race between gay candidates, Republican defeats Democrat, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Republican George Santos is the winner in the race for New York’s 3rd Congressional District, beating Democrat Robert Zimmerman and flipping the seat from blue to red, NBC News projected. The contest marked the first time two openly gay congressional candidates had gone head to head in a general election. He will also become the first openly LGBTQ non-incumbent Republican elected to Congress. Former Republican Reps. Mark Foley of Florida and Aaron Schock of Illinois came out as gay after they resigned from the House. “I am an openly gay candidate.

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