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☆ Japan parliament passes watered-down LGBT understanding bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A participant holds a sign as they march during the Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade, celebrating advances in LGBTQ rights and calling for marriage equality, in Tokyo, Japan April 23, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File PhotoTOKYO, June 16 (Reuters) - Japan on Friday passed a much-contested bill to promote understanding of the LGBT community amid criticism that the legislation provides no human rights guarantees and may tacitly encourage some forms of discrimination. However, wrangling over the bill and its wording meant it was only submitted to parliament for consideration the day before the summit began. Japan has come under pressure from other G7 nations, especially the United States, to allow same-sex marriage. Opinion polls show a vast majority of Japanese approve of same-sex marriage.

Persons: Issei Kato, Takeharu Kato, Elaine Lies, Lincoln Organizations: Tokyo, REUTERS, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, United States

☆ Japan passes watered-down LGBT understanding bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Japan on Friday passed a much-contested bill to promote understanding of the LGBT community amid criticism that the legislation provides no human rights guarantees and may tacitly encourage some forms of discrimination. However, wrangling over the bill and its wording meant it was only submitted to parliament for consideration the day before the summit began. “But now I’ve begun to think it might be better to have nothing at all.”Japan has come under pressure from other G7 nations, especially the United States, to allow same-sex marriage. Opinion polls show a vast majority of Japanese approve of same-sex marriage. Roughly 70% of the country now allows same-sex partnership agreements, although the partnership rights fall short of those guaranteed by marriage.

Persons: “, ”, Takeharu Kato Organizations: CNN, Liberal Democratic Party Locations: Japan, United States

☆ Fact Check-The Progress Pride Flag adds representation for transgender and people of color to the rainbow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Progress Pride Flag does not include representation for people attracted to minors, contrary to harmful misinformation posts on social media. Other posts also falsely link the transgender flag to a flag for “Minor Attracted Persons,” or MAPs (here), (here). They have been added to the traditional rainbow Pride flag alongside black and brown into what is now known as the Progress Pride Flag. The white, pink and light blue were first used in the Transgender Pride Flag designed by Monica Helms in 1999 (here). The Progress Pride Flag does not represent “Minor Attracted Persons.” Light blue, pink and white represent the transgender flag.

Persons: “ Minor, Daniel Quasar, Monica Helms, Read Organizations: “, Philadelphia Pride, AFP, Reuters

☆ Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's potential late entry into the 2024 field seems destined to fail from the start
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( John L. Dorman | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Glenn Youngkin of Virginia is reconsidering a 2024 presidential run, per a recent Axios report. But such a decision would be rife with peril, with Youngkin far down the pack of GOP contenders. Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at his rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25, 2023. As of May 31, the GOP polling average on FiveThirtyEight had Trump ahead of DeSantis 54.1%-20.7%, with former Gov. Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, left, gavels to order the special session of the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, Va., on September 7, 2022.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Youngkin, —, Donald Trump, Terry McAuliffe, Joe Biden, Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Axios, Evan Vucci Trump, juggernaut Trump, Stormy Daniels, FiveThirtyEight, Nikki Haley, Sen, Tim Scott of, Mike Pence, Marta Lavandier, McAuliffe, Ralph Northam, Todd Gilbert, gavels, Steve Helber, Miles Coleman, Ball, Roe, Wade, Coleman, Aaron Rouse, Jennifer McClellan Organizations: Service, Democratic Gov, GOP, Republican, Walt Disney Company, AP, Manhattan District Attorney's, Gov, South Carolina —, Disney, American Studies, Democratic, Virginia, Virginia General Assembly, Commonwealth, Delegates, Virginia Senate, Republicans, University of Virginia Center for Politics Locations: Virginia, Florida, Waco , Texas, DeSantis, South Carolina, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Iowa , New Hampshire, Texas, Miami, Fla, Richmond , Va, Richmond, Virginia Beach

☆ As Rahm Emanuel Pushes Japan on Gay Rights, Conservatives Bristle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Motoko Rich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since taking up his post as U.S. ambassador to Japan last year, Rahm Emanuel has lavished his host country with enthusiastic tweets about riding the world-class bullet trains and subways, hiking Mount Fuji or sampling local delicacies and festivals. But a recent string of messages about gay and transgender rights, culminating in a video Mr. Emanuel released on Twitter earlier this month, has drawn considerable ire among conservatives in Japan. Critics say the ambassador has overstepped the bounds of diplomacy and crossed into unwanted interference in domestic policy. As Japanese lawmakers debated a contentious bill declaring that there “should be no unfair discrimination” against the gay and transgender community, Mr. Emanuel marshaled a group of 15 foreign ambassadors in Tokyo to record a four-minute video nudging Japan to embrace L.G.B.T.Q. Japan is the only Group of 7 country that has not legalized same-sex unions.

☆ Texas Legislature Bans Transgender Medical Care for Children
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Montgomery | J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

State police arrested two people amid protests as the bill was being discussed in the Texas House. Even before the legislation passed, Texas officials had taken steps to try to prevent transgender children from accessing medical transition care. Why It Matters: The largest state to ban transition care for minorsAt least 14 other states have enacted bans or restrictions on medical treatments for transgender children. community, nearly 30,000 transgender children between 13 and 17 live in Texas, making up about 1 percent of Texans in that age group. The bans are part of a national effort by Republican elected leaders to restrict medical care for transgender children, discussions on gender in schools, and drag performances.

☆ Hamilton no fan of Florida Governor DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Formula One F1 - Miami Grand Prix - Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, U.S. - May 4, 2023 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Grand Prix REUTERS/Mike SegarMIAMI, May 4 (Reuters) - It's probably safe to say Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will not be cheering for Lewis Hamilton this weekend at the Miami Grand Prix and the Mercedes seven-times world champion made it clear he is no supporter of the Republican leader. A long-time champion of LGBTQ+ rights, Hamilton will have a Rainbow Flag on his helmet for Sunday's race and said he stands with the gay, lesbian and transgender community that has come under attack by DeSantis. DeSantis, who has declared Florida is "where woke comes to die", recently passed a law banning classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with younger children, dubbed by critics as the "don't say gay" bill. Hamilton has used his global platform and celebrity to campaign for everything from diversity and racial equality to LGBTQ+ rights. "This isn't the people of Miami making these decisions, it's the people in government and that's the issue.

☆ Fact Check-Series of holiday Google Doodle screenshots is not authentic
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A tweet claims to show screenshots of the Google page customized with Doodles during Hanukkah, Ramadan and Transgender Day of Visibility, but not for Easter (here). However, Reuters found no evidence that the images juxtaposed on Google logos are authentic Google Doodles. GOOGLE DOODLESDoodles are not made for religious holidays per current guidelines, and the company has never created a Google Doodle for Transgender Day of Visibility, the Google spokesperson said. The Google Doodles archive includes all previous doodles used to mark special days around the world, including independence days, birthdays of notable figures and sports events (www.google.com/doodles#archive). Fact checking organizations including Snopes and Check Your Fact cite a now-deleted Facebook group campaigning for a Google Doodle related to Ramadan as the source of the Ramadan Google logo shared in recent posts (here), (here).

☆ Twitter appears to limit visibility of tweets containing words like 'trans,' 'gay,' and 'queer' sent over DM
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter is appearing to limit the visibility of tweets that include terms to describe gender identity and sexual orientation. In DMs, tweets with the words "gay," "queer," and "trans" showed up as URLs; others populated into an easier-to-read format. The move could be a departure for Elon Musk, who often criticizes social media content moderation and censorship. In Insider's test tweets that included the words "trans," "transgender," "gay," "lesbian," "queer," "bisexual," and "intersex," the messages appeared as a URL link rather than in a preview format. As part of the test, Insider also sent 2 additional test tweets: one containing the word "guns" and one that included the word "drugs."

☆ Why sex workers are protesting in Amsterdam
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Jessie Gretener | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The reduced hours come amid an ongoing campaign by the city council to move sex workers into an “erotic center” outside the heart of the city. She also spoke about welfare concerns for all sex workers, explaining how it could impact their ability to get home safely. A protest organized by sex workers interrupted a city council meeting on Thursday that was discussing location options for the proposed erotic center. Sex workers disagree, with Red Light United arguing that the erotic center could create an environment for more crime and “shady” behavior. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty ImagesRestrictions for sex workers is just one bullet point on Amsterdam’s re-branding attempt.

☆ Anti-drag GOP Tennessee Lt. Gov has 'no intention of stopping' posting heart and fire emojis on erotic Instagram pics of young man, spokesperson says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

He recently presided over the passage of a bill that bans the performance of drag in public. A spokesperson said he may not have used the "proper emoji" but "has no intention of stopping." As president of Tennessee's state Senate, McNally recently presided over the passage of two bills that ban gender-affirming health care for minors and restrict the performance of drag in public. Governor McNally is a prolific social media commenter," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that McNally "enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds, and orientations" and "has no intention of stopping."

☆ Fact Check-Tweet about Aretha Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’ featuring ‘anti-trans stereotypes’ originated on satirical account
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Twitter account called “Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA)” described itself as a parody account after one of its tweets regarding Aretha Franklin’s song “Natural Woman” gained traction online. The tweet said Franklin’s 1968 hit song was offensive to the transgender community. “Aretha Franklin's 1968 song "Natural Woman" perpetuates multiple harmful anti-trans stereotypes,” part of the post reads, adding it should be removed from streaming services Spotify and Apple Music (here). The Twitter account did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. This tweet about a transgender rights organization wanting Aretha Franklin’s song “Natural Woman” removed from streaming platforms originated from a Twitter account that described itself as satirical.

☆ A transgender pharmacist says she felt 'dehumanized' after an Arkansas GOP lawmaker asked her about her genitalia during a public hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An Arkansas GOP lawmaker asked a transgender pharmacist about her genitalia during a bill hearing. "That's horrible," Gwendolyn Herzig replied when McKee asked her, "Do you have a penis?" McKee asked Herzig, who was testifying against the bill at the time, prompting her to respond, "A trans female, yes sir." "You're the one that brought that into the discussion," McKee told Herzig, who shot back: "I never said anything about genitalia." Herzig told Insider on Wednesday that she felt "shock" and "disgust" when McKee asked about her genitalia.

☆ The Democrats' latest strategy is making Marjorie Taylor Greene the face of the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But that could come back to haunt Republicans as Democrats increasingly try to paint her as one of the faces of the party. And while many Republicans came out against the plan, Democrats — especially President Joe Biden — have used it as a cudgel against the GOP. And while Democrats lost control of the House, they lost far fewer seats than expected, partly due to utilizing Scott's messaging against the GOP. Democrats can use Greene to their advantageNow as Greene continues to gain power and authority in the GOP and Congress, Democrats have the opportunity to use her own actions and words against the GOP as a whole. There's the possibility that giving Greene larger platform could backfire on Democrats.

☆ Daughter of House Democratic Whip Clark arrested during protest and charged with assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The daughter of House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., was arrested during a protest in downtown Boston on Saturday and charged with assault after a police officer was injured. Clark tweeted Sunday about her daughter's arrest, saying, “I love Riley, and this is a very difficult time in the cycle of joy and pain in parenting. An officer was hit in the face and was seen bleeding from the nose and mouth, police said. Clark’s daughter was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, destruction or injury of personal property, damage of property by graffiti or tagging, and resisting arrest, and is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court, police said. Clark has expressed concern publicly for her daughter, who she says identifies as nonbinary, in light of recent incidents of bigotry against the transgender community.

India decriminalised homosexuality when it scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex in 2018, but it remains a taboo topic in this socially conservative country of 1.4 billion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has in the past refused to legalise same-sex marriage. The RSS, established in 1925, is estimated to have millions of active members across India and overseas. Lawyers for the couples declined to comment about Bhagwat's comments, saying the matter was before the court. Reporting by Rupam Jain, Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Miral Fahmy and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Insider spent 18 months investigating 175 murders of transgender people. Here's what we found.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Insider Investigations Team | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Colorado Springs was a center for anti-trans vitriol long before the deadly Club Q attack. Leia-jhene Seals mourns the Club Q dead at a November 20 vigil at All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Those who stoke anti-trans bias are "essentially creating a boogeyman and then unleashing forces on that boogeyman," one expert on extremism told Insider. Many media reports said the Club Q attacker's motives were unknown. "The shooting was a tragedy, but it strengthened their enemy," Erin, a local transgender woman, told Insider.

☆ Why detransitioners are crucial to the science of gender care
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +43 min

A Canadian health provider said it couldn’t participate, citing recent threats to hospitals offering youth gender care. But as Reuters found, hard evidence on long-term outcomes for the rising numbers of people who received gender treatment as minors is very weak. Dr Marianne van der Loos, the Dutch study’s lead author, is a physician at Amsterdam University Medical Center’s Center for Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, a pioneer in gender care for adolescents. For those who also received medical treatment, detransitioning typically includes halting the hormone therapy they otherwise would receive for years. One is Max Robinson, who was 16 when she sought gender care at Kaiser in 2012.

☆ Elon Musk was booed in Tesla's backyard. It shows how the Twitter mess has eroded his support among some of his biggest fans.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Jake Swearingen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Business InsiderIn 2015, Elon Musk got applause for Tesla. After Colbert called Musk "the real Tony Stark," and Musk got a round of applause for the Tesla, Colbert asked Musk whether he was "sincerely trying to save the world." It's dangerous to extrapolate the overall public sentiment towards Musk from a single comedy crowd at one event in San Francisco. As Musk becomes less of a hometown hero, that could in turn alienate some of Tesla's biggest and most dedicated customers. And it's less clear by the day what, exactly, Elon Musk is.

☆ Elon Musk is booed during surprise appearance at Dave Chappelle's show
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk was met with a mixture of boos and cheers over the weekend when he made a surprise appearance during Dave Chappelle’s show in San Francisco. Shortly after taking over Twitter, Musk's team announced widespread layoffs at the company in November. “Dave, what should I say?” Musk asked at one point on stage. Like absolutely turns into a corncob.”Yu noted that Musk didn't say much during his time on stage. He faced fierce criticism over his comments about the transgender community in a Netflix special released last year.

☆ LGBTQ community can visit Qatar, but don't try to change us - minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Members of the LGBTQ community can go to the World Cup in Qatar but the West cannot "dictate" to Qataris what they should believe, Qatar's energy minister told Germany's Bild newspaper. Qatar's relations with Germany have been choppy of late. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sported the "OneLove" armband at the national team's match against Japan last week and has criticised Qatar's human rights, but this week Germany sealed a deal to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar. "If they want to visit Qatar, we have no problem with it," Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, speaking to Bild in comments published on Wednesday. But he said the West wants to "dictate what it wants" to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

"Jeopardy!" great Amy Schneider won the show's Tournament of Champions in a game aired Monday, securing the title by knowing what comedic play was the talk of Washington, D.C., in 1864. Entering the “Final Jeopardy” round on Monday's show, Schneider led with $15,600, while He was in second at $14,200 and Buttrey was within striking distance at $8,000. The tournament title came with a $250,000 grand prize for Schneider. In second place, He pocketed $100,000, while Buttrey won $50,000 for third place.

☆ Texas GOP looks to restrict transgender health care and drag shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Texas Republicans introduced several bills this week that target the transgender community, including at least two measures seeking to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors and one bill looking to prevent children from attending drag performances. For minors, this type of care typically includes puberty blockers, which are recommended to trans youths before the onset of puberty, or hormone therapy for teenagers. The Texas bills come on the heels of a previous attempt this year by the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, to deem transition-related care for minors as child abuse under state law. Greg Abbott, the state’s Republican governor, subsequently called on citizens to report parents of transgender minors to the state if they suspect these minors are receiving gender-affirming care. The state’s current definition of “sexually oriented businesses” includes any venue where two or more people perform nude and alcohol is served.

Audiences will see how the battle in the Texas Legislature over gender-affirming care for trans children is far from a mere partisan philosophical argument or campaign talking point for me. That’s the year a flood of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in the Texas Legislature — the majority of which directly targeted trans kids and their families. This year dealt Texas trans families a double blow when state Attorney General Ken Paxton delivered a nonbinding legal opinion that gender-affirming care for children was child abuse — followed by a directive from Gov. We acted quickly as a family, breaking the news of our pending out-of-state move to Noah over an unforgettably sad dinner. Despite it all, Texas is where our hearts reside, no matter how many miles might separate us and how directly damaging Republican rhetoric has been.

Dave Chappelle, hosting NBC's "Saturday Night Live" for the third time, kicked off the show with a roughly 15-minute monologue that tackled hip-hop artist Ye's antisemitic comments, the midterm elections and former President Donald Trump's political appeal. Chappelle mocked Ye as well as Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who posted a link to an antisemitic movie on Twitter. "I've been to Hollywood, and this is just what I saw: It's a lot of Jews, like a lot," Chappelle said to laughter. In recent years, Chappelle has attracted intense scrutiny for his public comments about transgender people, particularly after Netflix released his most recent stand-up special, "The Closer." Four days later, Chappelle was physically attacked onstage at the Hollywood Bowl, charged and tackled by a man carrying a replica gun.

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