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WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Survivors of mass shootings targeting U.S. LGBT nightclubs detailed the violence they endured and criticized inflammatory political rhetoric in a congressional hearing on Wednesday. "We are being slaughtered and dehumanized across this country, in communities you took oaths to protect," said Matthew Haynes, owner of the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where five people were killed and 22 wounded in a mass shooting last month. Michael Anderson told lawmakers he was bartending at Club Q, when the gunman entered the nightclub and began shooting. There have been 628 mass shootings across the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Brandon Wolf, an activist and survivor of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in which 49 people were killed and 69 wounded, told the hearing.

☆ Workers and consumers say they're likely to favor pro-LGBTQ businesses, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

American workers and consumers are more likely to prefer brands that publicly align with LGBTQ causes, according to a new analysis. In a separate Edelman survey fielded in May, 34% of consumers said they were more likely to buy from a brand that expressed support for LGBTQ rights, versus 19% who said they were less likely. LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD partnered with Edelman to analyze the survey data to gather LGBTQ-specific insights. Though this year has brought more corporate hesitation around LGBTQ support, some employees and customers have nonetheless succeeded in pressuring brands to enter the conversation in ways that go beyond rainbow logos. Soon after, then-CEO Bob Chapek announced that the company would donate $5 million to LGBTQ support organizations and vowed to help repeal Florida’s anti-LGBTQ policies.

☆ Workers and consumers say they're likely to favor pro-LGBTQ businesses, new study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

American workers and consumers are more likely to prefer brands that publicly align with LGBTQ causes, according to a new analysis. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation partnered with Edelman to analyze the survey data to gather LGBTQ-specific insights. The survey responses came from 1,000 consumers and 1,000 workers in the U.S. It found that young shoppers especially tend to find brands that pledge support to LGBTQ communities more "relevant" and "relatable." Soon after, then-CEO Bob Chapek announced that the company would donate $5 million to LGBTQ support organizations and vowed to help repeal Florida's anti-LGBTQ policies.

☆ Sen. Sinema's switch to Independent will not impact Democrats' control of the chamber, representatives say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced her decision on Friday to leave the Democrats and register as an independent, but many members of Congress have said the switch likely won't impact the Democrats' narrow control of the U.S. Senate. The pair have been wild cards for Democrats since the party gained narrow control of the Senate from Republicans in 2020. In a tweet Friday, Sinema said her decision to switch parties was a "natural extension" of her service. "I think whether she's a Democrat or a Republican, that really doesn't matter," the Democrat told NBC's "Meet the Press." By keeping her assignments, Sinema signaled she intends to continue to caucus with Democrats as an independent.

☆ I called out my aunt, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, after she made a homophobic speech in tears. Since surviving conversion therapy, I want people to know they don't have to accept the hateful rhetoric of thos
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Andrew Hartzler spent years in conversion therapy and attended a religious institution. He called out his aunt, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, after she spoke out against the Respect for Marriage Act. During my second year of college, however, my perspective changed when I came across a HuffPost article that revealed my aunt hosted a conversion therapy group at the US Capitol in 2019. Attending a religious university and experiencing conversion therapy led me to a life of advocating for LGBTQ peopleThe first time I went to conversion therapy, I was 14 going on 15. Conversion therapy makes you feel like you're using 50% of your mind to hide a fundamental part of who you are, and you're told to hate that part of yourself.

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.

☆ LGBTQ students wrestle with tensions at Christian colleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

“It’s kind of a tightrope,” said John Scarano, campus ministry director at John Carroll University, a Jesuit school near Cleveland with “safe zone trainings” as part of its ministry to LGBTQ students. Last year, 33 LGBTQ students or former students at federally funded Christian schools filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, claiming the department’s religious exemption allows schools that receive federal dollars to unconstitutionally discriminate against LGBTQ students. In May, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched a separate investigation for alleged violations of the rights of LGBTQ students at six Christian universities — including Liberty University. A high-stakes clash between students, faculty and the school’s board of trustees over hiring LGBTQ faculty is unfolding at Seattle Pacific University, a 131-year-old school affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. “I find that tragic.”To students like Fisher in Minnesota, concrete actions will show if LGBTQ people can truly be welcomed on Christian campuses.

☆ FDA Plans to Allow More Gay, Bisexual Men to Donate Blood
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Liz Essley Whyte | Amy Dockser Marcus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

People donating at a blood drive hosted by the New York Blood Center in the East Village in New York. Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships would be allowed to donate blood without abstaining from sex under guidelines being drafted by the Food and Drug Administration, people familiar with the plans said. The change would be a departure from U.S. policy that for many years barred men who have sex with men from donating blood at all. The FDA policy originated in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic when tests for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, weren’t considered sensitive enough to protect the blood supply.

☆ FDA to Allow More Gay, Bisexual Men to Donate Blood
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Liz Essley Whyte | Amy Dockser Marcus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ These recently elected trans lawmakers say anti-LGBTQ bills inspired them to run
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Julie Moreau | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Zooey Zephyr, the first out transgender woman elected to the Montana Legislature, was inspired to run after her state passed three pieces of legislation targeting the LGBTQ community. 'Real, tangible effects on trans people'State legislatures have increasingly become battlegrounds over LGBTQ rights. Republicans began introducing legislation targeting queer rights at an increased clip in the wake of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell vs. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationally. In 2017, Republicans introduced 129 bills targeting LGBTQ rights, many of which focused on issues of religious freedom. However, she believes bills targeting LGBTQ rights are ultimately a losing strategy.

☆ 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.

☆ FDA considering shift toward individual risk-based assessments for blood donors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US Food and Drug Administration is considering shifting its blood donation policy away from blanket assessments toward questionnaires that focus more on individual risk, it said Wednesday. “The FDA remains committed to gathering the scientific data related to alternative donor deferral policies that maintain a high level of blood safety,” the statement says. Those who have not would be allowed to donate blood, an FDA official told the Journal. The current policy requires men who have sex with men to wait three months after sexual contact with other men before they can donate blood. Other men who have sex with men are still required to refrain from sex for three months before donating in the UK.

☆ Long Covid may be 'the next public health disaster' — with a $3.7 trillion economic impact rivaling the Great Recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Norpel is one of millions of Americans with long Covid, also known as long-haul Covid, post-Covid or post-acute Covid syndrome. Key symptoms: Long Covid has been linked to more than 200 symptoms, according to The Rockefeller Foundation. Duration: There's no consistent definition of how long symptoms must persist for someone to be considered a long Covid patient. What experts do know is that for some, long Covid symptoms can last months or even years. "I don't know if it's for the rest of my life or not," Hurst said of feeling long Covid symptoms.

☆ Singapore repeals gay sex ban but limits prospect of legalizing same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Singapore’s parliament on Tuesday decriminalized sex between men, but, in a blow to the LGBTQ community, also amended the constitution to prevent court challenges that in other countries have led to the legalization of same-sex marriage. The government has defended amending the constitution saying decisions on such issues should not be led by the courts. The changes do, however, leave room for a future parliament to expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex relationships. In Singapore, attitudes towards LGBTQ issues have shifted toward a more liberal stance in recent years especially among the young, though conservative attitudes remain among religious groups. Of those aged 18-25, about 42% accepted same-sex marriage in 2018, up from 17% just five years prior, according to a survey by the Institute of Policy Studies.

☆ Singapore repeals gay sex ban but limits prospect of legalising same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The moves come as other parts of Asia, including Taiwan, Thailand and India are recognising more rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The government has defended amending the constitution saying decisions on such issues should not be led by the courts. The changes do, however, leave room for a future parliament to expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex relationships. In Singapore, attitudes towards LGBT issues have shifted towards a more liberal stance in recent years especially among the young, though conservative attitudes remain among religious groups. Of those aged 18-25, about 42% accepted same-sex marriage in 2018, up from 17% just five years prior, according to a survey by the Institute of Policy Studies.

☆ W.H.O. renames monkeypox as mpox, citing racism concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The World Health Organization has renamed monkeypox as mpox, citing concerns the original name of the decades-old animal disease could be construed as discriminatory and racist. The U.N. health agency said in a statement Monday that mpox was its new preferred name for monkeypox, saying that both monkeypox and mpox would be used for the next year while the old name is phased out. WHO said it was concerned by the “racist and stigmatizing language” that arose after monkeypox spread to more than 100 countries. Scientists believe monkeypox triggered outbreaks in Western countries after spreading via sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain. Mpox was first named monkeypox in 1958 when research monkeys in Denmark were observed to have a “pox-like” disease, although they are not thought to be the disease’s animal reservoir.

☆ South Korea's LGBTQ community confronts crushing headwinds in fight for equality
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Michael Mitsanas | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

NBC News spoke with South Korean lawmakers, human rights organizations and dozens of LGBTQ South Koreans in three of the country’s largest cities: Seoul, Daegu and Busan. Most say a bill that would outlaw discrimination against all minority groups — including the LGBTQ community — is the critical first step toward legal equality. The documentary filmmaker turned progressive lawmaker calls herself an advocate for this country’s LGBTQ community. This, he added, “includes South Korea.”While support for a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill is strong in South Korea, Jang concedes that the odds of one passing, at least in the near future, are slim. The country’s conservative president and People Power Party oppose a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill, while the left-leaning Democratic Party has expressed lukewarm support.

☆ ‘Gaslighting’ is Merriam-Webster’s word of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK — “Gaslighting” — mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year. Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before. “It was a word looked up frequently every single day of the year,” he said. The death of Angela Lansbury in October drove some interest in lookups of the word, Sokolowski said. “Gaslighting,” Sokolowski said, spent all of 2022 in the top 50 words looked up on merriam-webster.com to earn top dog word of the year status.

☆ World Health Organization to rename monkeypox as mpox
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The name mpox, otherwise known as Mpox, was chosen after the WHO launched a public consultation process earlier this year. The World Health Organization said Monday that it would begin referring to monkeypox as mpox in an effort to reduce stigma around the name of the virus. Both names will be used simultaneously for a year while moneypox is phased out, the global health organization said in a post on its website, encouraging others to follow the new naming convention. The WHO said it hoped the chosen name mpox would "minimize any ongoing negative impact of the current name." The name mpox was submitted by men's health organization Rezo.

☆ World Cup 2022: what is the OneLove armband and why did FIFA ban it?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 24 (Reuters) - Here is what you need to know about the 'OneLove' armbands that the captains of seven European teams were planning to wear at the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar:WHAT DOES THE 'ONELOVE' ARMBAND MEAN? WHY WERE TEAM CAPTAINS PLANNING ON WEARING THE ARMBAND AT THE WORLD CUP? * World Cup organisers have repeatedly said that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome during the tournament. * Nasser Al Khater, the chief executive of the 2022 World Cup, has said LGBTQ+ fans coming into the country would not have to worry about "persecution of any sort", describing Qatar as a "tolerant country". * According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA".

☆ French sports minister urges national team to speak up in armband row
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The French sports minister urged the national football team on Thursday to make themselves heard amid a row over FIFA's threat of sanctions for the "OneLove" armband. France are not among the seven teams, with French football federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet saying it would "follow the guidelines of FIFA". "I think that FIFA's decision to ban the One Love armband will be talked about for a while. "Are there still spaces of freedom where our French team can continue to express their commitment to human rights? Asked if he would wear the armband ahead of France's opening game against Australia, which they won 4-1, captain Hugo Lloris had said, "FIFA organises the competition and defines a framework and rules.

☆ 'OneLove' anti-hate armbands sell out after FIFA World Cup ban
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A worker carries One Love armbands, which are banned by FIFA at the World Cup Qatar 2022, in Utrecht, Netherlands November 23, 2022. The "OneLove" armbands FIFA banned at the World Cup in Qatar are suddenly selling like hotcakes. Now the company that makes the bands in Utrecht, the Netherlands, says it is sold out after shipping 10,000, mostly in the past two weeks. "The big boom came actually with the World Cup coming up and for sure the statement of FIFA to not allow these captain bands on the field", said Badge Direct BV CEO Roland Heerkens in an interview. A new batch of 10,000 will be sold on the KNVB web shop and Voetbalshop.nl when it becomes available.

Parker Grey stopped going to the LGBTQ nightclub Club Q about a year and half ago “because of the growing hatred for our community that started in” Colorado Springs, Colorado. While no motive in the shooting has been disclosed by authorities, the violence comes amid heightened tensions for the LGBTQ community. The movement that advocated for that amendment started in Colorado Springs, they said. "I don’t know that we ever believe that we’ve fully grown out of that," Smith, 32, a longtime Colorado Springs resident, said. Most recently, in Colorado Springs, a transgender girl was kicked out of the homecoming dance because she wore a dress, Smith added.

☆ Seven European World Cup captains ditch OneLove arm band following FIFA pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

England captain Harry Kane spoke on Sunday of his desire to wear the armband in Monday's Group B opener against Iran. FIFA launched its own captain's armband campaign to promote different causes for each round during the tournament. "This is in line with Article 13.8.1 of the FIFA Equipment Regulations, which state: 'For FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each Team must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA.'" According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA". Wales captain Gareth Bale had been planning to wear the OneLove armband against the United States later on Monday.

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