“The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a Washington state law prohibiting licensed health care professionals from practicing ‘conversion therapy’ – a scientifically discredited practice intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity – as it applies to minors,” CNN reports.
“The vote was 6-3, with Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly saying they would have taken up the case.”
“Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country’s top court banned what it called the ‘global LGBTQ+ movement’ as an extremist organization,” the AP reports.
“Russia’s Supreme Court has ruled the global gay rights movement to be an ‘extremist organization’ on a legal par with al-Qaeda and Isis, outlawing any display of support for LGBT+ rights,” the Financial Times reports.
The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking.
The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.
Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why I recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code POLITICALWIRE.
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“For five months this year, homosexuality was prohibited in a Tennessee college town,” The Guardian reports.
“In June, the city council of Murfreesboro enacted an ordinance outlawing “indecent exposure, public indecency, lewd behavior, nudity or sexual conduct”. The rule did not explicitly mention homosexuality, but LGBTQ+ people in the town quickly realized that the ordinance references 21-72 of the city code, which categorizes homosexuality as an act of indecent sexual conduct.”
“A federal jury has awarded $100,000 to a Kentucky couple who sued former county clerk Kim Davis over her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” the AP reports.
“Some central Florida lawmakers said they were considering ‘all legislative, legal and executive options available’ to stop business owners in a small town from voluntarily displaying rainbow decals in their windows indicating that they are ‘safe place’ for LGBTQ+ people who feel threatened,” the AP reports.
Canada is advising travelers to the U.S. to be wary of state laws affecting LGBTQ+ people, Axios reports.
“House Republicans have embedded at least 45 anti-LGBTQ+ provisions into must-pass funding bills — many of which would weaken discrimination protections for same-sex couples or restrict gender-affirming care for adults and minors,” The 19th reports.
“The volume and severity of these provisions is an unprecedented attempt by federal lawmakers to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people, activists say.”
“The measures are not likely to make it through the Democrats who control the Senate as Congress finalizes a federal budget. But lawmakers’ willingness to tie these provisions to the federal budget raises the stakes for a community that has already seen its rights rolled back across many states this year. It is not guaranteed that all of the efforts can or will be blocked in the Senate.”
“Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed two bills banning so-called conversion therapy, a scientifically discredited practice intended to change a person’s sexual orientation, for minors in the state,” CNN reports.
Washington Post: “Since last year’s elections, Republican lawmakers increasingly have seized on the power of the federal purse, coupling their crusade for austerity with a fierce push to advance a conservative social agenda. At the height of the annual appropriations process — as members of Congress race to fund the government and avert a shutdown — the GOP’s far-right flank has scrubbed spending bills to eliminate money that would protect LGBTQ rights, ensure gender equality and promote racial justice.”
“The GOP campaign, which has included false claims that such spending supports a form of child “grooming,” has shocked and enraged Democrats, who accused Republicans this week of disinformation and discrimination. But the efforts also have threatened real harm to LGBT groups and others that depend on federal aid, which now find themselves caught in an escalating conservative-led culture war.”
“House Republicans struck three Democratic projects that would provide services to the LGBTQ community during Tuesday’s fiscal 2024 Transportation-HUD Appropriations markup, enraging Democrats on the committee,” Roll Call reports.
“The three earmarks total $3.62 million, with two in Massachusetts and one in Pennsylvania. The projects were eliminated as part of a Republican en bloc amendment that advanced a range of Republican cultural priorities, including a provision that would ban flying gay pride flags over government buildings.”
“The administration of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) quietly took down LGBTQ+ youth resources from a state website after a conservative media outlet questioned the links, records show, building on a pattern of removals derided by public health employees who say their work is being politicized,” the Washington Post reports.
“Multiple federal court decisions have frozen key portions of Ron DeSantis’ campaign against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in recent weeks, complicating the Florida governor’s efforts to present himself as a conservative champion with a track record of winning cultural battles over LGBTQ causes,” the Miami Herald reports.
New Republic: “In filings in the 303 Creative v. Elenis case is a supposed request for a gay wedding website — but the man named in the request says he never filed it.”
“It’s all going pear-shaped in America. We seem to be going backwards. And that spreads. It’s like a virus that the L.G.B.T.Q.+ movement is suffering.”
— Elton John, quoted by the New York Times.
“Estonia’s parliament approved on Tuesday a law to legalise same-sex marriage, making it the first central European country to do so,” Reuters reports.
Gallup: “Last year, a record-high 71% of U.S. adults said gay or lesbian relations are morally acceptable. The figure has fallen back this year to 64%, returning to a level last seen in 2019.”
“The decline in the percentage of Americans believing gay or lesbian relations are morally acceptable is mainly a result of fewer Republicans holding that view — 41% do now, down from 56% a year ago.”
A new Gallup poll finds 69% of Americans now — compared to 62% last year — say transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that conform with their birth gender.
PRRI: “Overall, 65% of all Americans believe there are only two gender identities, while 34% disagree and say there are many gender identities.”
“But inside those numbers are sharp differences. Fully 90% of Republicans say there are just two genders, versus 66% of independents and 44% of Democrats who believe the same.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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