Free Republic

Disney continues to make positive steps on LGBT+ representation, confirming for the first time that a lead Disney Channel protagonist is canonically bisexual. The Owl House, which airs on the Disney Channel, has previously dropped hints that its lead character Luz, a 14-year-old Dominican-American, might be queer. In the latest episode, viewers discovered that Amity was planning to ask Luz to go to prom with her, prompting creator Dana Terrace to confirm that at least one of them is bisexual. Terrace wrote on Twitter that it had always been her intention to include “queer kids in the main cast”. When...

....On Thursday, amid criticism that none of the company's 40 upcoming holiday movies feature an LGBTQ lead, a Hallmark Channel spokesperson told "Good Morning America" that change is coming. In the coming months, the representative said, Hallmark will make announcements about "projects featuring LGBTQ storylines, characters and actors."

Men’s Health is looking to get podcaster Joe Rogan blacklisted because he’s “putting lives in danger.” Oh, I’m sure Men’s Health would deny that all day long: Harrumph, harrumph, harrumph; we’re not looking to blacklist or cancel anyone, we’re just publishing an op-ed that disagrees with him, harrumph, harrumph, harrumph… Gimme a break. We all know how this bullshit of “safetyism” works on the fascist left. You fascists accuse someone you disagree with of making you or POC’s or whoever feel “unsafe,” and suddenly expression that speech become “violence” and that physical act of violent speech must be blacklisted and...

The re-election of Andrzej Duda as Poland’s president this week was by the narrowest of margins and has sent liberals in the country into a tailspin. Duda’s campaign pivoted away from pro-welfare messaging to one dominated by “family values” and hostility to the country’s LGBT communities. Christian Davies was covering the election for the Guardian and tells Rachel Humphreys that the result now clears the way for Poland’s ruling populists in the Law and Justice party to continue their politicisation of independent institutions such as the judiciary and the media.

June is Pride Month, which means it's officially time to celebrate and support the LGBTQIA+ community with parades, marches, and other events. At least, that's what it means most years. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Pride will have to look a little different in 2020. But then, it's never been all about the festivities anyway. Whether you're a part of the LGBTQIA+ community or not, we've uncovered a variety of ways to take action during the month of June—from asking people about their preferred pronouns, to supporting businesses owned by LGBTQIA+ people.

"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling faced another backlash Saturday after issuing a cheeky tweet on sex and gender that opened up a new chapter in her ongoing feud with LGBT advocates. "If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction," Rowling tweeted to her 14.5 million followers. "If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth." Rowling tweeted those comments around 6 p.m. ET. Within an hour, she was...

The newest short film in Pixar Animation Studios' SparkShorts series, Out, began streaming on Disney+ on Friday. The 9-minute movie centers on a gay man named Greg, who is excited to move in with his boyfriend, Manuel. There's just one problem: Greg hasn't come out to his parents yet. When they show up unexpectedly on his doorstep on moving day, Greg (with the help of his dog) rushes to hide who he really is at first... but then a magical twist of fate turns everything upside down. Out is the first Pixar movie to include a main character who is...

LGBT parents are suffering homophobic and transphobic abuse from their own children during the lockdown, a charity has revealed — while young LGBT people are being thrown out onto the street by parents who discover their child’s sexuality or gender identity. While homelessness caused by anti-LGBT rejection is not new, the context within this pandemic is, and so too is abuse from children directed at their own LGBT parents.

but honestly, I feel like I've had colds and flus worse than this. I've never been totally out for the whole day in bed. I've been up, able to talk with people. So, for me, luckily, fortunately for me, it's been quite mild." He was interviewed on CBS This Morning by a concerned Gayle King. Apparently he had mild symptoms and quarantined with his husband. Should be ready to get back to reporting and bashing Trump soon.

....a South Florida police chief tried minimizing their worries by claiming a Broward County deputy’s COVID-19 death was caused by his “homosexual” lifestyle... ...Tommy Reyes, the president of Miami’s Fraternal Order of Police — and a personal friend of Bennett — called Engle’s alleged comments about Bennett “disrespectful.” “Shannon was my friend... ....Bennett was 39 and a member of the LGBTQ community and had announced he was to marry in December. He contracted the virus while “in the line of duty,” BSO Sheriff Gregory Tony said....

A third of Poland has declared itself to be an official “LGBT-free” zone as local municipalities sign a pledge adopting resolutions against “LGBT propaganda”.Nearly 100 Polish municipal or local governments have now proclaimed themselves to be “free from LGBTI ideology”. Local authorities in these areas pledge to refrain from acts that encourage tolerance and must avoid providing financial assistance to NGOs working to promote equal rights. An “Atlas of Hate” map created by activists reveals the extent of Poland that has signed up to this pledge – and it covers an area greater than the size of Hungary.The area...

After a campaign ad touted the ex-NYC mayor as “incredibly sensitive” to the LGBTQ community, a video resurfaced of Bloomberg referring to transgender people as “he, she or it” and “some guy in a dress” — the second time he’s been caught making such comments. Bloomberg used the language to warn 2020 Democratic hopefuls against stressing transgender issues, arguing that they wouldn’t play well in middle America. “If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, that’s not a winning...

Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday suggested former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg wouldn't look masculine standing next to "Mr. Man" President Trump on a presidential debate stage because he is an openly gay married man. Democrats are “sitting there, and they’re looking at Mayor Pete, a 37-year-old gay guy ... loves to kiss his husband on the debate stage,” Limbaugh told his radio show listeners while discussing what he perceives as a weak Democratic field. “And they’re saying, 'OK, how’s this gonna look, a 37-year-old gay guy kissing his husband onstage next to Mr. Man Donald Trump? What’s gonna happen...

A transgender teenager has pleaded guilty to murder after opening fire on fellow students who he says bullied him. Alec McKinney faces a life sentence over the shooting rampage at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School near Denver, Colorado, that left one student dead and injured eight more on May 7. McKinney's friend Devon Erickson, 19, is also accused of carrying out the attack, and pleaded not guilty last month to the same charges of murder and attempted murder. Kendrick Castillo, an 18-year-old pupil at the school in Highlands Ranch, was fatally shot when he charged one of...

Switzerland goes to the polls on February 9 in a national referendum that could criminalize homophobia–and Coca-Cola has made the bold move of supporting calls to make the anti-gay hate speech illegal. If the country approves the move, it will criminalize homophobia to the same extent as other forms of discrimination based on race, gender and religion. The Coca-Cola Company in Switzerland has publicly shared support for the initiative. Early indications are that the referendum has the majority support of Swiss voters, says The Local. But the campaign hasn’t been without controversy. The youth wing of the Swiss Peoples Party...

First, it was an unexpected appearance at President Donald Trump's impeachment hearings, and now it’s a barrier-breaking debut during one of the year’s most watched sporting events. Drag queens, for the first time, will appear in a Super Bowl advertisement. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumni Kim Chi and Miz Cracker will make history in a commercial for hummus brand Sabra during the football championship game Feb. 2, when the Kansas City Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers. In the teaser for the ad campaign, which the New York-based company posted on its YouTube channel last week, Miz Cracker clumsily attempts...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has become the latest state to assure continued taxpayer funding of faith-based foster care and adoption agencies even if those organizations exclude LGBTQ families and others based on religious beliefs. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill Friday without fanfare or an official announcement, making it the first law to be implemented in Tennessee this year. Previously, Lee said he endorsed the law because he believed defending religious liberty “is very important.” The Republican has often cited his Christian faith throughout his first term as governor. However, under the new law, current adoption practices in...

In the shadow of a nearly 200-foot cross, Central Florida Christian Academy enrolls students who live by the Bible’s commands and abstain from “sexual immorality” — meaning gay children aren’t welcome on the state-supported campus in west Orange County.... ....Florida’s scholarship programs, often referred to as school vouchers, sent more than $129 million to these religious institutions. That means at least 14 percent of Florida’s nearly 147,000 scholarship students last year attended private schools where homosexuality was condemned... The debate touches on civil rights, religious freedom, past discrimination cases and the future of Florida’s school choice programs. It comes as...

Last week, liberal media outlets latched onto the latest horrific example of bigoted Christians forcing their morality on everyone else: a Christian school expelling a girl for posting a picture of herself wearing a rainbow sweatshirt and eating a rainbow cake on Facebook. According to the girl's mother, the Christian school rushed to judgment and expelled her daughter, who isn't even gay, over a birthday cake!

THE White House has livestreamed a church service which saw the US vice-president speak and a bishop claim “the devil” causes homosexuality. After Mike Pence addressed the congregation in Tennessee, the preacher took to the pulpit to talk about same-sex relations in a sermon still available on the administration’s YouTube channel. “It is a demonic spirit that causes a woman to want to live with another woman,” he said. “It is a demonic spirit that causes a man to be attracted to another man.” The preacher, who has been named as Bishop Jerry Wayne Taylor, claimed the “devil” was trying...