Tag: lgbt

Johns Hopkins pulls ‘lesbian’ definition after uproar over use of ‘non-men’ instead of ‘women’

Johns Hopkins University removed an online glossary of LGBTQ terms and identities this week after its definition of the word “lesbian” used the term “non-men” to refer to women and some nonbinary people and fueled an online uproar.

Screenshots of the glossary before it was taken down showed that the university defined the word “lesbian” as a “non-man attracted to non-men.” It added that while past definitions have referred to lesbians as women who are sexually attracted to other women, the “updated definition” is intended to include nonbinary people who may identify with the label.

“The LGBTQ Glossary serves as an introduction to the range of identities and terms that are used within LGBTQ communities, and is not intended to serve as the definitive answers as to how all people understand or use these terms,” Megan Christin, the university’s director of strategic communications, said in a statement Wednesday. “While the glossary is a resource posted on the website of the Johns Hopkins University Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), the definitions were not reviewed or approved by ODI leadership and the language in question has been removed pending review.”

Christin did not respond to questions regarding when the online glossary was first uploaded.

Screenshots of the glossary sparked an online firestorm in recent days, with many women, including some lesbians, calling the definition “misogynistic” and noting that the definition for “gay man” did not use comparable language, such as “non-women.”

“Lesbian was literally the only word in English language that is not tied to man- as in male- feMALE, man- woMAN,” tennis star Martina Navratilova, who is a lesbian, tweeted Monday. “And now lesbians are non men?!? Wtf?!?”

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Man Arrested for Citing Bible Verse While Protesting Pride Event — Charges Withdrawn After Video Evidence Emerges

A Christian preacher who was targeted by the law for reading from the Bible at an LGBT Pride event has been cleared of charges of disorderly conduct after a review of video evidence led prosecutors to conclude that said preacher had not behaved in violation of the law.

Evangelical preacher Damon Atkins was arrested on June 6th on allegations that he was “engaged in fighting” when he protested a pride event several days earlier in Reading, Pennysylvania.

“After a review of the incident which took place on June 3, 2023, in the 800 block of Washington Street in the City of Reading, the District Attorney’s Office has withdrawn the charges of disorderly conduct filed against Damon Atkins,” the DA’s Office said in a statement released on Wednesday.

“The charges were withdrawn after the District Attorney’s Office reviewed the videos of the incident along with applicable case law.”

Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach said in a statement to the Lancaster Patriot that Atkins’ arrest was unlawful and that further pursuing the case could expose the city of Reading and its law enforcement agencies to legal action.

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California moves to provide surrogates to gay male couples in the name of ‘fertility equality’

California Bill SB 729 seeks to redefine “infertility” to be a status, as opposed to a medical condition. Changing the definition to “a person’s inability to reproduce either as an individual or with their partner without medical intervention” would classify gay men as infertile. 

The bill, which passed the Senate last month, would require insurance companies to cover in-vitro fertilization procedures. With the change in definition, this would also include forcing the firms to cover surrogacy for gay males. 

Co-author of the bill Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D) said the bill “will ensure that queer couples no longer have to pay more out of pocket to start families than non-queer families.” She continued, “This bill is critical to achieving full-lived equality for LGBTQ+ people, as well as advancing well-rounded and comprehensive health care for all Californians.”

An organization called Men Having Babies boasted that the bill will “remove financial barriers” for gay men who wish to rent a woman’s womb to have a child who has the DNA of one of the males in the relationship. 

The group states on its website, “Central to our fight for more equitable access to parenting options is what we know from our combined experiences: The anguish and yearning that same-sex couples and singles feel due to their inability to reproduce without medical intervention is equal to the anguish of heterosexual couples who suffer from ‘medical infertility.'” 

According to the Free Beacon, the opposition to SB 729 comes from California business and insurance groups who claim that it will raise insurance premiums by more than $330 million a year. Others point to the erosion of the traditional family structure.

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California Bill Would Punish Parents Who Don’t ‘Affirm’ Their Child’s Gender Identity

A newly revised California bill would treat parents’ refusal to “affirm” their child’s gender identity as a violation of health, safety, and welfare in the context of custody disputes.

The bill, which has already passed the State Assembly, would require judges adjudicating such disputes over transgender-identifying children to favor the parent who “affirms” the child’s preferred identity. Earlier this week the authors released an updated version that specifically defines “the health, safety, and welfare” of a child to include “a parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity”—a change that the bill’s opponents worry will open the door to non-affirmation being treated as abuse.

“When you say that gender affirmation is in the child’s best interest for health, safety, and welfare, it takes nothing to say [non-affirmation] is now abuse—because you’re not taking care of the health, safety, and welfare if you’re not affirming them,” said Erin Friday, a San Francisco attorney and co-lead of the parent coalition Our Duty.

The amended bill, known as A.B. 957, is the latest in a slate of legislation to enshrine left-wing gender ideology in California law. State senator Scott Wiener (D.), who coauthored A.B. 957 with Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D.), is simultaneously advancing a separate bill that would require foster parents to promise to “affirm” trans-identifying children. In 2022, he introduced a first-in-the-nation law enshrining California as a “haven” where out-of-state minors can obtain sex changes without their parents’ consent.

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R.) declared last year that helping kids get sex changes is child abuse.

Wilson’s spokesman disputed that the latest revision changes much about the bill and noted that A.B. 957 only relates to family law, not criminal law.

“It’s not saying [affirmation] is the most important factor or determining factor,” the spokesman, Taylor Woolfork, said. “It’s one of many factors that the judge should consider while working out a custody agreement.”

Wiener’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

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Washington Judge Orders Women-Only Spa with Compulsory Nudity to Accept Trans Women with Hanging Penises

A district judge in Washington state has ruled that Olympus Spa, a women-only spa where nudity is compulsory, must allow pre-op transgender women with penises to utilize their facilities.

This ruling comes after the spa sued the Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC) when they were previously ordered to change its ‘discriminatory rules’ which is ‘biological women only’ policy.

Haven Wilvich, a biological male, complained when his membership application was declined by the Korean-style spa. He was allegedly told that “transgender women without surgery are not welcome.”

The spa’s response prompted Wilvich to file a complaint with the WSHRC in May 2020.

According to the Daily Mail, the Pacific Northwest state of Washington is one of several Democrat-led regions where transgender individuals are allowed to use facilities that correspond with their identified gender, regardless of their physical status.

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‘You don’t belong here’: Teacher tells Muslim students they ‘can’t be Canadian’ if they won’t back Pride

An Edmonton teacher has been caught on tape berating Muslim students for not doing enough to support Pride, many aspects of which go against their cultural and religious beliefs. 

The audio quickly went viral, and while the Londonderry School faculty member’s identity was not made public, her voice was quickly confirmed by members of the Edmonton School District, who have since released an apology to students and parents.

“You are out to lunch if you think it’s acceptable to not show up because you think there’s Pride activities going on at school,” the teacher said, pointing out that non-Muslims had shown “respect” for their beliefs by taking part in Ramadan festivities.

“It goes two ways!” she says. “If you want to be respected for who you are, if you don’t want to suffer prejudice for your religion, your colour of skin, your whatever, then you better give it back to people who are different than you.”

She went on explain that not all countries were like Canada, citing Uganda in particular, where the law was recently changed to permit punishment of life in prison for simply being homosexual.

“If you believe that kind of thing, you don’t belong here,” the teacher stated. “That is not what Canada believes; we believe in freedom; we believe people can marry whoever they want. That is in law, and if you don’t think that should be the law, then you can’t be Canadian. You don’t belong here, and I mean it.”

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CIA Roasted Over Pride Month Post

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was roasted by social media users after it posted a Pride Month tribute on Twitter.

In a tweet Thursday, the CIA said Pride Month is a time to recognize the agency’s “rich history” of “LGBTQ+ officers” and their work.

“Pride Month is an occasion for all of us at the Agency to pay tribute to the rich history, community, and mission contributions of our LGBTQ+ officers,” the CIA tweeted.

The tweet prompted immediate ridicule from social media users. Some commenters asked whether the post was real, attempting to make sure it was not from a CIA parody account.

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Biden Surgeon General Pressed On Govt-Funded Transgender Study Where Two Participants Committed Suicide

North Carolina Republican Sen. Ted Budd pressed the Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, during a Senate HELP Committee hearing Thursday over a study on transgender health that resulted in two suicides.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded a study on the impacts of two years of cross-sex hormones on adolescent mental health. Depression and anxiety decreased slightly over the course of the examination, and the study was touted as strong evidence in support of offering sex changes to minors. But two participants committed suicide during the study, along with 11 who developed suicidal ideation.

Budd, along with Sens. Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and others, sent a letter to the NIH asking why taxpayer money was used to fund a study that resulted in patient suicides.

“It is sickening that the federal government is preying on young people and using our taxpayer dollars to advance its radical gender ideology. We are rightfully demanding answers from NIH and we are committed to holding those responsible accountable for this tragic loss of life,” Oklahoma Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen, another co-signer, wrote in a statement.

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Oxford College Can Now Expel Students For Using The Wrong Pronouns

A prestigious college at the University of Oxford announced Thursday that violating its new transgender harassment policy, including using the wrong pronouns, could lead to expulsion.

Regent’s Park College released a Trans Inclusion Statement, which outlines in detail what the college considers “transphobic harassment” and threatens offenders with severe penalties, including expulsion.

The statement declares, “Any unlawful discriminatory behaviour, including transphobic harassment or bullying of by individuals or groups, will be regarded extremely seriously and could be grounds for disciplinary action, which may include expulsion or dismissal.”

The college’s statement goes on to define “transphobia” broadly, including acts like “denying or disputing the validity and/or existence of a trans person’s identity,” “refusal to treat a person in accordance with their affirmed identity,” and “misgendering” by using “the wrong name or pronoun.”

The college further admits that “it is not possible to have a comprehensive definition of transphobia.” The college interprets the United Kingdom’s Equality Act of 2010 to forbid discrimination based on gender identity, even though the law uses the medical term “gender reassignment” rather than “gender identity” in its anti-discrimination language.

The Trans Inclusion Statement came out in the wake of a controversial talk the college hosted given by “gender-critical feminist” Kathleen Stock, a former professor at the University of Sussex. Stock’s talk was heavily protested and even interrupted by a trans activist who glued her hands to the floor of the stage.

Stock promoted her book “Material Girls,” stating that she wants “trans people protected from violence and discrimination,” but that it was “not fair on females” to share spaces like bathrooms and changing rooms with biological men. She called for “third spaces” as a compromise.

At the end of its statement, the college briefly mentions how the Equality Act protects religious belief and states that it respects the right of “those holding gender-critical beliefs” with the qualification that their speech “does not constitute harassment as not respecting the rights and freedoms of others.”

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AP Called Out For Claim That Target Staff Were Subject To “Violent Confrontations” Over Trans/Pride Products

The Associated Press has been forced into quietly editing an article that repeated a statement from Target claiming that the company’s staff have been threatened, with the newswire adding a baseless claim that there have been “violent confrontations” over huge collections of ‘Pride’ and transgender themed apparel in stores, including some with Satanist imagery.

It’s been the story of the week. Here’s the backdrop…

Target Becomes The Latest Target Of Anti-Woke Boycott As It Sells ‘Satanist Pride’ LGBTQ+ Products For Kids

Cotton Blasts “Target’s Partnership With Satanist To Push Trans Agenda On Children”

Target To Remove Satan ‘Pride’ Products; Democrat Accuses CEO Of “Selling Out LGBTQ+ Community”

As we highlighted yesterday, Target was clear in pointing out that it isn’t removing the stuff because it’s Satanist and pushing sexualisation and gender ideology on kids, but rather because they have “experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being.”

The AP took it further, however, claiming that Target has seen “intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers.”

The report was altered without notification after it was challenged by Katrina Trinko, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Signal. While the confrontations claim remains, the word “violent” has been removed.

It now reads “Target said that customers knocked down Pride displays at some stores, angrily approached workers and posted threatening videos on social media from inside the stores.”

Pointing out the deception, Trinko writes “Again, what are the specifics? What is a threatening video?” further demanding to know “What constitutes angrily approaching a worker? How many customers at how many stores knocked down Pride displays?”

It appears that one video surfaced of one person taking a part of a pride display and throwing it on the ground, which prompted gay Democratic California State Senator Scott Wiener to label it “terrorism”.

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