School board president receives death threats for supporting “radical transgender agenda”

When I first proposed to chat with Lingsi Lu and Leanor Barz from the Street Roller Hockey Chix for this month’s column, I thought, “these chix are going to be sooo out of my league”’ I mean, they marched in Mardi Gras dressed as bin chickens – the club’s mascot! But I think, instead, I might have stumbled upon the most delightful (non-organised) sporting league there is. Like so many of our LGBTQI+ sporting clubs, the Chix got their start when a group of friends decided to meld their teenage hobbies – roller-blading and ice hockey. Believe it or not, their’s is a non-contact game, and score blow-outs are ‘against the rules’. Delightful, right? There are no designated surface requirements and no referees, and two milk crates cut in two suffice as goals, which is pretty great considering the competition for fields and courts here in Sydney.

Police are searching for the suspect in the murder of a black transgender woman in Philadelphia.Miia Jamii Parker, 25, was shot dead, at 3:30am, in her parked car, in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, on April 1. Police have identified a suspect, Saad Najeed Dwight, 38, and are asking the community to be on the lookout. According to CBS Philly, Dwight is facing charges of third-degree murder, criminal homicide, and possession of a firearm.The suspect’s motive is unknown.According to Parker’s friends, she knew how to light up a room and was always the life of the party. “We say ‘at least’ because too often these stories go unreported — or misreported.

ABC News.Supporters of the transgender health care ban claim that treatments are irreversible and cause infertility and other health risks. But most medical experts say that puberty blockers — which delay the onset of secondary sex characteristics — are reversible and do not carry long-term harm for those who have not yet undergone puberty.

Florida’s recent, so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.Roy P. Disney — the great-nephew of Walt Disney and the co-founder of Walt Disney Co — disclosed recently in a statement that his child, Charlee, is trans.Roy revealed the news while also pledging $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) alongside his wife, Sheri.Charlee, 30, is a high school biology and science teacher who uses they/them pronouns and came out to their family four years ago.“Equality matters deeply to us, especially because our child, Charlee, is transgender and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community,” Roy wrote in a statement.Roy’s sister, Abigail Disney, tweeted her praise and adoration for her brother’s gesture. “Today I am busting with pride at what my brother and his wife have done.

Singer and actress Ariana Grande has taken steps to support transgender youth as the tide of anti-trans legislation continues to rise across the United States. Using more than just her words, Grande has established a donation page where she pledges to match the total amount donated “up to $1.5 million.”As of Monday, April 11, around 5,500 people had donated to Grande’s “Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund,” raising over $722,000 for trans-supportive organizations.“Right now, there are hundreds of bills pending in state legislatures across the United States that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights,” Grande writes on her donation page.

Star Observer’s series on kink and following on from our piece on Agoraphobia,  AKA Public Nookie, we present for your reading pleasure a cheeky piece about fisting.On the face of it, the idea of someone putting their hand in your hiney wouldn’t leave most people sitting pretty, but dig a bit deeper. You’ll find that actually, fisting and the pleasure people derive from it is the most natural thing in the world – especially once you understand that the anus has one of the densest concentration of nerve endings in the human body!(Actually, fisting is a bit of a misnomer.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a Conservative, received backlash from health and LGBTQI organisations after doubling down on exempting trans kids from the ban on ‘conversion therapy.’In an interview with SkyNews, Johnson remarked that he is “sad” about the backlash but said, “I don’t think that it’s reasonable for kids to be deemed so-called Gillick-competent to take decisions about their gender or irreversible treatments that they may have. I think there should be parental involvement at the very least.” He finished the statement by saying that he is understanding of people’s situations and supportive if people want to “change” genders. Boris Johnson explains why he is exempting trans children from the ban on conversion therapy He also ranges more widely on the issue of competing rights for the first timeFull exchange: pic.twitter.com/cRY2ohXev1— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) April 6, 2022The acting chair of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) representative body, Dr Latifa Patel, disagreed with Johnson and believes that “conversion therapy should be banned “in its entirety. “While this is now supposedly happening for gay and bisexual people, it seems the Government will only rely on current legislation or non-legislative options for transgender people who are subjected to the practice.

NBC News.“I’m going to ask you to read the legislation and to see that the legislation that we passed was in the spirit of fairness to protect girls sports in competitive situations,” Ducey said, referring to the transgender sports ban. “That’s what the legislation is intended to do, and that’s what it does.”Reporters then asked the governor if he believed there are “actual transgender people,” to which he responded: “I…am going to respect everyone, and I’m going to respect everyone’s rights.

Faye Fadem‘s music video which contained a J.K. Rowling death threat.“Notting Hill” actor James Dreyfuss revealed on Twitter that he filed a complaint with the social media platform over an April 1 tweet penned by Fadem directed at the “Harry Potter” author, 56, who has caused controversy as of late in regards to her anti-trans views.Dreyfuss, 53, said that the video by Fadem, who releases music under the name “Trust Fund Ozu,” included the lyrics “As I kill (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists)” and “J.K. I hope you fit in a hearse.” These words are in an apparent violation of Twitter’s terms of service. Alongside a screenshot of Twitter’s response, Dreyfuss tweeted on April 2, “Surprise, Surprise! So, death threats=Good.

By Dr Christopher Pepin-NeffA new study from the University of Sydney will look at the impact of COVID on LGBTQI community life in NSW, including Oxford Street. The research project is being coordinated by the Sydney Policy Lab and will look at the implications of COVID-forced closings as well as new venues that opened during the height of the pandemic.Gay sex clubs like Sydney Sauna are a good example of social capital, where social trust is shared, and this may create a network of friends who go to the same doctor, gain access to PrEP, and seek sexual health information as a result.

The Associated Press.Twenty-one U.S. states and the District of Columbia currently offer gender-neutral options on official identification, including driver’s licenses.

A teacher in Birmingham UK, who had his penis lacerated in domestic violence incident, is speaking out about domestic violence in the gay community. The 32-year-old victim had to get the wound glued after his boyfriend, Luke Lal, repeatedly pulled at his penis following an argument about dinner. The victim was also punched in the head multiple times. “He suggested: ‘Let’s get pakoras’.

“Umbrella Academy” character Vanya Hargreeves is going through their own transformation!The 35-year-old’s onscreen superhero will come out as transgender in season three of the Netflix series. Page announced the news on Twitter alongside a snapshot of himself in costume.Netflix retweeted his post, writing: “Welcome to the family, Viktor — we’re so happy you’re here!”“Umbrella Academy” is based on the Dark Horse comic book by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerald Way.The series follows a family of adopted siblings who moonlight as superheroes who reunite to figure out who killed their father while on the brink of an apocalypse. Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H.

the vacancy left by retiring Judge Benjamin Davidian, reports The Press Democrat. She follows in the path of Alameda Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski, who became the first openly transgender judge in the state after she was elected to her current position in 2010. Kolakowski later praised Murdyk’s appointment on Twitter.“Andi Mudryk is a great appointment and will be a wonderful judge,” Kolakowski tweeted.

Ahead of the 2022 International Transgender Day of Visibility, Thursday, March 31, we spoke with Olivia Hunt of the National Center for Transgender Equality, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.Hunt, who joined the organization last April and became its policy director in February, helped to clarify, for those who may be unaware, what “TDOV” is, and what the LGBTQ community and its allies can do to celebrate the day and lift up the transgender community during these times of, as she calls it, “unprecedented attack.”Excerpts from the interview, edited for clarity, follow. METRO WEEKLY: What is Transgender Day of Visibility?OLIVIA HUNT: Trans people’s lives are usually portrayed in a series of negatives.

Courier-Journal. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association already requires high school athletes to undergo gender confirmation surgery if they wish to compete on sports teams that don’t match their assigned sex at birth. Chris Hartman, the executive director of the Fairness Campaign in Kentucky, said that requirement would make most, if not all, transgender youth under the age of 18, ineligible to compete, as gender confirmation surgeries are rarely performed on minors, and only then after extensive therapy.The NCAA, the governing body in collegiate athletics, recently adopted new guidelines regarding transgender athletes’ eligibility. Under that policy, each individual sport’s governing body will determine eligibility criteria for competing.

Andi Mudryk is the first openly transgender judge appointed to the judicial bench in California. She will serve in Sacramento County Superior Court. Photo: Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom

As of Tuesday, March 22, Amazon is no longer a sponsor of the Seattle Pride parade. Seattle Pride rejected Amazon sponsorship citing the company’s donations to anti-LGBTQ causes and politicians as well as the company’s attempt to brand the parade. In exchange for a donation of $100,000, Amazon requested, among other things, naming rights for the festival. It wanted the parade to be called “Seattle Pride Parade Presented by Amazon.”Among the other requests: allowing Amazon Business executives to give speeches at the parade as well as prime billing for the corporate logo. “Pride isn’t for sale at any time of the year, but especially the month of June when our community comes together to celebrate,” said Krystal Marx, Seattle Pride’s executive director, to NBC News.We have decided to not partner w/ Amazon for the 2022 Seattle Pride Parade due to various anti-LGBTQIA+ decisions they have made, including the funding of politicians who oppose the Equality Act.

Ketanji Brown Jackson, US President Joe Biden’s nominee for the Supreme Court pushed back on questions about same-sex marriage and gender identity during her confirmation hearing on Tuesday.Questioning Jackson on the Supreme Court’s role in making policy, Cornyn asked, “When the Supreme Court decides that something that is not even in the Constitution is a fundamental right and no state can pass any law that conflicts with the Supreme Court’s edict, particularly in an area where people have sincerely held religious beliefs, doesn’t that necessarily create a conflict between what people may believe as a matter of their religious doctrine or faith and what the federal government says is the law of the land?” Republican Senators questioned Jackson on gender identity issues with an overtly transphobic line of questioning. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn asked Jackson about her definition of “woman.” “Can you define the word ‘woman’?”Jackson responded in a bewildered tone: “No, I can’t… Not in this context. I’m not a biologist.”Texas Senator Ted Cruz asked, “Under the modern leftist sensibilities, If I decide, right now, that I’m a woman, then apparently I’m a woman.

Newtown’s Bedford Square is set to become Pride Square.The Inner West Council in NSW is seeking to permanently rename the public square outside Newtown Town Hall in time for WorldPride 2023.Inner West Councillor Mat Howard put forward the amendment which passed unanimously.Howard believes that Bedford Square is an ideal location as it is centrally located just adjacent to Newtown Station and is “right in the middle of businesses that are LGBTQ and/or LGBTQ friendly.”Howard continued, “I know when I first moved to Sydney, Newtown was the first place I came to looking for connection and support. I hope future generations of young LGBTQ+ people will do the same, see Pride Square at the heart of the suburb, and know that this is a community where they can be safe, be valued, and thrive.”Pride Square and the recently announced Rainbow Crossing would join the Rainbow Crossing in Summer Hill.It passed unanimously at the March 8 Council Meeting.  The Newtown Rainbow Crossing and Pride Square would be the fulfilment of a campaign aspiration by Howard.Prior to the 2021 Inner West Council Elections, he told Star Observer,  “I’m committed to delivering an Inner West Pride Centre, creating a rainbow crossing in Newtown, and making sure Council marks IDAHOBIT, Transgender Day of Visibility and Transgender Day of Remembrance.