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more than 2800 books from school, including the American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students, and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary, and placed them into storage, reports Popular Information.The justification for the dictionary removals is that certain definitions or entries contained in the texts may violate “Don’t Say Gay,” the state’s “parental rights” law that prohibits students in grades K-12 from being exposed to LGBTQ-related content and “age-inappropriate” material. Under the law, residents of any county are empowered to demand the removal of any library book that “depicts or describes sexual conduct,” as defined under Florida law, regardless of whether or not the book is pornographic.Rather than consider individual complaints, the Escambia County School Board adopted an emergency rule last June that required the district’s librarians to review all library books and remove any works believed to contain such content.Because most dictionaries contain in-depth definitions of sex and sexual anatomy and define LGBTQ terms like “gay” and “lesbian,” they were flagged for removal.To purge the flagged books, school libraries in Escambia County were closed at the start of the school year.

Politico.Like Macron, Attal was aligned with the center-left Socialist Party before joining the more centrist Renaissance Party. Similarly, his politics often shift on various issues, as he’ll take the more conservative approach on some while staking out a more liberal position on others, reports CNN.

Despite some positive electoral victories as 2023 ended, last year was largely a rough one for members of the LGBTQ community, who found themselves targeted by various pieces of legislation, executive orders, and a resurgent right-wing political movement opposed to what it sees as “woke” ideas or values.It was also the year that the nation’s top LGBTQ advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign, declared a national state of emergency, citing efforts to roll back LGBTQ rights or restrict LGBTQ visibility and various freedoms, with Republican-led state legislatures serving as the primary aggressors.The segment of the LGBTQ spectrum most under fire in 2023 was the transgender community, whose members saw legislation targeting them pushed into law, despite the intense lobbying of lawmakers and often over the advice of medical professionals and parents of transgender children. Even past battles once thought to have been won were reignited, as conservatives on Capitol Hill pledged to revive the now-defunct Trump-era ban prohibiting trans individuals from serving in the Armed Forces.

Florida Trident, the woman arranged to have another sexual encounter with the Zieglers on Oct. 2, but backed out after learning Bridget Ziegler had another engagement.The woman alleges that Christian Ziegler showed up at her residence, uninvited, bent her over a piece of furniture, and raped her.Ziegler, who has not been charged with a crime, has denied the rape allegations, insisting that the encounter was consensual. He reportedly told police he had recorded video of the encounter that proves his side of the story.Police obtained that video, as well as a second video, the latter of which allegedly depicted Bridget Ziegler engaged in sex with another woman, as part of their investigation.

The New York Times. “I think that if we find these kinds of people in Burundi, it is better to take them to a stadium and stone them.

Wicked movies, running her cosmetics business, and falling in love after her divorce. Somehow, in the middle of all that, she’s also found the time to write and record a new album. After weeks of teasing and hinting that something was coming, the pop superstar has officially announced her comeback single – and it’s set to arrive in just a few days.The Grammy winner took to social media to announce “Yes, And?,” posting the song’s cover to her Instagram, along with the track’s release date of Friday, January 12.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Manilow opened up about those days, clearing up some misconceptions about his time in the baths.“What do you think, they were fucking in front of us?” the singer asked the interviewer, perhaps joking. He went on to say that those in attendance were “just an audience. A great audience, too.”Why did Manilow decide to perform in such a sexualized venue? It’s simple – like so many other musicians trying to make it, he needed the money.

Meduza. However, reporting a homophobic attack to authorities, even as the victim, could be problematic in Russia, given the recent Supreme Court ruling that declared the international LGBTQ movement to be an “extremist” organization.Under Russian law, anyone who admits to being part of an extremist organization can be punished with up to 12 years in prison.According to RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty’s Russian Service, the Ministry of Justice for the Stavropol Territory recently responded to an inquiry about coming out by saying the act will be equated to “participation in the international extremist LGBT community” — showing how Russian authorities could potentially choose to prosecute LGBTQ people, even victims of hate-motivated crimes.

The Grammy winner shared both the song’s title and cover image on Monday, with the visual being quite striking. The artwork sees Lil Nas X impersonating Jesus Christ as he’s being crucified. He lies on the cross, covered in nothing but a small yellow cloth.

She captioned the picture, “ALL LOVE. This was hands down my favorite moment of 2023 ❤️. The Love.

Barbie soundtrack, which was met with widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike. As she continues to promote the tune and prepares for what may be a very exciting award season, the superstar is also hard at work on her next chapter.In an interview with Mr. Porter, Eilish’s brother Finneas shared some good news for fans of the Grammy and Oscar winner.

Seattle Times. Members of the LGBTQ community have said that Denny Blaine Park has been a safe haven for them for decades.Hundreds of people packed a public meeting last month, filling Seattle’s MLK FAME Community Center beyond capacity, with no attendees speaking in support of the plan.

Karsten Sollors all but grew up in the air.“My mother was a flight attendant, so I’ve been traveling since I was in her stomach,” as he puts it. Because of that, he didn’t think twice about effectively giving up his weekends to become a professional DJ, traveling to a different city, if not two, every weekend.“A lot of people, when I tell them my schedule, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, how do you do that? That’s got to be so difficult,’” he says.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Manilow opened up about those days, making sure to clear up some misconceptions up about his time in the baths. “What do you think, they were fucking in front of us?” the singer asked the interviewer, perhaps joking. He went on to say that those in attendance were, “just an audience.

$100,000 in damages after a jury decided that the men were entitled to $50,000 each for being denied a marriage license by Davis after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state-level bans on same-sex nuptials across the nation in mid-2015.Ermold and Moore sued Davis after she declined to issue the couple a marriage license three separate times, and refused to permit her deputies to issue a license bearing her official name or title.She argued that allowing the license to be issued would violate “God’s definition of marriage” and her personal beliefs opposing homosexuality as an Apostolic Christian.During the fall of 2015, Bunning sentenced Davis to five days in jail for contempt of court for refusing to allow marriage licenses to be issued — not only to Ermold and Moore, but to several other couples, gay and straight — lest she be accused of discriminating against same-sex couples.Following her release, she agreed not to block her deputy clerks from issuing licenses that had been edited to remove her name and title — although both she and her deputy raised concerns about the validity of such licenses.In a tacit show of support for Davis, Kentucky lawmakers later passed a law to change rules that removed county clerks’ names from marriage licenses.

Human Rights Watch, Lumumba had been sexually assaulted, hit on the head with a blunt object, and stabbed in the chest, face, neck, and eyes.From the start of the investigation into Lumumba’s murder, their family was critical of police response, accusing investigators of dragging their feet due to anti-LGBTQ animus.Lumumba’s cousin, Brenda Akinyi, told Human Rights Watch that the family began investigating the murder themselves after police failed to update the family on case developments. Additionally, after police claimed to have searched the crime scene, family members found a knife and razor blade in Lumumba’s bedroom.

initially flagged 374 books for removal from shelves for possible violations, eventually reducing that number to 64.Similarly, the Norwalk Community School District also issued a list of 64 books for removal. Mason City banned 20 books from its schools, using artificial intelligence to help determine which ones should be banned — resulting in some classic novels, like The Handmaid’s Tale and Beloved, being banned.Republican Gov.

Making the “top five” list of “horniest countries” are the United Kingdom, followed by Canada, Australia, Ireland, and Mexico.The platform’s “Rookie of the Year,” based on growth compared to 2022, was London, which experienced a 475% surge in users over the past year.The “most discreet city,” measured by the highest number of discreet sessions, where users employ the platform’s “discreet mode,” was Vancouver, Canada. The “chattiest city,” where users sent the most messages, was Philadelphia, while users in Chicago were the least loquacious.Users in Seattle, Washington, sent the most photos of themselves, earning the distinction of “most photogenic city.” At the same time, Washington, D.C., lived up to its decades-old reputation of being closeted, with users sharing the fewest photos of themselves.According to the data, the Sniffies platform typically sees the most action on Mondays.

Click here to access the registration page.The Capital Pride 2024 celebration will run from May 31 through June 9. As the dates draw closer, updates and breaking news will be shared on the Capital Pride Alliance’s Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts.As it does every year, in the coming months, Capital Pride will issue a call for entertainers to perform at its annual Block Party and grace the stages at its annual Festival and Concert, held along Pennsylvania Avenue, in the shadow of the U.S.

After a steady, decade-long decline in the number of LGBTQ bars and clubs in Washington, D.C., the trend has finally reversed: 2023 saw the opening of several new venues, adding to a similar number that emerged in 2022.As a result, the D.C. area now counts at least 20 LGBTQ watering holes and safe spaces to call its own.

The Associated Press.“When I’m analyzing the governor’s motivation, what should I make of these statements?” Hinkle asked. “This seems to be more than just hyperbole.”The restrictions on gender-affirming care were first enacted in March after the Florida Board of Medicine and Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine — at the urging of DeSantis, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, and the state Department of Health — approved rules to limit the accessibility of hormonal and surgical interventions.

The Associated Press.“When I’m analyzing the governor’s motivation, what should I make of these statements?” Hinkle asked. “This seems to be more than just hyperbole.”The restrictions on gender-affirming care were first enacted in March after the Florida Board of Medicine and Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine — at the urging of DeSantis, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, and the state Department of Health — approved rules to limit the accessibility of hormonal and surgical interventions.

Desperately Seeking Susan.“I’ll never forget that first scene we did down in Battery Park,” he recalls. “We have that long kiss at the beginning.

1984, a gift from elder sister Megan. That also informed my thoughts about truth. Protagonist Winston was plagued by truth and untruth, spending his days erasing unpeople’s paper trails at the Ministry of Truth.

Florida Trident, the video was recovered by police as part of the ongoing criminal investigation of a rape allegation made against Bridget’s husband, Christian Ziegler, chairman of the Florida Republican Party.Police uncovered the video while executing a search warrant on Christian Ziegler’s cell phone and a Google account to recover evidence in connection with the alleged rape.The accuser, whose name is being kept confidential, claimed to have had a sexual tryst with the Zieglers over a year ago. Bridget Ziegler confirmed to investigators that she and her husband had engaged in a sexual encounter with the woman.On October 2, the woman claims that she arranged to have another sexual encounter with the Zieglers, only to have Bridget cancel at the last minute.

The Seafarer is just as powerfully a contemplation on what it is to knock along in a life pot-holed with bad luck and dysfunction. Indeed, almost all of the first act is a fly-on-the-wall immersion in a certain kind of seedy male domesticity.Amid peeling wallpaper and rising damp, the house buzzes with bark, banter, and potted philosophizing as mismatched cups, milk possibly past its sell-by date, and a lifetime’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol arrive and depart.

Associated Press, he did leave open the option of issuing a stay if petitions to appellate courts are granted. Groups of transgender youth and their parents have asked the U.S.

Gender Queer, a memoir by Maia Kobabe about her coming of age as a nonbinary person, available to students at the school.The complaining individual — who is reportedly a member of the school community — provided police with two images. The first was the book’s cover, in which a person is seen staring into a pool of water, looking at a shirtless reflection that does not match their physical appearance.The second was a scene from the book in which two illustrated characters are shown engaging in oral sex.

Good Grief. The Dan Levy-helmed movie isn’t set to arrive until just before the end of the year, but it already has quite a few fans of the Schitt’s Creek actor, writer, director, and producer titillated to see what he’s come up with now.Ahead of Good Grief arriving in theaters — and then a short while later on Netflix — read on about the new movie and learn all about Levy’s latest project.

The Celebration Tour, which is playing to packed crowds. The concert was delayed earlier this year after the singer fell ill and was hospitalized.