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Controversial US Representative from North Carolina, Madison Cawthorn, lost his seat Wednesday after losing the North Carolina Republican primary to State Senator Chuck Edwards.Edwards, a three-term Senator, will go on to face Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, a Christian minister, in the  elections in November.In May, a video surfaced of him nude and humping a man’s face.Madison Cawthorn says the Daily Mail article about a video showing him butt naked humping his male cousin’s face was “locker room talk.”One problem: there’s no talking in the video. Watch the video and his response here.

By Dr Christopher Pepin-NeffAs Australia celebrates the 2022 International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on Tuesday, 17 May, another day looms large, the May 21 federal election. Together, these days represent an important statement about where the LGBTQI community is going in 2022 and beyond as we face a resurgence of hate-fueled stigma. Now Peter Dutton stands in the wings to inherit the Prime Minister role from Scott Morrison if the Coalition is re-elected.

seemingly poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and anti-choice activists plotting to implement a nationwide “heartbeat bill” that will ban abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy, the “mastermind” of the heartbeat bill strategy is running for Congress and plotting to use the strategy behind the Texas’ 2021 draconian “heartbeat bill” to target schools that teach about LGBTQ issues.Janet Porter, a longtime right-wing conspiracy theorist and religious-right activist, appeared on fellow radical right-wing activist Dave Daubenmire’s “Pass The Salt” program last month.

a stunning unanimous decision, finding that Boston violated the First Amendment free speech rights of an anti-LGBTQ group that had requested the city fly a Christian flag at city hall. That group, Camp Constitution, says part of its mission is to “expose some of the abuses and perversions that have brought our nation and economy so far down.”Like the Supreme Court’s very narrow decision in the Masterpiece Cake Shop case, the ruling, which is very specific, runs the risk of being used by the right to initiate more religion-based attacks against minority Americans.The decision, written by retiring justice Stephen Breyer, disturbingly also cites Boston allowing the LGBTQ Pride flag to fly in front of its city hall as an example of how the city granted many other groups’ requests but engaged in discrimination against the Christian group.“Between 2005 and 2017,” the decision reads, “Boston approved the raising of about 50 unique flags for 284 such ceremonies.

convicted in 2011 of sexually assaulting two teen girls he married, claiming they were his “spiritual” wives.In 2007, Jeffs attempted to hang himself in his Utah jail cell and was force-fed at an Arizona jail in 2009. After his conviction, he was put into a medically-induced coma after fasting in a Texas prison and remains behind bars in the Lone Star State to this day. Several of Jeffs’ children and followers have spoken out since his arrest in 2006, but a new wave of accusers — including some who were closest with him — are speaking out in Peacock‘s new documentary, “Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs.”In an interview with The Post, Jeffson described his father’s abuse and threats of eternal damnation as “emotional” and “manipulative.”“Warren Jeffs controlled everything from the things you eat, to the things you wear and — if he could — even the things you think,” Jeffson told The Post.

blasted the Republican lawmaker who baselessly called her a groomer who supports pedophilia by proving that she’s the better person – and by providing the way to respond to the right’s hateful lies.Her speech on the Michigan Senate floor decimating state Senator Lana Theis has gone viral, making local and national headlines, and appearing on national television.“We have to push back against hateful garbage,” Sen. McMorrow said on MSNBC Wednesday morning.

and launched shortly after Lentz was fired for adultery in November 2020. In an email to congregants in February 2021, now-disgraced church founder Brian Houston announced the investigation was complete and had unearthed “significant ways” the NYC operations had “failed to reflect Hillsong global culture” but offered little further information, The Post reported at the time. Those details have now finally come to light: A version of the 51-page report was leaked to the Christian Post, which on Monday published many of its most shocking allegations, including that working with Lentz “caused” many churchgoers “to suffer from mental illness,” that his wife Laura reportedly once punched a former nanny and current Hillsong pastor in the face “with a closed fist” and that, in addition to his alleged affair with fashion designer Ranin Karim, he reportedly had at least one more with a woman he met at a Brooklyn deli and saved in his phone contacts as “Germany.” The investigation was conducted by the NYC law firm Zukerman Gore Brandeis & Crossman, LLP.

Franklin Graham spent the weekend promoting anti-LGBTQ extremist hate to his nearly 10 million Facebook followers, including by attacking The Walt Disney Company, criticizing the Biden administration’s support of medically-necessary treatment for transgender children, posting a video of his home state’s Lt. Governor preaching jaw-droppingly vulgar attacks on transgender people, and even calling for “regime change” in the United States because he opposes science that support LGBTQ children and teens.Graham kicked off his attacks on Thursday, the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), calling the U.S.

announced this January that he had made the decision to “step aside completely” from leadership of the multinational church he and wife Bobbie founded in 1983.The move followed months of Houston incrementally resigning from his various Hillsong positions amid numerous scandals and an ongoing court case accusing Houston of hiding his late father’s child sexual abuse.Now, Houston has resigned following an internal misconduct investigation that found merit to two women’s years-old complaints he committed “indiscretions” with them while under the influence of pills and alcohol.“We would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation,” the multinational church told members in a website post on Wednesday.“Hillsong Church was birthed out of Brian and Bobbie’s obedience and commitment to the call of God and we are extremely grateful for all that Brian and Bobbie have given to build His house. We ask that you continue to pray for them, and the entire Houston family, during this challenging time.”In addition to Houston’s formal resignation from the church, Hillsong has also purged his preaching from its website, the religion-focused news site Protestia reported.Hillsong did not respond to The Post’s request for further comment.In a statement released on March 18, the church said Houston had sent “inappropriate” text messages to a female staff member, leading to her resignation nearly a decade ago.

which some on TikTok claim doubles as the Shekinah Church, a Pentecostal religious sect that people believe is a cult.Derrick’s sister, Melanie Wilking, spoke at length alongside parents Kelly and Dean Wilking in a video posted Feb. 24, in which they beg for Derrick’s safety and return home, alleging that she is being held hostage by 7M.“You don’t need to cut us off.

The Guatemalan Congress voted to ban same-sex marriages on Tuesday, March 8.The Conservative-dominated congress passed the “Life and Family Protection Law” by 101 to eight votes. The law also sentences women to a minimum of five years in prison for seeking an abortion and bans the teaching of sexual diversity in schools which it defines as “promoting in children and teenagers policies or programs that tend to lead to diversion from their sexual identities at birth.”The law goes on to state that teaching “anything other than heterosexuality is normal” is prohibited. Congressman Walter Felix, left-wing opponent of the law, said, “The human rights of significant parts of the population are being violated.” In order to be passed into law, it must be signed by Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei.Lucrecia Hernández, a lawmaker opposed to the law, stated that the “law stigmatizes people, discriminates and foments intolerance and hate speech and crimes.” She has urged Giammattei to veto it. Conservative Giammattei is expected to approve the law.© Star Observer 2022 | For the latest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, be sure to visit

gushed with praise for Vladimir Putin this week after the Russian dictator unleashed a military invasion against Ukraine. While somewhat shocking given the timing, Witzke’s admiration of Putin’s “Christian nationalism” has a long precedent among U.S.

running for Congress in her home state of Ohio.When Porter ran for state office in Ohio in 2016, we exposed her long history of radical right-wing extremism:For years, Porter used her daily radio program and weekly column to promote a variety of conspiracy theories surrounding President Obama’s birth, alleging that his election was the result of a massive communist conspiracy. After her prayers failed to prevent Obama from taking office and subsequently cursing America, Porter went to work warning her fellow conservatives that Obama would orchestrate food shortages in order to starve them to death, use a swine flu outbreak as an excuse to lock them up in concentration camps, and use Obamacare to deny them healthcare and eliminate them.Porter has also long warned that increasing acceptance of gay rights will turn Christians into criminals who will eventually be rounded up and tossed in jail, going so far as to try and prevent the Supreme Court from ruling on the issue of gay marriage.

New Zealand has voted to protect LGBTQ youth from so-called “conversion therapy.”In an almost unanimous vote, the New Zealand Parliament voted 112 to eight in favour of banning the controversial  practice. So-called “conversion therapy” is the discredited and dangerous practice that is intended to change, often by force, a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. The New Zealand Herald reported that it is now an offence to “perform conversion practices on a child or young person aged under 18, or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity. Such offences would be subject to up to three years’ imprisonment, and up to five years where it has caused serious harm, irrespective of age.”Leader of End Conversion Therapy NZ Shaneel Lal tweeted, “The ban on conversion therapy is a win for humanity, not just the queer community.

Hemant Mehta posted this short clip video from Sunday, February 7:On Sunday, Baptist preacher Danil Kutsar was telling his congregation that he hates gay people… when he went on a quick tangent to remind them that he really, really hates gay people.Just vile stuff… pic.twitter.com/swLIGnONem— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) February 10, 2022Mehta says Kutsar doubled down this past Sunday.“Praise God,” Kutsar says. “I’m happy” that “sodomites” commit suicide.“I hope that every sodomite dies,” Kutsar says in this new clip.

Hundreds of people rallied in the rain at Sydney’s Town Hall against the Religious Discrimination Bill on Saturday afternoon.Organised by the Community Action for Rainbow Rights (CARR), speakers included NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, Sydney Girls High year 10 student Sumaya, and CARR’s co-convenor April Holcombe.Sumaya, who identified as a queer Muslim, rallied the crowd with a passionate call to action, saying, “the Bill means that queer people across all areas of public life must live in fear. At the very best, we hide who we are. At the very worst, we lose everything.”Holcombe spoke of the continuing threat of the Bill, which was indefinitely shelved by the government on Thursday. “It might have been shelved this week, but it is not dead.

dangerous and possibly unconstitutional “Don’t Say Gay” bill gathers nationwide attention and condemnation – making it more likely to be passed and signed into law by Republican governor and rumored 2024 presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, another Republican is dusting off his own “Don’t Say Gay” bill to push his “Christian values” agenda.Tennessee state Rep. Bruce Griffey says if schools are forcing him to teach Christian values at home because they won’t teach them in the classroom, they should not be allowed to “promote” what his legislation calls “LGBT issues or lifestyles.”“The state of Tennessee is not allowed to teach my daughters Christian values that I think are important and they should learn, so I teach those at home,” Rep.

came to Washington, D.C.

rejected a request for a religious exemption for health care workers refusing to comply with New York State’s vaccine mandate. The state is requiring all health care workers to be vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus.

Reuters reported. “Sins of the flesh are not the most serious,” the 84-year-old religious leader said regarding sex outside of marriage. Top transgressions instead include pride and hatred, according to Reuters.Francis’ rankings of the worst wrongdoings followed the resignation of a Paris archbishop, who quit over a relationship with a woman earlier this month.

running for Congress in South Carolina, is an unabashed Christian nationalist who openly declares that “any policy that is contrary to the word of God” needs to be made illegal.MAGA pastor Mark Burns, who is running for Congress in South Carolina, says that “this is a Christian nation and any policy that is contrary to the word of God, we need to remove it from mainstream America and make it illegal.” pic.twitter.com/4j8oxoavhg— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) November 18, 2021Burns appeared

Coming Out Colton (★★★★☆), a new reality show on Netflix, that feel like a Public Service Announcement for the struggles and rewards of admitting to everyone in your life that you’re a member of the LGBTQ community. This is not at all a bad thing, as the engaging, meticulously crafted, six-episode docu-series may help a closeted youth living in the middle of nowhere feel less isolated.

broke the story that lawyers for religious-right legal giant Alliance Defending Freedom bragged at an anti-choice conference that the 15-week abortion ban that had been introduced in Mississippi was based on ADF’s model language. ADF lawyers said the law was the next step in the group’s strategic plan to “eradicate” Roe v.

John Eastman wasn’t the only right-wing attorney urging former Vice President Mike Pence to effectively throw the election to former President Donald Trump by rejecting Electoral College votes from battleground states Trump lost. ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl reported Sunday that Jenna Ellis, a Trump attorney, had written her own memo essentially calling for a coup.

Come From Away,” the Tony-nominated actor is suing the show’s producer, Kiss The Cod Broadway, and its management company, Alchemy Production Group — alleging he was let go due to his religious beliefs.Last November, Kimball unwittingly stirred up a storm of controversy when he tweeted his unhappiness over a COVID mandate in his home state of Washington that limited religious services and forbade worshipers from singing in church.“Respectfully, I will never allow a Governor, or anyone, to stop

a 120-page study from a Christian University reveals nearly four in ten young adults count themselves as LGBTQ.Religion and culture researcher, evangelical pollster, and now professor at Arizona Christian University in Phoenix, George Barna‘s Cultural Research Center has just published a report focused on Millennials.Among its findings: 39% of those 18-24 identify as LGBTQ, and 25% of those 25-37 do as well.