Matthew Shepard – Photo: Matthew Shepard Foundation.
A gay man was attacked in queens after refusing to perform oral sex on a stranger, Frank Ocean launched a new queer club night in New York, and a New Jersey city was targeted with anti-gay, Nazi graffiti — here’s some of the LGBTQ stories you need to know:
Matthew Shepard’s Parents Slam AG Barr for Transgender Rights “Hypocrisy”
The parents of gay teen Matthew Shepard, who was brutally killed in an anti-gay attack in Wyoming in 1998, have slammed Attorney General William Barr for refusing to protect trans rights. Judy and Dennis Shepard wrote an open letter criticizing both Barr and the Trump administration for trying to legalize anti-trans discrimination, after Barr invited them to an event recognizing ten years since the passing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. “We find it interesting and hypocritical that he would invite us to this event,” the Shepards wrote, adding, “Mr. Barr, you cannot have it both ways. If you believe that employers should have the right to terminate transgender employees, just because they are transgender, then you believe they are lesser than and not worthy of protection.”
New Jersey Homes Sprayed with Anti-gay, Nazi Graffiti
Police in Trenton, N.J., are investigating after various buildings in the state capital were tagged with swastikas, satanic references, and anti-gay messages. Per The Trentonian: “A black spray-painted Swastika and a picture of an erect, ejaculating penis appeared along a message seemingly targeting tenants of the homes: ‘Fags live here.'” According to reports, at least one Jewish landlord owns properties in the neighborhood targeted, and police are investigating the graffiti as bias crimes.
Gay Man Beaten, Robbed After Refusing Stranger’s Demands for Oral Sex
A gay man in Queens claims he was beaten and robbed by a man who kept demanding that he perform oral sex. The victim, Carlos, told Gay City News that the man “exposed himself, punched him, stole his belongings, and dragged him on the ground — all because he wouldn’t perform oral sex on him.” “When I looked back, he grabbed his penis and said, ‘You want this?’ I didn’t pay attention to it,” Carlos said. “When I turned around a second time, he said, ‘Do you want to suck my dick?’ I said, ‘No.’” Police later arrested 26-year-old Jelani Stewart on charges of robbery and public lewdness.
Frank Ocean Launches Queer Club Night “PrEP+” in NYC
Queer musician Frank Ocean has launched a new club night in New York City called “PrEP+.” According to Queerty, the party “envisions a 1980s LGBTQ community not decimated by AIDS.” An official statement says “PrEP+” will pay “homage to what could have been of the 1980s’ NYC club scene if the drug…. had been invented in that era.” It also notes “[zero] tolerance for racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ableism or any form of discrimination.”
VIDEO: Trans Man’s Family Supports Him After Top Surgery in Heartwarming Viral Clip
A video of a transgender Brazilian man’s family supporting him after he underwent top surgery has gone viral for all the right reasons. Richard Alcântara, from Sao Paolo, Brazil, was still bandaged following the surgery when he went shirtless around his family — only to be met by the sight of all of the men wearing their own bandages in a wonderful show of support. Watch the reveal — and Alcântara’s emotional reaction — below:
U.S. Rep. Becca Balint has introduced a bill to protect and expand access to gender-affirming care for transgender individuals at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to restrict the practice.
The Vermont Democrat's bill -- the Transgender Health Care Access Act -- establishes grants to support medical education programs and professional training in transition-related care, and to expand access to such services in rural communities.
She introduced the bill on March 31, coinciding with Transgender Day of Visibility.
The congresswoman noted in a news release that in a survey of students at 10 medical schools, nearly 4 in 5 students did not feel competent at treating transgender patients suffering from gender dysphoria.
The Trump administration suspended $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania as punishment for having allowed transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete in 2022.
Thomas originally competed for the men's swim team but competed on the women's team following her transition.
She complied with what NCAA regulations regarding transgender athlete eligibility were at the time, undergoing hormone therapy for a year before competing.
In 2022, Thomas began breaking school and meet records, becoming the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming championship medal in the Division I women's 500-yard freestyle event.
President Donald Trump used his address to Congress on Tuesday, March 4, to attack transgender individuals, calling transgender identity a "lie" and railing against transgender athletes, gender-affirming care, and trans visibility in the military and more broadly within society.
At one point during the speech, Trump switched from speaking about a child who was diagnosed with cancer to claim his administration was protecting children from "toxic ideologies" in schools.
He brought up the story of January Littlejohn, a Florida anti-transgender activist who sued the Leon County School District in Tallahassee, Flordia, in 2021, alleging that her child's school had discussed restrooms and name change requests with the child, assisting her in "socially transitioning" without informing Littlejohn or her husband of their efforts.
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