Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
By John Mack Freeman The twelfth book in the popular Captain Underpants series has been banned from one school’s book fair because of its GLBT content. Via WXYZ: “Captain Underpants and the Sensational Sag of Sir Stinks-A-Lot” is the 12th novel in author Dav Pilkey’s series. Pilkey recently announced that a main character in the book […]
By John Mack Freeman A new proposed law would make coming out by LGBT people a crime. Via Advocate.com: The new bill is being drafted as an amendment to Russia’s infamous ban on “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations,” which currently imposes fines and censure for any person or agency making pro-LGBT statements in any venue […]
By John Mack Freeman UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon insisted that he was still devoted to GLBT rights and equality even after stripping out any mention of equality or GLBT rights from the UN’s new development goals. Via PinkNews: The final text pledges to ensure that “human rights and fundamental freedoms are enjoyed by all, […]
By John Mack Freeman Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church asserted that marriage was forever and could only exist between a single and a single woman at a synod on family that opened this week. Via Associated Press: Francis launched the synod process two years ago by sending out a 39-point questionnaire to bishops, […]
By John Mack Freeman A Malaysian court upheld a ban on cross-dressing this week that continues to criminalize trans women in that country. The ruling overturned a previous ruling on procedural grounds. Via PinkNews: In November, the Appeals Court ruled that Section 66 of the Sharia code of the state of Negeri Sembilan – that bars Muslim men […]
By John Mack Freeman HRC has released a new brief about stopping biphobia in the workplace during this year Bisexual Awareness Week (this past week, September 20-26). The report points to the staggering number of bisexual adults who are still in the closet at work and the issues related to bisexual visibility in the workplace. Read […]
By John Mack Freeman The first Peruvian children’s book to feature same-sex parents is set to be released this September. Published by Zoe’s Closet, the book Camilla Has Two Moms? was written by author and activist Veronica Ferrari. Via PinkNews: Author and activist Veronica Ferrari says her book “seeks to make visible all these families of […]
By John Mack Freeman Gay, Georgia (a few hours away from where this writer lives) has apparently ended up on the USDA’s list of banned words. The situation is so ridiculous, here it is from Out: A cattle farmer in Gay, Georgia, was denied a government issued transport license by the US Department of Agriculture […]
By John Mack Freeman For the first time, a trans inmate has successfully challenged his or her treatment under the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Inmate Sandy Brown was held in solitary confinement for 66 days in 2014. Via Washington Blade: She also claimed that she was “taunted and harassed” by prison employees, including one who […]
By Elizabeth Gartley Often, when I’m speaking with educators about LGBTQ topics, one of the first questions I’m asked is “What does the Q stand for?” The primary definition that I provide is that “Q” stands for “questioning.” By acknowledging those who are questioning, we acknowledge those people, particularly young people, who for one reason […]