Ukraine civil union bill advances
Bulgaria's "LGBT propaganda" law draws international criticism
🚇 For the Los Angeles Blade, I wrote about Metro’s attempts to build a new subway line through West Hollywood – if you live in LA, definitely tell Metro you support the project through the links in my story.
🌋I also wrote about how a trans activist defeated the speaker of the Hawaii’s state legislature in the state primaries on Saturday. Kim Coco Iwamoto is now the first openly trans legislator in Hawaii.
🇦🇹 🇨🇦 And my Out in the World column is up with news from Belgium, Bulgaria, Austria, and Canada.
Now, the news
🇺🇦 Ukraine: Parliament’s health care committee has recommended passage of the civil union bill. The bill still needs approval from a legal committee before it is brought to the full parliament for a vote.
🇧🇪 Belgium: Former Prime Minister Elio De Rupo spoke out against transphobia after the current deputy prime minister recommended a transphobic book on his social media channels. More in Out in the World.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria: LGBTQ activists are calling on the president to veto the law banning discussion of LGBT topics in schools – essentially a copycat of Russia’s “LGBT propaganda” law. The Council of Europe has even stepped in to urge the President to veto it. I would not get my hopes up for an intervention. More in Out in the World.
Sports
🏀 Outsports has a list of all the LGBTQ medalists at this year’s Paris Olympics, including UK Diver Tom Daley, who has just announced his retirement after winning silver in the 10 synchronized dive, and US Basketballer Britney Griner, who won gold with her team after she endured months as a hostage in Russian prison.
Meanwhile in the States…
A photo is making the rounds of Republican VP candidate and all-around creep JD Vance in “drag” from his law school days, if you care.
And Ali Velshi at MSNBC has a rundown of Project 2025’s disturbing proposals to denigrate nontraditional families and strip LGBT rights.
🌽 Iowa: An appeals court has overturned a temporary injunction against the state’s book ban law, allowing it to go into effect while lower courts continue a case challenging the law’s constitutionality. The law bans books with LGBTQ content in school libraries, and bans classroom discussion on LGBTQ topics through sixth grade.
🦃 Massachusetts: Gov. Healy signed the Parentage Equality Act into law on Friday.
🦞 Maine: A federal court has upheld state law requiring religious schools to abide by nondiscrimination law in order to receive public funding for student tuition. The schools have filed an appeal and have said they will pursue the matter to the Supreme Court.
🛩️ Ohio: The city of Lorain could be the twelfth in the state to pass a ban on conversion therapy, if council approves the ordinance in September.