Charlotte
Pokémon GO at the Park with Charlotte’s LGBTQ Gaming Group
The Charlotte Gaymers Network will be hosting a day of outdoor gameplay at Freedom Park on June 13 at 12 p.m. This event is scheduled to go on for a few hours, but participants are welcome to roam around the park in groups for as long as they like. This will be one of the group’s first large in-person gatherings since COVID-19 and should prove to be entertaining for gamers and non-gamers alike.
info: bit.ly/3chHDTg
North Carolina
ABC11 Commemorates LGBTQ History in N.C.
Chad Biggs and Chris Creech, the first same-sex couple to ever get married in North Carolina, reminisce about their 2014 wedding with ABC11. In honor of Pride month, ABC11 will be interviewing LGBTQ individuals and honoring LGBTQ histories throughout June. When asked about the importance of Pride month, Creech emphasizes, “It educates people hopefully if they have fears. [So that] they can learn more about what it means to be gay.”
info: abc11.tv/3wNv5Lc
National
Tennessee Bans Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
Bill Lee, Tennessee’s Governor, approved a bill that will keep gender-affirming care out of transgender individuals’ grasp until they are 18 years old. Hormone therapy, including puberty blockers, will not be provided for any youth, even if they have a guardian/parent’s permission. Some doctors have said that no child should receive this sort of care as it is premature and may irreversibly stunt development. However, other physicians argue that treatment such as hormone blockers could keep transgender youth from experiencing the trauma of undergoing two puberties.
info: nbcnews.to/3wUvUlp
LEGO Releases a Rainbow Array of Toys
Titled “Everyone is Awesome!”, these LEGO people were created by designer Matthew Ashton, who wanted to put the message of love and inclusivity into the company’s products. These toys will be on sale for $34.99 just in time for Pride month. This is a 346 pieces set with 11 figures, each one representing a color of the rainbow.
info: cnn.it/3ifvJNq
Queer Studies Minor Launched at Utah University
Utah’s Weber State University has just approved a Queer Studies minor for all undergraduate students. The courses available within the program will study the intersection of race, class, nationality, age, religion and ethnicity within the context of LGBTQ history. This minor was strongly advocated for by university professors like Dr. Theresa Kay, who says, “Because the LGBTQ+ population is still a marginalized and underrepresented group, the curriculum surrounding the minor will equip students to go out into the workforce and be prepared to work with that segment of the population.”
info: bit.ly/3uPnwlG
Illinois to Make Sex Between HIV-Positive Person and Their Partner Illegal
Continuing to gather momentum as more co-sponsors add their names to the bill, House Bill 1063 (HB 1063) could prove detrimental to the safety of HIV/AIDS-positive members of Illinois’ society. HB 1062 would repeal the law that allows persons with HIV to have consensual sex. Should this law no longer be in place, anyone who is HIV-positive would no longer be able to have legally consensual sex. Instead, Illinois could incarcerate anyone with HIV who had sex with a consensual partner simply for the act of spreading HIV.
info: bit.ly/3yZ1EaN
International
Spain Blocks Bill to Allow for Preferred Legal Name Changes
The “Proposed Law for Real and Effective Equality of Transgender People” was shot down by legislative representatives in Spain. This law would have allowed for transgender persons to put their preferred name and gender on their legal documents without having to undergo a psychological evaluation or surgical procedures. The Human Rights Watch also pointed out that nonbinary individuals would be able to leave their gender blank on their legal forms as they do not identify within the binary of male or female.
info: bit.ly/3fQtC0W
Ghana Imprisons 21 LGBTQ Individuals for Holding a Conference
At an LGBTQ conference, 21 persons were arrested for their involvement in “advocating for LGBTQI issues.” Same-sex relationships are still illegal in Ghana, with the maximum sentence for engaging in LGBTQ-related acts being 25 years in prison. The world has begun tweeting #ReleaseThe21 in an effort to free these Ghanaian citizens.
info: cnn.it/3cfPFft
12-Year-Old Boy Commits Suicide in Response to Anti-LGBTQ Bullying
Riley Hadley was a typical boy in the United Kingdom, one who was described as caring and gentle by his mother. But, because of his perceived lack of machismo, Hadley was physically and verbally harassed by his classmates. Terrified to return to school, Hadley, who had been questioning his sexuality, took his own life. His friends told police that he had self-harmed and may have attempted suicide in the past as well.
info: bit.ly/34SDUap
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