Fogbow

Over the last decade, more than half the country has moved to protect LGBTQ youth from “conversion therapy,” a widely discredited practice that aims to “cure” queer and transgender people. This week, Pennsylvania became the 27th state to restrict conversion efforts, in a move advocates and medical experts say could have a powerful impact on young LGBTQ people in the state and beyond.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed an executive order Tuesday that would prevent conversion therapy practitioners from using state funds. The action also directs state agencies to discourage conversion efforts and establish culturally appropriate care and services for LGBTQ people.

“Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the people it supposedly seeks to treat,” Wolf said in a press release.

Wolf cited the fact that the conversion efforts have been rejected by most medical and scientific professionals, and has been linked to worse mental health outcomes for LGBTQ youth.

Fifty Shades of Whey @davenewworld_2 wrote: Armed volunteers in Texas protect a drag event from a bunch of far-right bigots

Volkonski wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:03 pm Texas

6 hours ago - Politics & Policy
Senate Republicans' same-sex marriage poker face
Andrew Solender

Senators who are whipping Republican support for a bill to codify marriage equality are bullish on its chances of passing — but some supporters’ names may not be known until the vote occurs, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: With the House passing the bill in July and President Biden expected to sign it if it reaches his desk, the Senate stands as the primary hurdle.

State of play: Democrats need the votes of 10 Republicans in order to break a filibuster, but only a handful have come out publicly in support of the bill so far.

The intrigue: Don't expect to find out all the Republican senators supporting the legislation until the actual vote, a source close to the negotiations told Axios. "There are some who have given their support for the legislation privately," the source said. "You’re not going to see 10 Republicans announce their support for it before they actually vote." Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who has been championing the bill, told Axios: "I have certainly had conversations where Republicans have privately indicated to me that they will support it." “There are a couple that might be in that category,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), another one of the senators involved in the talks.

Between the lines: Public polling in recent years has found that while gay marriage is widely supported in the U.S., it remains a divisive issue among Republican voters. By waiting until the vote itself to make their positions known, Republican senators may be able to avoid drawn-out media coverage and limit political backlash from their base.

Driving the news: Senior Senate Democrats have in recent days considered attaching it to a "continuing resolution" that must be passed to temporarily fund the government, according to a Democratic Hill source. That would make it a part of what White House has described as "critical" legislation, while allowing leadership to conserve precious Senate floor time.

Yes, but: This idea has received bipartisan pushback. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) offered an emphatic "yeah," when asked at the Capitol on Tuesday if Republicans would have a problem with it. “I think it’ll be a reason some of my colleagues might vote against the CR,” said Portman, arguing the move would hurt the odds of both bills passing. Baldwin said it is not her "preferred path" because she wants to vote on the bill "sooner rather than later."

What we're watching: The bill's backers have signaled the Republican votes are coming together. Baldwin said "informal" conversations took place over the recess and — with the Senate back in session — there will be “face-to-face” talks to "firm that up." Her office told Axios she "is confident that she will be able to earn the 10 GOP votes necessary" and "plans to meet with her Republican colleagues this week to compare notes on their outreach efforts to build support." Along with Baldwin and Portman, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have also been involved in gathering GOP support, sources told Axios' Alayna Treene. Collins told Politico: "We’re in pretty good shape."

What’s next: The group is hoping to shore up Republican support with an amendment to clarify that the bill does not infringe on religious freedom, which was first reported by Axios. "We've been sharing it around ... with members," Baldwin said of the amendment. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he has had staff-level negotiations on the bill, adding: "My focus is on ensuring that we protect religious liberties." "Religious liberty is a real, serious concern," said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who, like Romney, is a key vote on the bill.

A federal judge in Texas has ruled partially in favor of plaintiffs that argued that requiring insurance companies to cover medications for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, violates their rights on religious grounds.

Jonathan Mitchell, who founded a one-person law firm in 2018 intending to challenge decades-old Supreme Court rulings, brought the case Braidwood Management Inc., vs. Xavier Becerra, in the Northern District of Texas.

There, United States district judge Reed O’Conner ruled in favor of plaintiffs who argued that paying for insurance that covers PrEP violates their religious beliefs because PrEP “enables and encourages homosexual behavior.”

Uninformed wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 1:43 pm If it’s not already a target

“Peppa Pig: First same-sex couple for children's show”:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62824913

“It comes two years after a petition was created on a US-based website, demanding a "same-sex parent family on Peppa Pig". It has garnered almost 24,000 signatures.”

Volkonski wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 7:25 pm https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1568 ... XK9qQ&s=19

The Intellectualist @highbrow_nobrow wrote: Here is @SenatorBraun (R-IN) saying interracial marriage should be left to the states.

This is what the GOP wants in 2022.

Slim Cognito wrote: ↑Fri Jul 01, 2022 7:24 pm change approved.jpg

neonzx wrote: ↑Tue Sep 13, 2022 1:44 pm Since we are talking about a new marriage over in another thread... I started thinking about something that I can't believe was 15 years ago.

The first Iowa same-sex marriage after the state supreme court unanimously ruled in favor of. These two young dudes (young then). How much that piece of paper meant.

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 11:47 am Happy anniversary! Love your wedding date!

Foggy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 4:33 pm Totally awesome, boogiebach!

RVInit wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 11:28 pm

Foggy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 4:33 pm Totally awesome, boogiebach!