Category: Informative

By Sandhya Maddali In the midst of Pride Month and on the fourth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, the US Department of Health and Human Services enacted a change to Section 1557, effectively removing protections for trans and gender non-conforming people.  Section 1557 is a portion of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 that… Continue reading Trump Administration Ruling Allows for Transgender and Non-binary Discrimination in Healthcare

By Sofia Pham In a landmark decision Monday morning, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to ban LGBTQ employment discrimination.  The decision specifically addressed the cases of two gay men and one transgender woman who had sued their employers on the basis of discrimination after being fired.  Bostock v. Clayton County involved the termination of George… Continue reading Supreme Court outlaws discrimination against LGBTQ workers

By Aarushi Pant Every year, June is a celebrated month for the LGBTQ community worldwide, but this year, it comes at a time of unrest and uncertainty. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage many parts of the globe, the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis has incited… Continue reading Honoring the Colorful History of Pride

By Ethan Jiang In 1998, a Costa Rican Pride parade in the capital of San José was canceled after the president at the time, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, refused to grant a permit for the event. 21 years later, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada became the first Costa Rican President to march at the annual gay pride… Continue reading Costa Rica carves a new path

By Ethan Jiang Pixar’s “Onward,” a charming film about a pair of adventurous elves, recently topped the box office for the second weekend in a row. However, its first-place finish is somewhat deceiving; ticket sales plummeted that week because of coronavirus fears. Just as one statistic fails to paint a full picture, the whole story… Continue reading LGBTQ censorship marches “Onward”

By Sofia Pham June 25, 1978. San Francisco. A then 27-year-old Gilbert Baker was stationed in the attic of the San Francisco Gay Community Center, soaking eight fabric strips in trash cans filled with vibrant dye. Hot pink for sex. Red for life. Orange for healing. Yellow for the sun. Green for nature. Turquoise for… Continue reading The Making of the Pride Flag

By Sofia Pham January 1 - Same-sex marriage legalized in Austria. January 25 - New York becomes the 15th state to ban the use of conversion therapy on minos following a bill signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. February 1 - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs legislation requiring public schools to include contributions by LGBT… Continue reading 2019: Milestones for the LGBTQ community this year

By Sandhya Maddali Last year, on Sep. 6, 2018, India declared the application of Section 337 on homosexuality unconstitutional, effectively decriminalizing homosexuality in the country. Section 337, which makes sexual acts “against the order of nature” illegal, seems to be neutral at face value. The meaning of the section is a gray area in certain… Continue reading Leaps and Bounds: India’s changing attitudes towards homosexuality

By Aarushi Pant and Sofia Pham The Trump administration has overturned an Obama-era rule that prevented discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, allowing for faith-based foster care and adoption agencies to deny services to LGBT families. The proposed rule, released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), would enable… Continue reading Trump administration proposes rule allowing adoption agencies to turn away LGBT couples