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10 States Including Texas in Lawsuit Suing Obama Administration Over Transgender Students’ Rights Fatigue and HIV
Publisher/Executive Editor David Vandygriff publisher@jaxgay.com
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Kim Chi's Beauty Brand Is Donating to a Good Cause For AAPI Month
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7 Hours Of Sleep Is Ideal For Middle-Age And Elderly People, Study Finds
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Trans Youths Who Socially Transition Are Unlikely To 'Detransition' Later, Study Finds Mexican Riviera Maya’s Romantic LGBTQ+ Wedding Site Leaked Decision To Overturn Abortion Rights Shows That Marriage Equality & Sodomy Laws Are Next Out K-Pop Star Holland Called 'Dirty Gay' In Homophobic Attack Millions On Gay Dating App Grindr Have Had Precise Location Data Sold To The Highest Bidder For Years RuPaul Gets Ready to 'Bring Back My Girls' in New Reunion Series GOP Senator Says It “May Be True” That The COVID-19 Vaccine Gives You AIDS Homes In 97% Of U.S. Cities Are Overvalued, Moody's Says
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10 States Including Texas in Lawsuit Suing Obama Administration Over Transgender Students’ Rights By Jennifer Brown
Eleven states are now part of a federal lawsuit filed against the Obama administration in opposition to guidance on ensuring transgender students are not discriminated against in public schools. The lawsuit, originated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. At issue: the Obama administration guidance that says transgender boys must be allowed to use the same facilities as non-transgender boys, and transgender girls must be allowed to use the same facilities as nontransgender girls. In addition to Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma,
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Louisiana, Utah and Georgia, are plaintiffs in the suit. Also included are the Arizona Department of Education, Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage, and one Texas school district and one Arizona school district, according to The Washington Post. The lawsuit states the guidance issued jointly by the Dept. of Justice and Dept. of Education has no basis in law and could cause seismic changes in the operations of the nations school districts, the Post reports. As Jax Gay reported earlier today, saying the Obama transgender guidance “puts our children at risk,” Paxton told a far right wing website last week Texas will fight back in every way we can if the state loses
federal funding over its policies against transgender students. We consider this an extremely risky policy, Paxton told LifeSiteNews, as unconstitutional and its outside of the authority of the president to do this from his position, a claim others dispute. Paxton refused to state if he believes transgender children exist. He also refused to answer yes or no if he’s ever heard of a problem. “The cost of defending the Constitution is always worth it,” Paxton says. He said he does not have a cost estimate of the lawsuit. Paxton thinks the case will get to the U.S. Supreme Court.
these discriminatory bills, legislators were intent on using trans youth as political ploys and have now passed a bill that prohibits trans youth from receiving the life-saving medical care they require. “Today is a sad day in Arizona. Presented with the opportunity to do the right thing and veto SB 1138, Gov. Ducey has instead chosen to give into falsehoods and extremism. Together with the ACLU and NCLR, we will continue to fight for trans youth and will file a lawsuit to challenge this law in court.” The Trevor Project, which assists LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, was also quick to condemn the anti-trans legislation. “While the problems transgender and nonbinary youth cause communities are hypothetical, the harms these laws will cause them are very real,” Sam Ames, director of advocacy and government affairs, said in a press release. “We’re talking about a group of marginalized young people who have consistently been found to be at greater risk for bullying, depression, and attempting suicide — and 85 percent say recent debates around antitrans laws have even further negatively impacted their mental health. Today alone, on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility, three anti-trans bills were signed into law across the country. This onslaught is not an accident; it is overwhelming by design and in direct response to progress in the fight for trans rights. But the Trevor Project will continue
supporting our young people while we continue the fight against these policies. We are here for you, and we are not going anywhere.” Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Kell Olson issued the following statement: “Governor Ducey framed this decision as ‘common sense.’ It’s anything but. These bills will make life harder for transgender kids across Arizona who should have the opportunity to grow up feeling loved and respected for who they are. The governor offered platitudes about treating transgender people with ‘dignity, respect, and kindness,’ while signing legislation that ignores the very real concerns of the transgender youth who came to the legislature to share their stories and the horrific impact these new laws will have on their lives and mental health. That’s not treating people with ‘dignity, respect, or kindness.’ It’s just plain wrong.” “The governor could have used his office to create an honest dialogue about these issues. Instead, he’s following the lead of fringe politicians across the country who are rushing to pass new laws to make life more difficult for transgender people in order to score political points. Arizona can do better.” Oklahoma and Arizona join Iowa, South Dakota, and Utah in enacting anti-trans sports laws this year; in Utah, legislators overrode Gov. Spencer Cox’s veto. The governor of Indiana also
vetoed such legislation. In the previous two years, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia have adopted similarly exclusionary laws. Governors in Kansas, Louisiana, and North Dakota vetoed bills of this kind last year. The Idaho and West Virginia laws are temporarily blocked by court orders while lawsuits against them proceed. On the health care front, last year Arkansas, over the governor’s veto, adopted a law banning all gender-affirming health care for minors, but it is likewise blocked while a lawsuit is heard. Tennessee passed one banning hormone treatment for gender-dysphoric minors who haven’t entered puberty, although hormones are not prescribed before puberty anyway. LGBTQ+ rights groups nonetheless opposed the legislation because it codifies discrimination and interferes in the relationship between health care providers and patients.
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day-to-day life too much. Others may experience symptoms which are much more debilitating. Fatigue and HIV Many people By David Vandygriff living with HIV experience symptoms of f Fatigue is extreme tiredness or atigue episodically, meaning exhaustion that can be they may come and go over experienced at any time of the time. This can make fatigue day and affects your ability to feel especially difficult to carry out daily tasks. manage as fluctuating energy Fatigue is common among levels can make it hard to plan people with HIV. There are a ahead. range of medical and day-toSome of the more common day factors which can cause effects of fatigue include: fatigue and affect how you • difficulty doing simple experience it. There are things, such as brushing activities you can do to help your hair or getting dressed you manage fatigue. • feeling you have no energy Everyone feels tired from time or strength to time, and this is usually • difficulty concentrating and because they are not getting remembering things (brain enough sleep. Insomnia, fog) difficulty sleeping, and • difficulty thinking, speaking, disturbed sleep can have or making decisions several different causes and • feeling anxious and worried tackling them can make a big • feeling breathless after light difference to your mood and activity wellbeing. There’s more advice • feeling dizzy or lightheaded on our sleep page. • difficulty sleeping Effects of Fatigue (insomnia) However, fatigue is a tiredness • losing interest in sex that is not cured by rest. It can • feeling low in mood and have a profound effect on more emotional than usual. people’s lives and affect them Having one or more of these physically, emotionally, symptoms can affect your daily socially, and cognitively. life. You may find you need to Effects of Fatigue take time off or stop working Some people only experience altogether because of fatigue, which may affect you mild symptoms of fatigue and find that it does not affect their financially. Fatigue can also impact your relationships. You may need to 08 www.jaxgay.com
rest more, meaning you might not spend as much time with friends and family. Or you may avoid going out or being with friends because it makes you very tired. Causes of Fatigue The causes of fatigue in people living with HIV vary and are not all fully understood. You may be affected by several different causes of fatigue, which can make your symptoms worse. They can include: •
HIV and how it affects the body • Side effects of some HIV medications which can affect the quality of your sleep (disturbed sleep, vivid dreams, and insomnia) • Other health conditions and/or the medications used to treat them • Low levels of vitamins and minerals • Low hormone levels • Pregnancy • Psychological causes of fatigue, such as depression or anxiety HIV And Its Treatment
Fatigue can be caused by HIV, although clinical researchers are still not clear on how this happens. What we do know is that HIV is a chronic (longterm) condition, and the body mounts a strong immune response against the virus. Even in people with an undetectable viral load, lowlevel inflammation caused by HIV can use up a lot of energy. This means that fatigue might develop because the body is working so hard to fight HIV.
Dealing With Fatigue When you are feeling exhausted most or all the time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. You may struggle to imagine that you could ever feel any different, but there are things that can help to manage fatigue and reduce symptoms. Talk to a health professional you trust about how you are feeling and ask for their opinion and advice. You might find it helpful to prepare for your next appointment by keeping a diary of your symptoms and making notes on activities that you find difficult. Your HIV doctor or GP can check for causes of fatigue that can be treated, such as anaemia. To do this, they may examine you and do some blood tests. They may also review any medicines you are taking in case they are causing or contributing to fatigue.
chronic fatigue syndrome, exercise may not be an appropriate treatment, so it’s important to discuss your plans with your doctor first. If you haven’t been physically active for a while, its fine to start slowly and build up your activity gradually. Your doctor can give you advice on the type and amount of activity that is safe for you. They may also be able to refer you to a physiotherapist who can help you with some exercises to build up strength and energy. It’s best if you find a type of exercise you will enjoy, and you might find that you are more motivated and enjoy it more in a group.
You may find that sometimes it isn’t possible to be active in the way you would like, especially if your fatigue comes and goes. Some activity is better than no activity at all, so it can help to set simple goals (even if this There are also various things that you can do on your own to means just walking from the front door to the back door, or help improve your energy levels. Talk to your HIV doctor, round the block) and building up your activity levels again GP, or another trusted health professional first before making from there. Physical activity can help to reduce fluctuations any big changes. They can in energy levels and make make sure what you are them less extreme, so you may planning is suitable for you. find that this becomes less of a Physical Activity And problem over time. Exercise Emotional Support It may seem the last thing that Speaking to your friends and you want to do when you’re feeling exhausted, but physical family or other people you trust about how you feel may help activity and exercise is often one of the key things that can you feel better able to cope. If you feel like you don’t have help reduce fatigue in people with HIV. In some cases, such anyone you can talk to about as for people with long COVID how you’re feeling, you might or myalgic encephalomyelitis / benefit from accessing peer
support via an HIV support charity. Practical Support Family, friends, neighbors, or other people in your support network can also help you out practically. They may be able to help with tasks like gardening and food shopping if you don’t have the energy to do them yourself. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to get home help from social services. An occupational therapist can also visit your home to identify practical ways of helping you to carry out daily tasks more easily, such as installing a shower seat. Your HIV doctor, specialist nurse or GP can refer you to an occupational therapist. Eat Regular, Healthy Meals And Snacks Maintaining a healthy diet and eating regular meals is important to provide your body with the energy it needs throughout the day. You should also drink plenty of water. Try having ready-made meals or pre-cooked food when you are most tired. You could www.jaxgay.com 09
prepare extra meals or double portions when you are feeling less tired and freeze them for when you need them. Reduce Caffeine And Alcohol Caffeine and alcohol disrupt sleep so it’s best to reduce your intake of these substances, especially in the three to four hours before going to bed. It can help instead to have a warm non-caffeinated drink such as chamomile tea or milk. Stop Smoking Nicotine disrupts sleep and weakens your immune system so stopping smoking can help reduce fatigue. There is more information and advice on stopping smoking on our Smoking and HIV page.
that you may need some time off or adjustments to your role that could help support you to keep working if you want to. If your employer knows you have HIV, you are automatically protected by the Equality Act, which prevents employers victimising or discriminating against people with a disability. HIV is Use Techniques To Improve considered a disability under Sleep Quality the Equality Act, but you do not Establishing a bedtime routine need to view your HIV as a can help improve your sleep. disability to be protected by this This might include going to bed law. The Act also states that at the same time every day, employers are expected to avoiding watching TV or using make reasonable adjustments your phone or computer in the to support employees in the hour immediately before bed, workplace. and practising mindfulness beYou do not need to tell your fore you go to sleep. You can employer you have HIV in find more advice and order to make requests for time information on our sleep page. off or adjustments to your role. Allow Yourself Time To Relax However, if you do tell them, and they still refuse to grant Activities such as meditation, your request, you would have a yoga and massage may help stronger legal case if you need you to relax and feel more in to challenge their decision. control of your health. Coping With Fatigue At Work It may be helpful to make suggestions for adjustments If you find that fatigue is that could help to support you. affecting your ability to work, it Things that your employer can can help to talk to your do to help include: employer and let them know • changing your hours so 20 www.jaxgay.com
that you can travel to and from work at less busy times • asking colleagues to be supportive and to help with some of your work • finding you a parking place near to your place of work • letting you take a short break every now and again to rest • allowing you to work from home, if possible • finding you lighter work if your job involves physical exertion or heavy lifting. If you are self-employed, it can help to talk to the Department for Work and Pensions about benefits that you may be entitled to claim. Further Information There are more tips on managing and living with fatigue on the NHS Inform w website. The Moving Medicine website outlines the evidence for the benefits of physical activity for people with long-term health conditions. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy also has a leaflet specifically on physical activity for people living with HIV.
Kim Chi's Beauty Brand Is Donating to a Good Cause For AAPI Month By Jonathon Lang
Kim Chi Chic Beauty is taking a stand during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
Chic Beauty’s official website. The company’s face products that are a part of this campaign include primers, corrector This week, Chi announced that palettes, and powder sets. All of these face products from her makeup company will be Kim Chi Chic Beauty are donating a portion of its sales retailing for either $18 or $19 to the National Asian on the brand’s online store, so Pacific American Women’s they’re all pretty accessible to Forum (NAPAWF) the average consumer who organization. wants to support Chi’s efforts to “[NAPAWF’s] mission is to help the NAPAWF build collective power with organization. AAPI women and to gain full Recently, select CVS stores agency over their lives, their started to sell Kim Chi Chic families, and their Beauty products, which was a communities,” the RuPaul’s historic moment for a drag Drag Race superstar exqueen-owned makeup plained. company. Along with Trixie She continued: Mattel’s Trixie Cosmetics, Kim “For the month of May, we are Chi Chic Beauty has become committed to donating 10% of one of the most successful business endeavors to come the sale price of our face out from a Drag Race alum. products.” Even back in season eight of The same announcement is Drag Race, Chi was already currently featured on Kim Chi
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very outspoken about representing her South Korean culture and one day owning a makeup brand. It turns out that Chi’s dreams are all coming true as she’s able to manage a very successful makeup company while also supporting a great cause during AAPI Heritage Month.
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7 Hours Of Sleep Is Ideal For Middle-Age And Elderly People, Study Finds By Adam Johnson
Don’t sleep on this study. Middle-age and older people should sleep seven hours each night for ideal rest and recovery, according to a study published last week. The research, published in Nature Aging, studied nearly 500,000 people between the ages of 38 and 73. “While we can’t say conclusively that too little or too much sleep causes cognitive problems, our analysis looking at individuals over a longer
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period of time appears to support this idea,” co-author Jianfeng Feng said in a statement.
using the U.K.’s Biobank program and completed by researchers from the U.K. and China. It relied on participants Researchers found that people reporting their own nights of who got exactly seven hours of sleep. sleep on a consistent basis While the negative effects of saw better mental health, better sleep deprivation have been memory, increased ability to extensively studied, the pay attention and fewer researchers were confused by symptoms of depression. the downside of extra sleep. Previous studies have also suggested that seven hours is the ideal amount of sleep.
“We don’t really understand why sleeping longer would be a problem,” co-author Barbara The latest study was conducted Sahakian told The Guardian.
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Trans Youths Who Socially Transition Are Unlikely To 'Detransition' Later, Study Finds By Janice Dillard
Transgender children are unlikely to "detransition," or come to identify with their birth sex, five years after their social transition, a new study found. The findings, published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics, come from a larger project called the Trans Youth Project. Researchers at Princeton University began in 2013 to track 317 kids between ages 3 and 12 who socially transitioned — the first and largest sample of its kind, according to Kristina Olsen, the study’s lead author and a professor of psychology at Princeton. The results showed that five years after their initial social transition, 94 percent of the study participants were living as either trans girls or trans boys. The remaining youth had "retransitioned," as the study called it, and no longer identified as binary transgender. Of that group, 2.5 percent came to identify with their birth sex. The findings come as Republican lawmakers in more than two dozen states have tried, over the last two years, to restrict access to gender-affirming care for 16 www.jaxgaycom
transgender minors. Social transitions can include wearing different clothing and using a different name and pronouns, but the study defined a complete social transition as changing one's pronouns "to the binary gender pronouns that differed from those used at their births."
surgeries. The number of proposed bills that aim to restrict such care for transgender youth has grown from one in 2018 to 36 this year, according to an analysis by NBC News.
Three states — Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama — have passed laws restricting or Olsen said the study's long-term banning gender-affirming health scope has enabled researchers care for transgender minors. Alabama last month became the to see how gender identity first state to make it a felony for language has evolved. doctors to provide such care. "When we started, we had no families contacting us who had In guidance issued last month, Florida’s surgeon general kids who use they/them recommended against medical pronouns, and almost no one transition for minors due to "the was using the term nonbinary potential for long-term, amongst the community of families we were working with," irreversible effects" and condemned social transition for she said. "This is one of the children. interesting things about a prospective study, of tracking a Supporters of these restrictions cohort over time — not only are say trans youth are too young to they developing and getting know what their gender is, and older and having a sense of many cite research that found maybe changes or not of their that most trans youth come to identity, but also culture is identify with their birth sex later. changing. Our words are The Princeton findings changing, our understanding of contradict that prior research. In gender is changing." the study, just one child of the The study’s findings are 190 who went on puberty relevant to recent legislative blockers or hormones later efforts to limit gender-affirming came to identify as cisgender. care for minors, which includes Puberty blockers are puberty blockers, hormones and medications that suppress the
body's release of sex hormones, but puberty resumes if a person stops taking them. "With regard to this debate or discussion that’s going on, I think the critical piece is that we’re seeing the retransitioning happening before the ages at which kids were beginning medical transition, at least so far in our data," Olsen said.
purport to show that a majority of trans youth later detransition. A report released Monday from researchers at Yale University and the University of Texas Southwestern refutes "flawed science" that officials in Texas and Alabama have cited to support restrictions on gender-affirming medical care.
"These are not close calls or areas of reasonable The other seven children in the disagreement," the authors study who socially transitioned wrote, adding that both and then came to identify with Alabama and Texas leaders their birth sexes did so "before "ignore established medical authorities and repeat blockers were even on the discredited, outdated, and poor table," Olsen added. -quality information." Some researchers and doctors Olsen said that comparisons of have questioned studies that
previous research on the topic to her team's study are like "apples to oranges," because many participants in past studies had not socially transitioned. In one oft-cited 2013 study, researchers classified participants who didn’t return to their clinic as "desisters" of gender dysphoria rather than "persisters," and assumed they no longer identified as trans. Olsen's team plans to follow the cohort in the study for 20 years, well into adulthood, and will track life experiences that affect their mental health.
people of the area), this resort is like its sister property (Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo) in Mexican Riviera Maya’s Romantic Costa Rica: LGBTQ+ Wedding Site nature — and By Drew Bennett the animals in it When Andaz Mayakoba Resort — are not kept at bay but opened in Mexico’s Riviera integrated into the resort and Maya in late 2016, it visitors’ experiences. immediately became a hot wedding destination for samesex couples. The acclaimed, gated Caribbean beachfront eco -resort (just north of Playa del Carmen) is situated on 590 acres surrounded by oceanfront, lush tropical forests, and breath-taking preserved mangrove-laden lagoons. keep you warm until then. That’s one reason that when this lesbian couple (who shared their beautiful images but not their names) got engaged, there was no better destination for their wedding than Mayakoba Resort.
Inspired by Indigenous experiences (the tastes and sounds and culture of the
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Andaz also offers oceanfront options, big ballrooms, tiny nooks, and forest settings; and their on-site wedding consultants handle the details and logistics (everything from the flowers to optional fireworks), relieving couples from the planning stress. For this couple, the ultimate luxury was how the Mayakoba lagoon that circles the resort embraced them, immersing them in the sumptuous sights and sounds of nature during their private ceremony.
to ban abortion or not, meaning that people who need abortions in many states will have to go to illegal providers to get them or leave their states. Leaked Decision To Overturn Abortion Rights Roe originally stated Shows That Marriage Equality that the Due Process & Sodomy Laws Are Next By Tina Davidson Clause of the Fourteenth A draft of the Supreme Court Amendment provides a right to decision in the abortion rights privacy that protects pregnant case Dobbs v. Jackson people’s personal decisions. Women’s Health Organization That same right was later used has been leaked to the media in Lawrence v. Texas (the 2003 and it shows that the Court will Supreme Court decision that be overturning Roe v. Wade ended sodomy laws, which and that they believe their were state laws that banned reasoning can be applied to homosexuality) and Obergefell ending marriage equality and v. Hodges (the 2015 decision bringing sodomy laws back, that legalized marriage equality potentially overturning two of in all 50 states). the biggest LGBTQ rights Which means that if the Court victories in U.S. history. – which has already agreed “Roe was egregiously wrong with Alito that Roe needs to be from the start,” Supreme Court overturned – agrees with Alito Justice Samuel Alito wrote in that the Due Process Clause of the draft decision for Dobbs, the Fourteenth Amendment referring to the 1972 Supreme doesn’t protect “ordered Court decision that said that liberty,” then Lawrence and there is a constitutional right to Obergefell could be overturned an abortion while a fetus is non in the near future as well. -viable. Alito even mentions those The decision, leaked on specific cases on page 32 of Politico, shows that the Court the leaked draft, noting that the has already voted to overturn pro-choice side of the case the right to an abortion in the brought them up as “attempts U.S. and the justices in the to justify abortion through majority (it’s not known yet who appeals to a broader right to is in the majority, other than autonomy and to define one’s Alito) are now just working on ‘concept of existence,'” and their reasoning for the decision, said that allowing the right to which could define its scope. make personal decisions If Roe is overturned, each state “could license fundamental will be able to decide whether rights to illicit drug use, prostitution, and the like.”
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“None of these rights has any claim to being deeply rooted in history,” Alito wrote. “If the reasoning of the draft becomes the majority opinion – and it is worth stressing that this is by no means assured, since it is a draft and may well be watered down by other justices – then it applies equally to Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that all marriages (including my same-sex one) are protected by the Constitution; to Lawrence v. Texas, which held that all intimate sexual activity (including same-sex) was too; and to Griswold v. Connecticut, which held that the right to access contraception is as well,” out attorney Jay Michaelson wrote for The Daily Beast. “To be clear, Justice Alito didn’t leave this to speculation. He specifically mentioned Obergefell and Lawrence as examples of the same faulty reasoning behind Roe,” he continued. “So, in case folks weren’t listening when all those legal Cassandras warned that Roe was going to be overturned, please listen now: Gay marriage is too. Within a year or two. Unless another justice leaves the court, the constitutional right to marriage for all is going to be overturned. The only question is whether Republicans will have a veto-proof majority (or the presidency in 2024) to ban both abortion and gay marriage anywhere in the nation.” “I’m not sure where that leaves my custody of my child, but I
can tell you that I am certain that my family will not be protected by the Constitution two years from now.” In 2020, Justices Alito and Clarence Thomas released an opinion saying that the right for same-sex couples to get married needs to come to an end because of its “ruinous consequences for religious liberty.” Those consequences were that religious people are sometimes called homophobes and therefore their “liberty interests explicitly protected in the First Amendment” were violated. “Obergefell enables courts and governments to brand religious adherents who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman as bigots, making their religious liberty concerns that much easier to dismiss,” Thomas wrote. So at least two Supreme Court justices have publicly stated that they want to overturn Obergefell. A majority could sign Alito’s opinion saying that there is no constitutional basis for the right to marry who one chooses.
Out K-Pop Star Holland Called 'Dirty Gay' in Homophobic Attack By Beth Phillips
South Korean singer Holland, generally celebrated as the first out, gay K-Pop star, is reporting that he was the victim of a homophobic hate crime last night. According to an Instagram post from Holland, he was out with his manager and a friend when he was called “a dirty gay” and hit twice in the face, leaving him with a bleeding wound across his nose. “Last night, I was walking around Itaewon with my manager and a friend,” Holland wrote on Instagram. “Suddenly a stranger man approached me and hit me on the face twice, calling me ‘a dirty gay.’ Now I have a scar on my face and I’m going to the hospital soon. This is obviously a hate crime.”
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“The fact that my sexuality as gay is public should never expose myself to this kind of violence,” he continued. “Nor any other LGBT+ and all elders, women and minorities in this world. This happening in 2022 shows the sad reality of LGBT+ human rights.” Holland also said that he reported the incident to police and is awaiting their findings. “This should never happen to anybody in this world, no matter who you are,” he closed. “I wish our world is filled with more love and hope rather than hate and violence.” The 26-year-old (whose real name is Go Tae-seob) had been out to his friends since middle school, and often faced bullying in school because of his sexuality. When he made his
musical debut in 2018, he was fully out, and his 2019 music video “Neverland” was given a 19+ South Korean rating for including LGBTQ+ content. Still, it received over 1 million views in its first 24 hours. He recently revealed to his fans that he has a “very handsome and kind, tall” boyfriend. He shared the news during a live stream in which he said he wanted to marry the man. He also said that being out in the conservative country of South Korea was difficult, and he was initially discouraged from coming out. “The agencies I spoke to prior to my debut told me not to disclose it,” he said to KPOP Herald in 2019. “After I came out and debuted though, that was not an issue anymore.”
Millions On Gay Dating App Grindr Have Had Precise Location Data Sold To The Highest Bidder For Years By Maggie Wilson
The precise location data of millions of users of the popular gay dating app Grindr has been for sale to the highest bidder for years, allowing purchasers to micro-target them for ad purposes, while making available possibly intimate details of their movements. Those “precise movements,” The Wall Street Journal reports, “were collected from a digital advertising network and made available for sale,” since at least 2017. Grindr says it stopped the flow of the location data to advertising networks two years ago. Historical information may still be available. Grindr, considered one of the first “geosocial” internet apps for LGBTQ people, was publicly released in 2009. It allows users to see other users’ profiles and sort by distance. “The commercial availability of the personal information, which hasn’t been previously reported, illustrates the thriving market for at-times intimate details about users that can be harvested from mobile devices,” The Journal adds, 26 www.jaxgay.com
noting a “U.S. Catholic official last year was outed as a Grindr user in a high-profile incident that involved analysis of similar data.” The data for sale does not include names or phone numbers, but it is specific enough so those with access to it can “infer things like romantic encounters between specific users based on their device’s proximity to one another, as well as identify clues to people’s identities such as their workplaces and home addresses based on their patterns, habits and routines, people familiar with the data said.” The Journal cites general concerns from national security officials “about the intelligence risks from commercially available information.” It also notes concern over the potential for blackmail. “The U.S. government intervened to force a Chinese company into divesting itself from Grindr on nationalsecurity grounds in 2019— citing the risk of blackmail using the app data and the possibility of the Chinese government using the app’s data for surveillance purposes.”
A spokesperson for Near, the new owner of a mobile advertising company formerly named UM, told The Journal: “Every single entity in the advertising ecosystem has access to the information shared by Grindr and every other app that uses the real-time bidding system. That means thousands of entities have such access.” In a blog post Monday, Grindr’s VP of Communications, Patrick Lenihan, calls the Journal’s report “old news,” and suggests the Journal is “[v] ictimizing LGBTQ+ people” by running “a sensationalized story.” He adds Grindr has “put privacy before profit.” But it’s important that users know how their data was used or misused, even historically.
RuPaul Gets Ready to 'Bring Back My Girls' in New Reunion Series By David Vandygriff
Mama Ru is ready to bring back her girls from all over the world.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, as well as Drag Race Holland seasons one and two.
The global phenomenon of RuPaul’s Drag Race will collide in a one-of-a-kind Bring Back My Girls series featuring queens from several different international franchises of the show. This new show will be filmed at DragCon LA 2022 and will showcase live panel conversations between various Drag Race queens. As reported by Deadline, the WOW Presents Plus original series Bring Back My Girls will feature different panels reuniting the casts of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK seasons one and two, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. the World, Canada’s Drag Race seasons one and two,
Ts Madison is set to host these panels, but DragCon attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A portions of each panel. Overall, these different DragCon panels will air on Bring Back My Girls over the course of seven episodes. “It’s a drag, drag, drag, drag world and we are so excited to be welcoming a record number of queens from all over the world to RuPaul’s DragCon this year,” World of Wonder producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato said in a statement. “We cannot wait to showcase them in the new WOW Presents Plus series Bring Back My Girls. These conversations will make you
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laugh and cry while serving you T from a global perspective.” RuPaul’s DragCon LA 2022 will take place on May 13, 14, and 15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Weekend tickets are $80, whereas one-day tickets are being sold for $50 (Friday or Saturday) and $40 (Sunday). The event is free for kids under seven years of age. This edition of DragCon LA will feature a record-breaking number of drag performers from different Drag Race franchises. Fan-favorite queens from the US seasons of Drag Race and All Stars will be present, as well as contestants from Drag Race UK, Canada’s Drag Race, Drag Race España, Drag Race Holland, Drag Race Philippines, and more.
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GOP Senator Says It “May Be True” That The COVID-19 Vaccine Gives You AIDS By Will Johnson
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told an anti-vaccine activist in an interview that it “may be true” that the COVID-19 vaccines are giving people AIDS. Johnson, who has a history of downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, was talking with anti-vaccine extremist Todd Callender. “You’ve got more than 100 doctors here, all of whom will tell you that these shots caused vaccine-induced AIDS,” Callender said in the video interview. “They purposefully gave people AIDS. They knew all of this, yet they licensed these shots anyway.” “This is criminal intent.” Callender’s claims are false. The vaccines have been found to be safe and effective at protecting people from severe COVID-19. AIDS is caused by HIV, a virus. Vaccine manufacturers are not putting a virus into the various COVID19 vaccines just to infect people. Johnson could have pointed out that Callender was just making wild claims with no basis in reality – actually, a U.S. senator would probably 32 www.jaxgay.com
have done well to avoid talking to Callender at all – claims that could put others in danger if they are believed, but instead he seemed to agree with Callender’s main point but worried that Callender was moving too fast. “You got to do one step at a time,” Johnson said. “Everything you say may be true, but right now the public views the vaccines as largely safe and effective, that vaccine injuries are rare and mild. That is the narrative,” he continued. “That’s what the vast majority of the public accepts. So until we get a larger percentage of the population with their eyes open, to: ‘Whoa, these vaccine injuries are real. Why?’ You’ve got to do step by step.” Johnson was one of eight U.S. senators to vote against the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March 2020, saying that coronavirus death is “a risk we accept so we can move about. We don’t shut down our economies because tens of thousands of people die from the common flu.” As the chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Johnson used his position of
power to hold hearings on bizarre COVID conspiracy theories. He invited fringe figures who testified about using Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat the disease, both medications that have been shown to not help fight COVID-19. In April 2021, over a year after the start of the pandemic, he suggested people gargle mouthwash to prevent COVID. “Standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus,” he said. “If you get it, you may reduce viral replication. Why not try all these things?” Despite his desire to get people to try unproven methods of fighting the virus, he does not support the most effective way to fight the pandemic: vaccines. He has refused to say that the vaccines are safe and he has not encouraged his constituents to get vaccinated, unlike other political leaders. He has claimed that the vaccines kill people through “immune system overreaction,” which is not a thing that happens. YouTube even suspended
Johnson’s account for seven days to stop him from spreading COVID misinformation. “We removed the video in accordance with our COVID-19 medical misinformation policies, which don’t allow content that encourages people to use hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus,” a spokesperson for the video sharing platform said last June. He continues to claim that the FDA has not approved any of the COVID-19 vaccines, which is not true. Johnson has gotten a score of “0” for the last several years on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard, showing strong opposition to LGBTQ equality.
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annual cost of a home.
competing with buyers from San Francisco and other big cities, who often have more Cities in the money to spend on housing. South and Mountain West, That is driving up prices beyond the reach of many which have seen an influx people earning a typical salary in those regions. of buyers Homes In 97% Of U.S. Cities Are during the Nashville, where Moody's Overvalued, Moody's Says pandemic, estimates homes are 48% By Jake Sappington could suffer a overvalued, is one of those 10% drop in housing prices cities experiencing the pain of Home values in 97% of U.S. during the next several years, rapid price escalation. cities are overvalued, and real Zandi predicted. Realtor Shane Tallant stated estate in some of the most that new property listings under overpriced regions could fall by "It probably makes sense to $700,000 generate wait a year or two if you are 10% over the next few years, frenzies, with often more than a according to Moody's Analytics. able," he said in an email to dozen offers within 24 hours. CBS MoneyWatch. "House The pandemic has boosted prices will be lower in the most Soaring real estate prices in home prices in parts of the overpriced markets, and there Nashiville are forcing out some country far beyond the typical will be more housing inventory businesses and consumers. coastal hot spots, Moody's to choose from." The Little Pantry That Could, chief economist Mark Zandi which provides food assistance Zandi added, "Of course, it said in a new analysis. The to people in need, was forced won't be a slam-dunk better most overpriced city in the to close because its five-year market to purchase a home if nation is Boise, Idaho, which lease wasn't renewed in a you need a mortgage, as became a magnet for neighborhood where investors mortgage rates will likely be technology workers who are buying properties. wanted to relocate from pricey higher." "I don't feel like it's my fault, but California cities when their The economist said a given yeah, of course, it's clear we're offices shut due to the housing market is considered pandemic. By Moody's overvalued if property costs in letting them down," said Stacy Downey, the executive director reckoning, Boise's homes are the area are "well above" the 73% overvalued, making it the historical relationship between of the pantry. most overpriced city in the home prices and incomes, "Rock And A Hard Place" nation. rents and construction costs. The nation's most overvalued The analysis may raise That may explain why smaller cities aren't the usual suspects. concerns for homebuyers, cities like Boise are at the top After Boise, the second-most especially in regions where real of the list of overvalued home overpriced market is estate prices have enjoyed markets, rather than Sherman-Denison, Texas, near rapid gains during the notoriously expensive cities like the Dallas-Fort Worth area, pandemic. At the same time, New York. Housing may be where homes are valued 60% buyers face a double-whammy pricier on a per-foot basis in above what fundamentals of high housing prices and New York or San Francisco, would suggest. Its population rapidly rising mortgage rates, but workers there typically have has grown by double-digits for with the latter adding higher incomes and can two decades as people thousands of dollars to the support higher costs. relocated to Texas from other regions. The third most Locals in Boise are now overpriced city is Muskegon, 34 www.jaxgay.com
Michigan, where housing is 59% overvalued, Moody's found. Homebuyers are "stuck between a rock and a hard place," especially first-time purchasers, noted Jeff Tucker, senior economist at Zillow. On the one side are surging home prices and mortgage rates, but on the flip side are skyrocketing rents, he pointed out. The monthly rent in the nation's 50 largest cities rose an average of 14% in 2021, adding to the financial pressure facing many Americans. That's fueling an interest in buying because purchasers can at least lock in a stable monthly mortgage payment, even if they'll be paying more than a year ago, Tucker noted. The nation's high housing valuations are raising questions about whether the housing market is facing another bubble, like the one in 2006 that fueled the Great Recession. Yet such concerns are likely misplaced, Tucker said. "There are a lot of stark differences with the mid-
2000s," he said. "For one thing, rents are rising very rapidly, and the credit of all the recent homebuyers is really strong." That might protect against a repeat of the housing bust, but it may not assuage homebuyers' fears of overpaying. House-hunters should examine their budgets to figure out if they can afford the purchase, with the guiding principle being to spend no more than one-third of gross income on housing costs, including mortgage, property tax, insurance and maintenance, experts say. Tucker also recommends asking whether a prospective buyer would be happy to live in he home for several years. "The classic rule of thumb is five years" to hold onto a property, he said. "If the answers to those questions are yes, then I think there is a good argument for forging ahead to buy that house." He added, "The other important question is 'Where else would I be living, and how much would that cost?'" www.jaxgay.com 31