Mandatory State Training Steers Judges to Question Fitness of Parents Who Don’t Affirm Gender-Confused Kids

Trans youth kids at public assembly

Judges who handle child abuse and neglect cases in California are required to take a training on LGBT issues that pushes them to consider whether parents who object to their child’s preferred pronouns should have custody.

The Judicial Council of California’s “LGBTQ+ Considerations” training, offered twice annually for judges working on juvenile dependency cases, instructs judges on how to handle youth gender identities, advising them to “be aware that LGBTQ youth may be at risk of harm at home, school and in other settings due to biased or uninformed attitudes or conduct by peers/adults,” according to a presentation from June 2023 obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation via a public records request. After citing statistics on mental health problems among LGBT youth and warning judges to stay alert about “physical or emotional abuse” by parents that does not have a “clear reason,” the presentation puts forward three hypothetical scenarios for the judges to sort through.

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Gays Against Groomers Endorse Candidates Who Pledge to Ban ‘Sexualization, Indoctrination, and Medicalization’ of Children

Gay Against Groomers activist

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist pioneered the “pledge” for politicians seeking an advocacy group’s election endorsement, in his case, to “oppose any and all tax increases.” Violate the pledge, and face the wrath of voters.

Now a contrarian gay advocacy group is jumping into election endorsements with its own pledge: protect children from “sexualization, indoctrination, and medicalization under the guise of LGBTQ+.”

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Lawyer Sues Wisconsin Bar over Clerkship Program That Allegedly Selects Students Based on Race

Lawyer Group

A Wisconsin lawyer sued the state bar Wednesday over a diversity clerkship program that allegedly limits eligibility to students who are minorities or who identify as LGBT.

Attorney Daniel Suhr, backed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, filed the lawsuit because he objects to his bar membership dues being used to fund an “unconstitutional program” that selects participants based on protected traits like race. The “Diversity Clerkship Program,” which has offered paid internships to nearly 600 students, is restricted only to students “with backgrounds that have been historically excluded from the legal field,” according to its website.

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Tennessee ACLU Files Lawsuit Against ‘Unconstitutional’ Murfreesboro LGBT Policies

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of LGBT activists who say Murfreesboro discriminates against them.

Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), founder and host of the annual BoroPride Festival, is the plaintiff in the case, which says that a city ordinance designed to keep drag shows out of public places violates the First and 14th Amendments.

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Commentary: Woke U.S. Diplomacy Is Not Popular Around the Globe, nor at Home

The Biden administration is fraying relations with some allies and generating pushback from Congress by spending millions of taxpayer dollars to promote the woke ideology abroad that has stirred controversy at home since President Biden took office.  

In a “national security memorandum” shortly after his swearing-in, Biden ordered all federal agencies with dealings abroad not only to protect LGBT rights in the face of discrimination and violence but to actively advance them. His State Department has said one of its goals is to “embed intersectional equity principles into diversifying public diplomacy and communications strategies” in relations with other nations. 

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Target’s Sales Crumble for the First Time in Years amid Backlash over LGBT Kid Merchandise

Target reported Wednesday that it was lowering its sales and profit expectations for the rest of the year, with the company having faced conservative backlash earlier in the quarter over the release of LGBT products for kids, according to Target’s second quarter earnings report.

Target lowered its sales and profit expectations for the rest of the year after its quarterly sales fell for the first time in six years, declining 5.4%, while it announced it expected its share price to clock in between $7.00 to $8.00 as opposed to the previously expected $7.75 to $8.75, according to the earnings report. The decrease in expectations follows backlash from conservatives after the company announced a Pride Month collection in May that included LGBT merchandise marketed to kids.

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Minnesota Catholic Colleges Announce ‘Non-Binary Admissions Policy’

Two affiliated Catholic colleges in Minnesota adopted a policy for the new academic year allowing “non-binary, gender-fluid, and gender-nonconforming individuals” to enroll in a men’s or women’s college based on the sex with which they identify.

The colleges’ previous policy only explicitly referred to “transgender” students, except in a “frequently asked question” that noted non-binary students must “consistently live and identify” as either a man or a woman.

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Concerned Parent Blows Whistle on LGBT Material Displayed to Four-Year-Olds in Nashville Public School

A concerned parent shared a photo with The Tennessee Star this week depicting an LGBT pride flag at Dan Mills Elementary School in Nashville, which he said is on display for children as young as four years old.

The pride flag is emblazoned with the words “MNPS for All,” and hangs above a poster that breaks students into groups by race and sexual orientation, noting that each group is “loved.”

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Exclusive: Inside Source Details Extreme Messaging from Far-Left Planning Session

An inside source Friday provided The Tennessee Star with more details from a June 28 meeting hosted by radical members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in Nashville. 

Earlier this week, The Star reported on the event, where an inside source provided secretly obtained audio recordings from a portion of the meeting. But what was not caught on audio, the source explained, was far more radical than what was caught on audio. 

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Public Pride Display Removed After Tennessee Mayor Speaks Out

In his capacity as a private citizen, the mayor of the town of Athens spoke out against a “pride month” display at the town’s library, eventually leading to the display being taken down. 

Athens Mayor Steven Sherlin and Vice Mayor Larry Eaton demanded that the display at the E.G. Fisher Library be taken down at a Tuesday city council, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

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Concerns That Transgender Culture Has Gone Too Far Make for Unusual Pride Month

Pride Month in the U.S. and elsewhere has historically been, for many, a celebration of gay rights and equality. But this year’s annual festivities have been undercut by concerns from consumers and others who believe transgender culture is being pushed upon them and their children, which has resulted in some companies and governments pulling back their support.  

The recent backlash over heartland brands that appeared to alienate long-time core customers began in earnest earlier this year when Bud Light entered into a paid partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. 

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Parents Furious at Wyoming School Board for Pushing LGBT, Sexual Content on Kids Despite Them ‘Opting Out’

A district-wide library book policy has parents accusing a Wyoming school board of failing to stop the “sexualization” of their kids, according to ABC13 News.

Laramie County School District No. 1 (LCSD) has given parents the option to opt their kids out of particular LCSD library books by filling out a form asking them the reasoning for the request. During the school board of trustees meeting on June 5, the school board was criticized for how it handled library resources, causing parents to call for a change in the library book policy.

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Gov. Lee Proclaims June ‘Great Outdoors Month’ in Tennessee

Gov. Bill Lee (R) Monday released a proclamation marking June as “Great Outdoors Month” in Tennessee. 

“From Mountain City to Memphis, Tennessee is blessed with an abundance of beauty & rich natural resources. I’m proud to proclaim this June “Great Outdoors Month” & celebrate our commitment to preserving Tennessee’s outdoor heritage for future generations,” Lee said on Twitter. 

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Missouri School Allows Reading of LGBT Book to Second Graders Despite State Law Requiring Parental Consent

A Missouri elementary school allowed a parent to read the transgender-promoting children’s book “I Am Jazz” to a second-grade class without first informing other parents, although state law requires school districts to notify parents beforehand about lessons on sexuality.  

Webster Groves School District, located in the suburbs of St. Louis, allowed the parent to read “I Am Jazz” to the second graders in September as part of Clark Elementary School’s “Mystery Reader” program, where a family member surprises a child by reading to the class.  

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Cosponsor Admits Bill Forces Pennsylvania Doctors to Practice ‘Gender-Affirming’ Medicine

On Monday, a legislative committee passed a bill a cosponsor admits would force Pennsylvania physicians to provide treatments meant to mask a gender-dysphoric person’s biological sex.

A measure supporters call the “Fairness Act” and tout as an anti-discrimination bill passed the Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee on a 12-9 party-line vote. In a speech defending the bill, cosponsoring Representative Emily Kinkead (D-Bellevue) confirmed assertions by the legislation’s opponents that it would compel doctors to deliver “gender-affirming” medicine. 

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Detransitioners Back Florida Medicaid Rule amid LGBT Legal Challenge

Three “detransitioners”—men who underwent surgeries in pursuit of a female gender identity but later rejected that identity—filed a legal brief supporting a Florida health agency’s rule preventing Medicaid from reimbursing for transgender medical interventions.

Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration finalized the rule in August 2022, declaring that Medicaid would not cover “puberty blockers,” hormones, “sex reassignment” surgeries, or other procedures that alter primary or secondary sex characteristics.

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Liberal Pennsylvania Senators Want Solitary Confinement Abolished for LGBTQ People but Not for Straight People

Two leftist Pennsylvania state senators are reintroducing legislation that would ban the use of solitary confinement for gay and transgender prisoners but allow its limited use on others.

Senators John Kane (D-Chester) and Katie Muth (D-Royersford) sent colleagues a memorandum describing their proposal and bemoaning the effects of isolation on prisoners’ mental health. Their bill would limit to 15 days a period of solitary confinement for any of Pennsylvania’s 37,000 state-facility inmates. LGBTQ individuals as well as pregnant women, minors and those 70 or older would be shielded from any isolated imprisonment.

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Nashville’s Jason Whitlock Suggests Himself for Twitter CEO

In the wake of Elon Musk’s indication that he will resign as chief executive officer of the social-media platform Twitter, Nashville-based journalist and sportscaster Jason Whitlock is suggesting himself as an apt replacement.

Musk tweeted out a poll to Twitter users last weekend asking whether they wished him to remain as the website’s CEO or leave the post. The survey garnered 17 million responses, 57.5 percent of whom voted for Musk’s departure. The founder of the auto company Tesla and the spacecraft creator SpaceX acquired Twitter in late October for $44 billion and is expected to remain the platform’s owner while giving up direction of the company to another individual whom he has not yet selected.

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Disney CEO Pledges to Double Down on LGBT ‘Storytelling’ in Animated Kids’ Movies

Bob Iger, the newly appointed CEO of Disney, pledged to double down on LGBT “storytelling” in the company’s animated kids’ movies during a Monday town hall with employees, according to The New York Times.

Iger served as CEO for 15 years before retiring in late 2020; he was brought back in about a year later after his successor, Bob Chapek, was fired, according to the NYT. Tumbling stock prices marked Chapek’s tenure as CEO, as did public outrage over the company’s political engagement in Florida and its alleged efforts to inject sexual content into children’s shows, particularly through gay and transgender characters.

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Governor Wolf Bestows $2.5 Million in Taxpayer Funds on LGBT Center in Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) on Wednesday joined a number of state, federal and city officials to celebrate the awarding of $2.5 million in taxpayer funds to a gay and transexual activity center in Philadelphia’s “Gayborhood.” 

Wolf said the money from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) will go toward several major renovations envisioned for the William Way LGBT Community Center just south of City Hall. The grant comes in addition to $1 million the center received from the state in 2019 to improve the property’s heating, ventilation and cooling systems as well as to remodel the building’s front area. 

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Tennessee House Bill Would Hold Doctors Civilly Liable for Transgender Surgeries

A bill introduced in the Tennessee House of Representatives would allow doctors to be held liable in civil court for completing transgender surgeries on minors.

“The legislature determines that medical procedures that alter a minor’s hormonal balance, remove a minor’s sex organs, or otherwise change a minor’s physical appearance are harmful to a minor when these medical procedures are performed for the purpose of enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex or treating purported discomfort or distress from a discordance between the minor’s sex and asserted identity,” says House Bill 1, introduced by Rep. William Lamberth (R-District 44).

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Humphreys County Parent Angered After Child Brings Bible Home from School

A Humphreys County parent is angry after she said her child was given a bible from school. 

“[My daughter] said they put the Bibles on a table and the principal himself said, ‘You can take them,’ and she felt very uncomfortable not doing it because she was afraid to catch hell from kids,” according to the parent, who asked to remain anonymous. 

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Anti-Child Mutilation Protest in Nashville Draws Far-Left Counter Protestors

An anti-child mutilation protest of an estimated 1,000 people held on Friday afternoon in Nashville that featured a long list of Republican speakers and child rights activists also brought out a smaller group of far-left counter protesters.

“‘Gender-affirming care’ is neither affirming nor care,” says an invite to the rally. “In September, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh unveiled an alarming report on the use of irreversible—and harmful puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and surgeries on healthy children at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Children should be able to trust their doctors, but are instead at the mercy of a destructive ideology led by activists.”

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City of Jackson Officially Sponsoring Jackson Pride Event that Includes All Ages Drag Show

The City of Jackson is listed as an official sponsor of Jackson Pride’s weekend LGBT pride celebration, which features an all-ages drag show. 

“Jackson Pride is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQIA community and its allies. Hosted every fall right here in Jackson, TN, it celebrates inclusivity in a fun, family-friendly environment,” says the city’s official website.

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Hamilton County Conservatives Start Petition to Ban All-Ages Drag Shows

A conservative non-profit in Hamilton County has launched a petition to bar anyone under 18 years old from attending a drag show. 

“We the people of Tennessee sign below petitioning the legislature of our state to pass a law that requires all drag performances be for persons who have reached the age of 18 and above only,” says a petition page on the group’s website. “Children under the age of 18 shall not be permitted to attend, even if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.”

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President of Chattanooga Pride Says Group Considering Changes After Drag Show Debacle

The president of Chattanooga Pride, an LGBT non-profit in the Scenic City, says it is considering updating its guidelines for drag events after a weekend event at a brewery spawned a public relations nightmare for the organization. 

Noah Corbin told The Tennessee Star in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday that the group is considering ways to alert audiences about the more provocative events that the group hosts. 

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Ohio State Board of Education Considers Resolution Against Gender Ideology

Ohio’s State Board of Education on Tuesday heard public comment on a proposed resolution treating biological sex as an “objective, scientific fact” and opposing school policies that seek to blur the lines on this subject.

Board member Brendan Shea (District 5) introduced the measure, which balks at regulations recently proposed by President Joe Biden. If finalized, the federal Department of Education rules would effectively force schools to call gender-dysphoric K-12 students by their preferred names and pronouns rather than their given names and biological pronouns. They would also require school athletic programs to assign children to teams based on avowed gender identity rather than physiological sex. 

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Legal Group Looks to Pressure Schools into Enforcing Trans Agenda

A pro-LGBT legal group based in St. Paul has released a “public education toolkit” to pressure schools into promoting transgender ideology.

In a September 12 news release, Gender Justice announced its “Cool 4 School” initiative to “inform students, their families, and their schools about legal protections for transgender, non-binary, two-spirit and other gender non-conforming students returning to Minnesota classrooms.”

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Memphis Science and History Museum Holding ‘Family Friendly’ Drag Show, Sparking Backlash

The Memphis Museum of Science and History is facing backlash after news emerged that it will hold a drag show for people of all ages on September 23. 

“Presenting the Museum of Science & History’s grand culmination of our Summer of Pride programming and a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, the FIRST EVER MoSH DRAG SHOW!,” says an advertisement on the museum’s website. “This historic show will star a diverse cast of performers featuring different styles, expressions, and identities, showcasing some of the infinite ways in which we can manifest the art of drag. After the show, we’ll kick off our intergenerational dance party, where everyone is invited to come together and dance the night away. Join us for a night of art, music, dance, and community at the museum.”

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LGBT Activist’s Study About Transgender ‘Social Contagion’ Falls Apart Under Scrutiny

A study purporting to debunk the theory that social contagion contributes to transgender identity has several fundamental flaws, according to experts who reviewed the study.

The study — ‘Sex Assigned at Birth Ratio Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Adolescents in the United States’ — used findings from the flawed methodology to recommend that female adolescents who identify as trans be provided “gender affirming care,” a common euphemism in the activist community to describe chemical and surgical interventions for sex changes. The lead author of the study, Dr. Jack Turban, is himself a member of the LGBT community and an outspoken advocate for such interventions.

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Commentary: Talking Back to the LGBT Lobby

The Hill was recently in a great huff because Twitter would not remove statements by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) referring disrespectfully to gender reassignment surgery and calling Admiral Rachel Levine by her former male name. Although I’m not recommending disrespectful language, I’m also not sure that I see the reason for this indignant outburst. The Hill supposedly supports the right of letting dissenting (non-leftist) voices into the public discussion. Why is Greene not allowed to oppose gender reassignment surgery, a critical position that millions of Americans openly and passionately hold? Have we reached the point where we can no longer criticize the woke agenda without running the risk of being canceled by Twitter, at the urging of The Hill and other supposedly non-leftist websites? 

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Twitter Censors ‘Groomer’ Term After Left-Wing Pressure Campaign

Tennessee Star

Twitter began censoring the word “groomer” after left-wing media watchdog group Media Matters for America pressured the site to crack down on the term, which they claim is anti-LGBT.

Commentator James Lindsay was locked out of his Twitter account Thursday for calling a Media Matters employee a groomer, according to screenshots Lindsay shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. He had to delete his tweet and wait an additional 12 hours to regain full access to his account.

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Arizona Department of Education Directs Pre-Teens to Trans Online Chat Rooms

A “Student Resources” page on the website of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) directs pre-teens to LGBT sources of information and support. 

“These resources are provided to assist in the support of LGBTQ students in our schools and communities,” according to the ADE. “They were collected by members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community as part of ADE’s Equitable and Inclusive Practices Advisory Council.”

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Scottsdale USD Club’s Worksheet Encourages Students to Question Their Heterosexuality

An Arizona school district is under fire after a worksheet exercise asking students to reconsider their heterosexuality went viral online. 

“[Scottsdale Unified School District] reportedly hosted a student club to “promote leadership and diversity” which was actually a cover for teaching gender identity and sexuality,” popular Twitter account Libs of TikTok said, adding a photo of the worksheet. 

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Commentary: Stop Saying ‘LGBT’

Here are two representative recent items on the topic of “LGBT identity.”   

First, The Federalist on June 2 ran an article about the “New Gay Left” in which Christopher Bedford lamented that the old gay pride movement, which pleaded, reasonably enough, “for inclusion, acceptance, and self-esteem,” has been replaced by an aggressive, off-putting push centered on “trans kids,” “pregnant men,” and other far-out notions that offend “a lot of people who have no problem with ‘gay rights,’ as they thought they understood them.” 

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The Media Empire Behind CNN+ Is Pushing a New Show About Teenage Drag Queens

The Discovery+ network is airing a show about children who dress in hypersexual drag costumes to explore their identities and gain confidence in a new show called “Generation Drag.”

The show will feature five teenagers and their families as they prepare for a performance at “Dragutante,” a drag show aimed at helping young LGBT people express themselves, according to a Discovery+ description.

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Far-Left Ohio State Senator Announces Opposition to Divisive Concepts Bill

An LGBT Senator in Ohio is upset over a recently-introduced bill that would prevent “divisive concepts” from being taught in the classroom. 

“HB 616 is more than just about censoring LGBTQ discussion. The bill combines the worst parts of Ohio’s curriculum bans censoring topics of race and intersectionality. A more expansive version of Florida’s Recent Bill,” State Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-District 23) said. 

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Ohio Senate Dems Push ‘Fairness’ Act on ‘Trans Day of Visibility’

The Ohio Senate Democrats Thursday marked their party’s holiday – the “Transgender Day of Visibility” – by peddling what is called the “Ohio Fairness Act.”

“Today is #TransDayOfVisibility and Ohio Senate Democrats are committed to creating policies that protect the safety and wellbeing of all Ohioans,” the group said. “Passing the #OhioFairnessAct, introduced by [State Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-District 23)], will ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, creating a more safe and inclusive Ohio.”

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Florida Teacher Says He’s Upset He Can’t Talk to Students About LGBT Relationship Because of Anti-Grooming Law

In an MSNBC interview that went viral on the internet, a gay Florida kindergarten teacher says he is hurt after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law an anti-grooming bill.

“Personally, my kids do have questions,” said Cory Bernaert, a teacher of five-year-olds. “They want to know who my partner is in pictures outside my classroom, and I should be able to speak to that.”

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Far-Left PAC Spends Six Figures on Billboards Opposing Anti-Grooming Bill

A far-left Political Action Committee (PAC) is spending six figures on billboards that say “Say Gay,” in response to a Florida bill that bans kindergarten through third grade teachers from talking to students about sex, gender and sexuality. 

“Starting Wednesday these will be going up all throughout Florida. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially Ron DeSantis for being a terrible person,” left-wing activist Ally Sammarco said on Twitter. 

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Supreme Court to Hear Case of Woman Forced to Create Websites for LGBT Causes Against Religious Beliefs

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of a web designer fighting a Colorado law that forces her to promote messages against her religious beliefs, the court announced Tuesday.

Lorie Smith of 303 Creative asked the court to review the 10th Circuits’ ruling that Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act requires Smith to engage in speech that violates her conscience, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing her.

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Number of American Adults Who Claim to Be LGBT Has Doubled in 10 Years, Particularly Among Generation Z

The latest findings from Gallup indicate that the number of American adults who claim to be part of the “LGBT” crowd – lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender – has doubled in the last decade.

ABC News reports that the new percentage of LGBT-affiliated Americans in 2021 is 7.1 percent, which is slightly more than double the previous total of 3.5 percent in 2012. The survey was conducted by interviewing over 12,000 adults in the United States. Of the remaining percentage, 86.3 percent confirmed their heterosexuality, while 6.6 percent did not say one way or the other.

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