LGBT

If there's anything singer and songwriter Kehlani now knows for sure, it's that she's a lesbian.“Wanna know what’s new about me?” she told fans on Tuesday on Instagram Live. “I finally know I’m a lesbian!”KEHLANI CAME OUT AS A LESBIAN ??? HELLO pic.twitter.com/lRlxTpuJwc— 💰🌙 (@txritillas) April 6, 2021The 25-year-old, who previously identified as queer and uses she/they pronouns is a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ visibility. In addition to her own, Kehlani has continuously encouraged people to explore their sexuality. The multi-hyphenate artist also explained why she chooses to use pronouns that aren’t intrinsically linked to one gender, affirming their fluidity— a quality she said she's always been perceptive of.“I’m definitely on the non-binary scale,” she told DIVA Magazine in a 2020 interview. “But I still prefer and am totally fine with the pronoun ‘she’. My energy has always been extremely fluid between masculine and feminine so that’s why I use ‘queer’, and also, queer is inclusive to non-binary...

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a presidential proclamation declaring March 31 as Transgender Day Of Visibility amid a wave of anti-trans bills flooding statehouses in recent weeks. "Today, we honor and celebrate the achievements and resiliency of transgender individuals and communities," Biden said in the official proclamation. "Transgender rights are human rights — and I’m calling on every American to join me in uplifting the worth and dignity of transgender Americans. Together, we can stamp out discrimination and deliver on our nation’s promise of freedom and equality for all," Biden wrote on Twitter. Transgender rights are human rights — and I’m calling on every American to join me in uplifting the worth and dignity of transgender Americans. Together, we can stamp out discrimination and deliver on our nation’s promise of freedom and equality for all. #TransDayofVisibility— President Biden (@POTUS) March 31, 2021 In the proclamation, Biden wrote that the day will recognize the "generations of struggle, activism, and courage that have brought our country closer to full equality for transgender and gender non-binary people in the United States and around the world." The work of those in the past, he added, has allowed millions of transgender people to live "openly and authentically" and noted that the process is "shaping an increasingly accepting world in which peers at school, teammates and coaches on the playing field, colleagues at work, and allies in every corner of society are standing in support and solidarity with the transgender community."Biden explained that even as acceptance grows nationwide for trans people, there has been a wave of backlash. In the last month, more than 10 states have considered bills that would ban trans teens from participating in sports and the ACLU has cataloged dozens of other bills across the country that would restrict, or allow organizations to restrict, trans people from access to services. According to the ACLU, many of the bills explicitly target transgender and nonbinary people for discrimination by "criminalizing healthcare for transgender youth, barring access to the use of appropriate facilities like restrooms, restricting transgender students’ ability to fully participate in school and sports, allowing religiously-motivated discrimination against trans people, or making it more difficult for trans people to get identification documents with their name and gender."Other states are passing laws that will stop local communities from putting protections in place for trans or non-binary people. On Monday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed two anti-transgender executive orders that will ban trans girls and women from participating in sports from kindergarten through college. "In spite of our progress in advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, too many transgender people — adults and youth alike — still face systemic barriers to freedom and equality.  Transgender Americans of all ages face high rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination," Biden wrote in the proclamation. "Nearly one in three transgender Americans have experienced homelessness at some point in life.  Transgender Americans continue to face discrimination in employment, housing, health care, and public accommodations.  The crisis of violence against transgender women, especially transgender women of color, is a stain on our Nation’s conscience," he added. Biden explained that his administration signed an executive order on his first day that centered on combating gender and sexual orientation discrimination while also nominating Rachel Levine, the first openly trans American federal official to be confirmed by the United States Senate. The Biden administration has also taken measures to end discrimination with housing, credit and lending services, veteran affairs and more.He also said Congress needs to pass the Equality Act in order to provide federal civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. "Vice President Harris and I affirm that transgender Americans make our Nation more prosperous, vibrant, and strong. I urge my fellow Americans to join us in uplifting the worth and dignity of every transgender person. I call upon all Americans to join in the fight for full equality for all transgender people," he wrote.Harris herself released a message on Facebook noting the significance of the day. "Transgender rights are human rights. Today, in honor of transgender Americans everywhere, the President signed a proclamation to recognize March 31 as #TransgenderDayofVisibility. We see you, and we will always stand up for you," she wrote. In a statement, Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said the day was important to recognize the "determination it takes for transgender and non-binary people to be living openly and authentically today.""Transgender people are our friends and family, our neighbors and our colleagues — and, like all of us, simply want to live their lives every day as who they are," David said. "However, even as we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility, we must recognize and remember that there are many trans and non-binary people in this country, and across the globe, who are not able to safely live their lives as their full selves, as well as those who face discrimination and violence for living openly. Today and every day, we will fight for a world where all transgender and non-binary people are able to lives their lives as their full selves, free from discrimination,” David added. The Human Rights Campaign stated in a release that there are 192 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in state legislatures right now.More than 90 of those are specifically targeting transgender people, and four states have sent anti-transgender bills to their governor's office.The organization also recorded at least 44 deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people in 2020, the most of any year since they began tracking the statistics in 2013. Many of these killings involved Black trans women.There have already been 12 deaths this year, according to their...

Police officials in Ghana have caused controversy in recent weeks over their decision to shut down a center in Accra for the LGBTQ+ community, CNN reported late last month.In response to the raid, dozens of Black celebrities and politicians in the United Kingdom released a letter on Monday condemning the raid and expressing support for the LGBTQ+ community across Africa. More than 30 countries in the continent have some kind of law criminalizing their existence, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association."We are in awe of your strength, your bravery, and your audacity to be true to who you are even when it is dangerous to do so. You are loved, you are important and you deserve a safe place to gather in your shared experience. In recent weeks we have watched with profound concern as you have had to question the safety of your vital work at the LGBT+ Rights Ghana center in Accra, and feared for your personal wellbeing and security," the letter read."It is unacceptable to us that you feel unsafe. Even though at present you might be feeling alone and cornered, we want to assure you that we are here. We are watching and listening and we will use our collective power to shield you and raise you up. Neither the raid on Feb. 24, nor any other acts of intimidation have the power to break your indomitable spirits," it added.We have signed a letter calling on His Excellency, The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, to reach out to LGBTQ leaders "to create a pathway for allyship, protection and support." Our LGBTQ siblings deserve to live free from violence.#GhanaSupportsEquality pic.twitter.com/ligMmYpC99— UK BLACK PRIDE (@ukblackpride) March 1, 2021 The letter was signed by U.K. politicians including Diane Abbott and artists Virgil Abloh, Amma Asante, Naomi Campbell, Michaela Coel, Idris Elba, Jidenna, Boris Kodjoe, Vic Mensa, Yvonne Orji, Nicole Ari Parker, G. Sidibe, Moses Sumney and dozens of others.  The letter addresses both the LGBTQ+ community and the Ghanian government, commending the former for their steadfastness in the face of violence and imploring the latter to be more accommodating. "We, your allies, friends and fellow Ghanaians, Africans and diasporans, are deeply disturbed by threats to your community. And we are encouraging all who support you to let their voices be heard now," the letter read.  "As prominent and powerful advocates for this great country, we are beseeching His Excellency, The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo and political/cultural leaders to reach out and engage in a meaningful and purposeful dialogue with the LGBTQIA+ community leaders to create a pathway for allyship, protection and support," it explained.Alex Kofi Donkor, the leader of the center, wrote about the raid on Facebook and told CNN on Feb. 25 he now fears for his safety after police shut down the facility. "While this unfortunate incident has happened, we wish to encourage all our members, and queer Ghanaians to stay calm. Do not panic. We anticipated this. We will triumph. The police may have raided our office and closed it down but the real office, is in our hearts, and minds," Donkor wrote on Facebook after the raid.  "I just contacted our lawyers, there is an unsafe situation right now, and I need to go offline," Donkor shared with CNN.The center was opened on Jan. 31 and multiple ambassadors from Australia, the European Union and other countries attended. But it immediately caused controversy locally where the LGBTQ+ community faces constant violence and hatred from both the government and other citizens, according to Human Rights Watch.Pride Legal wrote that Ghana has laws that make same-sex relationships illegal and punishable with prison sentences ranging from three to 25 years. Superintendent Sheilla Abayie-Buckman, the GPS director of public affairs, told CNN on Tuesday that the center was shut down because it broke the law."To the extent that Ghana law criminalize certain actions promoted by LGBTQI+, and the Ghanaian society largely abhors same, no-one expects any individual or group to set up such an office or center," Abayie-Buckman said. "Our search showed that it was being used for or in relation to the business of LGBTQ. With no person in the house, it was locked up for the occupants to report to the police to answer questions. Nobody has also owned up yet. The place is under the watch of the police," she noted.Donkor and others in charge of the center told CNN that after opening on Jan. 31, they began to receive threats of violence from local leaders."Traditional leaders in Kwabenya, the area our office is situated in, threatened to burn down the office," the group said, adding that none of the people who said they would burn the building down were arrested."Instead, on February 24, police officials, a representative of our landlord, traditional leaders, and some other persons entered our office without our consent. Sensing imminent danger, Alex Kofi Donkor, our Executive Director left the premises for a safe house," the organization explained. In recent weeks, Ghanaian elected officials have expressed anger over the effort of President Joe Biden to sanction countries that had laws explicitly criminalizing the LGBTQ+ community, according to local news outlet Joy Online.“Ghana is a sovereign country but as part of our foreign policy we engage countries all over the world; America is one of our strongest friends. But in this country we have laws. And our laws work and must work. So in spite of what somebody will say and in this case President Biden, the laws of Ghana criminalizes on unlawful carnal knowledge and therefore the laws of Ghana definitely are supreme and that is what we all adhere to,” Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said during her confirmation hearing.Other elected officials have reiterated they will not change the laws, even with the threat of sanctions looming.But the open letter implored the country's leaders to start a dialogue with the LGBTQI+ community. "We petition for inclusivity which will make the nation even greater and even stronger. All of us have a special place in our hearts for Ghana, and we firmly believe in the best of it and for it," the letter stated. "Ghana is a welcoming smile, a proud country of friendship, a nation of cultural integrity and a caring gateway, but above all, Ghana is the definition of Akwaaba. Let us ensure that we live up to its fullest meaning for...

A lawmaker in Minnesota is seeking to ban trans women from high school sports by introducing harsh criminal penalties. The proposed legislation would have teens jailed if they used a women's locker room and fined if they participated in women's sports at all, according to the text of the bill introduced by State Rep. Eric Lucero.  On Thursday, Lucero introduced HF 1657, a bill that seeks to make it a misdemeanor for trans women to use female-designated changing facilities and locker rooms. Those who violated the rule would be facing up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 and potentially one to two years of probation.The bill would also penalize trans women who participate in women's high school sports competitions with a petty misdemeanor that would force people to pay a fine and would appear on a person's record, according to Metro Weekly. "A male student who participates on a female-only team is guilty of a petty misdemeanor. Public school communal restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, shower rooms, and any other facility or setting where a student may be in a state of undress shall be designated female only or male only," the proposed bill read."A male who uses a female-only facility is guilty of a misdemeanor. For the purposes of this section, 'male' means a person with a heterogametic sex chromosome pair consisting of one X chromosome and one Y chromosome," it added. LGBTQ+ advocates in Minnesota said that while Republicans across the country have introduced several similar bills banning trans women from high school sports, the bill is the first that would impose such severe criminal penalties on teenagers. Republicans nationally have sought to turn the ability of trans women to play sports into a major issue.  “We know that this anti-trans youth and sports stuff is spreading across the nation and a whole bunch of states. But this bill really gives away the game: It’s never been about sports. It’s about pushing transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary people to the margins of society and erasing them completely,” Erin May Quade, the advocacy director for Gender Justice, told Metro Weekly. “I think it’s clear that anti-LGBTQ groups have continued to focus their legislative messaging and legal campaign and center it in Minnesota. And it’s probably because we have strong support for LGBTQ people here. I think that LGBTQ hate groups often target Minnesota for the first bursts of their attacks because they want to see what they can get away with here before spreading it across the nation," Quade added.Quade noted that due to the way the bill is written, trans women or any woman who officials suspect of being trans would need to undergo genetic testing to compete. In addition to the complications brought on by testing, Minnesota's Court of Appeals already struck down efforts to bar trans children from bathrooms, locker rooms and other spaces in a trial in September 2020.“N.H. identifies as male, has socially transitioned to male, and lives as male. Others also identify him as male and treat him as male. Based on this record, we conclude that N.H. is similarly situated to his peers because he, like his peers, sought to use a locker room that corresponded with his gender identity,” Judge Peter Reyes wrote in the majority opinion at the time, according to The Pioneer Press.  Democrats control Minnesota's State House of Representatives, and the governor is a Democrat, making it unlikely that the bill would ever pass. But multiple people who spoke to Metro Weekly said the bill is intended to strike fear in the LGBTQ+ community and sought to popularize hatred against trans people. Metro Weekly noted that the bill would make using the wrong locker room the same level of crime as a DUI, gun possession, domestic violence protection order violation and fifth-degree assault.“We already have a ruling that this type of segregation is unconscionable under the Minnesota Constitution,” Gender Justice legal director Jess Braverman told the news outlet. “So we think that this bill, even if it did pass, wouldn’t be enforceable. So it’s all the more despicable that lawmakers are trying to push it. They know it’s unconstitutional. They’re just playing games with kids’ lives,” Braverman said. American Civil Liberties Union deputy director for Trans Justice Chase Strangio said in a statement to Metro Weekly that it was "one of the most extreme political attacks on trans youth that I have ever seen."“Even if the bill does not pass, it has already sent a dangerous message to trans youth in Minnesota and around the country. Being trans is not a crime and trans youth should never be banned from sports or criminalized for simply being themselves," Strangio...

Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has opened up about the scandal last year that caused major headlines and nearly destroyed his marriage.In a lengthy feature by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery for GQ Magazine, Andrew and his wife R. Jai Gillum explained the events that led up to what happened in Miami in March 2020 and his frustration with how the story was portrayed by news outlets. Andrew, who came out as bisexual six months after the scandal erupted, admitted that the events of March 12 were entirely his fault and he apologized both for embarrassing his wife and reinforcing rampant negative stereotypes within the Black community about bisexual men. He discussed his evolution in understanding the meaning of bisexuality.Andrew explained that he knew from an early age that he was attracted to boys and girls but did not feel comfortable expressing it in the conservative southern culture he was raised in. “As I understood it, it was basically gay men who were trying to pass in a heterosexual relationship when that wasn’t really what they were attracted to. I still think it’s very much misunderstood within the Black community, that people don’t really accept that there is bisexuality as an identity,” Andrew said. He told Lowery that he considered publicly coming out as bisexual in 2014 when he was preparing to run for mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, as he thought news outlets would eventually find the men he had dated in the past. But his political advisers as well as his wife told him not to. “I had a political adviser whom I’d spoken to who was not just ‘No,’ but like, ‘Hell no!’ And Jai said no too,” Andrew said.R. Jai said that before the two got married, he explained his sexuality and reassured her that it was simply an aspect of his life.  “I had a lot of questions, some of which he could answer, some of which he couldn’t. But I guess maybe it was that confidence in me really believing what he had to say about me and us [that] made it better... It made me want to at least say, ‘Okay, let’s see. Let’s figure this thing out,’” she said. “So now I’m like, ‘We’re just a couple dealing with the same things that other people deal with.’ There is nothing different,” she added. Andrew's sexuality came into focus last year when photos began circulating of him unconscious and naked in a hotel room with two other men. The story dominated headlines for hours but was eventually drowned out that same day when the U.S. government officially declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. A few months later, he came out as bisexual in an interview with television host Tamron Hall.“To be very honest with you, when you didn’t ask the question, you put it out there, is whether or not I identify as gay. And the answer is, I don’t identify as gay, but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something that I have never shared publicly before,” Andrew told Hall. “The truth is, is that, Tamron, everyone believes the absolute worst about that day. At this stage, I don’t have anything else to have to conceal,” he added.  “So many people just don’t understand bisexuality. Bisexuality is just something different. I just believe that love and sexuality exist on a spectrum. All I care about is what’s between us and what agreement we make,” R. Jai told Hall.Lowery noted the long history of bisexual men being derisively criticized with the term "on the down-low" and having to face the culture-wide suspicion that Black men who are attracted to both sexes are simply "gay men in disguise."Lowery added that the misconceptions around bisexuality are a often vicious circle. The negative perceptions of bisexual men force them to hide their identity, then contributing to the other stereotype of bisexual men as "deceitful" or untruthful about their sexuality. Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, told The Washington Post that Andrew may have made it a bit less complicated for the next Black politician to come out as bisexual.“In coming out as bisexual — and coming out publicly — Andrew Gillum has perhaps made it easier for other Black, bi-plus people to come out themselves. Coming out is a deeply personal decision and is one that looks different for each individual. But regardless of the circumstances, anyone who comes out deserves respect and openness,” David said. Despite his admitted transgressions to his wife and family, Andrew said he believes he was mistreated both by the men who outed him with the salacious photos they took and shared as well as the media outlets that published the image.“All these images that I am not aware of, that I’m not conscious of, that I didn’t give consent to, that I did not participate in…To see what these things have been done around you without your knowledge or consent. And then at that point, you start to wonder, ‘What all happened? How did I get to this?’” Andrew told GQ.“And you start to feel like one of those people who don’t have power, which is not a cool place. Because even in bad decision-making, I want to know that I have the power, the choice,” he added. Andrew is referencing the naked photos of himself in a Miami hotel room bathroom that was shared widely by conservative social media star Candace Owens and other Republican news outlets. Owens herself faced controversy after she tweeted out the police report from the night showing that Andrew was found unconscious in the room with two other men, one of whom is a male sex worker. In 2016, Andrew lost Florida's gubernatorial race to current governor Ron DeSantis by about 32,000 votes. He told Lowery that he fell into a deep depression and began drinking heavily. His father died a year later, causing him to drink even more. His wife had become exasperated with his heavy drinking and after her pleas for therapy fell on deaf ears, she began to make plans to divorce him.“I really can’t say enough how much the rift was between us. I was done asking you to come to therapy with me. I had given up on you; you had given up on me. I think I had convinced myself ‘He needs help, I cannot help him, and he refuses to go get help. I’m out.’ And what does that look like? How do we make this amicable for our children? Because this is not working for me,” R. Jai told Andrew on Hall's show. Andrew said by March 12 he was in a full alcoholic spiral, drinking heavily throughout each day. He went to Miami Beach with his wife that day to officiate a wedding but said he got to the city early and began to drink. According to Andrew's version of events, he met up with the 30-year-old nurse and sex worker Travis Dyson, and they got a hotel room in South Beach. “He offers me something to drink... I’m not really sure, like, what it is and what’s in it because I’m already kind of [drunk]... The last memory that I have is sitting up drinking. Because I didn’t take a drug test until two or three days later, I don’t know if there was something in my drink. But all I know is, I’m knocked out. At the point that I come back present, it’s like 11 at night and I’m in the bathroom. I don’t have any clothes on. I have no idea why. And I’m there with like five, six police officers,” Andrew told GQ, adding that he still thinks it was a "set up." “Me being and putting myself in this situation to even communicate with another adult at that level was a mistake on my part. I’m an adult, and I know that you don’t put yourself in certain situations. And I still made choices to put myself in that,” Andrew added.“The non-fidelis [unfaithful] part was I put myself in a situation where anything could have happened, including something that could have betrayed or would have betrayed my vows. And that’s the part that I wanted to own outright. Because I knew that much. Given the state that I was in, I knew that much was possible,” he explained.He disputed some of the other allegations that came out about the night, but Lowery managed to track down Dyson, who gave a much different version of events. Dyson said the two met on relationship app Grindr about a week before March 12 and had been hooking up repeatedly. Dyson told Lowery the two often used drugs during their paid encounters. Dyson also admitted to taking the highly publicized naked photos of Andrew but denied being the one who shared them with Owens and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who also confirmed that he did not get the photos from Dyson. Surprisingly, Andrew and his wife refused to speak with Lowery again after he interviewed Dyson and they canceled their interviews. Andrew has since spent months in rehab, as Blavity previously reported.The story notes that Andrew is the most high profile politician in the country to ever come out as bisexual and Lowery compared his case to that of former California politician Katie Hill, who was similarly outed as bisexual in the middle of a scandal. “Andrew and I would probably be the first test cases,” Hill told Lowery, noting that the two have actually become close due to the similarities of what they faced. “I like to think that it’s possible,” Hill said when asked whether voters would be ok supporting bisexual politicians. I’m so proud of @AndrewGillum and honored to call him a friend. He and R. Jai’s bravery and strength will be meaningful for so many. Standing with you and sending love. ❤️🌈💪 https://t.co/9LNQIWv3Ay— Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) September 14, 2020 A study from the LGBTQ Victory Institute last year found that there was an emerging wave of LGBTQ+ candidates running and winning positions across state and federal governments, as Blavity previously reported.According to the report, there are 843 known openly LGBTQ+ elected officials in the United States, and there has been a 71% increase in openly queer elected officials since 2019."While LGBTQ people are running for office in historic numbers, we remain severely underrepresented at every level of government – and that must change. We know that when LGBTQ people are in elected office and in the halls of power, they change the hearts and minds of their colleagues and it leads to more inclusive legislation," said Annise Parker, president and CEO of the Victory Institute and the former mayor of Houston.  The number of bisexual elected officials has grown by 53% and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema took office in 2019 as the first openly bisexual person and the second openly LGBTQ+ person elected to the U.S. Senate.David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, said in an interview with The Washington Post that Andrew's reveal was something many bisexual people can identify with. “Black members of the LGBTQ+ community across the country watched Andrew Gillum’s interview with Tamron Hall today with empathy and love, as so many of us can relate to the complex issues and feelings he conveyed. When we are forced by harmful societal expectations to operate in black and white, with no room to express the many gray areas of ourselves that make us who we are, we get hurt,” Johns...

As the first openly transgender and non-binary basketball player in the WNBA, Layshia Clarendon is breaking a lot of barriers in both the sports and LGBTQ+ communities. On Friday, the New York Liberty guard, who came out as gender non-conforming in June, according to OutSports.com, announce their breast removal surgery on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Layshia Clarendon (@layshiac)“On Jan 13th at 10 a.m. I hugged my wife in front of my surgery building, walked in and took a deep breath…,” Clarendon’s caption read accompanying a photo of them post-op in the surgery room. “The day was finally here. The day I got to have top surgery!!!!!!!"It wasn’t long before Clarendon received full love and support from the New York Liberty, the WNBA players’ union and Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA commissioner, according to Them.The New York Liberty released a statement via Twitter announcing their “full support” for Clarendon’s surgery and even deemed them as “a pioneering athlete” and “a proud embodiment of our belief that our strength lies in our truth and no one should live constrained by societal boundaries.”pic.twitter.com/7KQ3o558k9— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) January 29, 2021Clarendon also made their announcement on Twitter while sharing photos.“I’m usually not scared to share news publicly but the amount of hate, myths & ignorance actually had me debating sharing this joy. I had top surgery!” Clarendon wrote on Twitter. “I’m feeling free and euphoric in my body and want Trans people to know and see that we’ve always existed & no one can erase us!”I’m usually not scared to share news publicly but the amount of hate, myths & ignorance actually had me debating sharing this joy. I had Top Surgery! I’m feeling free & euphoric in my body & want Trans people to know and see that we’ve always existed & no one can erase us! 🏳️‍⚧️✊🏽❤️ pic.twitter.com/6ERDPoQGwb— Layshia Clarendon (@Layshiac) January 29, 2021The WNBA players’ union retweeted Clarendon’s Twitter announcement and responded with a statement: “It is a story that will empower, and remind us that we will not be restrained by the many assumptions and stereotypes that seek to define us as girls or women.”WNBPA releases this statement with love and support for our First VP @Layshiac https://t.co/4djPD93Q8o pic.twitter.com/wEA1e3CflZ— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) January 29, 2021The day following their social media posts, the basketball star took to Twitter to thank friends, family and fans for their ongoing support of her during her journey. They admitted that their “deepest fear was that my peers in this league would reject me,” while much to their surprise, they “received the most authentic love and support.”My deepest fear was that my peers in this league would reject me. On the contrary, I received the most authentic love and support! I’m proud to stand together like we always do. We flip senate seats, we stand on the front lines, we always push forward! Come for one come for all!— Layshia Clarendon (@Layshiac) January 30, 2021As a public figure and activist, the San Bernardino native has used their social media to openly share their thoughts on racial injustice and social inequality for Black and fellow trans non-gender conforming persons. In June, Clarendon wrote an essay for The Players Tribune highlighting their journey as being Black and queer in “a world that has a layered, palpable threat of violence.” The University of California Berkeley graduate is currently the vice president of the WNBPA and was named as a 2020 honoree by Queerty Pride50 as “remarkable” and  “makes us optimistic about the future of equality.”For the transgender community, top surgery, also referred to as subcutaneous mastectomy or "masculinizing chest surgery," is a surgical procedure used to removal the breast tissue. Top surgery is typically performed to assist in the physical transition for a transgender male during their journey from their sex assigned at birth, according to MayoClinic. While top surgery may seem like a common step for transgender males, as it would be "important to their sense of self," many choose to not undergo the surgery because different beings identify with different choices that align with their...

A couple in New York is calling out a Bronx restaurant after they were harassed with homophobic comments by a member of the staff, according to NBC News. Nelson Ayala and Jamel Brown Jr. told the news outlet that they were asked to leave La Isla Cuchifrito after they ordered and the woman behind the counter made a series of homophobic comments to them. Ayala reportedly had video of the woman repeatedly saying “hombre, mujer” before saying, “Everything correct my family: hombre, mujer, nino y nina.”Ayala told NBC New York that the woman kept saying, “Men and men are not supposed to be together. She was talking about her God, her heritage and her family."The woman berated them after she saw the married couple holding each other, according to Bronx News 12. "Now that we have to go somewhere and be kicked out because of our sexual preference is just mind-blowing,” said Brown Jr. "Who I love shouldn't define where I shop or eat at. I came here to get service, not to get judged,” Ayala added to Bronx News 12. Bronx Couple Says They Were Kicked Out of Restaurant for Being Gay A kiss is a kiss but a gay kiss is quite continental and apparently too sophisticated for the likes of the uneducated. https://t.co/no9PWvjxmT pic.twitter.com/5i17gR2RNE— Dane B. McFadhen (@DaneMcFadhen) January 19, 2021NBC News reported that the restaurant fired the employee. Also, the restaurant apologized to the couple and offered them a free meal, Boyd Cole, a relative of the restaurant's owner, told the news outlet.“In no way do they condone the comments made by their former employee,” Cole said.Elizabeth Ocasio, manager at La Isla Cuchifrito, later told Bronx News 12 that the restaurant was sorry about the situation."We don’t condone what happened in this restaurant, we’ve been here like I said for 15 years, we have never had a problem in this community,” Ocasio said. "This one employee we didn’t know her behavior, we didn’t know that she'd act this way, as soon as we found out what happened, we terminated her. I apologize to anyone that felt offended, that felt any kind of way...that’s not us, it was only one person, one employee and she’s not here no more,” she added.Last week, the couple held a rally in front of the restaurant to call them out for what happened, and even though they were offered a free meal, they did not accept it. “What is a free meal going to do? We are not hungry. We want them to know that they just have to train their employees more. Have them treat people with respect just like they would want to be treated with respect behind the counter,” Brown Jr. told Bronx News 12. “They apologized, and they offered us a meal, but this is not something that should just go away,” Ayala told NBC News.Both Ayala and Brown said they plan to file a complaint after speaking with lawyers, who said it is against the law in New York City for members of the LGBTQ+ community to be discriminated against. It was later reported that they did not file a police complaint but did file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. New York law specifically prohibits "sexual orientation discrimination in public accommodations such as restaurants," Richard Saenz, an attorney at the LGBTQ civil rights group Lambda Legal, told the news outlet.“In NYC, if you experience discrimination, you have a right to file a complaint with the NYC Commission on Human Rights,” Saenz said. Protests have been held outside of the restaurant since the incident and Ayala said he hoped it would serve as a lesson for any restaurant considering discriminating against people based on sexual orientation. “We will all come together as one, and will let people hear our voices,” Ayala said.NBC News noted that New York is one of the few states in the country with protections against discrimination by businesses, highlighting another case recently in North Carolina where a couple had no recourse after a wedding hall refused to host same-sex couple...

Dwyane Wade wrote an incredibly touching tribute to his daughter Zaya.The former NBA star shared two photos and penned a from-the-heart declaration of love and support for 13-year-old Zaya on Instagram.“Unconditional love, simply put, is love without strings attached. It’s love you offer freely. You don’t base it on what someone does for you in return,” Wade wrote in the caption of the post. “You simply love them and want nothing more than their happiness. This type of love sometimes called compassionate or agape...

Actress and transgender rights advocate Laverne Cox said she and a friend were the victims of transphobic harassment while on a stroll through a Los Angeles park on Saturday.In an Instagram video, the Orange Is The New Black star said during their walk through Griffith Park, a man approached them and asked for the time in an aggressive and rude manner. After a brief verbal exchange, the man suddenly attacked Cox’s...

Chae’Meshia Simms, a Black transgender woman in Richmond, Virginia, has become the 39th trans person to be killed in 2020. Simms was pronounced dead at the scene on Monday after being found in a car that had crashed into a garage in an alley, NBC 12 reported.It is heartbreaking to learn of another sibling lost to violence: Chae'Meshia Simms, in Richmond on 11/23.Chae'Meshia ("ChaeChae") is remembered by her loved ones as "good," "kind," "caring," and "one of [their] biggest supporters."She loved her friends, family, & community. pic.twitter.com/Vv8fUOyekS— Trans Empowerment Project (@trans_empowered) November 26, 2020 Although police said Simms suffered from a gunshot wound, the medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death. Investigators haven't identified a motive either or classified the death as a hate crime. Providing one of the few details in the case, police said a man was seen leaving the area on foot after the shooting. Investigators also said the incident may have occurred between 5 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Residents are asked to check their surveillance cameras and report any suspicious activity occurring around that time. Tori Cooper, Human Rights Campaign director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said it takes everybody to speak up and take action to end violence against trans people.“We are mourning Chae’Meshia along with her friends and family. Although I did not know Chae’Meshia personally, she was from my hometown, and her death impacts the trans and gender non-conforming community everywhere,” Cooper said. “We are continuing to see a devastating rate of violence against trans and gender non-conforming people in the United States, especially against Black and Brown trans women." According to CBS 6, Simms' family said their loved one was shot to death inside her mom’s rental car while driving home. The grieving family remembers their loved one as somebody who liked to joke around. Zakia McKensey, executive director of Nationz Foundation, a local organization advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, said the ongoing violence against trans individuals must stop. “The transgender community is heavy, we are saddened, and we are also furious because every week there is a trans woman who is murdered across this country and it really needs to stop,” McKensey told NBC 12. The deadly year has been especially tragic in recent days as violence continues to devastate the trans community. Earlier this week, a 22-year-old Black woman named Asia Foster became the 38th transgender person to be violently killed this year. According to news publication Them, Foster was found dead on Skyline Drive in Houston after an unidentified man alerted police.Skylar Heath, a 20-year-old Black transgender woman in Miami, was also killed this week, but her death hasn't been reported by the media or police, according to the HRC. Heath's friends, however, believe she died after being shot. Earlier this week, the LGBTQ+ communities commemorated Trans Day of Remembrance. The annual tradition, created by trans advocate Gwendolyn Smith, honors trans people killed by violence.  Anyone with information in the case of Simms is asked to call Major Crimes Detective M. Godwin at (804) 646-5533 or Crime Stoppers at (804)...