#LGBT+ housing discrimination

[mfi-miami]

Widespread Housing Discrimination Persists In The USA

Widespread Housing Discrimination Persists Against Minorities And The LGBTQ+ Community Despite Ever Expanding Federal Laws Widespread housing discrimination persists among ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. This is despite the federal government expanding on the Federal Housing Act passed over 50 years ago. Roughly 32% of people of African descent say they felt they faced…

[batboyblog]

What Joe Biden has Done for LGBTQ+ People

I wanted to list out everything The Biden Administration has done for Queer people in the last 3 and a half years, but according to GLAAD it'd been 337 moves (and I noticed they missed a few things...) there was just no way to list every ground breaking first Queer person ever nominated to fill this or that job, every ally with a historic LGBT rights record nominated for a top job, every beautiful statement of support, every time he tried to get Congress to pass the Equality Act (support it!) So I've gone through and done my best to pick the ones I think were the most important, but everyone should check out the full list!

Day 1: Signs executive orders banning discrimination and ordering a full review of all federal agencies policies to better include and support LGBT people

Pete Buttigieg becomes the first openly gay person nominated and confirmed for a cabinet level post as Secretary of Transportation

Revokes Trump’s 2018 ban on transgender military personnel

Department of Housing and Urban Development implements LGBTQ protections in housing, becoming first federal agency to implement Pres. Biden’s executive order

First President to recognize and proclaim Trans Day of Visibility

Department of Justice Civil Rights Division issues an official memo that the Supreme Court's Bostock decision against LGBT workplace discrimination also applies to education through Title IX

HUD withdraws a Trump Administration proposed rule change, and reaffirms trans people's rights to seek shelters matching their gender identity

HHS announces the withdrawal of Trump Administration rules that allowed discrimination by healthcare organizations against LGBT people.

The State Department and later Homeland Security announce babies born to Queer couples overseas will be American citizens if one parent is American, in the past the child only qualified if they were genetically related to the American citizen parent.

The Justice Department files against a West Virginia law banning trans students from school athletics

Department of Veterans Affairs announces it will offer gender confirming surgery for transgender veterans. There are an estimated 134,000 transgender veterans in the U.S. and another 15,000 transgender people serving in the armed forces.

President Biden Signs a law making the Pulse Night Club a national memorial

The State Department creates an X gender marker for passports and other documents, allowing gender affirming identification for non-binary and intersex people for the first time.

The Census Bureau for the first time issues a Survey with questions about sexual orientation and gender identity

On the 10th anniversary of the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Veterans Administration announces that soldiers discharged for homosexual conduct, gender identity or HIV status qualify for veterans' benefits

Dr. Rachel Levine becomes the first trans person confirmed by the US Senate when she was nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Health, she also became the first trans flag rank officer when she was sworn in as a 4 star Admiral for her job as head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, his makes her the highest ranked trans person in government

Holds the first ever vigil in the White House for Transgender Day of Remembrance

HHS announces rule change to reinstate and expand protections against discrimination in the Affordable Care Act, including denying coverage for gender-affirming care.

Social Security Administration reverses a Trump Administration policy and allows benefits claims by surviving partners in same-sex relationships, whose partner died before marriage equality was legal

President Biden signs the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (a bill he helped originally craft in the Senate) which for the first time has grant programs dedicated to expanding and developing initiatives specifically for LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence

The TSA announces new technology and policy shifts to improve the customer experience of transgender travelers who have previously been required to undergo additional screening due to alarms in sensitive areas.

The Social Security Administration allows people to edit their gender and name on records for the first time without legal and medical documentation

The US Air Force announces it'll offer medical and legal aid to any personnel families affected by state level anti-trans youth bills.

Karine Jean-Pierre becomes the first Lesbian to serve as White House Press Secretary

on 50th anniversary of Title IX The Department of Ed strengthens protections for Students against sexual harassment and discrimination

Veterans Affairs announces survivor benefits now extended to partners from relationships before marriage equality was legalized in 2015

President Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act into law enshrining protections for marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples

The Department of Ed announces new rules around athletic eligibility under Title IX, declaring blanket bans on trans students violate the law and setting up strike standards for schools

The White House announced a suit of new protections for LGBTQ people, including a new job at the Department of Ed to combat book bans, a joint DoJ Homeland Security effort to combat violence and threats and HHS evidence-based guidance to mental health providers for care of transgender kids

President Biden signs an Executive Order directing HHS to protect LGBTQI+ youth in the foster care system, a rule they later passed requiring Queer foster children to be placed in affirming homes

The Biden administration joins families of transgender youth in Tennessee and Kentucky in petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to review and reverse a circuit court ruling allowing a ban on mainstream health care to be enforced

President Biden Signs a EO expanding on past EO on equality and helping underserved communities

The Department of Education's Civil Rights office opens an investigation into the death of Nex Benedict. President Biden in his statement said: "Every young person deserves to have the fundamental right and freedom to be who they are, and feel safe and supported at school and in their communities. Nex Benedict, a kid who just wanted to be accepted, should still be here with us today. Nonbinary and transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know. But nobody should have to be brave just to be themselves. In memory of Nex, we must all recommit to our work to end discrimination and address the suicide crisis impacting too many nonbinary and transgender children.”

[sluttywizardcowboy]

TODAY IOWA HOUSE IS HEARING BILL HF2082 WHICH IF IN PLACE WOULD REMOVE CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS FOR TRANSGENDER IOWANS IN AREAS INCLUDING HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND OTHER DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS. THIS IS HUGE AND DEVASTATING FOR ALL LGBT POPULATION IN IOWA. 🏳️‍⚧️⚧️

[marcyvampire]

SILLY LITTLE BAT

pairings ⸺ Yandere! Platonic! Batfamily x Anti-Hero! Fem!reader.

sinopsis ⸺ In the shadowed halls of Wayne Manor, a girl lost among the darkness seeks the connection she never had. Her mother, a kleptomaniac with a broken heart, vanished, leaving only echoes of empty promises. Surrounded by a family that never sees her, her pain turns into a deafening silence. The void left by her past traps her in a limbo of solitude and sorrow.

One dark night, seeking her own way, she became what she once despised. Now, like the albino bat rejected by its own flock, she flies alone in the twilight. Her pale skin glows in the dark, but her heart still yearns for the warmth of a home she never came to know.

warnings ⸺ Dark Themes, Dead, murdering,Disturbing Content, Unhealthy Obsession, Discrimination, Violence, Blood, LGBT Content, Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Implicit Sexual Content, Mental Illness, Addiction, Suicide, Torture, Corruption, Isolation, Trauma, Phobias, Paranoia, Manipulation

A/N — English is not my first language—Spanish is—so there might be some grammar or spelling mistakes here and there. This is the first part of a story I’m writing for a friend (Isabel, I love you, you brat), and also an experiment to see what it’s like to write on Tumblr. Please support me! :"((

Nobody is coming to save you

Get up.

Your mother was not a good woman, and that was an undeniable fact, heavy as the shadow that covers Gotham City at nightfall. She was a creature of the underworld, one among the specters that wandered under the yoke of crime, walking among dangerous names like Selina Kyle or Harleen Quinzel, yet always remaining in the background, never reaching their fame or infamy.

She was nothing more than a kleptomaniac and a mythomaniac, doomed to live by cunning and deceit. She took advantage of the men who crossed her path, from the lowest criminals, like The Penguin, to the most powerful man in the city: Bruce Wayne.

You never called him Dad. To you, he was always Bruce, and on the rare occasions you addressed him, you did so with distant formality, "Mr. Wayne." Richard, your adoptive brother, found in him a father figure, while to you, he was just another shadow in the mansion, that huge, cold house you arrived at after your mother’s death.

You remember how, time and again, you tried to warn your mother to stop stealing, to stop lying, that those dark paths would inevitably lead her to Arkham Asylum, surrounded by all the lunatics you feared so much, or even worse: to death. But she always responded with a playful smile, stroking your head with her delicate hands, adorned with stolen jewelry and crude tattoos. "Those are just fantasies of an eight-year-old girl," she would say sweetly, while her ring-laden fingers assured you that you needn’t worry, "I will always come back for you," she promised, "because you are the only thing more valuable than any diamond I’ve ever held."

But the cruel truth was that was the last time you saw her. That night she left, and she never returned. It was then that the last vestiges of innocence faded with her absence. From that moment on, you ceased to be a child.

And that was one of the few things you understood with absolute clarity. There were no more empty promises, no more caresses tinged with lies. All that remained was the silence of a life fading away, like a stolen jewel that never returns to its rightful owner.

The only thing you knew after calling the police when your mother didn’t show up after two days was that they found her corpse in a back alley far from Gotham, showing signs of having been beaten and bruised by some underground gang.

Commissioner Gordon searched the entire house for illicit substances and signs of debts to mobsters, but he only ended up finding documents, stolen jewelry, and letters from your mother that were never sent, and most importantly, DNA evidence implicating that the city’s millionaire was your biological father.

From then on, your life was stained with eternal gray, that muted shade that erased all traces of light or shadow. There was no more white or black, only a silent fog that, day by day, enveloped you and dragged you into a madness that seemed inevitable. Gotham itself seemed more alive than the place you called home, although "home" was never the right word.

You didn’t love any of the Wayne family members. Bruce, your biological father, never listened to you. To him, you were always just another shadow, a ghost in the vast mansion that he prioritized over his other children, his "true" heirs. There was always something more important, something more urgent, and your presence faded among the cold walls and the echo of his hurried footsteps. With each passing day, you became more invisible to him, as if your very existence were a mistake he preferred to ignore.

Richard, the perfect brother, was kind on some occasions. He spoke to you courteously, but when you needed him, when you asked him to attend one of your performances, there was always an excuse, something that kept him away, as if your passion and accomplishments were insignificant details in his heroic life.

Jason, on the other hand, despised you from the start. He saw you as an intruder, a child of gold—but not of that pure and valuable gold, but of a dirty and false one, which he always mocked with disdain. And although you never cared for him, when he died, silent tears rolled down your face. It wasn’t out of love, but out of respect for what he represented, for the brutal reality of his fall.

Tim, in contrast, was the most indifferent. To him, you were a nobody, so irrelevant that you weren’t even worth a glance. Spending time with his friends or being the Robin of the moment mattered more than you did. You lived on his periphery, in a limbo where neither your name nor your face seemed to exist.

Cassandra, Stephanie, Barbara… at least they treated you with politeness, but you knew they didn’t really remember who you were. They saw you, smiled at you out of obligation, but deep down you knew they had no idea of your name, your story, your struggle to be more than a shadow in that world.

The worst of all was Damian, your younger half-brother. When he arrived at the mansion, Alfred introduced him to you with that serene formality he always had, and you, driven by an almost desperate impulse, tried to reach out to him. You wanted to offer him the support and affection of an older sister, that warmth you would have longed for in his situation. But all you received in return was a cold response: a katana piercing your abdomen. I wish I could say it was just a metaphor, but no, that wound was as real as the blade that cut your skin.

You would have liked to think that the pain was symbolic, that Damian had only rejected your affection with harsh words or his usual arrogance. But no, it was much more than that. The only thing you received in exchange for your attempt at fraternal love was a stab, a scar you still carry not only on your body but also in your soul. Because in that brutal gesture, you understood that the blood that united you also separated you, sharper than any weapon. And that was how you tried to connect.

You strived to stand out, to learn, to shine in your own ambitions, wishing that your success would be enough to earn you a place, a bit of affection. But no matter how hard you tried, it was never enough. Your talent crashed against indifference, your achievements faded into the air, as if they had no weight in the lives of others.

The only light, the only beacon in that storm of gray, was Alfred. The only one who smiled at you with genuine tenderness, the only one you truly loved. To you, he was the real father, the one who was always there, expecting nothing in return, offering you a silent but firm love. You did call him father, and his presence was the only thing that kept your sanity, the only thing preventing the gray from consuming you completely.

But even that love, so genuine and deep, was not enough to fill the void that your own family left you. And in that void, you continue to float, trapped between the girl you were and the woman you are trying to be, searching for a place you can truly call home.

Y/n's small room, though modest, had always been her refuge. The walls were adorned with unfinished sketches, trophies from various activities, and some paintings she had completed with dedication, showcasing her passion for both manual and performing arts.

The dawn light filtered softly through the curtains, bathing the space in golden tones, giving it a warmth that contrasted with the coldness of the rest of Wayne Manor.

On the desk, a small cake rested on a plate, simple yet made with love. Beside it, Alfred, with his usual understated elegance, watched Y/n with a mixture of nostalgia and concern. He, the only one who seemed to remember her birthday, offered her a delicate professional drawing set, wrapped in smooth, elegant paper.

"Happy birthday, Miss," Alfred said with a gentle smile, although his eyes reflected a sadness that was hard to conceal. "I know how much you love art, so I thought this would be helpful for your new projects."

Y/n took the gift in her hands with a genuine smile. It had been so hard for her to find moments of joy lately, but Alfred's gesture filled her with a warmth in her chest that she hadn't experienced in a long time. She placed the gift into one of the many brown boxes she had prepared for her upcoming move.

"Thank you, Alfred. It's perfect," she said, examining the set carefully, as if each detail were a reminder of the affection he held for her. "It will help me a lot... although, well," she sighed, as if searching for the right words. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." Alfred raised an eyebrow, attentive, as she continued, glancing at the small space that had been her home within the vast mansion.

"Today... today is not just my birthday. It's the day I leave here." Her voice was firm, yet there was a sense of liberation in it, as if this were a long-awaited step. "I am finally no longer a Wayne. I go back to being a L/n."

Silence filled the room for a moment, heavy and dense. Alfred clasped his hands, striving to maintain his composure.

"Miss, I can't help but feel a certain unease hearing this. Are you sure this is what you want? This house, though empty in many ways, has always been your home..."

"Home?" Y/n looked at him with a mix of sadness and determination. "This house has never been my home, Alfred. Not like it was for Dick, nor even for Bruce. I have always been a stranger here, the daughter of a woman who never fit into this world, the bastard child. My mother taught me to find my own path, to not cling to what doesn’t belong to me... and being here, being called Wayne, has never belonged to me." Alfred sighed softly, turning his gaze toward the window. He knew there was truth in her words, but that didn’t lessen the pain of her leaving. "I know it’s hard to understand," Y/n continued, "but for the first time in a long time, I feel happy, Alfred. I’ve graduated, college is just around the corner, and I want to start anew. I want to find what truly makes me, me... not what others expect of me."

The old butler remained silent for a few moments, nodding slowly. He knew he couldn't retain her, that it was not his place to interfere in the young woman's dreams. But still, he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart at the thought of the house being even emptier without her. "I just wish you find what you’re looking for, Miss. And if you ever need a place to return to... this door will always be open for you."

Y/n stepped closer to him, gently hugging him, something she had rarely done. "Thank you, Alfred," she whispered against his shoulder. "You will always be my family, but I need this. I need to discover who I am outside of this last name."

The old butler felt the lump in his throat as he tightened the embrace a little longer before letting her go. He knew that deep down, she was doing the right thing. But that didn’t make it hurt any less to see her leave.

"Alfred, can you call the movers? I’ll be leaving tonight," Y/n said as she closed the last box with trembling hands, her gaze lost in the empty corners of the room she once considered her refuge. The butler, ever serene, nodded with his unwavering calmness.

"Don't worry, Miss, I assure you they will be here on time." His voice was soft, almost an echo of the ancient walls of the mansion, as if he himself were part of that structure that had seen so many comings and goings, so many lives broken and healed in silence.

Alfred turned halfway to leave, but Y/n's voice stopped him, broken yet sweet, like a melody at sunset. "Alfred..."

The man turned slowly, his eyes filled with paternal warmth, though always contained behind a formal gesture. "Yes, Miss?" he replied, with that tranquility that had always brought Y/n peace in her worst moments.

She took a breath, feeling how the words she had kept for so long fought to come out, to break the shell she had built since childhood. "I’ve never told you, but... thank you. Thank you for being the father I never had, for being there when no one else was."

For a moment, the silence in the room was heavier than all the accumulated boxes, deeper than any word. Alfred, who had been a witness to so many confessions and secrets in that house, stood still, his eyes shining with an emotion he rarely showed. "Miss," he murmured, his voice slightly choked, "it was an honor and a privilege to take care of you. If I ever gave you anything close to what you deserved, then my life has had true purpose."

Y/n smiled sadly, nodding slowly. "You did, Alfred. You did. And for that, I will always carry you with me, even if I leave here."

The butler slightly bowed his head in respect, swallowing any emotion that might betray his composure. "Wherever you go, you will always have a home here, Miss."

"I know," she said, though in her heart, she knew she wouldn’t return.

And as Alfred left the room to make the call, Y/n let out a long sigh, as if with it, she were leaving behind a part of herself, a part she could no longer carry with her.

Life in Gotham is like constantly walking on the edge of a razor blade. The city never sleeps, always alert, always dangerous, and for someone with the Wayne surname, the risks multiply. It has been a year since you left the mansion, trying to erase any ties that bound you to that life, desperately wishing the name would fade into the echo of the dirty streets and crumbling buildings. But it's not that easy. The name Wayne remains an indelible mark that the media and the people of Gotham refuse to let fade. The forgotten child, the silent accident of billionaire Bruce Wayne. And although you try to live as if you don’t exist under that shadow, the weight of the legacy haunts you.

You left with little, barely enough money to rent a small apartment in one of the worst corners of the city. You share the space with a friend, a plant-loving girl who has filled every nook of the place with leaves and pots, as if trying to make green defy the constant darkness of Gotham. You get along well with her; her love for nature is almost an antithesis to the chaos of the city, and she has taught you that even in the hardest concrete, something can bloom. She always accompanied you on the coldest, loneliest nights, giving you a warmth that, although ethereal, was very welcome. But still, life is not easy. You barely survive, spending the little you have on cheap food and paying the rent. There are days when the cold seeps through the poorly sealed windows, and you wonder if it was really better to be in the mansion instead of this little trench. However, you prefer this rough freedom to the soulless luxury of Wayne Manor.

Freedom, however, comes at a price. It wasn't enough to distance yourself, to change your life, or even to always carry a knife for defense. Gotham does not forget. People recognize you in the shadows, whisper your name, and approach you, sometimes with curiosity and other times with disdain. You have been beaten more than once. Some just for being a Wayne, others because they think they can extort you, even though they have no idea you can barely get by. The scars on your body bear witness to those beatings, but you refuse to give up. You get up every morning, despite the pain, and continue on your way. You don’t need Batman. You don’t need Bruce. You learned long ago that he wouldn't come to save you.

That night, like so many others, you were heading to the subway for your night shift, with the hood of your coat covering your face, trying to go unnoticed. The sound of the tracks echoed in your ears, a constant reminder of the city's hustle. You had gotten used to walking fast, avoiding eye contact, as if each step was a small battle won against the city. But this time, something was different.

"So it was true, the little Wayne girl is roaming the city... how lovely." The raspy, mocking voice rang out beside you, cutting through the heavy air of the train station. The man speaking wore a suit that, at first glance, seemed elegant, but there was something about his extreme thinness, his skin clinging to his bones and his disheveled hair, that made him look more like a specter of Gotham than a distinguished figure. A ghost from the shadows that had stalked you since you set foot on the streets.

If it weren't for his gaunt appearance and unsettling aura, you might have mistaken him for one of your father's employees. "I'm not a Wayne anymore," you said disdainfully, your voice sharp like the edge of a dagger refusing to be touched. "If you want money, I don’t have any. And Mr. Wayne wouldn’t give a cent for me either."

Your gaze drifted to the station clock. 8 minutes until the train that would take you away from this corner of Gotham, far from the shadows and faces that always seemed to recognize you.

The man let out a dry, raspy laugh that sent chills down your spine. "I don’t want your money, pretty girl," he replied, moving closer, invading your space with the same familiarity that Gotham’s filth slipped into every corner. "You’re worth more than that." You felt his calloused, scarred hand rest on your hip, with a pressure that was neither violent nor friendly. The contact filled you with disgust.

7 minutes.

You clenched your fist, your jaw tight as you struggled to maintain your composure. "I don’t want sex either, idiot," you spat, your words loaded with contained fury. Your hand subtly slid toward your bag, where your knife lay, waiting to be used.

6 minutes.

The man didn’t flinch. In fact, he let out a low, mocking laugh. "And I don’t want that either, little girl," he murmured, his cold, deep blue eyes scrutinizing you as if they could read every dark corner of your soul. "I want something more from you."

5 minutes.

"What do you want then?" you asked, forcing yourself to keep your voice steady, even as the ice of fear began to creep down your spine. Your eyes scrutinized him, searching his gaze for any hint of his true intentions, but all you saw was darkness.

4 minutes.

He let out a long, chilling laugh, tightening his grip on your hip. "Do you know what I want, Y/n?"

3 minutes.

His voice dropped, as if his words were a cursed secret the wind refused to carry away. "I want you."

2 minutes.

The world seemed to stop. You knew there was no time to run. There was no time to pull out the knife or to scream. It was as if the clock itself had conspired against you, reducing those last minutes to mere seconds.

1 minute.

The blow was sharp, a flash of excruciating pain at the back of your head. The cold metal of the station, the hum of the city, everything faded abruptly. The last thought that crossed your mind, before the world vanished into darkness, was that this time, you didn’t expect Batman to save you. It wasn’t a mere thief or a street threat that was taking you.

Gotham, with all its cruelty, always had new ways to remind you that there is no escape.

That night, when the Gotham subway stopped at the station, there was no one to pick up.

The mansion felt emptier than ever, like a deserted and cold labyrinth, where each hallway seemed to stretch into an infinite tunnel, devouring the light.

The silence was overwhelming, an oppression that enveloped every corner, as if even the ancient walls had run out of words. It was so heavy that the few who remained in the mansion couldn’t help but move uncomfortably, trying to fill that void with something, anything.

Bruce Wayne walked through those same hallways with a strange feeling, as if something was missing, though he didn’t know what. An unease, a persistent discomfort that he couldn’t shake off.

He had been like this for months, with that absence haunting his mind, a gap he couldn't identify. And then, suddenly, like a gust of icy wind, the truth struck him.

You.

His daughter.

His little daughter.

How long had it been since he last saw you? When was the last time he heard your laughter, the one that always seemed too sarcastic, too filled with resentment? He stopped abruptly, frowning. Why couldn’t he remember you? He couldn’t bring to mind a clear image of your face, not even how you used to look at him... why? How could he have forgotten you like that?

Damn.

It was as if time had stopped. It had been a year, maybe more, since he had really thought about you. He felt a pang of guilt pierce his chest, a heavy, silent guilt that dragged him into the abyss of his own negligence. Not knowing what else to do, he began to check the rooms, one after another.

Each door he opened was another blow to his conscience. Where was your room? The more he searched, the more confused he felt. The mansion was enormous, but how could he have forgotten where you slept? How was it possible that he didn’t know where you lived in the house where both of you grew up? Had you been here all this time?

Each door he opened was identical to the last, as if all the rooms had fused into one.

None showed a trace of you.

None seemed to have a hint of your presence. Didn’t you decorate your room? He thought frantically, didn’t you even mark it as yours? Panic began to take hold of him. Anxiety wrapped around him like a fist tightening on his chest. Were you still living in the mansion? Or had you left without saying a word, like a shadow fading at dawn? But... no, you hadn’t mentioned anything. You hadn’t said you were leaving. Or had you? And if you had, why didn’t he remember? How could he have ignored you for so long that now he didn’t even know if you were still under the same roof?

“Ah!” he exclaimed in a whisper, unable to contain the dread he felt.

Frustration consumed him from within. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, breathing heavily, and the echo of his voice faded into the empty walls. He tried to remember something, anything about you, about the last time they spoke, about how you were... but everything was blurry, as if his mind was betraying him, hiding you behind an impenetrable fog.

How could he have forgotten so much?

He brought his hands to his head, trying to calm himself, but only felt more confusion, more desperation. The mansion, which had once been his home, now felt like a strange and foreign place.

Had you been the one who made it feel like home? The question echoed in his mind, but he had no answer. Just more questions. More uncertainties. Finally, he let his arms fall, exhausted. He had checked almost all the rooms and had found not a trace of you. Not a clue. Not a sign that you had been there. And at that moment, something dark and painful began to settle in his heart.

Had you ever really been there?

Then something caught his attention as he passed by the cleaning room. In a dusty corner, next to a forgotten bag, something was protruding. Something small, old, and faded. He bent down and pulled it from the dirty clothes. It was a stuffed animal, or what was left of one. The faded black of its suit left no doubt. It was a figure of Batman, but worn down by time, battered to the point of looking forgotten.

Bruce's eyes were fixed on the small piece of fabric hanging from the doll's neck. A tag.

Your name.

Your name, handwritten, in ink that was already fading.

Bruce felt a lump in his throat, a mix of guilt and rage. How could he have forgotten something so important?

He clutched the doll tightly, as if doing so would return a piece of you to him, but instead of comfort, he only felt more emptiness. Where were you? He ran to Alfred, who looked at him with a mix of concern and pity.

"Alfred..." Bruce said, his voice breaking. "Where is she? Where is my daughter?"

The butler, with his always serene face, seemed to age suddenly. A long silence settled between them, as if time was fading away. "Mr. Bruce, I didn’t mean to..." Alfred lowered his gaze. "I didn’t want to burden you with that truth, but... it’s time you know."

Bruce felt a chill run down his spine. Truth? What truth?

"She left almost a year ago. She didn’t say where. She just... she took all her belongings, though they weren’t many, and left. She said she didn’t want to be a burden. That you and the other family members had too many things to worry about."

Bruce took a step back, as if the words had physically struck him. Did she have enough age to leave? A burden? Never, not for a second, did he think that of you, of his little daughter who, even though she wasn’t wanted, he embraced under his wing just like Damian.

You were never a burden.

...or were you?

No, he refused to acknowledge it; he just... he hadn’t spent time with you because Gotham needed him!

But when you needed him, where was Batman?

Where was Bruce Wayne when his only biological daughter needed him?

"Alfred, do you know anything about Y/n?" the hero asked, worry clear on his face.

Alfred didn’t look at him; he only stared into nothingness. "...I haven’t heard anything about her for two months...

And honestly... I'm starting to think...

that she might be lost to us forever..."

A/N — This is definitely apart from being my first official Tumblr post, it is also my first DC post and especially the first from the Lord of the Night xD

Don't hesitate to ask me anything if you want.

Isabel, I dedicate this to you, my love. Eat more to be well, you fucking anorexic, don't suck.

take a bath!

inspiration: @acid-ixx with his Again & Again series, @gotham-daydreams' work, @i-cant-sing's work and @klemen-tine's work, be sure to check them out!

[bethanythebogwitch]

In the last 10 days, the Supreme Court ruled that being homeless is a crime, bribery is (even more) legal, regulating agencies aren't allowed to regulate, and the president can do any crimes he wants and is immune to consequences. That's not even getting into overturning Roe, getting rid of affirmative action, and making it legal to discriminate against LGBT+ people.

This only happened because tRump was able to place 3 judges (a rapist, a cultist, and a corrupt stooge) on the court during his term. If Clinton was president, we would have 3 liberal justice now and none of that would have happened.

So don't FUCKING tell me that your vote doesn't count or voting doesn't matter. The only way to start getting our rights back form the R injustices and their corporate owners is to re-elect Biden and get a majority in the houses. Not voting or voting fro a 3rd party is functionally equivalent to voting for tRump. I hate Biden too, but I will vote for that murderous walking corpse because if I don't all my rights and the rights of everyone I care about will be destroyed as the world burns from carbon emissions and America becomes a fascist theocracy. You are going to vote blue across the docket because it is the only thing that will keep that from happening. And if you don't vote or vote 3rd party, then on behalf of myself, other minorities, and everyone who has to live on this dying planet: fuck you. You are literally as bad as the Republicans because you are enabling them to keep power.

[waitmyturtles]

(Source)

The Lower House (House of Representatives) will be hearing Thailand’s marriage equality bill at 9:30 am Bangkok time (10:30 pm Eastern for those of us in the States). The bill, if passed, would still have to be approved in Thailand’s Senate.

(Source and source)

Below the fold is Bloomberg.com's report on the happenings (source):

Bill to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand Heads to Parliament

Bill is supported by most major parties, needs king approval

Thailand would be first in region to codify marriage equality

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat, March 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM PDT

A bill to legalize same-sex marriage could face a vote in Thailand’s parliament as early as Wednesday. If it passes, the country will be the first in Southeast Asia to establish marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

The House of Representatives will take up the legislation, technically an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code, for second and third readings when it meets at 9 a.m. Lawmakers may vote later in the day.

The bill would legalize marriage for same-sex partners aged 18 and above, along with rights to inheritance, tax allowances and child adoption, among others. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s administration has made it a signature issue, and advocates say it would also burnish Thailand’s reputation as an LGBTQ-friendly tourist destination.

Taiwan and Nepal are the only places in Asia that currently recognize same-sex marriage, and recent efforts elsewhere in the region have had mixed results. Hong Kong has yet to comply with a 2023 court order to establish laws recognizing same-sex partnerships, and India’s Supreme Court refused to legalize same-sex marriage, saying it’s an issue for parliament to consider.

The Thai bill would change the composition of a marriage from “a man and a woman” to “two individuals,” and change the official legal status from “husband and wife” to “married couple.”

Thai laws have protected LGBTQ people from most kinds of discrimination since 2015, but attempts to formalize marriage rights have stalled. In 2021, the Constitutional Court upheld the law recognizing marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. Last year, a bill to recognize same-sex civil partnerships failed to clear parliament ahead of elections.

Rights advocates have higher hopes for the bill pending now, noting that it has broad support from most of the major parties. If it passes, it will need to be approved by the Senate and endorsed by the King. Then it would be published in the Royal Gazette and take effect 120 days later.

Srettha’s government has also promised to work on a bill to recognize gender identity, and the health ministry has also proposed legalizing commercial surrogacy to allow LGBTQ couples to adopt children. Thailand is seeking to host the WorldPride events in Bangkok in 2028.

Legalizing same-sex marriage could have positive effects on tourism, which contributes about 12% to the nation’s $500 billion economy. In 2019, before the pandemic froze international tourism, LGBTQ travel and tourism to Thailand generated about $6.5 billion, or 1.2% of gross domestic product, according to industry consultant LGBT Capital.

Formal recognition could boost the reputation of a place already considered one of Asia’s best for LGBTQ visitors, said Wittaya Luangsasipong, managing director of Siam Pride, an LGBTQ-friendly travel agency in Bangkok.

“It will become a selling point for Thailand and raise our strength in the global stage,” Wittaya said. “It will create a relaxed and safe atmosphere for tourism and help attract more and more LGBTQ visitors. We could also see more weddings by LGBTQ couples, which could generate income across industries and local communities.”

[osmanthusoolong]

As much as sometimes body-mod enthusiasts can be irritating (and the long and frustrating history of orientalism and racism within the community at large, though that’s getting more and more pushback), I find myself very suspicious about the people who claim that there is no discrimination against people who do have body mods or alt looks, and/or that they deserve it when it happens. At the core of it, it is a bit fucked up that one’s boss can dictate what harmless things a person does to their body, that don’t actually affect other people. And it’s very fucked up that people who are in theory supporters of bodily autonomy, even if the people in power disapprove of those choices, act like hiring discrimination, housing discrimination and the like is actually fine when it’s something that isn’t “out of the person’s control”.

(But given that body modification, and to some extent alt styles, are so strongly associated with being lgbt, it’s kinda telling what this is really standing in for. Like nonmonogamy/polyamory and furries, people tell on themselves with how they talk about these things.)

[crossdreamers]

The great majority of people support gender affirming care for teenagers

The new  30-Country Ipsos Global Advisor Survey shows that in most countries people support transgender health care for youth.

60 percent agree that “with parental consent, transgender teenagers should be allowed to receive gender-affirming care (e.g., counseling and hormone replacement treatment”. 27 percent disagree.

Figure: Views on Teens’ Access to Gender-Affirming Care By Country.

Globally, 67 percent say that trans people face at least a fair amount of discrimination, compared with 19 percent who say they face little or no discrimination. Perceptions of discrimination are highest in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, and lowest in Switzerland, Germany, and Japan.

Majorities in each of the 30 countries surveyed (76 percent on average) agree that transgender people should be protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and access to businesses such as restaurants and stores.

it is interesting to note that when the British newspaper The Guardian presented the figure above, the headline was “Less than half in Britain back gender-affirming care for trans teenagers”. Britain has indeed become a a haven for transphobes, but the truth is that more Brits support health care for trans youth (47 percent)  than opposes it (35 percent).

Here are some other key findings:

The average share of the LGBT+ population averages nets to 9 percent. Brazil is at the top with 15 percent. 18 percent of Gen Z identifies as LGBT+.

LGBT+ visibility is up, but still differs widely across countries

Majorities support same-sex marriage and parenting in most, but not all

Support for protection from job and housing discrimination is broader than for other measures for transgender people countries

3 percent identify as some shade of trans (including non-binary/gender non-conforming/gender-fluid. 6 percent of Swiss people belong to this category. 6 percent of Gen Z belongs to this category.

Photo: sasirin pamai

[planet-gay-comic]

Jugendstil Bathhouses and Winter Gardens A Place for Relaxation, Recreation, and Connection

At the beginning of the 20th century, during the Art Nouveau era, bathhouses became popular destinations for relaxation and recreation. They offered visitors the opportunity to unwind in a natural setting while enjoying the benefits of a bath. Homosexual individuals could gather in Art Nouveau bathhouses to express their romantic affections. Although this was not officially sanctioned, it was generally tolerated. The glass pavilions and glass houses of these bathhouses also provided a degree of anonymity, allowing homosexual individuals to meet without fear of discrimination or violence.

Many Art Nouveau bathhouses were designed in the form of glass pavilions or glass houses. This architectural style allowed ample light and air, creating a bright and airy atmosphere. The glass surfaces could often be opened to connect the interior with the outdoors.

An example of such a bathhouse is the Nordhausen Bathhouse in Germany. Designed by the architect Bruno Taut and constructed in 1902-1903, it is a two-story glass pavilion with a large glass front that could be fully opened, seamlessly merging the interior with the outdoor environment.

During this time, there were other opportunities for LGBT individuals to meet, such as LGBT clubs and bars. Additionally, there was a range of LGBT magazines and newspapers. These developments were significant steps toward greater societal acceptance of LGBT people.

Text supported by Chat-GPT-3.5 and Bard

These image is generated with StableDiffusion v1.5. The poses and the backround were obtained with ControlNet v1.1.410 via open pose. Faces and background overworked with composing and inpainting.

[bengiyo]

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat 2 Eps 17-20 (Finale)

Last week gave me everything I wanted and more. The whole squad went over to Yako's place for a curry party and everyone had a great time. Later, Nagumo got a diagnosis for her condition and got to have personal time with Yako. Kasuga and Nomoto continued to work on their communication and making sure they aren't trampling over each other. They're continuing to work on this move. Seriously, we had a curry party and a s'mores party last week. We planted strawberries together. Let's finish this.

Episode 17

Looking for housing is so stressful. I was wondering if we'd get into housing discrimination in this.

Red beans in Japan are different from what we eat here. Theirs carry a naturally sweet profile that doesn't mesh well with creole cooking.

I feel like those beans needed to boil longer, but that's me thinking in my home cooking terms.

Yes, ladies, tell each other how happy you are to see each other.

@furritsubs thank you for the note about Azuki beans.

I'm really enjoying the way they're handling this situation. The realtor wasn't trying to be homophobic, but the systems he was upholding with the landlord references reinforces the status of same sex households. I also like that they acknowledged how circumstances closet people in ways that hurt them. This is good payoff from the news bit we saw earlier in season with Kasuga.

Getting a tasty treat in before going back into the fray is so valid.

Kasuga being even more affectionate about Nomoto's food now that they're dating is exactly what I wanted.

Episode 18

Oh fuck yeah, let's continue to unpack how structural homophobia makes people scared to share something that should be a joyous occasion.

Amused that Yako is the primary person using Nomoto's given name.

Are we going to have a takoyaki party next??

COME THROUGH, YAKO!!! You gotta help your folks get through this bullshit, but never let them forget that it's bullshit!!

I am relieved that we checked in with Ms. Fujita about divorcing her husband at the same time as we're working through LGBT housing issues. Single divorced women likely also face huge challenges in housing when marriage is the goal we're being pushed into.

Wow, Sayama, you are in contention for the Yihwa Best Girl Award this year. You are an ally. Love the way she examined how what she said might have been hurtful.

Feeling like you somehow failed because you didn't get married in your 20s is so real. I sometimes struggle with this in my 30s.

This show uses its characters to illustrate its political points in a way that feels gentle and accessible, but also carries a sense of urgency. Women are facing extreme reproductive pressure right now, and it's clearly not making those who don't already want husbands and children happier. Hell, it's making them resentful to the point of divorce as they get older.

Hold on. Gotta cry a bit about Nomoto telling Kasuga that being told outright that hiding who they are upset her made her feel better got me.

Episode 19

Takoyaki Party let's goooooo!!!

A party where you cook together like this is always so much fun. We had fun with some friends' kids a few weeks ago teaching them how to make pancakes and letting them add their own toppings before, during, and after cooking.

Nagumo managed to enjoy a bite of food with them. Hold on. Crying again.

We've seen takoyaki a few times lately, and I am very impressed with this cooker.

Yako, tactful as always, is gonna check on Nagumo. I love her.

This is so important. Couple formation does affect the friends around them, and I'm really glad Yako let Nagumo voice that she supports her friends even as she knows she's going to miss the dynamic they've had. Yako is so right to point out that a change doesn't mean it's over, and their friendship will last if we all continue to reach out.

This realtor scene is so good. I like how politely she asked for them to disclose their relationship with the express purpose of securing ideal housing, and we're getting into how the financing of housing can affect people's privacy. She's also owning that landlords can discriminate against couples. I also appreciate that their meeting room was private.

I'm ready for the moving in party!

Episode 20

They got the house!!

A crab cream croquette party!!!

Wait, where's Nagumo? I wanted her to try a croquette too!

We are on the bed together. This is not a drill.

Yes, let's acknowledge that they have liked each other since season 1.

The intimacy question is on the floor!

They are finally hugging!

NOW KISS!!!

That was very sweet, and felt right for them. I'm glad they had that moment in the old place before they moved.

Cried because of Ms. Fujita and Nagumo possibly getting hired.

So glad Yako and Nagumo are still hanging out! That's really how some friends groups will be. Two people will just gel at a party and grow close.

Oh hell yeah we're at casual intimacy now.

I'm so excited to see where the TV goes next season!!

Oh my goodness Kasuga is wearing a lighter sweater!!!!!!

Final Verdict: 10, Go Watch This Immediately and Then Show it to a Friend. Seriously, do not make excuses for yourself. You owe it to yourself to watch this show. Between this, Ossan's Love Returns, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? coming back, we cannot stop supporting our shows about older people getting together and forming their own forms of family. This show built on the foundation of its first season and made every little detail feel so potent and impactful. I did not expect the pen pal to grow into a trusted confidant and core member of this friend group, nor was I expecting the women at the supermarket to help Kasuga as much as they did. This season was excellent, and will be joining WDYEY on my comfort watch rotation.

Big thanks to @furritsubs and friends for making this watch possible.

[coochiequeens]

My state has good news for women for a change!

A Connecticut Democrat successfully changed the wording of new legislation to add the phrase 'expectant mothers', after branding the original suggested language - 'pregnant persons' - an affront to women. 

State Rep. Robyn Porter, a Democrat representing New Haven, proposed an amendment to House Bill 5454 to incorporate the term 'expectant mothers' during discussions on a bill regarding state funding on Thursday. 

'My children call me mother, ma, mommy. It depends on the day,' Porter said Thursday. 'I don't answer to pregnant person or birthing person. That's not what I answer to.

A huge part of my identity is wrapped around being a mother and a grandmother. So I find it an affront that someone would try to tell me that what they're putting on paper for the purpose of policy covers me when I'm telling you that it doesn't,' she continued. 

The bill was originally launched by the Human Services Committee before reaching appropriations to incorporate the phrase 'expectant mothers' to lines five and six.

The original lines of the bill read '… shall create a strategic plan to maximize federal and state resources for mental health services for children six years old and younger, their caregivers and pregnant persons.'

Lawmakers voted 32-16 to adopt the term 'mothers' following a 35-minute debate.

The unexpected decision was achieved through a coalition of Republicans and members of the legislature's black and Puerto Rican Caucus - with all 16 opposing votes coming from Democrats.

Porter stated, 'We want to talk about discrimination? Well, I'm here to tell you that black people in America know that very well.

'This is where I really get frustrated in this building because what we say is dismissed, disregarded, disrespected. … I'm always asked to compromise when I come to the table, and I'm expected to do so. 

She added, 'We were mothers first. Yes, times are changing, and I'm fine with that because that's life... But you don't get to grow, and you don't get to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion and exclude me and the other women like me who identify as mothers. You don't get to do that.'

She said some women 'want to be called mothers. What's wrong with that?'   

The primary advocate for the original language of 'pregnant persons' in the bill was Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, a Democrat from West Hartford. 

'Pregnant person is actually the inclusive term,' Gilchrest said. 'It is a gender neutral term, and it would encompass expectant mothers, pregnant women. 

'As we talk about DEI, this is the direction we are hoping to move in in this state and ideally across the country.

'And so the term pregnant persons is the more inclusive term, and so I would ask my colleagues to oppose the amendment.'

Many legislators representing the state's major urban cities rallied in support of Porter's amendment.

State Rep. Geraldo Reyes, a Democrat from Waterbury and a prominent figure in the black and Puerto Rican Caucus, emphasized the cultural significance of motherhood.

'Culturally, as a Puerto Rican person, there is nothing more sacred than a mother... There is only one mother … Just as I opposed the word Latinx, I oppose the word expecting person,' he said.

Similarly, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, a Democrat from Hartford backed Porter's amendment and emphasized his support for the LGBT community.

'It's nothing against the LGBT community. It's nothing about them,' he said. 'Nothing against them. We support them … We recognize that they have rights, but where are my rights? I have the right to defend my rights.'

Rep. Anthony Nolan, a New London Democrat was emphasized then importance of the word 'mother' in black communities. 

'I'm just astonished by some of the things that are being said,' he said.  'In black culture, who really are ingrained with that word mother, for us to go home and call our mother something other than a mother, we would end up with a slap across the face. 

'We're not removing anything. We're just asking to add something that is dear to those that are speaking in regards to it, especially in the black culture.' 

Last year, the CDC was slammed for 'appalling' new health guidance in which it replaced the word 'women' with the gender-neutral term 'pregnant people.'

The erasure of the term women can be seen in recommendations for a host of respiratory virus vaccinations for pregnant women.

This includes material promoting shots for Covid, flu and RSV - a common respiratory condition that most affects older adults and young children.

Although usually mild, all three viruses can be deadly in pregnant women.

All gender-specific terms — including 'she,' 'her,' 'women' and 'mother' — were replaced with gender-neutral terms like 'pregnant people' and 'pregnant person.' 

A doctors' organization said the CDC was 'cowering to political forces' at the expense of sound medical advice at the time. 

[oddlittlestories]

Okay but if we really do lean into autistic, bi-and-out House

You grow up with rules that are arbitrary. Only you seem to see how arbitrary they are. You start learning to make your own rules.

You go off to college. LGBT acceptance is on the rise. You date around, multiple genders.

And then the AIDS crisis starts to hit. Two years into med school, you get kicked out. Was it because you were proving favoritism? Was it discrimination? You do everything you can to get back in but are denied. A permanent black mark on your record. Your community continues to die alone. You used to think that if you could just explain well enough, you could make them see. Not necessarily agree, but see where you’re coming from. For the first time since you left home, you are severely depressed.

You don’t call your girlfriend.

You cement your reputation as a brilliant, if prickly, diagnostician. You can’t tell if people are talking about your sexuality or if they just don’t like your anti-authority approach. They’re kind of one and the same, if you’re being honest. And you always try to be honest.

[ace-robot-has-matcha]

abortion rights and trans healthcare bans happened with Biden in office it literally doesn't matter who wins the election lol. don't try to talk to me about LGBT rights you fucking cissy

Context for mutuals: this post

Damn that’s actually true. Except for the fact that those bans were put in place by the largely conservative Congress and Supreme Court, not the Biden administration. Less than a month after the repeal of Roe v Wade, Biden signed an executive order that offered protections for reproductive healthcare. And as for LGBTQ rights protections, here’s an extensive list. It sucks a lot that we lost so many rights in the last few years, but we have gained a lot of protections as well. Trump didn’t do any of this, in fact quite a few of the Biden administration’s actions were reversing many of Trump’s discriminatory acts, including the “license to discriminate” rule and the trans military ban.

But you know how people like us can take our own action against the implementation of such harmful policies? We can vote! Both the Senate and the House have candidates on the ballot this year, and those are the people who propose and vote on things like trans healthcare bans. So if you’d like to work against such things being implemented, electing Democratic congresspeople is our best option. I mentioned this on the post that started all this, but voting is often the only action many people can take, so seeing people take it for granted is very frustrating.

With all that said, you still may decide that it’s not worth it to vote for anyone. And with that, I have to ask: what is your alternative? Give up and do nothing? Wait for the fabled revolution? Neither of those things are going to make any change. As stated before, at the moment voting is one of the only ways we have to make change in our society. Why do you think the suffragists and abolitionists fought so hard to acquire the right to vote? Why do you think even now conservatives work to suppress the vote of minorities? They understand that voting matters, and that voting has real, documented effects on the state of our country, even if it isn’t always clear. I’m sure women and African-Americans back in the day had candidates they didn’t approve of, but they still lined up at the polls to do their part to enact change.

Listen I don’t like Biden either and don’t care to defend him but I have to when people like you run the extraordinarily harmful narrative that it doesn’t matter who wins.

[mariacallous]

Albania’s Catholic Church on Monday criticised a priest who participated in a private partnership ceremony for a same-sex couple in Tirana at the weekend, saying that “marriage between [people of] the same sex is categorically prohibited”.

“The person in the who, even though he appears as a Catholic clergyman, has no connection with the Catholic Church and represents nothing of us,” Mark Pashkia, a spokesperson for the Church, said.

“Based on the doctrine, tradition and magistrate of the Church, same-sex marriages are not acceptable and categorically prohibited,” he added.

Edlira Mara and Alba Ahmetaj submitted their request for the declaration of marriage at the Office of Civil Status on Friday and media reported that the ceremony was held on Sunday.

Despite their request to the authorities, the ‘marriage’ was unofficial, and has no standing within Albanian law.

“Despite the fact that the marriage was not legal, it was not only the crowning of our love, but also the realisation of an early dream,” Ahmetaj told a press conference on Monday.

Asked by journalists about the use of the City Hall, Ahmetaj clarified: “The City Hall is a public facility available for use by the city’s taxpayers for various events.”

The couple said on Friday in a statement that the request to use the venue was made  “based on our right according to Albanian legislation and according to the requirements on the form of marriage established by the Family Code of the Republic of Albania”.

“Article 53 of our Constitution states that ‘everyone has the right to marry and have a family’. Meanwhile, the Family Code reserves this right only for heterosexual couples, discriminating against any other couple on the basis of sexual orientation and in violation of constitutional guarantees,” they declared.

The most vocal criticism of the ceremony came from former President Ilir Meta, who now leads the small Freedom Party.

Meta made several homophobic remarks on Sunday and Monday, saying the event was part of a “perverted agenda”.

Civil society groups meanwhile called for respect for human rights.

“We live in an open democratic society where the constitution guarantees us equal rights for all. Any reaction beyond the constitution, in my opinion, is a personal, emotional reaction and with or without a homophobic tone does not change the reality that today in Albania, LGBTI people continue to be treated as second-class, unequal citizens,” Altin Hazizaj, executive director of the NGO Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania, told BIRN.

“Small parties must understand that if they do not work for the most persecuted communities, they are destined to fail and close,” he added.

BIRN has previously reported about the couple’s struggle in the courts to register their children under both their names as parents. As they are both women, this is impossible under current Albanian law.

With only a ‘temporary registration’, the children’s access to a range of public services, including healthcare, is limited.

The country has a long way to go when it comes to attitudes towards the LGBT community, observers have noted.

In 2022, the European Commission said” “In Albanian society, discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBT) persons is still very prevalent, especially as regards access to healthcare, education, justice, employment and housing.”

It noted the absence of legislation recognising civil cohabitation or same-sex marriage and lamented the “physical aggression and hate speech, particularly in social media” facing LGBT Albanians.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Daniel Villarreal at LGBTQ Nation:

The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) has touted itself as the “nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies.” Despite this, LCR has increasingly endorsed anti-LGBTQ+ political candidates and policies that seek to ban LGBTQ+ content in schools and gender-affirming care for trans minors. This article provides an overview of the group’s history, its meager standing in the Republican party, its stated core principles, and a list of LCR’s recent actions that repeatedly contradict those principles.

History of the Log Cabin Republicans

The Log Cabin Republicans formed in California in 1977 in opposition to Proposition 6 (also known as the Briggs Initiative), an unsuccessful ballot measure that sought to ban gay people and their supporters from working in public schools. While the group wanted to be called the Lincoln Club, an Orange County conservative group was already using that name. Nonetheless, the group’s chosen name still references former President Abraham Lincoln, who “built the Republican Party on the principles of liberty and equality under the law” and was born in a log cabin, LCR’s website states. In the 1990s, LCR members and its allies tried to educate influential Republican politicians about issues affecting gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. But in 1996, then-presidential candidate Bob Dole rejected LCR’s $1,000 donation, though he later accepted the cash. In 2000, LCR endorsed then-presidential candidate George W. Bush, noting his promise to unite the country and his lack of anti-gay campaign rhetoric. But while Bush established PEPFAR, a largely successful African HIV-prevention program, in 2003, he endorsed the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) to ban same-sex marriage.

In response, LCR spent $1,000,000 to fight the FMA and aired its first TV ad campaign against it. In 2004, Congress rejected the measure. In 2008, LCR endorsed then-presidential candidate John McCain, citing his opposition to the FMA, even though he supported a same-sex marriage ban sought by legislators in his home state of Arizona and also opposed efforts to end the ban on gay and bisexual military members known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). In 2010, LCR filed a successful federal court challenge to DADT. In 2012, LCR endorsed then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney even though he opposed same-sex marriage, the repeal of DADT, and the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. While the national board of LCR chose not to endorse then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, numerous state chapters of LCR did. But the national LCR endorsed Trump in 2020, with board members writing an op-ed in The Washington Post proclaiming that “Trump met his commitments to LGBTQ Americans.”

In reality, the Republican Party platform — which has remained unchanged since 2016 — calls for a ban on same-sex marriage and transgender military members and supports both “ex-gay” conversion therapy and making it legal for businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. Trump’s numerous policies against the queer community have made him one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ presidents of all time.

Core principles and beliefs

According to its national website, LCR supports legislative protections against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace, housing, adoption, and other civil areas; a national ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors; continued policies to fight the HIV epidemic; the international decriminalization of LGBTQ+ identity; and also acceptance of LGBTQ+ refugees in the United States. The group also supports lower taxes and firearm ownership rights.

[...]

Recent developments

It has defended Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill by comparing its opponents to pedophiles who have “wet dreams of gender fluid, indoctrinated, and groomed children.” The group’s president, Charles Moran, has written op-eds opposing transgender civil rights and also the Equality Act, legislation seeking LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections. Earlier this year, the group named a straight self-described homophobe as one of its ambassadors. The group’s executive director, Jerri Ann Henry, called President Donald Trump’s numerous anti-LGBTQ+ policies “hiccups.” The organization also endorsed 14 anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans during the 2018 midterm elections and 12 anti-LGBTQ+ extremists in 2020, including Trump, Mike Pence, and a woman who thinks pedophiles are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Log Cabin Republicans have been a voice for LGBTQ+ conservativism.

The organization’s beginnings arose to opposition to the homophobic failed Briggs Initiative.

Until the Trump era, the LCR have at least pretended to care about LGB issues. Nowadays, despite purporting to champion LGBTQ+ conservativism, they support anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ policies and politicians.

[noonesgaylikegatson]

It's extremely homophobic when people constantly talk about the privilege of gay men. It's truly the mark of a homophobe to me.

Because, gay men, existing across the world, the majority in countries where gay rights aren't legal. Many living in countries where being openly gay is punishably by law.

Uganda passing a law that essentially makes being gay illegal. A law so strict, that even housing a gay person can put you in jail.

Even when we live in 'progressive" nations, we are still affected by random acts of homophobia. Homophobia is systematic. Enforced. Engrained.

Straight people can pretend to be allies all they want, but when they refuse to address the truth that society views gay men as expendable, and unprotected, and week. And it just sucks when people in our broader LGBT+ and Queer community refuse to the address the truth as well.

Why do straight men know that they can get on grindr and find gay men to rob? Because they know that society doesn't care and the police doesn't care when we go hurt and when we go missing. A serial killer was able to go on for an extended period of time because the police refused to investigate further. And I am not talking about about just Dahmer.

Even this year in NYC, 2023, we had a gang go into clubs and drug gay men to rob them, resulting in the death of two individuals. Only when their families cried out to the media, that this issue was brought to light. And that the police knew about this issue, but didn't even think to warn us. It was gay men with good enough social media followings that had to sound the alarm. Thankfully the gang was caught.

We also had in NYC, a young black teenage boy murdered and his body burned and left on the train tracks. His assailants were caught.

A tiktok went viral recently of a brother coming to his neighbor's house to use their phone to call his dad, because his brother killed himself. His brother had came out as gay to the family, and was accepted and loved and then returned to school, and came out and was horribly bullied. He took his own life.

With teachers being called groomers for being gay, gay authors having their books taken down. Sending death threats to drag queens.

So when people are constantly talking about the privilege of gay men, I really do think they're a homophobe. Because, we have so many things going on that we need to talk about and need to address, but you're more focused on telling us to take a backseat because we have so much? Every group has their privileges and privileged. Yet, that doesn't' negate the suffering that they face from systemic discrimination.

Why do you not want to have a real conversation?