GayNews Weekly - Humpback whales, Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Mistr, American Psychological Association ,Iowa, Arizona, Utah, Daqua Lameek Ritter, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY),

Always Be A Big Deal Podcast

A school in Fort Worth, Texas, recently canceled a student production of which famous modern gay play?

The Laramie Project

Timber Creek High School officials did not explain the play's cancellation but suggested students put on a production of Mary Poppins or White Christmas instead.

Officials said students would “still have an opportunity to read, discuss, and analyze the play” about the aftermath of the 1998 murder of gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard “during the school day.”

Which GOP senator blocked Sen. Tammy Duckworth's (D-IL) IVF protection bill because it could lead to human-animal hybrids?

Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), who also voted against the same bill when Duckworth proposed it in 2022, blocked the Access to Family Building Act, claiming protecting IVF rights would allow the creation of human-animal hybrids – called chimeras (Duckworth emphasized, “It does nothing of the sort"). Hyde-Smith also claimed the bill would legalize cloning and allow minor girls to become surrogates without their parents' consent.

Students held a walk out at Owasso High School in Oklahoma. What were they protesting?

Rampant bullying and anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes that may have led to Nex Benedict's death

Nex Benedict was a trans student at Owasso who died last week, just a day after getting beaten in a school bathroom. “There’s been bullying issues. This time, the bullying has gone so far that a student passed,” one former student said.

Which animal was recently photographed having gay sex, sending the Internet into a frenzy of jokes?

Humpback whales

Humpback whales have never been observed having sex, but two randy males were filmed having a gay old time off the coast of Hawaii. A just-released research paper documents the encounter between the two males and notes that the two circled a boat off the coast before diving down a few meters below the surface to get it on.

However, scientists don’t call animals “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” or “queer” because the word connotes a human sexual orientation with strong cultural and political implications that are irrelevant to non-human species.

Which governor recently blasted Republicans for elevating the rights of rapists over folks who desperately want to build families?

Gavin Newsom (D-CA)

In the wake of Alabama's anti-IVF ruling, Gov. Newsom accused the party of family values of granting more rights to rapists than to families, referring to the fact that GOP-led states continue to enact strict abortion laws that prevent people from obtaining an abortion even when they have become pregnant from rape while at the same time limiting access to IVF.

44-year-old Tristan Schukraft runs a telemedicine platform that provides free online PrEP for anyone with or without insurance, as well as STI testing in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. What is the name of the platform?

Mistr

Schukraft thinks zero HIV infections are within our grasp and told LGBTQ Nation this week that we owe it “to those that lost their lives at the peak of the epidemic” to get there.

What did the American Psychological Association (APA) recently say about gender-affirming care for minors?

State laws should not restrict it

The APA announced a new policy resolution on Wednesday, opposing state laws restricting access to gender-affirming care for minors. The resolution said the laws are “a direct threat to the mental health and emotional well-being of transgender, gender-diverse, and nonbinary youth."

The resolution also said that equating gender-affirming care to child abuse has created a distorted perception of the "necessary psychological and medical care."

Which anti-LGBTQ+ Republican announced that they were stepping down from a major leadership role?

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