02/06/2024

Happy Tuesday,

👎🏼 To probably no one's surprise, Speaker Mike Johnson has a long history with the very, very anti-LGBTQ+ group called the Family Research Council. A new report examines his friendship with the organization's leader. It's just another example of Johnson's anti-queer past that continues to inform his anti-queer present. Read about the report here.

🍼 A conservative author is railing against something called "neonatal queer theory." As my colleague Tracy E. Gilchrist said, “I thought neonatal queer theory was reading Judith Butler aloud while pregnant.” 🤣

✨ Several LGBTQ+ groups have announced new leadership. Kris Hayashi joined the LGBTQ Task Force where he'll be director of its advocacy and action department. And former Advocate journalist Michael O’Loughlin is now the executive director of Outreach, a Catholic ministry for out people of faith. ✨

In other news:

• A woman in Russia gets jail time for — get this — rainbow mushroom frog earrings. I kid you not.
• California's U.S. Senate hopefuls spoke at a forum on LGBTQ+ rights.
• Arthur Ashe, the tennis champ, died of an AIDS-related illness on this day in 1993. It also happens to be Ronald Reagan's birthday — a president who ignored the HIV/AIDS epidemic for years.

Alex Cooper

Speaker Mike Johnson's long history with anti-LGBTQ+ Family Research Council extremist exposed (exclusive)

Shutterstock; Family Research Council

Trans rights leader Kris Hayashi to lead advocacy department at National LGBTQ Task Force (exclusive)

lgbtq taskforce; shutterstock

Reps. Lee, Schiff, and Porter make their appeal for California U.S. Senate seat at LGBTQ+ forum

Shutterstock

New leader of LGBTQ+ Catholic group seeks to help the queer faithful find a welcoming home

Courtesy Michael O'Loughlin; Shutterstock

Putin’s new Russia – woman receives jail time for rainbow frog earrings

Aegis via twitter @mediazzzona; Shutterstock

Here are the best LGBTQ+ moments you missed on the Grammys red carpet

Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for T.J. Martell Foundation

Gay hate-crime survivor becomes police officer in Georgia

facebook @ChambleePD

Right-wing author alleges bizarre ‘neonatal queer theory’ and sonograms to determine LGBTQ+ identities

Gage Skidmore via Wikipedia; Shutterstock

The Black-and-white dichotomy between Ronald Reagan’s birthday and Arthur Ashe’s death day

Shutterstock; David Ashdown/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images