Welcome, GO readers, to our weekly roundup of the biggest lesbian, bisexual, queer, and transgender women’s news and entertainment stories! We’ll be recapping the biggest hits each week and talking to the newsmakers, movers, and shakers behind them.
SCOTUS To Hear Masterpiece Cake Shop Case
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear the case of a same-sex couple who were refused a wedding cake by a Lakewood, Colorado bakery — and it could have huge implications for LGBTQ rights. In 2012, David Mullins and Charlie Craig went to the Masterpiece Cake Shop to get a cake for their wedding. However, Jack Phillips, the owner, refused to serve them because he claimed that same-sex marriage conflicted with his religious beliefs. The case will decide if business owners who serve the general public can discriminate against certain customers because of who they are, according to the New York Times.
If SCOTUS decides in favor of the cake shop, then LGBTQ people could face discrimination from businesses and beyond simply based on who we are.
Trump Left Out The LGBTQ Community On World AIDS Day
December 1st marked World AIDS Day, a day to highlight those who’ve been affected by HIV and AIDS. There are an estimated 36.7 million people living around the world with the virus and more than 35 million have died of either HIV or AIDs. The queer community has been disproportionately affected by HIV, and there are still discriminatory policies in place today because of it, such as the ban on queer men donating blood. Yet, in his remarks for World AIDS Day, President Donald Trump left out how the virus has impacted the community. Trump’s comments completely erased the entire generation of gay men who lost their lives to AIDS. It’s yet another instance where the administration has made the community invisible, if not walked back our rights altogether.
Roy Moore Blames LGBT People For Sexual Misconduct Accusations
Since accusations emerged weeks ago that Roy Moore pursued inappropriate and non-consensual relationships with teenage girls, the Republican Senate candidate in Alabama has been blaming the media and the accusers of a political smear campaign. If you thought it was already bad, he managed to up the ante. At a speech on Wednesday, Moore blamed queer people, among others, for the scandal. “They don’t want conservative values,” Moore said, according to ABC News. “They are the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender who want to change our culture. They are socialists who want to change our way of life and put man above God and the government is our God.” The speech is hardly the first time Moore has vilified the community. Moore was twice removed from serving as a judge on the Alabama Supreme Court, most recently for ordering probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
25th Known Trans Person Killed This Year
Brooklyn Breyanna Stevenson is the latest known person to lose their life to the epidemic of violence against trans people in America. Stevenson, 31, was found dead at a hotel in Oklahoma City and their body exhibited signs of trauma consistent with homicide, a police spokesperson told The Huffington Post.
While it’s still too early to identify a motive in the killing, 2017 is stacking up to be just as deadly as last year for the trans community. In 2016, at least 27 trans folks were murdered, the majority of whom were trans women of color. Rest in power, Brooklyn, we won’t stop saying your name. If you want to donate to help Stevenson’s family pay for a funeral, go to this GoFundMe page.
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