Thousands of Virginia Students Walk Out to Protest Anti-Trans Policies

(CNN) — The University of Florida Faculty Senate approved a no-confidence resolution Thursday on the selection process to appoint US Sen. Ben Sasse as the next president, officials said.The 67 to 15 vote comes after Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, became the only person considered for the high-ranking position at one of Florida's largest universities.

(CNN) – A LATAM Airlines plane was damaged while traveling from Santiago, Chile, to Asunción, Paraguay, and had to make an emergency landing at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport on Wednesday after experiencing “severe weather conditions during its flight path,” the airline told CNN in a statement on Thursday.“Passengers and crew are safe and well,” the statement said, adding the airline regretted “any inconvenience this weather situation may have caused to its passengers.”Telefuturo, a CNN affiliate, reported that 48 people were traveling on the flight.The images obtained by the station show the damaged aircraft with its nose missing and its windshield smashed.The General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Chile reported in a statement Thursday that the Paraguayan aviation authorities have initiated an investigation and that a team of specialists from the Chilean entity “will be integrated on the ground to collaborate with this investigative process.”CNN en Español reached out to the Paraguayan National Directorate of Civil Aeronautics on Thursday for more information but has not yet received a response. Scary flight for passenger“Near Asunción the terrible turbulence began and people already started to panic and then the pilot tells us to prepare for an emergency landing,” passenger Pabla Thomen told a private radio station, Monumental AM 1080, on Thursday.Thomen added that she got scared and hugged her daughter during the turbulence and at one point her seat belt came undone.

Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was violently attacked inside the couple's San Francisco home by an intruder Friday morning.Nancy Pelosi's spokesperson, Drew Hammill, issued a statement Friday morning confirming the incident."Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi," the statement reads."The assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation," the statement continues.

The LGBTQ Caucus in the 2021 Texas Legislature (Photo by David Taffet)

Wanda Sykes (Photo by Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix),left, and Wanda Sykes (Photo by Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix)

BY THE DALLAS VOICE STAFF “We all love Leslie.” It was one comment from one person on one social media post following the death Monday, Oct. 24, of actor and comedian L

Mark Patton on the convention circuit (Photo by Lizz Ellis)

Young Frankenstein runs through Nov. 13 at Theatre Three (Photo courtesy of Theatre Three)

Francis Plourde. (Photo courtesy of CBC Media Centre)

Have an event coming up? Email your information to Managing Editor Tammye Nash at nash@dallasvoice.com or Senior Staff Writer David Taffet at taffet@dallasvoice.com by Wednesday at 5 p.m. for that week’s issue.

Winter Walks at the Allerton Park and Retreat Center offer gorgeous views (Photo courtesy of Visit Champaign County)

Elissa Wev, left, and Callie Butcher

It isn’t often Dallas voters have an opportunity to reshape our city’s future with an up-or-down vote, a chance to reset our city’s standing in the hospitality, convention and tourism industry, while also restoring a beloved and historic gem. This election, we can do just that with Proposition A. Prop A asks Dallas voters to increase their city’s hotel occupancy ta

Israel Luna

(CNN) – The federal government saw a spike in complaints from angry airline passengers in August, the last full month of a summer marked by flight cancellations and delays.In just-released data, the Department of Transportation says it received more than 7,000 complaints from flyers, a 6 percent increase compared with July and a 320 percent increase compared with pre-pandemic levels.“Flight problems was the highest category of the complaints received in August 2022,” the DOT says. “Of the 7,243 complaints received, 2,321 (32.0 percent) concerned cancellations, delays, or other deviations from airlines’ schedules.”The data also shows that in August, United Airlines took the top spot for canceled flights at 3.6 percent.

As a queer woman, chances are you find it hard to know if someone is into you. Growing up in a heteronormative society, WLW are conditioned to not make the first move, and urged to be cautious about coming on too strongly. 

The Clapham Grand’s annual Halloween Party is back and better than ever with a lineup that is sure to send your spooky season off in style.

Blu Hyrdrangea has opened up about her runway budget for Drag Race UK vs the World.

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Australian footballer Josh Cavallo has reflected on his coming out anniversary in a heartfelt social media post. 

The post Editorial Cartoon • 10-28-22 appeared first on Dallas Voice.

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Time once again for some Pride on the court — the basketball court, that is. The Dallas Mavericks are hosting another Pride Night at the American Airlines Center on Friday, Nov. 4, when the Mavs host the Toronto Raptors. There will be a Pride Night Pre-Game Party in the AAC’s Mic Ultra Lounge starting at 6:30 p.m., and tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. Kathy Jack, the Mavs’ ambassador in the LGBTQ community, says the team will have lots of “Pride Night swag” to give away, and there will be plenty of new Pride items for sale in The Hangar. Tickets start at $35; get your tickets at https://tinyurl.com/mwessnps and you get access to the pre-game party and you get a Mavs Pride t-shirt.

Hello and Happy Halloween to all of you spooky and beautiful people. I hope you are all in the spirit of the holiday … you know, all creepy and shit, taking every chance you get to scare the bejesus out of someone you love or — even better — someone you know is easy to scare. I am, apparently

Drag Race UK star Sminty Drop shares the look she would have worn during the West End runway category.

Brian sits down with unique singer/songwriter Alex Kautz to discuss how music was the constant in his mental health journey. Alex has two albums to date — Alex in Wonderland and We’re All Gonna Die. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to listen to the lead single from his latest album.

Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.

Phoebe Bridgers has opened up about the importance of abortion rights in a new interview.

The queens delivered their best celebrity impressions on the latest episode of Drag Race UK season four.

Russian men are looking to potential scammers on the application Telegram to purchase fake HIV diagnoses to avoid the Russian draft.LGBTQ Nation reported that the groups contain tens of thousands of users and offer transportation to bordering countries in addition to work and housing. The falsified HIV and hepatitis diagnoses can be paid via Bitcoin and come alongside forged government documents and currency exchanges.The fake diagnoses come in the wake of the September 21 announcement from Russia’s anti-LGBTQ president Vladimir Putin ordering 300,000 male citizens to aid in his ongoing invasion of Ukraine.An anonymous seller told the global tech website Rest of World, “At the moment, the most effective way [to avoid being drafted into the Russian military] is to get a certificate that you have HIV or hepatitis.”He added, “Vendors offered HIV diagnoses that would be added to the Ministry of Health’s database, rendering someone as unfit for military service, for $620.

BENTON, Louisiana (KTBS) -- A special session was held at Benton United Methodist Church to decide if it will split from the United Methodist Conference.The session comes as some members are grappling with differing views about whether, or how to include members of the LGBTQ+ community in the church.Some in the Methodist church advocate for inclusion of LGBTQ+ Christians, however, many feel strongly that the church should uphold its current stance against gay pastors and same-sex marriage.However, some churches allowing LGBTQ+ clergy and performing same-sex ceremonies are prompting a split within the denomination.Many churches are voting this year to exit in time for confirmation this fall.Two-thirds of members must approve before the church can disaffiliate.The Methodist Book of Discipline states that a local church has the right to disaffiliate under the basis of deep conflict around the issues of human sexuality.As for Benton UMC and churches like it throughout the United States and worldwide, the church would owe the conference a one-time payment, before the end of 2023.Exiting churches must pay two years of apportionments and pension liabilities.A total of 3,000 to 5,000 churches are expected to leave the conference by 2023.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company.

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday and defended new policies in the state that will require public school students to use bathrooms and join sports teams based on their biological sex, not gender identity.  "Let me begin with these basic principles, which is first, parents have a fundamental right to be engaged in their children's lives.

At Hamilton High School in Arizona last week, more than a hundred students joined others at several schools across the state to skip class.Students there staged a walkout at several schools to protest two laws that took effect in the state, which critics say target LGBTQ+ young people.The GOP-controlled state legislature passed a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year, prompting hundreds of Arizona high schoolers to walk out of their schools, Phoenix New Times reports.Armed with bullhorns and their own feet, students marched out of classes on Thursday to show their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community."These bills are killing us," 16-year-old Chandler, Ariz., student Dawn Shim said, according to the Phoenix New Times. "We aren't out here missing our school day and interrupting our education because we want to.

In a ruling handed down on Thursday, a federal appeals court found that Kim Davis, the former county clerk from Kentucky who refused marriage licenses to same-sex couples after marriage equality became law with the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell vs. Hodges, did not have qualified immunity. Consequently, the panel ruled that two couples could sue her personally, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.According to Thursday's U.S.

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday announced the appointment of three people to the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board.

To win over conservative voters, Georgia Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker teamed up with an athlete who has become the symbol of opposition to transgender sports.

(CNN) – Virgin Atlantic has said it is scrapping gendered uniform options in an effort to champion the individuality of its employees.The British airline announced in a press release on Wednesday that cabin crew, pilots, and ground staff can select which uniform they feel most comfortable in – “no matter their gender, gender identity, or gender expression.” Optional pronoun badges will also become available for crew and passengers.The red and burgundy staff uniforms, created by British designer Vivienne Westwood, will no longer be categorized under “male” and “female,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday.Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, said in the press release that the company believes it’s important to encourage people to “embrace their individuality and be their true selves at work.”Jarvinen added: “It is for that reason that we want to allow our people to wear the uniform that best suits them and how they identify and ensure our customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns.”Michelle Visage, a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, who showcased the uniform alongside staff, welcomed the move.“As the mother of a non-binary child, and as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, these efforts by Virgin Atlantic to further inclusivity for its people are extremely important and personal to me,” she said in the press release. “People feel empowered when they are wearing what best represents them, and this gender identity policy allows people to embrace who they are and bring their full selves to work.”Virgin Atlantic said the changes are part of a wider series of initiatives under its “Be Yourself” agenda.The long-haul carrier has also changed its ticketing system.

Donald Trump often asked oddly personal questions about staffers’ sexuality and made homophobic remarks about those he perceived might be gay, according to a new book.

"Who’s up to no good?" That’s the question that users will receive when attempting to input data into a new database that will allow them to search for companies that support causes such as insurrectionists, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-choice, and anti-voting rights movements. The tool is particularly useful for those who want to see what companies who show their Pride in June do the rest of the year.As part of the Accountable for Equality Action, a watchdog organization that monitors organizations’ activities to measure corporate allyship and corporate donations, the Real Allies Database maintains information that tracks donations to extremist politicians.

Glenn Youngkin's proposed changes to how schools treat transgender students can receive an excused absence under state law.Youngkin, a Republican, is facing backlash from LGBTQ advocates for proposing an overhaul to rules in Virginia schools pertaining to the treatment of LGBTQ students, reversing protections previously passed under former Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, in 2020.His proposed changes would affect transgender students' abilities to use the bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity and require schools to receive parental approval before using a transgender student's changed name or pronouns. He has found himself at odds with many voters over the policy in Virginia, a state that—despite his victory in 2021—has trended Democratic in recent years.Thousands of students from nearly 100 Virginia schools planned to protest the changes on Tuesday by staging walk-outs.

Glenn Youngkin's reversal of transgender protections and his new LGBTQ school policies.During Tuesday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that although she hasn't read the reports of the mass walkout, President Joe Biden continues to support the LGBTQ community and is "always proud to speak out against the mistreatment of that community.""He believes transgender youth should be allowed to be able to go to school freely, to be able to express themselves freely, to be able to have the protections that they need to be who they are," Jean-Pierre told reporters.Students at nearly 100 middle and high schools walked out on Tuesday after Youngkin released guidelines earlier this month that would require students to use restrooms, pronouns and names based on their official school record—unless there is a parental sign-off—and would limit student-athletes from only playing on sports teams of their biological sex.Youngkin, who replaced former Democratic Governor Ralph Northam in 2021, largely won on a platform that championed parents' rights and argued that parents should have greater input on their children's education.Despite the pushback that his policies have faced from students across Virginia, Youngkin has insisted that public schools follow the new guidelines and defended the revisions as benefitting parents in the state."Parents should be absolutely at the center of this discussion with their children, who they have known since before they were born," the governor told WJLA-TV on Monday. "And I think this is for the child's best interest for the family's best interest.

A teacher who taught in Maryland for years has settled a discrimination lawsuit, claiming she was subjected to “pervasive and severe” verbal and physical assaults because of her transgender identity.As a teacher in Prince George’s County between 2008 and 2017, Jennifer Eller claimed that teachers, administrators, and parents perpetuated a culture of discrimination and harassment toward transgender people, DCist reports.The parties reached a settlement between the Prince George’s County School Board and the federal government, under which the board agreed to adopt policies and procedures aimed at protecting transgender people from harassment. The settlement also included monetary compensation.Lambda Legal, representing Eller, celebrated the settlement in a press release.“Public schools should be safe havens where we prepare the leaders of tomorrow and where all are welcome regardless of background or identity.

ABOVE: One of my readers alerts me to this guy, who is a principal. If I showed you any of my former principals, you would not have thoughts of breaking rules in order to earn a trip to the office.

A school board in Oregon heard complaints from district residents who objected to the hiring of a nonbinary teacher at a local elementary school.The Mail Tribune reported the unnamed teacher was hired to teach first graders at Griffin Creek Elementary School in Medford this year, but the school board has been inundated with concerns from residents who objected to the hiring.Medford School Board chair Suzanne Messer opened the meeting held earlier this month at North Medford High School by acknowledging the concerns of the parents while advising them district policy prevents discussion of specific teacher complaints at school board meetings.While residents did not reference the teacher by name directly, it was clear the teacher was the main topic of discussion for many in attendance.“Placing a nonbinary teacher into a first-grade class is in line with that policy only because it is vague,” said Tanner Fairrington, a district resident whose children are home-schooled. “First graders are very early in their development, and I believe that exposure to the complexity of preferred pronouns and gender roles is not appropriate for this age group.

To avoid being served with a subpoena, in what can only be described as a scene from a movie, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton fled his home in a truck driven by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton on Monday.Texas's chief law enforcement officer went to great lengths to avoid being forced to testify in court, according to an affidavit filed in federal court by the process server, Ernesto Herrera. A subpoena was being served on the state's top attorney requiring him to attend a federal court hearing in a case brought by nonprofits that assist Texans seeking abortions outside the state, the Texas Tribune reports.Herrera said that he spotted Paxton and Angela through the windows of their house as he approached it on Monday morning.

About a dozen elected officials or candidates running for public office this year in Arlington, Va. and surrounding Northern Virginia areas expressed strong support for LGBTQ rights at an event organized by the Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance (AGLA) that drew more than 150 LGBTQ and allied residents of Northern Virginia.

A Louisiana judge dismissed a lawsuit filed last month by a librarian over criticism she received for supporting the inclusion of LGBTQ-related books in a library.Amanda Jones, a middle school librarian and the president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians, from Denham Springs, La., filed the lawsuit against two men, Michael Lunsford and Ryan Thames, after she claims they publicly attacked her opposing censorship and “book policing," The Hill reports.Although conservative group Citizens for a New Louisiana, ran by Lunsford according to the suit, published a series of online criticisms of Jones, the judge ruled that their statements were only opinions. The judge indicated that the level the offending commentary would have to rise was very high because the plaintiff was somewhat of a public figure.On July 19, Jones spoke at the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control meeting after a board member requested that the board review inappropriate books.

As attacks on hospitals across the country providing gender-affirming care services to trans children increases, with the latest target being a hospital in Ohio, far-right Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson is adding fuel to the fire.During a segment on his show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, on Wednesday, Carlson, who has often made anti-LGBTQ+ comments, attacked hospitals providing gender-affirming health care to transgender young people. Carlson said that being transgender is a fad, and he repeatedly claimed that gender-affirming medicine harms children and called it a “crime.” He also described being transgender as a “fad.”Following a series of tweets from right-wing extremist influencer Matt Walsh accusing Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee of opening its gender-affirming care division for financial gain, Carlson joined online trolls in targeting the facility. As a result, the hospital received an influx of hate and vitriol, leading to its having to shut down its website, as the Daily Beast reported.Carlson directs his viewers to engage in threatening behavior with a wink and a nod.In what experts describe as an example of stochastic terrorism tactics, Carlson said on his program that hospital employees were criminals who shouldn’t be surprised they “are receiving threatening phone calls.” As the latest attack on children’s hospitals that provide gender-affirming care, right-wing social media accounts have targeted Akron Children’s Hospital, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.In August, right-wing bloggers, news outlets, and social media accounts targeted Boston Children’s Hospital, which runs what was the first transgender health program in the country. A Massachusetts woman was arrested last week for allegedly