Welcome to this week’s edition of the LGBTQ Nation Weekly News Quiz!
Test how well you’ve been keeping up with the LGBTQ+ news… or use the search function on this site to find the answer. It’s ok, you’re just competing against yourself, and every question here is drawn from an LGBTQ Nation story from this past week.
Have fun!
LGBTQ Nation Weekly News Quiz for the week of January 22, 2024
A California judge recently blocked a new rule that would have forced trans police officers to out themselves on certain disclosure forms. Which state leader supported the passage of this rule?
Attorney General Rob Bonta
The judge temporarily blocked a new state rule that requires police officers to share their gender identities when reporting the traffic stops they made to the state’s antidiscrimination board. The rule was passed by Attorney General Rob Bonta's office, a surprising move due to Bonta's opposition to forced outing in schools.
Which anti-LGBTQ+ troll was recently appointed to help censor books in Oklahoma's public schools?
Chaya Raichik aka "Libs of TikTok"
Ryan Walters, the right-wing superintendent of the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), has appointed Chaya Raichik, an anti-LGBTQ+ influencer who goes by Libs of TikTok on social media, to serve on the OSDE’s Library Media Advisory Committee. The committee decides what state public school students are allowed to read.
Raichik doesn't live in Oklahoma and has no experience working in education. Her posts have led to numerous bomb threats against school children. Walter said her appointment will "benefit Oklahoma students and their families.”
Which queer celebrity recently testified on Capitol Hill in favor of a gun control measure?
Actor Wilson Cruz
Gay actor Wilson Cruz spoke at a congressional roundtable on the GOSAFE Act, a bill to prevent gun violence.
“I am a nephew and a family member devastated by gun violence. My aunt, Brenda Marquez McCool, was murdered at the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting while she placed her body between the shooter and her son, who survived," his testimony began.
Conservatives are freaking out over a bill seeking to make Maine a sanctuary state for kids seeking gender-affirming care. What is the right convinced the bill is doing?
All of these
The bill would actually protect families who come to the state to obtain health care for their trans children and would allow Maine temporary emergency jurisdiction over trans kids who have been unable to receive gender-affirming care or who are being abused or neglected. This has not stopped right-wingers like Chaya Raichik, Riley Gaines, Megyn Kelly, and Donald Trump Jr. from stoking panic and claiming the state will kidnap children whose parents won't let them get gender-affirming surgery, something that is almost never performed on minors.
What excuse did Kentucky state Rep. Nick Wilson (R) have for submitting a bill that would have legalized incest between first cousins?
He said it was an accident
The transphobic politician said he accidentally omitted first cousins in his bill seeking to criminalize “sexual contact” in addition to intercourse in the state’s incest law.
“During the drafting process, there was an inadvertent change, which struck ‘first cousins’ from the list of relationships included under the incest statute, and I failed to add it back in,” he said, calling his error "quite embarrassing” and "frustrating."
Which athlete recently hired an attorney to overturn a ban on transgender athletes imposed by a world sports governing body?
Swimmer Lia Thomas
Transgender competitive swimmer Lia Thomas has recruited Tyr, a Canadian law firm, to challenge World Aquatics' ban in Switzerland’s Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Thomas hasn’t swum since 2022 when World Aquatics, the global body overseeing competitive swimming events, changed its rules to prohibit anyone who had experienced “any part of male puberty” from competing in the female category.
A Gallup poll found that LGBTQ+ parents are more likely to consider fostering kids, but that one big thing is stopping them. What is it?
Fear of discrimination by the foster care system
37% of LGBTQ+ adults who responded to the survey said they have thought a lot about fostering, as compared to 23% of non-LGBTQ+ adults. But 35% of LGBTQ+ respondents also stated that fear of discrimination was a major barrier to fostering, compared to 10% of non-LGBTQ+ respondents. There are approximately 400,000 children in foster care in the United States, and this poll suggests that many are missing out on loving homes as a result of these fears.
Which top GOP primary candidate dropped out of the race just before the New Hampshire primary?
Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov Ron DeSantis (R) - who made his name in national politics on the back of rabidly anti-LGBTQ+ policy - announced that he was leaving the GOP primary last weekend, just before the primary election in New Hampshire.
Between his campaign and his PAC, DeSantis is estimated to have spent over $35 million in Iowa alone. That amounted to about $1,500 for each vote he got in the caucuses.
A recent poll found that more Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+ than as what?
Republican
A recent survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that 28% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+, a massive leap from the 16% of Millennials, 7% of Generation X, 4% of baby boomers, and 4% of the Silent Generation that identify as such. The comprehensive study also found that 21% of Gen Z adults identify as Republican, and 27% identify as white Christians, making Gen Z more queer than Republican or white Christian.
How did President Joe Biden celebrate Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's birthday this past week?
Biden led a room full of mayors in singing "Happy Birthday"
“Pete turned 30 today,” the president joked of Buttigieg, the youngest member of his Cabinet as well as the youngest person ever to serve as U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
“My wife, she has a tradition in her family… and on everybody’s birthday, you’ve got to sing ‘Happy Birthday,’” Biden continued. “So, stand up and let’s sing ‘Happy Birthday.’”
Biden then led the room in serenading Buttigieg, who stood and shook the president’s hand.
