Pope Francis recently called for a universal ban on what practice?
Surrogacy
Only weeks after he approved blessing same-sex couples, Pope Francis spoke out against what he called the "despicable" practice of surrogacy, likening it to human trafficking. He called for a universal ban on surrogacy, saying a child should “never be the basis of a commercial contract.”
Out singer Billie Eilish won a Golden Globe this past week for her song "What Was I Made For?" What movie did the song appear in?
Barbie
Eilish won the award for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture at this year's Golden Globes alongside her brother and co-writer Finneas for their song “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie.
“It was exactly a year ago that we were shown the movie,” Eilish said, “and I was very, very miserable and depressed at the time, and writing that song kind of saved me a little bit.”
Which country got an out gay prime minister this week?
France
Education Minister Gabriel Attal was appointed prime minister of France, the first out gay man and LGBTQ+ person to be named to the position. At age 34, he is also the country’s youngest prime minister in its Fifth Republic.
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“I know I can count on your energy and your commitment to get my plan for [civic and economic] rearmament and revitalization that I announced,” President Emmanuel Macron said after appointing Attal to the position.
Which anti-LGBTQ+ measure from the Trump administration did President Joe Biden recently undo?
A rule allowing religious medical professionals to discriminate against LGBTQ+ patients
Biden's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently removed a Trump-era rule allowing doctors and other medical professionals to refuse to treat patients for religious reasons. Pregnant women and the LGBTQ+ community were the targets of the rule.
Though the rule change was blocked by courts, it still represented a "very real threat of blockages of medical care delivery when patients are most in need,” Lambda Legal Chief Legal Officer Jennifer C. Pizer explained.
The first lawsuit against a gender-affirming care ban was filed this year. What state's ban is being targeted?
Louisiana
H.B. 648 bans doctors and nurses from providing safe and medically necessary gender-affirming care like puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender youth. It prevents trans youth from receiving both gender-affirming medications and surgery (though surgery is almost never performed on trans youth). It would also punish doctors for providing this care by taking away their licenses for at least two years.
How did rapper Lil Nas X recently troll religious conservatives online?
He said Jerry Falwell accepted him into the evangelical Liberty University
Lil Nas X faked an acceptance letter from the extreme evangelical Liberty University as part of the promo for his new single. The letter was signed “Jerry Falwell, President.” But Falwell died in 2007, and the university's current president is Dondi E. Costin.
The rapper's upcoming album is a Christian album, he has said. Its genre surprised many since the musician's breakthrough 2021 music video for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" featured him giving the devil a lap dance.
Which of the following recently announced a partnership with Elon Musk to create video content for X?
Tulsi Gabbard
As part of Elon Musk’s efforts to make X a video-focused platform and attract more advertisers, the social media company announced new shows hosted by anti-trans politician Tulsi Gabbard and disgraced out journalist Don Lemon. Both Gabbard and Lemon touted Musk's dedication to "free speech" as their reason for partnering with the platform.
Which state’s ban on gender-affirming care was allowed to go into effect after a ruling by an appeals court this week?
Alabama
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals allowed Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth to go into effect on Thursday. The ban had been tied up in legal challenges since it became law in 2022. A full trial on its constitutionality won’t occur until August 2024.
The law punishes doctors who provide gender-affirming care with felonies punishable by ten years in prison. Lawyers representing trans youth in the case said the "ban will harm thousands of transgender adolescents across the state."
French transgender woman Yosha Iglesias recently made history. What did she became the first trans woman to do?
She won an International Master title in competitive chess.
Iglesias became the first transgender woman to become an International Master – the second-highest title in competitive chess. Iglesias said, “For me, it’s a life achievement… I’ve received so many lovely messages. One of the most moving was from a trans player who told me she had quit chess to transition but that my story inspired her to return to competition.”
A Florida school district has banned which book in an effort to comply with Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) book ban law?
The dictionary
The Escambia County School District has reportedly removed over 2800 books from library shelves as they undergo a review process that will determine if they are inappropriate for students. Among the books currently relegated to storage are The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students, and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary. The district contends these texts could violate H.B. 1069, which DeSantis signed into law in May 2023, because they contain definitions for sexual words.
