Which out member of Congress filed a resolution to censure Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) this week?
Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT)
Balint filed a privileged motion to censure Greene, citing dozens of extreme, violent, and detached-from-reality statements Greene has made in the last several years.
“For me, censuring Rep. Taylor Greene is about the health of our democracy and faith in government,” Balint said in a statement. “Her antisemitic, racist, transphobic rhetoric has no place in the House of Representatives.”
An anti-LGBTQ+ pundit hated the "Barbie" movie so much that he set his dolls on fire. Which pundit was this?
Ben Shapiro
The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro claimed that his staff "dragged" him to a screening of the popular new movie and that it was a "flaming garbage heap" and "woke."
So he decided to set his Barbie and Ken dolls on fire in a trashcan.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
He was particularly upset that trans actress Hari Nef appearing in the movie.
"One of the Barbies is a trans Barbie. And this is true! Totally normal, as if this is a female Barbie—with a voice deeper than my own,” he said.
Two conservatives tried to stop the San Diego Public Library's Pride display by checking all the books out, but their plan didn't work. What stopped it?
People from all over sent books to the library while the city gave $30,000 to expand the library's collection
Two women checked all the books out of the library's Pride display because they said that books about LGBTQ+ people force families to have "conversations about sex and sexual attraction" in public, they wrote in an email to the library.
The story got attention and the library started receiving "stacks" of boxes from Amazon. The city also gave $30,000 to expand the collection and increase programming, including a drag queen story hour.
Which college is struggling to keep its faculty after the state's Republican governor stacked the board with right-wing activists?
The New College of Florida
In January, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appointed the far-right anti-LGBTQ+ activist Christopher Rufo, among other conservatives, to the New College’s board of trustees in an effort to make the school more conservative. The college had a reputation for being progressive and queer-friendly, but Rufo said the board would conduct a “top-down restructuring” of the school that will involve designing “a new core curriculum from scratch.”
Now, Provost Bradley Thiessen says 36 faculty members have left in the past year alone. In a school with fewer than 100 full-time faculty members, that’s a lot. The Tampa Bay Times reported that it often takes over a year for universities to fill full-time positions, and without any advanced notice from the majority of the departed faculty, the school is now struggling to provide all of the courses that students need.
Reports emerged this week of a trans man who was brutally attacked by an LA police officer. What was the reason the officer gave for the attack?
An air freshener hanging from the man's rearview mirror was blocking his view of the road
Deputy Joseph Benza tackled 23-year-old high school teacher Emmett Brock to the ground after following him into a 7-Eleven parking lot. Surveillance video of the incident, combined with audio from the officer’s bodycam, shows that despite the fact that Brock continued to scream for help and assure the officer he was not resisting, the officer would not let up.
Benza maintains that the incident began because Brock had an air freshener hanging in his rearview mirror that was allegedly obstructing his view of the road, but experts believe it was retaliatory, as Brock had put up his middle finger as he drove by Benza arguing with a woman.
Which renowned queer singer passed away this week?
Sinéad O'Connor
The renowned Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor passed away this week at the age of 56 due to an unknown cause. She was an unapologetically political singer who didn't label her sexuality.
She was also best known for her 1990 hit "Nothing Compares 2 U" and for tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live in protest of the Catholic Church's widespread child sex abuse. Though she changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat late in her life, she continued to perform under her better-known artist name.
Actor Kevin Spacey faced nine charges related to sexual assault in the U.K. and the jury reached a verdict this week. What was the verdict?
He was found not guilty on all charges
A British jury found Kevin Spacey not guilty of nine counts of sexual assault after four men accused him of forcing himself on them between 2001 and 2013, time during which Spacey mostly spent serving as artistic director of London’s Old Vic theater.
Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs, claimed three of the accusers were lying and just wanted money from Spacey. He said Spacey was just an “easy target” due to his promiscuity.
What anti-trans law did Russian President Vladimir Putin sign this week?
All of these
Putin has signed a law banning transgender individuals from receiving gender-affirming care, changing their gender in government documents, fostering or adopting children, and having a legal marriage. Marriages involving at least one trans person will be annulled.
Legislators who promoted the new law said it is necessary to protect Russia’s “traditional values” against “Western anti-family ideology,” including the “pure satanism” of transitioning. Opponents of the law say it will harm trans Russians' well-being and worsen anti-LGBTQ+ stigma nationwide.
Which state just became the 22nd state to ban so-called conversion therapy?
Michigan
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a ban on conversion therapy for minors. The widely debunked form of psychological torture claims to change people’s sexual orientations or gender identities.
“As a mom of a member of the community and a proud, lifelong ally, I’m grateful that today we’re banning the horrific practice of conversion therapy in Michigan,” Whitmer wrote on Twitter. “In doing so, we are taking action to make Michigan a more welcoming, inclusive place.”
The Florida Department of Education recently made a right-wing propaganda group an official educational vendor for schools. What is the name of that group?
PragerU
PragerU “offers a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology," though it is not an accredited academic institution. It describes itself as being in “the mind-changing business.”
A petition on its website claims that “PragerU is trying to help America’s students—but the left (which has hijacked and controlled the education system, including teachers unions) is doing everything in its power to label us as ‘far right,’ deplatform us, and keep PragerU out of schools.”
