LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER GALA HONORS NOTABLE QUEER ACTIVISTS

On April 23, queer activist, singer, and actress Keke Palmer attended the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s annual gala and received recognition for her advocacy for the LGBT community via the Vanguard Award.

In her acceptance speech, Palmer spoke candidly about struggling to define herself.

“I’ve always been my own person, and sexuality and identity, for me, it’s always been confusing,” said Palmer. “I never felt straight enough; I never felt gay enough; I never felt woman enough; I never felt man enough. I always felt like I was a little bit of everything.”

Palmer publicly came out as sexually fluid in 2015 but refuses to use other labels. She has championed the stories of alternative and queer Black people and has starred as several queer characters.

“There is no greater masterpiece than living your truth,” said Palmer.

In addition to Palmer, Pamela Anderson also received the Vanguard Award, and the late actor Leslie Jordan was honored with a tribute as the gala’s longtime emcee.

“I am rooting for you,” said Anderson. “Thank you for rooting for me!”

Department Of Agriculture Mandates Dress Code Based On Biological Gender

The Texas Department of Agriculture has issued a new dress code based on biological gender. The memorandum describing the new dress code, obtained by the Texas Observer, is dated April 13. The memo states “employees are expected to comply with this dress code in a manner consistent with their biological gender” and that “violation of this agency policy includes remedies up to and including termination.”

An anonymous source told the Texas Observer that they were concerned that the dress code would be primarily applied to employees who are trans or gender non-conforming. They also stated that several of their coworkers are

Tennessee

DOJ INTERVENES IN STATE’S BAN ON GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE FOR MINORS

According to The Tennessean, the Department of Justice interceded in a federal lawsuit involving Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The DOJ asked for the law to be stalled before taking effect on July 1. The American Civil Liberties Union has been suing the state in defense of three families affected by the ban, as well as a physician who provides genderaffirming care.

“SB1 violates the constitutional rights of some of Tennessee’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Middle District U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis in a statement. “Left unchallenged, it would prohibit transgender children from receiving health care that their medical providers and their parents have determined to be medically necessary. In doing so, the law seeks to substitute the judgment of trained medical professionals and parents with that of elected officials and codifies discrimination against children who already face far too many obstacles.”

Gop Votes To Censure First Trans State Legislator

According to NBC News, Montana House Republicans voted on April 26 to censure Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the state’s first transgender legislator. A censure is a formal disapproval of a politician. Zephyr will remain in office but is not allowed to physically participate and will have to attend remotely through the end of the legislative session. The censure comes after her comments on April 18 during a debate on a bill limiting gender-affirming care for minors where she told legislators they would have blood on their hands if they voted for the bill.

Zephyr upheld her previous statements on April 26 before the censure vote.

“I was speaking to the real consequences of the votes that we as legislators take in this body,” she said, as quoted in NBC News. “When the speaker asks me to apologize on behalf of decorum, what he’s really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get us killed. He’s asking me to be complicit in this Legislature’s eradication of our community, and I refuse to do so.”

Spain Wales

PRO SOCCER PLAYER ALBERTO LEJÁRRAGA COMES OUT

Professional Soccer Player Alberto Lejárraga came out last week.

In a post on Twitter, Lejárraga shared a picture of him kissing his boyfriend writing, “Thank you for always being by my side through the good and bad times! This time, we got to live the beauty of this! THANK YOU.”