McConnell and Baker receive ALA GLBTRT Award for Political Activism

Via press release Michael McConnell and Jack Baker have been named the inaugural recipients of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) Award for Political Activism. The award will be presented on Monday, June 27, 2016 during the Stonewall Book Awards program at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, […]

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Portugal overturns presidential veto of same-sex adoptions

By John Mack Freeman Two weeks ago, we reported that the president of Portugal had vetoed a bill in that country that would have allowed same-sex couples to adopt children. We are happy to report that the legislature has overruled that veto by a vote of 137 of 230 seats. The overturn was supported by the […]

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Indonesia urges Facebook, Whatsapp to remove same-sex emojis

By John Mack Freeman The government in Indonesia has begun to urge Facebook and Whatsapp to remove same-sex-themed emojis that the social media companies have released in recent years. Via PinkNews: Pro-government newspaper Republika, reports that Line removed the emojis following complaints from users. The government’s information ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu said: “No social media […]

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Anti-gay law in Malawi back in force again

By John Mack Freeman The government of Malawi is reliant on western governments and NGOs for aid money, and as such, agreed in 2012 to stop arresting and prosecuting people who have participated in same-sex activities. However, a December 2015 arrest of two men then led to Malawi’s Justice Minister to proclaim a moratorium and all […]

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Lesbian nominated to become Puerto Rico’s chief justice

By John Mack Freeman The Governor of Puerto Rico has nominated Associate Justice Maite Oronoz Rodríguez to become the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Rodriguez has been serving as an associate justice since 2014. If she were to be approved by the Puerto Rico Senate, she would be the first out […]

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Watch: Sweet New Hallmark Ads Share Same-Sex Couples’ Stories

By Ashley R. Lierman Hallmark’s #CareEnough ad campaign for Valentine’s Day has featured two new sets of videos on YouTube: two featuring a gay couple with a young daughter, and two featuring a couple who are both women of color. The first video for each simply shows the couple tenderly exchanging a greeting card, while […]

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Australian Kids’ Show to Feature Child with Two Dads

By Ashley R. Lierman Play School, Australia’s longest-running children’s show, plans to include a family with two fathers in a multitude of different family structures in its “My Family, Your Family” segments, according to The Guardian. The segment will focus on children from different types of Australian families, also including “an adopted family, an extended […]

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Current Scholarship Roundup: LGBTQ Collection Assessment, Steven Universe and more

By Emilia R. Marcyk Publications Dunn, Eli. “Steven Universe, Fusion Magic, and the Queer Cartoon Carnivalesque.” Gender Forum 56 (2016): NP. URL: http://www.genderforum.org/issues/840/steven-universe-fusion-magic-and-the-queer-cartoon-carnivalesque/  Dunn’s discussion of Steven Universe (and other children’s cartoons) is part of Gender Forum’s special issue on the theme “Transgender and the Media.” Graziano, Vince. “LGBTQ Collection Assessment: Library Ownership of Resources Cited […]

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GLBTRT Executive Board statement on the passing of Larry Romans

Via press release The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) family, along with all of ALA, are saddened to learn of the death of Larry Romans, director at large of the GLBTRT on Thursday. His service to the Library community was vast; Larry served on the GLBTRT Executive Board for six years and had been a member of GLBTRT since 1984, […]

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Portuguese President vetoes same-sex adoption rights

By John Mack Freeman Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva vetoed adoption rights for same-sex couples this week. Although same-sex marriage is legal in the European country, the law allowing the unions specifically prohibits adoption. Supporters are seeking to overturn his veto with a 2/3 vote of the Parliament, but it is unclear whether or not […]

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