 I'm Keith Ghostlant. I'm Ann Charles. It's Tuesday, June 13th. Welcome to All Things LGBTQ. As you may know, we are taping in Montpelier, Vermont, which we recognize as unceded indigenous land. So Linda, take it away. Well, thank you, Ann. Well. You got fun stuff. I have fun stuff and bad stuff. So there's been a spike in LGBTQ rhetoric and threats have taken a heavy toll on pride celebrations in the United States this year. Organizers say, especially in states where politicians want to curtail rights. This month's celebrations in Houston, the largest pride event in conservative Texas, has been scaled back due to rising insurance and security costs as well as concerns over soaring temperatures and capacity. We made the decision to cancel the festival this year, said Kendra Walker, president of Pride Houston 365. Downgrading the plans to a parade. The change was first announced in January as Texas lawmakers prepared bills restricting gender-affirming healthcare and drug performances. Now, pride planners across the U.S. and Canada say they are facing higher bills because of anti-LGBTQ disinformation and hate. Because you need insurance for your events and the carriers are putting the premium through the ceiling. Wilton Mannus is not having one this year, I can. Okay. Senator Tom Tillis, Republican North Carolina, was censored by Republican delegates in North Carolina over his votes on LGBTQ rights, gun violence and more. The Saturday vote was taken behind closed doors at an annual North Carolina Republican Party State Convention. A two-thirds majority of the party's 1,801 voting delegates was needed for the measure to pass. Many delegates criticized Tillis over his work on the respect of marriage. Act. The legislature guarantees federal recognition of marriage between two people. If the union was valid in the state where they were married and shining rights for same sex and interracial. Alex Keane, a 38-year-old gay man who grew up in the conservative, royal Indiana town of Cornersville, population 13,000, wanted to show support for his local LGBTQ plus community. So last December, he founded a group called Whitewater Pride, and later organized three events for the Pride Month. The state and national Republican platforms opposed same sex marriage, but Tillis was supporter of the legislature and lobbied his fellow Republicans to back the law. Soon after announcing the events, two residents, Melissa Rose and her husband, Andrew Rose, set up a now-defunct Facebook group called Whitewater Groomer Removers, which insinuated that Keane is a child sex abuser. Its members harassed his event sponsors. Keane has been followed in public by the group's supporters and has gone into hiding. He now plans on moving out of the state, worried that someone will target him for violence. You know, I was talking to a friend and we were saying that a lot of people are leaving Florida for that reason. Such a cesspool politically. But then, you know, what's gonna be left? God help us, okay? Well, yeah. The Independent People's Republic of Vermont? Yeah. A small Florida town in Miami-Dade County has defied the wishes of its mayor to celebrate Pride Month and fly the rainbow flag despite opposition of Surfside Mayor Shlomo Denzinger, the town's commissioners voted three to two to officially recognize June as Pride Month and to hold the ceremony to raise the flag. So that's good news. Louisiana Governor Bill Edwards, Democrat, has said he will veto three bills that target LGBTQ youth and vowed to veto any other anti-LGBTQ bills sent to his desk. Edwards compared the Republican attempts to target the LGBTQ community with opposition to the civil rights movement. Amid anti-LGBTQ protests at school, the Los Angeles Unified School District's board, led by its out-of-president Jackie Goldberg, has taken a stand for diversity and inclusion. The LA Unified Board unanimously adopted the resolution Tuesday in support of LGBT community and Los Angeles in general. It reads that the district proclaims and commemorates June as LGBTQ plus Pride Month, October as LGBTQ plus History Month, as well as October 11th as National Coming Out Day, November 20th as Transgender Day of Remembering, March 31st as Transgender Day of Visibility, and April 12th as the Day of Silence. It also encouraged the school to incorporate LGBTQ lessons throughout the year. So that was good news, wasn't it? Yeah. President Joe Biden on Thursday blasted efforts across the country to roll back LGBTQ protections, referring to proponents of the restrictions as hysterical and prejudiced during a joint news conference at the White House along British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Biden said the administration's fight for LGBTQ rights is far from over because we have some hysterical and I would argue prejudice people who are engaged in all of what we've seen going around this country. The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the U.S. since the beginning of 2023 legislative session. It's nice that he did that with the British Prime Minister. Yes. In attendance. Now we need to sponsor a drag queen story hour at the White House. Good. I think there should couple it with the Easter egg hunt. Yes. Yes. Drag queen. Don't do a Easter egg hunt. That's great. All right. Now here's an interesting story because, you know, in Ann and I's travel around the United States, we've always avoided this restaurant, but. Chick-fil-A. No. The restaurant chain known as much for its quirky gift shops and addicting peg solitaire games as it is for a stick to your ribs fair has actually been celebrating pride and publishing rainbow-themed products for the last few years. Many people still remember the companies in tolerant past when they openly discriminated against LGBT plus workers in the early 1990s and activists descended on cracker barrel restaurants to protest their policy of promoting heterosexual values. The policy has been disconnected soon after and the company has continued to make positive strides. It's currently holds an 80 out of 100 on the human rights campaign corporate equality index. I'm surprised. Now when you're traveling around the US, you can stop at your local cracker barrel. I've never been to a cracker barrel. I haven't either. I have. Have you? Yeah. Oh, Linda. Well, I traveled across country many times. She has a jaded past. I know it, the free consciousness, I guess. And I'm gonna do this one more story here. Missouri has become the latest state to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors and to ban trans-student athletes from competing under their gender identity. Republican governor, Mike Parsons, signed Senate Bill 49, the Gender Affirming Care Ban. And the Senate Bill 39, the Sports Bill. Into law Wednesday, he did so privately in his office and without a ceremony because the issue is divisive to some. He told a group of people. Divisive to some. Really? Mm-hmm. Okay, so Keith, what you got? I'll do a poll. So as Linda has pointed out, this is Pride Month. And as opposed to the rest of the country, Vermont, rather than canceling event, we're having 14. Oh my. However, the first Vermont Pride event occurred 40 years ago this year, June 25th, 1983 in Burlington. Did it have a theme? I'm sure it did. Stay tuned. Okay, so events, we have Rainbow Umbrella, the Women's Discussion Group, Book Discussion Group, same book? Vagabonds. All right. So Monday is Juneteenth. Yes. And I did not see anything listed for Montpellier or the State House this year, which kind of surprises me. However, on Sunday the 18th in Essex, at the Essex Experience screen from one to three, they're having a celebration. As is downtown Winooski on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. And then on Monday, Juneteenth itself, the Old Stone Museum in Brownington, the Twilight, one to three p.m., they're doing a celebration. And at Burlington City Hall on Monday, 1 p.m., they're doing a celebration. So. Oh good. So looking at our Pride events, Brattleboro Friday, June 23rd, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Stone Church is their glam queer dance party and cabaret. Now, Bethel, they're gonna be having fun starting Thursday, June 22nd with Gay Trivia at Babes. Friday is- Oh, we could have won it. No, it's coming up. We still have time. Ah. And then on Friday is the Mass Queer Aid Ball dress-up. And then Saturday is the family meeting, the Pride picnic, the Parasol Promenade. Yeah. So- Well, which you did a very interesting interview. I did. Last Saturday. And be looking for a follow-up interview because there may be a book being published about slavery and Vermont, something that we don't acknowledge or talk about a great deal. So. And then in Burlington on Saturday, June 24th, this is the People's Pride starting at 3 p.m. at Oak Ledge Park. Do you know who's doing that? The same group that we interviewed several years ago. Really? Okay, good. It's the same Facebook post. LGBTQ plus queer pride with no cops, no banks, an alternative to the so-called official pride in September. And then I had promoted this before in North Conway, New Hampshire, also on Saturday, the 24th, is their Pride Festival. And what was unique about this is Reverend Yolanda, who is an old favorite of ours, will be coming to MC. Springfield is also doing an event on Saturday, June 24th, Rainbow Palooza Pride and Veg Fest. You may wanna go and starting at noon to 5 p.m. Bennington also on Saturday is their Queer Youth Prom from 7 to 10 p.m. And then on Sunday is their Parade and Block Party. And then Newport on June 25th, this is the first Northeast Kingdom Pride Festival. Downtown Newport starting at noon. Middlebury is also having a Pride Festival on June 25th. I can't keep my calendars straight. June 25th, Middlebury Town Green, 1 to 5 p.m. Also, I'm gonna put out there again on Sunday the 25th, starting at 2 p.m. at Ellie Long Music Center is the memorial for Michael Hayes, Margarit Lemay. So, the Vermont Humanities Council. On Sunday, June 25th at 11 a.m., this is a live event at the Kingsland State Park in Addison, Words in the Woods. And this is Toby McNott. Or home, yes. And Toby McNott's work engages themes of embodiment, space, and relationship from a queer and disabled perspective. But also out there in the woods and maybe muttering some poetry. On Saturday, July 15th in Elmore, I think it's also at 11 a.m., it may be the winner of that Wicked Women's Award or on Linda Quinlan. So, in my last sort of events, and this is ongoing through November 26th, Hall Art Foundation, which is in Reading or Reading, Vermont. A collection of 100 paintings, Small is Beautiful, Andy Warhol. Oh, wow. And this is from the Hall's personal collection of Andy Warhol works. And they said everybody is used to sort of the big murals and, you know, cell screens. These are the smaller paintings and a hundred of them. Wow, very impressive. We may have to put it, we may have to do a road trip. Okay. Now you're gonna take me to far and distant places again. Not really. I'm deviating from the norm today because a lot has been going on in our communities culturally. So, Linda and Keith have given me permission to stay stateside and talk about several events of great interest to our communities. The first is the 2023 Lambda Literary Awards. It announced the winners of the 35th annual Lambda Literary Awards, selected by a panel of over 60 professionals from more than 1300 book submissions from over 300 publishers. So we are everywhere. In addition to the winners below, five special honors were awarded. Ebony J. Dunbar got the Randall Keenan Prize. Jaquira Diaz got the Cordova Prize. And I think we read Ordinary Girls in the group. Maya Salome and Naseem Jamia got the Markowitz Prize. Christopher Tradoski got the Samuel Prize. Aaron Hamburger and Raika Ayoki got the Duggan's Prize. And interestingly, there was a prize now for emerging writers over 50. So good for them. I believe Mr. Tradoski won that one. Let's go, I'm gonna tell you all the winners if you don't mind. It's an illustrious crowd. Lesbian Fiction. The honor was taken by Jay Ming Chang who wrote a collection of short stories, Gods of Want, published by One World Polishing. Gay Fiction, The Foghorn Echoes by Janny Ramadan, Canon Gate Books. And I've been listening to podcasts of this group called The Radical Books Collective. And both of these publishers have been represented on that podcast. So I'm learning many things. Bisexual fiction went to Reluctant Immortals by Gondolin Kiste, S&S Saga Press, Transgender Fiction Went to the Call Out by Cat Fitzpatrick, Seven Stories Press, Bisexual Nonfiction, Appropriate Behavior by Maria Sanfilippo, McGill Queens University Press. Now we have all these books we can put on our list for reading. Transgender Nonfiction, The Third Person by Emma Grove, Drawn and Quarterly Press. LGBTQ Plus Nonfiction Went to the Black Period on Personhood, Race and Origin by Hevska Augustus Gieder, Random House. So it's a really interesting mixture of small presses and... I was gonna say, Random House is one of the big boys on the block. That's right. Lesbian Poetry, As She Appears by Shelley Wong, Yes, Yes Books. Gay Poetry, Some Integrity by Padraig Regan, Carsonette Press. Bisexual Poetry, Real Phones and Genuine Fakes. Oh, I'm sorry, Real Phonies and Genuine Fakes by Nikki Beer. That's basically... Milk and Edition, makes more sense, huh? Transgender Poetry, Misseddy by Khamden Ishmael Healyard, Nightboat Books. Lesbian Memoir Autobi... Lesbian Memoir Biography, Lost and Found, and Memoir by Katherine Schultz, Also Random House. Gay Memoir Biography, High-Risk Homosexual, a memoir by Edgar Gomez, Soft Skull Press. A Lesbian Romance, The Rules of Forever by Nian Campo, Bold Stroke Books. I want that one. Gay Romance. I'm not so over you. Kosoko Jackson, Berkeley Romance, and now, do-do-do. Lesbian LGBTQ Plus Anthology, and I have a picture to accompany this outright. The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture, edited by Julie Enzer and Elena Gross. Rotterbill, your name. Yes. What a fabulous, that is, really encourage you to read it. It's a fabulous, wonderful collection. Very moving. And before I heard that they got the award, I was just thinking how, what a fine book it is. Rutgers University Press, so, and they had a wonderful, or kind enough to do a great interview on the show. They're lovely people and it's a fine book, so read it as you can. LGBTQ Plus Children's Books, Mighty Red Riding Hood by Wallace West, Little Brown, Books for Young Readers. How soon will they be kicked out of the library? I was gonna say, order big and we're mailing them to the deep sand. LGBTQ Plus Middle Grade, Nick Hill Out Loud, by Malik Petroli, Balzer and Bray, LGBTQ Plus Young Adult, The Lesbianna's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, Balzer and Bray, LGBTQ Plus Comics, Mamo by Soss Millage, Boom Studios, LGBTQ Plus is getting too long for you, only a few more. LGBTQ Plus Drama, If a Janiah and the Furies, Ontarian Land in Antigone, with a Chinese ideograph by Jeff Howell, Playwrights Canada Press. LGBTQ Plus Romance and Erotica Kisser, Once for Me by Allison Cochran, Atria Books, LGBTQ Plus Mystery, Dirt Creek, A Novel by Hayley Scrivener, Flatiron Books. LGBTQ Plus Speculative Fiction, The Wicked and the Willing, by Liana Tan, Shattered Sceptre Press, and Not to Be Outdone, LGBTQ Plus Studies, Keeping It Unreal, Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics, by Geir Reich, Scott NYU Press. So congratulations. Yeah, a lot of stuff to read. I thought we were the queer drama. No? Well, it's everywhere. Queer drama, us, them. May I continue? I think you have, you can do another story if you have one or. It's another exciting cultural story about the Tony Awards. All right. So let me show you a picture and, if you wouldn't mind keeping the picture up while I describe what happened. It was a fabulous ceremony and you can see it on YouTube. And it began by the wonderful host, Arianna DeVos, turning the pages of an empty script. So in honor of the writer's guild strike, the entire ceremony was unscripted. It was so cool. But of course, it's Tony, it's live theater, of course it's unscripted. I know it. They handled it beautifully. The 76 Tony Awards took place Sunday night. I watched from beginning to end. And the top winners of the evening included Kimberlia Kimbo for the best musical, Leopold Statt for best play. Meanwhile, Top Dog, Under Dog won best revival of a play while Parade picked up the trophy for best revival of a musical. And all of this is very interesting, I think, because I learned that Leopold Statt is about anti-Semitism as is Parade. So very important plays, Top Dog, Under Dog is a revival by Susan Laurie Parks, an African-American playwright of great renown. Hosted by Arianna DeVos and they opened with a wonderful dance number. We're the only of Broadway. The ceremony was on the verge of being canceled because of the WGA writer strike. But they pulled it through and created a fairly good show according to this critic. It was more than fairly good. More than that, the show included very clear, oh, this is the advocate. More than that, the school included very queer moments from the night's biggest winners. So now let's look at this picture. At the top corner, we have Alex Newell and the buzz and rave reviews of Alex Newell's performance in Shucked came to fruition tonight when she won the Tony Award for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical. After commenting, this woman is wonderful. After commenting on how hot the room was, Newell took a moment to admit that she has been waiting for her entire life to get this award. I thank each and every one of you in this room right now. And mommy, I love you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for teaching me what strength is. Newell went on to thank their fellow Shucked cast and crew calling them The Rock. They closed with, and I just love this, so I would have applauded in place if I'd been in company. They closed with, thank you for seeing me Broadway. I should not be up here as a queer non-binary fat black a little baby from Massachusetts. Yes. She's from Lynn. She's from Lynn. Everyone has researched this now. And to anyone that thinks that they can't do it, I'm going to look you dead in the face and say that you can do anything you put your mind to. Resounding applause. Now in the top left, adding to the non-binary representation for the evening, J. Harrison Gee was met with thunderous applause when they were announced as the winner for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical for their performance in some like it hot. My mother raised me to understand that the gifts that God gave me were not about me to use them to be effective in the world and to help somebody else's journey said Gee. So thank you for teaching me how to live, how to love, how to give. They continued for every trans non-binary, gender non-conforming human, whoever was told that you couldn't be seen, this is for you. She thanked the show's producers and allowing them to let lives be seen. Great. Now the bottom left on this picture that will be has been up, I hope, during some of my commentary. Michael Arden, when the best direction of a music must be musical, for his work with parade, said in his acceptance speech to our beautiful trans non-binary queer youth, know that your queerness is what makes you beautiful and powerful, everyone in this room sees you and needs you and we will fight alongside you and we will win. Growing up I was called the F word more times than I can remember and here he was bleeped and the audience all applauded and I was so CBS was afraid of being fined. So the caption police stepped in. According to the caption police, people across the internet, he said, growing up I was called the F word more times than I can remember and now I'm a faggot with a Tony. Yes! So keep raising your voices, my friends. Encourage people to continue to stand up against intolerance and keep loving and uplifting each other, standing up for each other. He also encouraged peers to continue making challenging art and vote every chance you get. Finally, the bottom right, Leopold Stats, Brandon Joranovic won the Tony Award for best performance by an actor in a feature role in a play and said to anyone who's watching who is a parent, when your child tells you who they are, believe them. He continued protect, celebrate and water their truth because an authentic life is a limitless life. The only reason I'm standing here is because my parents did that for me growing up. They stood beside me and they believed me when I said who I am. So I thank you, I love you all. What a fabulous ceremony. Yeah, it was good. So I have some headlines. No, I'm gonna, we have to move on now. Okay. Alrighty? Yeah, that's fine. In Collin County, conservative Republicans located north of Dallas, posted and then deleted several items to their Facebook page last week, critical of the LGBT community and Pride Month. They had on their site, welcome to the month of the demon. The group wrote Thursday morning, protect your children, just say no to rainbows. I know, I know. Here's a good story, I suppose. On Monday, Rachel Meadow helped MSNBC achieve more viewers during prime time than Fox News or CNN. On Tuesday evening, Speaker Emerita, Nancy Pelosi threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals LGBTQ Night Out game. I have a picture of her holding her hands up after she throws the ball. The 83 year old congresswoman walked out to the pitcher's mound, took a few steps toward home plate and lobbed the ball to the catcher. She wore the Nationals mascot costume and a rainbow shirt. The game marked the team's 18th annual Night Out event, making it the longest running pride celebration in a major league baseball. Was she wearing heels, I wonder? I bet. Of course, of course. Meet you ass. Greater Works Church in the community of five points held an event Saturday in partnership with the anti-queer South Carolina group Christian Families Against Destructive Decisions, an organization seeking to uphold the values of the nuclear family. Pastor Ronald Gates, who oversees Great Works participated in a video presentation titled The Solution to Society's Problems, which blamed gender identity, pornography, divorce, abortion for the collapse of the traditional family values. We want to strengthen the family who God has created, Gates said. According to local TV station, God created a man and a woman. When it comes to the LGBT community, I wanna say this, God loves everyone. Sin, he does not negotiate. In response, five point community members decided to send a message of love. Sorry, I didn't mean to throw you off. An acceptance to the LGBT community and residents outside the church on Saturday, residents engulfed the sidewalks with coverable chalk artwork in a show of solidarity and a dig at church leaders. Church leaders, blah, blah, blah, these ones anyway. Scatacoie Elementary School in North Hollywood will have heightened security on Friday as some parents protest a pride event at the campus. Sparking complains that the topic is one that should be left for parents to teach rather than having it imposed on kids. And here's a picture of the protest right here. Let's see. Oh, this is good news. A federal judge in Tennessee has ruled that the state law limiting public drag show performances represented an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech. So that was good news. Now, the attorney general of Texas, Greg Abbott, made a name for himself by fighting the federal government. Wait, wait, wait, Greg Abbott's the governor. Yes. Oh, when he was attorney general. Okay. As attorney general. When he was. There's the governor's currently. Yeah, he's the governor now, when he was. No, I mean the attorney general. The current attorney general was indicted. Paxson. He made a name for himself by fighting federal government and suing the Obama administration 31 times. As governor, Abbott has found a new enemy, local governments. Now, this is really interesting because in essence, they're passing a law that no town or county can go against state regulations. So if the state says no drag, Houston can't say, well, we're gonna allow it in our communities. So they're gonna override all of that by, if they pass this bill. Now, this is good. I have a picture of this, which is really fun. On Tuesday, my dad would be proud. June 12th, more than a hundred teamsters gathered in Hollywood, California to march and the 50th annual Los Angeles Pride Parade. Oh, right, good. I know. This was the first time ever that teamsters had marching contingent in the iconic and historic parade. Joining the teamsters were over 130 community coalitions, non-profits business, and even some other unions. So that was very good news. And just a sad story for my last story here is about Anita Cornwell. And I'm showing a picture of her now. She was 92. The Philadelphia writer who authorized the first, who authored the first published collection of essays by an out-black lesbian has died. Her literary ex... I'm sorry. Her literary person who takes care of her work, Mariona Simone Jones said, Ms. Cornwell was the first black female writer to publicly identify as lesbian in print. Jones said, contributing to the latter, a lesbian publication and Negro digest in the 1950s and later publishing her groundbreaking essay collection, Black Lesbian in a White America. In 1983, in those days when people could be fired for the suspicion they were gay, choosing to write about her lesbian identity as an unmarried black working class woman was nothing short of radical. We tend to underestimate how brave and daring and audacious it was to be out unapologetically as a lesbian in the 1970s. Said Julie, our answer editor of Sinister Wisdom, a lesbian literary and arts journal that is republishing Ms. Cornwell's work to put your face on the cover of a book that says lesbian was extraordinarily courageous and meaningful to so many people. Ms. Cornwell died May 27th at Wesley Enhance Living Center in Germantown, surrounded by her compassionate women who cared for her. So- May I add? Here's your picture, yes. Add whatever you like. Julie Enzer is doing a tribute at Sinister Wisdom of Anita Cornwell. Yes. And Breonna Simone Jones is the editor of that groundbreaking anthology, Mouths of Rain that won last year's Lame of Black Lesbian writing. Well, thank you, Anne. That's good news, additional. Thank you. So I'm gonna start with what has to be the quote of the week. Oh, okay. I want to know, do you really believe that garbage? And this was a comment that Becca Ballant made in an oversight committee hearing on clean energy. And it was to a former 45 environmental... Denier. No, an environmental official. This is person who worked in the environment. And they were talking about clean energy. Oh, so you believe that investing strategies are actually a secret. It's weaponized to support and promote gender transition for children. Or do you just use it as another opportunity to beat up on children? I stepped out to sit down with parents of trans kids from states that have come after their kids. And now their kids can't get the level of care they deserve and need, Becca said. And they literally said, when you leave this worm, would you please the next time you're in a room with someone bringing up, yet again, our children and our families as some kind of boogeyman that you'll actually stand up for us. I didn't think it would take less than half an hour. I didn't know that I would have such an opportunity. It feels like every single hearing I'm in, whether it's in oversight or whether it's in budget or whether it's in a subcommittee, somehow the witnesses find a way to bring in trans children into whatever conversation they're trying to have here. Thank you, Becca. Yes. And this is the biggie. Becca is now on the House Judiciary Committee. Oh, she is. Cicilini, who stepped down, out legislator returning to Rhode Island, running for office there. Oh, Cicilini. Cicilini. Becca has been appointed to that position. So she's now on oversight, budget, and judiciary. All right. I think people have noticed her. So I had said, or Susan had said on the last show that I would be talking about the veto session and the bills that the governor vetoed. I'm gonna withhold that because there are things happening in our schools that I want to share with you. And the first is an incident that occurred here in Montpayer High School where on the first day of Pride Month in the gender-neutral bathroom, someone painted a swastika on the wall in feces. Now the school responded by having an assembly, talking about the issue, that it was not okay. And telling the students that they had every right to be upset. And there was a queer student of color living with a disability who said, I don't feel safe here. So it's not happening someplace else. This is in our backyard. And we need to be attentive and look at how we can support our youth. Also, people were aware of the target incident that occurred nationwide. But New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, where it was someone promoting, stating they were representing the LGBTQ community and it was a bomb threat. Well, it was swatting. It happened nationwide. But most of the mainstream LGBTQ plus political organizations have said, this is not how we approach this. This is not who we are. This is not what we support. And the final one, and I will tell you if I grip my teeth, you will understand. We have talked on preview shows about the incident at the Randolph School, where it was a member of the girls volleyball team targeted a transgender student using the locker room. And that student had an investigation for bullying and there was a remedy put in place. That student's father was also removed as a soccer coach for the middle school because of misgendering and refusing to use appropriate gender-added product bounds. They were vile suit saying that their freedom of speech rights had been violated and they were represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, who we've all reported on. Well, there's been a settlement in that case. And they gave the Alliance Defending Freedom and the student and their parent $125,000. They, the father was reinstated as the coach, all referencing to the student engaging in bullying has been removed. And the reason that that decision was made and it was not by the school who said, our policies are our policies. We are going to continue to follow them, but it was made by the Vermont School Board's Insurance Trust Insurance Company because when you sue the school district, this is the insurance company that has their liability insurance. So they would be paying for the attorneys to represent the school district and they didn't want to have to pay out the money it would take to fully litigate this case. So they settled and gave the Alliance Defending Freedom absolutely everything they had asked for. And let me tell you my concern. We cannot get our legislature to add a bullying statute that is based upon the impact or the best interest of our students rather than a severe and pervasive standard. And the argument has been, oh, we can't afford the litigation. Guess what? Our students are going to continue to be bullied. Yep, oh, hard. That's awful. Yep. I'm going to go through some headlines and show my clip and if I have time. You have a clip? I do. Europe. Almost 7% of people in the UK changed sexual identity in six years according to a study. Written limits the use of puberty blocking drugs to research only. European Rights Court rules against Ukraine on same sex union case. And this is sort of interesting. These two gentlemen, Andrei Malovikin and Andrei Markiv sued in 2014 and were denied marriage rights. And so the court ruled that Ukraine, a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights had violated articles on discrimination and the right to private and family life. In January, a survey by the National Democratic Institute of Kyiv said that 56% of Ukrainian support same sex civil partnerships while 24 opposed it. Such partnerships did not enjoy, this is interesting. They didn't enjoy majority support before the Russians invaded, but the Russians homophobic stance has pushed Ukrainians to favor LGBTQ rights more. Gay pride marches have been met with vile in opposition from Ukrainian far right groups. Legalization is still opposed by conservative parts of the Ukrainian society. And Zelensky responded positively to a related petition to that of these gentlemen, but said he can't alter the constitution during a war time. But the European Rights Court says, get on it, sir. Yeah, because they want to be in NATO and part of the European Union. Mm-hmm. Now Latvia has its first gay president. I've a picture built for you now of Edgar's Rinkivics. He was elected the new president Wednesday, the first openly gay person to hold the office. Good for him. I know, I can tell you a little more about him. He's Zelensky, President Zelensky of Ukraine congratulated him as a true friend of Ukraine. He's 49, will be the head of state of the EU and NATO member for the next four years. I will do everything for our country to prosper and be secure. He came out as gay as 2014, the first prominent political figure in the country to do so. You know if they're in danger of Russia's Russian invasion with them? I don't think so, but I haven't heard. Now, of course we have to talk about Uganda. There's HIV alarm as the anti-gay law forces and LGBTQ lockdown. Usually there are 50 patients at the treatment center in Kampala, it's all but dried up. People are afraid to go. The Kampala Clinic had been the beacon of success for the fight against HIV, where 1.4 million people live with the virus and 17,000 die a year as a result of its ravages. The World Bank has issued a group statement on the Uganda 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act condemning it. Now let's go into Asia. Japan court rules that not allowing same-sex marriage is in the state of unconstitutionality. What that means is the Japanese court has ruled a ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional but raises concerns about the dignity and human rights of same-sex couples, which is being seen as a step forward despite falling short of activists' expectations. So the key points are, I've often repeated, Japan is the only G7 nation without legal protection of same-sex unions. Five rulings on the same-sex marriage have now been handed down around Japan. Opinion polls show that about 70% of the public support same-sex marriage. Marriage. So now let's look at the Bangkok Pride Parade where the Thai PM front-runner has marched, promising same-sex marriage and gender identity rights. The numbers of people going to these pride parades, thousands marched through central Bangkok, marking Pride Month, they had love is love, the governor was there, over 50,000 people were there. That's amazing. A quiet afternoon with friends. It's more than double the attendance at last year's event. So what do you think? All right. Thailand. Go big, go Thailand. Now 30,000 people marched in Jerusalem Pride, same thing. And this national security minister, Ben Goeir, was jeered by participants who shouted Nazis out at the far-right minister. Marchers also called to protect democracy and who also called to protect democracy held anti-overhaul banners. Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered on Thursday. 30,000 people. There was heavy security, 2,000 police and riot police officers, as well as several lines of police barriers separating the parade from a far-right protest across the road, passed smoothly without any security instances. Now let me turn to New Zealand where I have a clip. This film is Punch. It's available on Showtime and let me tell you what it's about. Jim is preparing for his first professional fight but begins to rethink his life's trajectory for his sexuality after tangling with way too a gay, maury boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. Jim is a 17-year-old boxer in a small town. He's a golden boy preparing for a fight that will elevate him to early professional status. All bets are on. All bets are on his climb to success but his father Stan is a demanding coach and a notorious alcoholic. As Jim begins to rethink why he is fighting, his life tangles with way too a razor-tongued gay, maury boy who spends his days in an old shack with his dog, Moimoi where he cobbles together a fragile glamour and dreams of leaving town to become a musician. Away from the rainbow flags and pride parades Jim and way too must navigate isolation, hypocrisy, the brutality of small town boxing and an anonymous queer bashing that no one will talk about. Jim, as Jim stumbles toward discovering what it really is to be a gay man, he is forced to understand that strength has little to do with heroism. So let's take a look at a clip from Punch. Hi, sir. Ah! If you're with him. I'll set up your first professional fight. It's your big break. I've got running. No, you don't. You're such a tease. Yo, what's up, bro? Yay! So you made this? All of this? Do you ever get lonely out here? No. It's hometown, reeks of testosterone. Faggot? Huh? No, no, no, that's misfaggot. To you, sweetie. So... do you want this boxing thing? Yeah. It's like you climb through those ropes and... Watch what? You transform. Fuck out of here. You think you want to be mates? But you're too scared. It's alright, mate. Let's not. Touch me. It's a hyena. And I'm one of them. Where can you see it? Did you say it? Showtime. This is getting a lot of positive buzz on the gay man's network. Oh, it is? Oh, it very much so. Oh, good. That was a good clip. I'm looking forward to seeing it. Keith. That first Pride Day. Yeah. Kind of punchy theme. Water won't run straight, and neither will we. And as a quick aside, the Victory Fund has named Vermont as having the greatest number of out legislators in the country, not per capita, total number with 14 out legislators. So, all right. With that. Can we send some to Randolph? With that, resist.