 I'm Ann Charles. Welcome to All Things LGBTQ. It's Tuesday, March 19th. We're taping in Montpelier, Vermont, which we recognize as unceded indigenous land. Linda and I will be hosting solo tonight, so take it away, Linda. Alrighty. I'm going to do some, a few local events that Keith has sent to me to relate to you. So Rainbow Umbrella has its women's discussion group and its book discussion group. And what's the name of the book again? You exist too much. And it's by Zainab Arafat, I believe. Okay, good. So if anybody's interested in the book group, just message us. Fox Market is on Friday, March 27th. It's having queer poetry night, open mic. And it is Bisexual Awareness Month. So thanks, Kim, for reminding us. Rainbow Bridge is starting a 530 queer writers group and Friday at 530 role-playing games. Saturday, March 30th, 4 p.m. disco cupcake dance party in Bakes Hill. It's a fun razor to help trans members get out of Kentucky. So if we have time, we'll do a few more events, but I think we'll move on to national. Okay, well let me clarify. You exist too much. It's written by Zainab Arafat. Okay. Sorry for the error. That's okay. So more than a dozen female athletes have sued the National Athletic Association over transgender participation policy, which athletes claim violates their rights under Title IX. The law that prohibits discrimination based on sex at any institution that receives federal funding. The lawsuit stems from the January 2022 ruling by the NCAA Board of Governors that follows that allows transgender athletes to compete in the category of their affirmed gender on a sport by sport basis. So we'll see how that turns out. Yeah. And the death of LGBTQ teen next Benedict following a fight in a high school restaurant has been ruled a suicide. Shining a renewed spotlight on the intensifying environment in Oklahoma schools and anti-LGBTQ bullying. I was constantly faring for my safety said a wassa alum and trans student Riley who requested to go by their first names for safety reasons. Looking back, I think that I if I were out as trans during high school, I probably wouldn't have survived. Benedict 16 died on February 8th one day after a physical altercation between the student and others at a wasa high school. According to Benedict's family, she was non binary and went by the name them pronouns. LGBTQ youth are greater risk for poor mental health, bullying and violence than their non LGBTQ peers and are also more at risk of seriously considering suicide or attempting it according to the Centers of Disease and Prevention. So the next story is not a very upbeat one, but a body found dumped in a Mexico border town cemetery and showing signs of torture was confirmed to be that of Washington state transgender woman who disappeared late last month, Reina Hernandez 54 of Renton, Washington. She went missing February 26th after she ran an errand to her former residents, now occupied by three men, including a 61 year old man who is the who who is the red residents now occupied by three men, including the 61 year old man. And he's the prime suspect in the case. While police are investigating it as a homicide, the man who is currently under arrest in Mexico on unrelated charges is reportedly Hernandez's partner of 30 years. His name has not been released. The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to be in TikTok. Oh it has? Oh right, but it's got to pass the Senate, which it might. I hope. Jeopardizing the LGBTQ plus users who have built communities on this platform, as well as the queer content creators whose livelihoods depend on it. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act passed Wednesday with overwhelming support for both Democrats and Republicans, garnering 352 votes in favor and just 65 against. The bill would remove TikTok owned by Chinese company by Tendance from App Stores in the United States, unless they agree to sell it to an American company. The bill still must pass the Senate before it goes to President Biden, who has said he would sign the legislation if it makes it to his desk. Some official has have a vives has have advised against approving it, warning that the move would alienate young voters, many of who spent the days leaning up to the vote, calling their representatives and urging them to reject the bill. And a common argument against that is what are you doing about Elon Musk and his very slanted really that are aired on Twitter, which we know he's not doing good things with. Formerly Twitter now X. In a vibrant celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, visited Irish. Toy or show. How do you pronounce that last name? Toshay. And I have a story. I did it because they were American and I did it because he's Irish. OK, do you have a picture? No, do you? Yes, I do. Let's take. Let's put that picture up. Yeah, Zach. Let's put that one up now. OK. Leo Vad car red car, one of a few out gay national leaders and his husband Matthew Barrett to the vice president's residence in Washington, D.C. Friday, the event rich with the symbols of Irish American heritage was a testament to the enduring bonds between the two nations and a significant movement of representation for the LGBT plus community on an international stage. See, I saved you that one. And let me make sure it's Tasha. Tasha. OK. May I add? Yeah, go ahead. Highlighting Ireland's progressive stance on LGBTQ rights. Harris praised the Irish Prime Minister as a trailblazer. On a personal note, Tasha, you have been an extraordinary role model for people all around the world as one of the only openly LGBTQ leaders in history, she said of red car that reciprocated the sentiment of unity and shared the struggle for equality. President Biden, when he served as vice president, showed enormous courage and leadership in 2012 when he spoke out in favor of marriage equality, helping to encourage the administration and the country along the road to greater equality. The prime minister said this acknowledgement served as a reminder of the interconnected struggles for LGBTQ rights across the globe. So it was definitely a little bit of a lovefest. Yeah. Well, I'm glad that you're covering that, Linda. Yeah. Well, they were in America, so I figured well. Well, you're right. You're right. A controversial decision reverberated across the academic and LGBT communities on Friday after US Supreme Court opted not to intervene in a dispute over Drag Show ban in West Texas A&M University, leaving student groups plans for a campus event in Limbo. The court's decision, delivered in a brief, unsigned order without any noted dissents or explanation, effectively upholds the university's prohibition against hosting a PG-13 Drag Show planned by the LGBTQ plus student group Spectrum WT. So is this Texas Supreme Court or the US Supreme Court? Texas. No surprise there. I know. A gay council member in Southern California resigned days after he and his boyfriend were allegedly caught on video urinating on the doors of a popular gay bar. Nice. Crescenta Valley Town Council on Thursday announced Chris Kilpatrick resigned after the precinct gay bar posted video on social media that appeared to show Kilpatrick and his boyfriend relieving their bladders on the bar's exterior door. The story of Kilpatrick's action was first reported by Oaten Wednesday. Today, Councilman Chris Kilpatrick gave his resignation for the Crescenta Valley Council CVT said in a statement posted on social media. Last Saturday night, these two party boys decided to show everyone what not to do at precinct. The precinct wrote in the post they first left the bar with full cocktail glasses in hand, then decided to go to our employees entrance, whip out there, whip it out and piss all over everything. When done, they ran to the corner where one of the managers spotted the drinks and tried to stop them from leaving the bar with glass drinks. And he was physically assaulted and was thrown to the ground. Oh, the manager. Yeah. Nice. I know. Elon Musk abruptly ended his partnership with Don Lemon merely hours after the gay former CNN anchor promoted an interview with Musk as the premier episode of the Don Lemon show on X, formerly Twitter. I know. And other social media platforms on Tuesday. Lemon had highlighted anticipation for the episode. Promising viewers, a unique look, a unique look at Musk. First guest Elon Musk, like you've never seen him before. You won't want to miss this. So who's first? Lemon's first guest. Yeah. And apparently Musk got really pissed off because of the questions he was being asked. And, you know, too bad for Don Lemon. OK, and we now we have a picture of the US Senate has confirmed Melissa Du Bois, who was a black and lesbian, to federal leadership in Rhode Island, making her the first woman of color and the first out LGBT plus person to serve on the US District Court in the state. So here's her picture. Good for her. OK. So now this is an interesting story. It takes place in Maine, and then we'll move over to you. And it's like another case of how the Republicans are using whatever means and whatever power they have to stop whatever Democrats and progressives try to do. But anyway, this is Republican attorney general from 16 states are threatening to sue Maine if it passes a law shielding providers of gender, funding, care and abortion from out of state legal action. Maine legislatures are considering a bill which aims to protect health care providers from subpoenas, subpoenas and warrants, health record requests, extradition requests and other civil or criminal proceedings if they provide care, including abortion and gender affirming care that has been banned in a patient's home state. The Portland Press Herald reports it would also allow these health care professionals to sue out of state officials who take action against them. If Maine pursues LD 227's constitutionality defective approach, we will vigorously avail ourselves of every recourse the Constitution provides. The missive concludes in addition to Scrimetti, the letter dated Monday is signed by AGs from Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Indiana, Oklahoma, Iowa, South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky and West Virginia. Who's Scrimetti? Huh? Oh, that's just a news source. Oh. It is addressed to Maine Governor Janet Mills and other statewide Maine officials, all Democrats. So this is their way of trying to subvert anything that anybody tries to do to make abortion and gender affirming care or anything that they don't agree with. So we'll see where that goes. We'll keep you informed. So, Ian, what have you got for us? Are you finished with local news? I'm sort of finished with local. Well, I might read something a little later if we have time. Because we need to talk about M. O'Bainy's Stannock. Oh, yes. So why don't you just give us a brief synopsis of what happened with that? Well, it's the most exciting thing that's happened on the political. Since Becca. Since Becca. Exactly. Let's look at a picture now of progressive Burlington mayor-elect Emma Mulvaney Stannock, who won the Burlington mayoral contest in Super Tuesday. And a lot of people thought she didn't stand a chance. She started out as an underdog and that the issue of public safety dominated the campaign. And she was up against seasoned city councilor, Joan Shannon, a Democrat who's pledged to correct down on crime, won her an endorsement from the police union. And I think also the firefighters as a progressive Mulvaney Stannock had to fight the narrative that her parties pushed to cut the police in 2020 had caused downtown disorder. And she had far less campaign cash to do it. Yet Mulvaney Mulvaney Stannock ran away with last week's town meeting day election, winning 52 percent of all ballots cast, some 900 more votes than her leading opponent. She became the first she has become the first woman and the first openly gay person to be elected to lead the Queen City. Democrats say, and this is sort of interesting, that young voters, particularly those concerned about the war in Gaza, helped defeat both King and Shannon. And King was Shannon's campaign manager, who's also a city councilor, who was also running for reelection. Late last year, King voted for a council resolution calling for a ceasefire. But both she and Shannon voted in late January against putting an item on the ballot that asked voters to make Burlington an apartheid free community. A month later, activists confronted Shannon after a debate at the University of Vermont. And on town meeting day, seven days was at the Ward three polling place, when a young man heckled and cursed at King for not supporting the ballot item. They were both defeated. And I listened to one of those debates and Emma Mulvaney-Standig knocked it out of the bulb. Yes, she's great. And her. Her. One of her supporters, Rachel Siegel, who's also been a guest on this show, said, once people hear her talk, they they're no longer thinking about the progressive label, they are voting for Emma. Yeah, that's what happened. Yeah. Good news, best political news in a long time for me and for the audience of this show and Vermont and Vermont. OK, so you're going to go on to national news now? I thought I'd do international. I mean, international. All right, yes. Just please, let's start with North America. Panamanian LGBT groups urge presidential candidates to support same-sex marriage. Several LGBT groups in Panama has asked the presidential candidates to commit to recognizing same-sex marriage, which was rejected a year ago by the Panamanian justice system. About 15 groups are seeking for the candidates to sign a pact on March 27th, in which they also commit to promoting laws against discrimination towards members of the LGBTQ community. These groups intend for the future of Panamanian government, for the future of Panamanian government to comply with the advisory opinion of the Inter-American Court for Human Rights, which in January 28 determined, 2018, determined that homosexual couples have the same rights as heterosexual ones. I mean, you know, this body has ruled. They're dragging their feet, huh? The next president could simply say that Panama is going to assume the advisory opinion of the Inter-American Court and allow equal marriage. Samira Al-Mengor of the International Coalition on Women and Families, one of the PACS organizers said, the status of spouse is likely to solving, is the key to solving many problems for couples. Another activist said, the eight provisional candidates in the May 5th elections were invited to the presentation of the pact, but not intended, unlike what they have done to support other causes. So this doesn't look good. This is a sheer, clear show of disinterest and the little relevance they give us as a population, not knowing that our vote counts. Al-Mengor lamented, there's a mistaken conception that openly declaring yourself a defender of human rights of the LGBTQ community will cost you votes. She continued, in March 2023, the Panamanian Supreme Court rejected recognizing equal marriage, considering that it does not have the category of a human right, nice, in the Constitution. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights based in Washington has asked Panama on several occasions to recognize equal marriage. In Central America, only Costa Rica, only in Costa Rica can same-sex people marry since 2020. So that's not optimistic. In Panama, with a strong influence from the Catholic and evangelical churches that oppose equal marriage, the internal codes of several public institutions consider homosexuality a serious offense, which can lead to dismissal. Homosexuals and lesbians are also not allowed to donate blood in Panama. So that's my only North American story. Now, Commonwealth Day occurred and there was a big protest at Westminster Abbey. So let me show you a picture now of protesters. 32 Commonwealth nations criminalize LGBTQ plus people. So 40 mostly African LGBT plus protesters shouted stop Commonwealth homophobia. As King Charles and Commonwealth leaders arrived at Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day services. And as I'm sure you know, the Commonwealth is a group of nations that were formerly British subjects that continue to be British territories, et cetera. The protesters were demanding the repeal of anti-LGBTQ plus laws and protection, not persecution. 32 out of the 56 Commonwealth member states criminalized same-sex relations in defiance of a toothless Commonwealth Charter. Seven have life imprisonment. The protest coincided with Ugandists, legislators proposing a vicious new anti-homosexuality bell that I'll talk about in a minute. It's one of the most repressive laws in the world. Today's protest was supported by out and proud African, or the protest the other day, was supported by out and proud African LGBTQI, American African Equality Association and the Peter Tatchell Foundation, which was led by Ugandan LGBTQ people. Most of the protesters were refugees who had fled homophobic persecution in Commonwealth countries. Now let's talk about this. Do we have a, what did, what happened to them? You didn't, did they ever make a decision one way or the other? No, no, it's still in limbo. But Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill stipulates and this is painful to hear, but it's a new bill apparently. 10 years in jail for male and female homosexuality are only for professing an LGBTQ plus identity. 10 years in jail for touching with homosexual intent or claiming to be married to a same-sex partner. Two to 10 years jail for attempting homosexuality or having gay sex while HIV positive. One to seven years in jail for providing premises to LGBTQ people. Two to five years in jail for promoting, advocating, funding or sponsoring homosexuality. Two years jail for aiding and counseling homosexuality or conspiring to commit homosexuality. In addition, LGBTQ people must pay compensation to their quote, victims. Persons charged with aggravated same-sex offenses. How would they prove this? I mean, like somebody could just say, you know, I don't like my neighbor and they're gay, okay, bye, what? Yeah, okay, so Peter Tatchell, director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation whom we talk about often on this show, says the Commonwealth is a total sham for failing to speak out against the 32 Commonwealth nations that are allowed to terrorize LGBT people with impunity. The Uganda bill is one of the most sweeping and draconian homophobic laws ever considered by any regime in the world. It would outlaw almost every aspect of LGBTQ plus existence, including LGBTQ plus identity, advocacy, funding and organization. A Ugandan activist with the out and proud African LGBT group said contrary to what the proposers of this bill claim, no one is recruiting anyone into homosexuality. Politicians in Uganda scapegoat LGBT people and use homosexuality as a pretext to divert people from questioning their failed policies. It's high time Ugandans woke up and realized that homosexuality is not the cause of people suffering. The problem is the rotten, corrupt system that has undermined and deterred the country's development. We're ready to fight this bill and victory will be ours. Well, I certainly hope so. I heard that I was reading somewhere that this may be the last generation for the royalty of England. Well, I have a royal story that will come in later. Now, the National Health Service in England has planned to stop prescribing puberty blockers. Children will no longer be routinely prescribed puberty blockers at gender identity clinics. The National Health Service in England has confirmed. The decision comes after a review found there was not enough evidence that puberty blockers are safe or effective. As we know, these puberty blockers pause the physical changes of puberty but they will now only be available as part of research. It comes weeks before an independent review into gender identity services in England is due to be published. The review follows a sharp rise in referrals to the Gender Identity Development Service run by Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust which saw an increase from 250 per year to 5,000 in 2022. And I think that's what made everybody start to freak out. Puberty suppressing hormones, more commonly known as puberty blockers, work by suppressing the release of hormones that cause puberty and are often prescribed to children questioning their gender as a way of stopping physical changes such as breast development or facial hair. And this is the thing. Fewer than 100 young people in England are currently prescribed puberty blockers by the National Health Service. They will be able to continue their treatment. So this is like the BBC understands that the new policy will not allow them to be prescribed routinely and I don't even know if they ever were. I mean, there's this statistic that saw the increase from 200 to over 500 but the BBC understands that individual clinicians can still apply to have the drugs funded for patients on a case-by-case basis. The Tavistock- So are they stopping it or not? They're restricting it. They're, you know, they're afraid by the statistic of the 250 to 5,000. So, but you know, it isn't prescribed that often anyway. The Tavistock Square Clinic is due to close at the end of March. So they want to get rid of the clinic. Two new NHS services due in London and Liverpool are set to open in the beginning of April followed by a number of regional specialist centres over the next two years. Health Minister Maria Caulfield said, we have always been clear that children's safety and wellbeing is paramount. So we welcome this landmark decision by the NHS. Finding the routine prescription of puberty blockers will help ensure the care is based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and is in the best interests of the child. The BBC understands NHS England aims to begin its study to use puberty blockers by into the use of puberty blockers by December, 2024 and is yet to decide who can take part. Puberty blockers will be given only in clinical research. So that seems like a big hookah. It's kind of like a, you know, they don't know what they're doing, you know? Yeah, but they won't. Yes, no, yes, no. I know, and they want to express, you know, concern. There, yeah, yeah. All right, we're gonna have to move over here and then we'll move back to you. What do you say? Oh, Linda, I have so many stories. I know, look at the time. Oh, it flies when you're having fun. Okay, okay. The portion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ has continued to increase, reaching a new high of 7.6% in the latest Gallup poll released Wednesday morning. That's up from 7.2% in a poll that came out a year ago from 5.6% four years ago and from 3.5% in 2012. Gallup's first year of measuring sexual orientation and gender identity, so. Now we have a story about a multi-talented horror host produces and drag icons. The Ballet Brothers announced the Ballet Brothers Dracula season five national tour. Also unveiling the lineup for the upcoming run of live shows set to haunt North America. This May and June, starring and hosted by long-time partners in business and life, Drac Borda and Swantula Ballet. The tour will also feature reigning drag super monster, Neo Horyu X and fellow finalists, Blackberry. The Brothers have promised the tour will be expertly crafted cutting edge, showcase of the finest in the world's progressive drag in modern horror universe. With North America stops in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle and more. The tour starts on the heels of a series, enormously successful fifth season, which ranked among the most watched titles of 2023 on AMC, Horror Streaming Service, Shutter. And here are a picture of the drag monsters. I know we're taking a trip to Boston. Oh, sounds like a plan. Okay. And long time LGBTQ plus activist, David Mixner, who worked on Bill Clinton's Clinton's president campaign and famously broke with Clinton over policies of gays in the military died on Monday at age 77. His death was announced on his Facebook page. It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of David's passing. Rest in Peace, David 1946 to 2024. He died at his home in New York city and the cause was complications of long-term COVID. Mixner became nationally famous because of his friendship with Clinton, but his activist career encompassed far more than that. Mixner grew up in poverty in a home without indoor plumbing and he sympathized with all marginalized people. His involvement in politics dates to his teenage years in New Jersey when he volunteered in the John F. Kennedy 1960 presidential campaign. He then went to the deep south to work in the Black Civil Rights Movement. I went down to Mississippi, he said, in Alabama and Georgia and Louisiana and went to jail a number of times in those states working on the efforts he recalled in 2010 interview. Most of my focus was political on working hard to register African Americans to vote, getting rid of the poll tax. And here's the picture of him. And lastly, Ian, and then you can have the rest of the time, I was gonna give a little lesbian history. Oh, please do. And I came across this person. Um, Edith D. Eddy. Oh. And she did a lot of work in the lesbian and gay community and she also did some singing, which I tried to get a copy of, but I couldn't, they were all pretty, pretty bad. But anyway. She's a bad singer or bad? Bad, because it was so old. And so when did she live? Well, I'm gonna tell you all that right now. Please do, my interest is peaked. I just learned about, and for those who may have missed her, I'd like to introduce Edith D. Eddy, November 7th, 1921 to December 22nd, 2015. Better known by her pen name, Lisa Ben, meaning lesbian, was an American editor, author, active fantasy fiction fan and fan-zine contributor and often used the name Tigrina in these activities. And she was also a songwriter. She created the first known lesbian publication in North America, Vice versa. Ben produced the magazine for a year and distributed it locally in LA, in Los Angeles, California. In the late 1940s, she was also active in lesbian bars as a musician in the years falling her involvement with Vice versa. She was also been recognized as a pioneer in the LGBT movement. While working as a secretary at RKO Studios, her boss advised her that they would be not, she wasn't supposed to, she was always supposed to be working because there was a lot of work to do, but he wanted her to look busy. So she typed each issue of the magazine in Detroit through with five carbon copies, making a total of 12 copies of each issue, a technique which has been used for science fiction fan-zines. Fan-zines. Fan-zines, is that what it is? Yes. With which she had considerable experience. She initially mailed three copies to friends and distributed the rest by hand, particularly at the club, one of Los Angeles' first lesbian bars, encouraging her readers to pass their copies along to friends rather than throwing them away. She believes that several dozen people read each copy, although scrupulous about avoiding material that could be considered dirty or risque. She stopped mailing copies after her friend advised her that she could be a raster for sending obscene materials through the mail. Publications addressed homosexuality were automatically deemed obscene under the Constart Act in 1958. She published nine issues of vice versa from June 1947 through 1948, and I'll think of how early that was. She sees publications after RKO was sold forcing her to change jobs. Her new assignment left her no free time at work to type the magazine. She had also accomplished her goal of increasing her cycle circle of magazine readers. She had also accomplished her goal of increasing her circle of friends and she wanted to spend more time enjoying her new lifestyle rather than writing about it. Despite the short run of the magazine, she is credited with setting the agenda that has dominated lesbian and gay journalism for 50 years, introducing many new characteristics that would define the myriad publications that would follow. In the 1950s, she began writing for The Ladder, the first nationally distributed lesbian magazine. The ladder was published by early lesbian group, The Daughters of Bilitis, of which she was a member. So, what? I hate to say it, did I understand you to say she was the first print lesbian in print? 1948. In print? Yeah. Oh, I hate to challenge it. It's very informative, but Eve Adams wrote the first lesbian novel in 1916. Oh, okay. But, you know, she's worthy of note. She is worthy of note. And so, with that, you know, we, you know, I had never heard of her. I haven't either. And, you know, so I think to be doing work in 1948, 1947 is pretty incredible. And she was certainly out there, so. Yes, and Eve Adams was arrested and deported and died in Auschwitz in 1943. So there, you know, a lot of brave predecessors in our ranks. Absolutely. Well, let's switch to a deplorable from Oslo. The alleged shooter who killed two at the Oslo Pride has begun his trial. He killed two people and injured 29 others during Oslo Pride Month in 2022. He pleads not guilty. Zanier Madapur, and I'm not gonna show you his picture, he's 44, facing murder, attempted murder and terrorism charges for the shootings that took place on June 25th, 2022, the night before the city's Pride Parade. Prosecutors say he fired 19 rounds from two weapons during the shooting. They say he targeted LGBTQ people and locations, killing a 60-year-old man at the London Pub and a 54-year-old man at another bar during a shooting spree. He was tackled and subdued at the scene by bystanders, until he was taken into custody by police. He's refused to cooperate with authorities since his arrest and continued his combative behavior according to coverage of the trial. He is considered an active threat to others in the courtroom. He's been denied use of a ballpoint pen during the trial because it could be used as a weapon and he must instead use the less-threatening ink-filled insert. When asked to enter a plea, he instead demanded to know why the court was in session during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan. The jury heard testimony that Madapur, a naturalized Norwegian citizen who emigrated from Iran as a child, has a history of drugs, violence, and mental health issues. His rap sheet included multiple weapons and narcotics charges and prosecutors say he came to the attention of authorities in 2015 for the radicalization of his beliefs, but he was in fact interviewed by police a month before the shootings, but they determined he was not a threat to the community, nice work, police. The shooting shocked Norway. They missed that one. Yeah, fearing further terrorist attacks targeting the LGBTQ community, the Pride Parade was canceled and the trial is scheduled to continue in May. So there's a deplorable there. Now, Scotland has some good news, I think. A controversial hate crime law has come into effect. The new hate crime laws will take effect April 1st that the Scottish government has announced. The Hate Crime and Public Order Scotland Act was passed in March, 2021, but its passage was one of the most difficult of the Scottish National Party's time in government. Legislation will create a new offense of stirring up hatred against protected characteristics, including age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity, matching a similar offense based on race that's been on the statute for decades. Some concerns remain over the criminalization of free speech. In the final debate before its passage, the First Minister, Humza Yousaf, then serving as Justice Secretary, said no one would be found to have stirred up hatred for solely stating their belief, even if they did so in a robust manner. Ahead of the legislation taking effect, the Scottish government has launched a public awareness campaign aimed at highlighting the impact of hate crime. In a statement on Monday, the community safety minister said, for those impacted by hatred and prejudice, the results can be traumatic and life-changing. No kidding. While we respect everyone's right to freedom of expression, nobody in our society should live in fear. To be made or feel like they belong and the Scottish government is committed to building safer communities that live free from hatred and prejudice. Hate crime is a behavior that is both criminal and rooted in prejudice. It can be verbal, physical, online, or face-to-face. The new law will give greater protections to those who need it and helps to form the basis of understanding about the type of behavior that is not acceptable in our society. I mean, I think that makes sense. It's a good law, as far as I'm concerned. Well, we have the same law here, right? Hate crime law. Yeah, yeah. But this is stirring up, if it tries to stir up bigotry, it extends to that. The campaign is informed by lived experience. That part I don't know if I agree with. Stirring up hatred? Do you think that's good? Well, it depends on how it's done, but never mind if I hear about this. It could be continued, wouldn't it? Free speech. Very interesting. Free speech. All right, well, a lot of Scotland's people were concerned about it, but I side with the hate crimes. Well, they are awful. But let's go to Irish news. Good news? Oh, no. Brodnick and his partner came back to Ireland to be walloped and referendum defeats. Irish voters, yes. They've rejected proposals to replace, and this is so forward-looking, but the Irish people didn't want it. Irish voters have rejected proposals to replace constitutional references to the makeup of a family and a mother's duties in the home in a significant defeat for the government. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had pitched the vote held to coincide with the International Women's Day and counted on Saturday as a chance to delete some very old-fashioned, very sexist language about women. Why do they wanna keep that? A proposal to extend the definition of family from a relationship founded on marriage to include other durable relationships was rejected by 67% to 32%. A second referendum on the proposal to replace language surrounding women's duties in the home with a clause recognizing the role of family members in the provision of care was rejected 73 to 26. Campaigners argued the proposal wouldn't shrine care as a private responsibility, not a state one. Speaking to reporters in Dublin on Saturday, Varadkar said voters have given his government two wallops. It was our responsibility to convince a majority of people to vote yes, and we clearly failed to do so. Now let's turn to interesting news from Rhys, starting with the film. It's called Broadway, a group of four young student performers and pickpockets in modern Athens find an unexpected refuge in the Broadway stowa, an abandoned entertainment complex. The balances of their makeshift family will be upset when a former team member is released from prison. So let's take a look at a clip from Broadway. The new one, where you put it. Ready? Foundation, my liner, lipstick. I'll put it on the floor in Athens. The money is cash flow, and the basic method of cash flow is counter-exploitation. Be careful, the money is going to be wasted. To find, you always have to give something, and to get out, you have to. Every one of you has to know what you want. I don't want to. Where are you going? You're making music. His life in Broadway was not exactly what I expected. In a film festival, a crowd swelled into the thousands and took to the streets of Thessaloniki. And let me show you a picture of this crowd of protesters. It's thousands. This occurred one day after a shocking attack on a transgender couple rocked Reese's second city and rattled filmmakers and guests at this year's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Waving rainbow flags, carrying banners denouncing homophobia and transphobic awe, enchanting process slogans, the mostly peaceful demonstration, wound through the streets of this seaside city just hours after costume-clad revelers thronged the roads ahead of Thessaloniki's carnival celebration next weekend. The crowd began to gather at 7 p.m. at the site of a terrifying episode on Saturday night when a mob of close to 200 black-clad youths cursed, spat, and threw bottles as they pursued the young couple. The duo ultimately took refuge in a nearby restaurant until the police arrived on the scene. At least 21 suspects have been arrested so far. On Sunday night, a stirring coalition of LGBTQ activists, women's groups, students, organizations, and others showed their defiance, their chance echoing through the streets in a protest that only seemed to gain momentum as the night went on. Despite a heavy police presence, the demonstration largely proceeded without incident. Tensions briefly flared outside the historic Olympian Theater, which hosts red carpet premieres during the Thessaloniki Documentary Fest. And it's sister event in November where moviegoers filed past riot police to attend the world premiere of Unclickable by veteran film, Greek filmmaker Babis Makridis. The director and several members of the filmmaking team were escorted through a side door as a confrontation escalated between police and protesters with one officer taking a blow to the face before order was restored. Elsewhere, at least two seaside restaurants were vandalized during the march. Saturday's attack took place in front of packed restaurants and cafes. The festival was filled with anger and repugnance over the attack. And I see we're getting short, so I'm going to have to cut this story short and give you headlines for the rest of my material. So, anyway, the Thessaloniki protests continued and everything dissipated. Now let's switch to Italy where a court has rejected the Italian government's attempt to remove lesbian moms from birth certificates. This is the Temporary State, Venice, the Venuto District. Milan passed a local law overturning this attempt to remove both lesbian moms from certificates, but they were defeated then. That was overturned. But this is a Temporary State against George Maloney's draconian anti-lesbian and homophobic policies in general. But I have good news from Australia. I want to get to... Here's a picture of Josh Carvalho, the soccer star, proposing on a field on the football field. You see him now kneeling before his partner who is an Adelaide midfielder. He just surprised his boyfriend. There they are. He said that his fiance, Mr. Morel, was responsible for everything, so it's important that he propose on the field. And now another picture of the brides, King George V's great-great-granddaughter, marries her Australian girlfriend in the royal family's first ever lesbian wedding in a fun-filled outdoor ceremony. And let's look at a picture of them. Who's granddaughter? George V's great-great-granddaughter. And her name is Ellen's LaCelle's, 39. She's on the right in the picture. And she tied the knot with Chantel McPherson, known as Chan, in a ceremony. The newlyweds who live down under will become a blended family. Two more stories. U.S. denies visa to a Uganda MP who called for homosexual castration. And the last involves a picture of Kenyan protesters who are also part of the... who are protesting in London over Peter Kalma's family protection ballot. It's draconian and hasn't been passed yet. Kenyan refugees are protesting. There's their picture, and we have a minute left. Do you know if, like part of the Commonwealth, you know, the British Commonwealth, do they have access to, like, immigrate without a lot of hassle? I mean, could someone from, say, Uganda? I don't think so, but I will... I'm just wondering, you know, that they offered... Like the European Union, you mean? Well, no, but if you're part of the Commonwealth of England, like... All these territories, Turks and Caicos. I wonder if they can immigrate. Like, if they're getting castled for being LGBTQ, can they freely immigrate to England? I doubt it. I don't think, okay, I thought maybe they would. That would be nice, but I doubt it. They offered free asylum to anybody who wanted to leave Hong Kong. I think, you know, just from what I've heard about the British crackdowns on immigration, I would say not. Okay. It would be nice. We'll have to look it up to see. We'll verify it, of course. Yeah, yeah. And see you next time. Alrighty. Resist.