Category: LGBTQrights

A hotel kicked a lesbian out of a women’s restroom for being “a man.” Now it’s changing its story.

*This is published in LGBTQ Nation.

After defending the actions of a security guard who threw a lesbian couple out of a women’s restroom and accused one of them of being a man, a five-star hotel in Boston has suspended the guard and admitted he acted in error.

In addition to sidelining the staff member, the Liberty Hotel on Boston’s Beacon Hill said all staff are being retrained “on inclusive practices and guest interaction protocols.” The hotel is also donating to a local LGBTQ+ organization, WBZ News reports.

“The Liberty Hotel is and always will be an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated,” the hotel said in a statement. “We will continue to educate and train our team to ensure that everyone feels safe and accepted within our four walls, and guests who do not show tolerance and acceptance towards others will be removed.”

The hotel’s statement issued Tuesday was in stark contrast to their initial reaction to the incident on Saturday during a Kentucky Derby viewing party, when the guard stormed into the women’s restroom in the hotel lobby and began banging on stall doors. He accused one of the lesbian partners of being a man.

“All of a sudden there was banging on the door,” said one of the women, Ansley Baker.

“I pulled my shorts up. I hadn’t even tied them. One of the security guards was there telling me to get out of the bathroom, that I was a man in the women’s bathroom. I said, ‘I’m a woman.’”

Baker’s partner, Liz Victor, was waiting by the sinks and heard the commotion.

“I looked down and I saw her shoes, and that’s when I was like, ‘What is going on?”

As Baker was escorted out, the women said, other women in line for the restroom hurled insults at her, calling Baker “a creep” and demanding she be removed. The security guard then demanded to see the women’s IDs to prove their gender.

After a heated exchange, the couple was told to leave the hotel.

In their initial statement issued Monday, the Liberty Hotel accused the two women of sharing one stall.

“An incident occurred at the Liberty Hotel on Saturday, May 3 where several women alerted security of two adults sharing a bathroom stall,” the hotel wrote. “The bathroom was cleared out as two adults in one stall are not permitted. After leaving the bathroom, a member of the couple from the stall put their hands on our security team and it was then that they were removed from the premises.”

“The Liberty Hotel has a zero-tolerance policy for any physical altercations on our property,” the hotel continued. “The safety of our guests and staff is our priority, and this event is under investigation.”

With the investigation complete, the hotel has changed its story.

The couple vehemently denied being in the same stall. 

“If that’s what he thought the issue was once he opened the stall door, obviously there was only one person in there, so it should’ve been case closed,” Victor said. “Let her tie up her shorts and go about her day.”

The couple said they went public hoping to make a difference for others experiencing the same kind of treatment.

“We know we’re not the only ones that face this kind of thing and just hope it doesn’t happen again and that other people who go through this receive the same support,” said Baker. 

Victor added, “It was a very scary situation, but trans women experience this every single day in the U.S. and across the world.” 

Since 2016, Massachusetts state law has allowed all people to use restrooms and locker rooms that are most aligned with their gender identity.

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Boise City Council approves resolution adopting pride flag as official flag amid state law tensions

*This is reported by KTVB.

On Tuesday, Boise City Council members approved a resolution designating three flags, including the Pride flag, as official flags of the City of Trees.

The vote comes amid ongoing tensions between Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and the Idaho Attorney General over a new state law, House Bill 96, which regulates which flags local governments can display.

“A city should be able to put up flags at various times for whatever reason the community might want,” community member Patti Raino said, “and this is a community that supports, certainly pride. Has always supported pride.” 

Hundreds of people showed up to rally in support of the city before the meeting started. About a dozen of those were protestors against the resolution — including Robert Coggins. 

“I’m just a native Idahoan,” he said. “I feel like I do not have a voice, and this mayor does not let me have a voice. I think [the flag is] exclusionary. It doesn’t represent me.” 

Council President Colin Nash, who sponsored the resolution, said it would help “memorialize” flags the city flies and ensure compliance with state law.

“It’s important for us, not only to communicate to any law enforcement that might be interested, but also to the public that we’re doing this out of a sense of duty, rather than defiance of the state legislature,” Nash said before the vote.

Nash added the flags represent the city’s values and responsibilities. 

“This is our lawful expression of our dedication to ensuring all members of our community feel seen, respected, and welcome,” he said. “I think there is an expectation among the opponents of it, that the government should remain neutral in issues like this. I’m not neutral on defending marginalized neighbors.”

The resolution includes not only the Pride flag but also designates the blue City of Boise flag and the white organ donor flag honoring National Donate Life Month as official city flags.

City officials say the resolution acknowledges and formally ratifies that flags flown at Boise City Hall comply with Idaho state law.

The council meeting did not include public testimony on the resolution. During the council discussion, McLean reminded the public in attendance they could not speak after several members of the audience made comments towards the council. 

The city announced last week, attorneys from Holland & Hart have volunteered to represent Boise pro bono if any legal action is taken against the city regarding this matter. The volunteer legal team includes Erik Stidham, Jennifer Jensen, Alex Grande and Anne Haws.

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Every Anti-LGBTQ Bill Defeated in Florida’s 2025 Legislative Session

*This is a press release from Equality Florida.

 The 60 days of Florida’s legislative session have concluded. While lawmakers will have to come back in the following weeks to finalize the budget, LGBTQ Floridians and allies across the state are celebrating a resounding and inspiring win: every anti-LGBTQ bill filed in the 2025 legislative session was defeated.

This is more than a policy victory; it’s a testament to the unstoppable force of people power, coalition-building, and a growing refusal to let hate go unchallenged.

“Once again, we’ve done what many thought was impossible: not one anti-LGBTQ bill passed this session,” said Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida. “We improved on the tremendous defeat of 21 out of 22 anti-LGBTQ bills last session for a complete sweep this session, defeating every anti-LGBTQ bill. That’s not luck — that’s the strength of our grassroots movement. It’s students and seniors, faith leaders and frontline workers, parents and teachers, standing together and making sure lawmakers hear us loud and clear: we will not back down.”

In 2024, 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ bills were defeated — many were expected to return this year with greater force, buoyed by the largest Republican supermajority in Florida history and a national climate increasingly hostile to LGBTQ issues — particularly transgender issues. But instead of escalation, lawmakers showed restraint, perhaps weary from years of pushing culture war bills that do nothing to address the real challenges Floridians face. Only four anti-LGBTQ bills were filed in 2025 — and every one of them failed:

  • Pride Flag Ban (HB 75/SB 100), a bill banning government agencies, including public schools and universities, from displaying any flag that represents a “political viewpoint,” including Pride Flags.
  • Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work (HB 1495/SB 440), a bill aimed at censoring public workplace discussions of LGBTQ issues, and enabling harassment of transgender employees.
  • Anti-Diversity In Local Government (HB 1571/SB 420), a bill attempting to ban cities and counties from recognizing, supporting, and protecting the LGBTQ community and other minorities
  • Banning Diversity & Equity In State Agencies (HB 731/SB 1710), a bill that would defund a broad range of activities and positions under the guise of banning DEI in state agencies and would ban state contractors and grantees from using state funds for DEI.

This powerful blockade against anti-LGBTQ extremism was built by a broad coalition of everyday Floridians. They showed up to the Capitol every single day of session, testified in legislative hearings, sent messages to lawmakers, and organized from the Panhandle to the Keys. This session alone, over 400 grassroots lobbyists came to Tallahassee for our largest advocacy week ever. Over 16,000 Floridians sent emails to legislators, and our Pride At The Capitol participants met face-to-face with lawmakers more than 325 times over the course of session. These direct actions continue the momentum building that has grown Equality Florida’s base by more than 165,000 people in just two years, reaching nearly half a million strong in total.

“This win belongs to every person who stood up, spoke out, and locked arms with their neighbors to stop the attacks before they could advance,” Smith added. “And while we celebrate, we know the fight isn’t over. This session still delivered real harm to democracy and equity that impacts all Floridians — and we are just as committed to undoing that damage and building a Florida that truly belongs to all of us.”

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Salem, MA City Council unanimously declares trans sanctuary city status

*This was reported by Boston Spirit Magazine in April

This past Friday, the Salem City Council unanimously passed a resolution to make the City of Salem a sanctuary city for transgender and nonbinary individuals. In its proclamation, the council notes this status in necessary because “the federal government’s continued actions have encouraged discrimination towards transgender persons by state and local governments, schools, hospitals, businesses, other public and private institutions.”

“The City Council of the City of Salem hereby reiterates its commitment to uphold transgender rights and equal protections for transgender community members under the Constitutions, Laws, Ordinances and Regulations of the United States, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Salem and declares itself a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender and gender non-conforming people,” states the proclamation in part.

The proclamation goes on to affirm:

“that the City of Salem recognizes the importance of gender-affirming healthcare as a matter of health, privacy, and equality, and to ensure that those rights are upheld for all residents and visitors within the City of Salem.

“that the City of Salem will ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students regardless of gender identity or expression in the Salem Public Schools, including the protection of teachers and other city employees who help to foster such an environment,” and

“that the City of Salem shall endeavor to work with the Salem Human Rights Coalition; to further identify equity shortcomings for the city’s transgender and gender non-conforming community within municipal government, operations, and practices, to ensure the full protection of said community’s residents and visitors.”

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LGBTQ REALTORS discuss clients leaving Red States for Blue States and Better Countries

On this episode we are joined by the amazing Erin Morrison.

What happens when real estate meets resistance, advocacy, and identity?

In this candid conversation, LGBTQ+ real estate professionals Erin Morrison, Bob McCranie, Kimber Fox, and Leslie Wilson sit down to discuss the evolving challenges of being openly queer in an industry—and a country—facing political pushback.

🏳️‍🌈 Topics covered include: How anti-LGBTQ+ legislation affects clients and agents

The role of advocacy in real estate Why “just doing business” isn’t neutral anymore

Personal stories from the frontlines of inclusion in housing

📍 Whether you’re an agent, ally, or advocate, this video unpacks the real stakes of LGBTQ+ visibility in today’s market.

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Back in the USSR? Europe’s Emerging LGBTQ Travel Spot

While Mother Russia continues to spend its time pounding Ukraine and its own minorities into submission, other former Soviet Socialist Republics out there are moving in the opposite direction. The high court of the predominantly Catholic Baltic state Lithuania ruled last month that the country’s ban on same sex civil unions is unconstitutional. Public sentiment is also in line with this ruling, with 50% of the country agreeing civil unions should exist.

Lithuania still faces its challenges, but also struck down their version of “Don’t Say Gay” laws in January. It also has decided requiring a sex change is no longer a viable option for transgender individuals who simply want to change their name.

If you’d like to see more of the positive side of traveling to Lithuania, check out this YouTube video from the Queer Kingdom channel.

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Spokane passes LGBTQ+ rights ordinance to protect trans folks from the federal government

*This is reported by LGBTQNation.

The City Council of Spokane, Washington, has passed an ordinance enhancing protections for LGBTQ+ people, with a focus on protecting trans folks.

Council members voted 5-2 to implement the ordinance, which updates the city’s human rights code to define gender-affirming care and ensure equal protections for LGBTQ+ people.

A press release explained that both Spokane Municipal Code and state law already provide protections for LGBTQ+ people, but the ordinance adds language to “acknowledge the inherent risks faced by the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Spokane, particularly due to federal policies and interjurisdictional legal processes from states that do not recognize LGBTQIA2S+ rights or are working to deny such individuals access to essential medical care, including gender-affirming care.”

The policy “prohibits the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth, unless it’s related to a criminal investigation.”

The ordinance also adds a definition of gender-affirming care to the human rights code’s glossary of terms and adds a section requiring city-provided healthcare to cover it. It also requires the Spokane Police Department to keep an LGBTQ+ liaison officer on staff.

“LGBTQIA2S+ people deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions and deserve to feel safe in our community,” Council Member Zack Zappone said in a statement.  “That freedom and safety are under threat across the country. This ordinance ensures the City continues to protect LGBTQIA2S+ people and that they know that in Spokane, we all belong.”

“I want to thank all the powerful and heartfelt testimony in support of this ordinance that is about supporting safety, freedom, and dignity,” added Council Member Paul Dillon.  “Spokane is a city where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated, and this ordinance shows our commitment to our city motto that in Spokane, we all belong, especially in a time of targeting and discrimination…”

Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart voted against the ordinance, with Bingle attempting to add five amendments, including measures to ban trans people from using the bathrooms and playing on sports teams that align with their genders and to ban those under 18 from receiving gender-affirming care through city insurance. None of the amendments passed.

During the city council meeting, Bingle defended his position, claiming he doesn’t want anyone in the city to be discriminated against, including those “who have sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical objections to this.”

“It’s a live and let live situation that I’m totally cool with,” he said. “I think that’s a great idea.”

Dozens of people showed up at the meeting to advocate for passing the ordinance.

One mother of an adult trans son said she fled to Spokane from Idaho with her son and his wife after her son experienced horrific mistreatment by doctors in Idaho.

In Spokane, she said, they found support, dignity, and a “welcoming spirit.” But she said hostility has been growing in the city in the wake of the federal government’s anti-trans policies. “We are feeling the fear and stress we thought we left behind,” she said.

The ordinance, she said, “is not just about symbolism; it’s about real protections, real care, real safety for people who are just trying to live their lives.”

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Democrats reintroduce landmark LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill

*This was reported by NewsNation.

House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday reintroduced the Equality Act, a landmark civil rights bill that would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes. 

The measure, which would amend a federal law that already outlaws discrimination based on race, religion, sex and national origin, faces an uphill battle in a Congress controlled by Republicans, who have long opposed it over concerns it would trample religious freedom rights.

President Trump opposed the Equality Act during his first term, citing “poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.” While exploring a presidential run as a Reform Party candidate back in 2000, Trump said he liked the idea of extending anti-discrimination protections in the 1964 Civil Rights Act to gay people. 

“It’s only fair,” he told The Advocate then.  

A White House spokesperson did not say whether Trump would support the bill this time, though it appears unlikely. Since taking office in January, Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting transgender Americans, including one that proclaims the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female. 

“Right now, the fear in our community is deep, and it is palpable,” Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the Equality Act’s primary sponsor in the House, said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon outside the Capitol. 

“The waves of attacks on LGBTQI+ Americans have swept from state legislatures into the chambers of Congress and the White House. We’re facing the most anti-LGBTQI+ presidential administration in recent history, and for that reason, we demand that our existence be not just recognized but protected; we demand not just the right to survive but to thrive,” said Takano, who recently took over as chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which advocates for LGBTQ rights in Congress. 

Most Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, though that support has dipped slightly in recent years. A survey published last month by the Public Religion Research Institute, which has been tracking Americans’ support for LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections since 2015, found that 75 percent of adults support policies shielding LGBTQ Americans from discriminatory practices in housing, employment and public accommodation, down from its peak of 80 percent in 2022. 

At the same time, Americans have grown more supportive of policies restricting transgender rights, a recent Pew Research Center survey found, including ones that require athletes to compete on sports teams that match their birth sex and prevent doctors from administering gender-affirming care to minors. In the same survey, 56 percent of adults expressed support for policies aimed at protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces. 

“The bill that we’re here to talk about could not be more straightforward or commonsense,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, said Tuesday. “The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. This is a tenant of our nation’s founding.”  

In the absence of federal law, nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people vary by state, 27 of which lack explicit protections for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, according to Freedom for All Americans, which advocates for equal rights and protections. 

“If you are gay, lesbian or transgender — and let that sink in — it’s a patchwork of rights and protections depending on who you are and who you love,” Baldwin said Tuesday. “Will you be protected from being discriminated against by a bad landlord when you try to rent a house? Depends on where you live. Will you be protected from being discriminated against when you are trying to get a mortgage or a new credit card? Again, it depends upon where you live.” 

Democrats on Tuesday said they plan to have transparent one-on-one conversations with their Republican colleagues to garner bipartisan support for the bill, touting the strategy’s success in passing the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. In that case, more than 50 Republicans in the House and Senate voted with Democrats to enshrine same-sex and interracial marriage rights in federal law. 

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Allentown PA City Council votes to establish ‘safe haven’ for LGBTQ+ families, gender-affirming care

*This is reported by Eastern Progress.

Allentown City Council passed a resolution at its Wednesday night meeting to protect and grant refuge to the LGBTQ+ community in Allentown by proclaiming the city a “safe and welcoming haven.”

Resolution “R48” was initially discussed at City Council’s Human Resources, Administration, and Appointments committee meeting on April 9, where it received a favorable vote to move forward to the full council. 

The resolution responds to a “record number of discriminatory anti-trans legislative bills and executive orders being proposed and enacted throughout the country,” according to council documents. 

“As attacks against transgender and gender non-binary adults and youth across the United States continue, it is the responsibility of Allentown to ensure transgender and non-binary people, particularly youth, continue to be protected and welcomed,” the resolution states.

It emphasizes the importance of treating all individuals with fairness, respect, dignity, and full human rights, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. 

Not a single seat was empty at the council’s Wednesday night meeting in anticipation of the resolution’s passage, which had full council sponsorship. 

Multiple public commenters — including members of the LGBTQ+ community, psychologists specializing in transgender affirming care and state representatives — spoke in support of the resolution before council’s vote.

Amelia, a transgender woman, shared her personal experience receiving gender-affirming care in the city of Allentown and what she described as its life-changing impact. 

“Access to this treatment quite literally made my life as one worth living,” Amelia said. “It was the antidote for my dysphoria or gender misalignment that had plagued me since puberty.” 

Christine Hartigan, a licensed psychologist in Allentown specializing in transgender affirming care, also voiced her support for the resolution.

“We have a lot of research backing up what we do, and we know that limiting access to this care is incredibly detrimental to individuals, especially transgender individuals,” Hartigan said.

“They can lead to increased rates of anxiety, depression, substance use, and as several people have already mentioned, even suicide,” she continued. “So this is lifesaving care, and we know it works.”

State Rep. Josh Siegel, a Democrat representing Lehigh County, commended council’s efforts and emphasized the need for state-level protections. 

“I’ve introduced legislation at the state level to create a shield law around gender and affirming care in Pennsylvania and protect our prosecutors,” Siegel said. “Those bills will never see the light of day because our Republican Senate won’t move them.”

“It is more important than ever now that our local bodies, our counties and our cities speak with one voice to push back on this hateful narrative that the reason for people’s hardship in life is that trans kids wants to belong and play sports with their friends,” he continued.

Mayor Matt Tuerk, also present at the meeting, acknowledged the thousands of transgender people in Allentown and outlined policy changes underway. 

“Estimates across the country are that anywhere between 1 and 2% of the population identifies as transgender, which would make the number here in Allentown in the thousands,” Tuerk said. “There are thousands of people that you and I represent who are looking for safety, and that’s our fundamental duty as city leaders.” 

“We looked at the five bullet points that you put out there as policy that you’ve started to craft now at the city of Allentown that would prohibit criminal prosecution or administration penalty against individuals who are seeking gender affirming health care” he continued.

City Council unanimously voted to pass the resolution.

“We might not be able to change the world, but maybe we can change Allentown,” said Councilmember Ce-Ce Gerlach. 

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Poland finally repealed the country’s last “LGBT-free” zone

*This is reported by LGBTQNation.

Ten years after the far-right Law and Justice Party was elected to power in Poland, and two years after their defeat in national elections, a last vestige of the party’s state-sanctioned anti-LGBTQ+ policies has finally been eliminated.

On Thursday, a council in the southeastern Polish town of Łańcut officially abolished the country’s last remaining ‘LGBT-free’ resolution.

The resolution, introduced by the previous government, was one among about 100 that declared local regions “LGBT-free” or banning “LGBT ideology,” barring the “promotion” of homosexuality and other minority sexual identities, especially in schools.

The declarations drew criticism from human rights groups as well as the European Union, which withheld funding from Poland on the grounds the resolutions were discriminatory and breached the multi-national bloc’s fundamental values.

The move resulted in the freezing of billions of Euros worth of funding to Poland.

In 2022, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the effect of the resolutions was a “violation of the dignity, honor, good name and closely related private life of a specific group of residents,” and deemed them unconstitutional.

The court held that Poland has a duty to protect all its citizens, including members of minority groups. In the aftermath, all of the local resolutions were repealed, leaving Łańcut the final holdout in the country.

“Councilors have been taught a lesson not to succumb to propaganda that appeals to their emotions,” said Jakub Gawron, an activist who ran the so-called Atlas of Hate, an interactive online map illustrating the regions with the “LGBT-free” declarations.

European leaders punished Poland for its anti-LGBTQ+ zones

In 2021, the European Commission warned five Polish regions that “declaring LGBTIQ-free/unwelcome territories, workplace or services constitutes an action that is against the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.” Municipalities with those discriminatory policies were notified that they wouldn’t receive funding for infrastructure, environmental initiatives, and other EU-sponsored projects.

Later in 2021, the EU Parliament formally condemned Poland for trying to create “LGBT-free” zones, with lawmakers comparing the policies to “Jew-free” zones that existed in the years before and during World War II.

By early 2020, roughly one-third of the country had established “LGBT-free zones.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a State of the Union address the same year that “LGBT-free zones” are “humanity-free zones.”

“They have no place in our Union,” von der Leyen told European lawmakers. “I will not rest when it comes to building a union of equality. A Union where you can be who you are and love who you want – without fear of recrimination or discrimination.”

She did not mention Poland by name.

Then-candidate for President Joe Biden re-tweeted von der Leyen’ message, adding “LGBTQ+ rights are human rights.”

“Let me be clear: LGBTQ+ rights are human rights — and ‘LGBT-free zones’ have no place in the European Union or anywhere in the world,” Biden posted to Twitter.

The repeal in Poland comes amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation arising in the fellow EU member nation of Hungary, as well as Vladimir Putin’s continued crackdown on LGBTQ+ identity in Russia with his implementation of successively broader anti-“gay propaganda” laws.

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