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Vermont Trans Healthcare Protections

While over 18 states have moved to ban access to essential healthcare for transgender people Vermont is the latest state to safeguard access enacting the most comprehensive law in the country to protect patients & providers. Brenda Churchill, LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont Liaison Team stated, “Inclusion & equality are core Vermont values & this legislation demonstrates once again our deep commitment to protecting & affirming LGBTQIA people. In the face of escalating bans on essential healthcare for transgender people across the country, our state is doing everything in its power to ensure that care remains protected here.” Keith Goslant, LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont Chair added, “Extremist attacks on the LGBTQIA community are taking a terrible toll, particularly on LGBTQIA young people & today Vermont is sending a clear message that we proudly & strongly support our LGBTQIA family.” Every major medical association endorses the standards of care for transgender adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria as best-practice, research-based medical care. Yet, amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation being promoted across parts of the country, 18 states have passed laws or regulations banning access to such care. Federal courts have issued rulings blocking bans in three states Alabama, Arkansas & Missouri & legal challenges to bans in several other states are pending. The LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont is comprised of representatives from a range of LGBTQIA organizations & individuals from the broader Vermont community. Their mission is to anticipate & collaboratively respond to proposed & enacted laws, policies, actions & community-level crises that impact LGBTQIA Vermonters. 
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Provincetown Film Festival 25th Year

The Provincetown International Film Festival is celebrating 25 years & runs Wednesday June 14th to Sunday June 18th in Provincetown, MA. Bruce LaBruce, award-winning filmmaker, photographer & writer has been named 2023’s “Filmmaker on the Edge.” John Waters stated, “If anybody deserves the Filmmaker on Edge Award, it’s this year’s honoree Bruce LaBruce. He’s been pushing the limits of gay correctness, punk attitude & political mayhem for about forty years & has somehow managed to keep his celluloid troublemaking spirit intact both above & below the limits of underground & commercial filmmaking. Filth followers everywhere - we honor you, Bruce LaBruce.” Billy Porter the Emmy, Tony & Grammy Award-winner as well as the Golden Globe-nominated actor, singer, director, writer & producer will be honored with this year’s Excellence in Acting Award. Anne Hubbell, PIFF’s Executive Director stated, “Billy Porter is a boundary breaking talent. Whether on the screen or on stage, Billy’s performances captivate & stay with you. We’re so thrilled to honor him & share his new film “Our Son” with audiences.” Also announced is that writer, director & actor Julio Torres & writer, actress & comedian Megan Stalter will both receive the festival’s “Next Wave Award'' this year. Andrew Peterson PIFF’s Director of Programming stated, “The fresh, unparalleled artistry of Julio Torres & Megan Stalter embodies the spirit & energy of our Next Wave Award. We are so thrilled to share their innovative talents & films with the Provincetown Film Festival audience this year.” Lisa Viola PIFF Artistic Director concluded, “In celebrating 25 years of PIFF, we are beyond excited to present a fantastic slate of over 100 films that include wildly talented first-time filmmakers, BIPOC & LGBTQIA voices & our longstanding commitment to gender parity.” 
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Rhode Island Advances LGBTQ Adoption

The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to make it more accessible for LGBTQ parents to ensure security for their families through adoption. The bill will now advance to a floor vote in the Senate where it is expected to pass. A companion bill H 5226 is under consideration in the House Judiciary Committee. Senator Dawn Euer Lead Sponsor stated, “Given the current climate of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country, it is more important than ever for LGBTQ+ families to have access to the legal protections they want & need for their families. I’m grateful that my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee were motivated to move quickly to advance this priority bill, which will make it accessible for more Rhode Island parents to secure a confirmatory adoption. Rhode Island is an inclusive state that cares about equality & security for our LGBTQ+ community - including their children & S 0121 is proof of that. I look forward to the vote on the Senate floor.” Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders concluded, “I’m thankful to Senator Euer & to the members of the Judiciary Committee for seeing the urgency & importance of advancing this bill to protect children & families. With extremists escalating their attacks on LGBTQ+ people across the country, parents are more worried than ever about the safety of their children. An adoption decree provides additional security for children, particularly if families travel or move outside Rhode Island. S 0121 will remove needless barriers to adoption for LGBTQ+ people who seek to confirm their parentage.”
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LGBTQ Film “The Rising Tide” (VIDEO)

Campus Pride has released a 15 minute documentary by student filmmaker Beth Starling entitled “The Rising Tide: LGBTQ+ in 2023”. The film focuses on the current onslaught of anti-LGBTQ bills & the horrific impact they are having on LGBTQ lives. Starling stated, “I made this documentary in an effort to raise awareness & place this moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the context of history & human rights. I hope it helps bring forth compassion for those affected by these bills.” Shane Mendez Windmeyer Campus Pride Founder, CEO & Executive Director who appears in the film added, “The laws that are being proposed—or in some states actually passed—anti-drag, anti-trans, anti-queer, are not only harmful for the actions that they take, but for the climate that they create.” Starling completed the film as part of a Documentary Production class at the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA). Whisper Moore the engagement & resource manager for Campaign for Southern Equality who talks in the film about the risks for trans & nonbinary young people of color & for Black trans women who are disproportionately targeted concluded, “Maya Angelou said that ‘no one of us can be free until everybody is free’ & I feel that these legislative attacks against LGBTQ individuals are another way to broach upon our rights & freedoms. None of us are protected & have equal rights under the law, until we all do.” Since 2001 Campus Pride has been the leading national organization dedicated to building future LGBTQ & ally leaders & creating safer communities at colleges & universities. 
WATCH FILM
  
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Florida Expands “Don’t Say LGBTQ” Law

The Florida Senate has passed HB 1069 by a vote of 27-12 which now heads to DeSantis expanding last year’s bigoted “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law extending the complete ban on “classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity” through 8th grade. The Don’t Say LGBTQ expansion bill also revokes a parent’s right to ensure that school personnel address their child with the correct name & pronouns forcing schools to rely exclusively on a student’s sex assigned at birth. The bill will also dramatically accelerates book banning efforts in Florida allowing any person in a county to automatically remove a book from school shelves pending a lengthy review on the grounds of certain objections. Jon Harris Maurer, Equality Florida Public Policy Director stated, “The Don’t Say LGBTQ law has already caused sweeping damage across our state. It was wrong when it was adopted & expanding it is wrong now. Books are being removed, rainbows are being censored from classrooms & districts are refusing to recognize the historical contributions of LGBTQ people for fear of the Governor’s wrath. This expansion exacerbates the damaging impacts being felt by students & families in Florida. Parents should have the right to ensure their children are respected in the classroom. Our schools should be celebrating the diverse families that make up our communities, not erasing them. Shame on Governor DeSantis & lawmakers perpetuating a political crusade against LGBTQ Floridians.” HB 1069’s passage comes amidst an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ, anti-freedom bills that have been fast tracked by a GOP-led legislature acting as a rubber stamp for DeSantis’s agenda. 
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Aguilera To Headline NYC Stonewall Day

Pride Live has announced that Christina Aguilera, fierce LGBTQ ally & GRAMMY award-winning singer-songwriter will be the headline performer for Stonewall Day. This year's benefit concert will be held on Friday June 23rd in the Public Square & Gardens at Hudson Yards on Manhattan's West Side. Christina Aguilera stated, "I am excited to join Pride Live & Stonewall Day & be a part of this historic event. The community has supported & uplifted me throughout my career & I love showing up to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights & visibility. I'm honored to represent Pride Live at Stonewall Day 2023." The benefit concert will feature an all-star female lineup with Angelica Ross as host, Lina Bradford as resident DJ & performances by Mila Jam, BETTY & Mariyea. Angelica Ross added, "It's a privilege that Pride Live selected me to serve as host for this incredible event. Stonewall Day isn't just about visibility & the amplification of the LGBTQ+ community, it's also about transforming that visibility into equity & into agency over our bodies & our narratives." Ann Marie Gothard, President of the Pride Live Board concluded, "We're so excited to have Christina Aguilera & a female powerhouse of LGBTQ+ artists join us on this historic journey that is Stonewall Day. We're also thrilled to be partnering with Hudson Yards & continue the expansion & impact of Stonewall Day. As we get ready to embark on the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, the support we receive from partners like Hudson Yards is vital to further amplify our message & celebrate the LGBTQ+ community." 
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LGBTQ Lambda Literary Awards Event

The 35th annual Lambda Literary Awards (Lammys) will take place both virtually & in person on June 9th 2023 at The Edison Ballroom in NYC. The award ceremony recognizes the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world & the Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature. Lilly Wachowski will be receiving Lambda Literary’s Visionary Award for her lifetime of groundbreaking work. She is a writer, film director & producer most famous for creating The Matrix alongside her sister Lana. She is also known for Bound (1996), V for Vendetta (2005), Cloud Atlas (2012), Sense8 (2015) & Work in Progress (2019). Maia Kobabe will be receiving Lambda Literary’s Trustees’ Impact Award. Kobabe is a nationally renowned writer & illustrator. This year’s event will be hosted by River Butcher a Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor & writer. The Lambda Literary Awards fondly known as the Lammys were created in 1989 to garner national visibility for LGBTQ books which had established a foothold through a nascent network of lesbian & gay publishers & bookstores. Today the Lammys celebrate more than 150 LGBTQ writers across 25 categories & include several cash prizes for writers at all stages in their careers. Each June they come together in NYC to cheer on finalists & winners for their achievements. They’ve changed the structure of this year’s celebration & you can choose between cocktail seating & dining table style seating & dinner will be available throughout the awards. They’ll also have multiple open bars running the entire time plus there will be a VIP cocktail hour before & an incredible afterparty following the event. Ticket proceeds benefit Lambda Literary’s educational programs for LGBTQ young people & emerging writers & start at $50 for virtual & $150 for the in person event.
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