LGBTQ
U.S. Senate delays same-sex marriage vote until after midterm elections
The so-called Respect for Marriage Act would ensure that same-sex couples would continue having their marriages recognized federally and at the state level in the event the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn the 2015 case that legalized marriage equality nationwide.
Religious employers can exclude HIV preventative drugs in their health plans, federal judge rules
AUSTIN, Texas – A federal judge in Fort Worth agreed Wednesday with a group of Christian conservatives that Affordable Care Act requirements to cover HIV prevention drugs violate their religious freedom. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor also agreed that aspects of the federal government’s system for deciding what preventive care is covered by the ACA […]
Negotiators in U.S. Senate close to getting 10 Republican votes for same-sex marriage bill
Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday they’re close to getting at least 10 Republicans to back the same-sex marriage measure
Louisiana receives thousands of monkeypox doses ahead of Southern Decadence
Louisiana has received thousands of additional doses of monkeypox vaccine in anticipation of Southern Decadence in New Orleans, one of the largest gatherings of gay and bisexual men in the country. The Biden administration has started targeting LGBTQ+ festivals across the nation with supplemental monkeypox vaccine and testing resources. Southern Decadence is expected to attract […]
To transgender Louisianians, abortion ban yet another health care barrier
Ed Abraham has dreams of getting pregnant and starting a family. But due to the abortion ban, Abraham, a transmasculine person, worries he will be forced to leave the state to achieve his dream. “I am very wary, being a trans person, of how I’ll be treated in hospital settings, if I’ll get decent care […]
Louisiana health officials told to remove LGBTQ Pride content from web
Following a call from a state legislator in June, the head of the Louisiana Department of Health allegedly asked staff to scrub the agency’s online accounts of all content related to LGBTQ+ Pride month, according to internal emails among LDH staff. In one of the emails dated June 29, press administrator Michelle McCalope wrote to […]
After Ole Miss student’s killing, many LGBTQ students no longer feel safe
Eleven LGBTQ students, faculty and alumni told Mississippi Today they now fear for the community’s safety in Oxford, a town known for being more inclusive than most in Mississippi. Many also worry that Lee’s killing will lead community members, seeking safety from violence and harassment, to conceal their sexuality or gender identity.
Vulnerable to monkeypox in Louisiana, they struggle to get vaccine, care
It took New Orleans resident Jared Zeringue three days of incessant calling to find a dose of the monkeypox vaccine in Louisiana. First, he contacted New Orleans health care offices listed on the Louisiana Department of Health’s website as vaccine providers but couldn’t find anyone willing to give it to him. Then he called the […]
Louisiana’s GOP delegation lacks Choco Taco conviction
There’s a lot being made of the untimely demise of the Choco Taco, which its manufacturer announced this week would be discontinued. Its impending absence has motivated its fans to appeal – somehow, some way – to keep it off the ice cream novelty extinction list. Those supporters include U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, who […]
Livingston library board member’s ‘inappropriate’ book list draws vocal opposition
LIVINGSTON – The public notice read “book content,” nothing more. Spurred by word of mouth and social media, dozens of people piled into a small room in a Livingston Parish library Tuesday night to fight back against a public official concerned about LGBTQ content for young readers. Erin Sandefur, a member of the Livingston Parish […]
Louisiana has just over 1,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine
Louisiana has 1,049 doses of the monkeypox vaccine on hand to help combat a viral outbreak that is accelerating nationwide and has already made its way to southeast Louisiana. Each person treated with the monkeypox vaccine must receive two doses of the medication, meaning Louisiana’s current number of doses is sufficient to care for just […]
Drag queen tweet stirs controversy for Louisiana Department of Health
The Louisiana Department of Health faces backlash over a social media post that included a picture of a local drag queen at a health awareness event in Alexandria as part of LGBTQ Pride Month. The controversy began June 24 when LDH tweeted photos of a “family-friendly Pride event” at the Alexandria Convention Center with a […]