Happy Monday! Still recovering from your wild Pride weekend? Don’t worry—so are we. As we prepare for a shorter week than most for many of us here in Canada, Xtra’s rounded up the top five biggest stories in LGBTQ2S+ news.
1. Fox News alters AP and Reuters article language on anti-trans bills
2. Kahnawà:ke, a First Nations community southwest of Montreal, QC, just hosted its first ever Pride parade—and people came out in droves to support
3. Fifty people were detained after a Pride march in Turkey
4. The British LGBT Awards dropped controversial sponsors Shell and BP just before their ceremony on Friday
5. Former Disney star Alyson Stoner says she was fired from the network after coming out as non-binary
1. Fox News alters AP and Reuters article language on anti-trans bills
Conservative-leaning American news network Fox News is reportedly altering news stories from the Associated Press and Reuters to stoke anti-trans sentiment, according to a new report from U.S. media watchdog Media Matters For America (MMFA).
In a number of articles syndicated from the AP and Reuters—which are supposed to be republished with no changes—Fox replaced the phrase “gender-affirming care” with “sex change” or “sex reassignment.” The network also reportedly removed references to “care” or “medical care.” In one instance, MMFA alleges that the network even “fabricated” a quote from an Oregon elected official (the quote was corrected back to the original version after the publication of MMFA’s report).
MMFA points out in their report that these changes, while they may seem small, are part of a larger right-wing strategy to pathologize gender-affirming care and trans people in general.
2. Kahnawà:ke, a First Nations community southwest of Montreal, QC, just hosted its first ever Pride parade—and people came out in droves to support
Kahnawà:ke, a First Nations community southwest of Montreal, celebrated Pride for the first time ever this weekend, with crowds coming out in droves to support the queer community.
Floats included a nearly 12-foot tall pink unicorn made by local thrift store Thrifting the Night Away with help from local school students, and community members lined the streets to wave at the Parade passing by.
The night ended with a family-friendly dance party on Tekakwitha Island Beach, where folks of all ages joined together to celebrate the LGBTQ2S+ community.
3. Fifty people were detained after a Pride march in Turkey
At least 50 people were detained by police in Istanbul yesterday after the city’s annual Pride march ended in oppressive force from authorities.
Hundreds of folks gathered in the Sisli district, where police in riot gear attempted to restrict access to streets. Since 2015, Pride gatherings have been banned in Turkey, and conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s election win last month has resulted in ongoing protests from queer folks in the country.
4. The British LGBT Awards dropped controversial sponsors Shell and BP just before their ceremony on Friday
The British LGBT Awards dropped oil companies Shell and BP as sponsors, after nominees and judges spoke out against the competition.
Fossil Free Pride, who originally began a campaign against the awards’ sponsors earlier this month, also called on the competition to cut ties with banks HSBC and Santander, as well as Amazon and Nestlé, saying that “These events should be for queer people and not a parade of corporate logos.”
Friday’s ceremony saw artists Paloma Faith and Becky Hill win gongs, as well as other big names like Katherine Ryan scooping up titles like the Celebrity Ally Award.
5. Former Disney star Alyson Stoner says she was fired from the network after coming out as non-binary
Former Disney star Alyson Stoner, best known for their roles in network classics like Camp Rock, has revealed how their sexuality and gender identity have impacted their career, saying that the corporation deemed them “unsafe” after they publicly came out.
On a recent episode of podcast I’m Literally Screaming, Stoner said that they were fired from an unnamed children’s show after their employer felt they couldn’t be around kids.
“There was definitely discrimination there,” Stoner said. “But the beauty far outweighs the hate comments and death threats.”
🌈Bonus good news (because we need it)🌈
Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride—the first openly trans state senator in U.S. history—announced Monday that she’s running for Delaware’s at-large House seat. If elected, she’d be the first openly trans congressperson in U.S. history.
“It’s clear that diversity in government is necessary for us to not just ensure we have a healthy democracy but also to truly deliver for people,” she told The News Journal. “But ultimately, I’m not running to be a trans member of Congress. I’m running to be Delaware’s member of Congress who’s focused on making progress on all of the issues that matter to Delawareans of every background.”
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