Happy hump day! It’s been a hectic morning news-wise! Catch up on the top five queer and trans stories today, including news on George Santos’ arrest, Louisiana’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and Washington’s new protections for trans kids.
1. George Santos arrested on 13 federal criminal charges
2. Gay Brazilian politician David Miranda dead at 37
3. Texas shooter “inspired by Libs of TikTok”
4. Louisiana passes its own “Don’t Say Gay” bill
5. Washington state protects trans kids from estranged parents
1. George Santos arrested on 13 federal criminal charges
Rep. George Santos, a gay Republican from New York, has been arrested after the Justice Department unsealed 13 federal charges against him. The charges include one count of theft of public funds, two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, three counts of money laundering and seven counts of wire fraud. He’s expected to appear later today at a federal court in New York’s Eastern District.
“I’m not surprised. I understand this is where it was headed,” New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told CNN of Santos, who has been accused of lying about his education and work background. “I would love to see someone new run because I can tell you that we will hold that seat and so the sooner Santos leaves, the sooner we can get someone in there that is not a liar.”
2. Gay Brazilian politician David Miranda dead at 37
David Miranda, the first out city councillor of Rio de Janeiro and the husband of journalist Glenn Greenwald, died yesterday morning at the age of 37. Miranda was elected to the Brazilian Congress in 2019, but withdrew his candidacy for re-election in 2022, after a six-week stay in an ICU for a gastrointestinal infection. No cause of death was given.
“By far David’s biggest dream, what gave him the greatest pride and purpose, was being a father,” Greenwald tweeted. “He was the most dedicated and loving parent. He taught me how to be a father. And our truly exceptional boys—with their own difficult start to life is his greatest legacy.”
3. Texas shooter “inspired by Libs of TikTok”
Mauricio Garcia, the shooter in the Saturday mass shooting in Allen, Texas, appears to have been inspired by the far-right account Libs of TikTok. Aric Toler, a journalist at the investigative outlet Bellingcat, posted photos of what appears to be Garcia’s profile on the Russian social media platform OK.RU. One of his posts, according to the screenshots, said that he had been “inspired by Libs of TikTok.” In another, he praised the perpetrator of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville (whom authorities said was trans), but called him a tr***y and a “vagina haver.” Libs of TikTok posts anti-LGBTQ2S+ content and has been accused of committing stochastic terrorism, a form of terrorism that calls viewers to act violently against perceived wrongdoers.
4. Louisiana passes its own “Don’t Say Gay” bill
A bill that would prohibit school employees from teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation has passed in the Louisiana statehouse and is now advancing to the senate. If passed, the bill would apply to school employees teaching grades K-12 and require teachers to use a student’s name and pronouns that accord with what they were assigned at birth.
“We cannot keep telling our children they do not matter, and that is what we’re saying with legislation like this,” state Rep. Candace Newell said during floor debate Tuesday. “Just because a person is different does not mean that we should discriminate against them.”
5. Washington state protects trans kids from estranged parents
Washington passed a law on Tuesday that would protect trans kids seeking gender-affirming care from the intervention of estranged parents. The law was designed to ensure that minors could have shelter and still seek reproductive or gender-affirming care if they were estranged from their parents—including, for example, if they were kicked out.
“With this bill, Washington leads the way by taking a more compassionate, developmentally appropriate, and reasoned approach to support these youth as they access gender-affirming treatment and reproductive healthcare services,” Gov. Jay Inslee said before signing the law.
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