5 THINGS TO KNOW

LGBT hate crimes are on the rise — in numbers and severity.

On Tuesday morning, news broke that Empire actor Jussie Smollett had been hospitalized after two people physically assaulted the actor, fractured his rib, tied a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him. In a statement, the Chicago Police Department…

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Toronto gay serial killer admits to eight murders.

A Toronto landscaper accused of killing eight men who went missing between 2010-17 has pleaded guilty to their murders. Bruce McArthur, 67, was arrested last January and charged in the deaths of two men, and police subsequently charged him in six other cases…

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Will calling a baby boy “princess” in the womb really turn him gay?

Writing about an organization called Courage International, Richard G. Evans has some advice for his fellow Catholics on how to overcome same-sex attraction. Evans himself admits to same-sex attractions, but he maintains that he’s celibate and therefore a Catholic in good standing…

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Colorado: Ban teaching abstinence-only sex ed in public schools.

Colorado lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit the state’s public schools from teaching abstinence-only sex education, a measure that has drawn criticism from the state Republican Party and a prominent religious group. The Denver Post reports that the bill…

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How Kamala Harris changed the course of LGBT history.

November 2, 2010, was a rough night for Kamala Harris. While Democrats swept every statewide executive office in California, the candidate for state attorney general seemed headed for defeat. Harris, then the San Francisco County district attorney, was trailing her opponent, Republican Los Angeles…