Free Republic

... the stage at Katy Perry’s Lifetimes Tour stop in New York City. Perry’s concert created a magical night... Jason Ve asked if his boyfriend of 11 years, Arthur Woods, could join them on stage. As Woods made his way up, Ve and Perry sang snippets of “Unconditionally,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Lifetimes.” Wearing matching leopard print outfits, Ve got down on one knee and asked, “Will you spend the rest of eternity with me?” Woods said yes as the crowd cheered for the couple. Perry, visibly moved, hugged the couple and posed for photos...

An LGBT advocacy group that filed an unsuccessful legal challenge to end religious exemptions to federal Title IX discrimination law for Christian colleges that receive federal funding is closing down. The board of directors for the Religious Exemption Accountability Project emailed an update to supporters on Sunday to announce that they are closing the organization's operations, citing "a serious internal issue" that affected its "financial and operational stability." "While we cannot share all details publicly, we are deeply grateful to the founders, students, alumni, volunteers, donors, and community who believed in this work from day one," stated REAP. "Founded as...

In Canada, free speech is no longer a thing. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney utilized an August 5 press conference in British Columbia to dismiss concerns over Liberal legislation (Bill C-18) that would forbid news outlets from sharing news on social media, particularly during emergencies. The Canadian Commie globalist didn’t just refuse to rescind the aforementioned Bill C-18. No siree, he also urged his fellow Canucks to rely on government-funded CBC News for fair and unbiased information. In light of the fact that heads of government steadfastly refuse to tell the truth, I have taken the liberty to translate Carney’s...

A teacher convicted of sexually abusing an underage boy was able to have a baby with his husband through a surrogate, potentially exploiting a loophole in state law. The issue recently came to light and sparked outrage after a video circulated online showing Brandon Riley-Mitchell, 39, and his husband holding their infant boy and blowing out candles on a series of cupcakes. Riley-Mitchell, a former chemistry teacher at Downingtown West High School in Pennsylvania, was convicted in 2016 of sexually abusing a student and possessing child pornography. He had a sexually inappropriate relationship with the 16-year-old student between May 2013...

The Florida Department of Education has identified more than 50 books it says are no longer permitted in public schools across the state, citing inappropriate and pornographic content. But some parents and advocacy groups are questioning whether the state should have the final say over what books are allowed...

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Trump administration restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary youth violate the Constitution and undermine state laws that require equal access to medical treatment, according to a lawsuit filed today by Attorney General Rob Bonta and 14 other states and the District of Columbia. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, targets a January executive order that makes it U.S. policy not to “fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support” gender transition for people under 19. The order threatens to pull federal funding from medical institutions that provide this type of care.

A Colorado family has fled the US for New Zealand over concerns their nine-year-old transgender daughter could be persecuted if they stay in America. Parents Brandon and Candace, who would not reveal their last name over safety fears, left Denver earlier this month with their kids Holt and Chase.Chase, nine, came out as transgender several years ago and the family started planning a way out after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The day he did, Trump signed an executive order stipulating that there are only two genders, the family said that within 24 hours they had decided...

When I was a college freshman studying broadcast journalism in 1978, I watched a show on PBS that made me contemplate something that I’d never thought about before: What would I do if one day the government took control of the media, rewarding those who spread the leaders’ propaganda and silencing dissenting voices?

Billionaire mogul David Geffen has rubbished his estranged boytoy husband's explosive claims that he's a sex and drug-crazed abuser. Geffen, 82, branded 32 year-old Donovan Michaels' divorce filing allegations 'false and pathetic'. Donovan Michaels, 32, alleges that his billionaire beau Geffen, 82, forced him to take drugs, subjected him to abusive sex and controlled his every move, according to the latest lawsuit in their messy divorce battle. ... The pair met in 2016 on SeekingArrangements.com, a dating website often used by rich people looking for younger partners. Geffen, a movie and music producer worth about $9 billion, allegedly paid Michaels...

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s wife makes “gender justice” movies and sells them to the state public education system through her non-profit, The Representation Project. By 2023, she had charged the state $1.5 million for her “gender justice” movies. That’s a screaming example of a conflict of interest. If that’s not enough, the governor requested nonprofits and private corporations to contribute to his wife’s charity before taking their side on state issues.

A new poll reveals a sharp decline in support for the Democratic Party since the 2024 election, as frustrated voters say the party has drifted far from the concerns of everyday Americans. Instead of focusing on inflation, border security, or public safety, Democrats are increasingly seen as obsessed with destroying President Donald Trump's legacy, woke virtue signaling, and identity politics. A poll conducted by Unite the Country, a Democratic super PAC, shows that many voters — especially white men, Hispanic men, and working-class Americans — see the Democratic Party as “woke,” “weak,” and disconnected from everyday realities. The party’s approval...

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that a trans teacher in Florida has no right to refer to herself with the gendered honorific “Ms.” or ask to be referred to with the pronouns she/her under what critics have called Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. The trans algebra teacher, Katie Wood, sued her employer, the Hillsborough County School Board, in 2023 soon after Florida’s anti-LGBTQ law was enacted. A lower court found that the law likely infringes on her First Amendment free speech rights and granted a preliminary injunction. However, the conservative-leaning appeals court overruled the lower...

NEW YORK, July 4 (C-Fam) UN human rights officials took over the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council to promote divisive social policies, including advocating for “gender-affirming care” services for migrants and criticizing countries that do not support pride marches, LGBT-friendly curricula in schools, and the killing of the unborn. Held from June 28 to July 9th in Geneva, Switzerland, this year’s UN Human Rights Council session convened member states, UN agencies, and accredited civil society organizations to engage with UN special rapporteurs’ latest reports. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk opened the session by decrying...

The Pennsylvania transgender coach who had been canned for inappropriate conduct, was rehired, but ultimately resigned over a porn video showing him smoking meth, recently admitted he was the one who had sent the incriminating video. David Yates, who coached tennis at Gettysburg High School and switched to the name “Sasha” in 2022, was not rehired following a pair of incidents which included him allegedly “stripping down to bra and panties” in the girls’ locker room. But Yates later reapplied for the position, and had the backing of many who claimed he’d been let go due to “transphobia.” A district...

An Iowa law removing gender identity as a protected class from the state’s civil rights code took effect Tuesday, the first action of its kind in the United States. The new rollback of protections is the latest attack on trans people in the US and part of a broader movement across conservative-led states working to restrict LGBTQ rights.

The campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. | Baylor University/Morty OrtegaBaylor University in Waco, Texas, has received a $643,401 grant from a liberal foundation to foster inclusion among LGBTQ-identified individuals in the church.The hefty grant to the private Baptist research university's Center for Church and Community Impact (C31) came from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, according to a press release from the school's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.The grant's goal is "to foster inclusion and belonging in the church," with an emphasis on understanding "the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations...

Just over two weeks after the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors, the justices agreed to take up another high-profile issue involving transgender people – specifically, the constitutionality of laws that bar transgender women and girls from participating on girls’ and women’s sports teams. In a list of orders released on Thursday morning, the court granted a pair of petitions filed by Idaho and West Virginia, seeking review of lower-court rulings that barred them from enforcing such laws. Idaho was the first state to enact such a ban in...

Founded in 1845 and claiming 16,000 students, Baylor University is the world’s largest Baptist University and also one of the oldest. Like many that have gone before, Baylor is deeply compromised despite seeking to be our theological betters. Baylor repeatedly touts their Christian creds, but the game is nearly up. Despite affirming that “The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community” and “the biblical understanding that sexual relations of any kind outside of marriage between a man and a woman are...

A recent performance by singer and performer Uché has ignited a firestorm of criticism after a video surfaced of him singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” with a controversial twist. In place of the time-honored closing line, “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” Uché deliberately changed the words to “land of the free, home of the gays.” The moment, which was captured and shared on TikTok during Pride Month, has prompted widespread backlash from Americans who see the alteration as a blatant sign of disrespect toward a cherished national symbol. The video, posted to Uché’s TikTok account...