Free Republic

German media are reporting that a suspect wanted after a vehicle was driven into a crowd gathered at a Pride event in Berlin has been shot and killed. One person has been confirmed dead in the incident and at least 29 injured.

Suspect Abdul Ballout has alleged ties to Germany's Islamist scene, officials sayA suspect with alleged ties to Germany's "Islamist scene" is on the run after allegedly plowing a van into a crowd near Berlin's Pride festival and attacking others with a machete in what officials believe was an Islamic terror attack that left one person dead and at least 29 others injured.German authorities on Sunday launched an intensive manhunt for Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots whom officials say may be armed and dangerous."Everything we see here points to us dealing with an Islamic terror attack," German Interior...

“First-of-their-kind” transgender dolls — complete with removable genitalia — will debut in some Minnesota classrooms this fall to kids as young as 4 years old. The paper dolls, with gender-neutral names like “Sam,” “Rory,” “Avery” and “Parker,” have removable internal and external genitals, along with more than 100 interchangeable pieces of clothing, accessories and hairstyles — like a trans Mr./Mrs. Potato Head. The goal is for kids to “learn about the different options that exist for who they can be,” according to a therapist at the University of Minnesota Medical School, which spent over half a decade developing the controversial...

Senate hopeful James Talarico is on the defensive after remarks resurfaced in which he lavished praise on Texas drag queens as "some of the best" in the country. Talarico, the Democrats' nominee in Texas’ hotly contested Senate race, made the comment in May 2023 while criticizing a bill in the state legislature banning "sexually oriented performances" on public property and in the presence of minors — a measure that would have likely restricted some drag shows. He voted "present" on the legislation at the urging of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus after language explicitly referencing drag performers was stripped from...

The LGBTQ+ cruise ship that Patti LuPone is performing on has been blocked from entering Egypt after being banned from entering Turkey. CNN confirmed Friday that Egyptian authorities did not allow Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady to enter its waters. Rich Campbell, the president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told the outlet, "We had full approval and they denied us clearance at the 11th hour."

An ordinance to repeal a ban on gay sex bathhouses in Minneapolis has been signed by Mayor Jacob Frey (D), who did so to support “our LGBTQIA+ neighbors.” The prohibition on the adult facilities known for hosting sexual activity with strangers was originally passed in the city in 1988 as a response to the AIDS epidemic. Local leaders, including those who identified as gay, deemed the bathhouses too risky to be open to the public due to the rampant spread of disease. When the “R-rated” bathhouses were banned nearly 40 years ago, the city had three, which the Washington Post...

San Bernardino LGBTQ+ Mass welcomes all during Pride monthThe church should be a place for healing and acceptance for all, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, Catholic ministry leaders in the Diocese of San Bernardino say.The second annual Embrace Family Mass was celebrated by Bishop Alberto Rojas at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral on Saturday in San Bernardino.“Jesus looks past labels and social barriers to see a human being in need of love, compassion and restoration to a family, to a community, and to our society,” Rojas, who leads the Diocese of San Bernardino, told those gathered at the...

A woman unleashed bear spray at a Lower Manhattan hotel Monday while fighting over luggage with another lady she went to a Pride Week event with — leaving eight people needing medical treatment, cops and sources said. The unidentified suspect discharged the mace just after 8 a.m. inside a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton New York Downtown hotel on Stone Street near Whitehall Street, during a spat with a 28-year-old woman, according to police and sources. The two women, who were staying at the hotel, knew each other and had gone to a Pride event together the night before...

Visit YOUTUBE: He Thought He Was Saved, But St. Philip Neri Revealed His Hidden Pride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JU7If0RcQM The most dangerous place for a human soul isn't the streets of the secular world; it is sitting in the front pew of a church, absolutely convinced of your own salvation. Spiritual pride is the devil’s ultimate masterpiece, disguising massive demonic egos as perfect, flawless holiness. In this shocking historical and spiritual documentary, we explore a brutal encounter between Saint Philip Neri, the great mystic of Rome, and an aristocratic man who thought he was a living saint. You will discover: (Note: When pasting...

Seattle’s “Pride Match” for the Iran-Egypt game is unofficial and unlicensed. That’s entirely the point. SEATTLE — FIFA has not endorsed the Seattle host-city committee’s “Pride Match” designation, which will not be part of the official branding when Iran and Egypt meet tonight at Lumen Field. “I think they’ve always been aware of what we’re doing,” said Louise Chernin, who as chair of the organizing committee’s Pride Match Impact Council began planning for the day nearly a year and a half ago. Chernin began her match day at Rough & Tumble, a women’s sports bar in Ballard, a historically Scandinavian...

Marchers and police clashed on Friday night toward the end of the Trans March in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, according to multiple witnesses and footage of the skirmish. Three witnesses told the Chronicle it all started when police tried to arrest someone spray painting a building on Market Street. When marchers approached and tried to block the arrest, officers responded with force, according to Nora Long and other witnesses. People could be heard on video shared with the Chronicle, repeatedly yelling, “let him go.” there trying to stop them,” Long told the Chronicle. “From there, the cops responded with more violence.”...

Buster Posey tried to move on from the Giants’ Pride Night controversy. Instead, his response seemed to frustrate just about everyone. The Giants president of baseball operations met with reporters Tuesday at Oracle Park and opened with a brief statement acknowledging that fans had “strong feelings” about the issue. But when follow-up questions came, Posey repeatedly shut them down. “I’ll answer baseball questions,” Posey said. That did not go over well. The controversy began on June 12, when Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, J.T. Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verse references on their Pride Night caps. A fourth pitcher, Sam...

FIFA has confirmed that rainbow flags will be permitted inside Lumen Field when Iran face Egypt in Seattle's designated "Pride Match" on Friday, dismissing lobbying efforts from both Muslim-majority nations. The world governing body stated that the 2026 World Cup is "an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds," adding that "fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events."

* Iran and Egypt have both criticised the branding of their World Cup group-stage meeting as a "Pride Match" * Egyptian football officials formally lodged objections with FIFA over LGBTQ+ themed activities surrounding the fixture * The June 26 match in Seattle was designated by local organisers as part of Pride Month celebrations Iran and Egypt have expressed opposition to branding of their upcoming World Cup meeting as a "Pride Match," with both football federations raising concerns ahead of the Group G fixture in Seattle. The two nations were drawn together for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the tournament...

Just about everyone seems to be weighing in on the polarizing Pride Night at Oracle Park last week. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is the latest public figure to criticize the four Giants pitchers who protested the team’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. Ryan Walker, Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Sam Hentges have sparked an outcry among San Franciscans as well as other Pride Night supporters. Walker chose to wear the standard Giants hat rather than the special hat for the event, which has a rainbow-colored team logo. The latter three added a Bible verse on their Pride Night...

A teacher who murdered and sexually abused a 13-month-old baby boy he was adopting was given a whole life order in prison today. Jamie Varley, 37, a former head of year, will die in jail for the killing of Preston Davey during sexual abuse in July 2023. His partner, 32-year-old sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, who was complicit in Preston's death, was sentenced to 25 years.

YORK, Pa. — The York Revolution announced it has canceled its scheduled Thursday game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after several players refused to wear the team's planned Pride Night jerseys. In a statement issued late Wednesday, the club said the decision was made with “great disappointment” and that tickets for the June 18 game will be treated as a rainout and may be redeemed for any future 2026 regular-season home game, subject to availability. "Unfortunately, several of our players have refused to wear the scheduled Pride Night jersey and the club decided that hosting the event is more...

For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, the war he had hoped would secure his legacy — Israel and the United States together attacking Iran — may be ending in a way that could sully it. The framework agreement to end the war in Iran, which was announced on Sunday, omits some of the most important things Israel wanted. The full text of the deal has not yet been released and Israel was not directly involved in the negotiations. Initial details suggest that the agreement does nothing to curb Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, or its funding of regional proxies like...

President Donald Trump’s name is off the Kennedy Center. Crews at the performing arts venue started removing it from the front of the building around 3 a.m., several hours after the center missed a federal judge’s two-week deadline to do so. The judge had ruled that the decision by the center’s board of trustees to rename it was illegal. With the removal of 18 letters — “The Donald J. Trump and” — the building’s exterior reads “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” once more. Trump’s name had been on the facade for 176 days, a dramatic...

Days after the Pride flag was raised for the first time ever at Webster Town Hall, it was taken down. The move came as the result of a new flag policy passed Thursday by the Town Board in a 3-2 vote. Town Board member John Cahill introduced the policy, which established the United States flag and the New York state flag as the only ones allowed on flagpoles on town propert