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[This post contains video, click to play] Published by BANG Showbiz English Olivia Rodrigo is “devastated and terrified” after the Supreme Court terminated the constitutional right to abortion in the US. The 19-year-old pop star was appearing at Glastonbury music festival on Saturday (25.06.22) and welcomed fellow singer Lily Allen onto the stage to perform a duet of her 2008 hit ‘F*** You’ as a reaction to the overturning of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. Olivia said: “I’m devastated and terrified. So many women and so many girls are going to die because of this. I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have showed us that at the end of the day, they truly don’t give a s*** about freedom. The song is for the justices: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you! We hate you.” However, the ‘drivers license’ hitmaker – who shot to global fame back in 2020 after her music went viral on Instagram – was thrilled to be at the annual music festival in Worthy Farm sharing the stage with Lily, who could be seen swearing with her middle fingers as Olivia rhymed off the names of the justices. She told the crowd: “This is actually my first Glastonbury and I’m sharing this stage with Lily, this is the biggest dream come true ever. But I’m also equally as heartbroken about what happened in America yesterday!” The song – which was written by Lily back in 2008 and featured on her sophomore album ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’ – was initially inspired by then-President George W. Bush, who Lily described as a “f****** a********.” Some of the lyrics include: “F***you, f*** you very very much We hate what you and we hate your whole crew, so please don’t stay in touch.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Black people are more likely to be jailed for weapons possession than other New Yorkers — giving public defenders and civil rights advocates reason to support last week’s Supreme Court ruling expected to ease the process of getting a license to carry a gun. The defense lawyers’ unlikely alliance with the NRA-affiliated group of New York gun owners who brought the Supreme Court case is based partly on the argument that New York’s laws restricting gun owners’ right to carry weapons had racist underpinnings. “Society as a whole has a dramatically different view of Black people carrying… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters SCHLOSS ELMAU, Germany (Reuters) – Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations mocked the macho image of their absent adversary Vladimir Putin on Sunday, at a meeting in Germany dominated by the Russian President’s invasion of Ukraine. As the besuited leaders sat down for their first meeting of the three-day G7 summit in the sweltering Bavarian Alps, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked if their jackets should come off – or if they should even disrobe further. “We all have to show that we’re tougher than Putin,” Johnson said, to laughter from some of his colleagues. “Bare-chested horseback riding,” shot back Canada’s Justin Trudeau. “Oh yes,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Horseback riding is the best.” Putin, who prizes his sporty image, has been pictured shirtless several times in photos released by Russian state media, including one set in which he rode a brown horse while wearing wrap-around sunglasses, a gold chain and army trousers. The G7 leaders discussed efforts to further isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which has killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes. Britain, Canada, Japan and the United States announced moves to ban imports of Russian gold. The G7 also includes France, Italy and Germany. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Matthias Williams and Peter Graff) View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Turkish police on Sunday forcibly intervened in a Pride march in Istanbul, detaining dozens of demonstrators and an AFP photographer, AFP journalists on the ground said. The governor’s office had banned the march around Taksim square in the heart of Istanbul but protesters gathered nearby under heavy police presence earlier than scheduled. BREAKING: Turkish police break up Istanbul Pride march, detain dozens including media pic.twitter.com/0jxLjLDUOA — BNN Newsroom (@BNNTRnews) As usual Turkish gov’t doesn’t allow the Gay pride march in Istanbul today. Here a police officer is throwing LGBT… Read More View the full article

Published by Sports Illustrated By Thomas Neumann Nassib commemorated Pride Month by revealing a charitable donation on Instagram. View the original article to see embedded media. Carl Nassib is a leader on and off the field for the Las Vegas Raiders, and he further elevated his social impact with a charitable announcement Sunday. Nassib, the first openly gay active player in NFL history, said in an Instagram post that he will match donations to The Trevor Project up to $100,000 in an effort that coincides with Pride Month. “I want to wish everybody a happy Pride Month. I also want to remind people why pride is important to … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Dan Fastenberg and Randi Love NEW YORK (Reuters) – Pride celebrations hosted by LGBTQ communities across the United States this weekend took on a tone of outrage following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion and a wave of anti-transgender legislation. The weekend’s Pride events, which included Sunday parades in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver, came on the heels of fervent protests in some of the same cities since Friday, when abortion rights supporters took to the streets to decry the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide. LGBTQ leaders fear the ruling endangers personal freedom beyond abortion rights. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Court might reconsider other precedents, mentioning specifically the rulings protecting the rights to contraception, same-sex intimacy and gay marriage. “The anti-abortion playbook and the anti-LGBTQ playbook are one and the same. Both are about denying control over our bodies and making it more dangerous for us to live as we are,” Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD, said in a statement. Even before the Supreme Court’s ruling against abortion rights, the LGBTQ community’s Pride month jubilation was weighed down by a raft of Republican-backed state laws that specifically target transgender youth. The measures enacted in several red states bar classroom discussion of gender identity, block access to healthcare to help young people transition, and restrict participation in sports. “This march is going to have more of a serious tone than celebratory, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all,” Krystal Marx, executive director of Seattle Pride, said ahead of that city’s parade, which was expecting half a million attendees on Sunday. At New York City’s Pride parade, women’s health provider Planned Parenthood was the first group to kick off the march. Throngs of people dressed in rainbow colors cheered as Planned Parenthood representatives, holding pink signs that read “Together. We fight for all” started the parade in Manhattan around noon on Sunday. “Everybody please scream for Planned Parenthood!” an announcer called over a loudspeaker. The crowd then began a chant of, “We won’t back down!” (Reporting by Randi Love, Dan Fastenberg and Soren Larson and Gabriella Borter; Editing by Nick Zieminski) View the full article

Published by Knewz By Alex Lang New York (Knewz) — LGBT people experience anxiety and depression at higher rates than other people, according to U.S. Census data. In the most recent findings, about 50 percent of LGBT people reported symptoms of anxiety, according to the data. That figure has held fairly steady since July 2021. The results come as June marks “Pride” month in many communities. That figure is compared to 24.3 percent of non-LGBT adults who say they have anxiety symptoms. Anxiety in LGBT individuals was highest in LGBT people living with kids, the census found. That demographic also had the highest … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Anderson Cooper says Richard Gere made him realise he was gay. The 55-year-old TV host – who is the son of late heiress Gloria Vanderbilt and actor Wyatt Cooper – went to see the ‘Pretty Woman’ actor, 72, starring in the gay-themed play ‘Bent’ back in 1977 with his mother’s friends and knew he was gay when Richard appeared on stage. He said: “They took me to see Richard Gere in Bent, which if anyone doesn’t know about the play Bent, it’s about two gay guys in the concentration camp. I mean the opening scene… It is the gayest thing you can imagine. And this was Richard Gere in 1977 [around the time he was in] ‘Looking for Mr. Goodbar’. He was so beautiful. And I’m there. My mom didn’t go. It was just me and my mom’s two gay friends. And I just remember being like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gay. … I’m totally gay.’ “ The CNN star – who has son Wyatt, two, and Sebastian, four months, via a surrogate and continues to raise them with his ex-boyfriend Benjamin Maisani – went on to reveal that he even got to meet Richard Gere after the show in his dressing room and “couldn’t speak” when he laid eyes on the shirtless star. Speaking on ‘Radio Andy’, he added: “And afterward, Paul Jasmin was friends with Richard Gere. Cause Paul Jasmin took the pictures for ‘American Gigolo’ and we go backstage and Richard Gere is shirtless in his dressing room. And I couldn’t speak. And I had my Playbill and I wanted to get him to autograph it, but I was too — I just couldn’t stop staring at his chest. And so, fast forward to 10 years ago, I was interviewing Richard Gere and I took out the Playbill … and I told him the whole story and I had him sign it. Yeah. He was very tickled with it.” View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Queer rights activists in Lebanon have been forced to cancel protests outside the interior ministry after receiving death threats and warnings of homophobic counter protests. Activists and allies of the LGBT community in Lebanon had organised to meet in protest against a rising tide of homophobia from leading political and religious figures on Sunday, outside the interior ministry in Beirut. “In order to protect the safety of demonstrators, and make space for more organisations to take part in solidarity, we have decided to postpone Sunday’s action to a new date very soon” announced LGBT advoc… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP As companies react to Friday's Surpeme Court decision on abortion, they are trying to avoid similar pitfalls to those faced by Disney after Florida's New York (AFP) – Several large US companies have pledged to provide health coverage for out-of-state abortions, with a few also slamming the Supreme Court decision nullifying federal abortion rights. But the issue remains a hot potato, requiring companies to navigate dynamic political terrain with potential legal liability at stake. “Today’s Scotus (Supreme Court of the United States) ruling puts women’s health in jeopardy, denies them their human rights, and threatens to dismantle the progress we’ve made toward gender equality in the workplace since Roe,” said Yelp Chief Executive Jeremy Stoppelman on Twitter. “Business leaders must speak out now and call on Congress to codify Roe into law.” But few other CEOs of large US companies joined Stoppelman Friday in condemning the decision. More common were statements from companies announcing or reiterating intention to reimburse employees if they need to travel for an abortion. Friday’s ruling overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision enshrining a woman’s right to an abortion, saying individual states can restrict or ban the procedure themselves. The decision is expected to result in patchwork legal rights across the United States, with abortion legal in progressive states like California and New York and barred in more conservative states like Texas. Yelp and Airbnb were among the companies to announce such benefits last September following a Texas law banning abortion after six weeks, or before many women know they are pregnant. Others, including Citigroup, Tesla and Amazon, had also announced the benefit in following months. More companies came forward after a draft version of Friday’s abortion ruling was published in a press leak in May; this group included Starbucks, Levi Strauss and JPMorgan Chase. On Friday, Disney added its name to the list, assuring employees of access to reproductive care benefits “no matter where they live,” according to a memo reported by CNBC. But many other large companies have avoided publicly discussing the topic, a dynamic that Wharton business school professor Maurice Schweitzer considers unsurprising. Cautionary tale “I think we’ll see more companies statements. But companies are facing a challenge. On the one hand, they want to be active, be involved, make a statement, lead on this issue, because particularly for some companies, their employees value this,” Schweitzer said. “But it’s a complicated issue, because the legal landscape will change,” opening companies up to possible litigation, he added. Schweitzer pointed to Disney’s recent difficulties in Florida as a cautionary tale. The entertainment giant found itself between a rock and a hard place as Florida’s legislature advanced what critics have called the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools. After initially staying quiet on the proposal, Disney finally spoke out on the measure, enraging far right Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who ultimately signed a second law specifically punishing Disney over the row by eliminating the company’s special status surrounding its Orlando theme park. Disney “ended up frustrating employees by not speaking out early enough, but also incurring costs from a political fights.” Schweitzer noted that more companies have spoken out in recent years, such as Apple CEO Tim Cook on gay rights and Dick’s Sporting Goods on gun control, which on Friday announced that it will provide up to $4,000 for employees, their spouses or their dependents who have to travel for an abortion. But the procedure is “more fraught” than many issues, Schweitzer said. “It’s easier for companies to try to be silent than to wade into it,” he said. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) – The deadly rampage by a gunman at a gay bar and another venue in central Oslo on Saturday will not put an end to the fight for the rights of all individuals to live a free and safe life, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Sunday. Police on Sunday also questioned the suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, the second time they did so since his arrest. The man, whom police have described as a radicalised Islamist with a history of mental illness, is accused of killing two and injuring 21 early on Saturday, when Oslo was due to hold its Pride parade. Speaking at a special service held at Oslo’s cathedral, Stoere said the attack may have put an end to the official Pride parade, which was called off after the attack, but it did not stop the fight “against discrimination, prejudices and hate”. The premier, dressed in black, talked about the thousands of people that spontaneously demonstrated on Saturday in the streets of Oslo, waving rainbow flags and laying flowers at the crime scene to honour the victims. “During the day, the city was full of people who wanted to speak out, about sorrow and anger, but also about support and solidarity and the will to continue on fighting, for the right of every individual to live a free life, a safe life,” he said. “These misdeeds remind us of this. This fight is not over. It is not safe from dangers. But we are going to win it, together,” he told the audience – which included mourners, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, ministers and Church of Norway leaders – in the cathedral which was decorated with rainbow flags. Authorities have said they had been aware of the suspect since 2015 and that he had been part of a network of Islamist extremists in Norway. The suspect’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. He told broadcaster TV2 it was not possible to draw any conclusions about the motives or reasons for the attack. “It is far too early to do so,” he said. The suspect is accused of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. It is not known what he says of the accusations. He will be subjected to a psychiatric evaluation in the coming days as part of the investigation, police said. The questionings on Saturday and Sunday came to a quick end, his lawyer said. “He did not want any recording of the questioning, neither by video nor by sound, because he thought the police would manipulate it,” Elden told TV2 on Saturday. (Reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) View the full article

Lil Nas X“Late To Da Party” The Lil Nas X BET conflict is now in musical form. The out hip-hop artist Lil Nas X and TV network BET were already on the outs after he received exactly zero nominations for the 2022 BET Awards despite the success and popularity of his album, “Montero.” And he hasn’t been shy about his feelings toward BET in the weeks since, posting a video of him teasing new music by saying “Fuck BET” on social media. Early Friday morning, just days before the BET Awards take place on June 26, Lil Nas X turned that mantra into a musical statement against the network, releasing his new single “Late To Da Party (F*CK BET)” and its accompanying music video. The video opens with Lil Nas X constructing an image of a BET award being urinated on in a toilet as the “Fuck BET” refrain plays before he and NBA Youngboy rap over stock photos and hilariously poor animations. [This post contains video, click to play] The video closes with Lil Nas X crashing a mockup of the BET Awards and reciting the refrain again while dancing with bundles of cash and wearing the LGBTQ Pride flag as a cape. It Isn’t About Awards, It’s About “Homophobia” “Late To Da Party” is the latest statement on the subject which began earlier this month when BET announced the nominees for its annual awards show. After receiving no nominations, Lil Nas X responded in a series of now-deleted tweets criticizing the network. “Thank you BET Awards. An outstanding zero nominations again,” he tweeted. He continued, explaining that his issue wasn’t specifically with the award snub but more about “the bigger problem of homophobia in the Black community.” “Y’all can sit and pretend all u want but imma risk it all for us,” Lil Nas X said. “How can I get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people? Is that not crazy? Am I really tripping,” he added, referencing his 2020 Grammy win. While the artist didn’t receive any BET Award nominations last year, his sharing a same-sex kiss with a male dancer at the close of his performance at the ceremony became a significant moment in both the show’s and mainstream hip-hop’s history. BET celebrated the moment, sharing it prominently on social media. [This post contains video, click to play] Lil Nas X references that moment in the teaser for the video released Thursday on his official YouTube channel. “The Brutal Empire of Terror (BET) has betrayed Lil Nas X, turning their back on him after using him for clout,” read a text crawl straight out of “Star Wars” before the “Fuck BET” refrain from the song comes in. BET’s Response In a statement to Deadline released shortly after Lil Nas X’s comments earlier this month, the network said, “We love Lil Nas X. He was nominated for a Best New Artist BET Award in 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice: he performed “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus at ‘BET Awards’ 2019 and his ‘BET Awards’ 2021 performance was a highlight of our show. No one cheered louder that night than BET. Unfortunately, this year, he was not nominated by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals in the fields of music, television, film, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, influencers, and creative arts. No one from BET serves as a member of the Voting Academy. At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful diversity that exists within our community. We are committed to using all of our platforms to provide visibility and inclusion for all of the many intersections of the Black community.” Lil Nas X BET: Previously on Towleroad ‘F*ck BET:’ Lil Nas X BET Conflict Gets New Volley With Release Of New Single And Video ‘Late To Da Party’ Brian Bell June 25, 2022 Read More Lil Nas X Industry Cred Rises: 5 VMA Nominations for ‘Montero’ including ‘Best Video’; 100 Million Streams tops DaBaby Brian Bell August 11, 2021 Read More AIDS Groups Release Open Letter to DaBaby; Denver Cancels Festival He Was to Headline; IHeartRadio, Austin City Limits Also Drop; WednesDababy Update Brian Bell August 4, 2021 Read More Grounded by Festivals, DaBaby Apologizes; Blames Victims For Not Just Taking His Abuse While He Explained How Much Harder It is Being DaBaby Brian Bell August 2, 2021 Read More DaBaby Homophobia Week Spirals : Madonna, Questlove, Lovato Call Out Rapper. U.K. Festival Removes Him From Lineup Brian Bell July 30, 2021 Read More Elton, Dua, Usher, GLAAD Try to Set Da Baby Straight; Rapper Claims Hateful Comments are Living his ‘Truth’ Just as Queers Come Out to Live Theirs. Brian Bell July 29, 2021 Read More Image via YouTube View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Christian extremists have torn down a flower monument depicting the rainbow flag in east Beirut, as Lebanon experiences a wave of homophobic and transphobic incidents. In a video published by “Soldiers of God” on facebook, one individual shouts to the camera “This neighbourhood has churches in it, and you dare put up the gay flag? You have the devil inside you.” The flower flag was designed by members of the community who, according to the video, were given permission by the city’s authorities to construct the flag in solidarity with the LGBT community in Beirut. “There will be no Satan in Ach… Read More View the full article

Published by Sports Illustrated By Daniel Chavkin The 29-year-old publicly came out on Saturday. View the original article to see embedded media. Suns vice president of strategy and evaluation Ryan Resch publicly came out as gay, becoming the first openly gay executive on the basketball operations side of an organization. Besides wanting to live his life without hiding who he is, Resch is hoping he can help other people in a similar situation become more comfortable with coming out in the NBA. “Ultimately my goal is to normalize for people in and out of the league the existence of gay men and women on the basketball side,” R… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jeffrey Dastin PALO ALTO, Calif. (Reuters) – The technology industry is bracing for the uncomfortable possibility of having to hand over pregnancy-related data to law enforcement, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to overturn the Roe v. Wade precedent that for decades guaranteed a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. As state laws limiting abortion kick in after the ruling, technology trade representatives told Reuters they fear police will obtain warrants for customers’ search history, geolocation and other information indicating plans to terminate a pregnancy. Prosecutors could access the same via a subpoena, too. The concern reflects how the data collection practices of companies like Alphabet Inc’s Google, Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc and Amazon.com Inc have the potential to incriminate abortion-seekers for state laws that many in Silicon Valley oppose. “It is very likely that there’s going to be requests made to those tech companies for information related to search histories, to websites visited,” said Cynthia Conti-Cook, a technology fellow at the Ford Foundation. Google declined to comment. Representatives for Amazon and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Technology has long gathered – and at times revealed – sensitive pregnancy-related information about consumers. In 2015, abortion opponents targeted ads https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-reaches-settlement-with-advertising-company-prohibiting-geofencing-around-massachusetts-healthcare-facilities saying “Pregnancy Help” and “You Have Choices” to individuals entering reproductive health clinics, using so-called geofencing technology to identify smartphones in the area. More recently, Mississippi prosecutors charged a mother with second-degree murder after her smartphone showed she had searched for abortion medication in her third trimester, local media reported https://www.starkvilledailynews.com/infant-death-case-heading-back-to-grand-jury/article_cf99bcb0-71cc-11e9-963a-eb5dc5052c92.html. Conti-Cook said, “I can’t even imagine the depth of information that my phone has on my life.” While suspects unwittingly can hand over their phones and volunteer information used to prosecute them, investigators may well turn to tech companies in the absence of strong leads or evidence. In United States v. Chatrie, for example, police obtained a warrant https://www.nacdl.org/Content/United-States-v-Chatrie,-No-3-19-cr-130-(E-D-Va-) for Google location data that led them to Okello Chatrie in an investigation of a 2019 bank robbery. Amazon, for instance, complied at least partially with 75% of search warrants, subpoenas and other court orders demanding data on U.S. customers, the company disclosed for the three years ending in June 2020. It complied fully with 38%. Amazon has said it must comply with “valid and binding orders,” but its goal is to provide “the minimum” that the law requires. Eva Galperin, cybersecurity director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said on Twitter on Friday, “The difference between now and the last time that abortion was illegal in the United States is that we live in an era of unprecedented digital surveillance.” (Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin and Katie Paul in Palo Alto, Calif., Paresh Dave in Oakland, Calif., and Stephen Nellis; Editing by Anna Driver and Matthew Lewis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Kardashian has condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to terminate the constitutional right to abortion in the US. Lawmakers in the US caused uproar across the globe after the landmark Roe v Wade ruling – which makes terminations illegal for millions of American women – was overturned on Friday (24.06.22). Joining the protest, the SKIMS founder posted to her Instagram Story: “In America, guns have more rights than women.” The 41-year-old reality star and businesswoman – who is also known for her prison reform work and passed her baby bar law exam – then shared a series of reactions to the shocking news, including former First Lady Michelle Obama’s statement. The 58-year-old attorney said: “I am heartbroken that we may now be destined to learn the painful lessons of a time before Roe was made law of the land — a time when women risked losing their lives getting illegal abortions.” She said: “When we don’t understand our history, we are doomed to repeat its mistakes.” Obama then shared links to both Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women Reproductive Justice Hub for those wanting to take action. Taylor Swift, 32, responded to the statement by saying the law change has left her filled with horror, adding: “I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are – that after so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us of that.” The 1973 Roe v Wade battle centred around ‘Jane Roe’ – a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey. She was a single mother pregnant for the third time who wanted an abortion, and sued the Dallas attorney general Henry Wade over a Texas law that made it a crime to terminate a pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest, or when the mother’s life was in danger – arguing the law infringed on her constitutional rights. President of the United States Joe Biden blasted the ruling as “un-American” in an address from the White House, adding it was a “sad day for the court and the country” and calling the move “wrong, extreme and out of touch”. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lizzo has donated $500,000 (£407,650) to Planned Parenthood and Abortion Rights following the overturning of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. The ‘About Damn Time’ hitmaker has made the generous donation, which has been matched by live entertainment promoters Live Nation, with $1 million (£815,300) set to help the two non-profit organisations, which provide vital reproductive health care and campaigning, respectively. The 34-year-old singer announced on Instagram: “I’m pledging $500k from my upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood and Abortion Rights. Live Nation agreed to match— to make it 1 MILLION dollars. “The most important thing is action and loud voices. @plannedparenthood @abortionfunds and organizations like them— will need funding to continue offering services to people who are most harmed by this ban Black women and women of color have historically had disproportionately less access to family planning resources— this is a great loss but not a new one. (sic)” The Grammy winner also encouraged fans to donate and sign the Bans Off My Body petition, which was organised by Planned Parenthood as “a rallying cry for autonomy and equality.” Lizzo signed off the post: “Go to lizzolovesyou.com to donate, sign the Bans Off My Body petition and sign up to volunteer.” The Supreme Court’s decision to terminate the constitutional right to abortion in the US has caused outrage across the globe. The 1973 Roe v Wade battle centred around ‘Jane Roe’ – a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey. She was a single mother pregnant for the third time who wanted an abortion, and sued the Dallas attorney general Henry Wade over a Texas law that made it a crime to terminate a pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest, or when the mother’s life was in danger – arguing the law infringed on her constitutional rights. President of the United States Joe Biden blasted the ruling as “un-American” in an address from the White House, adding it was a “sad day for the court and the country” and calling the move “wrong, extreme and out of touch”. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration indicated it will seek to prevent states from banning a pill used for medication abortion in light of the Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, signaling a major new legal fight. The administration could argue in court that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, one of the pills used for medication abortions, pre-empts state restrictions, meaning federal authority outweighs any state action. That same argument has already been raised by Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc, which sells a generic version of the pill, in a lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s restrictions on medication abortion. More than a dozen states plan to almost totally ban abortion with the Roe v. Wade precedent upended. In a stunning ruling, the conservative majority Supreme Court overturned Roe on a 5-4 vote on Friday, saying there is no right to abortion in the U.S. Constitution. States will likely face other difficulties enforcing restrictions on medication abortion because women are still likely to be able to obtain the pills online or in other states. Biden said in remarks after the Supreme Court ruling that the government would seek to protect access to medication abortion, saying efforts to restrict it would be “wrong and extreme and out of touch with the majority of Americans.” Attorney General Merrick Garland was more explicit about what Justice Department is eyeing, saying in a statement: “States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy.” Mifepristone was approved for use in abortions by the FDA in 2000, long after Roe was decided in 1973. The pill, also known as RU 486, blocks the pregnancy-sustaining hormone progesterone while the other drug used, misoprostol, induces uterine contractions. Greer Donley, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law who is an expert on reproductive rights, said the administration’s stance “shows that they understand the stakes and are willing to pursue novel ideas.” Even before Roe was overturned, states imposed restrictions on access to the pill. There are 19 states that require women to make an in-person visit to obtain the drug, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports the right to an abortion. The FDA does not require an in-person meeting. Legal experts say the law on preemption is murky because Congress has never said explicitly that FDA approval trumps state law as it has done in the context of medical devices. Therefore it would be left to courts to decide the question under a theory known as “implied preemption.” Wide availability of medication abortion in states that want to restrict or ban the procedure would be a major setback to anti-abortion campaigners who have long sought to ban abortion outright. Attempts to challenge state restrictions could run aground at the Supreme Court, not only because the 6-3 conservative majority has shown its opposition to abortion rights but also because the justices are often skeptical about federal preemption claims. With Roe overturned, states would also have more leeway to argue they have a separate interest in preventing abortions based on moral objections to abortion. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Scott Malone and Aurora Ellis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Terje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) -Terrified revellers at a gay bar in Oslo hid in a basement and desperately called loved ones as a gunman went on the rampage, killing two people and injuring 21 on the day the city was due to celebrate its annual Pride parade. Authorities said the suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was believed to be a radicalised Islamist with a history of mental illness who had been known to intelligence services since 2015. The attack took place in the early hours of Saturday, with victims shot inside and outside the London Pub, a longstanding hub of Oslo’s LGBTQ scene, as well as in the surrounding streets and at one other bar in the centre of the Norwegian capital. The deceased were two men in their 50s and 60s, police said in a statement. “Everything indicates that this has been an attack by an Islamist extremist,” Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference. “We don’t (yet) know if the queer community was the intended target, but we know it is a victim,” he said. Bili Blum-Jansen, who was in the London Pub, said he fled to the basement to escape the hail of bullets and hid there along with 80 to 100 other people. “Many called their partners and family, it felt almost as if they were saying goodbye. Others helped calm down those who were extremely terrified,” he told TV2. “I had a bit of panic and thought that if the shooter or shooters were to arrive, we’d all be dead. There was no way out.” Rainbow flags symbolising the Pride community were on prominent display across Oslo this week, but Saturday’s planned parade was cancelled at the advice of police. “Last night the rainbow was coloured black,” said Anette Trettebergstuen, Norway’s minister of culture and equality and herself a prominent campaigner for LGBTQ rights. While the official parade was called off, several thousand people held a spontaneous march in central Oslo, waving rainbow flags and chanting in English: “We’re here, we’re queer, we won’t disappear.” The suspect was detained minutes after embarking on the shooting spree, according to police who said they believed he acted alone. Two weapons, including a fully automatic gun, were retrieved from the crime scene, they added. Other witnesses described the chaos that erupted inside and outside the London Pub, which has been open since 1979. “Many people were crying and screaming, the injured were screaming, people were distressed and scared – very, very scared,” said Marcus Nybakken, 46, who had left the bar shortly before the shooting and returned later to help. “My first thought was that Pride was the target, so that’s frightening.” Journalist Olav Roenneberg of public broadcaster NRK said he was in the area at the time and saw a man arrive with a bag, take out a gun and start to shoot: “Then I saw windows breaking and understood that I had to take cover.” It was not clear exactly where the two people were killed in the area of the London Pub. NORWAY POLICE TO CARRY GUNS Security authorities raised the country’s terrorism threat assessment to its highest level following the attack. Norwegian police, who are not normally armed, will carry guns until further notice as a precaution, national chief Benedicte Bjoernland said. King Harald of Norway said he and the royal family were devastated by the attack, which police said also left 10 people seriously wounded and 11 with minor injuries. “We must stand together and defend our values: freedom, diversity and respect for each other,” the 85-year-old monarch added. The shooting took place just months after Norway marked 50 years since the abolition of a law that criminalised gay sex. The Nordic nation of 5.4 million has lower crime rates than many Western countries, though it has experienced hate-motivated shootings, including when far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in 2011. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo, additional reporting by Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen; Editing by Pravin Char and Frank Jack Daniel) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kuba Stezycki and Joanna Plucinska WARSAW (Reuters) -Thousands of Poles and Ukrainians are walking for peace and demanding an end to discrimination against the LGBT+ community on Saturday, in a joint Pride march in Warsaw that organisers say aims to defend freedom and equality as war casts a shadow over eastern Europe. The annual Pride march in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was cancelled due to Russia’s invasion, leading the LGBT+ community in Warsaw to team up with their counterparts in Ukraine to organise the event in the Polish capital. “Russia denied us the right that we were fighting for for years, Russia denied us the Pride, our march of equality that we are holding every year since 2012 in Kyiv. … That is why we are marching in Warsaw,” said Lenny Emson, executive director of KyivPride, who came to Poland for the march. Conservative attitudes towards sexual orientation are widespread in both countries. Poland’s ruling nationalists have made battling what they call “LGBT ideology” a key plank of election campaigns, while in Ukraine far-right groups regularly targeted LGBT+ campaigners and events before the war. But with many LGBT+ people in Ukraine signing up to fight for their country, activists have said they hope the war can help to erode prejudice. “People who are ready to die to defend this country, I think they have the right to be equal, to have for example civil unions,” said Temur Levchuk, an LGBT+ activist in Kyiv. He was unable to attend the Warsaw march due to a law preventing Ukrainian men aged 18-60 from leaving the country. Moscow began what it calls its “special military operation” on Feb. 24, saying it wanted to ensure security at its borders. Kyiv and the West say President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion. For some LGBT+ Ukrainians, the fact that Putin has curtailed the rights of their community in Russia gave them more reason to fight. Olena Mykal, a 29-year old marketing manager at an IT company from Kiev, who fled Ukraine in March, said marching in Warsaw was an act of solidarity with the LGBT+ community in their home country.”I’m here because I can’t go to the parade in Ukraine. We’re all people regardless of who we love.” Mykal told Reuters minutes before the march started. (Reporting by Kuba Stezycki and Marek Strzelecki in Warsaw, Joanna Plucinska in Kyiv; Writing by Alan Charlish and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Richard Chang) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nate Raymond (Reuters) – In a bombshell decision, the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had recognized a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. The court voted 5-4 to overturn Roe, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing separately to say he would have upheld the Mississippi law at the center of that case, which bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but would not have reversed Roe. The court’s three liberal justices dissented. Here are some excerpts from their opinions. CONSERVATIVE JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO, IN THE MAJORITY OPINION: “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.” Roe v. Wade recognized that the right to personal privacy under the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy. A ruling called Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, made in 1992, reaffirmed abortion rights and prohibited laws imposing an “undue burden” on abortion access. “Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives.” CONSERVATIVE JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS, IN A CONCURRING OPINION: “Because the Court properly applies our substantive due process precedents to reject the fabrication of a constitutional right to abortion, and because this case does not present the opportunity to reject substantive due process entirely, I join the Court’s opinion.” “For that reason, in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold (which protected the right to contraception), Lawrence (which invalidated state laws banning sodomy), and Obergefell (which legalized gay marriage nationwide).” “Substantive due process conflicts with that textual command and has harmed our country in many ways. Accordingly, we should eliminate it from our jurisprudence at the earliest opportunity.” CONSERVATIVE JUSTICE BRETT KAVANAUGH, IN A CONCURRING OPINION: “The Constitution does not take sides on the issue of abortion. The text of the Constitution does not refer to or encompass abortion.” “Because the Constitution is neutral on the issue of abortion, this Court also must be scrupulously neutral. The nine unelected Members of this Court do not possess the constitutional authority to override the democratic process and to decree either a pro-life or a pro-choice abortion policy for all 330 million people in the United States.” “To be clear, then, the Court’s decision today does not outlaw abortion throughout the United States. On the contrary, the Court’s decision properly leaves the question of abortion for the people and their elected representatives in the democratic process.” CONSERVATIVE CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS, CONCURRING IN THE JUDGMENT ON THE MISSISSIPPI LAW ONLY BUT NOT OVERTURNING ROE: “I would take a more measured course. I agree with the Court that the viability line established by Roe and Casey should be discarded under a straightforward stare decisis analysis. That line never made any sense.” “If it is not necessary to decide more to dispose of a case, then it is necessary not to decide more. Perhaps we are not always perfect in following that command, and certainly there are cases that warrant an exception. But this is not one of them.” “The Court’s decision to overrule Roe and Casey is a serious jolt to the legal system – regardless of how you view those cases. A narrower decision rejecting the misguided viability line would be markedly less unsettling, and nothing more is needed to decide this case.” LIBERAL JUSTICES STEPHEN BREYER, ELENA KAGAN AND SONIA SOTOMAYOR, DISSENTING: “Whatever the exact scope of the coming laws, one result of today’s decision is certain: the curtailment of women’s rights, and of their status as free and equal citizens.” “No one should be confident that this majority is done with its work. The right Roe and Casey recognized does not stand alone. To the contrary, the Court has linked it for decades to other settled freedoms involving bodily integrity, familial relationships, and procreation.” “The Court reverses course today for one reason and one reason only: because the composition of this Court has changed.” “With sorrow – for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection – we dissent.” (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Scott Malone and Will Duham) View the full article

Published by AFP Megan Rapinoe joined a chorus of US sports stars voicing anger at the US Supreme Court decision to scrap a woman's right to an abortion Los Angeles (AFP) – Sports stars across the United States reacted with shock and anger on Friday after the Supreme Court’s decision to scrap the right to abortion after nearly five decades. WNBA players and teams led a chorus of outrage over the seismic decision which threatens to result in abortion becoming illegal in nearly half of the 50 US states. The WNBA noted that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court’s abortion decision had come just a day after another bombshell ruling that decreed Americans have a right to carry a handgun in public. “Are we in a democracy where guns have more rights than women?” the WNBA statement asked. “This decision shows a branch of government that is out of touch with the country and any sense of human dignity.” The league said the decision would create a “treacherous pathway” to abortion bans that “reinforce economic, social and political inequalities.” Many WNBA players and teams took to social media to register disgust at the decision. WNBA icon and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird wrote simply: “Gutted.” Bird’s club, the Seattle Storm, meanwhile declared themselves “furious and ready to fight.” “People have won the freedom to buy guns with impunity while women have lost the freedom to decide their own future,” the Storm wrote on Twitter. Los Angeles Sparks star Lexie Brown added: “How did we get here? So much happening in this country and this is what they want to focus on. It’s really terrifying actually.” ‘Cruelty is the point’ US women’s soccer icon Megan Rapinoe, her voice cracking with emotion, spoke of her sadness in comments to reporters ahead of an international friendly against Colombia this weekend. “It’s hard to put into words how sad a day this is,” Rapinoe said. “I just can’t understate how sad and how cruel this is. “The cruelty is the point, because this is not pro-life, by any means. “It will completely exacerbate so many of the existing inequalities that we have in our country. The right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness and liberty is being assaulted in this instance.” Rapinoe, who is gay, said she also feared that US constitutional protections on same-sex marriage would eventually be in jeopardy. “We live in a country that forever tries to chip away what you have innately, what you have been privileged enough to feel your entire life,” Rapinoe said. US tennis legend Billie Jean King, who wrote in her memoir “All In” of her harrowing experience seeking an abortion in the days before it became a right in the United States, said Friday’s ruling “will not end abortion.” “What it will end is safe and legal access to this vital medical procedure,” King wrote on Twitter. “It is a sad day for the United States.” King’s fellow tennis great Martina Navratilova said simply: “The March to Gilead is here”, in a reference to the novel and television drama “The Handmaid’s Tale”, which portrays a dystopian future where women are subjugated and enslaved by men. Several male sports stars also spoke out against the decision. NBA icon LeBron James said on Twitter the decision was “absolutely about power & control.” Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei also contrasted the ruling with the court’s decision on gun control a day earlier. “Impose a constitutional right to concealed carry of firearms, and following day end the fundamental constitutional protection of reproductive rights!? Our country is actively moving in the wrong direction,” Frei wrote on Twitter. “What’s next? This is crazy.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billie Eilish told her Glastonbury fans to scream away their anxieties during her history making headline slot. The 20-year-old – who became the youngest solo performer to play the Pyramid Stage on Friday night (24.06.22) – made the call during a sweary set. She also despaired over the Supreme Court’s reversal of 1973’s landmark Roe v Wade ruling, which now outlaws abortion for millions of women in the US. The singer called it a “dark day” for America while strumming a guitar and added: “I’m just going to say that, because I can’t say anything else now.” She yelled at the crowd about using screaming to exorcise their mental anxieties: “So here’s what I want you to do – whatever’s going on in your mind, something you’re wasting time worrying about, something you can’t just get the f*** out of your head – I want you to f****** flail around, and scream and stomp. “I want you to feel loose and free and don’t give a f*** about anything else but this moment. “I want you to think about the thing that’s p****** you off and I want you to scream at it.” While bouncing up and down, Eilish added: “To practise feeling free and loose I want you to just flop around – for real, just flop out your limbs – bounce, just bounce, just little hops.” The ‘Ocean Eyes’ singer also told the crowd she had three rules for her gigs: “Don’t be an a******, do not judge anyone out here – no judgements – and, number three – have fun b****.” It comes after she said she feared she would bomb at Glastonbury if she over-thought her performance. She told Matt Wilkinson’s ‘Glastonbury Special’ on Apple Music 1 on Monday (20.06.22): “With this kind of thing, which is doing this kind of show and headlining and with all the pressure of it, it’s like, if you overthink it, you might bomb. “So I try to keep myself as composed as possible. But if I do think about it, it’s like the coolest that I’ve ever heard. I mean, Glastonbury. Come on. It’s so cool. So I’m very, very geeked, very excited.” View the full article