It takes a concerted effort to move from pleasantries to real support

Nearly half of young LGBT people who are left homeless after coming out are from religious backgrounds. That's according to research by the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), which supports young people who are at risk of homelessness. The charity says three in four LGBT people are rejected by their families - and 45% of that number are from a faith background.

A Tennessee man, who is gay, says that a church will not hold a funeral service for his father because of his sexuality. Now, local residents are criticizing the church for its “sinful” discrimination. “They’re punishing my dad for a lifestyle choice that I’ve made. It’s not me laying up there in a casket, it’s him,” Jessie Goodman told Chattanooga, Tenn. news station WTVC.

More and more people are refusing to define themselves as either gay or straight – and from pop music to sitcoms, such fluidity is becoming increasingly visible, writes Hugh Montgomery

The new ruling would legally protect the country's LGBT community, which has among the highest rates of violent deaths in the world.

Gov. Jared Polis, who is gay, said the bill underscores that “Colorado is a state where everyone can be their true selves and live the life they want.”

Island becomes first Asian nation to pass law but some newlyweds still fear anonymity necessary

Democrats in the House approved sweeping anti-discrimination legislation Friday that would extend civil rights protections to LGBT people by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced plans to roll back Obama-era protections for transgender people who are experiencing homelessness. The change would allow shelters to turn people away by claiming a “religious” exemption. So-called “religious freedom” exemptions have become popular with the religious right as evangelicals attempt to use it as a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people and women. The federal law was not intended to be used as a get-out-of-jail-free card for civil rights violations.

Taiwan’s legislature voted decisively to legalize “exclusive permanent unions” in a victory for the island’s LGBT community.

Nintendo’s latest update of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate includes a stage builder, allowing players to build and share their own creations. This got a lot of attention last week because, as should have been expected, a ton of players were quick to put as many dicks into the game as possible.

Dr. Richard Green, one of the earliest and most vocal critics of psychiatry’s classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder, died on April 6 at his home in London. He was 82. The cause was esophageal cancer, his son, Adam Hines-Green, said. Dr. Green, who was also a forceful advocate for gay and transgender rights in a series of landmark discrimination trials, became aware of the marginalization of people because of their sexual and gender identities while training to be a doctor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, a leader in the study of sexuality.

A bill that would allow state-licensed professionals to refuse to serve LGBTQ people if they cite their religion has advanced out of committee in the Texas senate. Senate Bill 17 would prevent state licensing agencies from denying or revoking licenses from professionals – including doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, and even barbers – if they claim to be following a “sincerely held religious belief.”

Mike Pompeo, the U.S. secretary of state, and the State Department have declined to directly condemn a new law in Brunei stipulating the stoning to death of LGBT people. Earlier Friday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Daily Beast exclusively that it was “concerned” by the new law, which imposes death by stoning or whipping for sodomy, adultery, or rape, and amputation of a hand or foot for theft. In follow-up questions, The Daily Beast then asked if Pompeo and the State Department specifically objected to the violently anti-LGBT law, set to take effect on April 3. A spokesperson declined to directly address the question.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset won the Inaugural GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game. For 30 years, the GLAAD Media Awards have recognized the importance of LGBTQ representation in media, and the Outstanding Video Game category debuted tonight with The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset being the first ever recipient of this award. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, and The Sims Mobile were also in consideration.

The governing nationalist party says LGBT groups are a dangerous threat and it’s turning them into an election issue.

#ExposeChristianSchools was launched shortly after it was reported that Karen Pence was teaching at a Christian school that excludes LGBTQ students and teachers. It quickly went viral with many sharing their own stories of surviving Christian schooling.

The Trump administration said last month that it continue giving federal funds to a South Carolina foster agency that discriminated against non-Christians. Under the previous rules, Miracle Hill Ministries was denied funding from the Department of Health and Human Services because the Christian organization didn’t want to place kids in the homes of otherwise qualified parents who happened to be gay or atheist. The Trump administration reversed that restriction, allowing money to flow to the foster home of Christian bigotry. In the last fiscal year, the agency received almost $600,000 in taxpayer funds.

The Wolves of Odin is a far-right Canadian group that peddles Islamophobic immigration theories. Its members were caught earlier this year harassing Muslims and spying on the country’s oldest mosque. So when Canadian resident Brady Grumpelt realized WolvesOfOdin.com didn’t have a Canadian web address with the related .ca suffix, he bought WolvesOfOdin.ca and turned it into a gay site with erotic images of furries.

Chris, 39, is very religious and identifies as a non-denominational Christian, attending services at the Zoe Church and Hillsong – the church favoured by stars including Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin. And Juno actress Ellen has now called on the Guardians Of The Galaxy star to address Hillsong’s attitude towards LGBTQ people, after Chris spoke about his ‘spiritual side’ on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.