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How a neon LGBTQ+ cafe sign became a hotbed of hate in Berlin.
BERLIN (AP) — A neon sign inside Das Hoven cafe in a trendy Berlin neighborhood proudly proclaims "QUEER AND FRIENDS."
The sign was meant to show that the cafe is a safe space for LGBTQ+ people. But it has also become a hotbed of hate and homophobic attacks.
Owner Danjel Zarte said there are 45 pending criminal investigations related to the cafe over the past year and a half, ranging from verbal and physical assaults on customers and workers to windows broken or covered in Nazi feces and graffiti. One person even stood outside the cafe with a gun.
"An act of terrorism," Zarte said. "Sometimes I have panic attacks in the morning and I'm afraid to look at my phone because I'm afraid something has happened again."
Attacks against LGBTQ+ people and gay-friendly establishments are on the rise across Germany, including in Berlin, a city that has historically welcomed the community, whose members often use the word "queer" to describe themselves.
Last year, there was a 40% increase in violence against LGBTQ+ people in 12 of Germany's 16 states compared to 2023, according to the Association of Counseling Centers for Victims of Right-Wing, Racist, and Antisemitic Violence.
Activists say these figures only show a fraction of the scale of the problem, as victims are often afraid to come forward. They partly blame the rise of the far right across Europe, including in Germany, where the Alternative for Germany party made significant gains in February's elections.
Hostility toward LGBTQ+ people serves as a "rallying cry" for those who believe in right-wing extremism, according to Judith Porath, the association's general director. Experts have observed an increase in demonstrations and violence among neo-Nazis, the majority of whom are young men.
Bastian Finke, director of MANEO, an organization that monitors anti-gay violence in the capital, said that those who openly declare themselves queer on the streets of Berlin "automatically run a very high risk simply for being who they are. Being attacked, insulted, spat on. We experience these situations every day."
Fear was palpable at Saturday's Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin. The annual Pride event commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion in New York City, when a police raid on the gay bar Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village sparked a spontaneous street uprising.
"The atmosphere is really tense: people are afraid, uneasy," Thomas Hoffmann, a member of the event's board of directors, said Saturday.
Hundreds of thousands of people attended the celebration, dancing to techno music as they marched toward the iconic Brandenburg Gate.
“It’s a really powerful and wonderful sign of greater equality,” Hoffmann added.
Hoffmann and others have long called for German lawmakers to amend the constitution to explicitly include legal protections for LGBTQ+ people against discrimination based on gender identity. But this seems unlikely to become a political priority.
For Zarte, the stress of hate crimes and politics is constant, except during the Christopher Street Day parade, which always brings tears to his eyes.
“It’s very moving to feel completely accepted once a year,” he said.
Caribbean Supreme Court overturns colonial-era law in St. Lucia banning homosexual relations
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court struck down a colonial-era law in St. Lucia that criminalized same-sex relations in a ruling celebrated Tuesday by activists in the largely conservative region.
The court declared the island's so-called sodomy and gross indecency laws unconstitutional.
Raise Your Voice St. Lucia, a nonprofit organization, called it a "monumental step for human rights in the Eastern Caribbean."
"It is a beacon of hope amid recent setbacks, such as the disappointments in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, which have tested our region's commitment to equality," the group stated.
St. Lucia's colonial-era law criminalized same-sex relations with up to 10 years in prison. While the government failed to enforce the law, activists and legal experts say it remained a threat to the island's LGBTQ+ community. “The mere existence of this provision constitutes in itself a violation of human rights and encourages further acts of discrimination,” according to the Human Dignity Trust, a UK-based legal organization that collaborated on the case.
In 2019, the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality filed five legal challenges against such laws in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia.
In 2022, courts in Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis struck down the laws.
Last year, a court in Dominica did the same.
“Today's ruling not only represents a victory in the courts, but also a step towards justice for the many lives lost to violence simply for being themselves,” said Kenita Placide, the alliance's executive director. “It demonstrates that our Caribbean can and should be a place where all people are free and equal before the law.”
Only five Caribbean countries still criminalize same-sex sexual relations: Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, where an appeals court earlier this year overturned a ruling decriminalizing same-sex relations.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community have fled those islands following violent attacks.
The UNAIDS Caribbean office welcomed Tuesday's ruling, as did J'Moul Francis, foreign minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
“Human rights in the Eastern Caribbean continue to advance as the colonial legacies of these unconstitutional provisions continue to disappear,” he wrote in X. “However, more needs to be done across the region to ensure that progress is real, practical, and effective for LGBTQ+ people.”
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials ban transgender women from competing in women's Olympic sports.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AP) — The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has banned transgender women from competing in women's sports, informing the federations that oversee swimming, track and field, and other sports that they have an "obligation to comply" with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
The new policy, announced Monday with a discreet change on the USOPC website and confirmed in a letter sent to national sports governing bodies, follows a similar measure taken by the NCAA earlier this year.
The USOPC's change is indirectly mentioned as a detail in the "USOPC Athlete Safety Policy" and refers to Trump's executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," signed in February. That order, among other things, threatens to "rescind all funding" to organizations that allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports.
U.S. Olympic officials informed national governing bodies that they should follow suit, adding that “the USOPC has had a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” since Trump signed the order.
“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women. All national governing bodies should update their applicable policies in line with this regulation.”
The National Women’s Law Center issued a statement condemning the measure.
“By caving to political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes,” said USOPC President and CEO Fatima Goss Graves.
The USOPC oversees approximately 50 national governing bodies, most of which play a role at all levels, from grassroots to elite, in their sports. This raises the possibility that rules may need to be changed for local sports clubs to retain their NGB memberships.
Some of these organizations, such as USA Track and Field, have long followed the guidelines set by their own world federation. World Athletics is considering changes to its policies that, for the most part, would align with Trump's order.
A spokesperson for USA Swimming stated that the federation had been informed of the USOPC's change and was consulting with the committee to determine what changes it should implement. USA Fencing amended its policy effective August 1 to allow only "female athletes" in women's competition and open men's events to "all athletes ineligible for the women's category, including transgender women, transgender men, non-binary and intersex athletes, and cisgender male athletes."
The national battle over the inclusion of transgender girls on women's and girls' sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels, with Republicans framing the issue as a fight for athletic equity. More than two dozen states have enacted laws banning transgender women and girls from certain athletic competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court after critics challenged them as discriminatory, cruel, and unnecessarily targeted at a narrow niche of athletes.
The NCAA amended its transgender athlete participation policy to limit competition in women's sports to athletes of female ancestry at birth. This change came one day after Trump signed the executive order seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports.
Women's eligibility is a key issue for the International Olympic Committee under its new president, Kirsty Coventry, who has demonstrated an effort to "protect the women's category." The IOC has allowed each sports federation to set its own rules for the Olympics, and some have already taken action.
Swimming, cycling, and track and field have passed stricter rules for transgender athletes, excluding anyone who has gone through male puberty from female events. Soccer is reviewing its eligibility rules for women and may set limits on testosterone. Trump has said he wants the IOC to change everything related to this absolutely ridiculous issue. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Florida Attorney General files lawsuit against restaurant over LGBTQ Pride event.
VERO BEACH, Florida (AP) — The Florida state attorney general has demanded records from a popular restaurant following last month's LGBTQ Pride event, which prosecutors said was open to all ages, despite a recent state law prohibiting minors from attending "adult" shows being blocked by the courts.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement Tuesday that the event at the Kilted Mermaid in Vero Beach featured "adult and sexualized performers in front of minors." His office did not respond Tuesday to repeated inquiries about possible laws violated.
The subpoena, issued earlier this month, requests copies of guest lists, booking records, surveillance video, and contracts identifying the performers.
The owner of the Kilted Mermaid, Linda Moore, is the vice mayor of Vero Beach, a city located on the Atlantic Coast, more than 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach. Moore did not immediately respond to an email or phone call requesting comment.
The Florida Child Protection Act, also known as the "drag ban," was championed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. It sought to penalize venues for allowing minors to attend what he called "live adult entertainment." Although it did not specifically mention drag shows, the sponsor of the legislation claimed it was targeted at such shows.
Venues that violated the law faced fines and the possibility of having their liquor licenses suspended or revoked. Individuals could be charged with a misdemeanor.
The law was challenged in 2023 by Hamburger Mary's restaurant in Orlando, which regularly hosted drag shows, including family-friendly ones. The restaurant argued that the Florida law violated First Amendment rights by restricting free speech.
In May, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to uphold a lower court's preliminary injunction that described the Florida law as overly broad and vaguely worded. The case now returns to the Middle District of Florida for trial.
The Italian Constitutional Court rules that non-biological mothers in civil unions are entitled to paternity leave.
Amnesty InternationalROME (AP) — The Italian Constitutional Court has ruled that the non-biological mother in a civil union is entitled to paternity leave, equating her role with that of the father and therefore giving her time to share with her newborn.
The court ruled Monday that a 2001 decree on parental leave was unconstitutional because it failed to recognize that the non-biological mother in a lesbian civil union was also entitled to Italy's mandatory 10-day paternity leave.
The court argued that the child's interest in spending time with both parents, and parental responsibilities, did not depend on their sexual orientation.
This is the second ruling in as many months applauded by LGBTQ+ activists amid efforts by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right government to combat surrogacy and promote traditional family values. In May, the Constitutional Court ruled that two women can be registered as the parents of a child on a birth certificate, arguing that recognition of parental authority cannot be restricted solely to the biological mother in families with same-sex parents.
Italy has imposed strict restrictions on IVF and banned surrogacy since 2004. Last year, under the Meloni administration, the country expanded the ban to criminalize Italians who travel abroad to have children through surrogacy. Monday's ruling targets women who have traveled abroad for legally managed IVF treatments.
Like the May ruling, the Pro Life and Family group criticized the court's decision as "ridiculous," citing it as further evidence of how "gender madness" was affecting Italy's social and legal order.
Lawmaker Alessandro Zan, a longtime advocate for greater LGBTQ+ rights in Italy, hailed the ruling as a historic end to "unjust and cruel discrimination."
"Justice reminds the government of a simple principle: love is family, and every child has the right to the care and protection of both parents, without discrimination," he said in a social media post. The Italian legislator believes it is the obligation of states to create gender self-determination mechanisms that are non-pathologizing—that is, based on free choice, not on psychiatric diagnoses that endorse "gender dysphoria"—and that are rapid, confidential, administrative, and accessible to minors.
The lack of such mechanisms constitutes a violation of the human rights of trans people and exposes them to more discrimination and violence than they already suffer daily. For these people, having identity documents that recognize and reflect their gender identity is of great importance to being able to enjoy their human rights.
Not being able to obtain documents that reflect their gender identity can constitute a violation of trans people's right to privacy and, sometimes, also a violation of their right to legal recognition. Furthermore, imposing requirements such as treatment or medical reports to obtain legal gender recognition violates these people's right to health.
Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate any medical or psychological requirements that condition legal gender change in the registry. Currently, only 17 countries, including Spain, recognize gender identity based on self-determination.
The Texas attorney general sues an adult swimming group for allowing transgender athletes to participate.
The Texas attorney general sued an adult swimming program after two transgender women placed first in several events this spring in San Antonio.
The lawsuit alleges that U.S. Masters Swimming undermined consumer trust through false, deceptive, and misleading practices, claiming that other swimmers faced what it described as an unfair disadvantage at the national competition in April.
U.S. Masters Swimming said in a statement that it has been fully cooperating with Attorney General Ken Paxton's investigation, which comes amid a national dispute over the participation of transgender athletes at both the state and federal levels.
"It is deeply disappointing to see our organization and its members publicly targeted by a lawsuit that appears more aimed at generating headlines than seeking justice," the statement said.
Republicans have instrumentalized the issue as a fight for athletic equity for women and girls.
Paxton stated in a press release Thursday that the U.S. Masters Swimming Championships "has deprived female participants of the opportunity to succeed at the highest level by allowing men to win countless events."
The lawsuit claims that Ana Caldas placed first in all five events in the 45-49 age group, and Jennifer Rines finished ahead of dozens of women.
Rines wrote in a guest editorial in Swimming World in May that creating a separate category for transgender athletes could be the equitable solution for national-level events. However, she noted that coming out as transgender carries the risk of losing jobs and friends.
"At what point does the level of competition justify forcing someone to come out as transgender or prohibiting them from participating altogether?" she asked.
Even before the lawsuit was filed, U.S. Masters Swimming revised its policy to prohibit transgender women from receiving recognition for their placement in women's events, but still allowed them to compete.
But the lawsuit said, "This is too little, too late."
The Trump administration sues California over policies for transgender athletes.
SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — The Trump administration sued the California Department of Education on Wednesday for allowing transgender girls to compete on girls' sports teams, alleging the policy violates federal law.
The move escalates the dispute between the Republican administration in Washington and the Democratic-led state of California over transgender athletes.
The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department claims that California's policies for transgender athletes violate Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination in education based on sex. The department says California's rules "are not only unlawful and unfair, but also demeaning, telling girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to the adjustment of boys."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi warned other states that allow transgender girls to compete in girls' athletics that they could also face lawsuits from the federal government.
"If you don't comply, you're next," she said in a video posted on social media. "We will protect girls in girls' sports."
The state Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports, which was also charged, stated they would not comment on pending litigation.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's office deferred to the federation and the education agency for comment on the lawsuit, as the governor was not charged. However, Newsom's office said the Trump administration's attacks on state policies for transgender athletes are "a cynical attempt" to distract from the federal government's withholding of funding for after-school and summer programs.
California has had a law in place for more than a decade that allows students to participate in sex-segregated school programs, including sports teams, and to use restrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity.
Trump criticized the participation of a transgender high school student-athlete who won titles at the California track and field championships last month. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote in a letter after the competition that the California Interscholastic Federation violated the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause by allowing transgender girls to compete against other female athletes.
Earlier this year, the federal Department of Education launched an investigation into California policies allowing athletes to compete on sports teams that align with their gender identity. The agency declared last month that the policies violate Title IX and gave the state 10 days to agree to amend them. However, the state refused this week.
Trump also clashed with Maine's Democratic governor over the state's policies for transgender athletes. Governor Janet Mills told the president in February, "See you in court," due to his threats to withdraw state funding over the issue. Her administration filed a lawsuit in April alleging that Maine violated Title IX by allowing transgender girls and women to compete against other female athletes.
The Justice Department's lawsuit against California claims that its policies “ignore the undeniable biological differences between boys and girls in favor of an amorphous 'gender identity.'”
“The consequences of these unlawful policies are devastating: girls are pushed off podiums, denied awards, and lose crucial visibility for scholarships and college recognition,” the lawsuit states.
Meanwhile, on his March podcast, Newsom angered some party allies by questioning the fairness of transgender girls' participation in girls' sports. Republican critics have called on the governor to back the ban, arguing that his comments are inconsistent with his actions.
The issue is part of a national battle over the rights of transgender youth, in which states have limited transgender girls' participation on girls' sports teams, banned gender-affirming surgeries for minors, and required parents to be notified if a child changes pronouns in school. More than two dozen states have laws prohibiting transgender women and girls from participating in certain athletic competitions. Some of these policies have been blocked in court.
Trump signed an executive order in February to prohibit transgender women and girls from participating on sports teams that match their gender identity.
Those in favor of the ban, including the conservative California Council of Families, claim it would restore fairness to athletic competition. However, opponents, including the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality California, claim the bans are an attack on transgender youth.
In Oregon, three high school track and field athletes this week filed a federal lawsuit against the state seeking to erase records set by transgender girls and prevent them from participating in girls' sports. They claim that allowing trans girls to compete against other female athletes is unfair and violates Title IX.
The U.S. Department of Education launched investigations into Portland Public Schools and the state earlier this year.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court paves the way for the conversion therapy ban to become permanent.
MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court cleared the way Tuesday for the state to permanently enact a ban on conversion therapy in a ruling that gives the governor greater power over the enactment of state laws.
The court ruled that a Republican-controlled legislative committee's rejection of a state agency rule that would effectively ban the practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people was unconstitutional. The decision, whose impact goes far beyond the issue of conversion therapy, strips the Legislature of the power to block the governor's office from enacting rules with the force of law.
The 4-3 ruling by the liberal-controlled court comes amid the national battle over LGBTQ+ rights. It is also part of a broader effort by the Democratic governor to limit the power of the GOP-controlled Legislature.
What is conversion therapy? What is known as conversion therapy is the scientifically discredited practice of using therapy to "convert" LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality or traditional gender expectations.
This practice has been banned in 23 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a group of LGBTQ+ rights experts. It is also prohibited in more than a dozen communities in Wisconsin.
Those seeking to ban this practice want to prohibit mental health professionals in the state from counseling clients with the goal of changing their sexual orientation or gender identity.
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case in Colorado on whether state and local governments can enforce laws prohibiting conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors.
What's happening in Wisconsin?
In 2019 and 2020, the Wisconsin professional licensing board for therapists, counselors, and social workers proposed a rule that would classify conversion therapy as "unprofessional conduct."
However, the Legislature's powerful Joint Committee on Administrative Rules Review—a Republican-controlled panel charged with approving state agency regulations—blocked the proposed rule twice, most recently in 2023.
The rule was in effect briefly in 2022 and went back into effect in April 2024, when the Legislature adjourned without permanently suspending it.
Republicans who supported the suspension of the conversion therapy ban have insisted that the issue is not the policy itself, but whether the licensing board had the authority to take the action it did.
The Supreme Court ruled that the legislative committee overstepped its authority by blocking various state regulations during the administration of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
The court's ruling means the Legislature will not be able to block it again.
Evers called the ruling "incredibly important" and said it will prevent a small number of lawmakers from "holding rules hostage without explanation or action, causing gridlock in state government."
However, Republican Senator Steve Nass, co-chairman of the legislative committee in question, said the ruling gives Evers "unlimited authority to issue edicts without legislative review that will harm citizens' rights."
Legislative Power Weakened by the Ruling
The legislature's lawyer argued that decades of precedent supported his argument, including a 1992 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling upholding the legislature's right to suspend state agency rules.
Evers argued that by blocking the rule, the legislative committee is seizing powers granted to the governor by the state constitution and exercising an unconstitutional "legislative veto."
The Supreme Court agreed.
The court found that the legislature violated the state constitution's requirement that every law be passed by both houses of the legislature and submitted to the governor.
The legislature was unlawfully taking "actions that alter the legal rights and duties of the executive branch and the people of Wisconsin," wrote Chief Justice Jill Karofsky, writing for the majority. She was joined by the court's three other liberal justices.
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