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Budapest Pride Ban Backfires as Orban Continues Slump in Polls

Budapest Pride Ban Backfires as Orban Continues Slump in Polls

Bloomberg19 hours ago

The record-breaking turnout at Hungary's annual Pride march, held in defiance of a police ban encouraged by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, highlighted surging opposition to his 15-year rule.
Protesters marched in Budapest on Saturday in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, flouting a government restriction on the event in the name of children's rights. The demonstrators, whom organizers estimated numbered in the hundreds of thousands, took well over an hour to cross one of the city's main bridges.

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Man from Guinea detained by ICE agents outside immigration court in Lower Manhattan
Man from Guinea detained by ICE agents outside immigration court in Lower Manhattan

CBS News

time4 hours ago

  • CBS News

Man from Guinea detained by ICE agents outside immigration court in Lower Manhattan

A man from Guinea is now being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility after being detained outside immigration court in Lower Manhattan. CBS News New York's Adi Guajardo spoke with his husband, who fears his partner could get deported and persecuted in his home country. Mamadou faced persecution in Guinea Three weeks after Mamadou got married and just days before Pride festivities, federal agents took him into custody outside of immigration court in Lower Manhattan. "It was emotional. I was trying to be very strong for him," said Fitz Smith, Mamadou's husband. Smith said they begged the judge to no avail. "He spent probably 10 minutes pleading to the judge, like, you know, these are the consequences of me going back to my country. I'm [in] danger in my community," Smith said. "There are numerous reports from that ... from that area where LGBT people are persecuted on a regular basis, stoned, they're burned." According to the Human Rights Campaign, same-sex marriage is legal in 38 countries, but in Guinea, homosexuality is illegal. Smith said Mamadou fled Guinea in 2023 after his family found out he was gay. He then sought asylum in the U.S. and was picked up by border patrol in Lukeville, Arizona. Once released, Mamadou made his way to New York, where the couple met. "We went to our first Pride. We went to Queens Pride. We try to be a part of the community as best we can," Smith said. Smith said he now fears for his husband's life. "The judge dismissed his case and with the dismissal he fell on to what we call expedited removal," said Ravi Ragbir, executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition. Immigrants urged to get legal representation The Trump administration's ramped-up immigration efforts have led to ICE arrests outside immigration courts. Attorneys say it's vital to seek legal advice and add that virtual hearings are an option in some cases. "Very effective, depending on the kind of case you have. But you still need a lawyer that will return phone calls, or read the substance and build the case," immigration attorney Michael Wildes said. Mamadou is now at an ICE facility in Texas, as Smith works to stop his deportation. "I tell him, like, hold on to your faith, you know? I ask him if he's still praying. He still prays. I tell him I'm praying for him as well," Smith said. CBS News New York reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for a comment on Mamadou's case, but has yet to hear back.

Colorado parents react as U.S. Supreme Court backs opt-out choice in LGBTQ+ case
Colorado parents react as U.S. Supreme Court backs opt-out choice in LGBTQ+ case

CBS News

time6 hours ago

  • CBS News

Colorado parents react as U.S. Supreme Court backs opt-out choice in LGBTQ+ case

The U.S. Supreme Court sided Friday with religious parents who want to pull their children from public school lessons that include LGBTQ-themed storybooks. One Colorado family is calling it a win for religious freedom, but not everyone agrees. The Supreme Court ruled in the Mahmoud v. Taylor case that the LGBTQ+-themed storybooks used in the classroom are encouraging certain values, specifically, that same-sex marriage and transgender identities are normal and acceptable, which goes against the religious beliefs of the parents who filed the lawsuit. The 6-3 decision stems from the suit brought by families in Maryland. While the ruling is not a final decision in the case, legal experts say it could open the door to similar lawsuits in other states. In 2020, B.J. and Brecken Jones sued the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, claiming their constitutional rights were violated. Now, after years of legal battles, they say justice has been served. B.J. Jones, left, and his wife, Brecken Jones, celebrated the recent U.S. Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor, which they say validated their concerns about mandatory education about LGBTQ+ and gender issues when their kids were enrolled in the Boulder Valley School District. CBS It's a new chapter for the Jones family, who say they fought for nearly a decade to be heard. "We are just genuinely thankful that public schools are no longer allowed to undermine our beliefs and our identities as Christians," said Brecken. The family says queer friendly videos were shown during Transgender Awareness Week in 2018 at Superior Elementary School in Boulder. The event came after reports of bullying involving a transgender student. "They had an assembly, they had a classroom lesson, and then we found out they were going to do ongoing classroom lessons that you could not opt out of," B.J. said. That's when the Jones family had an issue. "My daughter was 6 years old, and they were asking kids in class to choose their gender. It felt very manipulative," said B.J. The Joneses say they felt pushed out of the district for standing by their beliefs. They also claim that when they filed a complaint, it was made public, sparking backlash. "They like to roll under this banner of inclusivity and tolerance, and yet we were initially given a choice: you need to surrender your beliefs or go somewhere else," said Brecken. While the decision feels like a win for the Jones family, LGBTQ+ advocates are raising concerns about the mental health toll such rulings could have on youth. Tara Jae is the founder of Youth Seen, which supports LGBTQ+ youth. "When parents are pulling youth out because they don't agree with their young people learning about LGBTQ+ issues, that's super damaging," Jae said. Jae worries the ruling could create an environment of shame and isolation. "When we block our youth from having inclusive and open conversations, we are limiting their ability to be full, functioning adults -- emotionally, socially, and in terms of understanding," Jae said saud, Tara Jae, the founder of Youth Seen, says a recent U.S. Supreme Court case, will further prevent LGBTQ+ youth from feeling included and equal to their peers. CBS The Jones family says they've encountered those same feelings. Still, despite the court's ruling, they plan to continue homeschooling. "Our children have been pulled out of that system. They missed COVID, they score in the 98th, 99th percentile," Brecken said. "They are thriving, even though BVSD treated us poorly." In a statement on Monday, the Boulder Valley School District said, "The Boulder Valley School District is aware of the Supreme Court's recent ruling in the Mahmoud v. Taylor case. In the coming weeks, the district will be thoughtfully discussing how to best support our students, educators and community in light of the 135-page decision."

Case dropped: Trans woman who used Florida Capitol restroom as protest 'glad to be free'
Case dropped: Trans woman who used Florida Capitol restroom as protest 'glad to be free'

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Case dropped: Trans woman who used Florida Capitol restroom as protest 'glad to be free'

A transgender woman who was arrested after visiting a women's restroom at the Florida Capitol as a protest has had her case dismissed after prosecutors dragged their feet in bringing formal charges. Marcy Rheintgen, 21, of Illinois, was arrested March 19 on a charge of misdemeanor trespassing after going inside the restroom on the second floor of the House Office Building in an apparent act of civil disobedience. She wrote Florida lawmakers beforehand saying exactly when and where she would arrive. She also spoke out against the GOP-backed bill that passed in 2023 making it a crime for someone to enter a restroom 'designated for the opposite sex' in certain public buildings. 'I'm just a normal college student who thinks this law is wrong,' Rheintgen wrote in the letter. After her arrest, Rheintgen was booked into the Leon County Detention Facility, where she spent the night in a solitary cell. She was placed on pretrial release the next day. According to court records, the case was assigned for diversion about a week after the arrest. But that's not what ended up happening. On June 18, Assistant Public Defender Theodore Summers filed notice that the 90-day time period for a speedy trial had expired. He also filed a motion asking for Rheintgen, who never waived her right to a speedy trial, to be 'forever discharged' of the crime. 'Although the state indicated that an information was filed at the pretrial hearing on June 11, 2025, it has not been docketed ... nor has a copy been served to counsel,' Summers wrote. 'Counsel emailed the state that same day asking for a copy and did not receive a response.' According to court records, Assistant State Attorney Chapman Evans did file an information against Rheintgen. And while it was dated June 16, it wasn't electronically filed until June 18, after the speedy trial period had lapsed and about 40 minutes after the defense asked to have the charge dropped. Leon County Judge Lashawn Riggans dismissed the charge in an order signed June 20 in chambers. Rheintgen told the Tallahassee Democrat on June 29 that she was 'shocked' the case was dropped and thought the state intentionally set it up for dismissal. 'I think they messed it up on purpose because they knew this was bad publicity for them,' Rheintgen said. 'And they were scared of what could happen, like politically, that this would just cause a bunch of political blowback, which I think it would if I went to jail.' Evans did not immediately respond to an email from the Democrat asking why the state didn't proceed faster. Capitol Police and the State Attorney's Office referred to Rheintgen by her male birth name in court documents. However, both the Public Defender's Office and Judge Riggans referred to her as 'Marcy' and explained why in footnotes. 'The American Bar Association (ABA) has passed a resolution encouraging the respectful use of language, which includes respecting an individual's gender identity, preferred name and pronouns, which this court honors,' it says. Rheintgen said she was glad the charge was dropped and noted she had been 'really scared' about being prosecuted. 'I'm so glad to be free,' she said. Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@ or 850-599-2180. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Trans woman has case dropped after Florida Capitol restroom visit

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