Give a sister a lyft!

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are fighting for your ride-sharing safety!

A conservative website described me today as “one of ThinkProgress’s gay sex correspondents,” which prompted my colleague to ask, “Are you our correspondent on gay sex, or are you our gay correspondent on sex?” I was left wondering if I could have been expensing my dating life all these years!

To my recollection, I wrote specifically about gay sex only once — eight years ago. I guess that was enough!

Is it just me, or was that a long week? Let’s do one last round-up of LGBTQ news!

Protect trans refugees!

A group of 34 members of Congress is calling on ICE to take asylum claims from transgender migrants more seriously. Their letter stresses that in the “Northern Triangle” countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, “violence against the transgender community occurs at alarming rates.” At least one trans woman was murdered after she was deported back to El Salvador.

No conversion therapy for Tar Heels

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has signed an executive order preventing any state funds from supporting anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy. It’s not quite as useful as an actual law banning the practice, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Utah protects same-sex parents

The Utah Supreme Court has overturned a law that prohibited same-sex from entering surrogacy arrangements. The pre-marriage equality law only permitted surrogacy if “the intended mother is unable to bear a child or is unable to do so without unreasonable risk to her physical or mental health or to the unborn child.” A couple made up of two men doesn’t exactly have an “intended mother.”

The Court agreed unanimously that obtaining a valid gestational agreement is a right linked to marriage, so it must be extended equally to same-sex couples.

Zero for Zeros draws first blood

Zero for Zeros, the campaign to urge LGBTQ-friendly companies not to give political donations to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers, may have had its first impact. According to a leaked internal memo, Microsoft is suspending contributions from its employee PAC while it reassesses how it decides who to support.

In the meantime, the campaign has expanded its list of targeted companies whose donations do not match their values, including Chevron, General Motors, and Pfizer.

Drag queens convince Lyft to protect LGBTQ passengers

Lyft has established several new policies to protect LGBTQ passengers, making it easier to report discrimination by drivers and committing to train drivers and provide them with more educational materials. The policies follow complaints from dozens of drag queens in San Francisco who reported being denied rides — leaving them standing on the street in the wee hours of the morning.

Catholic Church shores up Polish homophobia

As LGBTQ issues create increasing political tension in Poland, the Catholic Church is all too happy to add fuel to the fire. Marek Jedraszewski, archbishop of Krakow, warned in a recent sermon that the former threat of a “red plague” has been replaced by a “rainbow” one that “wants to control our souls, hearts, and minds.” Yeah, I’m sure that’ll help curb all the extremist violence.

Erick Erickson fears the Religious Left

In case you needed a reminder that conservative blogger Erick Erickson is still totally homophobic, he explained this week why he thinks Trump has more “humility” than Pete Buttigieg:

Pete Buttigieg is a practicing homosexual who willfully refuses to recognize Holy Scripture identifies that as a sin. He will not repent either. There is a big difference, however, between these two unrepentant sinners. Donald Trump does not lecture Christians about their faith and Buttigieg has made it a central part of his campaign. So yes, in that regard, President Trump has more humility than Buttigieg.

Conservatives are very scared of the Religious Left. It’s fun to watch!

Athletes team up to “Shred Hate”

Olympian Gus Kenworthy and Pete Alonso, rookie star of the New York Mets, have teamed up to try to end cyberbullying. Young people who sign up will also have an opportunity to win a $5,000 scholarship. Check it out:

Have a relaxing weekend everyone! Until next time, stay platinum!

(San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence photo credit: Flickr/Bhautik Joshi.)