Lgbtq+

Was a letter "S" recently added to LGBTQIA to represent "satanism"? Do the brown and black stripes on the pride and trans flags represent an acknowledgment of stolen Native American land and Black Lives Matter? No, that's not true: The S does not stand for satanism. The S at the end of the acronym can be plural, as in "LGBTQIAs,"…

Did this Reddit post, which migrated to other platforms, chronicle a transgender parent forcibly giving their child the female hormone estradiol so that their son could transition into their daughter? No, that's not true: The content was made by internet trolls who wanted to make strangers angry with a fabricated story. The site rdrama.net -- one of the first sites…

Did California ban travel to Florida? No, that's not entirely true: While California did ban state-sponsored travel to Florida due to the latter state's policies against LGBTQ individuals, that ban does not extend to private travel. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on August 3, 2021. It featured a graphic that read: California bans travel to…

Was the Milwaukee County Children's Court judge arrested on seven counts of child porn also the former president of Drag Queen Story Hour Foundation? No, that's not true. Children's Court Judge Brett Blomme was arrested on seven counts of child porn in Milwaukee on March 16, 2021. But, he was not the president of the Drag Queen Story Hour Milwaukee…

Did an Antifa leader in the 'Pittsburg area' tweet a warning to President Trump that armed Antifa members would block roads in conservative areas unless he conceded to Joe Biden? No, that's not true: A prankster, infamous for trolling the far right on social media, posted the tweet. Adam Rahuba is not an Antifa leader. He has admitted to past…

If Joe Biden wins the election are there people planning on mass murdering POC and LGBTQ+ people? No, that's not true. A claim has gone viral that if the Democratic nominee beats Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, there are people plotting to kill people of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people, and warns that people should stay…

Does Kohl's only sell Black Lives Matter apparel and no Blue Lives Matter apparel? No, that's not true: Kohl's sells cowboy boots with a stitched-on Thin Blue Line patch, one symbol of the Blue Lives Matter pro-police organization. Starting September 21, Kohl's will also be selling Black Lives Matter clothing bearing symbols of the organization that seeks race-related reform of…

Stéphane Grasso is a journalist for Lead Stories Español. He speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish and has produced news, documentaries and films in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia for over 15 years. As a freelance photojournalist and videojournalist, he has worked with media outlets such as Vice News, Agence France-Presse, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Bloomberg News and NGOs…

Did California pass a "pro pedophilia bill" that would make it legal to have sex with children? No, that's not true. A meme claims California Senate Bill 145 passed in a 6-2 vote and "no registration or felony if sex with minor is w/in 10 years." The bill is intended to protect LGBTQ+ minors from discriminatory laws, not to be…