A county in South Carolina was sued for removing LGBTQ books, anti-LGBTQ bills were filed in the Texas Legislature, and a restaurant in Mississippi excluded queer couples in its promotion.
County Sued For Removing LGBTQ Books
A group of minors and their parents are suing Greenville County and its Library System’s executive director over decisions to remove books with LGBTQ content.
The lawsuit states that by limiting access or removing these books, the county has violated the minors’ First and 14th Amendment rights.
“Books are one of our greatest tools to learn about other peoples, the world around us, and more importantly to learn about ourselves through representation,” Greg Rogers, a Greenville County parent and plaintiff in the lawsuit, said. “All children and young adults should have equal access to these tools. Keeping even one child from accessing the representation they provide is a travesty for the equality of all children.”
Plethora Of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Filed In Legislature
Photo by Aerra Carnicom, Wikimedia Commons.
Over 80 bills covering LGBTQ issues were filed in the Texas Legislature.
Bills filed include measures to ban teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity and implementing protections for employees who refer to trans students by their biological sex.
With only 10 weeks left in the legislative session, it’s likely many won’t receive significant attention. But the sheer number of anti-LGBTQ bills show the Republican Party not backing down on attacking queer rights.
“The hope is that it will overwhelm people, and people will just surrender and throw their hands up in the air,” Johnathan Gooch, a spokesman for the LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Texas, said.
Restaurant Excludes Queer Couples From Promotion
Nettie and Darwell Yeager. Screenshot via Facebook reel.
A local restaurant called Darwell’s Happiness Cafe posted a video offering free food to couples, with one catch –– you have to be “the real kind of couple.”
That’s what owners Darwell and Nettie Yeager said in a video they uploaded to Facebook.
"Cause we don't do the trans or the lesbians or gays. I'm sorry, but that's down the street," Nettie said in the video, where she and her husband sing and dance together while talking about the promotion.
The video was taken down, along with a slew of other posts and comments made by the couple. Nettie compared the promotion to letting kids eat free, and told lesbians to remember the Bible’s stance on same-sex relationships.
Now, Nettie posted an apology on Facebook, stating, “I’m not perfect … I say thing people don’t understand, misread, misunderstood, jokes maybe I shouldn’t say.”
But the apology was too little, too late for some.
The Board of Gulf Coast Equality, a nonprofit that encourages diversity and inclusion in the community, said people should spend their money where it counts.
"If Darwell’s won’t welcome us, we won’t support them. We’ll make the impact felt where it counts. We call on our community to come together — not just in outrage, but in action. Because equality isn’t just a word. It’s how we live, how we support each other, and how we move forward.”
