HRC PRESIDENT GRIFFIN TO TRUMP -- URGE PUTIN TO IMMEDIATELY END VIOLENCE AGAINST LGBTQ PEOPLE IN CHECHNYA: In a letter to President Donald Trump, HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) called on him to address the issue of anti-LGBTQ violence in Chechnya with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the two leaders’ scheduled meeting at the G-20 summit this week. “It is imperative that you forcefully raise this issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin when you meet him in Germany at the G-20 summit this week,” writes Griffin. “I urge you to stand with the victims by calling on President Putin to take immediate action to bring the violence to an end and the perpetrators of these horrendous crimes to justice.” Since news first broke in April, more than 100 gay and bisexual men have been arrested and detained without charge. While some have been set free, reports indicate that many remain in detention, where they have been beaten, tortured, and at least three have been killed. HRC has repeatedly called on Secretary Tillerson and President Trump to forcefully condemn the atrocities in Chechnya. More from HRC, Metro Weekly and Washington Blade.

“I DON’T WANT A SUICIDE ON MY HANDS” -- TEXAS HOUSE SPEAKER ON ANTI-TRANS STATE LEGISLATION: In an interview with The New Yorker, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus spoke bluntly about proposed state bills targeting transgender people for discrimination. “I’m disgusted by all this,” Straus said. “Tell the lieutenant governor I don’t want the suicide of a single Texan on my hands.” HRC sharply criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott for calling a special session specifically to discriminate against transgender Texans. Throughout the legislative session, far-right lawmakers have considered anti-LGBTQ legislation including bills that would make it illegal for transgender people to access facilities consistent with their gender identity. Now, Gov. Abbott has decided to waste taxpayers’ time and money to focus on discrimination outside the bounds of the regular legislative session. More from The Associated Press.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Two years ago, WNYC interviewed Q Daily, then a nine-year-old transgender boy. Recently, the station’s Yasmeen Kahn (@YasmeenKahn) followed up with Q as he prepares to embark on middle school and faces questions from others about being transgender during puberty. “I’m used to getting comments like that,” he said of the questions. “Some people don’t agree. But I can’t do anything about that. I can’t change their thinking.” Kahn also spoke with Q’s parents about raising a transgender child during the Trump Administration. More from WNYC.

HRC MOURNS THE LOSS OF EBONY MORGAN, TRANSGENDER WOMAN MURDERED IN LYNCHBURG, VA.: HRC was horrified to learn that a 28-year-old transgender woman, Ebony Morgan, was shot and killed in Lynchburg, Va., on Sunday, July 2. Local police have named Kenneth Allen Kelly Jr., who fled the scene before police arrived, as a person of interest in the case. Since January 1, advocates have tracked at least 15 deaths from anti-transgender violence across the country, including one woman who died of injuries from a 2016 attack. Almost every victim has been a woman of color -- and nearly all Black women. More from NewNowNext.

TREVOR PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS HARMFUL EFFECT TRUMP HAS HAD ON LGBTQ YOUTH: A HRC survey of young people conducted after the election revealed that 70 percent of respondents reported witnessing bullying, hate messages or harassment during or since the 2016 election. Of those, 79 percent said such behaviors have been occurring more frequently since the onset of the presidential campaign. The Trevor Project -- a hotline for LGBTQ youth -- reports seeing the alarming effects of these these behaviors firsthand. More from The Daily Beast.

HATE CRIMES IN CALIFORNIA INCREASED BY 11 PERCENT LAST YEAR: There were 931 such crimes reported in the state. The most frequently targeted? Black people, Jewish people and gay men. More from ABC7.

• California to require workplace training around gender identity: The new law took effect on Saturday. More from SFgate.

MALTA’S PARLIAMENT APPROVES SECOND READING OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL: The final vote will likely happen on July 12. At his swearing in to a second term last month, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat pledged to make marriage equality a legislative priority. Malta already passed a federal law protecting citizens based on gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics, and bans so-called “conversion therapy” for minors. More from Independent.

CANADIAN BABY MAY BE FIRST WITH GENDERLESS ID CARD: The child, Searyl Alti Doty, has a “U” marked on their health card. However, the government does not allow birth certificates without a gender marker. More from BuzzFeed.

LGBTQ ASYLUM APPLICANTS TO BELGIUM HAVE TRIPLED SINCE 2009: And this theme is consistent across Europe. More on this and the unique struggles of seeking asylum as an LGBTQ person from Quartz.

HORRIFYING -- IRAQI ACTOR MURDERED ON SUSPICION OF BEING LGBTQ: Karar Noshi, known as “the Beauty King of Iraq,” was tortured and murdered in Baghdad. More from NewNowNext.

ARMENIA RECOGNIZES SAME-SEX MARRIAGES PERFORMED ABROAD: The religious country is now only the second former Soviet nation to recognize marriage equality of any kind, after Estonia. More from NewNowNext.

NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT TO APOLOGIZE TO MEN CONVICTED OF SAME-SEX SEXUAL ACTIVITY: Justice Minister Amy Adams will move a Parliamentary motion reading, “I move that this House apologise to those homosexual New Zealanders who were convicted for consensual adult activity, and recognise the tremendous hurt and suffering those men and their families have gone through, and the continued effects the convictions have had on them.” More from New Zealand Herald.

EAST TIMOR HOLDS FIRST PRIDE PARADE: The Prime Minister of the Southeast Asian nation also called for LGBTQ equality, saying “Discrimination, disrespect and abuse towards people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity does not provide any benefit to our nation.” More from The Canadian Press.

READING RAINBOW

Autostraddle gives advice on supporting LGBTQ children with disabilities; Time interviews openly gay Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy (@GusKenworthy); The Associated Press reports that Puerto Rico’s governor has created the island’s first-ever LGBTQ advisory board;

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