Federal judge rejects Tennessee drag show ban as unconstitutional

By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A federal judge has ruled that Tennessee’s law restricting drag performances in public or where children were present was unconstitutional, striking a blow to efforts in U.S. states to regulate LGBTQ conduct. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in February had signed the bill passed by the state’s assembly that aimed…

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Texas becomes largest state to ban transgender care for minors

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday signed a bill that bans transgender healthcare including puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, making Texas the largest of the 20 states to have outlawed gender-affirming care. Republican lawmakers across the country have promoted similar bills, saying they mistrust the consensus among major…

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Chinese quants redouble AI bets amid ChatGPT frenzy

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Chinese quant hedge fund managers are rushing to explore ChatGPT-style tools, embracing the emerging AI technology that has sparked a global frenzy since the release of the widely popular Microsoft-backed OpenAI chatbot. Quants’ focus on advanced artificial intelligence to aid decision-making comes amid a tough investment environment, as China’s post-COVID recovery wanes…

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Thai PM frontrunner attends Pride parade, promising same-sex marriage, gender identity rights

(This June 4 story has been refiled to fix Move Forward leader’s name to ‘Pita’ on second reference in paragraph 5) By Jiraporn Kuhakan BANGKOK (Reuters) – The frontrunner to be Thailand’s next prime minister joined a Pride parade in Bangkok on Sunday, promising to pass a law that would allow same-sex marriage and gender…

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