LGBTQ | FFXnow

Morning Notes

Published May 31, 2022 at 7:30AM

Ferris wheel at Viva Vienna 2022 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Governor Attends Vienna Memorial Day Ceremony — “Vienna residents joined Gov. Glen Youngkin and other dignitaries at the Town Green today to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. In his remarks, Rear Admiral Fred Kacher noted that for Gold Star families, every day is Memorial Day.” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]

West Falls Church Apartment Fire Displaces Residents — Assisted by Arlington and Fairfax City, Fairfax Count fire investigators are looking into a two-alarm apartment fire that damaged 12 units in the 2900 block of Dover Lane on Sunday (May 29). There were no reported injuries, but an “unknown number” of residents were displaced, including a dog. [FCFRD/Facebook, Twitter]

Countywide

Fairfax County School Board delays decision on making sex ed more co-ed

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 26, 2022 at 3:45PM

Fairfax County Public Schools currently separates middle school students into "boy" and "girl" groups for sex-education classes (via Samuel Regan-Asante/Unsplash)

Middle school sex education classes in Fairfax County will remain separated by gender going into the next school year.

A majority of the Fairfax County School Board agreed on Tuesday (May 24) to postpone a vote on whether to introduce gender-combined Family Life Education (FLE) classes for students in grades 4-8 and 10th grade, along with other proposed changes intended to make the curriculum more inclusive.

Around Town

Reston Pride returns for fifth annual festival with ‘dragapella beauty shop quartet’

By Fatimah Waseem

Published May 26, 2022 at 11:15AM

The festival returns this year to Lake Anne Plaza on June 1 (Photo via Chip McCrea Photography).

Reston Pride will return to Lake Anne Plaza this year for its fifth annual festival on June 4.

The annual event follows the theme “You Belong Here” in an effort to engage the LGBTQIA+ community.

Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published May 2, 2022 at 7:30AM

The crowds returned for the first Taste of Vienna since the COVID-19 pandemic started (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Reminder: FFXnow Wants Your Input — FFXnow is conducting a survey to learn more about our readers and help shape future coverage. What kinds of stories interest you? Have strong feelings about the Tysons Reporter and Reston Now merger, or the length of our stories? Let us know before the survey closes after Sunday, May 15.

Former Falls Church Bicycle Shop Owner’s Mythology Unravels — “We’re not just talking about one man’s fabrications, but the ripples from those fabrications: a team of riders that allege abuse at [Nick] Clark’s hands, a series of embellished life events stretching back to the 1990s, ties with the political and military elite, alleged misrepresentations across multiple industries, and possible stolen military valour.” [Cycling Tips]

Countywide

Fairfax drag show goes on, relocating after Epicure cafe closure

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 21, 2022 at 3:00PM

Now at Earp's Ordinary, the Fairfax-based Palace drag show started at Epicure in May 2021 (photos by Matt Briggs)

Fairfax City’s Epicure is no more, a blow to the students and artists who had turned the independent cafe on Route 29 into the area’s go-to quirky-cool hangout spot.

Fortunately for the local LGBTQ community, the Palace still stands. The biweekly drag show, which was started last May by a pair of high school friends, has sashayed over to the Earp’s Ordinary pop-up bar at 3950 University Drive.

Countywide

Lake Braddock shuts down social media account targeting LGBTQ students

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 9, 2022 at 9:00AM

Lake Braddock Secondary School (via Google Maps)

An anonymous Instagram account that attacked LGBTQ students at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke has been shut down and the perpetrator identified, Principal Daniel W. Smith said in a message to the school community yesterday (Tuesday).

The now-deleted account surfaced Monday afternoon (March 7) with photos of students identified as members of the LGBTQ community and demeaning captions, screenshots show.

News

FCPS decision on challenged books praised by LGBTQ students, staff

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 24, 2021 at 3:30PM | Updated February 25, 2022 at 11:49AM

LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other gender and sexual minority identities (via Sharon McCutcheon/Unsplash)

Students and staff in the LGBTQIA+ community expressed relief yesterday (Tuesday) after Fairfax County Public Schools announced that it will return a pair of challenged, queer-centered books to library shelves.

“Gender Queer: A Memoir” by nonbinary author Maia Kobabe and Jonathan Evison’s “Lawn Boy” — a coming-of-age story about a Mexican American man that deals with race, class, and sexual identity — were pulled from circulation in late September after parents complained that they contained graphic sexual content unsuitable for children.

News

JUST IN: FCPS returns books challenged for sexual content to school libraries

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 23, 2021 at 10:30AM | Updated August 29, 2022 at 7:35PM

Fairfax County Public Schools

(Updated at 10:55 a.m. on 11/24/2021) Fairfax County Public Schools has reinstated two books that were recently pulled from library shelves after some parents took issue with their sexual content.

“Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe and “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison — both books that center on LGBTQIA+ individuals exploring their identities — will be returned to shelves based on recommendations from committees formed to review the materials, FCPS announced today (Monday).

News

On eve of Banned Books Week, FCPS pulls books after mom protests sexual content

By Fatimah Waseem

Published September 28, 2021 at 3:30PM | Updated February 25, 2022 at 11:50AM

Fairfax County Public Schools has pulled two books from its shelves after a local mom complained to the school board that the titles contain graphic sexual content and pedophelia.

A spokesperson for FCPS confirmed to FFXnow that “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison and “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe have been temporarily pulled from shelves.