As part of its 35th year as central Ohio’s premier LGBTQIA + performing organization, the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus (“CGMC”) is very proud to announce that they are launching their first-ever Youth Performing Ensemble.

“I’m incredibly proud that we are launching this Youth Ensemble because there are very few opportunities like this across the country,” said CGMC’s Executive Director Donovan Jones. “It’s important to me that we create a space where LGBTQIA+ youth in Columbus can come together, feel seen, and express themselves through music.”

CGMC believes that we are living in a time where members of our vast LGBTQIA+ family are continuing to be persecuted for simply daring to exist as their authentic true selves. This horrific truth is evidenced by the numerous pieces of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation that have been introduced in governing bodies all across our nation. Specifically, regarding LGBTQIA+ youth, there continues to be too few safe spaces where they can feel accepted and affirmed for being exactly who they are.

According to the news wire service, Israel Ambassador nominee Mike Huckabee said hostages must be released. Does he mean the 2.2 million Palestinian hostages held in Gaza or the 12,000 Palestinians held in 13 Israeli concentration camps without charges or trial dates for years? Among the thousands of Palestinians (some Christians, yes, I said Christians) held in Israeli jails without due process, must also be released.  So now Mikey, as a professing Christian, how will he work on that one?

Since Huckabee said during his presidential campaign in 2015 that "There is no such thing as Palestinians, I assume he was referring to only the Israeli hostages. Huck spends a lot of time on Twitter. He thinks he's very funny and slick. The fact is he is boring, dull, and Islamophobic, and he will put you to sleep.

Antisemitism is wrong—there’s no debate about that. By the same token, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism are equally dangerous. Conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism is not only misguided but also harmful. Ohio state Senator Terry Johnson’s proposed legislation does just that, threatening to undermine fundamental constitutional rights, stifle political expression, and open the door to discriminatory enforcement.

The recent vilification of student-led protests on college campuses, chief among them what happened on our own, The Ohio State University, was so dangerous that made many of us shiver.  

A week after a red tsunami crashed over America, the Republic feels like it's drowning amid the chaos of President-elect Donald Trump’s catastrophic cabinet picks, Democrats flogging themselves for failing the people, and pundits still positing theories of just what went wrong with Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential run.

But we may be missing the big picture, the one staring us right in the face. The most scandalous, constitution-rattling news quietly breaking in the undercurrent of all the name-and-blames, and what-a-shame noise. The answers to last week’s earth-shaking election results may be the most sensible and obvious:

Donald J. Trump cheated.