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Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater have one of the all-time greatest partnerships between an actor and a filmmaker in cinematic history.

BOGOTA - Juan Viana recalls having a happy childhood in a Christian community in Bogotá but when he came out as gay at age 18, that all changed. "Unfortunately, that community of support became a place of deep repudiation of who I really was," said Viana, now 48. His family took him to a center for 'conversion therapy' - aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity - on the advice of a psychologist.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for the removal of rainbow crosswalks and other symbols of pride from public roads across Texas, saying they pose safety concerns and misuse taxpayer dollars. "Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways," Abbott said in a statement Wednesday. He directed the Texas Department of Transportation to ensure all cities and counties "remove any and all political ideologies from our streets" within 30 days.

As a closeted gay teen growing up in Glendale, Arizona, in the 1990s, Andy Parker once invited a Marine Corps recruiter to his house to convince his conservative, evangelical parents to let him join the military. "Looking back now, I can see that that was definitely me trying to find a way to prove something, to run away from something, to test my masculinity or prove it somehow," Parker told NBC News.

BISMARCK, N.D. - A North Dakota judge has upheld the state's ban on gender-affirming care for children, in a blow to families who have had to travel out of state to obtain the medical treatments they said are crucial for their kids' well-being.

NEW YORK - A New York county's law banning transgender women from playing on female sports teams at county-run parks and recreational facilities has been halted for now. A state appeals court on Wednesday barred Nassau County from enforcing the ban while a legal challenge brought on behalf of a local women's roller derby league plays out.

LONDON - Nate Rae had always felt secure living openly since coming out as a transgender man in his late 20s - until a recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of biological sex changed everything. Now, Rae - a PhD student and science communicator who grew up in a small Scottish town before moving to London - says he finds himself constantly weighing risks and assessing where it is safe - or unsafe - for him to be.

MINNEAPOLIS - President Donald Trump's administration said Tuesday that the state of Minnesota and its governing body for high school sports are violating a key federal law against sex discrimination by allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports. The ruling came from the civil rights offices at the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Three of the nation's largest public school districts stand to lose $24 million after missing a Trump administration deadline to agree to change policies supporting transgender students, officials said Wednesday.

Canadian comic Mae Martin knows their new Netflix limited series - which blends light-hearted comedic elements with the anxiety-inducing horror and thriller genres - may feel like a dramatic departure for anyone who is familiar with their stand-up routines and their semi-autobiographical show, "Feel Good." "It's funny because it doesn't feel like a departure for me," Martin, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, told NBC News.