title: Bill Nye

text: Nye started doing standup comedy after winning a Steve Martin lookalike contest in 1978. Nye's friends asked him to do Steve Martin impressions at parties, and he discovered how much he enjoyed making people laugh. He began moonlighting as a comedian while working at Boeing. He has stated, "At this point in our story, I was working on business jet navigation systems, laser gyroscope systems during the day, and I'd take a nap and go do stand-up comedy by night."


title: Bill Nye

text: He also participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and volunteered at the Pacific Science Center on weekends as a "Science Explainer".


title: Bill Nye

text: During Nye's 10-year college reunion in 1987, he went to great lengths to meet with Carl Sagan at Cornell. Sagan's assistant told Nye, "Okay, you can talk to him for five minutes." In their meeting at the space sciences building, Nye explained that he was interested in developing a science television program. "I mentioned how I planned to talk about bridges and bicycles and so on—stuff that, as an engineer, I'd been interested in—and [Sagan] said, 'Focus on pure science. Kids resonate to pure science rather than technology.' And that turned out to be great advice."


title: Bill Nye

text: In 1986, Nye worked as a writer/actor on a local sketch comedy television show in Seattle called "Almost Live!". He first got his big break on the show from John Keister who met him during an open mic night. After a guest canceled, cohost Ross Shafer told Nye he had seven minutes of programming to fill. "Why don't you do that science stuff?" Shafer suggested. Nye entertained audiences with comical demonstrations, including what happened when you ate a marshmallow that had been dipped in liquid nitrogen. His other main recurring role on "Almost Live!" was as Speed Walker, a speedwalking Seattle superhero "who fights crime while maintaining strict adherence to the regulations of the international speedwalking association."


title: Bill Nye

text: A famous incident on the show led to Nye's stage name. He corrected Keister on his pronunciation of the word "gigawatt", and Keister responded, "Who do you think you are—Bill Nye the Science Guy?" Nye's science experiments resonated with viewers, and the local chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded him a talent Emmy for one of his segments.


title: Bill Nye

text: Even though Nye was regular on "Almost Live!", he was only doing freelance work for the program. While looking for more TV gigs, he got the opportunity in 1989 to host "Fabulous Wetlands", a short educational show about Washington's wetlands, sponsored by the Washington State Department of Ecology. On "Fabulous Wetlands", Nye explained the importance of preserving estuaries, and the hazards of pollution. The show was, in many ways, a model for Nye's later show, with "zany camera cuts paired with Nye's humor" that set it apart from other scientific broadcasts. Nye soon got more offers to appear on nationally broadcast programs, including eight segments of the Disney Channel's "All-New Mickey Mouse Club".


title: Bill Nye

text: Following his stint on "Almost Live!", from 1991 to 1993 Nye appeared on live-action educational segments of "", assisting Dr. Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd).


title: Bill Nye

text: In 1993, collaborating with James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb and Elizabeth Brock, Nye developed a pilot for a new show, "Bill Nye the Science Guy", for the Seattle public broadcasting station KCTS-TV. They pitched the show as ""Mr. Wizard" meets "Pee-wee's Playhouse"". Nye obtained underwriting for the show from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy. The program became part of a package of syndicated series that local stations could schedule to fulfill Children's Television Act requirements. Because of this, "Bill Nye the Science Guy" became the first program to run concurrently on public and commercial stations. The series was produced by Walt Disney Television and Rabbit Ears Productions, and distributed by Disney.


title: Bill Nye

text: "Bill Nye the Science Guy" ran from 1993 to 1998, and was one of the most-watched educational TV shows in the United States. While portraying "The Science Guy", Nye wore a powder blue lab coat and a bow tie. Nye Labs, the production offices and set where the show was recorded, was in a converted clothing warehouse near Seattle's Kingdome. Although it focused on younger viewers, it also attracted a significant adult audience. Its ability to make science entertaining and accessible made it a popular teaching tool in classrooms. With its quirky humor and rapid-fire MTV-style pacing, the show won critical acclaim and was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning nineteen. Research studies found that regular viewers were better at explaining scientific ideas than non-viewers.


title: Bill Nye

text: In addition to the TV show, Nye published several books as The Science Guy. A CD-ROM based on the series, titled "Bill Nye the Science Guy: Stop the Rock!", was released in 1996 for Windows and Macintosh by Pacific Interactive.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye's Science Guy personality is also prominent at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts—most notably his appearance with Ellen DeGeneres at "Ellen's Energy Adventure", an attraction that ran from 1996 to 2017 at the Universe of Energy pavilion at Epcot at Walt Disney World. Nye's Science Guy character is also heard in a voice-over in the DINOSAUR attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and was the on-air spokesman for the Noggin television network in 1999.


title: Bill Nye

text: Following the success of "Bill Nye the Science Guy", Nye began work on a comeback project, "The Eyes of Nye", aimed at an older audience and tackling more controversial science topics such as genetically modified food, global warming and race. However, "shifting creative concepts, infighting among executives and disputes over money with Seattle producing station KCTS" significantly delayed production for years. KCTS was hampered by budgetary problems and couldn't produce a show pilot on time. "KCTS went through some distress", Nye recalled. "When we did "The Eyes of Nye", the budget started out really big, and by the time we served all these little problems at KCTS, we had a much lower budget for the show than we'd ever had for the 'Science Guy' show which was made several years earlier." PBS declined to distribute "The Eyes of Nye", and it was eventually picked up by American Public Television. "PBS wanted more serious, in-depth "Nova"-style shows", explained co-producer Randy Brinson. The show, which eventually premiered in 2005, lasted only one season. Nye acknowledged that omitting his bow tie on the program was a mistake. "I tried wearing a straight tie. It was nothing", Nye said. "We were trying something new. It wasn't me."


title: Bill Nye

text: On August 31, 2016, Netflix announced that Nye would appear in a new series, "Bill Nye Saves the World", which premiered on April 21, 2017. Its third and final season was released on May 11, 2018.


title: Bill Nye

text: His next series, "The End is Nye", was ordered by Peacock in March 2021. Teaming up with Seth MacFarlane and Brannon Braga, the series has Nye exploring natural and unnatural disasters, explaining them scientifically to detail surviving, mitigating, and preventing them. It premiered on August 25, 2022, with six episodes.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye was a contestant in season 17 of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2013, partnered with new professional dancer Tyne Stecklein. They were eliminated early in the season after Nye sustained an injury to his quadriceps tendon on Week 3.


title: Bill Nye

text: From 2000 to 2002, Nye was the technical expert on "BattleBots". In 2004 and 2005, he hosted "100 Greatest Discoveries", an award-winning series produced by THINKFilm for The Science Channel, broadcast in high definition on the Discovery HD Theater network. In 2007, he also hosted an eight-part Discovery Channel series, "Greatest Inventions with Bill Nye".


title: Bill Nye

text: A lecture Nye gave on getting children excited about math inspired the creation of the crime drama "Numb3rs", where Nye appeared in several episodes as an engineering professor. On October 28, 2007, he also made guest appearances on the VH1 reality show "America's Most Smartest Model".


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye appeared on segments of Heidi Cullen's "The Climate Code", later renamed "Forecast Earth" on the Weather Channel, relating his personal ways of saving energy. In the fall of 2008, he appeared periodically on the daytime game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" as part of its "Ask the Expert" feature.


title: Bill Nye

text: In 2008, Nye hosted "Stuff Happens", a short-lived show on the Planet Green network. In November 2008, he portrayed himself in the fifth-season episode "Brain Storm" of "Stargate Atlantis", alongside fellow television personality and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.


title: Bill Nye

text: In October 2009, Nye recorded a short YouTube video (as himself, not his TV persona) advocating clean-energy climate-change legislation, on behalf of Al Gore's Repower America campaign. He joined the American Optometric Association in a multimedia advertising campaign to persuade parents to provide their children with comprehensive eye examinations.


title: Bill Nye

text: In 2013, Nye guest-starred in "The Big Bang Theory" episode "The Proton Displacement". In the episode, Sheldon Cooper befriends Nye and brings him in to teach Leonard Hofstadter a "lesson" after Professor Proton (played by Bob Newhart) helps Leonard with an experiment instead of Sheldon. Professor Proton accuses Bill Nye of making his TV series similar to Proton's show. After Nye and Sheldon leave, Leonard receives a selfie of the two having smoothies, and later gets a text from Sheldon asking for a ride home, as Nye has ditched him at the smoothie store. In a later discussion with Professor Proton, Sheldon reveals that Nye had a restraining order against him, so he could not help him contact Nye.


title: Bill Nye

text: On February 28, 2014, Nye was a celebrity guest and interviewer at the White House Student Film Festival.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye appeared in the 2016 documentary "Food Evolution", directed by Academy Award-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy and narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.


title: Bill Nye

text: In 2017, he was the subject of a biographical documentary film, "", directed by David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg. Nye was honorary co-chair of the inaugural March for Science on April 22, 2017.


title: Bill Nye

text: In 2018, Nye guest-starred in an episode of "Blindspot", "Let It Go", playing a fictionalized version of himself who is the father of the character Patterson. Nye's fictional self also alludes to his rivalry with Rodney McKay, which was established in the aforementioned "Brain Storm" episode of "Stargate Atlantis". Also in 2018, Nye made a second guest appearance on "The Big Bang Theory" as himself, together with fellow scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, in the first episode ("The Conjugal Configuration") of the show's final season.


title: Bill Nye

text: In September 2019, Nye was a guest on Episode 127 of Jonathan Van Ness's podcast "Getting Curious", where they discussed climate change, the failures of cold fusion, the potential of better battery technology for storage of energy produced by wind turbines and solar panels, the benefits of and forthcoming improvements to electric vehicles, and the detriment and failures of fossil fuel and nuclear energy, measures toward water cleanliness, the role of girls' and women's education in improving the environment, and the threat the Trump administration posed to the environment and to scientific thought in general.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye also voiced himself in the animated feature "Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo!" Nye portrayed Upton Sinclair in the 2020 biopic "Mank".


title: Bill Nye

text: In the early 2000s, Nye assisted in the development of a small sundial included in the Mars Exploration Rover missions. Known as MarsDial, in addition to tracking time, it had small colored panels to provide a basis for color calibration. From 2005 to 2010, Nye was the vice president of the Planetary Society, an organization that advocates space science research and the exploration of other planets, particularly Mars. He became the organization's second Executive Director in September 2010 when Louis Friedman stepped down.


title: Bill Nye

text: In November 2010, Nye became the face of a major science exhibition at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California. Bill Nye's Climate Lab featured him as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station and invited visitors on an urgent mission to thwart climate change.


title: Bill Nye

text: From 2001 to 2006, Nye served as Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University.


title: Bill Nye

text: On August 27, 2011, gave a public lecture at Cornell University that filled its 715-seat Statler Auditorium. He spoke of his father's passion for sundials and timekeeping, his time at Cornell, his work on the sundials on the Mars rovers, and the story behind the Bill Nye Solar Noon Clock, which he then presented to the university atop Rhodes Hall.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a U.S. nonprofit scientific and educational organization that promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims. Interviewed by John Rael for the Independent Investigation Group (IIG), Nye said that his "concern right now ... [is] scientific illiteracy ... you [the public] don't have enough rudimentary knowledge of the universe to evaluate claims." In November 2012, he launched a Kickstarter campaign for an educational aerodynamics game called "AERO 3D", but it was not funded.


title: Bill Nye

text: In September 2012, Nye claimed that creationist views threatened science education and innovation in the United States. In February 2014, he debated creationist Ken Ham at the Creation Museum on whether creation is a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era. In July 2016, Ham gave Nye a tour of the Ark Encounter the day after it first opened to the public. He and Ham had an informal debate while touring the structure, and footage from Nye's visit was subsequently included in the documentary film "", released in 2017.


title: Bill Nye

text: Since 2013, Nye has been a member of the Advisory Council of the National Center for Science Education.


title: Bill Nye

text: On Earth Day 2015, Nye met with U.S. President Obama to visit Everglades National Park in Florida and discuss climate change and science education.


title: Bill Nye

text: In March 2015, Nye announced he changed his mind and now supported GMOs. In a new edition of "Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation", Nye rewrote a chapter on GMOs reflecting his new position. In a radio interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, he said, "There's no difference between allergies among GMO eaters and non-GMO eaters ... I've changed my mind about genetically modified organisms."


title: Bill Nye

text: In July 2017, Nye observed that the majority of climate change deniers are older people, and said: "So we're just going to have to wait for those people to 'age out', as they say." He has continued to advocate against climate denial. On "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" on May 12, 2019, he discussed climate change and the proposed Green New Deal, and said:


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye has residences in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, in New York City, and on Mercer Island near Seattle. His California house is solar-powered, and often feeds extra power back into the public power grid, something he enjoys showing visitors.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye and his neighbor, environmental activist/actor Ed Begley Jr., have engaged in a friendly competition "to see who could have the lowest carbon footprint", according to Begley. Nye often appeared on Begley's HGTV/Planet Green reality show "Living with Ed".


title: Bill Nye

text: In July 2012, Nye supported President Barack Obama's reelection bid. He frequently consulted with Obama on science matters during Obama's presidency, and famously took a selfie with him and Neil deGrasse Tyson at the White House. Nye attended the 2018 State of the Union Address after being invited by Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine. Nye's attendance drew scrutiny due to Bridestine's "history of expressing climate change skepticism", but Nye defended him: "While the Congressman and I disagree on a great many issues, we share a deep respect for NASA and its achievements and a strong interest in the future of space exploration. My attendance tomorrow should not be interpreted as an endorsement of this administration, or of Congressman Bridenstine's nomination, or seen as an acceptance of the recent attacks on science and the scientific community." Nye endorsed Jay Inslee during the 2020 Democratic primaries, until Inslee suspended his campaign on August 21, 2019. On October 28, 2020, Nye took to Twitter endorsing Joe Biden for president, urging his followers to vote on behalf of climate change and science.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye married musician Blair Tindall on February 3, 2006; however, he annulled the relationship seven weeks later when the marriage license was declared invalid. In 2007, Nye obtained a restraining order against Tindall after she broke into his house and stole several items, including his laptop computer, which she used to send defamatory emails impersonating Nye, and damaged Nye's garden with herbicide. Tindall acknowledged killing the plants but denied being a threat to Nye. Nye subsequently sued Tindall for $57,000 in attorney's fees after she allegedly violated the protective order.


title: Bill Nye

text: In the 2017 PBS documentary "", Nye revealed his family's plight of ataxia. Due to his father's, sister's and brother's lifelong struggles with balance and coordination, Nye decided to not have children to avoid the chance of passing on the condition, even though he "dodged the genetic bullet" himself.


title: Bill Nye

text: In July 2018, Nye played for the National League squad at the MLB All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game. After striking out in his first at-bat, he singled in the bottom of the third inning to a rousing ovation from the Nationals Park crowd.


title: Bill Nye

text: Nye holds three United States patents: one for ballet pointe shoes, one for an educational magnifying glass created by filling a clear plastic bag with water, and one for a device for training an athlete to throw a ball. He also holds a design patent for a digital abacus.


title: Bill Nye

text: In May 1999, Nye was the commencement speaker at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree. He received honorary doctorates from Johns Hopkins University in May 2008, and in May 2011 from Willamette University In May 2015, Rutgers University awarded him an honorary doctor of science degree and paid him a $35,000 speaker's fee for presenting the ceremony's keynote address. Nye also received an honorary doctor of pedagogy degree during a commencement ceremony at Lehigh University on May 20, 2013. He received the 2010 Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association. In October 2015, Nye was awarded an honorary doctorate of science from Simon Fraser University. In 2011, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP) gave Nye their highest award, In Praise of Reason. On behalf of the committee, Eugenie Scott stated: "If you think Bill is popular among skeptics, you should attend a science teacher conference where he is speaking—it is standing room only ... No one has more fun than Nye when he is demonstrating principles of science." In 1997, CSICOP also presented Nye with the Candle in the Dark Award for his "lively, creative ... endeavor."


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party (LP) is a political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties, non-interventionism, "laissez-faire" capitalism, and limiting the size and scope of government. The party was conceived in August 1971 at meetings in the home of David F. Nolan in Westminster, Colorado, and was officially formed on December 11, 1971, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The organizers of the party drew inspiration from the works and ideas of the prominent Austrian school economist, Murray Rothbard. The founding of the party was prompted in part due to concerns about the Nixon administration, the Vietnam War, conscription, and the introduction of fiat money.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The party generally promotes a classical liberal platform, in contrast to the Democratic Party's modern liberalism and progressivism and the Republican Party's conservatism. Gary Johnson, the party's presidential nominee in 2012 and 2016, claims that the Libertarian Party is more culturally liberal than Democrats, and more fiscally conservative than Republicans. Its fiscal policy positions include lowering taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), decreasing the national debt, allowing people to opt out of Social Security and eliminating the welfare state, in part by utilizing private charities. Its cultural policy positions include ending the prohibition of illegal drugs, advocating criminal justice reform, supporting same-sex marriage, ending capital punishment, and supporting gun ownership rights.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The first Libertarian National Convention was held in June 1972. In 1978, Dick Randolph of Alaska became the first elected Libertarian state legislator. Following the 1980 federal elections, the Libertarian Party assumed the title of being the third-largest party for the first time after the American Independent Party and the Conservative Party of New York (the other largest minor parties at the time) continued to decline. In 1994, over 40 Libertarians were elected or appointed which was a record for the party at that time. 1995 saw a soaring membership and voter registration for the party. In 1996, the Libertarian Party became the first third party to earn ballot status in all 50 states two presidential elections in a row. By the end of 2009, 146 Libertarians were holding elected offices.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Tonie Nathan, running as the Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate in the 1972 presidential election with John Hospers as the presidential candidate, was the first female candidate in the United States to receive an electoral vote.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The 2012 election Libertarian Party presidential candidate, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and his running mate, former judge Jim Gray, received the highest number of votes—more than 1.2 million—of any Libertarian presidential candidate at the time. He was renominated for president in 2016, this time choosing former Massachusetts Governor William Weld as his running mate. Johnson/Weld shattered the Libertarian record for a presidential ticket, earning over 4.4 million votes. Both Johnson and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein received significantly more news coverage in 2016 than third-party candidates usually get, with polls showing both candidates potentially increasing their support over the last election, especially among younger voters.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party has had significant electoral success in the context of state legislatures and other local offices. Libertarians won four elections to the Alaska House of Representatives between 1978 and 1984 and another four to the New Hampshire General Court in 1992. Neil Randall, a Libertarian, won the election to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1998 running on both the Libertarian and Republican lines. In 2000, Steve Vaillancourt won election to the New Hampshire General Court running on the Libertarian ballot line. Rhode Island State Representative Daniel P. Gordon was expelled from the Republicans and joined the Libertarian Party in 2011. In July 2016 and June 2017, the Libertarians tied their 1992 peak of four legislators when four state legislators from four different states left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party: Nevada Assemblyman John Moore in January, Nebraska Senator Laura Ebke (although the Nebraska Legislature is officially non-partisan) and New Hampshire Representative Max Abramson in May and Utah Senator Mark B. Madsen in July. In the 2016 election cycle, Madsen and Abramson did not run for re-election to their respective offices while Moore lost his race after the Libertarian Party officially censured him over his support of taxpayer stadium funding. Ebke was not up for re-election in 2016. New Hampshire Representative Caleb Q. Dyer changed party affiliation to the Libertarian Party from the Republican Party in February 2017. New Hampshire Representative Joseph Stallcop changed party affiliation to the Libertarian Party from the Democratic Party in May 2017. New Hampshire State Legislator Brandon Phinney joined with the Libertarian Party from the Republican Party in June 2017, the third to do so in 2017 and matching their 1992 and 2016 peaks of sitting Libertarian state legislators.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In January 2018, sitting New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Aubrey Dunn Jr. changed party affiliation from Republican to the Libertarian Party, becoming the first Libertarian statewide officeholder in history.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In April 2020, Representative Justin Amash of Michigan became the first Libertarian member of Congress after leaving the Republican Party and spending time as an independent. In June 2020, Amash, with Ayanna Pressley of the Democratic Party, introduced the Ending Qualified Immunity Act in response to the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The bill was the first to gain support of members from the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties in the history of the United States Congress.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Following the 2022 Libertarian National Convention, the Mises Caucus, a paleolibertarian faction, became the dominant faction on the Libertarian National Committee. In response, the New Mexico LP voted to disaffiliate, the Massachusetts LP split, and the Virginia LP dissolved itself.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Dallas Accord was an implicit agreement made at the 1974 Libertarian National Convention to compromise between the larger minarchist and smaller anarcho-capitalist factions by adopting a platform that explicitly did not say whether it was desirable for the state to exist.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The purpose of this agreement was to make the Libertarian Party a "big tent" that would welcome more ideologically diverse groups of people interested in reducing the size of government. Consequently, the 1974 platform included a "Statement of Principles" which focused on statements arguing for getting government out of various activities, and used phrases such as "where governments exist they must not violate the rights of any individual." The previous version of the Statement of Principles adopted at the party's first convention in 1972, in contrast, affirmatively endorsed the minarchist perspective with statements such as "Since government has only one legitimate function, the protection of individual rights..." It was agreed that the topic of anarchism would not even be on the table for discussion until a limited government was achieved.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: During the 2006 Libertarian National Convention delegates deleted a large portion of the very detailed platform. The phrase "Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property" was added. This development was described as the "Portland Massacre" by its opponents. Some took this as meaning the Dallas Accord was dead.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Whether the Dallas Accord remains in effect, and if so whether it should, or what limits it places on the party's public statements or candidates, all remain disputed within the party. The party's Statement of Principles also states support for "the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others," and "the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation." The platform states in its Criminal Justice plank, that "[t]he prescribed role of government is to protect the rights of every individual including the right to life, liberty and property."


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 1972, "Libertarian Party" was chosen as the party's name, selected over "New Liberty Party". The first official slogan of the Libertarian Party was "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" (abbreviated "TANSTAAFL"), a phrase popularized by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1966 novel "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress", sometimes dubbed "a manifesto for a libertarian revolution". The slogan of the party is "The Party of Principle".


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Also in 1972, the "Libersign"—an arrow angling upward through the abbreviation "TANSTAAFL"—was adopted as a party symbol. By the end of the decade, this was replaced with the Lady Liberty until 2015, with the adoption of the "Torch Eagle" logo.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In the 1990s, several state Libertarian parties adopted the Liberty Penguin ("LP") as their official mascot. Another mascot is the Libertarian porcupine, an icon that was originally designed by Kevin Breen in March 2006 and inspired by the logo of the Free State Project (FSP).


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party is democratically governed by its members, with state affiliate parties each holding annual or biennial conventions at which delegates are elected to attend the party's biennial national convention. National convention delegates vote on changes to the party's national platform and bylaws and elect officers and "At-Large" representatives to the party's National Committee. The National Committee also has "Regional Representatives", some of whom are appointed by delegate caucuses at the national convention whereas others are appointed by the chairpersons of LP state affiliate chapters within a region.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) is a 27-member body including alternates, or 17 voting members. Since the 2022 Libertarian National Convention, the chair has been Angela McArdle of California.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party is organized in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Each state affiliate has a governing committee, usually consisting of statewide officers elected by state party members and regional representation of one kind or another. Similarly, county, town, city and ward committees, where organized, generally consist of members elected at the local level. State and local committees often coordinate campaign activities within their jurisdiction, oversee local conventions and in some cases primaries or caucuses and may have a role in nominating candidates for elected office under state law.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Since the Libertarian Party's inception, individuals have been able to join the party as voting members by signing their agreement with the organization's membership pledge, which states that the signer does not advocate the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals. During the mid-1980s and into the early 1990s, this membership category was called an "instant" membership, but these are referred to as "signature members". People joining the party are also asked to pay dues, which are on a sliding scale starting at $25 per year. Lifetime membership is granted with a $1,500 donation in one calendar year. Dues-paying members receive a subscription to the party's national newspaper, "LP News". Since 2006, membership in the party's state affiliates has been separate from membership in the national party, with each state chapter maintaining its own membership rolls.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Most rights to participate in the governance of the party are limited to "bylaws-sustaining members" who have either purchased a lifetime membership or donated at least $25 within the past year. Most state parties maintain separate membership, which may be tied to either payment of dues to the state party, or voter registration as a Libertarian, depending on the state's election laws.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The preamble outlines the party's goals: "As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others. [...] Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands". Its Statement of Principles begins: "We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual". The Statement of Principles is foundational to the ideology of the party and was created specifically to bind the party to certain core principles with a high parliamentary burden for any amendment.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The platform emphasizes individual liberty in personal and economic affairs, avoidance of "foreign entanglements" and military and economic intervention in other nations' affairs, and free trade and migration. The party opposes gun control. It calls for Constitutional limitations on government as well as the elimination of most state functions. It includes a "Self-determination" section which quotes from the Declaration of Independence and reads: "Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty". It also includes an "Omissions" section which reads: "Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval".


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The party favors minimally regulated markets, a less powerful federal government, strong civil liberties (including LGBT rights, with the party supporting same-sex marriage), the liberalization of drug laws, separation of church and state, open immigration, non-interventionism and neutrality in diplomatic relations, free trade and free movement to all foreign countries and a more representative republic. In 2018, the Libertarian Party became the first in the United States to call for the decriminalization of sex work. The party since 2022 has no official stance on abortion.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Statement of Principles was written by John Hospers. The Libertarian Party's bylaws specify that a 7/8ths supermajority of delegates is required to change the Statement of Principles. Any proposed platform plank found by the Judicial Committee to conflict with the Statement requires approval by a three-fourths supermajority of delegates. Early platform debates included at the second convention whether to support tax resistance and at the 1974 convention whether to support anarchism. In both cases, a compromise was reached.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The first Libertarian presidential candidate, John Hospers, received one electoral vote in 1972 when Roger MacBride, a Virginia Republican faithless elector pledged to Richard Nixon, cast his ballot for the Libertarian ticket. His vote for Theodora ("Tonie") Nathan as vice president was the first electoral college vote ever to be cast for a woman in a United States presidential election. MacBride became the Libertarian presidential nominee himself in 1976. This was the last time that the Libertarian Party won an electoral vote until 44 years later, in the 2016 presidential election, when Texas Republican faithless elector Bill Greene, who was pledged to cast his vote for Donald Trump, instead cast his vote for Libertarian Party member, 1988 presidential nominee, and former Republican representative Ron Paul for president.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: During the 2016 presidential election, Gary Johnson and vice presidential candidate Bill Weld received a record percentage of 3.3% of the popular vote (4,489,233 votes), getting 9.3% in New Mexico, where Johnson had previously been elected governor. In the 2012 presidential election, Johnson and running mate Jim Gray received 1,275,821 votes (1.0%).


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Historically, Libertarians have achieved 50-state ballot access for their presidential candidate five times: in 1980, 1992, 1996, (in 2000, L. Neil Smith was on the Arizona ballot instead of the nominee, Harry Browne) 2016, and have reached 50-state ballot access for the 2020 election.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In April 2012, the Libertarian Party of Nebraska successfully lobbied for a reform in ballot access with the new law requiring parties to requalify every four years instead of two. Following the 2012 election, the party gained automatic ballot status in 30 states.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Following the 2016 election, the party announced that it had achieved automatic ballot status in 37 or 38 states plus the District of Columbia.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In the Libertarian Party, some donors are not necessarily "members" because the party since its founding in 1972 has defined a "member" as being someone who agrees with the party's membership statement. The precise language of this statement is found in the party Bylaws. As of the end of 2017, there were 138,815 Americans who were on record as having signed the membership statement. A survey by David Kirby and David Boaz found a minimum of 14 percent of American voters to have libertarian-leaning views.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: There is another measure the party uses internally as well. Since its founding, the party has apportioned delegate seats to its national convention based on the number of members in each state who have paid minimum dues (with additional delegates given to state affiliates for good performance in winning more votes than normal for the party's presidential candidate). This is the most-used number by party activists. As of December 2017, the Libertarian Party reported that there were 14,445 donating members.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Historically, dues were $15 throughout the 1980s and in 1991 they were increased to $25. Between February 1, 2006, and the close of the 2006 Libertarian party convention on May 31, 2006, dues were set to $0. However, the change to $0 dues was controversial and was "de facto" reversed by the 2006 Libertarian National Convention in Portland, Oregon, at which the members re-established a basic $25 dues category (now called Sustaining membership) and further added a requirement that all National Committee officers must henceforth be at least sustaining members (which was not required prior to the convention).


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Ballot access expert and editor of "Ballot Access News" Richard Winger periodically compiles and analyzes voter registration statistics as reported by state voter agencies and he reports that as of early 2020 the party ranked third in voter registration nationally with 693,634 .


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Libertarians have had limited success in electing candidates at the state and local level. Since the party's creation, 10 Libertarians have been elected to state legislatures and some other state legislators have switched parties after being originally elected as Republicans or Democrats. The most recent Libertarian candidate elected to a state legislature was Marshall Burt to the Wyoming House of Representatives in 2020. The party elected multiple legislators in New Hampshire during the 1990s as well as in Alaska during the 1980s. One of the party's Alaska state legislators, Andre Marrou was nominated for vice president in 1988 and for president in 1992.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: As of 2017, there were 168 Libertarians holding elected office: 58 of them partisan offices and 110 of them non-partisan offices. In addition, some party members, who were elected to public office on other party lines, explicitly retained their Libertarian Party membership and these include former Representative Ron Paul, who has repeatedly stated that he remains a life member of the Libertarian Party.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Previously, the party has had four sitting members of state legislatures. Laura Ebke served in the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature and announced her switch from being a Republican to a Libertarian in 2016. Three members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives who were elected as either Republicans or Democrats in the 2016 election announced their switch to the Libertarian Party in 2017.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: State Senator Mark B. Madsen of Utah announced his switch from Republican to Libertarian in 2016, but also did not seek re-election that year. State Representative Max Abramson of New Hampshire switched from Republican to Libertarian before running as the party's gubernatorial candidate in 2016 instead of seeking re-election. State Representative John Moore of Nevada briefly switched parties, but he was defeated for re-election in 2016.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Aubrey Dunn Jr., the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands, switched his voter registration from Republican to Libertarian in January 2018. In doing so, Dunn became the first official elected to a statewide partisan office to have Libertarian voter registration.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 2020, Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. received 33% of the vote in a two-way race in Arkansas, the highest percentage ever for a Libertarian candidate in a Senate election. In 2016, Joe Miller received 29% of the vote in a four-way race in Alaska. In 2002, Michael Cloud received 18% of the vote in a three-way race in Massachusetts. In 2018, Gary Johnson received 15% of the vote in a three-way race in New Mexico.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 2012, Joel Balam received 32% of the vote in a two-way race in Kansas's 3rd congressional district, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a House election. In 2022, Mike Kolls received 31% of the vote in a two-way race in Texas's 26th congressional district. In 1998, William Chipman received 28% of the vote in a two-way race in Mississippi's 2nd congressional district.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 1982, Dick Randolph received 15% of the vote in a four-way race in Alaska, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a gubernatorial election. In 2020, Donald Rainwater received 12% of the vote in a three-way race in Indiana. In 2002, Ed Thompson received 10% of the vote in a three-way race in Wisconsin.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 2012, Mike Fellows received 43% of the vote in a two-way race in Montana for clerk of the Montana Supreme Court, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a statewide election. In 2008, John Monds received 33% of the vote in a race in Georgia for Georgia Public Service Commission, joining William Strange (running for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals) that same year as the first Libertarians to ever to receive more than one million votes. Two later candidates for the same position, David Staples in 2012 and Eric Hoskins in 2016, received 34% and 33% of the vote, respectively.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 2018, Laura Ebke received 44% of the vote in a non-partisan race in Nebraska's 32nd Legislative district in the Nebraska Legislature, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a state senate election. Also in 2018, Bobbi Hicks received 38% of the vote in a race in Arkansas's 10th Senate district in the Arkansas Senate, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a partisan state senate election. There have been 14 candidates elected to state senate who had a Libertarian and major party cross endorsement: 1 in New Hampshire in 1992, 6 in New Hampshire in 1994, 3 in New Hampshire in 1996, 1 in Oregon in 2014, 1 in Oregon in 2018, 1 in New York in 2019, and 1 in New York in 2020.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Libertarians have been elected as state representatives without a major party cross-endorsement six times: Dick Randolph in Alaska in 1978, Ken Fanning and Randolph again in Alaska in 1980, Andre Marrou in Alaska in 1984, Steve Vaillancourt in New Hampshire in 2000, and in 2020, Marshall Burt received 54% of the vote in a two-way race in Wyoming's 39th House district in the Wyoming House of Representatives. As of the end of 2020, there have also been 67 candidates elected with a Libertarian and a major party cross endorsement: 37 in New Hampshire in 1992, 5 in New Hampshire in 1994, 4 in New Hampshire in 1996, 1 in Vermont in 1998, 5 in Oregon in 2014, 4 in Oregon in 2018, 4 in Oregon in 2020, and 7 in New York in 2020.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: A Monmouth University opinion poll conducted on March 24, 2016, found Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in double digits with 11% against Donald Trump (34%) and Hillary Clinton (42%) in a three-way race while a CNN poll from July 16, 2016, found Johnson with a personal best 13% of the vote. To be included in any of the three main presidential debates, a candidate must be polling at least 15% in national polls.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Following Trump's win in the Indiana Republican primary, making him the presumptive Republican nominee, the Libertarian Party received a rise in attention. Between 7 pm on May 3 and 12 pm on May 4, the Libertarian Party received 99 new memberships and an increase in donors as well as a rise in Google searches of "Libertarian Party" and "Gary Johnson". On May 5, Mary Matalin, a longtime Republican political strategist, made news when she switched parties to become a registered Libertarian, expressing her dislike of Trump.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Several Republican elected officials publicly stated that were considering voting for the Libertarian Party ticket in 2016. That included 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. It had been a common question and concern that the Libertarian ticket will exclusively draw away votes from Donald Trump and not the Democratic ticket. In response, Libertarian 2016 nominee Gary Johnson noted that analysis of national polls shows more votes drawn from Hillary Clinton.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Johnson would go on to receive 3.3% of the nationwide popular vote, with his best performance (9.3%) coming in New Mexico, where he previously served as a two-term governor.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: After the conclusion of the Electoral College in 2016, the Libertarian Party received one electoral college vote from a faithless elector in Texas. However, the party's 2016 nominee Gary Johnson did not receive the vote. The single faithless vote went instead to former Republican Congressman Ron Paul, who had rejoined the Libertarian Party in 2015. He is the first Libertarian to receive an electoral vote since 1972.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: After presidential candidate Donald Trump won Indiana's 2016 Republican primary, several Republican officeholders left the Party and changed their affiliation to the Libertarian Party. The first to do so was John Moore, a then-sitting Assemblyman in Nevada. Following the 2016 Nebraska State Legislative Session, state Senator Laura Ebke announced her displeasure with the Republican Party and announced she was registering as a Libertarian. After that, Mark B. Madsen, a Utah State Senator, switched from the Republican Party to the Libertarian Party. From February to June 2017, three New Hampshire State Representatives (Caleb Q. Dyer, Joseph Stallcop and Brandon Phinney) left the Republican and Democratic Parties and joined the Libertarian Party. In January 2018, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Aubrey Dunn Jr. switched his party registration from Republican to Libertarian and subsequently announced he would run as the Libertarian nominee for the Senate election in New Mexico. Dunn was the first Libertarian in a partisan statewide office and was the highest ever official from the Libertarian Party until US Representative Justin Amash switched his party registration from independent to Libertarian on April 29, 2020. In December 2020, Maine House of Representatives member John Andrews changed his party registration to Libertarian after winning re-election as a Republican.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: There have also been a number of politicians who joined the Libertarian Party, sometimes only briefly, after having left office, including former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, former Alaska United States Senator Mike Gravel, former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, and former Texas Congressman Ron Paul.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party has placed a presidential candidate on the ballot in all 50 states, as well as D. C., six times: 1980, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2016, and 2020. That level of ballot access has only been achieved by a third-party candidate four other times (John Anderson in 1980, Lenora Fulani in 1988, and Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996.) Although the territory of Guam has no electoral votes, it began holding presidential preference elections in 1980. The Libertarian Party presidential candidate has appeared on the ballot in Guam in every election from 1980 through 2020, except for 2016. Anderson and Fulani were also on the ballot in Guam.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The following is a table comparison of ballot status for the Libertarian Party presidential nominee from 1972 to 2020. In some instances the candidate appeared on the ballot as an independent.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party supports "laissez-faire" capitalism and the abolition of the modern welfare state. It adopts pro-civil liberties and pro-cultural liberal approaches to cultural and social issues. Paul H. Rubin, professor of law and economics at Emory University, believes that while liberal Democrats generally seek to control economic activities and conservative Republicans generally seek to control consumption activities such as sexual behavior, abortion and so on, the Libertarian Party is the largest political party in the United States that advocates few or no regulations in what he deems "social" and "economic" issues.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The "poverty and welfare" issues page of the Libertarian Party's website says that it opposes regulation of capitalist economic institutions and advocates dismantling the entirety of the welfare state: We should eliminate the entire social welfare system. This includes eliminating food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest. Individuals who are unable to fully support themselves and their families through the job market must, once again, learn to rely on supportive family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the gap.According to the party platform: "The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected" (adopted May 2008).


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party believes government regulations in the form of minimum wage laws drive up the cost of employing additional workers. That is why Libertarians favor loosening minimum wage laws so that overall unemployment rate can be reduced and low-wage workers, unskilled workers, visa immigrants and those with limited education or job experience can find employment.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The party supports ending the public school system. The party's official platform states that education is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality, accountability and efficiency with more diversity of school choice. Seeing the education of children as a parental responsibility, the party would give authority to parents to determine the education of their children at their expense without interference from government. This includes ending corporal punishment within public schools. Libertarians have expressed that parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party supports a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of natural resources, believing that private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining such natural resources. The party has also expressed that "governments, unlike private businesses, are unaccountable for such damage done to the environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection". The party contends that the environment is best protected when individual rights pertaining to natural resources are clearly defined and enforced. The party also contends that free markets and property rights (implicitly without government intervention) will stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect the environment and ecosystem because environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective means of changing public behavior.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party opposes all government intervention and regulation on wages, prices, rents, profits, production and interest rates and advocates the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. The party's recent platform calls for the repeal of the income tax, the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services, such as the Federal Reserve System. The party supports the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution which they believe will significantly lower the national debt, provided that the budget is balanced preferably by cutting expenditures and not by raising taxes. Libertarians favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. The party also wants a halt to inflationary monetary policies and legal tender laws. While the party defends the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies, it opposes government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party favors a free market health care system without government oversight, approval, regulation, or licensing. The party states that it "recognizes the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions". They support the repeal of all social insurance policies such as Medicare and Medicaid and favor "consumer-driven health care". The Libertarian Party has been advocating for Americans' ability to purchase health insurance across state lines and medicine across international borders.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party consistently lobbies for the removal of governmental impediments to free trade. This is because their platform states that "political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries". To promote economic freedom, they demand the unrestricted movement of humans as well as financial capital across national borders. However, the party encourages blocking immigration of those with violent backgrounds or violent intent.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party supports the repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment while opposing government-fostered/forced retirement and heavy interference in the bargaining process. The party supports the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions and believes that employers should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The party believes that retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. Libertarians would phase out the government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private voluntary system. The Libertarians feel that the proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals, believing members of society will become more charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its activity in that realm.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party supports the legalization of all victimless crimes, including drugs, pornography, prostitution, polygamy, and gambling, has always supported the removal of restrictions on homosexuality, opposes any kind of censorship and supports freedom of speech, and supports the right to keep and bear arms while opposing Federal capital punishment. The Libertarian Party's platform states: "Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships".


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Libertarians have very different opinions on the issue, just like in the general public. Some, like the group Libertarians for Life, consider abortion to be an act of aggression against a child, therefore necessitating government intervention to prevent it. Others, like the group Pro-Choice Libertarians, consider denying a woman the right to choose abortion to be an act of aggression from the government against her. The party has nominated both anti-abortion and abortion rights candidates. Their 2012 and 2016 presidential nominee Gary Johnson and their 2020 nominee Jo Jorgensen are pro-choice, as were past presidential nominees other than 1988 nominee Ron Paul and 2008 nominee Bob Barr. The platform had been pro-choice from 1972 until May 2022 when the abortion plank was deleted.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Shortly before the 2000 elections, the party released a "Libertarian Party Program on Crime" in which they criticize the failures of a recently proposed Omnibus Crime Bill, especially detailing how it expands the list of capital crimes. Denouncing Federal executions, they also describe how the party would increase and safeguard the rights of the accused in legal settings as well as limit the use of excessive force by police. Instead, criminal laws would be reduced to violations of the rights of others through either force or fraud with maximum restitution given to victims of the criminals or negligent persons. In 2016, the party expanded their platform to officially support the repeal of capital punishment.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party supports unrestricted freedom of speech and is opposed to any kind of censorship. The party describes the issue in its website: "We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right of individuals to dissent from government itself. [...] We oppose any abridgment of the freedom of speech through government censorship, regulation or control of communications media". The party claims it is the only political party in the United States "with an explicit stand against censorship of computer communications in its platform".


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party favors election systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels. The party platform calls for an end to any tax-financed subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. As a minor party, it opposes laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives. Libertarians also promote the use of direct democracy through the referendum and recall processes.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party advocates repealing all laws that control or prohibit homosexuality. According to the Libertarian Party's platform: "Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws".


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Gay activist Richard Sincere has pointed to the longstanding support of gay rights by the party, which has supported same-sex marriage since its first platform was drafted in 1972 (40 years before the Democratic Party adopted same-sex marriage into their platform in 2012). Many LGBT political candidates have run for office on the Libertarian Party ticket and there have been numerous LGBT caucuses in the party, with the most active in recent years being the Outright Libertarians. With regard to non-discrimination laws protecting LGBT people, the party is more divided, with some Libertarians supporting such laws, and others opposing them on the grounds that they violate freedom of association.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 2009, the Libertarian Party of Washington encouraged voters to approve Washington Referendum 71 that extended LGBT relationship rights. According to the party, withholding domestic partnership rights from same-sex couples is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. In September 2010, in the light of the failure to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (which banned openly gay people from serving in the military) during the Obama administration, the Libertarian Party urged gay voters to stop supporting the Democratic Party and vote Libertarian instead. The policy was repealed at the end of 2010.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party views attempts by government to control obscenity or pornography as "an abridgment of liberty of expression" and opposes any government intervention to regulate it. According to former Libertarian National Committee chairman Mark Hinkle, "Federal anti-obscenity laws are unconstitutional in two ways. First, because the Constitution does not grant Congress any power to regulate or criminalize obscenity, and second, because the First Amendment guarantees the right of free speech". This also means that the party supports the legalization of prostitution. Many men and women with backgrounds in prostitution and activists for sex workers' rights, such as Norma Jean Almodovar and Starchild, have run for office on the Libertarian Party ticket or are active members of the party. Norma Jean Almodovar, a former officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and former call girl who authored the book "From Cop to Call Girl" about her experiences, ran on the Libertarian Party ticket for California lieutenant governor in 1986 and was actively supported by the party. Mark Hinkle described her as being the most able "of any Libertarian" "to generate publicity". The Massachusetts Libertarian Party was one of the few organizations to support a 1980s campaign to repeal prostitution laws.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party affirms an individual's right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms and opposes the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. The party opposes laws at any level of government requiring registration of or restricting the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition. The Libertarian Party has also shown support in the past for the abolition of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and support for Constitutional carry.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The party also affirms an individual's right to privacy through reforms that would give back rights of the Fourth Amendment of the United States of America's Bill of Rights to the citizens. Often this coincides with a citizen's right against covert surveillance by the government of their privacy.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Libertarians generally prefer an attitude of mutual respect between all nations. Libertarians believe that free trade engenders positive international relationships. Libertarian candidates have promised to cut foreign aid and withdraw American troops from the Middle East and other areas throughout the world. It has also called for withdrawal from NATO.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: The Libertarian Party opposed the 2011 military intervention in Libya and LP Chair Mark Hinkle in a statement described the position of the Libertarian Party: "President Obama's decision to order military attacks on Libya is only surprising to those who actually think he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. He has now ordered bombing strikes in six different countries, adding Libya to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen."


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: While the Libertarian Party has not taken an official stance on the political status of Puerto Rico, it did publish an article in which Bruce Majors—the party's 2012 candidate for the District of Columbia's at-large congressional district delegate election—expressed support to "put a referendum on the ballot" and "let residents decide whether they would like to be a state" and thereby give residents of Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico greater control over their level of taxation.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: A longstanding debate within the party is one referred to by libertarians as the anarchist–minarchist debate. In 1974, anarchists and minarchists within the party agreed to officially take no position on whether or not government should exist at all and to not advocate either particular view. This agreement has become known as the Dallas Accord, having taken place at the party's convention that year in Dallas, Texas.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Libertarian members often cite the departure of Ed Crane (of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank) as a key turning point in the early party history. Crane (who in the 1970s had been the party's first executive director) and some of his allies resigned from the party in 1983 when their preferred candidates for national committee seats lost in the elections at the national convention. Others like Mary Ruwart say that despite this apparent victory of those favoring radicalism, the party has for decades been slowly moving away from those ideals.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In the mid-2000s, groups such as the Libertarian Party Reform Caucus generally advocated revising the party's platform, eliminating or altering the membership statement and focusing on a politics-oriented approach aimed at presenting libertarianism to voters in what they deemed a "less threatening" manner. LPRadicals emerged in response and was active at the 2008 and 2010 Libertarian National Conventions. In its most recent incarnation, the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus was founded with the stated goal to "support the re-radicalization of the LP."


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: At the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, the Radical Caucus endorsed Darryl W. Perry for President and Will Coley for Vice President, who respectively won 7% and 10% of the vote on the first ballot, both taking fourth place. Though not explicitly organized as such, most self-identified pragmatists or moderates supported the nomination of Gary Johnson for president and Bill Weld for vice president. Johnson and Weld were both nominated on the second ballot with a narrow majority after having both placed just shy of the required 50% on the first ballots. After the convention, the Libertarian Pragmatist Caucus ("LPC") was founded and organized with the goal "[t]o promote realistic, pragmatic, and practical libertarian candidates and solutions." LPC supported Nicholas Sarwark in his successful bid for re-election as Chair of the party's national committee at the 2018 convention in New Orleans.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: In 1999, a working group of leading Libertarian Party activists proposed to reformat and retire the platform to serve as a guide for legislative projects (its main purpose to that point) and create a series of custom platforms on issues for different purposes, including the needs of the growing number of Libertarians in office. The proposal was incorporated in a new party-wide strategic plan and a joint platform-program committee proposed a reformatted project platform that isolated talking points on issues, principles and solutions as well as an array of projects for adaptation. This platform, along with a short Summary for talking points, was approved in 2004. Confusion arose when prior to the 2006 convention there was a push to repeal or substantially rewrite the Platform, at the center of which were groups such as the Libertarian Reform Caucus. Their agenda was partially successful in that the platform was much shortened (going from 61 to 15 planks—11 new planks and 4 retained from the old platform) over the previous one.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Members differ as to the reasons why the changes were relatively more drastic than any platform actions at previous conventions. Some delegates voted for changes so the party could appeal to a wider audience, while others simply thought the entire document needed an overhaul. It was also pointed out that the text of the existing platform was not provided to the delegates, making many reluctant to vote to retain the planks when the existing language was not provided for review.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: Not all party members approved of the changes, some believing them to be a setback to libertarianism and an abandonment of what they see as the most important purpose of the Libertarian Party.


title: Libertarian Party (United States)

text: At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, the changes went even further with the approval of an entirely revamped platform. Much of the new platform recycles language from pre-millennial platforms. While the planks were renamed, most address ideas found in earlier platforms and run no longer than three to four sentences.


title: S. Shankar

text: Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963), credited as S. Shankar or his mononym Shankar, is an Indian filmmaker who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typically deal with the contemporary social issues, vigilante themes and the usage of state of the art technology and VFX.


title: S. Shankar

text: He made his debut as a director in the film "Gentleman" (1993), for which he won the Filmfare Best Director Award and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director. He usually collaborates with composer A. R. Rahman, both having done over 10 films together. Two of his films "Indian" (1996) and "Jeans" (1998), which deal with social and political issues, were huge critical and also commercial success and also submitted by India for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by M. G. R. University.


title: S. Shankar

text: His psychological thriller "Anniyan", featuring Vikram in three distinct characters (Ambi, Remo & Anniyan) was released in 2005. After Anniyan, Shankar teamed up with Rajinikanth on "" (2007), the most expensive Indian film at that time. He was paid with a record salary of 100 million for the film . It went on to become one of the highest grossing Tamil films at that time and the highest grosser of the year. He again collaborated with Rajinikanth for a science-fiction film "Enthiran" (2010), which again turned out to be highest grossing Tamil film at that time and also its sequel "2.0" (2018), is the fourth highest-grossing film in India and the eighth highest-grossing Indian film worldwide.


title: S. Shankar

text: Shankar was born on 17 August 1963 in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu to Muthulakshmi and Shanmugam. He completed his diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Central Polytechnic College before entering the film industry. He was roped into the film industry as a screenwriter by S. A. Chandrasekhar, who accidentally saw the drama stage shows made by Shankar and his team. Though he wanted to be an actor, he chose to be a director instead and became one of the leading directors in Indian Cinema.


title: S. Shankar

text: Shankar began his career as an actor in the films Vasantha Raagam in 1986 and Seetha. He later became an assistant to film directors like S. A. Chandrasekhar and Pavithran. His first break in Hindi films was as an assistant director to S. A. Chandrasekhar in "Jai Shiv Shankar" (1990) produced by Rajesh Khanna. His final movie with S. A. Chandrasekhar was Nanbargal.


title: S. Shankar

text: In 1993, he made his directional debut through "Gentleman". Starring Arjun Sarja in the lead role, the film was made with a higher budget in Tamil cinema during that time, won positive response and became a blockbuster. A. R. Rahman, the film's music composer continued to work with Shankar in his following 6 directorial ventures.


title: S. Shankar

text: His second film "Kadhalan", a romantic-action film was released in the following year, had Prabhu Deva in the lead role. In 1996, he collaborated with Kamal Haasan for "Indian". It was dubbed in Hindi as "Hindustani" and Telugu as "Bharateeyudu". The film was selected as the country's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Following "Indian", Shankar began work on "Jeans", which released in 1998 and became the most expensive film in Indian cinema at that time with a budget of 200 million. Upon release, it became one of the highest grossing Tamil films of the 1990s. He made his production debut through "Mudhalvan" (1999). Arjun Sarja joined the project.


title: S. Shankar

text: Shankar opted to remake "Mudhalvan" in Hindi as "Nayak", thus making his Bollywood debut. "Nayak", released in September 2001, was declared a "Flop" by Box Office India due to the poor marketing, its high budget and distribution price. It went on to gain a cult status despite not doing well at the box office. Shankar started to work on his next film which was supposed to be a science fiction film titled "Robot" that was slated to have Kamal Haasan in the lead, the project was stalled since Kamal Haasan was busy with other projects. Later, the project could not move forward due to budgeting problems.


title: S. Shankar

text: His musical entertainer film "Boys" was released in 2003, which received mixed response from the critics and audience, prompting it to do only average business. However, the Telugu dubbed version of "Boys" was a big hit in Andhra Pradesh. His psychological thriller "Anniyan", featuring Vikram in three distinct characters (Ambi, Remo & Anniyan) was released in 2005 with Harris Jayaraj as the composer for his film. "Anniyan" turned out to become the second highest grossing Tamil film of 2005. Shortly after the release of "Anniyan", it was reported that Shankar had teamed up with Rajinikanth and AVM Productions for a film. He renewed his association with A. R. Rahman with the film. "" was made at a budget of 600 million, the most expensive Indian film at that time. He was paid with a record salary of 100 million for the film. After two years of filming, the film released in 2007. Ultimately it went on to become one of the highest grossing Tamil films of that time.


title: S. Shankar

text: Following "Sivaji", Shankar revisited the possibilities of opinion regarding the script of "Robot", he later decided to make the project in Tamil with Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. The film was produced by South Indian media proprietor, Kalanithi Maran, was renamed as "Enthiran" and was made on a budget of 1.32 billion, the most expensive Indian film. Some reports also make it one of the highest grossing Tamil films of the time. After initial reports indicating that Shankar's next film is entitled to be with Siddharth, Shankar started to work on "Nanban", the Tamil remake of the 2009 Hindi film "3 Idiots" starring Vijay, Jiiva and Srikanth. The film opened in January 2012. After "Nanban", it was wrongly reported that Shankar's next film would be called "Therdal". On 21 June 2012, Shankar announced his next film named "I". A romantic thriller, Vikram essayed the roles of a bodybuilder, fashion model, and hunchback. It was his second collaboration with Shankar after "Anniyan", while Amy Jackson was the female lead and his second collaboration with her, after "Thaandavam". The film, made over a period of two and half years, released on 14 January 2015 to mixed reviews and earned almost 2 billion in 19 days. Then he started working on "2.0", a sequel to "Enthiran", which released on 29 November 2018 and received mixed reviews. However, it went on to become the seventh highest-grossing Indian film worldwide. As of February 2021, Shankar is working on "Indian 2", a sequel to "Indian", with Kamal Haasan. That same month, he announced his team-up with Ram Charan and Kiara Advani under the production of Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations, thus making his debut in Telugu. Two months later, in April 2021, he announced his collaboration with Ranveer Singh. It will be produced by Jayantilal Gada under Pen Studios and is the official adaptation of his own "Anniyan".


title: Steve Zahn

text: Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include "Reality Bites" (1994), "That Thing You Do!" (1996), "Stuart Little" (1999), "Shattered Glass" (2003), "Sahara" (2005), "Chicken Little" (2005), the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series (2010–2012), "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013), "The Good Dinosaur" (2015), and "War for the Planet of the Apes" (2017). On television, Zahn appeared as Davis McAlary on HBO's "Treme" (2010–2013), and as Mark Mossbacher in the first season of the HBO satire comedy miniseries "The White Lotus" (2021), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the film "Happy, Texas" (1999).


title: Steve Zahn

text: Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Carleton Edward Zahn, a Lutheran minister, and Zelda Clair Zahn, a bookstore clerk and later a YMCA administrator. His father is of German and Swedish descent, and his mother is of German ancestry. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School, and moved to the suburbs of Minneapolis for high school, where he acted in school plays and became a two-time Minnesota state speech champion. He graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in 1986, planning eventually to join the United States Marine Corps.


title: Steve Zahn

text: Zahn attended Gustavus Adolphus College for one semester but dropped out after seeing the original West End production of "Les Misérables". "I remember sitting through the second act thinking, I'm as good as that guy standing on the barricade," Zahn recalled. "I wanted to be part of the circus." Zahn later enrolled in the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University, earning a Master of Fine Arts.


title: Steve Zahn

text: In 1991, Zahn made his professional stage debut in a Minnesota production of Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues" after falsely claiming to be a member of Actors' Equity. His fellow actors suggested that Zahn study acting, inspiring him to enroll in American Repertory Theater's two-year training program. At A.R.T., he worked with the venerated stage director Andrei Șerban.


title: Steve Zahn

text: In 1991, Zahn formed the Malaparte theater company with a group of actor friends, including Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard. From 1991 to 1992, he played Hugo Peabody in a national tour of "Bye Bye Birdie" starring Tommy Tune, and subsequently appeared in two Off-Broadway plays, "Sophistry" and Eric Bogosian's "Suburbia".


title: Steve Zahn

text: After his breakout film role in 1994's "Reality Bites", Zahn quickly gained a reputation for playing amiable stoners, slackers, and sidekicks in films such as "That Thing You Do!" (1996), "You've Got Mail" (1998), and "Out of Sight" (1998). In the 1990s, Zahn was often approached by fans who assumed that he was an archetypal Generation X slacker, which was not the case. He has said, "I'm the guy who gets up at six without an alarm clock. I was always that guy."


title: Steve Zahn

text: In 1999, Zahn landed his first starring role in the critically acclaimed indie film "Happy, Texas", for which he won a Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival. In the wake of "Happy, Texas", Zahn began playing darker, more nuanced characters. He received Oscar buzz for his role as Drew Barrymore's deadbeat ex in "Riding in Cars with Boys" (2001), and played the investigative journalist Adam Penenberg in "Shattered Glass" (2003). A longtime Werner Herzog fan, Zahn campaigned for the role of Vietnam prisoner of war Duane W. Martin in Herzog's 2007 film "Rescue Dawn"; to prepare for the role, he lost 40 pounds by eating mostly raw food.


title: Steve Zahn

text: Zahn has also worked regularly in television, playing the role of Davis McClary on 36 episodes of HBO's "Treme".


title: Steve Zahn

text: In 2017, Zahn played Bad Ape in "War for the Planet of the Apes". He researched the role by watching chimpanzee videos on YouTube, and later said that the motion capture process and lengthy digital takes made Bad Ape "the most challenging acting job I've ever had".


title: Steve Zahn

text: Zahn met author and theater artist Robyn Peterman, the daughter of clothier J. Peterman, while they were performing in a national tour of "Bye Bye Birdie" in 1991. The couple married in 1994 and have two children. In the 1990s, they bought a cabin in Pennsylvania and then a farm in New Jersey, near the Delaware Water Gap. They next moved to a 360-acre horse farm outside Lexington, Kentucky, where Zahn gardens and raises horses, goats, and sheep. He and his wife also run a local community theater, in which Zahn occasionally performs. He also has a lake cabin near Pine City, Minnesota, where he enjoys tubing and fishing with his two children. He is a Lutheran.


title: Steve Zahn

text: Zahn is a lifelong military history buff and has said that one of his biggest regrets was having turned down a role in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers". In 2007, he was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Northern Kentucky University. A University of Kentucky sports fan, Zahn is often seen at games and events.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Jennifer Michelle "Ginnifer" Goodwin (born May 22, 1978) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role as Margene Heffman in the HBO drama series "Big Love" (2006–2011) and Snow White / Mary Margaret Blanchard in the ABC fantasy series "Once Upon a Time" (2011–2018).


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Goodwin has appeared in various films, including the drama "Mona Lisa Smile" (2003), the musical biopic "Walk the Line" (2005), the romantic comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" (2009), the family comedy "Ramona and Beezus" (2010), the romantic comedy "Something Borrowed" (2011), and the biopic "Killing Kennedy" (2013). She also voiced the lead role of Fawn in the Disney animated fantasy film "Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast" (2014) and Judy Hopps in the Disney animated comedy film "Zootopia" (2016).


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Goodwin was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Her mother, Linda Kantor Goodwin, is a former teacher who also worked for FedEx. Her father, Tim Goodwin, formerly owned and operated a recording studio. Goodwin changed the spelling of her name from "Jennifer" to "Ginnifer" to distinguish her name, and to assist in pronunciation of her name in her regional dialect. Her younger sister, Melissa Goodwin, is a stop-motion animator on shows such as "Robot Chicken".


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: As a child, she attended the Henry S. Jacobs Camp, a summer camp for Reform Jewish children in Utica, Mississippi. She was both baptized and had a Bat Mitzvah service.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: In her youth, Goodwin was affiliated with the North American Federation of Temple Youth, and was active in BBYO at the Jewish Community Center in Memphis. She went to school at St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee. She then graduated from Lausanne Collegiate School in 1996, then attended Hanover College (majoring in theater) for one year before moving on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University. While a student at BU, she performed in numerous student short films, as well as several college and local stage productions. Goodwin was given the "Excellence in Acting: Professional Promise Award" by the Bette Davis Foundation, and graduated with honors. After her time at Boston University, she lived for a time in England and studied at Stratford on Avon's Shakespeare Institute, in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The following year, she earned an "Acting Shakespeare Certificate" from London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Goodwin first had roles in the NBC television programs "Law & Order" and "Ed" before appearing in the Comedy Central television movie "Porn 'n Chicken". She later had substantial roles in the films "Mona Lisa Smile", "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!", "Walk the Line"—in which she portrayed Vivian Liberto, Johnny Cash's first wife—and "Birds of America". She also played Dori Dumchovic in the dark comedy "Love Comes to the Executioner". Goodwin played a leading role as Margene Heffman, the third wife in a polygamous family, on the HBO original series "Big Love", which concluded on March 20, 2011. Goodwin has done voice work in the Adult Swim series "Robot Chicken", where her younger sister Melissa works as an animator.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: In 2008, Max Mara honored Goodwin with a "Face of the Future" award, an award recognizing up-and-coming women in film.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Goodwin played Gigi in "He's Just Not That Into You", which was released in February 2009. For this role, she received a nomination for the People's Choice Award for Breakout Movie Actress. In April 2009 she began filming "Ramona and Beezus", playing "Aunt Bea". The film was released on July 23, 2010.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: From 2011 to 2017, Goodwin played a leading role in the ABC fantasy drama series "Once Upon a Time". She played both the fairy tale heroine Snow White and her real-world counterpart, schoolteacher Mary Margaret Blanchard. Goodwin and husband Josh Dallas exited the show at the end of its sixth season to move back to Los Angeles with their family. They both returned to the series for its finale at the end of the seventh season.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Goodwin voiced Judy Hopps, the protagonist rabbit police officer in Disney's "Zootopia", as well as Fawn in Disney's animated film "Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast". She also voiced Gwen, a kitchen maid who wants to be an inventor, in the animated series "Sofia The First".


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: In January 2017, Goodwin was cast as Marianne in the Los Angeles production of "Constellations". The play ran from June 14 to July 23, 2017, at the Geffen Playhouse.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: In 2019, Goodwin appeared in episodes of the anthology series "The Twilight Zone" and "Heartstrings". Also in 2019, she starred as Beth Ann in the first season of the CBS All Access dark comedy-drama series "Why Women Kill".


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Goodwin played Jodie in the Fox comedy series "Pivoting", which premiered on January 9, 2022. The show was cancelled after one season.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: Goodwin dated actor Joey Kern and they became engaged in December 2010. They ended the engagement in May 2011. Goodwin subsequently began dating her "Once Upon a Time" co-star Josh Dallas in late 2011. They got engaged in October 2013 and married on April 12, 2014 in California. They have two sons, born in May 2014 and June 2016.


title: Ginnifer Goodwin

text: In 2013, Goodwin said that after leaving Memphis, she "up and left Judaism for a very long time," and that "for 10 years, there was nothing. No ritual. No tradition. No community." She later reconnected with her faith, and has said, "I was a Jew by birth, and now I'm a Jew by choice."


title: Burna Boy

text: Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, "L.I.F.E" (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally. His third studio album, "Outside", marked his major-label debut.


title: Burna Boy

text: In 2019, he won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards, and was announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist. His fourth studio album, "African Giant", was released in July 2019 and won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and was nominated for a Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. He was awarded the African Artist of the year at the 2020 VGMA's.


title: Burna Boy

text: Burna Boy released his fifth studio album, "Twice as Tall", in August 2020, which was nominated for the same category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making him the first Nigerian artist with back-to-back nominations at the Grammys. In 2021, "Twice as Tall" won the Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.


title: Burna Boy

text: In July 2022, Burna Boy released his sixth studio album, "Love, Damini" which also became the highest debut of an African album on "Billboard", Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France. In October, Burna Boy was given the award of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic for his achievements in music.


title: Burna Boy

text: Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. His mother, Bose Ogulu, worked as a language translator and his father, Samuel, managed a welding company. His maternal grandfather, Benson Idonije, once managed Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti. His mother later became his manager. Ogulu grew up in southern Nigeria and began making his own beats using FL Studio. He attended Corona Secondary School in Agbara (Ogun State) and relocated to London to further his studies. He later studied media technology at the University of Sussex from 2008 to 2009, then studied media communications and culture at Oxford Brookes University from 2009 to 2010. He then returned to Port Harcourt and took up a year-long internship at Rhythm 93.7 FM. He launched his music career after returning to Lagos.


title: Burna Boy

text: Burna Boy's debut studio album, "L.I.F.E", was released on 12 August 2013, serving as the follow-up to his second mixtape "Burn Identity" (2011). The album sold 40,000 copies on the first day of its release. Aristokrat Records later sold its marketing rights to Uba Pacific for ₦10 million. The album's release was preceded by five singles: "Like to Party", "Tonight", "Always Love You", "Run My Race", and "Yawa Dey". "L.I.F.E" was produced entirely by Leriq and features guest appearances from 2face Idibia, M.I, Timaya, Olamide, Reminisce, and Wizkid, alongside others. "Nigeria Entertainment Today" ranked the album 10th on its list of the 12th Best Albums of 2013. The album's music was inspired by Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Bob Marley. It received generally positive reviews from music critics, who applauded its production. It was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. In August 2013, "L.I.F.E" peaked at number seven on the "Billboard" Reggae Albums chart.


title: Burna Boy

text: In 2014, Burna Boy split from Aristokrat Records. In February 2015, he founded the record label Spaceship Entertainment eight months after parting ways with Aristocrat Records. Burna Boy released his second studio album, "On a Spaceship", on 25 November 2015. His seven-track debut extended play, "Redemption", was released in September 2016. Its lead single, "Pree Me", debuted on Noisey.


title: Burna Boy

text: On 19 January 2018, Burna Boy was featured on American rock band Fall Out Boy's song, "Sunshine Riptide", a track from their seventh studio album, "Mania". He released his third studio album, "Outside", exactly a week later, on 26 January 2018. Described as a mixtape, "Outside" consists mostly of afrobeats, dancehall, reggae, and road rap. It features guest appearances from J Hus, Lily Allen, and Mabel. "Outside" was supported by six singles: "Rock Your Body", "Streets of Africa", "Koni Baje", "Sekkle Down", "Heaven's Gate" and "Ye". Its production was handled by Leriq, Baba Stiltz, Jae 5, Juls, Chopstix, Steel Banglez, Fred Gibson, Phantom, and FTSE. The album received positive critical acclaim and was ranked by Pulse Nigeria and "Nigerian Entertainment Today" as the best Nigerian album of 2018. It won Album of the Year at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. In February 2018, "Outside" debuted at number three on the "Billboard" Reggae Albums chart. A single from the album, "Ye", ended up atop most Nigerian publications year-end list as the biggest song of 2018.


title: Burna Boy

text: On 7 October 2018, Burna Boy performed before a sold-out crowd at London's O2 Academy Brixton. A day prior to the show, he held a pop-up event at Red by Little Farm and sold limited boxes of his Space Puffs cereal, as well as custom notepads, lighters and graphic tee-shirts. On 9 October 2018, Burna Boy was announced as one of Spotify's New Afro Hub Takeover Artist. The announcement coincided with him being named YouTube's Artist on the Rise for 3 months.


title: Burna Boy

text: On 3 January 2019, Burna Boy was announced alongside Mr Eazi as one of the artists performing at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He won four awards at the Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, including African Artiste of the Year, Listener's Choice and Best Male MVP. On 21 March 2019, Burna Boy released a 4-track collaborative EP with Los Angeles-based electronic duo DJDS, titled "Steel & Copper". It blends Burna Boy's upbeat melodies with DJDS' slinky trap beats. "Steel & Copper" combines elements of dancehall and reggae music with Afropop and trap.


title: Burna Boy

text: On 24 June 2019, Burna Boy won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards. In July 2019, Burna Boy was announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist. His inclusion into the program was accompanied by a Beats 1 interview with Julie Adenuga and a short documentary. He recorded "Ja Ara E" (Yoruba: "wise up" or "use your head") for Beyoncé's "" and was the only guest artist with their own track on the soundtrack album.


title: Burna Boy

text: Burna Boy's fourth studio album, "African Giant", was released on 26 July 2019. It was supported by six singles: "Gbona", "On the Low", Killin Dem", "Dangote", "Anybody" and "Pull Up". He began recording the album in 2018 and told "Billboard" that it is his most personal project yet. He first revealed plans to release it in April 2019 and held a private listening session in Los Angeles. Photos and videos from the listening session were shared on social media. "African Giant" was initially announced as a 16-track album. To promote the album, Burna Boy headlined the African Giant Returns tour, the second leg of his African Giant tour. Burna Boy recorded "My Money, My Baby", a track that appeared on "Queen & Slim"s soundtrack album. Described as an "Afrobeat-tinged track", "My Money, My Baby" contains a sample of Fela Kuti's 1972 song "Shakara". On 22 November 2019, Burna Boy was featured alongside English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran on British rapper Stormzy's single, "Own It", the fourth single from his second studio album, "Heavy Is the Head". In November 2019, he became the first Afrobeat artist to sell out the SSE Arena( formerly known as the Wembley arena). He was given a special plaque to mark his achievement.