Queer media dominates 2026 Emmy nominations
Nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are here — and they are so, so queer! With the year we’ve seen in LGBTQ media, this isn’t very surprising; whether it be jaw-dropping new series or the e
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Popular Mount Vernon gay bar Leon's to temporarily close after owner's death
By WESLEY CASE | Leon’s Backroom, Baltimore’s oldest gay bar, temporarily shut down after service on Wednesday night, according to a post on the business’s Instagram page. The announcement comes a little more than a week after the death of the Mount Vernon bar’s owner, Ron Singer, who died at 66 on
What Queer People Should Know About the 'Diarrhea Parasite' Ruining Our Summer Salads
This story originally appeared on The Advocate. Big gay salads are the spice of life when it comes to summer living, but queer people can’t have anything under this administration — not even fresh produce and a sense of unadulterated whimsy at the farmers market. It’s no secret that the Trump admini
Gay politician blasted for having a child through surrogacy after supporting a ban on the practice
A conservative gay German politician is facing calls to resign after he and his husband became parents to a child born through surrogacy in the U.S.The practice is banned in Germany. Related Italy's "disgusting" new law makes it virtually impossible for LGBTQ+ couples to have kids Jens Spahn, a memb
Scott Bessent quivers emotionally while blaming "addled" left for assassination attempt
Out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the token gay in the current Cabinet, really wants you to know that he's a victim of politically motivated violence, too, almost At a "summit" on the subject yesterday, organized by the State Department and hosted by Secretary Marco Rubio, Bessent was a featured
Remember when Donald Trump Jr. bizarrely bragged about the size of his father’s genitals?
The president's 47-year-old son, Donald Trump Jr., re-posted a social media message bragging about his 79-year-old father's testicles. Trump Jr. used his Instagram account to share an X post from 61-year-old conservative podcaster Adam Carolla, which referenced the $300 million White House ballroom
All 4 of the Steamiest 'Heartstopper Forever' Sex Scenes, Ranked
This story originally appeared on Out. After three seasons, Nick and Charlie’s love story has finally come to an end with the finale movie Heartstopper Forever.The series has followed the boys as they have navigated their high school careers, struggled with mental health issues, and fallen in love,
JK Rowling posts upskirt image of trans woman while begging to debate her
Author JK Rowling is facing criticism for posting an upskirt image of a transgender woman last weekend while demanding that the trans woman debate her. Rowling wrote post after post on X on July 11, demanding that trans writer Freda Wallace debate her after Wallace called Rowling an "idiot." Rowling
JD Vance mocked for obsessing over how "suggestively" Biden eats ice cream
Vice President J.D. Vance is raising eyebrows with his claims that former President Joe Biden eats ice cream "suggestively." Vance made the claim in his interview with transphobic podcaster Joe Rogan, which was released on July 15. “The thing I couldn’t get over Biden is… the way that he ate ice cre
Erika Kirk tells young conservatives to fight "evil" Muslims & transgender people
Erika Kirk, the widow of slain MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk, urged members of her young conservatives organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) to fight against transgender people, Muslims, and people who swear. While speaking to members at her organization's Chapter Leadership Summit in D.C. last week
Newly Out Layla Taylor and Her Tattooed Mystery GF Are Already Ready for the L-Word: LEGOLAND
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Layla Taylor is having a transformative summer. It’s been less than three weeks since the reality television show darling came out as bisexual, and she’s already soft-launched her new girlfriend and been photographed by TMZ with the mystery woman. The pair were spot
Right-wingers freak out over Margaret Cho's video celebrating Lindsey Graham's death
Right-wingers are freaking out over a relatively tame video from bisexual comedienne Margaret Cho mocking the death of anti-LGBTQ+ Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who was rumored to be a closeted gay man. "Bye Lindsey, bye Lindsey Graham," Cho's video begins. "From the closet to the coffin, real seamles
Leo Season Brings the Drama, And Did We Expect Anything Less?
Drama alert! Leo season (July 22–August 22) is coming in hot with a surge of creative energy — and some cosmic curveballs. As the Sun’s home sign, Leo knows how to command a room. Doechii, Charli XCX, and Madonna are all Leos, to put this fixed fire sign’s star power into perspective. No matter your
Fox host gleefully jokes about US military raping women in Asia: "You better watch out!"
Fox News anchor Jesse Watters cheerily joked on Thursday that a new Department of Defense policy could lead to more sexual assaults of women. Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new plan to test the testosterone levels of all men in the military over the age of 30, no matte
30 years on, ‘The Birdcage’ remains a landmark
In 1996, after the AIDS epidemic had cast its shadow over the gay community for a decade and a half, the breakthrough finally came: the success of antiretroviral medication turned a fatal disease into a manageable and survivable condition — and suddenly, “queer joy” began to feel like a possibility
Madison Square Garden Sues Wired Over Report Claiming Venue Kept LGBTQ+ Celeb Database
After Wired published a story earlier this month alleging that Madison Square Garden kept an ongoing database that categorized nearly 100 celebrities as “LGBTQIA,” the venue is now suing the tech outlet as well as the writer, Noah Shachtman, who led the reporting. Madison Square Garden Entertainment
Comings & Goings
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com. Congra
Man enraged after getting kicked out of gay bar starts shooting at the place. Police killed him.
Police officers in Asheville, North Carolina, shot and killed a man who was reportedly firing a gun outside a local gay dive bar early Wednesday morning. In a July 15 press release, the Asheville Police Department said officers responded to a report of a person discharging a firearm in the parking l
Madison Square Garden sues Wired for saying they kept a list of LGBTQ+ celebrities
Last week, the outlet Wired published an extensive expose on Madison Square Garden’s management titled Madison Square Garden Kept a List of Gay Celebrities. Now, MSG Entertainment is suing Wired, claiming that the website was being misleading. "Wired combed the dark web, obtained data stolen from MS
JD Vance Can’t Stop Thinking About Joe Biden’s “Suggestive” Ice Cream Tongue Technique
Being a man in today’s world is a dangerous and sad proposition. There’s a loneliness epidemic to contend with, looksmaxxers are telling you that your jaw is off-kilter by a few degrees from being an isosceles triangle, and now, apparently, eating certain foods in public is a problem? At least, that
Whitman-Walker to host legal services workshop
Whitman Walker Health Center will host a legal services workshop on Tuesday, July 21 at 3 p.m. virtually and in-person at the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center. Attorneys from WWH will give an overview of the free legal services they offer and discuss recent challenges. WWH meets clients where they are to
Calendar: July 17-23
Friday, July 17 Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite. Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be a
1776-2026: The moments that defined trans rights in America
This story was produced in partnership with hankycode, an LGBTQ+ history publication. Records of trans people date as far back as 218 C.E., with the Roman Empress Elagabalus. And all through U.S. history, transgender figures can be found: sometimes in the shadows, sometimes at the forefront of socia
LGBTQ+ families need safe spaces where they can exhale. If you can't find one, create one.
Creating a “safe space” looks different for everyone. It might mean being physically protected from harm or knowing that you can share your emotions openly and without judgment. But for LGBTQ+ families, there’s usually one shared quality: knowing you’re free to celebrate your loved ones while expres
Remember when a journalist called the Trump admin too "incompetent" to doctor the Epstein Files?
Veteran news anchor David Shuster isn't worried about the possibility of the Trump administration doctoring the Epstein Files to remove any incriminating references to the president. Now that both chambers of Congress have passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Shuster wrote on social media that
Democrat slams Hegseth for new military testosterone program as trans kids suffer
During a House Judiciary Committee meeting on Wednesday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) spoke out for trans people while slamming Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for massive hypocrisy in his views on hormone therapy. "Let me be very clear: Trans people have always and will always exist," Jayapal said in
Yasmin Finney’s Elle Grapples With the U.K.’s Trans Rights Rollback in Heartstopper Forever
Heartstopper Forever puts the concerns of the transgender community into global perspective in the final chapter of what has largely been an idealistic story.On the page, creator Alice Oseman built Elle an aspirational world. We first meet her shortly after transitioning, as she tries to figure out
He killed a Black gay man for dancing to Beyoncé. Now he's going away for a long time.
A judge on Thursday sentenced 20-year-old Brooklyn man Dmitriy Popov for first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime after he stabbed 28-year-old gay dancer O’Shae Sibley to death in a gas station on July 29, 2023. Popov committed the crime when he was 17 and claimed self-defense, but he was tried as
Pete Hegseth blasted as "weird" & "homoerotic" by lesbian congresswoman
Out lesbian U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for allegedly having "weird, intense, homoerotic feelings towards men while also being incredibly homophobic." In video-recorded comments posted Thursday morning on the X account of the left-leaning media outlet Meid
Disgraced congressman George Santos will compete in physically intense military reality TV show
Disgraced gay former drag queen and Rep. George Santos (R-NY) will appear in the fifth season of Fox's jungle survival reality TV competition Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test alongside 14 other contestants, including gender-fluid and lesbian actress Ruby Rose and former Full House actress Canda
All the LGBTQ+ Players in the Women’s Pro Baseball League — And Where to Follow Them
It’s no surprise that sapphics are so into the Professional Women’s Baseball League. The connection between lesbianism and softball feels almost ancient — and baseball? That’s just like baseball except you pitch the ball overhand! (There are other differences, I’m told, but as someone who never plan
House Republicans stack State Department funding bill with anti-LGBTQ+ provisions
Kowtowing to the president in his ongoing anti-LGBTQ+ crusade, Republicans in the House of Representatives for a second year in a row stacked the State Department's annual funding appropriation bill with multiple "poison pills" aimed at gay and trans people. The provisions have been denounced by Dem
Fired Christian employee sues claiming God made him misgender trans colleague
A remarkable lawsuit relying on Biblical law was filed last week on behalf of a Louisiana man aggrieved over being “unlawfully fired” for “refusing to lie and use false gender pronouns.” Luke Ash was hired by the East Baton Rouge Parish Library in 2025 as a technician, working alongside librarians t
Donald Trump’s lies are just getting more blatant. Here are the worst.
This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, with
"Chilling": Dad describes what it's like when Trump admin targets your trans kid's medical records
A parent known as JD is speaking out about how he and his daughter Winter felt in June when they received a call from Mount Sinai Health System to inform them that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had issued a criminal subpoena demanding his trans daughter's private medical records. JD is just one of
He accused local LGBTQ+ leaders of being pedophiles & drug dealers. Now he's paying the price.
A 47-year-old man in Perth, Australia, named Garath Mouncey pleaded guilty on Tuesday to seven charges related to distributing "indecent" and "obscene" anti-LGBTQ+ flyers in people's letterboxes that accused local queer leaders of pedophilia, human trafficking, and drug dealing, the Star Observer re
Feds raid home of hate pastor who destroyed a Barbie Dream House with a Bible & baseball bat
The Tennessee home of notoriously unhinged far-right anti-LGBTQ+ pastor Greg Locke was raided recently by federal investigators and local law enforcement. In a statement, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that deputies helped secure Locke’s home, as well as another location, and that the
Democratic Congresswoman Calls Out Pete Hegseth’s "Intense, Homoerotic Feelings Towards Men"
This story originally appeared on The Advocate.U.S. Rep. Becca Balint offered a pointed queer critique of President Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new testosterone initiative Thursday, comparing the Pentagon chief’s cultivated “rugged macho man” image to the hypermasculine figures d
Reporters erupt in laughter at pic of Republican who said Talarico isn't manly enough: "This guy!"
The hosts of MS Now's Morning Joe could not contain their laughter while asking Democratic Texas Senate Candidate James Talarico about Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's (R) claim that Talarico is not manly enough to represent the state. Hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough erupted in hysterics as they dis
I wrote this museum's first ever paper on LGBTQ+ history. Today it's honoring our past in a big way.
I like good-troublemakers. As a graduate student in history at the University of Missouri at St. Louis more than thirty years ago, I wrote a paper about Rev. Carol Cureton and the outsized organizing impact of her LGBTQ+-affirming church on St. Louis's LGBTQ+ community. Encouraged by my professor an
Elliot Page Is Three Things Transphobes Will Never Be: Happy, in a Hit Movie, and With a Girlfriend
Elliot Page walked the red carpet for the New York City premiere of The Odyssey earlier this week — much to the chagrin of right-wing transphobes sitting at home behind their keyboards. Unsurprisingly, Page enjoyed a seemingly lovely evening with his girlfriend, Overcompensating star Julia Shiplett,