NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Kicks Off Pride With “Trans Rights Are Human Rights” Campaign
The campaign will highlight existing protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers.
LGBTQ News
Rights
Trump administration tightens political control of federal grants to stop "gender ideology"
A new policy proposed by the Trump administration will force organizations receiving federal financial assistance to stop acknowledging that trans people exist or risk losing federal funding. In the new policy proposal, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) claims to be targe...
Texas AG Ken Paxton Jumpstarts Pride by Suing City Over Planned LGBTQ+ Swim Event
The lawsuit claims that the Big Gay Swim Day violates the state’s anti-trans bathroom bill.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Drops Lawsuit Over Trans-Inclusive Swim Event
The lawsuit claimed that Denton’s Big Gay Swim Day would have violated the state’s anti-trans bathroom bill.
Hungarian authorities lift Budapest Pride ban
Hungarian police on May 29 announced they will allow the annual Budapest Pride march to take place. “The Budapest Metropolitan Police has approved the 2026 Budapest Pride Parade and also has issued restrictive orders in relation to three counter-demonstrations,” a Budapest Metrop...
Man tased after he allegedly pantsed a trans woman in front of children at an amusement park
An 18-year-old man has been charged with four misdemeanors after allegedly pulling down a trans woman's skirt and underwear in the middle of Ohio's Cedar Point amusement park on Tuesday evening. The suspect, identified as Marquez D. Williams, allegedly walked up to the woman from...
Ken Paxton's first campaign ad calls James Talarico "too low-T" while avoiding policy issues
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate campaign released its first ad, which is fixated on state Rep. James Talarico's (D) gender, calling him "too low-T for Texas." And Donald Trump himself joined in the attacks, referring to Talarico as "this transgender" in comm...
Republicans are going to go all in on anti-trans attacks in the midterm campaign
Republicans are facing the worst midterm prospects since, well, the last time Donald Trump was president. However, the political landscape for the GOP is far, far worse. Thanks to Trump's failed tariffs and his bumbling war with Iran, the economy is in a precarious position. Gaso...
Remember when a GOP lawmaker said trans people “harm” kids & was busted for child porn?
South Carolina state Rep. RJ May (R) — an anti-LGBTQ+ politician who has accused drag queens and transgender people of harming kids — was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to five counts of distributing child sex abuse material (CSAM). M...
Unhinged rightwing podcaster says gay people having families is the same as slavery
Seth Gruber, the Christian Nationalist host of The Seth Gruber Show, says "gays" should be banned from "buying children" because it is no different from the institution of slavery in the U.S. It's unclear whether he's referring to adoption, surrogacy, or both. In a May 28 post on...
Claudia López comes up short in Colombian presidential election
Former Bogotá Mayor Claudia López on Sunday finished fifth in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election. López, a centrist who ran as an independent, received 225,517 votes. This figure is .95 percent of the total votes cast. López was the Colombian capital’s mayor from...
Scott Wiener rages at Rome Pride for banning major LGBTQ+ Jewish org: "Straight up antisemitic"
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D) of California, a gay and Jewish candidate for Congress from San Francisco, is speaking out over a decision by organizers of Rome Pride to bar a major Jewish LGBTQ+ organization from the event because it “failed to distance itself from the ongoing genoc...
AI porn isn't regulated. What does that mean for depictions of queer people?
When Pornhub released its most-watched categories of 2025, queer-themed content held the top two spots: “Lesbian” was the most viewed category, and “Transgender” was the second most viewed, up five spots from 2024. The global appetite for LGBTQ adult content is increasing in tand...
Barney Frank’s powerful legacy for LGBTQ federal employees
Former Congressman Barney Frank, who died last week, was dogged during his life over being gay. The self-proclaimed only “left-handed, gay, Jewish congressman,” in Congress deserved better. Frank’s perseverance paved the way for others. With wit and intelligence, he helped educat...
Books for a pre-Pride celebration
You’re all geared up. You’ve got your best parade-walking shoes, your coolest tee, your most-comfortable shorts, and a rainbow flag to carry. You’re set for Pride, but before you go, try one of these great new books about LGBTQ life and history. After the parade, where will you e...
Lawsuit over anti-trans bathroom ban dismissed after trans plaintiff dies by suicide
A 2023 measure targeting trans school children came into full effect in Idaho last week, following the suicide of one of the plaintiffs in a pair of lawsuits challenging the law. Both the state and Boise High School's Sexuality and Gender Alliance agreed to close the lawsuits cha...
Remember when Donald Trump tried to call Pete Buttigieg dumb? It backfired immediately.
Donald Trump ranted about wiring allegedly installed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in an attempt to make Buttigieg sound dumb, but instead, everyone pointed out how ignorant Trump's accusations were. "There's Pete Buttigieg, he spent billions of dollars on fix...
Right mounts anti-LGBTQ+ attacks on Talarico while Maine kills anti-trans ballot question
Maine quashes anti-trans ballot initiative due to invalid signatures What the initiative did: Maine was one of several states to put a ban on trans sports participation on their 2026 midterms ballot, a move intended to bypass the state's Democratic elected officials. But a court ...
Queer male blood donations are way up now after changing to new risk assessment model
Blood donations in England are way up, as the National Health Service benefits from eligibility changes that have brought more gay and bisexual men to their local donation sites. A recent survey found that 7.5% of male blood donors now report that they're bisexual, gay, pansexual...
People are delighted by Mel C's "stunning response" to a question on speculation she's gay
Folks online are delighted by Spice Girl Mel C's response to a question on speculation around her sexuality in the nineties, when the Spice Girls were at the height of their fame. The exchange took place on the Mitch Churi Chat Show podcast earlier this month. Churi, who is gay, ...
Donald Trump's contempt for female journalists is indicative of a much larger problem
Though it seems routine by now, each time I hear Donald Trump verbally attack journalists, particularly women of color, who are doing their job by asking him hard questions, I feel as though he has punched me in the gut, making me almost want to scream out against this monster bu...
"It's practically a revolution": Could Trump's J6 slush fund be the final straw for GOP loyalists?
A former Fox host and current political analyst believes a recent Donald Trump action may have finally spurred a real rebellion among Republicans. "It's a revolt," wrote Howard Kurtz for Fox News. "Practically a revolution." He said the backlash "seems to be breaking, or at least...
Remember when a flood of Kennedy Center cancellations ruined Ric Grenell’s holiday season?
The fallout from Donald Trump's decision to illegally rename the Kennedy Center to give himself top billing continues to grow, creating an embarrassing situation for the president. As it turns out, artists don't want their work associated with Trump, despite legal threats from Ri...
A new country just took the crown as Europe's most LGBTQ+-friendly nation
Here are this week’s most popular positive stories, with some fun social media posts tossed in too. Like seeing uplifting content like this? Sign up for our Good News email. Our weekly Good News Roundup is filled with brave, creative, and outspoken individuals who're making a dif...
Ghanaian lawmakers approve anti-LGBTQ bill
Ghanaian lawmakers on Friday approved a bill that would, among other things, criminalize LGBTQ allyship. Reuters reported MPs approved the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, in a voice vote after parliament's Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee backed it. MP...
Man sues employer for not accommodating his "phobia" of rainbow flags & trans pronouns
A British evangelical Christian man who sued the U.K. government for "religious discrimination" after his government employer refused to accommodate his discomfort of LGBTQ+ symbols had his lawsuit dismissed by a tribunal, according to a Daily Mail article published yesterday. Ma...
Fox host Greg Gutfeld defends feeding maggots to ICE detainees: "Who cares…?"
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld yesterday defended maggots being fed to detainees at the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. A majority of the detainees there have not been convicted of any crimes but are being held as part ...
Kim Petras regrets discussing her transition as a child
Transgender pop music star Kim Petras said in an interview published yesterday that she somewhat regrets discussing her gender transition with the press during her childhood. However, she explores this regret and the happiness she feels about her choices in “Brutalist,” a song on...
Trump admin bars federal employee insurance from covering gender-affirming care
Federal employees will now be fully barred from gender-affirming care under their health insurance programs, with no exceptions. The Trump administration has just updated their guidance for health insurance companies who want to provide plans to federal employees and have removed...
Pride returns to Budapest after dictator was voted out
Authorities in Budapest have given the green light for the Hungarian capital's Pride parade to march again this June, after last year's event was banned under authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán. Orbán's government was deposed in elections in April. Related Anti-LGBTQ+ Trump-backed...
How this cabaret performer's musical idol helped her come out
LGBTQ Nation will be sharing your pictures of Pride throughout May and June. Submit your own if you want to be included! "I didn’t find Frances Faye," singer Terese Genecco tells LGBTQ Nation. "She found me." Genecco is the center of attention in her photo snapped by Fidel Lirio,...
Federal court vacates ruling against people with HIV serving in the military & agrees to rehear case
After siding with the Trump administration to ban HIV-positive service members from the military, a federal appeals court has reversed itself and will hear the case again. In February, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit agreed with the Depar...
‘The Stranger’ queers an existentialist classic
When Albert Camus published “L’etranger” (“The Stranger”) in 1942, he was living in Nazi-occupied France, so it’s no surprise that it became one of the most celebrated “existential” novels of all time. A fascist regime is great for inspiring thoughts of an indifferent and meaning...
White House official says James Talarico has less testosterone than a Black woman
A White House official continued with attacks on Senate candidate and Texas state Rep. James Talarico's (D) masculinity on Thursday evening, saying that he's "transitioning to a woman," that his blood is soy milk, and that he has less testosterone than Black Congresswoman Jasmine...
Here's how we can break free from patriarchal Christian Nationalism
Thousands of people flocked onto the National Mall in Washington, DC for an all-day prayer rally on Sunday, May 17. The event was promoted as a “re-dedication of our country as One Nation under God.” The rally’s official title was “Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Prai...
Nine Russian LGBTQ groups deemed 'extremist' banned
Nine LGBTQ groups in Russia have been banned so far this year after authorities deemed them as "extremist." Human Rights Watch on Thursday noted courts in seven regions between March and May banned Coming Out, the LGBT Resource Center, Parni Plus, the Moscow Community Center for ...
Gay candidate calls out "homophobic" AI-generated pics in flyers
West Hollywood councilmember John Erickson and several LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations are condemning recent attack ads targeting his campaign for a California state Senate seat. In a joint statement, Equality California, Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Elected Officials, the LGBTQ+ Vict...
"Oh my goodness gracious!" CNN analyst shocked by just how much Trump is losing with key demographic
CNN data analyst Harry Enten was shocked when describing just how much ground Donald Trump has lost with a key demographic: men under the age of 30. Enten pointed out that Trump won men under 30 by one percentage point. While that's not a big margin, it was still surprising in 20...
Ghana's Parliament to host conference about how LGBTQ+ rights are against African "cultural values"
The latest iteration of the African Inter-Parliamentary “Family, Sovereignty and Values” Conference is scheduled to take place in Ghana next week, the Ghanaian Parliament announced, and it's earning condemnation and controversy days before it starts. Like the gatherings that prec...
Students for Trump co-founder arrested for allegedly threatening to kill a woman
Washington D.C. police arrested Ryan Fournier, co-founder of Students for Trump and Turning Point Action (the PAC for the young conservatives group Turning Point USA), early Tuesday morning for allegedly assaulting and threatening to kill a woman he was dating. The woman told pol...
Small town cancels Pride after vandals destroyed their banners twice
“I thought we were living in 2026 and had moved on from this kind of discrimination."
Husbands Richard & Chris recreate a romantic moment each year at Pride
"I know how romcom it sounds..." Richard told LGBTQ Nation.
The GOP's actual strategy against James Talarico? Call him a fa**ot
They all got the same memo: question his sexuality and gender, avoid substantive policy issues.
Still marching: Rev. Troy Perry and the ongoing fight for liberation
Long before tone-deaf Target swag and rainbow-scented hashtags lit up the very queer month of June, Rev. Troy Perry was helping the LGBTQ community create space where it did not yet exist, and he did so with little more than faith and perseverance. This Pride season, as communiti...
Introducing Next-Generation Assisted Living & Memory Support.
We have good news for those seeking assisted living or memory support for a loved one: a fresh, hospitality-driven approach to care is now available in the heart of Tysons, Virginia. Kokua at The Mather opened in fall 2025 and provides residents with collaborative care as well as...
Cedric Neal on his juicy narrator role in ‘Pippin’
‘Pippin’Through July 26Signature Theatre4200 Campbell Ave.Arlington, Va.$47-$153Sigtheatre.org As Leading Player in Signature Theatre's revival of “Pippin,” Cedric Neal portrays the manipulative narrator who guides the title character, a young medieval prince, on a quest for mean...
Dual endorsement for Independent Council-at-large: Patterson or Crawford
(Editor’s note: This column reflects the writer’s opinion and does not constitute a Washington Blade endorsement of any candidate.) The race for Independent Council-at-Large is interesting. There are three main candidates and I suggest making your choice easier by first eliminati...
What I learned from Barney Frank and a bit of queer history
Since I started my activist career at the early age of 25, I feel incredibly blessed to have learned so much from many of the legends of our movement, including from Congressman Barney Frank. When I was just beginning OutRight International (then the International Gay and Lesbian...
Pattie Gonia: Patagonia Is Trying to “Bully” and “Erase” Her With Lawsuit
"This is a corporation trying to erase an activist," said the drag performer, breaking her silence on the tense legal battle with the outdoor apparel company....
"From Trump’s America": UK’s latest trans bathroom ban condemned by equality advocates
The new guidance is similar to a 2016 US bathroom ban that was decried by the UK.
He beat a man in the subway while shouting gay slurs. 3 years later cops finally found him.
“New Yorkers deserve to be safe using our transit system without fear of violence, discrimination or harassment,” said the Manhattan district attorney....
China’s top court acknowledges anti-LGBTQ discrimination
Postgraduate student petitioned for legal clarification The post China’s top court acknowledges anti-LGBTQ discrimination appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News....
Maine kills anti-trans ballot measure over forged & invalid petition signatures
The measure would have singled out trans students for discrimination, even though state law currently forbids it.
Donald Trump Jr. marries daughter of Jeffrey Epstein's banker
The groom's father has a well-documented friendship with the deceased child-sex trafficker.
36 Republicans vote against law banning child marriages. Some cited the Bible as justification.
Some of them also oppose same-sex marriages.
Trans rights advocates win a major court victory in Kenya
"Silence and delay cannot defeat rights," the High Court wrote.
Bentley Hudgins Is Poised to Become Georgia’s First Trans State Lawmaker
In the middle of America’s intensifying backlash against trans rights, voters are set to send Bentley Hudgins to the state Capitol.
“High public health treason”: LGBTQ+ advocates rage over Trump CDC removing mpox webpage
At least one expert says the removal may violate a court order.
Kenyan High Court issues landmark transgender rights ruling
Government ordered to allow trans people to amend ID documents The post Kenyan High Court issues landmark transgender rights ruling appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News....