By LIZ BOWIE | Somerset County’s school board is considering barring students under the age of 18 from reading any young-adult literature in school libraries, essentially restricting all but 12th graders from checking out books written for teens and tweens. The proposed policy also calls for the sup
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Police seek the public’s support in finding a suspect wanted in connection with three Philadelphia shootings, including two murders, who may have targeted his victims because they were gay. All three shootings took place near Hunting Park Recreation Center between May 29 and June 26. The suspect is
CNN host Laura Coates called out a conservative pundit who was raging against Democrats who supported Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign prior to a woman he dated publicly accusing him of raping her. Now Democrats are calling for Platner to drop out of the race, while Republicans are gloatin
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired. Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a
The White House called transgender people "insane" in an official press release on the last day of Pride Month. Donald Trump did not issue a proclamation celebrating Pride Month this year or last year, breaking from his predecessors. The press release, intended to celebrate the Supreme Court's decis
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to enforce laws barring transgender students from participating on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, a decision LGBTQ advocates say could encourage additional restrictions across the country. While neither Marylan
By LIZ BOWIE | Somerset County’s school board is considering barring students under the age of 18 from reading any young-adult literature in school libraries, essentially restricting all but 12th graders from checking out books written for teens and tweens. The proposed policy also calls for the sup
Juries in two separate civil trials in Fairfax County, Va., last month awarded a gay teacher and an LGBTQ-supportive parent a combined total of just over $1 million in damages from a conservative group and its leader accused in their lawsuits of falsely and maliciously linking the two to a “child ab
A transgender influencer refused to let Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) have the last word after the anti-trans congresswoman publicly bullied her. Sabre, who goes by Bottleneckloser on Instagram, recently posted side-by-side photos of herself on X depicting her pre- and post-transition. "God I love estrogen
A 60-year-old history teacher was banned from teaching for six years yesterday after he allegedly made comments calling LGBTQ+ people "mentally ill" and claiming that "billionaires are the cause of transgenders." Neither of his claims are true. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) within England's D
Belgium's World Cup soccer team mocked the two-handed fist pump dance of U.S. President Donald Trump while celebrating on-field in a Seattle stadium after the team defeated the U.S. men's team with a score of 4-1 on Monday evening. The U.S. men's team defeat followed a scandal in which Trump persona
A far-right political party leader in British Columbia, Canada is facing criminal charges after he and another man defaced a Pride crosswalk in the city of Surrey, south of Vancouver. On May 30, Amrit Birring, leader of the Freedom Party of B.C. and a perennial and losing candidate in the province,
The FBI arrested 44-year-old New Mexico resident Michael Thompson on June 28 for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at Lubbock Pride Fest in West Texas. He has now been federally charged with interstate threatening communications, though it's unclear if he had concrete plans to actua
A man accused of shooting two people to death because they're gay – and trying to kill a third as well – is at large in Philadelphia. Police are looking for 21-year-old Jahylin Melchur, who is a suspect in the three shootings. In the first, which took place on May 29 at 9:50 p.m., the suspect shot a
As President Donald Trump's second administration has pushed the federal government further to the right on issues ranging from immigration to LGBTQ rights, a different political movement has been gaining momentum inside the Democratic Party. From industrial communities in upstate New York to Colora
Jeremy Carl, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, deleted thousands of social media posts before his nomination. One was a May 2023 post calling for the killing of Randi Weingarten, the lesbian president of the American Federation of Teachers, a
The gay Filipino man photographed on July 4 surrounded by masked members of Patriot Front on the DC Metro is speaking out about the terrifying incident. DC resident Roswell Encina was on his way to an Independence Day celebration in Maryland on Saturday when his train filled with members of the desi
The creator of a popular cat-focused Instagram account devoted to trolling JD Vance filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that she was denied entry to a public-facing event featuring the vice president over her political views.“The government can’t exclude me from official vice-presidential events just b
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last week handing broad authority to fire heads of independent agencies to the president, former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) member Jocelyn Samuels has dropped her lawsuit challenging her termination by President Donald Trump. The presid
(Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a three-part series profiling the candidates for mayor of Rehoboth Beach, Del.: Commissioners Suzanne Goode, Susan Stewart, and Craig Thier; a fourth candidate, William Raak, filed to join the race but has not responded to Blade inquiries.) Residents
Amid calls for Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to drop out of the race after a sexual assault allegation, one Republican's take on the matter has sent social media into a frenzy. During an appearance on Fox News, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) declared, "The one thing I
If you’re sapphic and love cinema, this is not a drill: Maya Hawke and Victoria Pedretti starred in a steamy sapphic short film together and it’ll soon be available for streaming.The Non-Actor, which garnered high praise during its festival run in 2025, is an 18-minute short during which Eliot (Pedr
Uncloseted Media published this interview on July 7. By SPENCER MACNAUGHTON, ISABEL STOKES, and BELLA SAYEGH | After appearing on the 11th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the first season of “Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World,” the sixth season of “RuPaul’s All Stars” and now the 11th season
During a livestream on Sunday, YouTuber and artist DDG spoke about feeling unable to watch Love Island alone because he is single. “I haven’t watched Love Island,” he said. “You know why? Cuz I don’t have anybody to watch it with.” He continued, “I think it’s gay to watch Love Island by yourself. If
A gay activist who lost a landmark 2000 Supreme Court case has penned a moving letter to the 16-year-old trans plaintiff at the center of the Court's recent ruling that schools can exclude trans girls from playing on teams for “biological females.” On June 30, the Court released its decision that "T
Madonna isn’t just back, she’s ubiquitous. From a Times Square takeover to Graham Norton’s couch, the pop legend is busy promoting her new album, “Confessions II,” a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” that is earning rave reviews. “Madonna’s back in peak form with a fresh and honest da
Amid a widespread crackdown on homosexuality, the National Assembly of Senegal amended the country's Constitution to officially ban same-sex marriage and define the institution as "the union between a man and a woman." The assembly made the decision in a unanimous vote on June 29th. An anonymous Sen
While the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J. continues to dominate headlines about transgender rights, three recent federal court cases produced significant rulings that limited or temporarily blocked Trump-Vance administration policies attacking trans Americans. Talbott v. USA
This story was originally published on The 19th.The United States is using the full power of the federal government to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The American Psychological Association has accused the Trump administration of ignoring science and undermining mental health t
If you’re a fan of the audacious, award-winning film The People’s Joker, then buckle up. Director Vera Drew, who helmed the aforementioned satirical trans Batman parody film despite facing legal threats over rights to the character, has been announced as the first recipient of the Transgender Film C
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth joined forces with one of social media's most vitriolic anti-trans campaigners last week to drum a Navy Commander out of the service over her support for transgender healthcare. It was a one-two punch from Hegseth in service of the president's crusade against "woke"
Turkish authorities have refused to allow a gay cruise to dock in the country. The Scarlet Lady, a Virgin Voyages ship that Atlantis Events chartered, departed Athens on Sunday. The 10-day cruise is scheduled to end in Trieste, Italy, on July 15. The ship had been scheduled to dock in Kusadasi, a Tu
In a recent press briefing, Donald Trump was speaking about the war in Iran when he mentioned the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping waterway that Iran has used as a bargaining chip in retaliation for the U.S. attacks, sparking a massive disruption in the global oil supply chain. Trump seemed
A 37-year-old man was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly beat a 12-year-old boy in a Manhattan playground while calling the kid a "gay fa***t." According to New York Police, the alleged crime occurred on April 29, when Kevin Maxwell of Brooklyn confronted the tween victim outside a restroom at th
A picture of Donald Trump's hands with makeup on both of them is getting attention online from people alarmed by his allegedly poor health. "Yikes! Both of Trump's hands are discolored today, and one of them appears bruised as well," wrote independent journalist Aaron Rupar, sharing the picture from
Patrons enjoyed a night out at the popular LGBTQ venue Crush Dance Bar on Friday, July 3. (Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford) The post PHOTOS: Crush Dance Bar appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
Over two months after police said a man shouted anti-gay slurs at a 12-year old boy on Manhattan’s Lower East side before striking him with a belt, a suspect has been taken into custody and charged with hate crimes.On Sunday, the NYPD arrested 37-year-old Brooklyn resident Kevin Maxwell and charged
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed a new law last week that will force trans inmates under state care to detransition. H.B. 2009 is a comprehensive appropriations bill for the Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC). The 20-page legislation focuses mostly on standard programs, trainings, and the
The DOJ has subpoenaed the Maine Department of Corrections for information that would include a trans inmate’s private and confidential medical records. Maine’s Attorney General’s office has now filed a motion refusing to turn over the records without a court order. Since the start of Donald Trump’s
As the United States of America acknowledges her 250th birthday, too many Americans are partying with fewer family and friends because their wallets and their patriotic hearts just aren’t in it. Meanwhile, the president is using taxpayer dollars to finance ugly pet projects, and a war of choice with
Apparently, the damn phones really are paying attention to everything, including the innermost thoughts you have yet to unpack yourself. A new study found that the TikTok algorithm might know you’re queer before you even come to that realization yourself.Recently published in the Gender, Place, & Cu
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