While Islam lacks a central governing body to put forth any official stance on homosexuality, those who adhere strictly to the words of the Quran tend to interpret the text similarly to the traditionalist followers of the other Abrahamic religions – as condemning same-sex love. But Nour Tayara doesn
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In the late 1980s, two women set about creating a lesbian community in Kansas City, Missouri. The result was Womontown, an urban community of over 70 women that spanned a 12-block radius and contained 28 homes and 14 apartment buildings. “We just started imagining, what if we could just walk hand in
Nightlife promoter Matthew Moody has big plans for Phoenix's up-and-coming gayborhood in the Melrose district: a leather bar called the Barracks. Along with "Eagle" and "Anvil," the "Barracks" name has a long history and is a shout-out to the leather community everywhere. Moody used to DJ at the bar
Ten students at Redwood High School in California's Central Valley are facing blowback from fellow students and the wider community after they spelled out the word "FA***TS" (without the asterisks) on t-shirts during a school assembly on Friday. On Monday, Visalia Unified School District officials a
Donald Trump can hug and kiss and praise the flag all he likes, but he and his supporters do not alone own it. Donald Trump can hug and kiss and praise Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un all he likes, but this does not make these dictators our nation’s allies. Related Sarah McBride forsees a blue wave t
Trans journalist and activist Erin Reed updated her Anti-Trans National Legal Risk Assessment Map, adding Idaho to the list of "Do Not Travel" states for trans people. Idaho is the fourth state to join this list, which also includes Florida, Texas, and Kansas. Reed also recategorized South Carolina
A Republican state rep from Michigan testifying about his anti-trans sports bill on Monday was left speechless after an out Democratic colleague began his questioning by asking, "Representative, can you tell me: are you trans?" A long beat staring down out gay Democratic state Rep. Mike McFall follo
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. There's a feeling of optimism in the air, and our weekly Good News Roundup is here to remind you of all the goodness, strength
An officer-involved shooting outside of a gay dive bar, Shakey’s, in downtown Asheville, N.C., left one man dead Wednesday. The bar released a statement the following morning regarding the incident, stating that bar staff had asked a patron to leave earlier in the night citing concerning behavior. T
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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, 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
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 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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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