LGBTQ News
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Three years ago, the right lost its mind over Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg allegedly flying "private" on the taxpayer's dime, and for once bringing along his husband to honor veterans in his official capacity as a cabinet member's spouse, among other charges. The la...
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This story originally appeared on The Advocate.Dolly Parton, the country music legend whose singular songwriting, towering hair and rhinestone-studded wit made her an American institution, died August 25 at 80.Across a career spanning nearly six decades, Parton wrote an estimated...
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This story originally appeared on Out.The world is paying their respects to Dolly Parton.As one of the most iconic artists in music history, the singer and songwriter has touched millions of lives throughout her fabulous life. Following the news of her passing, LGBTQ+ celebrities...
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth uttered a transphobic slur during his speech yesterday at Oshkosh Defense, a military vehicle and technology company, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It's his latest use of the slur. "Every dollar squandered on redundancy or bureaucracy or waste is an ins...
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Country music icon and LGBTQ+ ally Dolly Parton died at age 80, her family announced on Tuesday via a video posted on her Instagram account. Her cause of death has not yet been revealed; however, last May she reported troubles with her immune and digestive systems following issue...
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This story originally appeared on Out.The one and only Dolly Parton has passed away.As one of the most beloved artists in the entertainment industry, Parton's campy aesthetic and consistent positivity resonated with LGBTQ+ fans all around the world. Since her humble beginnings as...
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Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White – who are both cisgender men – are not eligible for the WNBA draft despite declaring themselves “women” earlier this month. A source with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke with USA TODAY Sports on Monday described K...
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Radio host Charlamagne tha God eviscerated former New York Knicks center Enes Kanter Freedom over his crusade against the WNBA's policy on trans athletes, a war he waged even though the league has never had an out trans player. Earlier this month, Kanter Freedom joined the trans ...
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A 67-year-old woman pleaded guilty last week to sending a series of menacing messages to a trans woman, the content of which the sheriff described as "horrific." Lyndsey Peebles, who lives on Scotland's Isle of Bute, has been ordered to pay 500 pounds (approximately $700) to the ...
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A New Jersey detective says he was sexually assaulted by a supervisor amid years of anti-gay harassment. Last week, Russell Kingsland, a detective with the state’s Division of Criminal Justice, filed a notice of tort claim, a formal written notice of allegations required in New J...
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They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery … sometimes. Special Assistant to the President Natalie Harp has become the subject of intense media scrutiny in the past few weeks given her uniquely devoted relationship with Donald Trump. Several of Harp’s letters to the pre...
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In the 200s AD, the Roman emperor Elagabalus was known for dressing in women’s clothing and requesting to be called “Lady” instead of “Lord.” In the mid 1600s, Queen Christina’s decision to abdicate the Swedish throne rather than marry a man fueled rumors that she was attracted t...
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Jake Lang — a racist and anti-LGBTQ+ Republican former candidate for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat who was jailed for allegedly assaulting Capitol Police officers during the January 6, 2021, riots — held a hate rally outside of City Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during which he he...
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Former Vice President Mike Pence said he was "heartened" to learn that his former daily intelligence briefer, a gay and trans woman, found him respectful and affirming during their time working together. CIA agent Julia Curlee spent two decades in the agency, serving four preside...
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In a tense Fox interview, Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed called out Fox host Jesse Watters for focusing on trans athletes instead of important issues in the upcoming election. "Jesse, you have not asked me one time about the issues that people actually c...
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A monument that pays tribute to LGBTQ Canadians who suffered government-sanctioned persecution and discrimination officially opened in Ottawa on Aug. 21. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Governor General Louise Arbour, and Women and Gender Equality Minister Rechie Valdez are...
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For a brief moment, the sky got a lot more glamorous.Drag queens in Oregon broke an “unofficial, official” record for the most drag queens in a hot air balloon at the same time on Monday, according to a report in Portland CBS affiliate KOIN. All together, 25 queens packed themsel...
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179 Democrats currently in Congress signed a brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold Colorado's anti-discrimination policy in schools, a case the Court will hear next year in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court announced that it would be hearin...
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Republicans are attacking Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) – who is running for the U.S. Senate – with a fake artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video of her giving a boy "a no-parent-permission-required estrogen kit." Mills has been a strong supporter of transgender rights this pa...
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By JULIE SCHARPER and WESLEY CASE | Soon after Jim Becker came out as gay in 1967, he ducked into a Mount Vernon bar called Leon’s. In the dark, smoky bar, men used pseudonyms for fear of being outed, as homosexual acts were illegal in Maryland. Bartenders, wary of vice squad rai...
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This story originally appeared on The Advocate.Fox News host Jesse Watters wanted Abdul El-Sayed to account for what happens to transgender children’s bodies. He was less enthusiastic when the Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee asked about his.During El-Sayed’s appearance Mo...
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This story originally appeared on The Advocate.There is a wall inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia, carved with words meant to outlast the administrations whose officials pass beneath them. “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you...
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Sometimes I wonder whether home is a place or a feeling. I have lived in places where I never imagined I would stay. I have crossed borders I never expected to cross and spent years in refugee communities where people wake up each morning wondering what the future will bring. I h...
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Transphobic billionaire Harry Potter author JK Rowling compared herself to convicted rapist and championship boxer Mike Tyson while threatening critics who dare to publicly criticize her on social media. "If you walked up to Mike Tyson in a bar and punched him in the face, I doub...
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Security camera footage at Protest Pizzeria, a gay-owned pizza shop in Washington DC's Dupont Circle, captured a criminal breaking the restaurant's glass front door and stealing $78 in cash from their register around 3 a.m. last Friday, The Washington Blade reported. Though polic...
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The first American Pope has made room for progressive LGBTQ+ voices in several recent high-profile appointments, per an analysis in the popular Substack Letters from Leo, written by former Obama staffer Christopher Hale.In February, Pope Leo XIV officially appointed Bishop James ...
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Queer smut lovers everywhere, many of whom likely developed their sexual identities by reading erotic fan fiction on Wattpad, were sent into a panic this week after the online publishing platform updated its terms and conditions, leading some to believe it would be banning sexual...
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Gay activist Randy Downs said he and his business and life partner Ricky Bennett are grateful for the support they have received from the Dupont Circle community after they released a video showing a suspect breaking into their recently opened pizza shop and taking money from a c...
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Archbishop Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, the Anglican Primate of West Africa, spoke out last week against Ghana's recent parliamentary-approved law punishing the “willful promotion, sponsorship or support of LGBTQ+ activities” with up to five years in prison. “Our point in our province...
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If anyone knows how to handle a little reality TV chaos, it’s Ariana Madix. Since strutting into the villa on Love Island USA, the Emmy-nominated host has become one of reality TV's most beloved stars. Known for her hilarious commentary, stunning fashion, and genuine fandom of th...
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The 2026 SaVanna Wanzer Engendered Spirit Awards ceremony took place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in D.C. on Saturday. The ceremony was held at the conclusion of the day-long Trans Pride DC: Encore. Honorees included D.C. Mayor's Office of Community Affairs Dep...
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This story originally appeared on Out.Aging is not for the faint of heart. Your body and mind go through massive changes. Most people are aware that, as you move into your 50s and beyond, you need to start paying closer attention to your blood pressure and cholesterol. But few kn...
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After being asked about the month-long national controversy that has followed her July 21 ESPN profile in which she expressed opposition to transgender participation in sports, WNBA player Sophie Cunningham deflected, telling people to instead look at her stats.“Look at my stats…...
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Brittany Boltinhouse — the now-dethroned, Trump-supporting winner of the Miss North Carolina USA 2026 beauty pageant — filed a defamation lawsuit yesterday against the pageant's producers A Blaize Productions and Miss USA President Thom Brodeur for “maliciously coordinating to pu...
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's (D) reelection campaign trolled his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, last Wednesday over his alleged belief that dinosaurs and early humans coexisted. The Pritzker campaign sent a group of people in inflatable dinosaur costumes to the State Fair's R...
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Nicholas Hoult is not headed to Hogwarts after all. The Juror #2 actor, who had previously been attached to star as the vain Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart in the upcoming second season of HBO’s Harry Potter reboot series, has dropped out and been replace...
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has quietly removed several documents from its website pertaining to the care of trans inmates, according to new reporting by Transistics. That includes the long-established policy that allowed trans people to receive non-surgical g...
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Remember when buying a new car didn’t require the financial stamina of a “Succession” character? This summer, the average new-vehicle price hit $49,758—basically $50,000 with a little lipstick on it. That makes the Kia K4 hatchback and Nissan Kicks especially refreshing. Neither ...
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In a lengthy sit-down interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Sam Smith opened up about rising to fame and coming out as nonbinary in their twenties.“The whole time, I’ve always been nonbinary,” Smith, 34, said, reflecting on the period following the release of their May 2014 deb...
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This story originally appeared on The Advocate.Despite ever-growing food and fuel prices, an ailing health care system, and violent conflicts in the U.S. and abroad, the far right has decided to continue to wage war on transgender student-athletes. And while politicians debate th...
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Former New York Knicks center Enes Kanter Freedom was kicked out of a WNBA game on Sunday after clashing with a player over his anti-trans beliefs. The incident took place at Chicago's Wintrust Arena during a matchup between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever. Kanter Freedom, ...
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The former publicist of Phil McGraw, known publicly as Dr. Phil, is suing the television personality for anti-gay discrimination, among other alleged indiscretions, Jerry Sharell started working for the former talk show host in 2016 and became president of publicity in 2019. He c...
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People who thought they were attending a WNBA game in Chicago on Sunday evening were also treated to a three-ring circus courtesy of former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom.Freedom, who announced his intention to be drafted into the WNBA on August 7 as a seeming anti-trans publicit...
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A right-wing pundit tried to defend White House aide Natalie Harp's bizarre letters to Donald Trump, in which she asked him to "punish" her and "cuss her out" when she "deserve[s]" it, by arguing that Harp is actually "the poster child for modern-day feminists." Amy Robbins is th...
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India’s proposed overhaul of its foreign funding law could put LGBTQ organizations that depend on overseas donations under new pressure. Introduced in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, on March 25, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, or FCRA, w...
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Donald Trump is now claiming that he has ordered hospitals to perform "reverse surgery" on trans people. It is not clear what he's referring to. The president was speaking at a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on behalf of Republican Senate candidate Darline Graham Nordone ...
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In New York City, Jasmine Kennedie, who famously came out as trans while competing on Season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race, faced a harrowing incident of public harassment on Sunday night. On Monday, she shared her story on Instagram, with video of her tormenter. After a performance a...
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On July 8, Divine Playhouse opened inside a deconsecrated 158-year-old former church on Kent Street in Sydney, Australia. Although the organizers had a permit and received a $100,000 grant from Create NSW to host events in the previously unused space for a whole year, the organiz...
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US House member and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) calls himself a "Trump-supporting, gun-owning, liberty-loving, pro-life, politically incorrect Black man." Byron Donalds' LGBTQ+ legislative record not only aligns him with MAGA's anti-queer ideology but suggests th...
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‘Garbo: The Actor Who Saved the World’Sept. 3-27GALA Hispanic Theatre3333 14th St., NW$25-$50galatheatre.org Conflict, intrigue, and abundant imagination – all the elements for an extraordinary story. Add real-life Spanish spy Juan Pujol García who worked as a double agent loyal ...
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Middle school students pushed past a "wall of teachers" this past Friday to walk out and protest their school board's ban on a musical composition honoring Stonewall veteran Marsha P. Johnson, issued earlier in the week. Administrators had placed the school under a "cautionary lo...
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After the FIFA World Cup, footage showed Donald Trump talking to reporters while a man who looked eerily similar to the president wandered around in the background, even wearing a similar suit. Many took to social media to suggest that this might be a double or a stand-in, or in ...
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A transgender music teacher in North Carolina, targeted by a state lawmaker, Libs of TikTok, and a local chapter of Moms for Liberty, was defended at multiple school board meetings this month as "perfectly qualified" and "a lovely person." "There is no reason why their ability to...
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Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. was outraged when Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) asked him about how he suggested that antidepressants played a role in last week's Minneapolis school shooting, where a shooter killed two children and injured 17 other people befor...
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Federal court blocks Trump administration's attempt to remove gender-affirming care from Obamacare Which lawsuit this was: 21 states sued the Department of Health and Human Services over a 2025 rule that said that individual and small-group insurance plans sold on the Obamacare m...
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‘Finding Renée Richards’By Julie Kliegmanc.2026, HarperOne$28.99/272 pages Come on in, the water’s fine. Wade into it up to your ankles, your calves, your waist, you’ll be OK. You’ll adjust to the waves that swirl around you so come on, dive in, it’s all good. As in the new book ...
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The WNBA apologized after fans at last Sunday's game in Georgia between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream were instructed by security to cover shirts communicating both pro- and anti-trans messages. "This should not have happened," the league said in a statement reported by...
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This story originally appeared on The Advocate.President Donald Trump falsely claimed Friday that American hospitals are performing “reverse surgery” on transgender people because he ordered them to do so.“In fact, hospitals now are doing reverse surgery at my order,” Trump told ...
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Stew Peters, a Russia-backed anti-LGBTQ+ influencer who once baselessly accused a gay father of raping his own children, recently said that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) should be dropped off in Iran's capital city of Tehran to see if he'll be killed by anti-LGBTQ+ extremists. He's ...
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Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister who was appointed to his office to finish out his term, is woefully unqualified to be a senator, as we found out this week from her non-answer to a question about Taiwan. But not enough people are talking a...
