A much-needed affordable housing project for LGBTQ+ seniors in San Franciscos Castro District has hit a setback, as state agency funding was denied, even though the proposal was described as a great project, The Bay Area Reporter wrote.Mercy Housing California, a senior living facility for elderly LGBTQ+ people, had applied for nearly $39 million from the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program, a joint initiative by Californias Department of Housing and Community Development and the Strategic Growth Council. The funds would have funded a 187-unit affordable housing development in the Castro, the citys historically gay neighborhood. Related These barbers gave free gender-affirming haircuts to LGBTQ+ youth for bodily autonomy No appointment necessary, just walk in! the announcement on social media read. Amar Cid, deputy director of Community Investments and Planning, said the project had limited funds and much competition, with other applicants scoring higher. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Round 8 of the AHSC program had many transformative, impactful community projects. Like every round, total project requests far exceeded the available funds. This year, requests were more than double what we could grant. It was a highly competitive process, he told The Bay Area Reporter.Cid emphasized that the rejection doesnt mean the project isnt valuable. The team met with the 1939 Market Street project team in mid-September to discuss ways to increase their score if they choose to apply in a future round, he said, emphasizing that he told its organizers to apply again in the future. [Its] a great project [and] we hope they consider applying in a future round, he said.Why some projects may have been awarded with a lower score than the 1939 Project has to do with other projects perhaps meeting specific [disadvantaged communities] and/or program priorities, Cid said. The affordable housing developer is partnering with Openhouse, a San Francisco nonprofit that provides services for LGBTQ+ seniors, to create their third building of below-market-rate apartments, primarily for LGBTQ+ seniors. Previously, the two organizations collaborated on 119 units of affordable, LGBTQ+-friendly senior housing spread across two buildings located at 55 and 95 Laguna Street both are near the Castro District.The push for affordable housing in the Castro is especially crucial as LGBTQ+ seniors face unique challenges in finding safe, inclusive living spaces. Mercy Housings commitment to resubmitting their application is a step forward, but the struggle for adequate funding continues.Mercy Housing California said that it will reapply for funding in 2025. In a statement to Bay Area Reporter, the organization expressed hope for next year. Unfortunately, this does push the schedule back one year. However, we remain committed to delivering 187 units of LGBTQ+ friendly housing as soon as possible, the organization said.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Drag queen and climate activist Pattie Gonia, who was featured without consent in a recent anti-transgender attack ad from former President Donald Trumps campaign, is considering legal action. The ad, which has drawn widespread criticism, targets Vice President Kamala Harris for her support of gender-affirming health care for people in government custody as part of the constitutional protection for access to health care for incarcerated people.The Advocate first reported about the ad in late September. It aired over the weekend during prominent football games and was part of Trumps effort to rally his base.The ad, which aired over the weekend during prominent football games, also included images of Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, a transgender woman, and other LGBTQ+ Biden-Harris administration figures. It features a snippet of Pattie Gonia with Harris, emphasizing Harriss support for gender-affirming care during an interview with the National Center for Transgender Equality in 2020. It concludes with the narrator saying, Kamalas for they/them. President Trump is for you.Pattie Gonia, a content creator and prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and environmental causes, addressed the situation on social media Thursday, expressing frustration at the unauthorized use of her image. In an Instagram video, she said, Thousands of you are letting me know that Im in a Trump ad that attacks queer and trans people. Wasnt exactly on my bingo card this year. Pattie Gonia further indicated that her legal team is reviewing options regarding using her likeness, adding, We are exploring legal options and will respond accordingly.Pattie Gonias spokesperson, Jenny Dugan, confirmed the possibility of legal action in a statement to The Advocate. We are exploring legal options right now and have been advised not to speak further on it at the current time, Dugan said. See on Instagram Pattie Gonia has used the moment to raise awareness and support for gender-affirming healthcare, encouraging donations through a link in her bio. Im going to do what queer people always doturn our pain into something positive, she said in her post.On Friday afternoon, Pattie Gonia updated her Instagram story: Thank you! You did it! You raised $15,000 in one day for trans healthcare.

Comedian Tommy Davidson says it took him no time to accept his transgender son.At the same time, as he recently explained in a candid interview with journalist and critic Tour on his podcast the Tour Show, hes still adjusting to his sons new name and pronouns. Related Marlon Wayans slams Elon Musks transphobia against his own daughter Wayans has been a vocal advocate for trans youth after his own son came out as trans. Davidson explained that he had no trouble immediately accepting his son Jersey when he came out as trans at age 15 because hed been exposed to the LGBTQ+ community from a young age. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today I knew trans people growing up, Davidson said. And my brother was gay. You know, so I was exposed to that whole community.Davidson said he first saw an androgynous person as a child working with his mother at the Workers World Party in New York. I saw a man that acted like a woman and kinda looked like a woman but kinda was a man, he recalled. I asked my mother and she gave me the perfect answer. I asked, What is he? Is he a man or a woman? She said, You know what, honey, hes kinda both.What she did was condition me to not reject others, to not reject someone that was not like me, he added.Tour suggested that while many parents of their generation had grown up accepting and embracing gay and lesbian people, the trans thing felt different, because it seems, outwardly, like a change. Trans people are aligning with who they really are, he said. They are not changing, but outwardly it looks like they are changing.It took me a while to wrap my mind around that, Davidson admitted. Me and my wife, we had a child. We found out that child was a girl, so we prepared for what a girl is to us.At the same time, Davidson, who seemed to struggle with pronouns throughout the interview, asked for what Tour described as grace if he unintentionally misgendered or deadnamed his son out of habit. It doesnt make me a bad guy, Davidson insisted. Im still adjusting. Tour also asked Davidson for his perspective on fellow comedian Dave Chappelles anti-trans jokes in recent stand-up specials.Nothing bothers me enough to hate someone, Davidson said.Tour pushed back, asking whether Davidson thought Chappelles comedy conveys to his audience that its ok to ridicule trans people.Youd have to ask him, Davidson said. My comedy is just about making people laugh about their similarities, not their differences.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Polina Muzhychkova and Sofia Malina fell in love fast. At 17 and 19, respectively, they met in Mariupol, Ukraine, and began dating. But a month later, the Russian Army invaded and obliterated their city. They were quickly torn apart, forced to flee and hide with their respective families. A recent profile in the New York Times depicts their valiant (and successful) efforts over two years to find their way back to each other. Related Kamala Harris from the Veil of Ignorance: How this election is a battle for liberalism itself John Rawls proposed examining policy through a veil of ignorance. LGBTQ Nation talked to an out Rawls scholar to learn more. Malina and her mother were detained in a basement for four days by Russian soldiers. When they were inexplicably released, they escaped to Ukrainian-held territory. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Muzhychkovaand her parents hid in the basement of their Mariupol apartment building for two months with no electricity or heat. When an explosion destroyed their building and injured Muzhychkova, they fled to Crimea. The two young women continued to talk and kept track of one another, and eventually, Malina made it to Crimea, where the pair moved in together and spent a year planning their escape. Crimea was safer, but the people there overwhelmingly supported Putin. So many people said, The city was destroyed because you were resisting, and Your country is the worst,Muzhychkovatold the Times, explaining that many were the victims of Russian propaganda. Muzhychkovas own family supported Russia as well, which is why she decided to leave. It was extraordinarily scary and painful to leave because of my parents, she said. It does not matter who they are; they did a lot for me. So, the couple did not even tell their families when they began their journey by bus back to Ukraine. The journey was rough. They endured physical abuse by Russian police at the border. They grabbed me by the hair and punched me in the face, Malina said, adding that she was subject to interrogations about her allegiance to Russia and whether she was a lesbian because she dyed her hair. But they made it, and they spent the summer working as baristas in Odesa together, sharing their story. Ultimately, they plan to move to Germany together. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Nate Douglas, a candidate for the Florida House from Orlando whos still in school pursuing a graduate degree in data science, says the numbers hes seeing point to two things: monumental challenges around the climate crisis and a win for Democrats in November looking to address them.The 23-year-old was born and raised in the small town of Celebration, Florida, the utopian brainchild of Walt Disney himself, built next door to Disney World. Douglas has collected more than $238,000 in cash through mid-September, a massive number for a state House district race and nearly double his Republican opponents take during the same time period.The young gay Democrat spoke to LGBTQ Nation on National Registration Day from the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where he was getting out the vote with fellow students. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today LGBTQ Nation: Theres a blue heron in the logo on your website. What does that represent for you? Nate Douglas: Its a Sandhill crane, actually, and that was to represent the fact that, first of all, I really like birds (laughing), and second of all, Sandhill cranes are also very much native to the district. So I decided to use something that was local and something that represents progress for the climate.You graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Food and Resource Economics with a specialization in Agribusiness, and you were elected, while still in college, as a Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. What first led to your interest in the climate?When I was just about 17 years old in high school, I joined the Sunrise Movement, which is the youth climate advocacy organization, and climate change is something that really brought me more into the progressive space in politics because, at the end of the day, thats something thats going to have a really large impact on everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status or regardless of their ethnicity or race. Youre pursuing a graduate degree in Data Science. What does the data tell you about the climate crisis that were facing?Well, it says that if we dont act quickly, then were going to have irreversible damage to our climate across the world. Its also going to drive a much larger issue here in the United States: were going to have deeper economic problems. Were going to have deeper energy problems. Our immigration crisis is going to get insanely out of control. I mean, people talk about immigration right now thats going to get significantly worse if we do not deal with the climate crisis, because these are folks who have nowhere else to go.How much of the rise in insurance premiums in Florida is due to the fact that the state is just more prone to the effects of climate change than other places, and therefore more expensive to insure, and how much of those cost increases do you lay at the feet of insurance companies trying to take advantage of that fact? This is a very complicated issue. And something I like to tell folks all the time is, regardless of whether or not an individual or homeowner cares about climate change, or even believes in climate change, there is a group that does care about climate change and that does believe in climate change, and that is our insurance companies.Insurance companies are using climate change as the reason to drive up our costs, yes, and some of that is reasonable, because obviously, we need to cover the cost of more natural disasters. Since Florida is one of the most catastrophe-prone states in the country, we need to raise premiums at some point.At the same exact time, however, those same insurance companies are also underwriting Big Oil projects and projects that contribute more to the climate crisis. So I think we need to really start paying attention to who they are insuring on the other side, how they are driving this climate crisis. We need to stop them from investing in those climate-intensive investments, such as Big Oil projects and pipelines, and we need to start making sure that they lower our premiums here in Florida and that they dont just abandon Floridians.Whats the single most important thing the world should do to address the climate crisis?Invest more in public transit.Youre running against a Republican incumbent, Susan Placentia, who came to office with just over a 2000-vote majority against her Democratic opponent, Carlos Guillermo Smith, who just won his election to the Florida Senate. Now youre trouncing her in fundraising. Was her win in the district an aberration? And how important a role will enthusiasm for Kamala Harris play in beating her in November? So first, to give you some context, this is one of the youngest districts in the state of Florida. The average age is just under 29 years old. And younger voters are less likely to vote than older voters. Everything that happens in this district is a turnout game. This is a blue district, but we have low propensity of turnout, and we need make sure that we energize voters and we get them to turn out.Im sitting here on the UCF campus. Were registering students to vote, and I can tell you right now, unequivocally, we have the energy to win this election. Kamala Harris being at the top of the ticket is a massive help. And then another thing that is a massive help is the Republicans.We have Susan Placencia, who voted for a six-week abortion ban, and she didnt even talk about her views on abortion back in 2022. And then shes also the sponsor of a school voucher expansion bill, which shifts $4 billion away from our public education system to our private education system thats unaccountable. And then, also she voted for a $1 billion bailout for large insurance companies. Republicans are the biggest help for us this election. Theyre whats going to drive the turnout. You were in high school when 49 people were killed in the mass shooting at Pulse, a gay club in Orlando. What impact did that have on you and your classmates?There have been so many. I mean, it made folks fearful, the reality that gun violence can have a massive impact on our families, on our lives, potentially taking our lives. I have a mother whos a schoolteacher of 25 years, and Im worried for her every single day that she goes into the classroom.There is no other developed country in the world that deals with this amount of mass shootings, and its because of folks in our legislature, for instance, who have made it easier for people who just shouldnt have guns to obtain a firearm. Its also made a lot of us much more active, much more loud in the fact that we need common sense gun laws. How important is social media in your campaign?Social media is extremely important. Again, this is one of the youngest districts in the state of Florida. So obviously, the younger you get, the more digitally active you are, the more youre communicating by social media, the more you see things through social media, and right now we need to make sure that were combating the right-wing narrative, and social media is the way that I do that.Governor Ron DeSantis Dont Say Gay legislation came after your time in Florida public schools. When did you come out? And how do you believe Dont Say Gay has affected the kids following you and their comfort with their own sexuality? Its hard to think about this. Its a very emotional question. There is absolutely no room for bullies in our education system, especially when it comes to sexuality. And the gross fact is that the biggest bully that we have right now in our education system is Governor Ron DeSantis and his legislators in the State House who passed the Dont Say Gay bill.This has a massive impact on students. It makes teachers afraid to even put a rainbow sticker on their door, to show that theyre accepting and offering a safe space for every student. When I was in middle school and when I was in high school, being the gay kid, I always felt comfortable knowing that there were so many teachers who had those rainbow stickers on their door. They said, Im accepting of you no matter who you are, no matter who you like, no matter who you love, you could come into this classroom and be treated the same as everyone else.Youre a first-generation American with immigrant parents. Where did they arrive to the United States from, and how did their upbringing affect their reaction to you being gay? My dad was born and raised in Jamaica, and my mom came from France. My moms always been accepting. She comes from a culture that is much more accepting of LGBTQ+ folks. Now, obviously, my dads from Jamaica, which isnt as accepting of LGBTQ+ folks.But I remember being a child, and this was during the discussion on gay marriage. And one of the first things I remember my dad saying is, Why cant they just leave these people alone? And, you know, hearing things like that, its encouraging, especially as the young gay kid in the passenger seat.Theres no indication on your campaign website that youre gay, except an endorsement from Equality Florida. You dont mention LGBTQ+ rights or issues like Dont Say Gay. How prominently do LGBTQ+ rights and your identity figure into your campaign? I mean, constantly. I wear Pride shirts. One of my most popular posts is talking about National Coming Out Day. I go to Pride events from Central Florida, South Florida.I think it goes without saying that my campaign is a campaign that advocates for everyone, regardless of sexuality, regardless of income. But the issues that I talk about most are issues impacting everyone, and thats why I want to make sure that my campaign is issue-focused and not solely identity-focused.Are you seeing anyone now, and whats dating like when youre running a political campaign? Oh, dating is difficult running a political campaign. I mean, Im not in a serious relationship right now. Could I handle that while being in a political campaign? I dont know, but we will see. We still have a few days left in the campaign, so who knows what could happen?Disney has been in the news over the last couple of years. Youre running for a seat in the area, and you grew up in Celebration, which was built by Disney. From your perspective, growing up around that culture, how would you describe Governor DeSantis war on woke and Disney?You know, I didnt spend that much time at Disney World growing up, which is really funny, because both my parents met at Disney, and I was literally born on Disney property, which is what I love to say. His war on woke is stupid, thats how I describe it. He was just doing it for media attention. He was doing it for his failed presidential bid. Thats all it was. It was nothing but a massive way to garner media attention, but it had an impact on many people who worked at Disney, for instance, and its something that we see with Governor DeSantis time and time again. He is someone who has so much ambition that he doesnt care about who he has to step over to get to where he wants, and at the end of the day, people like him always fail, like we saw during the Republican primary.Youve been a substitute teacher for Orange County public schools in your district. Would you support national mandatory national service for young people in the military or some other form of public service theyre choosing, like the Peace Corps or Teach for America?No, absolutely not. I mean, its not the governments place to tell students or to tell kids what they should do. What are you most looking forward to if you win your seat to represent the constituents in Florida House District 37?I look forward to talking about ways on how to solve our climate crisis here in Florida. I look forward to talking about ways that we could make sure that everyones getting around without having to drive everywhere. I want to bring more appropriation funds for public transit. Thats something I look most forward to doing.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Georgia President Salome Zourabichvili has refused to sign a piece of vicious anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently passed by the countrys parliament.Modeled on Russian anti-LGBTQ+ laws and proposed by the Georgian Dream Party, the legislation would impose draconian curbs on LGBTQ+ rights and provide a legal basis for Georgian authorities to outlaw Pride events, the rainbow flag, and public displays of affection, and also to impose censorship of films and books. It restates an existing ban on same-sex marriage and outlaws gender-affirming surgery in the country. Related A U.S. activist allegedly accepted $300K from Russia to push anti-gay laws in Africa Family Watch International of Arizona was complicit in the funding. In addition to outlawing public gatherings promoting same-sex relationships, the legislation would also limit adoption to heterosexuals, ban gender changes on official identification, and outlaw LGBT propaganda in education. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Georgian Dream party leaders say the legislation is critical to safeguarding Georgia from degenerate moral influences exported from the West. Its passage is one more indication the country is tilting its allegiance toward Vladimir Putins Russia. With it, the former Soviet republics bid to join the European Union looks ever more unlikely.Zourabichvili rejected the bill without vetoing it. And because she holds mostly ceremonial powers, Parliaments speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, is expected to sign the bill into law,according toThe Guardian. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was not happy with Zourabichvilis decision. The fact that Salome Zourabichvili did not stand on the side of protecting traditional and family values, not on the side of protecting the interests of minors, but on the side of pseudo-liberal propaganda, once again shows what political choice this person made and what forces [she] is governed by, said Kobakhidze said in a statement. Opponents say the bill and timing of the measure are aimed at whipping support for the far-right government ahead of the nations October 25 elections. Georgian Dream is looking to increase its majority with its fourth turn at the polls.This law is the most terrible thing to happen to the LGBT community in Georgia, Tamara Jakeli, director of campaign group Tbilisi Pride, toldReuters. We will most likely have to shut down. There is no way for us to continue functioning.Under Georgian Dreams leadership and with the complicity of the Orthodox Church, Georgia has become ever more hostile to LGBTQ+ people. Polls show broad disapproval of same-sex relationships, and the constitution already bans same-sex marriage. Tbilisis annual Pride marches have repeatedly come under physical attack by right-wing mobs, with reports some of those individuals havetraveled from Russiato inflame tensions.And the day after Parliament passed the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, a Georgian transgender model and popular influencer was stabbed to death in her apartment in what authorities called a premeditated attack.Georgian Dream members of Parliament have also proposed introducing genetic requirements in establishing legal marriage, whereby marriage would be a union of a genetic woman and a genetic man. Georgia enjoyed years of progress on human and LGBTQ+ rights following the Rose Revolution in 2003, as a majority of citizens supported a pro-Western turn and integration into the European Union and NATO.The rise of the Georgian Dream party in the last ten years, however, has seen the government reorienting toward its former colonizer, with the Church encouraging the rapprochement.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Christopher Ciccone reportedly passed away on Friday, October 4 after a long battle with cancer, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Born on November 22, 1960 in Bay City, Michigan, Ciccone was one of Madonna's younger siblings.THR notes that Ciccone "died peacefully surrounded by his husband, Ray Thacker, and other loved ones." TMZ reports that he passed away in Michigan, and recalls that Madonna had just lost another family member her stepmom, Joan Ciccone, at 81 years of age a few weeks ago on September 26, 2024.Best known for being a designer and an artist, Ciccone maintained a very high profile in the 1990s due to his work as a creative director for Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour (1990) and The Girlie Show tour (1993) two very iconic eras for the pop star.Unfortunately, the two siblings had an eventual falling-out that led to Ciccone's bombshell book, Life With My Sister Madonna, published in 2008. In the book, Ciccone references a 1991 interview with Out's sister publication, The Advocate, in which Madonna "outed him."Ciccone wrote in the seventh chapter of the book:"In an apparent ploy to garner support for the [Truth or Dare documentary] by ingratiating herself with her gay fans, she says, 'My brother Christopher's gay, and he and I have always been the closest members of our family.'"Madonna's quote "outing" Ciccone continued:"It's funny. When he was really young, he was so beautiful and had girls all over him, more than any of my other brothers. I knew something was different, but it was not clear to me. I just thought, I know there are a lot of girls around, but I don't get that he has a girlfriend. He was like a girl-magnet. They all seemed incredibly fond of him and close to him in a way I hadn't seen men with women.""I'll tell you when I knew," Madonna's quote in the book went on. "After I met Christopher [Flynn], I brought my brother to my ballet class because he wanted to start studying dance. I just saw something between them. I can't even tell you exactly what, but then I thought, Oh, I get it. Oh, okay. He likes men too. It was an incredible revelation, but I didn't say anything to my brother yet. I'm not even sure he knew. He's two years younger than me. He was still a baby. I could just feel something."Ciccone described that he felt "incensed" at the time, and highlighted that Madonna was "outing [him] to the readers of The Advocate" as "the perfect promotional tool for the movie."By 2019, however, Ciccone told Radar Online that he eventually reconciled with Madonna. He explained:"We are at peace now and just spoke last week. I recently moved from Los Angeles back to Michigan, where my father and family own a vineyard and winery."Madonna hasn't shared an official statement about Christopher Ciccone's passing as of this writing.This story is still developing

As the 2024 election season heats up, many are asking who has publicly endorsed Harris. Kamala Harris, the first female, Black, and South Asian vice president of the United States, has garnered significant support from diverse groups. From Hollywood icons to political and business leaders, her growing list of endorsements reflects her commitment to building bridges across demographics and ideological divides.Harris has been publicly endorsed by major heterosexual celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift, political leaders like former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney, and business leaders like Mark Cuban and Melinda Gates. But Harris has also been endorsed by LGBTQ+ celebrities as well, offering a glimpse into her queer base of support. Related How much do you know about Kamala Harris and her stance on LGBTQ+ rights? She could become president. Heres a closer look at her history on LGBTQ+ stances. Wilson CruzShutterstock Wilson CruzThe gayAfro-Puerto Rican actor endorsed Harris shortly after she became the Democratic presidential nominee. He even joined the Human Rights Campaigns Out for Kamala Harris virtual event in late July, which raised over $300,000 for her campaign.Alan CummingKevork Djansezian-USA TODAY via IMAGN images Alan Cumming at the 76th Emmy Awards on September 15, 2024The bisexual Scottish actor is part of the Broadway for Harris organizing committee. The group is a volunteer coalition of theatrical industry workers and leaders who have helped organize phone banks, canvassing, social media outreach, and fundraising events for Harris campaign.Colman DomingoKevork Djansezian-USA TODAY via IMAGN images Colman Domingo at the 96th Academy AwardsThe gay actor of stage and screen was one of over 1,100 LGBTQ+ celebrities and leaders who signed an open letter supporting Harris shortly after her nomination. The letter stated, Vice President Kamala Harris is a galvanizing trailblazer and has been a champion for LGBTQ+ equality for decades.Billie EilishShutterstock Billie Eilish at the 29th Annual Critics Choice Award in January 2024The bisexual musician endorsed Harris in a September Instagram video alongside her brother, fellow musician FINNEAS. We are voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walzbecause they are fighting to protect our reproductive freedom, our planet, and our democracy, Eilish said in the video.Jesse Tyler FergusonShutterstock Jesse Tyler Ferguson in 2023The gay TV, film, and theater actor not only endorsed Harris, but in late August, he also hinted that his friend, pop star Taylor Swift, would endorse Harris soon as well. Swift endorsed Harris in early September, mere minutes afterHarris successful debate against former President Donald Trump.Frankie GrandeShutterstock Frankie Grande at the 2019 amFAR Gala in Hollywood, CaliforniaThe gay actor, media personality, and half-brother of pop singer Ariana Grande endorsed Harris in July, signing an open letter in support of her nomination after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign.KeshaShutterstock KeshaIn late July, the out pop musician told journalists outside of the Los Angeles airport that she would absolutely vote and campaign for Harris. She also slammed Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) for his comment against childless cat ladies, saying, F**k bad men.Janelle MoneShutterstockThe pansexual, nonbinary, polyamorous Afrofuturist musician and actor endorsed Harris by resharing one of Harris Instagram posts and writing their own comment: Im in.Cynthia NixonShutterstock Cynthia Nixon in December 2021The queer actress, activist, and former New York gubernatorial candidate made her support of Harris publicly known in an August 6 video post on X. In the video, she drank from a coconut a nod to the Kamala Harris coconut memes that went viral immediately following her nomination and expressed gratitude that Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate, writing, Im Walzing on air!Sarah PaulsonShutterstock Sarah Paulson in January 2020The sexually fluid TV and film actress wrote in an August 20 Instagram post, Im thrilled to be joining alongside so many incredible humans for Broadway For Harris to get Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and down-ballot Democrats elected this November.P!nkShutterstock P!nk in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 6, 2019.In late July, the bisexual pop singer endorsed Harris in a virtual fundraiser that raised over $1.8 million for the Harris campaign. We are in this, she said, and Im just really grateful that us women are going to have a voice, and weve always made our voices heard, and now its time to just get extra loud. P!nk and her daughter also performed the song What About Us on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.Aubrey PlazaShutterstock Aubrey Plaza in 2019The out actress endorsed Harris campaign in a September 11 Instagram post that included a photoof herself holding the now-deceased Grumpy Cat, whom she once co-starred with in the 2014 holiday filmGrumpy Cats Worst Christmas Ever. She captioned her photo, HARRIS WALZ, but the photo was interpreted as a subtle retort to Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vances comment about childless cat ladies running the Democratic national leadership.Billy PorterShutterstock Billy PorterThe gay, HIV-positive actor has been an avid supporter of Harris. He performed at a Democratic National Conventionluncheon in August and has worked as an official surrogate for her campaign, helping raise funds and get out the vote for her and other down-ticket Democratic candidates who can help implement Harris agenda.Zachary QuintoShutterstock Zachary Quinto in November 2023The gay actor endorsed Harris inthe Human Rights Campaigns Out for Kamala Harris virtual event on July 25. He also traveled to his native home state of Pennsylvania to campaign for Harris alongside Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).Brian Michael SmithShutterstock Brian Michael SmithThe transgender actor was one of over 1,100 LGBTQ+ celebrities and leaders to sign an open letter supporting Harris candidacy. Our fundamental freedoms are under attack, the letter said, adding, [Harris has laid] out a vision for America in which no one is left behind, regardless of who they are or who they love.Megan Thee StallionShutterstock Megan Thee Stallion in June 2024The bisexual rapper performed during Harris first presidential campaign rally at Georgia State University on July 30. Upon taking the stage, she said, I just want to start out by saying Hotties For Harris! Im so excited to be here with yall tonight. Make some noise for Mrs. Harris our future president.Raven-SymonShutterstock Raven-Symone at the 2018 Daytime Emmy AwardsThe out actress endorsed Harris by adding her name to an open letter supporting her historic candidacy. She also endorsed Harris in a video broadcast with her wife, saying, Kamala stands strong in her beliefs and she doesnt waver. She definitely has a big green check in my book because of the fact that Im a black female within the LGBTQ+ community, and she has always fought for us to make sure that our future is safe and that our marriage is protected.George TakeiShutterstock George TakeiThe gay Japanese-American actor enthusiastically endorsed Harris during the Human Rights Campaigns Out for Kamala Harris virtual eventon July 25.You can just see it in her big smile and that wonderful guffaw of hers. She brings optimism to the campaign, and that is a winning quality: strength, optimism, and joy, Takei said during the event, also noting that she officiated same-sex marriages as far back as 2004.Mary L. TrumpSimon & Schuster promotional image Mary TrumpA psychologist and bestselling author, Mary L. Trump, niece of former President Donald Trump, has publicly supported Kamala Harris, distancing herself from her uncles political views and becoming a vocal critic of his administration.She also offered advice for Harris debate against her uncle, encouraging Harris to mock his weaknesses, refute his lies, and underscore his danger to the nation. Jonathan Van NessShutterstock Jonathan Van Ness in March 2023The gay, nonbinary, HIV-positive podcaster and Queer Eye grooming expert endorsed Harris in a July 21 social media post.I believe Vice President Harris will be President Harris! Van Ness wrote. She has what it takes to lead an America that is safe, prosperous, and equitable for all! She can unify us and safeguard human rights here & abroad. I believe in Vice President Kamala Harris & hope you can too.Groups in support of Kamala HarrisSeveral grassroots groups have formed in support of Harris, hosting virtual events with celebrities and political figures to raise record-breaking donations:Black Women for Harris: A group of Black women advocates hosted a late July virtual Zoom event that served as a model for many other groups. Approximately 44,000 people joined the event and raised $1.8 million.White Women for Harris: Over 164,000 womenlogged into this virtual event to hear from queer celebrities like athletes Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird. The speakers encouraged listeners to recognize and use their privilege to support Harris and marginalized voters. The call raised $8.5 million for Harris campaign.Out for Kamala Harris: LGBTQ+ leaders and activists like Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), drag performer Veronica Electronika, and CNN anchor Don Lemon helped raise over $300,000 for Harris campaign in a virtual event organized by the Human Rights Campaign.Black Queer Men for Harris: Organized by civil rights attorney Alphonso David, Native Son founder Emil Wilbekin, and activist leader Rashad Robinson, the virtual event had over 3,000 participants and debunked misconceptions about Harris record dealing with the Black community.White Dudes for Harris: Over 200,000whitemen from all across the countrydiscussed white privilege and raised over $4 million for Harris campaign. The call featured celebrities like Jeff Bridges, Mark Hamill, Mark Ruffalo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and JJ Abrams.Geeks and Nerds for Harris-Walz: Wonder Woman TV actress Lynda Carter organized the call which featured celebrities likeLeVar Burton, Bill Nye, and Sean Astin. It also had a competitive fundraiser between comic book and science-fiction fans.Who hasnt endorsed Kamala Harris?Despite Harriss wide array of supporters, some notable figures have not endorsed her publicly, instead showing their support for Donald Trump:Ye: The rapper formerly known as Kanye West supported Trumps candidacy in 2016 and 2020 and re-endorsed Trump again last February.Elon Musk: The transphobic billionaire has endorsed Donald Trump and willingly spread anti-Democratic misinformation on his massive social media platform in Trumps favor.M.I.A.: The British rapper endorsed Trump in August, saying, Trump is going to ride America through the most challenging four years.Kelsey Grammer: In December 2023, the actor best known for playing psychologist Frasier Crane on TV told a BBC interviewer he was happy to talk about why hesupports Donald Trump.Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: He endorsed Trump after dropping his own independent third-party presidential candidacy.A coalition of diverse support for Kamala HarrisKamala Harriss growing list of public endorsements showcases the broad coalition that supports her vision for a more equitable and inclusive future. From trailblazing LGBTQ+ icons like Billy Porter and Janelle Mone to political figures like Liz Cheney and Barack Obama, Harriss campaign has garnered backing from all corners of society. These endorsements speak to her commitment to fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, healthcare reform, and economic equality. Grassroots movements, such as Black Women for Harris and Out for Harris, have further amplified her campaign, mobilizing communities and raising record-breaking donations to drive her forward in 2024.As we continue to see the election landscape evolve, its clear that Harriss base of support reflects the true diversity of America. From Hollywood stars to everyday activists, her campaign is powered by a collective belief in progress and justice. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter for breaking news, analysis, and stories that matter to the LGBTQ+ community and our allies.

Nico Lang(they/them) is a journalist, editor, culture critic, and essayist. Lang is the founder of Queer News Daily and has previously worked as the deputy editor of Out magazine, an LGBTQ+ correspondent for VICE, the news editor at Them, and a contributing editor at Xtra magazine. Their work has been published in Rolling Stone, Esquire, The Daily Beast, HuffPost, and BuzzFeed News, among others. Lang was named the 2023 Online Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club Association and is the recipient of 10 awards from the National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalist, a GLAAD Award, and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Funds inaugural Visibility Award. Their new book American Teenager is available on October 8th.Tell the readers a little bit about your inspiration to set off on this journey to interviewing trans young people?I wrote this book because I knew it needed to exist. This year alone, more than 650 bills targeting trans people have been introduced to state legislatures across the U.S., and those signed into law include restrictions on the ability of trans kids to access necessary medical care, use the bathroom at school, or even play on school sports teams. More than half of U.S. states already have either gender-affirming care bans or sports bans in place for trans youth, usually both. Lawmakers have been able to pass many harmful bills so quickly because they do not recognize the dignity of trans youth, and they erase the very existence of the vulnerable population their policies impact. When trans kids bravely testify before their state legislatures to try and stop anti-trans legislation from being passed, lawmakers very often ignore them. They check their text messages and their unread emails. They stare up at their ceiling. Anything to avoid making eye contact or keep themselves from seeing that these are merely human beings asked to be treated like all other human beings: with empathy, compassion, and love.My personal breaking point was seeing Texas lawmakers introduce a bill in 2021 branding parents of trans youth as child abusers if they allowed their children to transition or simply affirmed them for who they are. As a journalist, I believe in the power of education: If there are questions that lawmakers have, we can answer them. We can present them with the correct information and dispel myths and misconceptions that they might have. But if that is our starting point that loving your child as they are is abuse then there can be no conversation. There is no foundation to be built upon. With this book, my hope is to bring some of that good faith back into the discussion and show people what they have been ignoring: that these are just kids, trying to get by in the world like everyone else.What is the biggest misconception that young people express that they hear about themselves? What about misconceptions or misperceptions you had?I dont think that I had any misperceptions about trans youth going into this book because Ive been doing this for a really long time. Ive been working with families of trans kids for about eight years, and one of the reasons I had the kind of access to write this book is that I had an enormous amount of trust built in that allowed people to let me into their lives and communities. The families I worked with knew that I was going to treat them with respect, and sadly, they cant always count on that from every journalist. It should be a given, but its too rarely the case.A misperception I encountered while pitching this book to publishers, which American Teenager pushes back on heavily, is the idea that theres any single story to be told about the lives of trans youth. Trans people, both kids and adults, have such diverse experiences because theyre such a diverse group of people, and I never wanted to present trans kids as being a monolith, to say that theres one single kind of trans kid who can speak for everyone. On this subject, the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie once said: Ive always felt that it is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person. The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. Instead, with this book, I hoped to give trans youth the freedom to speak for themselves, without representing anyone elses experience but their own. Rather than using the stories in this book to generalize and make assumptions about how other trans kids exist, my purpose was to illustrate that there is no way to know about the lives that trans youth lead without asking them. They need to be the narrators of their own stories, and we, as a media and a culture, have frequently denied that to them. I wanted to give them that power: to lead the conversation themselves and show all of us just how rich, complex, and deep their world truly is.Did The Trevor Project or suicide prevention come up at all on your travels?Mental health was a consistent theme throughout the book, and it underscores just how important supportive environments and affirming families are for young people. In West Virginia, Mykah was experiencing a severe mental health crisis after they bombed their audition to NYUs theater school, fearing that they would be stuck in a state where they saw few opportunities to thrive as a Black, genderfluid person. Shortly after I visited Mykah to spend two and a half weeks in their home state, legislators passed a bill banning trans youth from accessing hormone therapy and puberty blockers, having already enacted a trans sports ban. While Mykah was over 18 and wasnt sure then whether they intended to medically transition, the laws passage speaks to the limits elected officials are willing to place on their freedom. If they are willing to take away necessary medical care from kids, what could be next? And how can you build a life in such a place? Those kinds of questions weighed heavy on Mykahs mind at a time when the future seemed increasingly less bright.Even young people with incredibly supportive households still struggled if state policy didnt match the love they had felt in their own communities. Ruby had a loving boyfriend, an incredible family, and a church that has affirmed her from the minute she came out as trans, but she knew she couldnt stay in Texas with the deluge of anti-trans policy being enacted there. In recent weeks, the state began blocking trans people from correcting their birth certificates and drivers licenses. Ruby knew that the only way to truly live her life and to avoid another potentially life-threatening mental breakdown was to move to a place that would allow her liberty. Her chapter saw Ruby planning to give up all the support she had found in Texas to attend school in California, where she would no longer have to fight her own state government just to be herself.This speaks to the importance of allies. To live lives where they can reach their fullest potential, its not merely important that trans kids have friends, family, and community members who will love them no matter what. They also need elected officials who have their back, too.At least one supportive adult can lower the risk of suicide for LGBTQ+ young people. How do you view writing this book as showing up for young people?As I mentioned, Ive been doing this work for quite a long time. In addition to this book, I run an Instagram account, Queer News Daily, dedicated to elevating and uplifting the voices of the community. Ive written for just about every news publication that will have me, sometimes taking extremely little pay to do so. I dont really think about the question of allyship very much because its just my job. If Im not helping young people to get their voices and perspectives out there, then Im not doing it very well.What I hope readers ask themselves is what they can do to be better allies to youth. People who buy the book may notice that American Teenager doesnt end with a big red bow tying everything up, and theres no concluding chapter. I thought about doing it, but it just didnt feel very authentic. I wanted this book to feel like life itself in all its complications and messiness and things dont wrap up. You often dont get the closure you seek. We briefly check in with each kid to find out where they are now, but the truth is that their lives will continue on years after this book is published. They will go off to college. They will have careers that hopefully bring them fulfillment. They will marry. They will grow families of their own. They will grow old, just as children have before them and will after them.If readers want closure, to know that these kids and others like them will grow up to have lovely lives, that is on us. We must build a world that will protect them and safeguard their rights. We must elect lawmakers who have their best interests in mind. We must empower advocates and allies who can fight on their behalf. We must create safe spaces in our schools and communities. We pretend that what happens to them is totally separate from our own lives, but its not. We live in a constitutional republic where we get a say in what our society looks like. We should act like it and vote like it.All of us should remember that we have that power to make trans youth feel as though they matter, because they do. And if youre a trans person reading this, I hope it doesnt take a reporter calling you to feel worthy. Your worth is intrinsic and your beauty is inherent. No one can bestow it upon you, and no one can take it from you either. The world is better because you are in it, and we are all so lucky to have you.What was one story you wish every lawmaker could hear?Lawmakers need to hear every story in this book, and they need to start listening to the young trans constituents whose stories they have been ignoring. The sad fact is that I didnt invent this work. Trans people have been trying to educate their elected officials for years, and theyve been snubbed and turned away. American Teenager was an extraordinary opportunity, and everyone involved is incredibly grateful for it, but it never should have needed to exist. In 2024, we shouldnt still be begging politicians to acknowledge the humanity of children.But if theres one chapter I hope they take with them, I hope its Jacks story. Jack is a young trans girl who was forcibly detransitioned by the state of Florida after she lost access to gender-affirming medical care through its Medicaid program. For five months, Jack went without her hormones, and she almost didnt survive. She stopped eating and stopped going outside. She grew so thin and frail that her mother would sit by her daughters bedside every night, worried her daughters heart would stop in her sleep. Although she got her health care back when she turned 18, Jack is still deeply traumatized by having her body taken away from her for a time period that felt as if it would never end. Her family members say that she isnt the Jack they knew before her forced detransition, and she doubts that she will ever be the same again. All she wants is that person back or maybe to disappear somewhere and start all over.If lawmakers have been unwilling to recognize the extreme pain and trauma caused by their decisions, Jacks story is proof of what they are doing and to children, no less. This should never have happened to anyone, least of all a child.The post Nonfiction American Teenager Meets Trans Young People Where They Live appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Kamala Harris pulled ahead in national polls, getting a two-point advantage over Donald Trump in the past two months, according to RealClearPolitics average of polls. But shes still close in many swing states, and because of the Electoral College, this election is far from settled. So with less than a month left to go before Election Day, what do you think she should be doing to widen the gap and increase her chances of getting elected?Of course, the Harris-Walz campaign has its own internal polling and election experts guiding it, but we want to know what our readers believe is the best way forward for her. Vote in the poll below this week, and well share the results on Friday. Share your opinion View the article on LGBTQ Nation to participate in our reader poll. And make sure youre registered to vote. Your Vote is a step toward Equality for All Make sure youre ready to vote!

Drag queen Pattie Gonia said she is considering her legal options after former President Donald Trump used video footage of her in a recent anti-transgender political ad against Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. The drag performer used the ad to help raise $15,000 for Trans Lifeline and Point of Pride, two organizations that support trans lives and gender-affirming care, respectively.Thousands of fans notified the drag performer after Trumps ad aired last week. The ad mentions Harris support of providing lifesaving care to transgender inmates (something required by federal law). It also shows images of Harris standing next to Pattie Gonia, next to a trans woman and also a nonbinary individual who both were Biden Administration officials. The ad concludes with the line, Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you. Related These 4 trans-related Supreme Court cases affect everyones future civil rights While the cases focus on drag bans and trans protections, they address larger issues of free speech and civil rights. Trump continues to use queer people to attack Kamala Harris, to divide our nation, and to wage war against gender-affirming care, which we know saves lives, Pattie Gonia said in a recent Instagram video mentioning her response to it. No, the Trump campaign did not have my permission to use my name or likeness. Yes, we are reviewing our legal options, and yes, Im going to do what queer people always do, turn our pain into something positive. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The performer then asked her followers to donate to a fundraiser for two trans organizations, which provide critical care to trans individuals. Im using this moment to raise money for trans and gender-affirming health care, she said. So if youd like to join me in saying a big f**k you to Trump, you know where to go. Vote this fall and make America gay again. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pattie Gonia (@pattiegonia)Mark McKenna, a professor at the UCLA School of Law,told NBC Newsthat Pattie Gonia might not succeed in a lawsuit against the ad because a political ad gets a lot more leeway and normally we dont give people claims to stop political speech unless the speech rises to the level of defamation.If this were not a political ad, but a commercial ad, I would have no trouble saying this person has a very strong claim, McKenna said.Trumps transphobic attack isnt surprising. Both Trump and his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH)have liedabout Harris running mate, Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz(D),allowing his states government to kidnap children from unsupportive parents to change their gender. The claim is untrue, as Walz has never signed any such law or order, nor are state officials legally authorized to take trans kids away from unsupportive parents.Trump has also claimed that schools are conducting surgeries on trans youth without parental consent.This is also a lie.No schools are providing such surgeries, doctors typically refuse to provide such surgeries to minors, and doctors never provide gender-affirming surgery to minors without parental consent. Furthermore,the Republican National Platform pledgesto keep men out of womens sports and cut federal funding for any schools pushing radical gender ideology or inappropriate sexual or political content on our children.Chapter 9, Section 5 of the platform promises to end Left-wing gender insanity, stating, We will keep men out of womens sports, ban Taxpayer funding for sex change surgeries, and stop Taxpayer-funded Schools from promoting gender transition, reverse Bidens radical rewrite of Title IX Education Regulations, and restore protections for women and girls.However, the anti-trans messaging may actually backfire on Trump and other Republicans.A March 2024 pollshowed that 53% of voters oppose candidates who campaign against transgender people. While that might sound like a slim majority, such a majority could help determine which candidates win in close races.An August 2023 Economist/YouGov pollfound that majorities of voters mostly care about inflation, taxes, jobs, the economy, government spending, and immigration.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nationnewsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

John Brownewas considered one of the titans of the industry when he was the CEO of BP Oil, a multi-billion dollar British multinational oil and gas company. Browne ran BP until 12 years ago, in 2007, when his career abruptly ended after a U.K. newspaper outed him as gay.Browne discussed the experience and its aftermath on Bloombergs news talk series Leaders With Lacqua Goes Green. The series features industry leaders discussing climate change and its impact on business. Related These husbands went from broke to financially successful. Now they want to help you. John Schneider and David Autens new Yahoo Finance series kicks financial shame out of the closet. I am immensely pleased that I was outed when I was 60, just under 60, because if I had not been outed, I probably would have said I could stay in the closet, Browne shared. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today When asked whether he held any bitterness or ill will towards those who outed him, Browne said, Curiously, no. I mean, I thought that I looked at myself and realized that I had a set of assumptions which were built into me in the 50s and 60s.He shared that much of his attitude about homosexuality came from his upbringing. He said his mother told him, Never be an identifiable member of the minority because, when the going gets tough, the majority of us hurt the minority.She also told him Never tell anyone a secret because theyll theyll use it against you. Browne said that he found both of those statements to be really true in my life experience. The anti-LGBTQ+ culture of the business world also prevented him from leaving the closet. He said that homophobic jokes and things like that made it so I got into the closet, threw away the key, and then I didnt change anything. And of course, life started changing, but I didnt change in line with life, that aspect of me.Browne wrote about his experience in a book titled The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out Is Good Business. The book supports creating supportive environments for LGBTQ+ people in business settings. Browne said that during his book tour, when he was done presenting, a man stood up at the end of a reading and told him, You know, I work for one of your competitors. We all knew you were gay for a long time. The problem was none of us were brave enough to come and tell you you were gay.I thought that said everything, Browne remarked.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is outraged that FEMA showed any concern about the safety of immigrant trans women during its response to the fallout of Hurricane Helene. Greene argued that being concerned with the safety of trans people proves that FEMA hate[s] Christians.On social media, she shared a clip from what appears to be a training session led by FEMA financial management specialist Reilly Hirst, who is also the director of education/training for FEMAs Pride Federal Employee Resource Group. Pride in this context usually refers to an LGBTQ+ group. There is no indication that this training session is recent or directly related to Hurricane Helene. Related Marjorie Taylor Greene & Ron DeSantis attack transgender people in RNC speeches Republicans appear to want to make trans rights a main theme of the 2024 election season. Being a migrant trans woman, there is an undocumented concern, Hirst says in the clip that is being shared by conservatives online. There is also a concern of whether they would trust the places that are offering shelter that is faith-based because of the way theyve been responded to in the past. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today And if they are accepted, what would happen in terms of misgendering, in terms of bedrooms and bathrooms, etc. And then, in addition, public safety once theyre inside from those who are actually sheltering with them.FEMA Training Director is concerned about faith-based shelters misgendering migrant transwomen,' Greene wrote, getting Hirsts title wrong. These are the unqualified idiots using FEMA disaster relief funds to house migrants and FAILING western NC Hurricane Helene victims.They hate Christians. FEMA Training Director is concerned about faith-based shelters misgendering "migrant transwomen.These are the unqualified idiots using FEMA disaster relief funds to house migrants and FAILING western NC Hurricane Helene victims.They hate Christians. pic.twitter.com/FqGxdcfYnN Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) October 5, 2024Greenes rant implies that she believes that FEMA should leave immigrants in affected areas to die. FEMAs help for immigrants has been subject to extensive scrutiny and misinformation by the right, including Donald Trumps baseless allegation that FEMA money was stolen from a bank so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them this season.The concerns Hirst raised about transgender people in shelters are valid. A Center for American Progress study in 2016 of 100 homeless shelters in four states found that only 30% of such shelters were willing to house trans women with women. 13% housed trans women with men, and 21% refused to provide shelter to trans women at all.And, despite Greenes insistence that its a sign of hatred of Christian people to believe that they may be more likely to be transphobic, the Pew Research Center found in 2022 that religious people especially white evangelicals were more likely to believe that a persons gender cant be different from their sex assigned at birth. The category religiously unaffiliated which includes atheists, agnostics, and nothing in particular respondents was more likely in the survey to accept trans people as their authentic selves.Greene herself is a staunch Christian who has made her faith an integral part of her political identity, and she is perhaps the most anti-trans member of Congress, introducing legislation to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth and restrict it for trans adults at the federal level, so its unclear why she specifically would be surprised that many trans women would be reticent to be housed by a religious organization.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the American Music Awards are gathering some of the most iconic names in music throughout the past five decades for an iconic event worthy of such a special occasion the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special!Some of our all-time favorite divas are scheduled to perform during the special (which premieres Sunday, October 6 on CBS and Paramount+) including Jennifer Hudson, Gladys Knight, Mariah Carey, and the one and only, four-time AMA nominee Chaka Khan, who is performing her timeless bop "I'm Every Woman" with the help of fellow legend Sheila E. See on Instagram While the song's name suggests that it is a powerful anthem for women (and it absolutely is!), we'd be remiss not to mention how popular the song, which was originally released in 1978, has been for the LGBTQ+ community for decades! Heck, it's even been used in a Lip Sync for Your Life in the Emmy-winning reality competition RuPaul's Drag Race, which Chaka has guest judged on, so you already know it's a veritable gay anthem!Out got the chance to catch up backstage at the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special with the legend herself as she rehearsed for her performance, and she talked about the impact she's had on the gays, as well as her fondness and love for fellow R&B icon Whitney Houston, who further catapulted the popularity of "I'm Every Woman" when she covered it and included it on the soundtrack of the 1992 film The Bodyguard (you know, the best-selling soundtrack of all time!).Out: I know you're performing "I'm Every Woman" tonight. That song is iconic, not just for the girls, but also for the gays. I feel like every gay bar in America has that song on rotation. So what's it feel like to have that much impact with the community and know that the gays still love you all these years later?Chaka Khan: I love people. I don't care what the hell you are. I love you. That's none of my business who you are and what you're about. That's your business. If you're happy, I'm happy. I'm over the moon. So that's how I feel. It feels good to be loved. Anybody will tell you that, who is loved. That's the beauty of it, is that they see something and feel my love and they respond to that so I love it. I know the late Whitney Houston also iconically covered "I'm Every Woman." Can you reflect on your relationship with her and how much, you both meant to each other, especially since you two are such icons.We, we as girls, as people, we loved each other dearly. We have a very similar, very similar... what do you call it? We were like-minded people. We were very like-minded. Very smart. She was witty as hell. She was one of the funniest people I've ever, ever, ever known. I haven't laughed like that since she's been gone. I really do miss her physical presence. But make no mistake. She's very much with us still.The American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special airs tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Nico Lang(they/them) is a journalist, editor, culture critic, and essayist. Lang is the founder of Queer News Daily and has previously worked as the deputy editor of Out magazine, an LGBTQ+ correspondent for VICE, the news editor at Them, and a contributing editor at Xtra magazine. Their work has been published in Rolling Stone, Esquire, The Daily Beast, HuffPost, and BuzzFeed News, among others. Lang was named the 2023 Online Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club Association and is the recipient of 10 awards from the National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalist, a GLAAD Award, and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Funds inaugural Visibility Award. Their new book American Teenager is available on October 8th.Tell the readers a little bit about your inspiration to set off on this journey to interviewing trans young people?I wrote this book because I knew it needed to exist. This year alone, more than 650 bills targeting trans people have been introduced to state legislatures across the U.S., and those signed into law include restrictions on the ability of trans kids to access necessary medical care, use the bathroom at school, or even play on school sports teams. More than half of U.S. states already have either gender-affirming care bans or sports bans in place for trans youth, usually both. Lawmakers have been able to pass many harmful bills so quickly because they do not recognize the dignity of trans youth, and they erase the very existence of the vulnerable population their policies impact. When trans kids bravely testify before their state legislatures to try and stop anti-trans legislation from being passed, lawmakers very often ignore them. They check their text messages and their unread emails. They stare up at their ceiling. Anything to avoid making eye contact or keep themselves from seeing that these are merely human beings asked to be treated like all other human beings: with empathy, compassion, and love.My personal breaking point was seeing Texas lawmakers introduce a bill in 2021 branding parents of trans youth as child abusers if they allowed their children to transition or simply affirmed them for who they are. As a journalist, I believe in the power of education: If there are questions that lawmakers have, we can answer them. We can present them with the correct information and dispel myths and misconceptions that they might have. But if that is our starting point that loving your child as they are is abuse then there can be no conversation. There is no foundation to be built upon. With this book, my hope is to bring some of that good faith back into the discussion and show people what they have been ignoring: that these are just kids, trying to get by in the world like everyone else.What is the biggest misconception that young people express that they hear about themselves? What about misconceptions or misperceptions you had?I dont think that I had any misperceptions about trans youth going into this book because Ive been doing this for a really long time. Ive been working with families of trans kids for about eight years, and one of the reasons I had the kind of access to write this book is that I had an enormous amount of trust built in that allowed people to let me into their lives and communities. The families I worked with knew that I was going to treat them with respect, and sadly, they cant always count on that from every journalist. It should be a given, but its too rarely the case.A misperception I encountered while pitching this book to publishers, which American Teenager pushes back on heavily, is the idea that theres any single story to be told about the lives of trans youth. Trans people, both kids and adults, have such diverse experiences because theyre such a diverse group of people, and I never wanted to present trans kids as being a monolith, to say that theres one single kind of trans kid who can speak for everyone. On this subject, the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie once said: Ive always felt that it is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person. The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. Instead, with this book, I hoped to give trans youth the freedom to speak for themselves, without representing anyone elses experience but their own. Rather than using the stories in this book to generalize and make assumptions about how other trans kids exist, my purpose was to illustrate that there is no way to know about the lives that trans youth lead without asking them. They need to be the narrators of their own stories, and we, as a media and a culture, have frequently denied that to them. I wanted to give them that power: to lead the conversation themselves and show all of us just how rich, complex, and deep their world truly is.Did The Trevor Project or suicide prevention come up at all on your travels?Mental health was a consistent theme throughout the book, and it underscores just how important supportive environments and affirming families are for young people. In West Virginia, Mykah was experiencing a severe mental health crisis after they bombed their audition to NYUs theater school, fearing that they would be stuck in a state where they saw few opportunities to thrive as a Black, genderfluid person. Shortly after I visited Mykah to spend two and a half weeks in their home state, legislators passed a bill banning trans youth from accessing hormone therapy and puberty blockers, having already enacted a trans sports ban. While Mykah was over 18 and wasnt sure then whether they intended to medically transition, the laws passage speaks to the limits elected officials are willing to place on their freedom. If they are willing to take away necessary medical care from kids, what could be next? And how can you build a life in such a place? Those kinds of questions weighed heavy on Mykahs mind at a time when the future seemed increasingly less bright.Even young people with incredibly supportive households still struggled if state policy didnt match the love they had felt in their own communities. Ruby had a loving boyfriend, an incredible family, and a church that has affirmed her from the minute she came out as trans, but she knew she couldnt stay in Texas with the deluge of anti-trans policy being enacted there. In recent weeks, the state began blocking trans people from correcting their birth certificates and drivers licenses. Ruby knew that the only way to truly live her life and to avoid another potentially life-threatening mental breakdown was to move to a place that would allow her liberty. Her chapter saw Ruby planning to give up all the support she had found in Texas to attend school in California, where she would no longer have to fight her own state government just to be herself.This speaks to the importance of allies. To live lives where they can reach their fullest potential, its not merely important that trans kids have friends, family, and community members who will love them no matter what. They also need elected officials who have their back, too.At least one supportive adult can lower the risk of suicide for LGBTQ+ young people. How do you view writing this book as showing up for young people?As I mentioned, Ive been doing this work for quite a long time. In addition to this book, I run an Instagram account, Queer News Daily, dedicated to elevating and uplifting the voices of the community. Ive written for just about every news publication that will have me, sometimes taking extremely little pay to do so. I dont really think about the question of allyship very much because its just my job. If Im not helping young people to get their voices and perspectives out there, then Im not doing it very well.What I hope readers ask themselves is what they can do to be better allies to youth. People who buy the book may notice that American Teenager doesnt end with a big red bow tying everything up, and theres no concluding chapter. I thought about doing it, but it just didnt feel very authentic. I wanted this book to feel like life itself in all its complications and messiness and things dont wrap up. You often dont get the closure you seek. We briefly check in with each kid to find out where they are now, but the truth is that their lives will continue on years after this book is published. They will go off to college. They will have careers that hopefully bring them fulfillment. They will marry. They will grow families of their own. They will grow old, just as children have before them and will after them.If readers want closure, to know that these kids and others like them will grow up to have lovely lives, that is on us. We must build a world that will protect them and safeguard their rights. We must elect lawmakers who have their best interests in mind. We must empower advocates and allies who can fight on their behalf. We must create safe spaces in our schools and communities. We pretend that what happens to them is totally separate from our own lives, but its not. We live in a constitutional republic where we get a say in what our society looks like. We should act like it and vote like it.All of us should remember that we have that power to make trans youth feel as though they matter, because they do. And if youre a trans person reading this, I hope it doesnt take a reporter calling you to feel worthy. Your worth is intrinsic and your beauty is inherent. No one can bestow it upon you, and no one can take it from you either. The world is better because you are in it, and we are all so lucky to have you.What was one story you wish every lawmaker could hear?Lawmakers need to hear every story in this book, and they need to start listening to the young trans constituents whose stories they have been ignoring. The sad fact is that I didnt invent this work. Trans people have been trying to educate their elected officials for years, and theyve been snubbed and turned away. American Teenager was an extraordinary opportunity, and everyone involved is incredibly grateful for it, but it never should have needed to exist. In 2024, we shouldnt still be begging politicians to acknowledge the humanity of children.But if theres one chapter I hope they take with them, I hope its Jacks story. Jack is a young trans girl who was forcibly detransitioned by the state of Florida after she lost access to gender-affirming medical care through its Medicaid program. For five months, Jack went without her hormones, and she almost didnt survive. She stopped eating and stopped going outside. She grew so thin and frail that her mother would sit by her daughters bedside every night, worried her daughters heart would stop in her sleep. Although she got her health care back when she turned 18, Jack is still deeply traumatized by having her body taken away from her for a time period that felt as if it would never end. Her family members say that she isnt the Jack they knew before her forced detransition, and she doubts that she will ever be the same again. All she wants is that person back or maybe to disappear somewhere and start all over.If lawmakers have been unwilling to recognize the extreme pain and trauma caused by their decisions, Jacks story is proof of what they are doing and to children, no less. This should never have happened to anyone, least of all a child.The post Nonfiction American Teenager Meets Trans Young People Where They Live appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Two San Francisco city supervisors are trying to make it easier for new gay bathhouses to open in the city.Last week, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, whose district includes the historically gay Castro neighborhood, introduced legislation that would repeal the San Francisco Police Departments Article 26. According to local Fox affiliate KTVU, the section of the citys police code puts the burden of permitting new bathhouses on the SFPD. Related Could bathhouses make a return to San Francisco? This proposal may make it happen 37 years after the city effectively forced bathhouses to close, a District supervisor may pave a way for them to reopen. Weve come a long way on the way to bring back gay bathhouses to San Francisco, Mandelman, who is gay, told KTVU. Its encouraging that there are entrepreneurs who are actually trying to open these venues, although it is frustrating that we keep finding new barriers in their way. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Article 26, Mandelman said, is the reason some potential business owners have spent months waiting for the SFPD to issue permits so they can open gay bathhouses in the city.Mandelmans ordinance would also repeal regulations passed at the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s that required bathhouses in San Francisco to maintain a daily register of patrons and prohibited locked doors in the venues. Mandelmans office said that the crackdown on gay bathhouses in the 80s contributed to the stigma around HIV/AIDS.Opening a new business in San Francisco is difficult enough, Joel Aguero, owner of Castro Baths, said. Supervisor Mandelman and his office are removing a significant blocker to the permit process, accelerating the opening of Castro Baths, and supporting the growing community of would-be bathhouse operators and attendees who seek to revive San Franciscos once-thriving bathhouse culture. Mandelman previously passed legislation to do away with 80s era health code restrictions affecting gay bathhouses in 2020, and in 2022 he passed legislation allowing bathhouses to open in LGBTQ+ neighborhoods like the Castro and the Tenderloin.Im thankful to Supervisor Mandelman for his leadership in removing outdated barriers to reopen bathhouses in San Francisco, said city supervisor Matt Dorsey, who co-sponsored Mandelmans ordinance. The South of Market neighborhood I represent has a long and storied history with these establishments. With hindsight, we now know that restrictions adopted decades ago at [the] advent of the AIDS crisis likely deprived at-risk communities of sex-positive spaces where information about safer sex practices might have saved lives.Dorsey, who is also gay and the only openly HIV-positive member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, noted that with advancements in HIV prevention and treatment like antiretroviral therapy and PrEP, Its past time for anti-bathhouse restrictions to go.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

(@) Rarely does the internet come together to agree on something, but this past weekend, social media users united to roast Elon Musk for his cringey on-stage moment at Donald Trumps latest rally.On October 5, the billionaire joined Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania where, in July, a gunmans bullet grazed Trumps ear and killed one rally attendee and two more to show support for the Republican presidential nominee ahead of the November Election.But Musks actions at the event were so cringe-inducing and ridiculous that people immediately took to the social media platform the Tesla mogul owns (X, formerly Twitter) to start dunking on him, and we havent stopped laughing since.Musk, who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat and an Occupy Mars T-shirt, was introduced by Trump as the man who saved free speech. Ugh. Gross. But his very questionable attire isnt what made the internet descend on him. Instead, it was the way he jumped around on stage, waving his hands back and forth like a weirdo.The laughable moment was caught on film for posterity by photojournalists and then shared endlessly on X by people who created hilarious memes and made fun of Musk for being cringe, calling him and Trump Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and writing things like, It was the darkest of times it was the dumbest of time, and He is proof that no amount of money in the world can save you from being sooooo lame and weird. We really hope these photos haunt Musk forever!Keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to Elon Musk making himself look like the man-child he is! (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

In a recent blog post, Donald Trumps lesbian niece, Mary Trump, emphasized that Trump is more than capable of carrying out the many threats he has issued throughout his presidential campaign if he wins a second term.The seriousness of his intentions is undermined by just how insane and unbelievable they seem to many people, Mary Trump wrote. But if theres one person on this planet who doesnt deserve the benefit of the doubt, its Donald if given the power, he will have his vengeance. Related Are Donald Trump and MAGA literally fascist? Political science has provided a definition with which we can measure Trumps actions. Mary Trump was referring to an October 3 article in The New York Times detailing how her uncle could use the Justice Department to punish his enemies if he wins a second term. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The former president has made several threats against his political adversaries, including proposing that President Joe Biden be prosecuted for corruption and that his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, be prosecuted for the Biden administrations policies surrounding the border. I think its worth pausing for a minute to acknowledge how extraordinary, how outside the realm of politics-as-usual and the morally acceptable that is, Mary Trump wrote, how unconscionable it is that we have descended so far that we even have to have this conversation.She emphasized that corporate media has normalized her uncles behavior to a troubling degree and that we all must remember it is light years away from normal. She urged the American people to take these threats seriously.This isnt some theoretical worst-case scenario were gaming out. Donald Trumps second term, if we are self-destructive enough to grant him one, will be focused on revenge against his perceived political enemies, foreign and domestic; against groups, like immigrants, that it serves his purposes to scapegoat; against judges and juries that dared hold him accountable; against anybody who has not proven to be sufficiently loyal; and, of course, against anybody who has opposed him from the beginning. Mary Trump added that there is a very real possibility of people Donald Trump considers his enemies being deported, prosecuted, or imprisoned. She blasted the Times for generally downplaying the threat her uncle poses, but she said, in this case, the publication very clearly explained the way he will abuse his power if elected. She explained that he will start by firing anyone non-partisan in federal government roles and hire and appoint folks who will pledge their loyalty to him, not the Constitution or the United States.We saw how bad things got during the Trump administration when there were guardrails in place this time, there will be no guardrails at all, she wrote. And now the corrupt illegitimate super-majority of the Supreme Court has ruled that a president cannot be prosecuted for anything that is considered an official duty. As part of that ruling, the Court also said that all communications between a president and the Justice Department are privileged. There would literally be nothing to constrain him, she wrote.Mary Trump also warned that her uncles sycophants and enablers will overwhelm the judiciary, and Trump-appointed judges and the corrupt illegitimate Supreme Court justices he appointed have already shown they are more than willing to do his bidding.She concluded by reminding readers that her uncle is a fascist and that he and the GOP are hurling the country further toward fascism. If he gets back into power, he will care nothing about governing. All of his energy will be dedicated to grifting and revenge. And most of us arent prepared, she wrote.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

In his most recent address before the General Assembly of the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in binary terms in which he invoked the ancient Jewish prophet, Moses.When I spoke here last year, I said we faced the same timeless choice that Moses put before the people of Israel thousands of years ago as we were about to enter the promised land, he said. Moses told us that our actions will determine whether we bequeath to future generations a blessing or a curse, and that is the choice we face today. Related Trump has demonized Jewish people for years, despite his alleged support of Israel Trump alludes to Jews as disloyal, conspiratorial, mentally ill, and money-obsessed, even as he voices support for Israel. What gives? The Prime Minister held a map of the Middle East with some countries rendered in green. These, his nations of The Blessing, included Israel and some of its Arab-allied Sunni-Muslim countries: Egypt, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today Netanyahu claimed they form aland bridge connecting Asia and Europe between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Across this bridge, we will lay rail lines, energy pipelines, fiber optic cables, and this will serve the betterment of two billion people. This map promises a bright blessing, a future of hope.On a second map with some countries painted in black, Netanyahu showed The Cursed countries: the Shia- and Persian-controlled countries of Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Of this map, Netanyahu sternly warned of a dark future of despair:Its a map of an arc of terror that Iran has created and imposed from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. Irans malignant arc has shut down international waterways. It cuts off trade. It destroys millions, destroys nations from within, and inflicts misery on millions. The binary of good versus evil erases peoples humanityThe human brain, through millennia of its evolutionary processes, has developed a capacity to categorize reality into easily digestible morsels, all in its attempt to absorb and make sense of a complex world.We have seen the perennial theme, for example, ofGood versus Evilsurface throughout the human condition as far back as over 3,000 years ago in Zoroastrianism as valued by the poet-prophet Zarathustra. The theme has reappeared in literary and religious discourses ever since. In some monotheistic religions with the overarching theme ofdualism, for example, the right side is seen as good, while the left is considered bad.Nature, however, does not exist or act in dualisms, and reality does not fit into neat and simplified binaries as Mr. Netanyahu would have us believe, whether it relates to the nations comprising the Middle East, or any other region of the world.Netanyahu claimed, however, that the lines separating the blessing and the cursed could not be more clear. and the cursed could not be more clear. So, for the sake of discussion, let us grant a dualistic view of the hostilities and actions transpiring in Netanyahus area of the planet, but with a different placement of sides.Let us place The Blessing not as entire countries, but, rather, as the citizens of all the countries in the Middle East, the people who want only to live productive lives, to work so they may earn a good and noble living, to raise families, to tend crops, herds, and flocks, and to desire only peace and peaceful coexistence with their neighbors. These are the ones who promise a bright blessing, a future of hope.The Cursed, on the other hand, comprise the leaders, those who require the hostilities, the destruction, the steadily increasing casualties of constant wars to continue in order for them to remain the beneficiaries of ever more powerful weapons and financial funding from their allies to remain in power. The leaders themselves present a dark future of despair. The actions of Iran and its proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis) and the Israeli governments counter attacks and over-reactions in Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon, and Yemen have all resulted in tens of thousands of innocent civilian deaths and injuries, while the people long for calm and a lasting peace.Unfortunately, Netanyahu and the leaders of Iran and some of the Arab countries spoke primarily in binary terms at the General Assembly. Maybe rather than presenting their positions we are good and they are bad, we are blessed and they are cursed, we want only peace and they want continual wars in front of TV cameras playing to their country folks, try instead talking together to one another as diplomats.Be viewed in history as the peacemakers rather than the perpetrators of death.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The library is OPEN!LGBTQ+ History Month is a moment to reflect on the past voices that have shaped our present and inspired our future. Sadly, the rise of book bans in libraries and schools across the country, and the lack of curriculum around LGBTQ+ history itself, have limited the potential for current and future generations to learn more about the known and unknown queer icons of history.In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, heres a suggested list of banned books to enjoy. 'Gender Queer' by Maia Kobabe (2019)Imagine coming of age all over againbut this time, fully honest and open about your journey with gender identity. Maia Kobabes Gender Queer is an illustrated memoir thats as intimate as a whisper yet loud enough to break down the walls of gender norms. Kobabe invites readers to reflect on what it means to find and express yourself beyond the binary with all the humor, heart, and humanity that a 21st-century journey of self-discovery can offer. 'This Book is Gay' by Juno Dawson (2014)Its a guide we all needed but never knew where to find. Juno Dawsons This Book is Gay delivers a candid, no-nonsense look at the spectrum of sexuality and identity. Part manual, part manifesto, its a modern roadmap through LGBTQ+ history, sexuality, and self-acceptance. 'All Boys Aren't Blue' by George M. Johnson (2020)In a series of personal essays, Johnson unpacks Black queer adolescence with courage and grace. The history of being both Black and queer in America is written across the pages of this memoir, offering a timeline of resilience and self-affirmation. Its an emotional deep-dive into identity, perspectives of masculinity, and love, and a narrative that stands as both a personal testimony and a universal rallying cry. 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker (1982)Walkers Pulitzer Prize-winning novel doesnt just tell a story; it defines one. Set in the early 20th-century American South, The Color Purple traverses race, gender, sexuality, and love through the eyes of Celie, a Black woman who finds her voice against all odds. Its a tale of LGBTQ+ history often untold and a raw, tender exploration of same-sex love long before it was discussed openly.'The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison (1970)A poignant exploration of race, beauty, and self-worth, Morrison's debut novel tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl yearning for blue eyes and the love they symbolize. While not an LGBTQ+ story, The Bluest Eye captures the haunting intersection of identity, marginalization, and the longing for acceptance. It's a narrative echoing the universal struggles faced by many in the queer community throughout history. 'Nineteen Minutes' by Jodi Picoult (2007)Although not strictly centered on LGBTQ+ themes, Picoults gripping novel paints a complex picture of high school life, bullying, and identity. Nineteen Minutes reveals how moments of intolerance can have a ripple effect on lives and communities and a timeline that reflects the struggles many LGBTQ+ youths face as they navigate a world where identity can be both a weapon and a shield. 'Being Jazz' by Jazz Jennings (2016)A memoir from one of the most visible transgender advocates of our time, Being Jazz captures Jennings journey of growing up trans and proud. Its a snapshot in time and a reflection of where weve been and where were going in the fight for trans visibility and rights. As Jazzs story unfolds, it echoes the larger timeline of trans activism, inspiring readers to live authentically at every age.Each book tells a story bigger than its pages: unique timelines that weave together the LGBTQ+ experiences across history, identity, and love. Whether navigating self-discovery, breaking down barriers, or embracing your truth, these reads remind us that every chapter in our lives enhances a voice in our living narrative. Because history isnt just about where weve been; its about where were going next.Marie-Adlina de la Ferrire is the Community Editor at equalpride, publisher of Pride.com.Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ and Allied community. Visit pride.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of PRIDE.com or our parent company, equalpride.

Out Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has refused to let conservative billionaire X owner Elon Musk spread lies about the federal governments response to Hurricane Helene. The hurricane has killed 230 people and could cost up to $200 billion or more to recover from.On Friday, Musk posted a screenshot of a text conversation he allegedly had with a SpaceX engineer in which the engineer claimed the government shut down the airspace over the disaster zone and prevented private Starlink flights from delivering aid and supplies. Related Marjorie Taylor Greene rages at FEMA for helping trans women: They hate Christians She got mad that FEMA once raised concerns about trans women being refused from shelters. The text is clearly meant to demonize Democrats and glorify the Trump campaign, claiming the Trump team is trying to bring aid to hurricane victims while the Democrats block them from doing so. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today We are pushing back with trump team as well to help us, but not looking good, the text reads. We need to help to get word out about FEMA, we spoke with Ivanka and handed out starlinks with her yesterday but FEMA then showed up and started blocking us. Along with the screenshot, Musk wrote, The level of belligerent government incompetence is staggering!! Trump also reportedly shared Musks lies on Truth Social.Buttigieg wasnt having it. He responded directly to Musk on X: No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesnt block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If youre encountering a problem give me a call. Musk sent a series of replies to Buttigieg claiming that there were hundreds of reports of blocked flights and that a helicopter was trying to land to deliver critical supplies. He then implied he did speak on the phone to Buttigieg, thanking him for the call. In a follow up, he said the support flights were now underway. No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesnt block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If youre encountering a problem give me a call. Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) October 4, 2024FEMA also responded to the allegations that it was ever blocking support flights on its dedicated Rumor Response page. The FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] is not restricting access for recovery operations, the website states. The FAA is coordinating closely with state and local officials to make sure everyone is operating safely in very crowded and congested airspace.Musks accusations accompany many other false claims coming directly from Trump accusing Democrats of incompetence in the Helene recovery effort. Last week, for example, he claimed President Biden was sleeping and ignoring calls from Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R). But Kemp himself confirmed this was a lie. The president just called me yesterday afternoon and I missed him and called him right back and he just said Hey, what do you need? And I told him, you know, weve got what we need, well work through the federal process, Kemp said, according to the Associated Press. He offered if there are other things we need just to call him directly, which I appreciate that.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The library is OPEN!LGBTQ+ History Month is a moment to reflect on the past voices that have shaped our present and inspired our future. Sadly, the rise of book bans in libraries and schools across the country, and the lack of curriculum around LGBTQ+ history itself, have limited the potential for current and future generations to learn more about the known and unknown queer icons of history.In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, heres a suggested list of banned books to enjoy. 'Gender Queer' by Maia Kobabe (2019)Imagine coming of age all over again but this time, fully honest and open about your journey with gender identity. Maia Kobabes Gender Queer is an illustrated memoir thats as intimate as a whisper yet loud enough to break down the walls of gender norms. Kobabe invites readers to reflect on what it means to find and express yourself beyond the binary with all the humor, heart, and humanity that a 21st-century journey of self-discovery can offer. 'This Book is Gay' by Juno Dawson (2014)Its a guide we all needed but never knew where to find. Juno Dawsons This Book is Gay delivers a candid, no-nonsense look at the spectrum of sexuality and identity. Part manual, part manifesto, its a modern roadmap through LGBTQ+ history, sexuality, and self-acceptance. 'All Boys Aren't Blue' by George M. Johnson (2020)In a series of personal essays, George M. Johnson unpacks Black queer adolescence with courage and grace. The history of being both Black and queer in America is written across the pages of this memoir, offering a timeline of resilience and self-affirmation. Its an emotional deep-dive into identity, perspectives of masculinity, and love, and a narrative that stands as both a personal testimony and a universal rallying cry. 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker (1982)Walkers Pulitzer Prize-winning novel doesnt just tell a story; it defines one. Set in the early 20th-century American South, The Color Purple traverses race, gender, sexuality, and love through the eyes of Celie, a Black woman who finds her voice against all odds. Its a tale of LGBTQ+ history often untold and a raw, tender exploration of same-sex love long before it was discussed openly.'The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison (1970)A poignant exploration of race, beauty, and self-worth, Morrison's debut novel tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl yearning for blue eyes and the love they symbolize. While not an LGBTQ+ story, The Bluest Eye captures the haunting intersection of identity, marginalization, and the longing for acceptance. It's a narrative echoing the universal struggles faced by many in the queer community throughout history. 'Nineteen Minutes' by Jodi Picoult (2007)Although not strictly centered on LGBTQ+ themes, Picoults gripping novel paints a complex picture of high school life, bullying, and identity. Nineteen Minutes reveals how moments of intolerance can have a ripple effect on lives and communities and a timeline that reflects the struggles many LGBTQ+ youths face as they navigate a world where identity can be both a weapon and a shield. 'Being Jazz' by Jazz Jennings (2016)A memoir from one of the most visible transgender advocates of our time, Being Jazz captures Jennings journey of growing up trans and proud. Its a snapshot in time and a reflection of where weve been and where were going in the fight for trans visibility and rights. As Jazzs story unfolds, it echoes the larger timeline of trans activism, inspiring readers to live authentically at every age.Each book tells a story bigger than its pages: unique timelines that weave together the LGBTQ+ experiences across history, identity, and love. Whether navigating self-discovery, breaking down barriers, or embracing your truth, these reads remind us that every chapter in our lives enhances a voice in our living narrative. Because history isnt just about where weve been; its about where were going next.Marie-Adlina de la Ferrire is the Community Editor at equalpride, publisher of Pride.com.Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ and Allied community. Visit pride.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of PRIDE.com or our parent company, equalpride.

In the grassroots effort to get out the vote in this years election, few may be more surprising (or bracing) than a gay 88-year-old Holocaust survivors posts on TikTok.With the help of her kids and grandkids, Grandma Elli got up to speed on the popular social media platform and is already welcoming viewers with the ubiquitous online greeting, Hi, guys! Related What should the Harris-Walz campaign be doing more of now that were a month out from Election Day? Should she be stressing her policy positions or attacking Trump? But the youthful salutation belies more than four score years of wisdom, in particular when it comes to tyranny: Grandma Elli was witness to its terrors as a young Jewish child in the Holocaust. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Ive been around a long time and seen many crises, but never like this one in our country, she says in her inaugural pitch to voters, posted last week.I wanted to talk to you wonderful people about how important and how crucial the upcoming election is, Elli explains. As far as I can see, theres really only one question to answer as we decide who we want for our next president, and that is: Do we want to continue our democracy, civil liberties and free elections, or do we want a wannabe dictator, by his own words, who will go after our freedoms one by one, dismantle them, and then take vengeance on all?The choice, Elli makes clear, couldnt be starker.We are at a big crossroads, she says, and its up to you guys to decide. @grandmaelli Welcome to my page! Now more then ever we must have open discussion and talk to our neighbors like our life depends on it! Because well.it does. #trump #harris #democracy #MAGA #president #election #vote #fyp #foryou #xyzbca #love #campaign @Beyonc @Taylor Swift Classical piano performance letter to parents Popolony In a series of five videos to date, Elli lays out her case that Trump is a latter-day Adolf Hitler who uses the same tactics as the Nazi dictator in his quest for power and displays the same disregard for democracy and fundamental human rights and values.And shes got props.Each video features a collage shes made on the threats she addresses, including reproductive rights (Mind Your Own Damn Business), January 6 and a history of American violence (Terror), and stoking fear and hatred as a means to power (Liars).Elli is also unsparing in her description of Trumps supporters.Dictators use fear and bullying violence in order to achieve and maintain power, Elli says, and we have a history in this country of violence, as you know. Remember the KKK? And there are groups that would like to go back to those days, and guess what? Their slogan is, Make America Great Again. We know what they mean by that.Elli is maybe most indignant when it comes to Republican attacks on reproductive freedom.It just boggles the mind and is totally incomprehensible to me that any man thinks he has the right to tell any woman what she can and what she cannot do with her body.In her post about Liars, Elli invokes Hitler once again, along with his propaganda minister Josef Goebbels, as she describes the alternate and false reality peddled by the MAGA presidential ticket. There are so many lies being told by Trump and Vance that its hard to even attack them or to discuss them. The Statue of Liberty cant even believe it, Elli says.Its always someone elses fault to people like Hitler and Trump, Elli shares. Never admit a fault or wrongdoing. Certainly never accept blame. And people will believe a bigger lie sooner than they will believe a little lie. The liars try to muzzle everyone so that we cant breathe. All dissent is suppressed.Thats not the kind of world we want to live in, you and I. We want to be able to speak, and we want to be able to disagree without feeling like were going to be punished and really harassed for it.Take it from Grandma Elli, as she ends every video, Get out and vote, guys.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Practice makes perfect!If you've noticed a top shortage, you may or may not know that it's because bottoming is super fun, especially after you do it a couple of times.That said, there's a lot involved when it comes to bottoming: preparation, practice, and being in the right mood, just to name a few. When it comes to sex, being ready is everything, which is why we've gone ahead and compiled 30 common mistakes that bottoms seem to make during their first time out.Comparing yourself to othersBottoms are a dime a dozen these days, and like we said above, there's a bit of a top shortage. The worst thing a first-time bottom can do is compare yourself to anybody else. There are going to be plenty of people more experienced than you, but even after you get some experience for yourself, you're always going to be able to offer something nobody else can. Remember that and go explore!Forgetting a condomAlways bring one with you! You never know when a make out session will turn into sex.Staying quiet and having no opinionEven if youre with someone experienced, youre allowed to be vocal about what you want. Is there a fantasy you want to safely try? A position you think looks stellar? Dont be afraid to speak up and take control when the time feels right.Being overly confidentOn the flip side of not being confident enough, dont oversell yourself at the same time. Its okay if youve never done this before. Whoever youre with is much more likely to be upset that you oversold it than if you were upfront about being new.Or knocking on dental damsDental dams are a great way to make rimming safe and clean. The best part? Avoid the messy parts of oral sex when going down on him. You can even cut a condom horizontal to make your own, if you so choose!ShamingA lot of times, people struggle with bottoming because of shame. They think it makes them less than or sissy or [enter stigma here.] We dont slut shame or body shame around here, so you shouldnt be hard on yourself! Theres a reason the bulk of gay men love to bottom, so dont be afraid to figure out why!Assuming sex is like pornPorn is a fantastical representation of sex; it isn't real. Does it feel realistic? If it's good porn, yes, but it just doesn't quite represent what sex is actually like if you're gay. So walk into sex with an open mind.Rushing to bottomBottoming is fun, but it's easy to strain yourself if you're too eager to start bottoming. Take things slow with your partner, explain that you're new, and don't be afraid to speak up if you're not ready to try something new.Not enjoying the experienceIf you get too far into your head, youre not going to let yourself enjoy the experience. Just like pushing yourself or rushing, always remember to take a breath and relax.Not lubing up properlyQ: How much lube do you need?A: More than you think. Lather it up, and use lubed condoms. When it comes to sex, less isn't more.Not understanding your own boundariesThere's all sorts of tops out there, and that means some tops might be too fast for your preference. Understanding and knowing your boundaries is an important part of sex, because it gives you the opportunity to know how you like to have sex. And how you don't.Or failing to communicate themIt's not enough to simply understand how you feel. You have to be able to express it to your partner, too, which can be hard in its own right. Learn how to talk to your partner about your boundaries, and things will go smoothly in bed.Skipping straight to sexYou need to get him in the mood! Whether it's kissing or intense foreplay, don't just start having sex as soon as you get into the bedroom. Both of you need to get ready and set for the mood.Using too much teethIf you're still learning how to give a great blow job, remember: it's all in the mouth and tongue! Don't use your teeth when you're first learning, it won't feel nice for your partner.Feeling pressured to be "good" at analIt's your first time! No need to feel like you have to be "good" or "great" at receiving. Just go with the flow and let your partner know if you're feeling alright (or not-so-alright).Or feeling pressured to do anal at allDon't feel pressured to do anal if you don't want to. Your body, your rules. Bussy might just not be your cup of tea, and there's nothing wrong with that.Not cleaning up properlyIt's very, very important that you're nice and clean downstairs for your partner. Whether it's washing up your front or making sure your rear is nice and ready for play, a clean body is a happy and healthy body for sex.Not preparing for sex beforehandBefore jumping into anal, a bottom needs to be prepped and ready to go. That usually means fingering himself beforehand, or using toys to stimulate his rear. Make sure to play around down there with sex toys beforehand. And if you're unsure what to use, check out our top 20 sex toys list for gay men!Stressing yourself outThere's a lot of reasons why it's bad to stress yourself out before sex. The biggest? You can cause your anal muscles to tighten up, which can make sex impossible or painful. Remember to get in the moment, relax, and tell your partner if you just aren't ready yet.Not knowing that there are different ways to bottomYou can be a power bottom, for instance! Or mix up a passive and active role. The choice is yours; don't limit yourself!And that there's different ways to topSome tops are aggressive, others are passive. Some like to be playful, some are a little bit kinkier. There's all sorts of different ways to top; don't be afraid to experiment with your partner a bit!Slacking at the gymIt's important to stay physically fit! Why? So you have the strength and stamina to have sex. Don't forget to hit up the gym or go for runs regularly.Kissing like a dead fishIt's important to kiss your partner back when they're kissing you. Pay attention to the signals they give: usually, they're cluing you into what they want you to do, whether that's sucking on their tongue or give a little lip action.Trying a bit too hardIf it's your first time kissing, let him lead. He'll show you what to do and how to kiss him right.Idolizing "the perfect top"There's no such thing as a "perfect" top. Every person has flaws to their personality. That's what makes us human. Instead of honing in on whether a person is "ideal" or not, celebrate what you like about them: especially if you're in a relationship.Or assuming your top is ruggedWe're all still learning, and chances are your top also hasn't done and experienced everything under the sun. Make sure not to hold him to standards that are simply unrealistic.Feeling unconfidentAt the end of the day, sex isn't about "being good" or "performing" for someone. It's about a deep, nurturing relationship between partners. So feel confident in yourself, and don't focus on whether you're doing "good" or "bad." Just be you!Assuming there's too many fish in the seaBottoms are, traditionally, in high supply in the gay community. But just because there's more bottoms than tops doesn't mean you won't find a top. "Bottoms" and "tops" are just easy ways to think about gay sex, they don't reveal the realities behind sexuality. Fact of the matter is, you're likely to find a partner just by trying for dates or hanging out at gay bars (whichever floats your boat between the two, that is). Don't be hard on yourself!Taking sex a bit too seriouslySex is funny, awkward, and silly. Remember not to take sex too seriously. It's all fun in the end!Pushing yourself too hardGo easy, go slow, and remember: everyone starts from the bottom and works their way up. You've got this.

By all accounts, the somewhat anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips' Joker is a complete flop. And it's drawing renewed attention to the way studios and certain groups of fans look at box office failures when the story revolves around a man vs when it revolves around a woman.It's understandable Warner Bros. decided to greenlight a sequel to the 2019 comic book film. It made $96.2 million in the U.S. on opening weekend, off a budget of just $65 million. But Folie Deux reportedly cost around $200 million a massive leap in cost that made it one of the most expensive DC films to date. This weekend, it only recouped around $40 million domestically.More than that, it's been largely panned across the board. It has a 33% positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and only a 31% audience score. Ratings on other sites aren't much better. It received a rare "D" CinemaScore previously unheard of for a comic book movie.It's also worth noting that Joker: Folie Deux isn't dealing with the review bombing that's become so prominent when franchises dare to make a movie featuring women, BIPOC, or queer characters that Variety recently did a whole piece on how "toxic fandoms" are shifting the landscape of film. Rather, Phillips' film is bombing of its own accord. (@) But the response is miles away from what happens when something like Birds of Prey,, The Marvels, or The Acolyte doesn't break box office or streaming records. When that happens, the viability of female-led big budget projects is called into question. Or the blame gets shifted to individual women involved Brie Larson gets blamed for not pandering to men, Amandla Stenberg must hate Star Wars fans because she suggested racism contributed to review bombing, Margot Robbie just doesn't "get" Harley Quinn.Either way, future projects starring these characters get stalled or axed, their female directors don't get called back, and we're all left wondering if we're about to endure another 12 year drought before another female superhero gets her own movie. (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) Never mind that movies like Birds of Prey or The Marvels, considered "flops," received overwhelmingly more positive receptions from critics and fans alike than the Joker sequel. Folie Deux will be considered an isolated mishap. More male-driven comic book movies will be made, Phillips' career will not be impacted, nor will star Joaquin Phoenix's, and because it's how things go every single time. (@) (@) And it's being exacerbated by press and power players seemingly rallying around Phillips in his time of failure a courtesy that, plenty of folks readily pointed out is never extended in the same way to female directors. (@) (@) Now, will we get a third Joker from Phillips? Who knows. Probably not, although quite frankly it doesn't seem out of the question, considering the types of nonsensical choices that keep being made over at Warner Bros. Discovery under David Zaslav. But it certainly seems more likely something like that would be greenlit over a follow-up to Cathy Yan and Christina Hodson's Birds of Prey, because there's only one demographic in Hollywood that gets repeated chances to fail.

As the clock counts down to Election Day on November 5, former President Donald Trumps alarming cognitive decline is accelerating, as evidenced in a series of embarrassing memory lapses, misstatements and the kinds of outbursts associated with an angry old age.With the passage of time his speeches have grown darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane and increasingly fixated on the past, The New York Times stated in a thorough catalog of the twice-impeached and convicted felons alarming behavior on the stump. Related Donald Trumps gay niece says were not ready for the vengeance hell unleash if he wins She urged the American people to take his threats seriously. In the words of one Trump supporter turned critic, Anthony the Mooch Scaramucci, the short-lived communicatipons director for President Trump in the first months of his administration, Hes not competing at the level he was competing at eight years ago, no question about it. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Hes lost a step. Hes lost an ability to put powerful sentences together, Scaramucci added.A computer analysis by the Times reveals a host of data points indicating cognitive decline, related to age alone or an as-yet undiagnosed or undisclosed medical condition.Trump swears on the stump 69% more often than he did when he first ran, a trend experts call a sign of disinhibition. He uses 32% more negative words than positive words now versus then, an indication of anger and frustration associated in some people with old age, the Times wrote.He rambles. Trumps rally speeches now last an average of 82 minutes, compared with 45 minutes in 2016.The signs of advancing age are apparent in his increased use of all-or-nothing terms like always and never.And the septuagenarian seems trapped in the amber of his halcyon days in the 1980s and 90s, when he was a bright star in the tabloid universe of the New York Post and Daily News, untethered from expectations of honesty and the pressures of a political campaign. Hes fixated on the cannibal character Hannibal Lector from the movie The Silence of the Lambs, released in 1991. He said hed like to see late-night host Johnny Carson, who retired the same year, back on the air but Carson died in 2005. He swoons for Cary Grant and Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh, a disgraced hero his father no doubt admired.Technology confuses him. The former president has said thatmost people dont have any idea what the hell a phone app is while 96% of Americans own a smartphone.Hes struggled to remember the name of Trump supporter Elon Musks Starlink system, even as hes invoked it while bashing the Biden administrations response to Hurricane Helene.Sarah Matthews, another Trump administration vet, as deputy press secretary, agreed the former president had lost his fastball.I dont think anyone would ever say that Trump is the most polished speaker, but his more recent speeches do seem to be more incoherent, and hes rambling even more so and hes had some pretty noticeable moments of confusion, she said. When he was running against Biden, maybe it didnt stand out as much. Experts call the rambling tangentiality.While Trump has always verged on incoherency in his speaking style, the memory lapses are clearly piling up. That was on display in 2021 when he sat down for a follow-up interview with Ramin Setoodeh, author of a new book on Mr. Trumps days hosting The Apprentice.When I said, Do you remember sitting down with me three months earlier, Trump replied, No, that was a long time ago.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Kamala Harris describes her fury when the Supreme Court revoked abortion rights in powerful convo on hit podcast To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the recently overturnedRoe v. WadeSupreme Court decision that established abortion rights nationwide, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris spoke this weekend on the womens empowerment podcastCall Her Daddywith host Alex Cooper. Cooper is the highest-paid female podcaster on the Spotify streaming platform, and her show has an estimated 5 million weekly listeners.This is a moment for all of us to understand our power as an extension of our rights, and to join together in sisterhood and fellowship among all people, regardless of gender, to speak up, Harris said after Coopers introduction. Related These 3 out Latinx legislators in border states are tackling hot-button election-year issues These queer politicians represent diverse constituencies while addressing topics like abortion and immigration. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Harris then said that when the Republican-led Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in June 2022, she was traveling to meet Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) to work on the issue of women unnecessarily dying in connection with childbirth, an issue that disproportionately kills rural, Black, and Native American women.And the decision came down, and I called my husband [Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff] immediately, because hes about the only person I could call with the furor that I had in a most unrestrained way with language that stood honor to that fury, Harris said, [especially about the] hypocrisy of these people who pretend and put themselves out as caring about the sanctity of life, but have been wholly absent those numbers when it comes to the fact that women are dying every day in America in connection with childbirth.Harris said that women dont often share their difficult stories about childbirth because there is an associated social judgment that is designed to make her feel bad or embarrassed or in some way subversive or an outcast or as though she did something wrong, and they will therefore silently suffer. She then called anti-abortion laws a violation of womens bodily autonomy that sometimes occurs after an initial violation of rape or incest. She noted that doctors in states with abortion bans have withheld lifesaving medical care from pregnant patients for fear of violating Trump abortion bans.Heres the bottom line: government should not be telling people what to do about their own bodies, Harris said calling the issue one of self-determination, freedom and liberty. One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling her what to do. Let her make that decision with her pastor or rabbi. Let her make that decision, if she chooses, with her loved ones.Individuals should have the right to make decisions about the matters of heart and home, Harris continued. So thats about who you marry. Its about what you choose to do within the privacy of your home that is not about hurting anyone else, the choices that you rightly should have the freedom to make, and our homes are our bodies. Abortions connection to same-sex marriage & foreign diplomacyHarris then mentioned that after overturning Roe, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said the quiet part out loud by saying that the court should possibly overturn previous court decisions guaranteeing the rights to same-sex marriage and contraception. She also noted that, after Thomas comment, President Joe Biden signed a federal law guaranteeing federal recognition of same-sex marriage, though the law wont stop the court from overturning gay marriage or states from banning it.One of the podcasts hosts noted, Bayard Rustin, a queer key strategist in the 1960s civil rights movement, said We are all one, and if we dont know it, we will learn the hard way,' and then asked about the connection between abortion restrictions and voter suppression. Harris said that the conservative organizations and Republican activists orchestrating attacks on abortion rights are also advocating for voter restrictions, book bans, and against LGBTQ+ rights.Harris also noted that she meets with heads of state and foreign leaders on a fairly regular basis, including over 100 presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, and kings.We generally have been able to walk in, chin up, shoulders back, talking about the importance of democracy, human rights, rule of law, and in that way, we have presented ourselves as a role model, she said. However, she said she worries that autocrats and dictators in other countries may now point to the U.S. taking away such rights in order to discourage activists fighting for civil rights abroad. This issue, the way it has gone down, will impact not only the people of America, Harris said, but arguably, people around the world.Harris noted that state abortion bans and the degree to which they criminalize other reproductive healthcare like in vitro fertilization (IVF), which many same-sex couples use to conceive children reemphasize the importance of engaging with statewide offices like governor, attorney general and legislators. She also emphasized the necessity of using social media to spread information to help people continue accessing care and of joining community organizations as a joyful warrior to lift up one anothers power and strength.The duality of these things is that usually the thing that gives us great strength can also be very fragile, and if we dont protect it, [it] could go away, Harris said.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide. 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Admittedly, it's always a little funny to see cisgender straight people fuddle up gay slang and terms when they don't know what it means.Take, for example, the phrase "Locktober."As we move full force into the month of October, you may be hearing that more and more frequently, especially if you spend any time with or follow any straight men who spend a lot of time at the gym.For those curious, Locktober is a month where men, usually those who identify as more submissive, spend the entire month of October wearing chastity cages over their penises. It's been around for about a decade or so, and it's usually an opportunity for men to explore the idea of physical chastity. The goal is to wear the chastity cage for the entire month, which means you'd have to do some proper research to make sure you have one that has an opener to allow you to use the restroom.Although, as with everything, there are varying reasons people partake and various levels you can choose for the experience, a TikTok user named Goddess Lydia (@spoillydiaxo) posted a compilation video that showed a bunch of straight men completely misunderstanding the original use of Locktober and instead using it as a means to "lock in" their gym goals for the rest of the year.LOL.One of them even introduces the month by saying, "It's September 31 (not a real date), tomorrow starts Locktober"The rest of the compilation is men sharing similar excitement.@spoillydiaxoim so proud of them. #locktoberThis has sent waves across the interwebs, with people reacting both in the comments of the video and throughout social media as a whole. Some find it humorous while others share genuine interest as to whether there might be two definitions of the term. (@) Regardless, we (and a few commenters on the original video) have our fingers crossed that we'll also get a compilation video or similar upcoming reactions once the gym bros find out the original and widely intended use of the term. While we wait, check out some other reactions to the hilarious video. (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

Wed love an All Stars with queens who were labeled villains.Over the years, weve observed several paths that can lead a RuPauls Drag Race contestant to get the villain label. And while many of them have already gotten a full Ru-demption story arc on All Stars, that hasnt been the case for everyone. To misquote Gia Gunn, There isnt room for everybody, lets just say that!The villain label can be given out for a variety of reasons. For one, a lot of queens were considered villains during their respective seasons just because they didnt get along with a fan-favorite. This automatically placed them in the wrong side of fan-favoritism, and its hard for viewers to check those biases.Meanwhile, certain queens have been called villains after appearing on Drag Race due to issues theyve had with producers, judges, or even with RuPaul herself. Because so many of these issues take place behind the scenes, its up to the fans to determine which sides of the story they believe.Last but not least, there are also queens who deliberately stir the pot and create drama while competing on the show. These contestants are aware that theyre playing the villain role and seemingly choose to have fun with it, which can make for great reality TV. We love camp!But lets get one thing straight: being labeled a villain from Drag Race does not mean that a drag performer is a bad person. There is no excuse for any fan to attack drag performers simply due to how they were edited on the show, or because of some silly social media drama. The villain label is used for queens who became polarizing figures either on Drag Race or after the show ended not for queens who literally had to be edited out of their seasons due to very serious allegations against them.So buckle up and have some light fun with us as we daydream about an all-villains cast of All Stars! It would be a gag! Scroll through to see our top picks for an all-villains season of RuPauls Drag Race All Stars.Shannel (Season 1)See on InstagramShannel is, in many ways, considered to be the OG diva of Drag Race. We were obsessed with her when season one aired, and we are very much still obsessed with her in 2023.Even though Shannel had a much less polarizing run on All Stars 1, it feels like the fans core memories of this queen are mostly from Drag Race season one. During that season, Shannel regularly fought with the judges and disagreed with their critiques. Ironically, Shannel was right about a lot of things she was saying. And yet, it still feels like this queen is due for another All Stars run where she can finally redeem herself with the fandom once and for all.Mimi Imfurst (Season 3 & All Stars 1)See on InstagramAfter picking up India Ferrah during a lip sync on Drag Race season three, Mimi Imfurst prompted RuPaul to establish the rule that drag is not a contact sport, and that queens were not allowed to do that ever again. When she returned to compete on All Stars 1 and was teamed up with a massively popular fan-favorite like Pandora Boxx, things soured even further for Mimi, who got all of the blame from the fandom for Pandora going home in the first episode.While shes certainly a polarizing Drag Race queen whos been labeled a villain in the past, it could be sort of fascinating to see what shed do on another All Stars run similar to India Ferrahs journey on All Stars 5.Willam (Season 4)See on InstagramAfter being disqualified from season four of Drag Race for breaking the rules, Willam evolved into a total badass who was in on the joke and built an absolutely incredible career for herself. And yet, Willam has also been very open about her issues with RuPaul and the things she dislikes about Drag Race, so casting this queen in a future All Stars would truly be the gag of the century. It would also be very interesting to see how Willam would navigate her way in the competition, and just how much her drag has evolved over 10 years later.Phi Phi OHara a.k.a. Jaremi Carey (Season 4 & All Stars 2)See on InstagramOn both season four and All Stars 2, theres no denial that Phi Phi OHara who now goes by Jaremi Carey was absolutely edited to be the villain of those seasons.First, in season four, Phi Phis fierce rivalry with Sharon Needles was the driving factor for her to be considered a villain. She then got a similar edit on All Stars 2, this time being placed in opposition of Alyssa Edwards. Over the years, Phi Phi has explained herself time and time again to the fandom. Many fans already have a better understanding of who Jaremi actually is and dont hold any grudges from watching those seasons but theres still a segment of the fandom that has a bad image of Phi Phi. Jaremi is no longer doing as much drag as he once did, but we just couldnt fantasize about a fierce cast of villains without including Phi Phi coming back for another All Stars.Pearl (Season 7)See on InstagramPearl did have dramatic moments on Drag Race season seven, like her standoff with RuPaul in the werk room (do I have something on my face?) and the times she criticized the judges for saying that she didnt have a personality.Alas, it was Pearls post-season era that would eventually get her labeled as a villain within the franchise. Namely, she talked about not-so-nice interactions she apparently had with RuPaul while filming, and has always been outspoken about her damaged relationship with the series.Derrick Barry (Season 8)See on InstagramDerrick Barry was really irked by Bob the Drag Queen throughout season eight. With Bob being such a fan-favorite, this absolutely turned Derrick into one of the villains of that season.Unlike many of the queens on this list, Derrick actually has a great relationship with production. She is a regular performer on the shows Las Vegas residency show, and even came back to compete on All Stars 5. Nonetheless, it only takes a quick re-watch of season eight to remember that this queens original run on the show was pretty controversial at the time.Acid Betty (Season 8)See on InstagramAcid Betty was another polarizing figure in the eighth season of Drag Race. Her biggest drama was with the late Chi Chi DeVayne, who was universally beloved by all the fans. Even if Acid Betty was just kidding when she threw shade at Chi Chi, fans still picked a clear side.It was a shame that Acid Bettys run on Drag Race was so full of little fights and side drama, which overshadowed just how talented this queen actually is. Giving her another shot in an All Stars season could give her a fantastic Ru-demption story arc thats been years in the making. Milk (All Stars 3)See on InstagramWhen Milk first competed in season six, fans actually loved that she took risks and defied the judges expectations of what drag was (and could be). But her run on All Stars 3 flipped all of that upside down.When she came back for All Stars, Milk got a pretty unhinged edit that made her look like a really overconfident and mean queen. After the season aired, Milk explained that she said a lot of things in a sarcastic way and would laugh at herself right away. However, the show edited out those moments and left viewers with just the mean parts, which would eventually also get her to be labeled as a villain on All Stars 3.Gia Gunn (All Stars 4)See on InstagramGia Gunn can throw some serious shade and on All Stars 4, it seemed like she knew exactly what she was doing to stir the pot, create some drama, and literally deliver some of the most iconic moments of the entire franchise.Many fans theorize that Gunn was fully aware of the villain role she had been designated and chose to completely lean into it. Honestly, we were living for it, and having her back on our screens would be fabulous.Daya Betty (Season 14)See on InstagramLet's be honest, as much as we live for the sisterhood on Drag Race, when it goes fully "RuPaul's Best Friend Race" we start craving the drama. This is why Daya Betty was such a breath of fresh when she brought unapologetic shade back the the Werk Room. From spilling the straight tea on Maddy Morphosis to saying to Jasmine Kennedy's face what others were saying in confessionals, she is the kind of outspoken queen who rules for keeping it 100 percent real, and 100 percent SPICY. Also, her looks were always fire. Mistress Isabelle Brooks(Season 15)See on InstagramNo one has embraced her "villain era" more enthusiastically or more charmingly than the one and only Mistress Isabelle Brooks. She might as well have been a librarian for her ability to read her sisters, and unlike many other queens could take it just as well as she dished it. She is the epitome of fun shade and that she has remained an absolute chaos demon ever since her time on the show has only sealed her as one of our absolute favorite Ru-Girls. Irene 'The Alien' Dubois (Season 15)See on InstagramOne of the greatest robberies of the 21st century was Irene "The Alien" Dubois getting the Pork Chop treatment in season 15. That her ice water act should NOT have sent her home is a hill that I will die on. Regardless, this shady, witty, and utterly cunty queen must come back for an All-Stars. We deserve an Irene vs Mistress Isabelle Brooks redux! Alexis Michelle(Season 9, All Stars Season 8)See on InstagramTwo words: LaLa Ri. That betrayal was high-key iconic. Peak villainess. No, but seriously, Alexis Michelle is one of those queens who makes every season she is part of better by bringing the dramatics, the delusion, and my god the beauty. She is stunning. Plane Jane (Season 16)See on InstagramWould any list of villains be complete without the latest chaos demon to join the RuPaul family? Absolutely not. Plane Jane got, understood, and completed the assignment. From beefing with Amanda Tori Meating from approximately minute one to beefing with Chappell Roan since, she the epitome of villains you can't help but love and foot for, because on top of being mischievous, she turns incredible camp and glamor looks, all with a naughty twinkle in her eye.

In the midst of an ongoing legal battle over Missouris ban on gender-affirming care, so-called expert witnesses in favor of the ban have had their credibility called into question, meaning their testimonies may either be thrown out or given little weight in the courts decisions.John Michael Bailey, a fringe psychologist who promotes the debunked theory of autogynephilia, was called by Missouris Attorney General as an expert witness in support of the legislation, The Missouri Independent reports. Autogynephilia refers to the idea that trans women transition either due to the act of transitioning being a sexual fetish or to lure straight men into a relationship. Related These 4 trans-related Supreme Court cases affect everyones future civil rights While the cases focus on drag bans and trans protections, they address larger issues of free speech and civil rights. Bailey is also the author of a retracted study on the also debunked concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), the idea that being trans is a trend that youth rapidly latch on to due to social pressure. Bailey was examined by Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter over the reliability of his study along with his views on some controversial subjects. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Baileys study did not verify if any of the participants were actually diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Instead, it surveyed participants from ParentsofROGDKids.com, a website dedicated to parents who believe ROGD is a valid concept that has afflicted their children. The co-researcher on the study was someone under a pseudonym who was tied to the website, and Bailey did not even know who the person actually was.Bailey has claimed that his study which was retracted due to issues of informed consent was actually retracted due to pressure from activists.Additional work hes done involved him looking into Reddit threads with people who consider themselves detrans and desisting. These concepts refer to trans people who have stopped transitioning or stopped identifying as trans.But the main issue calling his credibility into question centered on Jerry Sandusky, a former college football coach who was convicted of sexually assaulting young boys over the course of 15 years. Bailey believes Sandusky is innocent.You believe the people testifying against Jerry Sandusky are lying? Carter asked him. I can see that if you are not familiar with the evidence that I am familiar with, you would be shocked, Bailey told him.Bailey got his information from a podcast and praised conservative commentator John Ziegler.Do you know [Ziegler]? Have you talked to anybody that was an eyewitness in that case? Carter pressed.I have read testimony, but I have not talked to anyone, Bailey responded.All of this cast doubt on Baileys authority as a medical professional. The court also called into question the supposed expertise of endocrinologist Dr. Daniel Weiss, as it was revealed that he had not published any research on trans youth and did not have clinical experience with minors. He was paid by the Center for Christian Virtue, a conservative Christian advocacy organization, to serve as an expert witness, the Independent reported.He said of whether hed publish research on gender affirming care, My article, if I were to write one, would be rejected by most medical journals because there is no good treatment. I call it child-harming treatment. There is no good intervention.The Missouri bill in question, Senate Bill 49, completely restricts anyone under the age of 18 from accessing any form of gender affirming care, including puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and surgeries. In addition to the ban, state officials have quietly made it harder to change gender markers on drivers licenses and have also attempted to restrict care for trans adults.The fate of gender-affirming care will ultimately be determined by the Supreme Court this fall with the case U.S. v. Jonathan Skrmetti et al, which concerns Tennessees ban on care for minors. This case will decide whether or not trans kids will be able to transition in Tennessee, with expectations that it will effect gender-affirming care for all minors across the nation. It is unknown how the Supreme Court will rule, although the current Court has historically ruled conservatively on social issues.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

This story is brought to you by our partners at NewFest.This Thursday, NewFest returns to New York City for its 36th annual film festival bringing together more than 140 films that showcase the vibrant creativity of the LGBTQ+ community. The lineup prominently showcases films that address contemporary themes, including gender identity, the art of drag, and love that crosses borders, alongside a nostalgic look at some cherished classics of queer cinema. The festival puts a special emphasis on historically underrepresented voices and identities in the LGBTQ+ community, with 82% of the lineup by and about women, trans, non-binary, intersex, bi, Black, Indigenous, people of color and disabled creators. Roshan Sethis A Nice Indian Boy, which opened to critical acclaim at SXSW, will kick off the 12-day hybrid festival.This years expansive lineup is a bold testament to both the future and legacy of queer cinema, says Nick McCarthy, NewFests Director of Programming.Were thrilled to showcase a marvelous mix of groundbreaking new films and amplify the landmark queer filmmakers that blazed trails before. "High Tide"Photo Courtesy of Strand ReleasingThe festivals U.S. Centerpiece, High Tide, is set in idyllic Provincetown and directed by Marco Calvani. The film weaves a beautiful narrative of a Brazilian migr, played by Marco Pigossi as he navigates life and love as an immigrant in America. Pigossi is joined by a stellar ensemble cast that includes Marisa Tomei and Bill Irwin. Keep an eye out for Advocate Channels own Stephen Walker whose character Chris makes an appearance at a pivotal moment in the film. "Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara"Photo Courtesy of HuluDocumentary fans will love Erin Lee Carrs premiere of Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, which dives into the bizarre world of identity theft in the digital age. The documentary is a compelling exploration into the catfishing identity theft of Tegan from the beloved indie duo Tegan and Sara. The film examines issues around privacy, fame, and identity in our current chronically online society.This year's festival honors cinematic legacy with a special retrospective dedicated to a John Waters Threesome, featuring three of the campy cornerstones iconic films: Female Trouble, Pecker, and Polyester. Additionally, cult favorites like Elvira: Mistress of the Dark and The Matrix will screen, offering a nostalgic look back at queer cinematic history. Audiences can also look forward to a stunning restoration of the 1983 documentary film Dressed in Blue. "Bird"Photo Courtesy of MUBINewFests International Centerpiece, Bird, won its director Andrea Arnold the Prix de la Citoyennet at the Cannes Film Festival, showcasing exceptional performances by Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski. Other notable titles include the New York Centerpiece film Liza: A Truly Terrific, Absolutely True Story, and Sundance hits Ponyboi and Layla. The comedy Extremely Unique Dynamic will provide plenty of levity with its sharp satire of todays filmmaking landscape and Hollywoods insatiable appetite. "Layla"Photo Courtesy of Film4NewFest continues to prioritize accessibility, offering an array of in-person screenings alongside an on-demand platform to ensure that audiences can engage with the festival from the comfort of their homes. Key venues include the SVA Theatre, The Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Nitehawk Prospect Park.On the cusp of a historic election, the LGBTQ+ community is, once again, at a moment where we need to show up for ourselves and each other, says David Hatkoff, NewFest Executive Director. As the largest queer film festival in the country, NewFest takes the responsibility of providing a safe and joyful space for queer audiences to celebrate queer stories very seriously. In our festivals 36th year, we are thrilled to share films that inspire empathy, delight, discovery, and connection, and a lineup that honors the incredible diversity and creativity of the LGBTQ+ community. "Emilia Prez"Photo Courtesy of NetflixJacques Audiards musical drama Emilia Prez will close out the festival on October 20th. The film took home the Cannes Jury Prize and earned its star Karla Sofa Gascn the Best Actress award, alongside performances by Zoe Saldaa, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. NewFest 2024 promises to entertain and inspire while fostering meaningful conversations around identity, community, and representation. Whether you are a longtime queer film lover or a novice enthusiast, dont miss out on this vibrant, rich tapestry of queer storytelling. Check out the full lineup and get your tickets and passes at: http://newfest.org/festival!

It's getting hot in here!Matthew Camp is one of the most popular adult entertainers in the industry today. Plus, he serves as one of the sexy hosts on OUTtv's hit show Slag Wars.Since his early days as a go-go dancer, Camp has built quite an impressive career as a sex worker. As a performer who's filmed all types of content, the star is now mainly creating videos that focus on intimacy."The kind of adult content I create, I try and make as realistic as possible. I like a nice, natural, non-narrated sexual interaction and that's what I like to put on Slag Wars," Camp tells PRIDE. See on Instagram The new season of Slag Wars features a diverse cast of creators who dabble into all types of raunchy content that sets them apart in a very oversaturated market."I love all different kinds of bodies. I like seeing them move around and dance. For me, this was such a vibrant and fun cast that had all different kinds of bodies."Beyond their sexy physiques, Slag Wars serves as an amazing opportunity for the performers to show their real personalities and give audiences a chance to really get to know them as people."One of the main reasons I love Slag Wars is because it is a vehicle for people to tell their stories and be more humanized by the media in general. In reality, these are people that have lives and families and people that care about them. This is the economy we live in. People aren't doing this because it's they're dream job. They're doing it because they need to make money and they're good at it."Camp's humble and kind nature radiates through the screen and he hopes all fans of adult entertainment overall will resonate with the emotional stories seen on the show."We're all sexual beings. We all want kindness and sweet affection and understanding. If we see more of that in media, we'll start expressing more of that to each other."Slag Wars is streaming now on OUTtv. To see the full interview with Matthew Camp, check out the video at the top of the page.

The gay hookup app Grindr is reportedly developing an artificial intelligence (AI) wingman to help users improve their interactions with other users. Grindr is developing its wingman with safety and privacy considerations in mind, the company told The Wall Street Journal.The wingman will track users favorite matches, track conversations, suggest which users might work well for a long-term relationship, and recommend local date spots. Related Grindrs CEO says AI synthetic employees will lead to even more competition for the humans workers Grindr is starting to dabble in AI, but what will this mean for jobs? Grindrs CEO George Arison also said the app could one day make dinner and event reservations or even chat with another users wingman to suggest potential conversation starters that gel with users preferences and communication styles. Alternately, the bot could also spot deal breakers early on. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Grindr plans on developing its empathetic AI technology through Ex-human, a company that develops immersive chatbots for unlocking deeper engagement. Grindr negotiated a contract with Ex-human last year to create a romantic chatbot that is more gay than Ex-humans mostly straight chatbots. Ex-human will do this by incorporating queer slang, sarcasm, and humor into its module.The Grindr wingman may even possibly offer advice on sexual health and mental health one day, Arison said. His company plans to introduce the wingman to o 1,000 users this year, and 10,000 next year, with a full launch for its 14 million users by 2027.Arison said his company is training the AI module in-house rather than with a third party to prevent breeches of potentially sensitive user information, according to Analytics Insight. Grindr also hopes to earn trust and demonstrate transparency by asking users before allowing an AI to access their chat history. Grindr has faced trouble for mismanaging users data in the past. In July, Grindr was fined $6 million by a Norwegian court after an investigation found that the company unlawfully shared sensitive user data with commercial companies they had partnered with.In April, almost700 people sued the appfor sharing their HIV statuses without giving consent. That lawsuit alleged that Grindr shared extremely sensitive information without users permission to third-party companies for commercial purposes. This information included users ethnicity, orientation, and HIV status.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

These are very proud parents of trans kids!Sometimes the people who support your queer identity are your chosen family, and other times, they're blood. While some celebs arent exactly understanding the assignment (cough, Elon Musk, cough), others like Jennifer Lopez and Charlize Theron continue to absolutely nail it.Here are 22 celebrities whose love and support for their trans and nonbinary kids give us queer joy and hope for the future.Tommy DavidsonThe In Living Color star Tommy Davidson opened up about loving and accepting his son Jerzey Saint Wilson during an interview on the Tour Show podcast. He shared that Jerzey initially came out as being attracted to girls as a teenager, but eventually embraced his trans identity. And that's something Davidson said he was immediately okay with, as he'd had experiences with LGBTQ+ people across the spectrum for much of his life."When I first saw a man that was like a woman, it was here in New York," he said, recounting a childhood experience. "I saw a man that acted like a woman, and kind of looked like a woman, but kinda was a man. And I asked my mother, she gave me the perfect answer. I said, 'What is he? Is he a man, or is he a woman?' And she said, 'You know what, hon, he's kind of both.'"Davidson stressed that it was important for him to hear it put in simplistic terms like that as a kid, because a perfect understanding wasn't the point."What she did was condition me to not reject 'other.' To not reject something that wasn't like me," he explained. "So in that way, it was simple."Naomi Watts & Liev SchreiberSee on InstagramWhile Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber they are however happily co-parenting their "modern" family which includes their son and trans daughter Kai. Last year Watts gushed about her youngest child in a birthday post on Instagram. "My darling Kai. Happy Birthday to you! Your fierce talent, sharp mind, hilarious wit and gentle soul fills my heart every day," she wrote in the caption. "I'm beyond proud to be your mum. Keep leaping into this world with strength and grace."Michelle VisageSee on InstagramAt the 35th GLAAD Media Awards, Michelle Visage opened up about her eldest child Lillie's journey and offered advice to parents of trans kids. I have a queer child who is basically transitioning, she told PinkNews. For me, it was a matter of allowing yourself grace to realize this is not the child you thought you were getting and its an even better child.She added that queer children are more authentically themselves and that all they really need is love. They didnt ask to be born the way that they were born, she said. It just happened that way.CherCher is a legendary icon and huge supporter of the LGBTQ community, and her son, Chaz, is a leading voice in transgender issues.Although Cher has discussed how the transition was difficult at first, but she told The Today Show, Chaz is so happy, so unbelievably happy, and I dont know what the peoples problems are. Theyre fearful, and they just dont understand how to react to it.Alexis BellinoReal Housewives of Orange County alum Alexis Bellino announced her son, Miles, as a transgender 15-year-old on Instagram, where she said she had stopped posting for a few months due to his transition.In the caption, she wrote, Miles truly wants this because hes tired of the misgendering and confusion people have, so we are setting the record straight and hopefully bringing clarity.[https://www.instagram.com/p/CkKLFSspKwo/ expand=1]Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez introduced her 14-year-old child Emme using gender-neutral pronouns, seemingly affirming Emme's pronouns, while performing at the L.A. Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala on Thursday.The last time we performed together was in a big stadium like this and I ask them to sing with me all the time, and they wont. So this is a very special occasion, she said.They are very, very busy, booked, and pricey. They cost me when they come out. But theyre worth every single penny because theyre my favorite duet partner of all time.Dean McDermott Dean McDermott spoke out about both his queer children, whom he shares with his wife Tori Spelling, during a film screening of My Fake Boyfriend at The Castro Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday.The thing I love about this movie is I got to share it with my 15-year-old who identifies as trans and my gay son, McDermott said.I love that they get a safe space to come and watch this. I think this movie is really important. Its as poignant as it is fun. So, thank you all for coming, and most importantly, to Jack and Liam, I love you guys.See on InstagramCharlize TheronIn a 2019 interview with the Daily Mail, Charlize shared that her No. 1 goal is to protect her daughters.I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive, Theron said.They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide.My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be. And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that.See on InstagramDwyane Wade & Gabrielle UnionDwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union first opened up about their daughter coming out as trans in February 2020 and have been nothing but supportive ever since.[Think of] the moment when you were in the hospital and you grabbed your daughter, and you looked at your daughter. All the things that went through your mind and all the emotions that went through your mind. And how much love fills your heart at that moment. Dont let that ever leave you, no matter what, Wade told Variety while on the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala.In a March 2022 interview with Buzzfeed, Union opened up about loving her children out loud and being proud. Its important for us to live and love out loud, she said. We didnt exactly understand why [supporting Zayas trans identity] was a thing because its like, we love all our kids out loud. But it is a thing and a lot of people do need an example. [People] do need that [kind of] representation.As our children show up, it is our job to believe them when they tell us who they are and not impose our dreams, hopes, fears, and desires on them.Its our job to be loving, compassionate, protective guides for our children, but their lives are their lives and we have to respect that. We do not believe in any kind of shaming for existing. That is bizarre, cruel, [and] harmful.So yeah, were gonna post our family, were going to live out loud, were going to love out loud, and were going to speak out loud and lead in however each situation calls for us to be leaders when things are not where they should be, said Union.Jamie Lee CurtisIn a 2021 interview with AARP Magazine, Jamie Lee Curtis shared that Ruby, the daughter she shares with director Christopher Guest, is trans. [We] have watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby, she told the publication.On her daughters birthday, Curtis again took the opportunity to praise her daughter and speak up for the trans community at large in an Instagram post.Today is the birthday of my trans daughter. I am proud and grateful to be the parent of a trans child and am sending support to all of the trans families across the U.S. who are being targeted in this moment by conservative legislatures, she posted.See on InstagramCynthia NixonIn 2018, Cynthia Nixon shared that her son Samuel Joseph Mozes is trans in an Instagram post celebrating his graduation from the University of Chicago.Im so proud of my son Samuel Joseph Mozes (called Seph) who graduated college this month. I salute him and everyone else marking todays #TransDayofAction. #TDOA, she wrote.See on InstagramAlly SheedyIn an interview with People in January, actor Ally Sheedy gushed about her trans son Beckett Lansbury and giving him room to be himself.I want him to be able to do what he wants to do with his life and have the freedom to make his own choices and surround himself with a loving, supportive community, said Sheedy. So far, hes been able to do that.As a parent, Ive learned a lot, she said. Beck doesnt hide anything. And I feel very comfortable talking to anyone whose kid is just beginning the process of transition. Parents need to educate themselves.Its natural to have fears about your kids, no matter what. But in this case, Beck is in a really great place in his life. I give him the room to run, and I just really try to just watch.Annette Bening & Warren BeattyAnnette Bening and Warren Beattys eldest son, Stephen Ira Beatty, came out as trans in 2012, and his parents have frequently shared their love and support openly for him.In 2016, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Beatty heaped praise upon his son. Hes a revolutionary, a genius, and my hero, as are all my children, he said.Three years later Bening also praised his transition in a 2019 interview with AARP. Hes managed something thats very challenging with great style and great intelligence, she said. Hes an articulate, thoughtful person, and Im very, very proud of himSadeSee on InstagramWhile Sade is famously private about her personal life, her son Izaak was open about his identity and thanked his mother for her support. Izaak came out as trans in 2016 and underwent gender confirmation surgery in 2019. After which he posted a loving message to his mother.Its been a long hard road but We did it!! We are coming home!!!! Thank you for staying by my side these past 6 months Mumma. Thank you for fighting with me to complete the man I am. Thank you for your encouragement when things are hard, and for the love you give me. The purest heart. I love you so much. Queen of queens, he wrote in the caption. Sigourney WeaverSigourney Weaver shared that her child, Char, who she shared with her husband Jim Simpson identifies as nonbinary. The Aliens actress shared We have a wonderful [child] whos now 32 I dont know how, [they] still look 12. In fact, theyre nonbinary and they teach, she said while guesting on an episode of the Smartless podcast. Heather DubrowSee on InstagramReal Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow, not only supports but celebrates her trans son Ace. In March, she shared that Ace had come out on her Instagram.Dubrow shared a photo of a sandy beach with the ocean in the background, and the name Ace written in the sand in the foreground. We love you, our youngest son, Ace , reads the caption. Dubrow continued, Our job as parents is to give our kids a safe and supportive environment so they can grow up as healthy, happy, confident, independent humans.Busy PhilippsActress Busy Phillips opened up about their child Birdie being gay and using they/them pronouns in December 2020 You get to build your life, however, the f--k you want to, and it doesnt have to look like anything youve ever seen or anything thats ever been modeled for you because maybe it doesnt exist. Busy recounted telling them, on an episode of her podcast Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best.Colin MochrieSee on InstagramComic treasure and star of Who's Line Is it , Anyway? regularly brags about his transgender daughter Kinley shares photos of them on his social. In 2016 he shared that she was transitioning and opened up to Huffington Post Canada about it. 'This is my child, this is the exact same person, with a new coat.' he said. "All you want when you have a child is for them to be safe, to be happy, and to be better than you." Marlon WayansSee on InstagramMarlon Wayans gushed about their trans son Kai during a recent appearance on Power 105.1 FMs The Breakfast Club. As a parent, I just want my kids to be free. I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves, he said. The more you know yourself, the more you can govern yourself, the more you live your truth, the happier your existence. So if they cant get that in a household with their father and mother, how the fk do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?David & Georgia TennantDoctor Who stars David and Georgia Tennant, don't only share a IMDB credit, but a family of five children as well, one of whom, Doris, identifies as nonbinary. The couple are both incredibly outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights and while they only rarely post photos of their children, the love is overwhelming. See on InstagramLast month following hateful comments made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about trans people, Georgia forcefully pushed back on Twitter. "I have written and erased so many furious tweets. So many things I want to say but actually, in this moment, only one thing I need to," she began. "So; To the trans community, I stand with you now and always. I, like you, am going nowhere."David has also frequently reaffirmed his support of queer people, including during a press day for season two of Good Omens, where he wore a shirt with "Leave trans kids alone you absolute freaks" across the front, and a rainbow pin on his lapel.

A great-grandmother's reaction to her great-granddaughter coming out as trans is going viral for all the right reasons. Jenna Tea, a 21-year-old makeup artist and drag performer, posted a video to her Instagram last month that has since garnered over one million views, capturing the conversation she had with her great-grandmother, Katherine, when she told her that she is a transgender woman. "Well, it's your life, honey. You have to do what makes you happy," Katherine says in the audio, as pictures of her and Tea as a child flash onscreen. "Its something that we have to adjust to and sometimes, its hard for other people but theyre not living your life, you are. Its kind of their problem to readjust and so, the best thing is to put it out there, deal with it, and it is what it is."See on InstagramAnd Ive always thought it. I always noticed that you had more of a softer side when you wanted dolls and not trucks and things, Katherine continued. There were signs, but we never said anything to you because until you know, its not fair to say anything to you either. Because I dont want you to be unhappy and struggle with this and let it destroy you because people are not accepting. Theyre just idiots. "I love you. It doesn't matter to me if youre male or female. Whoever is in there, I love," she concluded.Tea told PEOPLE that she came out in January and began hormones in April. She's been performing in drag for over three years now, which her great-grandmother often comes to watch. Tea wrote in the caption of the video that she "sobbed so much creating this," and that "at 89 years old I hope to be half the woman she is.""I knew when I came out to her that it wasnt going to be a bad reaction and I am very lucky to be able to know that," she said. "As a trans person I often get a lot of dysphoria, but sometimes when I look in the mirror, I see parts of her face in me, and that erases all of the fear and discomfort. She is such a rare and special soul and we need more people like her in the world, I am so lucky to call her Grandma."

Comedian Tommy Davidson is opening up about having a trans son, and the kind of adjustment that can require as a parent.The In Living Color star recently appeared on the Tour Show to talk about his current tour. But as Tour wrote, the conversation kept returning to Davidson's son, Jerzey Saint Wilson.He shared that Jerzey initially came out as being attracted to girls as a teenager, but eventually embraced his trans identity. And that's something Davidson said he was immediately okay with, as he'd had experiences with LGBTQ+ people across the spectrum for much of his life."When I first saw a man that was like a woman, it was here in New York," he said, recounting a childhood experience. "I saw a man that acted like a woman, and kind of looked like a woman, but kinda was a man. And I asked my mother, she gave me the perfect answer. I said, 'What is he? Is he a man, or is he a woman?' And she said, 'You know what, hon, he's kind of both.'"Davidson stressed that it was important for him to hear it put in simplistic terms like that as a kid, because a perfect understanding wasn't the point."What she did was condition me to not reject 'other.' To not reject something that wasn't like me," he explained. "So in that way, it was simple."But while he says he accepted his son immediately, he did admit to struggling to shift his perspective when he was used to having a daughter."If you have that child, you raise them that gender, you're expecting what you got. And you know what those two things are," he said. "If it's changed along the way, for me it's not strange, but it's natural to get used to it."You can check out the full conversation between Davidson and Tour below.

Now that Brat Summer is over, it's almost time for Brat Remix Fall!As Charli xcx and Troye Sivan are taking over the world on the currently ongoing Sweat Tour, Charli is getting ready to release her new remix album, brat and it's completely different but also still brat, this week on Friday, October 11.Charli has already released a few of the remixes to songs from her highest-charting album ever, and we know she loves working with other artists and producers, so this remix album isn't a surprise, but it's definitely welcome!Here's the full tracklist, and which songs have already come out."360" ft. Robyn and Yung LeanOne of the earliest brat remixes released is this one from back in May, before the album even came out! It features iconic Swedish pop singer Robyn and Swedish rapper Yung Lean. "Club classics" ft. BB TrickzSpanish rapper BB Tricks shows up on the "Club Classics" remix, where she'll add her sample drill style of hip hop to the song. We can't wait to hear!"Sympathy is a knife" ft. Ariana GrandeWe can't wait to hear pop icon Ariana Grande on this remix!"I might say something stupid" ft. The 1975 and Jon HopkinsWhile we may not be the 1975's biggest fans, Charli is engaged to the drummer, so the band, as well as English producer Jon Hopkins, join this remix."Talk talk" ft. Troye SivanCharli's Sweat Tour partner Troye Sivan joined her on this remix, released in September along with the remix album announcement."Von Dutch" ft. A.G. Cook and Addison RaeThis was actually the first remix released from the album, coming out back in March. It features regular Charli collaborator producer A.G. Cook and singer Addison Rae."Everything is romantic" ft. Caroline PolachekAnother frequent Charli collaborator, Caroline Polachek is hopping on the remix for "Everything is romantic.""Rewind" ft. BladeeSwedish rapper and singer Bladee is joining Charli on this remix."So I" ft. A.G. CookProducter A.G. Cook, who was a friend and frequent collaborator of Sophie's, joins Charli on the remix for this tribute to the late producer and singer."Girl, so confusing," by LordeWhen "Girl, so confusing" came out, many people speculated the song was about Australian singer Lorde. Lorde and Charli confirmed it when Lorde hopped on the remix to the song!"Apple" ft. The Japanese HouseThe "Apple" remix features queer artist The Japanese House."B2B" ft. Tinashe"Nasty" singer Tinashe hops on the "B2B" remix."Mean girls" ft. Julian CasablancasThe Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas joins Charli on this remix."I think about it all the time" ft. Bon IverIndie folk singer Bon Iver hops on this remix."365" ft. ShygirlShygirl, who is opening up for Charli & Troye on the Sweat Tour, is lending her artistry to "365.""Guess" ft. Billie EilishQueer singer Billie Eilish joined Charli on this super-sexy and flirty remix that even gave us one of the year's best music videos.

Jason Rapert, a Christian nationalist member of Arkansas state library board, recently said that the LGBTQ+ movement is of the devil and told listeners that they should neither support nor vote for anyone who supports queer people.Transvestitism, transgenderism, the LGBTQ movement in the country is of the devil. Period. Its of the devil, he recently told an audience in a video unearthed by Right Wing Watch. So you dont need to be supporting people and voting for people who do things of the devil. Theres no way a real Christian can do it. Im telling you today, you cannot be a Christian and vote for people that do the devils work. Related Sarah Huckabee Sanders spent $19,000 on a lectern she wont use, then blamed the media But her explanation of why it cost so much is priceless. Rapert is a former Arkansas state legislator who launched the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) in 2019, a Christian nationalist organization that seeks to install religious legislators in every level of government to spread theocracy nationwide. LGBTQ+ news you can rely on Keep track of the ongoing battle against bias and for equality with our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Christian nationalist Jason Rapert declares that "the LGBTQ movement in the country is of the devil" and therefore "you cannot be a Christian and vote for people that do the devil's work." pic.twitter.com/a16RyJCblA Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) October 7, 2024Last November, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) appointed him to the state library board to oversee the funding, development, and leadership of local public libraries. He quickly promised to enforce the states anti-LGBTQ+ book-banning law and threatened to defund any libraries that sued the state to block it. The law, known as Act 372, pledged criminally prosecute librarians and bookstore owners who refuse to remove any books that are deemed as harmful to minors, a vague phrase that anti-LGBTQ+ activists often use to ban books with any mention of sexual orientation or gender identity. The law also made it easier for any single person to challenge a book, effectively removing it from shelves while it undergoes review by library, county, or city officials. The law has been blocked by courts from going into effect.However, he has recently complained about his fellow board not supporting his crusade, saying they should be publicly humiliated, ostracized and injured.We are fighting against the people that are putting the queer books into your school libraries and trying to groom these children into homosexuality, Rapert said in March 2023 while celebrating an anti-trans student state law that he said the NACL helped pass.Were pursuing school board policies to save the nation. We are standing up and have our members running bills in the halls of the state legislatures to stand up against this woke ideology, to push back against the things of the devil in our country, he continued.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

At an event in September, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MI) claimed that an upcoming Missouri state ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution will also enshrine gender-affirming care by placing it into the state constitution. He argues that this is because gender-affirming care falls under the umbrella of reproductive care.This is about an effort to come into our schools behind your backs without your knowledge, to tell our kids that theres something wrong with them and to give them drugs that will sterilize them for life, to push them toward procedures that will fundamentally change their bodies irrevocably for life, Hawley said at the Ozark anti-abortion event, repeating a right-wing lie that schools provide transitional medication to children without parental consent. And there will be nothing we can do about it. Related Fact Check: Are schools performing transition surgeries on students without parental consent? Donald Trump claimed that schools are medically transitioning kids behind their parents backs. Is this true? LGBTQ Nation investigated this claim to see whether it stands up to scrutiny. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Background and what Missouri ballot measure saysIn June 2022, the landmark decision guaranteeing abortion rights across the country, Roe v. Wade, was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in its Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision. While protests erupted across the country, Missouri swiftly allowed a 2019 law banning abortion statewide to go into effect.The Missouri abortion ban is a total ban that only allows exceptions in cases where the pregnancy would harm the parent. Even for those who are granted an abortion, there is still a mandated 72-hour waiting period as well as additional counseling to discourage the parent from terminating the pregnancy.In response to this, the group Missourians for Constitutional Freedom collected hundreds of thousands of signatures from people across the state to get a voting measure on the states ballot in November. The group succeeded back in August with an amendment that would supersede most of the existing abortion ban by protecting abortion rights and reproductive healthcare in totality. The text of the proposed abortion amendment is visible on the Missouri government website, with information on the exact wording as itll appear to voters. The amendments text does not mention gender-affirming care it focuses exclusively on matters regulating abortion and pregnancy rights. The amendments text says, The Government shall not deny or infringe upon a persons fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.The text of the ballot measure also makes no mention of gender-affirming care. Additionally, the states definition of reproductive care doesnt mention gender-affirming care. LGBTQ Nation is not aware of any legal precedent from proponents of either reproductive healthcare or gender-affirming care that regulates the latter practice as a form of reproductive medical care. In the legal rights website Nolo, attorney Stacey Barret outlined the legal precedent for gender-affirming care, but her explanation contained scarce mention of reproductive healthcare except as an entirely distinct type of care that trans people can receive as part of their transition.The World Professional Association for Transgender Healths (WPATH) Standards of Care 8 the leading document regulating gender affirming care also does not discuss gender-affirming care as a subset of reproductive care. Rather, WPATHs standards outline how, while certain medical interventions for trans people may limit fertility, trans people should be referred to receive reproductive care to preserve their sperm and egg cells.All in all, there is no evidence that gender-affirming care and reproductive care are regulated or conducted similarly in practice. Rather, theyre distinct forms of care that may be given to the same patient based on their specific needs. Expert ReactionsLGBTQ Nation reached out to Sen. Hawleys campaign for comment but did not receive a response before publication. However, The Kansas City Star quoted quotes Mary Ziegler, law professor at the University of California at Davis, as saying, Ive never seen anyone argue that gender-affirming care is reproductive health care I guess you could argue that it makes people unable to reproduce. But its not usually something that an obstetrician-gynecologist would deliver.Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri who works with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom also told The Kansas City Star, Anti-abortion politicians will say anything no matter how outlandish to distract from the public health crisis they have created in Missouri when they banned abortion. This is a false narrative being pushed by politicians using scare tactics to divide Missourians and distract us from what this amendment is about: protecting the right to abortion and letting Missourians make their own healthcare decisions. ConclusionBased on the above evidence and expert testimony, there is no evidence that this amendment would regulate gender-affirming care. There is no mention of such care in any rhetoric from proponents of this amendment, and there is no legal or medical precedent for gender-affirming care to be considered reproductive. LGBTQ Nation rates Hawleys claim as false.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

A Bible endorsed by former president Donald Trump is one of just a few that meet the very specific requirements put forth by Oklahomas anti-LGBTQ+ State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R) regarding the 55,000 Bibles he wants in the states classrooms.On September 30, the states Office of Management and Enterprise Services released a request for proposals (RFP) on behalf of the State Department of Education (OSED) seeking bids from potential contractors to supply 55,000 copies of the King James Version Bible, The Oklahoman reported. According to the request, only suppliers providing editions that include the United States Pledge of Allegiance, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the U.S. Bill of Rights and that are bound in leather or leather-like material are eligible for the contract. Related Oklahoma GOP wants to impeach anti-LGBTQ+ education head Ryan Walters Walters has hired anti-LGBTQ+ extremists and demanded that schools teach the Bible. Republicans are fed up with his antics. A salesperson with retailer Mardel Christian & Education told the paper that of the nearly 3,000 editions of the Bible it sells, none meet those requirements. But the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, first published by conservative country singer Lee Greenwood in 2021, does. Earlier this year, Trump licensed his name and likeness to be used in marketing for a new edition of the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, reportedly receiving sales royalties for his endorsement. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson told the paper that the state education departments RFP may violate state law. It appears to me that this bid is anything but competitive, Edmondson said. It adds to the basic specification other requirements that have nothing to do with the text. The special binding and inclusion of government documents will exclude almost all bidders. If the bid specs exclude most bidders unnecessarily, I could consider that a violation.According to Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Executive Director Colleen McCarty, There are very few Bibles on the market that would meet these criteria, and all of them have been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.The Oklahoma Department of Educations RFP also appears to exclude significantly cheaper editions of the Bible, which are widely available. The Trump-endorsed God Bless the U.S.A. Bible sells for $60 online, and as The Oklahoman notes, 55,000 copies could cost the state $3.3 million. On September 26, days before the Office of Management and Enterprise Services released its request for bids, Walters included $3 million for classroom Bibles in the education departments 2026 budget request to the Oklahoma Legislature.For [Walters] to craft this RFP, to specifically identify this Bible, this document that the state taxpayers would spend money on, either is a dereliction of duty, a dereliction of stewardship or maybe it is a signal to former President Trump: Hey, hey, Im on your team, sir, Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Alicia Andrews said.According to The Oklahoman, Walters may be angling for a cabinet position should Trump get reelected. The specific number of Bibles specified in the RFP, 55,000, also seems to contradict Walters public statements about his June mandate that all Oklahoma school districts incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments into their curricula for grades five through 12. Guidelines put out by the Oklahoma State Department of Education in July specified that teachers should incorporate the Bible in a manner that emphasizes only its historical, literary and secular benefits, ensuring compliance with legal standards and precedents. And Walters has said publicly that the Bible should be incorporated in the context of history and literature. But as The Oklahoman notes, there are only 43,000 classroom teachers and even fewer who teach only history and literature.Meanwhile, the superintendents of local school districts across the state have said they do not plan to change their districts curricula to comply with Walters directive. Some superintendents who responded to a recent survey by Oklahoma public radios StateImpact offered blistering takes of Walters motives, with one describing the Bible directive as a personal political gimmick, and another writing that it was intended to cause controversy and get interviews on the national stage.Indeed, Walters education department is contracted to pay DC-based Vought Strategies $60,000 per year to book him for national media appearances. And Walters has definitely gained national media attention over the past year. In January, he was criticized by both Republican and Democratic state lawmakers for appointing Chaya Raichik, the anti-LGBTQ+ hate influencer behind Libs of TikTok, to Oklahomas library advisory committee. Following the death of 16-year-old trans Oklahoman Nex Benedict in February, Walterss anti-LGBTQ+ policies came under intense scrutiny, with many allies and advocates accusing him of fostering the environment of hostility toward LGBTQ+ students that contributed to the teens tragic death. The Human Rights Campaign and over 350 LGBTQ+ rights organizations, civil rights groups, and leaders sent an open letter to the Oklahoma state legislature demanding Walters be removed from office.More recently, 21 Oklahoma Republican lawmakers have called for an impeachment investigation into Walters handling of the OSED.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The Georgia Supreme Court has reinstated the states six-week abortion ban one week after a lower court struck it down.Georgias heartbeat bill, passed by the Republican-led state legislature in 2019 and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R), bans abortions after doctors can detect an embryos heartbeat. A fetal heartbeat is usually detectable around six weeks of pregnancy (before most women even realize theyre pregnant). The law alsoallows abortionsin some cases of fetal anomalies or when medical issues threaten the gestational parents life. Related Fact Check: Does Missouris abortion ballot measure legalize gender-affirming care? A GOP senator says a ballot measure to legalize abortion would also let schools help children medically transition. Is this true? The 2019 law went into effect in June 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision legalizing abortion access nationwide. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that the 2019 law was unconstitutional. His ruling made the state revert to its previous policy of allowing abortions through 22 weeks of pregnancy.Liberty in Georgia includes in its meaning, in its protections, and in its bundle of rights the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices, McBurney wrote in his ruling. That power is not, however, unlimited. When a fetus growing inside a woman reaches viability, when society can assume care and responsibility for that separate life, then and only then may society intervene.Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr immediately appealed McBurneys ruling to the state Supreme Court. The state Supreme Court overruled McBurneys decision, but left in place a lower court ruling that blocked a provision of the law that allowed state prosecutors to access abortion patients medical records without due process protections, NBC News reported. Despite the reinstatement of the states six-week abortion ban, the battle over the bans constitutionality will continue to play out in an appeals court. But for now, reproductive rights groups have criticized the states Supreme Court ruling.It is cruel that our patients ability to access the reproductive health care they need has been taken away yet again, wrote Feminist Womens Health Center Executive Director Kwajelyn Jackson, in a statement. This ban has wreaked havoc on Georgians lives, and our patients deserve better.Planned Parenthood Southeast spokesperson Jaylen Black called the ruling an egregious example of how far anti-abortion lawmakers and judges will go to strip Georgians of their fundamental rights, adding, [The ban] resulted in the devastating, preventable deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller and will continue to harm Georgians as long as it is in effect. Thurman and Miller are two Black women who died in 2022 after experiencing complications from taking abortion pills. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats generally have pointed to similar deaths as proof of how abortion bans threaten the lives of women nationwide.Recent polling has shown that majorities of voters in almost every demographic support legalized abortion the only group that doesnt is evangelical Protestants. This issue may spell trouble for Republicans as 10states will vote on abortion-related ballot measuresin November, and the issue has typically increased Democratic turnout to the polls.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

So much of the political focus is on the presidential race, and understandably so. This year has been one of the most eventful campaign cycles ever, from President Bidens disastrous debate performance and subsequent withdrawal to Kamala Harris unprecedented rise to the two assassination attempts on Donald Trumps life. But with all the attention on the presidential candidates, its worth remembering that the composition of Congress is on the line as well. With both the House and Senate narrowly divided, the ability of one party to control both can make or break the agenda of the next president. And like the presidential race itself, right now it is to close to know which party will come out on top. Related Kamala Harris slams GOP for claiming to support sanctity of life while letting mothers die Harris also connected abortion rights to same-sex marriage during her appearance on a massively popular womens empowerment podcast. At present, it seems like the Democrats may have an edge in winning back control of the House. Republicans hold a paltry majority of just four seats, so it wouldnt take much for the Democrats to return to power and throw Mike Johnson out of the Speakers chair. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today Most House districts are drawn so that they are solidly stacked for one party or the other, so out of the 435 districts,only about 10 percent are really competitive. Of those, 11 lean Democrat, and five lean Republican. The remaining 26 are toss-ups. That said, the momentum seems to be shifting toward Democrats as the races head into the final stretch. The Cook Report, a nonpartisan political analysis group, recently shifted two seats in Iowa from lean Republican to toss up, thanks in part to Harris surprising strength in the state. The Democrats are also working hard to recover their 2022 losses in deep blue states like New York and California. Meanwhile, money favors the Democrats as well. The party has been spending big bucks in competitive races, outstripping Republicans. By contrast, Republicans have been privately worrying for months that newly energized Democrats have been raking in the cash while their own efforts have lagged. That has proven true, as Democrats raised $40 million more than Republicans in the last financial report, which covered up to August 31. Money cant buy a victory, but it sure improves the odds of one. On the Senate side, the map favors Republicans. Democrats hold only a two seat majority. Joe Manchin, a nominal Democrat-turned-Independent from West Virginia, who with bisexual Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I) helped sink a lot of Bidens agenda, has virtually guaranteed the GOP one seat with his decision not to seek reelection. Two of the Democrats incumbents Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana are in red states and facing uphill battles. Surprisingly, Republicans havent done a great job expanding the map beyond those seats. In most of the swing states, races are tight but favor Democrats. Even Brown has shown himself to be resilient in the face of a red tide, helped by the offensive comments his opponent, Bernie Moreno, made about suburban women and abortion. Democrats could pick up a seat elsewhere, with their biggest chance in Texas, of all places, thanks to the universal disdain that Ted Cruz elicits across party lines. Democrat Collin Allred, a Congressman and former pro football player, is making a surprisingly strong showing against Cruz. Democrats are pouring money into the race, which is now rated as just leaning Republican, an embarrassment for Cruz. How this all nets out will have a big impact on the next administration. If Harris wins and Democrats have an unexpectedly strong showing in Congressional races, she will be in a much better position to actually get some of her initiatives passed. If Republicans control one or both Houses, she will not only get nothing passed, but she will be harassed with endless sham investigations (If the Senate is evenly split, the vice president is the deciding vote). Trump faces a similar situation. If Republicans control both Houses, there is no stopping him and his worst excesses. He already has the majority of the Supreme Court in his pocket, and having control of all three branches would allow him to do whatever he wants, such as passing punitive laws targeting the trans community. If Congress is split or Democrats control both chambers, then there would at least be something in place to stop Trump from doing the worst though it will still be very, very bad. Congressional Republicans have proven that they will do whatever Trump tells them to do, including threatening government shutdowns and killing bipartisan legislation that actually gives them much of what they demand. The close divide in Congress mimics the overall polarization of the nation. The stakes are just as high in the Congressional races as they are in the presidential race. Depending on how the races go, the next four years could see lots of progress or lots of pain. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Olympic diving champion Tom Daley is fresh out of the bath in his new ad for *checks notes* British Gas. He posted an advert on social media with some behind-the-scenes videos of him sitting in a bathtub."Nothing like taking a little soak in the bath," Daley says in the video, "with the whole film crew watching you." And in the full ad, Daley whips off his towel to reveal a speedo. We're not exactly a potential customer for British Gas, but we're certainly enjoying the view. Daley's post reads:"Theres nothing worse than a busted boiler throwing off your whole day! @BritishGas commits to being with you the same day if you have no heating or hot water. Just contact them by 11am, even if youre not a customer, theyll sort you out!" See on Instagram The out athlete won his fifth Olympic medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics earlier this summer then promptly announced his retirement from competitive diving.And he also knits! Daley went viral earlier this summer for his knitting skills while in the Olympics audience, a skill he picked up in 2020. It even translated into merch for a Malibu Rum "Don't Drink and Drive" campaign he did in August and we love to see it.

Three Republican gay men are accusing an LGBTQ+ establishment of discrimination after, they say, they were charged a cover while non-Republican LGBTQ+ people were allowed to enter without paying a cover.TikTok user @5280basedhomo, whose real name is Rich Guggenheim, said that he and two other conservatives Chris, aka TheMidwestHomo and gay GOP congressional candidate Valdemar Archuleta who accused LGBTQ+ people of being groomers and being responsible for the Club Q shooting tried to enter Buddies, an LGBTQ+ bar, in Denver. Related Anti-LGBTQ+ slur-shouting Kid Rock will headline gay Republican event Kid Rock has a history of opposing LGBTQ+ equality. Guggenheim was wearing a red cap that said Make Gay Bars Gay Again, and Archuleta was wearing what he described as a bedazzled MAGA hat. Guggenheims bio on the social media platform X shows a rainbow flag and a trans flag with a scissors emoji between them, showing his opposition to transgender rights, which may explain the message behind the hat. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today We were just told by the bouncer at Buddies that theyre charging a $40 cover for the three of us to get into this bar when they are not charging anybody else that cover, he claimed. This is discrimination and homophobia against gay people who have conservative ideology.Homophobia refers to discrimination or bias against gay and bi people as a class; discriminating against conservatives is discrimination based on political ideology. Political ideology is not a protected class under Colorado civil rights law. This is where were at in the club of inclusivity and tolerance and love and respect, he complained sarcastically while wearing a rainbow Disney shirt. If you dont go along with their narrative, if you dont agree with their political views, they are gonna discriminate against you.He then called on his followers to blast Buddies, calling them homophobic and saying that theyre literally disenfranchising members of their own community. Today three gay guys attempted to walk into a gay bar called Buddies in Denver. We experienced blatant discrimination. @midwesthomo77 @Archuleta4CO pic.twitter.com/lkU52JpSXx 5280BasedHomo (@5280BasedHomo) October 5, 2024Buddies management, though, disputes Guggenheims claims. In an email to LGBTQ Nation, Manager Phil Newland said that the bar was hosting a fundraiser for the Harris-Walz campaign on Saturday afternoon from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a $40 cover charge.We had several people choose to not participate in the 60-minute fundraiser, and many of them returnedat 5:30when the fundraiser was over, Newland said. Newland said that the fundraiser raised $280 for the campaign as seven people participated and that next weeks fundraiser is for a local theater troupe.We understand that not everyone will want to support all fundraisers, Newland added.In the responses to his post on X, Guggenheim showed that his support for Donald Trump may not be based on complete information about Trump as a candidate. Someone pointed out that Trump doesnt support LGBTQ+ peoples civil rights protections, which is factually correct. Trump said that he would veto the Equality Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to current federal civil rights legislation, and the Trump administration fought against Title VIIs and Title IXs civil rights protections applying to LGBTQ+ people. Trump supports civil rights for gay people, Guggenheim replied incorrectly. Youre just spreading misinformation. Trump supports civil rights for gay people. Youre just spreading misinformation. 5280BasedHomo (@5280BasedHomo) October 6, 2024In another comment, Guggenheim said that the Supreme Court actually decided to make it so that you know we have civil rights, perhaps referring to the 2020 Bostock v. Clayton Co. decision, which only applies to job discrimination and does not apply to either public accommodations discrimination or discrimination on the basis of political ideology. The Supreme Court, in fact, ruled that some businesses have a right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in303 CreativeLLC v. Elenis.Well, I mean the Supreme Court actually decided to make it so that you know we have civil rights so if youre gonna violate our civil rights and youre gonna demand that others treat you with inclusion, but then turn around and not be inclusive then were just gonna expose your 5280BasedHomo (@5280BasedHomo) October 6, 2024 In a follow-up video, Guggenheim complained about LGBTQ+ people using villainizing and dehumanizing words to describe him and his friends. He then compared LGBTQ+ people to Hitler and the Nazis who used similar tactics, he claimed, to get people to accept exterminating 11 million Jews during the Holocaust.Is that what conformist establishment gays want now, to exterminate anyone who does not conform to their ideology and assimilate into their cult? he asked, implying that mean comments on social media are comparable to the Holocaust.Heres my response to the comments Ive gotten to the video I made about what happened at to me, @Archuleta4CO, and @midwesthomo77 a gay bar, Buddies, in Denver. Conformist gays are using villainizing and dehumanizing words to describe anybody who doesnt conform to their pic.twitter.com/XBIC1aCjlt 5280BasedHomo (@5280BasedHomo) October 8, 2024Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

In January 2023, Rhydian Gonzalez-Herrero learned that due to a variety of logistical concerns, their top surgery had been postponed for the second time. The previous year, it was delayed due to new legislation that promised a ten-year prison sentence for any parents or doctors helping minors obtain gender affirming surgery in their state. Like any other teen boy, all Gonzalez-Herrero wanted was the simple experience of wearing a well-fitting suit to prom, but politicians continued to stand in the way.Nico Lang centers these kinds of experiences in their new book, American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era. Over several months, Lang spent time with eight trans teenagers and their families across the United States, getting to know the real people who are targeted by the legislative attacks agains trans youth. Related These 4 trans-related Supreme Court cases affect everyones future civil rights While the cases focus on drag bans and trans protections, they address larger issues of free speech and civil rights. Lang sheds light on the struggles trans teens face due to the shocking rise in the proposal of anti-trans bills from just 21 proposals in 2015 to 658 so far in 2024. Just as important, however, is Langs depiction of their day-to-day lives, highlighting that they are, as the title suggests, just normal American teenagers. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today American Teenageris a must-read for anyone who thinks they have never met a trans person, for anyone who is trying to understand the horror these teens are enduring, and for anyone in need of stories showcasing hope and resilience in the face of it all. LGBTQ Nation spoke to Lang ahead of American Teenagers release to talk about their experience writing the book, the pressure on trans kids to become activists, and the one teens story that has burrowed into their brain.This interview has been edited for clarity and length.LGBTQ Nation: What inspired you to write American Teenager?Nico Lang: I knew a book like this had to be written, and I had the resources to do it. Ive been connected to families of trans youth across the country for a really long time through my reporting, and weve become friends. I knew that that closeness and that kind of intimacy could breed a really special book. Because a lot of journalists have to work with their subjects to build trust. These kids needed this book. America needed this book right now.How do you define the need the book meets? More than 600 anti-trans bills have been put forward this year across the country, trying to strip basic rights and protections from trans youth, and in that really virulently anti-trans political environment, what we often havent done is actually listen to the trans youth who are being directly affected by this. We have very rarely heard their perspectives or their opinions on whats happening to them and whats happening to their own lives.With this book, I wanted to center their voices. If we knew about the lives of these kids it would be a lot harder to pass these kinds of laws that treat them like theyre inhuman. Thats really what the book came down to, just reminding people that trans kids are just kids.No two stories in the book feel the same. How did you get in touch with such a disparate group of people? There were certain geographies of the country I knew were really important to highlight. I knew Texas and Florida had to be in this book because of everything thats been happening there. But there were also just certain intersections that felt really important to me to highlight because I just hadnt seen them very often.As a reporter, I often feel like Im telling the same story over and over again. The Florida story, the trans siblings there, Id never gotten to read a trans sibling story before, about two trans people who are related coming together to support each other. And sure, it was absolutely a way to talk about whats going on in Florida. But it was also a way to tell a really human story that I dont think that trans people have gotten to really talk about that often. When we limit representation, we not only limit the voices of trans people, but we limit the ways in which they get to be seen. And the more that we can see them as people, the more we can get out of this horrible quagmire that were all in. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lexington Pride Center Centro del Orgullo de Lexington (@lexpridecenter)American Teenager also deals with faith and religion. What was it like to be on the ground with families who had found acceptance or rejection from their religious community?I loved that the stories of faith in this book were so different from one another, because it opens with Wyatts chapter. Hed experienced terrible rejection from his church when he came out. To live his most authentic life, they had to leave, and thats the story of a lot of trans kids that I know. They end up losing their faith, community members, close friends, family members. And theres just this long period of loss and grief that happens. But it wasnt everybody, and I like getting to tell a different story, to have some balance there. It can encourage other people to engage in bad behavior when you just affirm that [rejection is] the case over and over again. By presenting more affirming faith communities, it then presents a possibility where people can be accepting because they know other people out there [are] doing it too.You mention in the book that one editor felt it wasnt realistic enough because none of the kids have been disowned by their parents. Did you find that the teenagers in this book have redefined what family is to them? This book structurally ended up having to have a little bit of a traditional definition of family because I just didnt get [to interview a teen with that] chosen family, that ends up being important to so many queer people. Because so many [kids] have experienced this rejection from the families they were born into, I needed to see a hopeful depiction of families. I needed to see their parents, siblings, and aunts and uncles accepting them. Its a little bit of a Norman Rockwell vision of the family unit.Trans kids need to be reminded that they can be loved or that theyre deserving of love. I think we sometimes present unilateral rejection as being the only story, right? But sometimes the story is that your family loves you and supports you, but just is struggling to do that in the most appropriate way, and that can still be really hard. Its very rare that Ive heard people talk about that in a really affirming way that calls people in rather than calling them out.To me, it was about making these conversations much more nuanced and interesting than what weve been presented. Because those publishers that you were talking about, I think they just wanted this all to be really black and white, and thats not the world we exist in. Theres a divide in the teens in American Teenager between those who feel defined by their transness and those like Kylie and Clint who dont want to have anything to do with LGBTQ+ advocacy and just want to be seen as people. How did that play out when researching the book?I dont think its an accident that Clint and Kylie hail from the most progressive states in the book. They get to choose how they engage with LGBTQ+ activism. For a lot of the other kids in this book, they arent really given much of a choice. Theyre forced into it. And you see them feel resentful of that. They live in these environments that, to use Wyatts words here, are taking away their childhoods at such a young age. So, for these kids who dont have to engage in activism, thats kind of the goal, in a way.In several stories, the teens open up about having considered taking their own lives at some point. How did you handle those conversations as a reporter and also as a nonbinary person yourself? I often feel your impulse is to comfort these folks. But often, for me thats actually the time in which I sit back and listen, I just hear them. Because often what these kids needed then, and what they need now, is to feel like theyre really being listened to and heard.As somebody whos experienced pseudo-suicidal ideation in my life when I was much younger, I just want to show them that I am here. You are talking about some of the worst things that have ever happened to them in their lives. Its not necessarily my job to help them work through that. But I felt, if I was there, its the least I could do, right? I was able to do that as a reporter by doing my job, listening, trying to guide them to go as deep with this stuff as I possibly could, but not in a way that was exploitative. Because sometimes the journalists want that shock value, right? I wanted to instead show the emotion of this for those kids.Some of the chapters in American Teenager focus on very specific problems that trans people face, but there are some where the focus is much more on the social dynamics of the teens and the people around them. How did you find one or the other shaping each of these narratives? For me, the story just had to be what felt really right for the kid. Ruby is a really good example of this; her love story of her falling for this guy, that very much felt like the story. And I felt like the anti-trans legislation there was kind of like the B plot. It was really incredibly important to talk about everything happening in Texas and the way its affecting trans kids, the way its affecting Ruby. Obviously, the anti-trans legislation affects her life, but its not her whole life.But then you do have other states where the anti-trans legislation is so much a part of the story. Like in Florida, Jack was detransitioned by state policy. And she went through this terrible ordeal because of it, where her mother thought that she was going to die, that her heart would stop in her sleep. But even then, that still wasnt the only story. Thats not going to be her whole life, and its not even all of who she is now.This book, to me, is about the fact that they experience life the way the rest of us do, [with] disparate likes and interests that have nothing to do necessarily with them being trans. They want to grow up and be a part of the world. I needed to hear that these kids are making it, that they are doing it for themselves, even despite all these awful things that have been thrown their way. Was there anything that you saw or heard on this journey that particularly stuck with you, or that was a real shock that you just hadnt expected?The thing that has burrowed itself in my brain more than anything, when [Jack] was describing what happened to her body after she was forcibly detransitioned, after her Medicare was taken away, she described it as being some real life Cronenberg. The body that she had been fighting for was slipping away, and she didnt know what to do. And there was just this helplessness that came from that, this just total lack of will to live.And Ill always remember that, because it reminds me of, not only how cruel other humans can be, but how cruel this anti-trans legislation really is. Here was a girl who really got the worst of it and its a traumatizing thing to have to read. Republicans seem to forget theyre doing this to kids that dont have another choice, that dont make laws or policies, that cant even vote. I just dont think that Republicans should have the ability to look away from that anymore. And I know that theyre probably not going to read this, that the people who need to hear the message most arent going to pay attention.But for us at least, its helpful to know what our community members are going through and what theyre experiencing. We need to know exactly what were fighting for. So, if folks are horrified by that in the way that I was, I hope they remember that in November. I hope they vote like it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nico Lang (@queernewsdaily)Nico Langs American Teenager is available now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite local bookstore. Nico Lang is currently touring to promote American Teenager, find tour dates here.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.