Directory

The space flight may have lasted just 10 minutes, but the memes? Infinite. While Katy Perry and Gayle Kings suborbital journey with Blue Origin sparked headlines and social chatter, it was comedian and queer icon Meg Stalter who truly launched the internet into orbit. Her Instagram spoofs poking fun at the brief space trip quickly became the highlight of the post-flight buzzSource

The sun might have set on Fire Island, but a second serving of the beloved queer rom-com may still be on the horizon. Andrew Ahn, the director behind the hit 2022 LGBTQ+ film Fire Island, recently opened up about the possibility of a sequeland while nothings confirmed, fans have reason to keep their beach bags packed and ready. Originally released on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in the UKSource

What do you get when you mix RuPauls Drag Race royalty, dim sum, bottomless mimosas, and the cast of the most joyful queer rom-com of the year? The Wedding Banquet drag brunch, of course. On Sunday, April 13, Bleecker Street and Tremendous Communications hosted a fabulous celebration for The Wedding Banquet, the upcoming film from director Andrew Ahn. Held at CHIFA in Eagle RockSource

by Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch This article was produced for ProPublicas Local Reporting Network in partnership with Wisconsin Watch. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. In 2022, after living as a boy and going by a new name for several years, a 15-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, wanted to make it official. Like most teenagers, he dreamed of getting his drivers license, and his family wanted his government identification to reflect who he really was.But Wisconsin law has a caveat: He would have to publish his old, feminine name and new name in the local newspaper for three weeks essentially announcing to the world that he is transgender.In many instances, if he had committed a crime, the law would afford him privacy as a minor. But not as a transgender teenager changing his name.His parents worry the public notice now poses a risk as President Donald Trump has attacked transgender rights, asserted that U.S. policy recognizes only two sexes and described efforts to support transgender people as child abuse. The publication requirements endanger the community, lawyers working with trans people say, by creating a de facto dataset of likely transgender people that vigilantes and even the government could use for firing, harassment or violence.Transgender people are over four times more likely to be victims of violence, research shows. Most transgender people and their families agreed to be interviewed for this story only if they werent named, citing safety concerns.Publication requirements really leave folks open and vulnerable to discrimination and to harassment more than they already are, said Arli Christian, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union. It can put people at risk of violence and blatant discrimination simply because of who they are.Wisconsins legal process stems from a 167-year-old law, one of many statutes across the country that Christian said were intended to keep people from escaping debts or criminal records. Changing ones name through marriage is a separate process that does not require publication in a paper.Although the right to change ones legal name exists in every state, the effort and risk required to exercise it vary. Less than half of states require people to publicize their name changes in some or all cases, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that tracks voting and LGBTQ+ rights. Wisconsin law grants confidentiality only if a person can prove its more likely than not that publication could endanger them. But the statute does not define what that means. For years, some judges interpreted that to include psychological abuse or bullying, or they accepted statistics documenting discrimination and violence against transgender people nationwide. In 2023, however, a state appeals court set a stricter standard after a trans teenager was denied a confidential name change in Brown County, home to Green Bay. The teen said he had endured years of bullying, in which peers called him slurs and beat him up. Court records show the Brown County judge asserted that publishing the teens name wouldnt expose him to further harm because his harassers already knew he was transgender.The teen argued that a public process would create a record available to people he met in the future. While the appeals court conceded a reasonable judge could agree, it found the Brown County judge had not improperly exercised her discretion in denying the request. Crucially, the appeals court determined that endanger meant only physical harm. The case wasnt appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Both of these trans girls living in Wisconsin requested the confidential name-change process after the 2024 presidential election. First image: A 14-year-old likes cuddling her cat, playing video games and practicing piano. Second image: A 12-year-old shares her artwork. (Illustrations by Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source images obtained by ProPublica.) The combination of Wisconsins public requirement, the restrictive ruling and the Trump administrations anti-trans policies has dissuaded at least one person from going through with a name change.J.J Koechell, a 20-year-old LGBTQ+ advocate from suburban Milwaukee, tried to change his name in November but decided against it after a judge denied his request for confidentiality, ordering him to publish his change in the local paper and create a public court record if he wanted to proceed. Thats already dangerous, Koechell said of a public process, given our political atmosphere, with an administration thats trying to erase trans people from existence completely, or saying that they dont exist, or that theres something wrong with them.At the end of March, Wisconsin Democrats announced plans to introduce a bill that would eliminate the publication requirement for transgender people, so long as they can prove theyre not avoiding debt or a criminal record. Republicans, who control the Legislature, will decide whether it will receive a hearing or vote. There has been a push in some states to make it easier and safer for transgender people to update their legal documents. Michigan and Illinois laws removing publication requirements took effect earlier this year. And a California lawmaker introduced a bill that would retroactively seal all transition-related court records.Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, did not respond to emails and a phone call to his office seeking comment. Wisconsin Watch and ProPublica sought comment from four other Republican leaders in the Assembly and Senate. Of the two whose offices responded, a staffer for Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Walworth, said, It doesnt look like something wed consider a priority, and a staffer for Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, said he was not available for comment.Asked about the safety concerns people raised, a White House spokesperson said, President Trump has vowed to defend women from gender ideology extremism and restore biological truth to the Federal government.No Exceptions for MinorsWisconsins law requires a transgender person to publish the details of their identity to change their name whether they are an adult or a child. The notice requirement makes no distinction based on age.This is less privacy than the legal system typically affords young people, confirmed Cary Bloodworth, who directs a family law clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Bloodworth said both child welfare and juvenile courts tend to keep records confidential for a number of reasons, including that what happens in a persons youth will follow them for a lifetime. I certainly think having a higher level of privacy for kids is a good thing, Bloodworth said, adding that she thinks the publication requirement is unnecessary for people of any age. An 11-year old trans girl recently went through the name-change process. She enjoys playing with her dog and swimming, and her mom describes her as a major science geek. (Joe Timmerman/Wisconsin Watch) A mom living near the Wisconsin-Illinois border whose 11-year-old daughter recently went through the name-change process said these proceedings should automatically be private for children.The fact that we still have to fight to get something as simple as a confidential name change for a minor who is obviously not running away from criminal or debt charges is just so frustrating and overwhelming, she said. The judge deciding their case seemed reluctant to grant confidentiality at first, questioning whether her daughter was being threatened physically, she said. The judge granted the confidential change. But the family remains shaken. We live just in constant terror of the wrong person finding out that we have an 11-year-old trans child, she said. All it takes is one wrong person getting that information, and what we could end up going through, becoming a target, is horrifying. Right before the pandemic, a teenager told her parents she was transgender. She spent much of that first year of her transition at home, attending virtual school like the rest of her peers in the Madison school district. She came out to only a few friends and wanted to keep her gender identity private, so she kept her camera off and skipped her high school graduation. When she decided to legally change her name, the prospect of publicizing her transition terrified her, according to her mom.I explained to her that its in tiny, tiny print, and its in some page of the paper that no one is going to read, her mom said. But it felt to her like she was just standing out there in public with a TRANS sign on her. A trans teenager was terrified of the public name-change requirement. She loves playing board games, reading and spending time with friends and her partner. (Illustration by Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source images obtained by ProPublica.) While fewer people read physical newspapers these days, much of their content gets published online and is easily searchable. The court case, too, becomes a public record that is stored online and sometimes aggregated by other websites that show up at the top of search results. The parents of the then-15-year-old boy who changed his name before getting his drivers license discovered that happened to their son. When anyone say, a prospective employer searches the young mans name, one of the first results shows his old name and outs him as trans.This is what somebody would use as their first judgment of him, his mom said. We certainly dont want that to be something that people would use to rule him out for a job, or whatever it is he might be doing. Like many other states, Wisconsin does not have laws that ban discrimination against transgender people in credit and lending practices or in public spaces like stores, restaurants, parks, doctors offices and hotels. However, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, issued an executive order in 2019 banning transgender discrimination in state employment, contracting and public services.After Trump took office again and began issuing executive orders attacking trans rights, the boys family started to investigate how they could retroactively seal the court records related to the name change. It wouldnt change what was in the newspaper, but it could help them remove the online records. The court records also contain sensitive information like their home address that someone could use to harass them.A friend who was a retired attorney helped their son craft an affidavit describing his experiences. His mom read from it during an interview. Because of recent political events, I fear violence she said before breaking off. Oh God, I hate even reading this. I fear violence, harassment, retribution because of my status as a transgender person.Her son, who is now 18, shared a statement over email. At this moment in time Im probably more scared about being a trans person than I ever have been before, with the public record if you have my first and last name you can easily find my deadname and therefore find out Im trans, he said. I would love to say that I feel safe and valued in our society but unfortunately I cant, at times I feel that my personhood is being stripped away under this government. A trans teenager officially changed his name and now fears violence because that information is public. He enjoys doing puzzles with his family and creating metal artwork. (Joe Timmerman/Wisconsin Watch) Anne Daugherty-Leiter, who has guided transgender clients and their families through the name-change process as board president of Trans Law Help Wisconsin, said where a person lives in Wisconsin, and therefore what court they must petition, affects their likelihood of getting a confidential change.Confidentiality is important, she said, because of how the state handles changes to birth certificates. Wisconsin birth certificates that are issued through a confidential name change show only the new name. But if a person has to announce their name change publicly, birth certificates are amended to list both the persons old and new names. Any time the person has to use that document, at the DMV or while getting a loan, it outs them, she said.This Is Not Who I AmKoechell, a trans man and LGBTQ+ activist, was unwilling to go through with the name-change process after being denied confidentiality by a judge late last year.Koechell lives in Waukesha County, a Republican stronghold where multiple schools have enacted policies critics have called anti-LGBTQ+. A judge denied J.J Koechells confidential name change with an order that referred to the trans man as she and her. (Illustration by Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source images courtesy of J.J Koechell, obtained by ProPublica.) In a letter to the judge, Koechell wrote that people had sent him multiple threats and posted his family members addresses online, all for being an advocate and being transgender openly in my community. I do not want to publish my deadname for people to use against me, he said in an interview, using a term common among transgender people to refer to their birth names. I dont see a reason why people who are not particularly fond of me wouldnt show up at a hearing like that and try and cause trouble. Court records show the judge denied Koechells confidentiality request and his request to reconsider. The judges order referred to Koechell, a trans man with a masculine voice and beard, as she and her.Koechell decided the public process wasnt worth the risk. But its hard, he said, to move through life with his old identification.When I go to a new doctor or new appointment or something, then thats the name on my chart, and then I get called that in a waiting room full of people, and its super uncomfortable. I just want to disappear, Koechell said. Then eventually, I have to correct the doctors, and Im like, Hey, just to let you know, I dont go by that name. This is not who I am.Data from the latest U.S. Transgender Survey found that 22% of people who had to show an ID that did not match their identity experienced some form of negative consequence, including verbal harassment, discrimination or physical violence. If the U.S. Senate passes the SAVE Act, which would require voters to prove citizenship with a passport or birth certificate, those consequences could include disenfranchisement. Transgender people who cant change the name on their birth certificate or passport would be ineligible to vote, according to the liberal think tank Center for American Progress.U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican and chief sponsor of the bill, has said the legislation directs states to create a process for citizens with a name discrepancy to register. No one will be unable to vote because of a name change, he said. Trace Schlax, a trans man in Wisconsin, has tried to change his gender marker and name on official documents. (Joe Timmerman/Wisconsin Watch) After Trump won in November, Trace Schlax, a 40-year-old IT project manager, decided to expedite changing his gender marker on his passport, figuring he could update his name later in state court. It matters, Schlax said. He loves to travel but has encountered extra scrutiny from airport security with outdated documents. I get comments from TSA when I go through to travel domestically, about my hair, about how I look. I get extra pat-downs."He sent his application in early December and crossed his fingers. He received it back in February, rejected. By that time, Trump had issued an executive order banning trans people from changing the gender markers on their passports. Schlax decided to continue updating what records he could, like his birth certificate and drivers license. He worries about having conflicting documents. Will he get accused of fraud? Will he have trouble flying? But in the end, he decided it was still important to change his name and update his license to improve his day-to-day experience. And he decided to go about it publicly. It felt less painful, he said, to accept the risks rather than detail his personal, traumatic experiences to a judge only to have them decide he hadnt endured sufficient danger. Me changing my name and my gender marker affects absolutely no one but me, said Schlax, who has a court date to change his name in late April. Why does this have to be so hard? Why do I have to prove myself so hard? Mollie Simon contributed research.

Subscribe nowIndianapolis mother Carrie Rivers is facing multiple charges for allegedly bringing a gun to her daughters elementary school and threatening her childs sixth-grade lesbian teacher.Rivers allegedly told police that her daughter's teacher had given an assignment dealing with same-sex relationships. But the teacher says the assignment was about flags and referenced the rainbow flag in her classroom with the words "be kind" on it.After Rivers, whose initial hearing was scheduled for April 15, was released, police say she sent a message to the teacher, which read in part: "...your a child predator and your only hope is your b**** a** wife that is a cop otherwise someone else woulda already delt with u for ur wrongs. U messed with the wrong family. I'll tell you that so please say ur prayers and kiss ur kids goodbye and goodnight."As the Trump administration attacks teachers, passing executive orders like one titled Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, and as many conservatives believe that teachers who even mention sexual orientation are grooming children, we really shouldnt be surprised that teachers are receiving death threats and experiencing a rise in violent attacks from students and parents alike.I think about my best friend in Toronto, an elementary school teacher who has a Pride flag in her classroom and who has had me speak to her students about my coming out experience.I had zero teachings about the LGBTQ community going to school in the 1990s. But I knew I was gay as early as 8 years old. If I had teachers like my friend who introduced me to the concept of same-sex relationships or the idea that being gay isnt a sin, the next eight years of my closeted life would have been so much easier. Instead, I was indoctrinated with heterosexual depictions every day, from Cinderella to Beauty and the Beast. I was groomed to be straight (yes, this sounds ridiculous, but isnt it the same thing?).I hope the Fox News producers, the far-right politicians and the parents who have been brainwashed to believe that learning about same-sex relationships is indoctrinating students to be gay can take a step back and recognize how it is COMMON SENSE to learn about different familial and relationship structures in school. Its setting kids up for the real world that isand always will bea multiculturally diverse planet with different races, sexual orientations, genders and so on.Why cant we be okay with this? Why cant we celebrate this? And at the same time, can we please let teachers feel safe at work?Subscribe for LGBTQ-focused, accountability journalism. Hungary Passes Constitutional Amendment to Ban LGBTQ+ Public Events, Seen as a Major Blow to Rights (AP News)Hungarys parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ communities, a decision that legal scholars and critics call another step toward authoritarianism by the populist government.WorldPride DC Organizers Flag Travel and Safety Risks as Festival Nears (Axios)WorldPride has been years in the making for D.C. and a global coalition of organizations, but President Trump's rhetoric is sparking safety and participation concerns just a month before the festivities kick off May 17.US Army and Air Force Libraries Ordered to Comb Stacks for Books Related to DEI (The Guardian)Move comes in preparation for removal of materials that promote DEI, gender ideology and critical race theory.PepsiCo Agrees to Meet with Al Sharpton Over Dei Cuts, Potential Boycott (ABC News)Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has agreed to meet this week with civil rights advocates from the National Action Network to discuss the companys recent decision to roll back some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiativesLegal Definition of Woman Is Based on Biological Sex, UK Supreme Court Rules (The Guardian)Judges say Equality Act definition excludes transgender women, after gender-critical campaigners challengeIf you havent checked out our TikTok yet, give us a follow! Uncloseted Media TikTokOver the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting: On Saturday, we follow the journey of a trans woman who fled Texasand Trumpby boat in search of freedom, dignity and a future on the water. What happens when bringing new life into the world also means navigating a healthcare system that isnt built with you in mind? Next week, were diving deep into the unique challenges lesbian couples face during childbirthfrom assumptions in the delivery room to legal gray areas and emotional hurdles that often go unseen. Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas! Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief spencer@unclosetedmedia.comIf objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

Get ready for a safe and fabulous LGBTQ+ travel experienceJust in time for the spring and summer travel season, misterb&b has created the Queer Safety Index to aid LGBTQ+ travelers in selecting a fun and safe escape.The online travel portal, which connects travelers looking for queer-friendly accommodations (ranging from rooms to hotels from queer providers and allies), tips for dining, or even new companions or friends in faraway destinations, has created the index using a variety of source studying the climate for the community in states and cities nationwide.The LGBTQ+ Safety Index is an ordered ranking based on a weighted scoring model incorporating multiple data sources, starting with misterb&b most booked destinations, misterb&b explains in a recent blog post.In addition to examining travel trends and preferences from its vast customer, vendor, and online databases, misterb&b also used the Movement Advancement Projects (MAP) Overall Policy Tally to assess state-level protections and risks, the Human Rights Campaigns (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI) to evaluate a citys LGBTQ+ policies, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union to examine legislative risks, PFLAG for its community support, and the latest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for safety and hate crime reporting.You can follow the links to learn more about misterb&b and its Queer Safety Index.Keep scrolling to see misterb&bs top 15 safest U.S. cities for LGBTQ+ travel.15. Washington, DCDespite the current Trump administration, our nations capital scores high marks across the board for LGBTQ+ travelers. It has the Smithsonian museums, historic monuments, and grand architecture for daytime activities and a great foodie and nightlife scene for after sunset.misterb&b score: 0.737MAP Overall Policy Tally Washington, D.C.: 40.75/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: N/ALearn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Washington, D.C. at misterb&b.RELATED: Barry Hoy shares why Capital Pride is a celebration of love, diversity, and star-studded performances14. New York City, New YorkWhile some may say The Big Apple is too low on this list, NYC with its fine dining, lights of Broadway, the museums, and the nightlife that last until dawn is still a bucket list destination for many gays..misterb&b score: 0.75MAP Overall Policy Tally New York: 44.5/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to New York City at misterb&b.RELATED: Broadway-bound the best hotels in NYCs Theater District13. Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaOur nations original capital, Philadelphia is filled with history as well as a rich LGBTQ+ scene.misterb&b score: 0.776131MAP Overall Policy Tally Pennsylvania: 16.75 (fair)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Philadelphia at misterb&b.RELATED: A virtual tour of Philadelphias ghostly Eastern State Penitentiary12. Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs is a cultured oasis of LGBTQ+ inclusivity, where the gays can escape to fine dining, accommodations for every taste and budget, and stunning natural surroundings.misterb&b score: 0.782136MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Palm Springs at misterb&b.RELATED Joey Amatos Pride journey to Palm Springs11. Cathedral City, CaliforniaWhile not as well-known as its neighboring Palm Springs, Cathedral City has plenty of action at clothing-optional gay resorts.misterb&b score: 0.785347MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Cathedral City at misterb&b.RELATED: L.A. to Palm Springs and Cathedral City with a hope, a pray, and a leaf10. Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the biggest city in the smallest state, a true hidden gem for the LGBTQ+ community with its nightlife, food scene, and waterfront location.misterb&b score: 0.788671MAP Overall Policy Tally Rhode Island: 38/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Providence at misterb&b.RELATED: 75+ pics of Providence Pride 2024 show how the other P-Town parties9. Las Vegas, NevadaSin City has it all for the gay community, with great dining and nightlife opportunities.misterb&b score: 0.794831MAP Overall Policy Tally Nevada: 41.25/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Las Vegas at misterb&b.RELATED: Las Vegas is a top LGBTQ+ destination, and the day clubs are more inclusive than ever8. Albuquerque, New MexicoSitting at an elevation of 5,312 feet, Albuquerque is the other mile high city.misterb&b score: 0.801627MAP Overall Policy Tally New Mexico: 36/49 (medium)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Albuquerque at misterb&b.RELATED: The High Road to Taos Scenic Byway is perfect for Fall colors7. Denver, ColoradoThe Mile High City has quickly become a world-class city with unparalleled natural beauty, major sporting teams, a progressive culture, and a thriving LGBTQ+ community. And the state is led by out by Democratic Gov. Jarid Polis.misterb&b score: 0.803871MAP Overall Policy Tally Colorado: 45.25 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Denver at misterb&b.RELATED: These chill celebrations show Colorados state-wide Pride6. Honolulu, HawaiiSurfs up for LGBTQ+ travelers at this true island paradise.misterb&b score: 0.805810MAP Overall Policy Tally Hawaii: 31.75/49 (medium)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Honolulu at misterb&b.RELATED: Where to wet your whistle in gay Honolulu5. San Diego, CaliforniaProudly billing itself as Americas Finest City, sunny San Diego is famous for its mild year-round climate and thriving gay community.misterb&b score: 0.819190MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to San Diego at misterb&b.RELATED: Surf, sand, and super blooms the great Southern California road trip4. Portland, OregonKeep it weird, Portland isnt just a slogan for some in this beautiful Pacific Northwest city, which might factor into why its so popular among LGBTQ+ travelers.misterb&b score: 0.828624MAP Overall Policy Tally Oregon: 37.5/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Portland at misterb&b.RELATED: Your gay guide to the Oregon wine country just outside Portland3. San Francisco, CaliforniaWith its history of gay activism, the Castro, a culinary scene second to none, and a true small city experience set in a truly stunning location, theres no need to explain why the City by the Bay ranks so high on everone's bucket list.misterb&b score: 0.859765MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to San Francisco at misterb&b.RELATED: Exploring San Francisco on a budget2. Seattle, WashingtonSeattle is famous for its seafood and stunning scenery, but safety means its also a great destination for LGBTQ+ travelers.misterb&b score: 0.8820167396811622MAP Overall Policy Tally Washington: 40.25/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Seattle at misterb&b.RELATED: Seattle offers wet and wild queer romance1. Chicago, IllinoisThe Windy City tops this list for safety but also has multiple gayborhoods, museums, nightlife, and an outstanding foodie scene.misterb&b score: 0.925818MAP Overall Policy Tally Illinois: 43/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Chicago at misterb&b.RELATED: A queer guide to Chicago gayborhoods

by Christopher Bing and Avi Asher-Schapiro ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. Four days before Donald Trumps inauguration, financial technology startup Ramp published a pitch for how to tackle wasteful government spending. In a 4,000-word blog post titled The Efficiency Formula, Ramps CEO and one of its investors echoed ideas similar to those promoted by Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk: Federal programs were overrun by fraud, and commonsense business techniques could provide a quick fix.Ramp sells corporate credit cards and artificial intelligence software for businesses to analyze spending. And while the firm appears to have no existing federal contracts, the post implied the government should consider hiring it. Just as Ramp helped businesses manage their budgets, the company could do the same for a variety of government agencies, according to the blog and company social media posts.It didnt take long for Ramp to find a willing audience. Within Trumps first three months in office, its executives scored at least four private meetings with the presidents appointees at the General Services Administration, which oversees major federal contracting. Some of the meetings were organized by the nations top procurement officer, Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service.GSA is eying Ramp to get a piece of the governments $700 billion internal expense card program, known as SmartPay. In recent weeks, Trump appointees at GSA have been moving quickly to tap Ramp for a charge card pilot program worth up to $25 million, sources told ProPublica, even as Musks Department of Government Efficiency highlights the multitudes of contracts it has canceled across federal agencies.Founded six years ago, Ramp is backed by some of the most powerful figures in Silicon Valley. One is Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist who was one of Trumps earliest supporters in the tech world and who spent millions aiding Vice President JD Vances Ohio Senate run. Thiels firm, Founders Fund, has invested in seven separate rounds of funding for Ramp, according to data from PitchBook. Last year Thiel said there was no one better positioned to build products at the intersection of AI and finance.To date, the company has raised about $2 billion in venture capital, according to startup tracking website Crunchbase, much of it from firms with ties to Trump and Musk. Ramps other major financial backers include Keith Rabois of Khosla Ventures; Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner; and 8VC, a firm run by Musk allies. The special attention Gruenbaum paid to Ramp raised flags inside and outside the agency. This goes against all the normal contracting safeguards that are set up to prevent contracts from being awarded based on who you know, said Scott Amey, the general counsel with the bipartisan Project on Government Oversight. He said career civil servants should lead the process to pick the best choice for taxpayers.A senior GSA official, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, said the high level attention Ramp received was unusual, especially before a bid had been made public. You dont want to give this impression that leadership has already decided the winner somehow.GSA told ProPublica it refutes any suggestion of unfair or preferential contracting practices, with a spokesperson adding that the credit card reform initiative has been well known to the public in an effort to address waste, fraud, and abuse.Ramp did not respond to requests for comment.Rabois, one of Ramps earliest investors, is part of an influential group of tech titans known as the PayPal Mafia. Leaders of the early payments company include several influential players surrounding the Trump administration, including Musk and Thiel. Rabois and his husband, Jacob Helberg, hosted a fundraiser that pulled in upwards of $1 million for Trumps 2024 campaign, according to media reports. Trump has nominated Helberg for a senior role at the State Department.Rabois sits on Ramps board of directors. He has said he had no plans to join the Trump administration, instead telling CNBC: I have ideas, I can spoon-feed them to the right people. He told ProPublica his comments to CNBC were about big-picture policy ideas and that he had no involvement in any government-related initiatives for the company. Ramp could be a great choice for any government that wants to improve its efficiencies, Rabois added.Helberg said he has no involvement in anything related to Ramp whatsoever.Thrive Capital, Kushners firm, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Thiel did not provide a comment. 8VC did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the White House or Musk; previously, Musk has said Ill recuse myself if conflict-of-interest issues arise.Ramps meetings with Gruenbaum who comes from private equity firm KKR and has no prior government experience came at an opportune moment. GSA will decide by years end whether to extend the SmartPay contract, and preparations are afoot for the next generation of the program. SmartPay has been worth hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for the financial institutions that currently operate it, U.S. Bank and Citibank.Gruenbaum and acting GSA administrator Stephen Ehikian entered the agency with a strong belief that SmartPay and other government payment programs were rife with fraud or waste, causing huge losses, sources within GSA say an idea echoed in Ramps January memo.Yet both GOP and Democratic budget experts, as well as former GSA officials, describe that view as ill-informed. SmartPay, which provides Visa and Mastercard charge cards to government employees, enables the federal workforce to purchase office supplies and equipment, book travel and pay for gas.The cards typically are used to fund travel and purchases up to $10,000.SmartPay is the lifeblood of the government, said former GSA commissioner Sonny Hashmi, who oversaw the program. Its a well-run program that solves real world problems with exceptional levels of oversight and fraud prevention already baked in.Jessica Riedl, a GOP budget expert at the conservative Manhattan Institute think tank, said the notion that there was significant fraud in the charge card technology was far-fetched. She had criticized waste in government credit card programs before the latest SmartPay system was implemented in 2018.This was a huge problem about 20-25 years ago, she said. In the past 15 years, there have been new controls put into government credit card purchases.A 2017 audit of the program by the Government Accountability Office concluded there was little evidence of potential fraud in SmartPay small purchases, though it found documentation errors. More recent government audits found some instances where officials did not always use anti-fraud tools.GSAs new leaders are convinced SmartPay is entirely broken, a view they shared in private meetings, sources said. In February, they put a temporary $1 limit on government cards and severely restricted the number of cardholders, choking off funds to workers in the field.Chaos ensued across the government, news organizations reported: Staff at the National Institutes of Health were reportedly unable to purchase materials for experiments, Federal Aviation Administration workers worried they would be unable to pay for travel to test systems in the field, and National Park Service employees could not travel to oversee road maintenance projects.At the time, GSA released a statement saying the limitations were risk mitigation best practice and internally began moving to revamp SmartPay.$25 Million OpportunityRamps first bite of the SmartPay business could come through a pilot program worth up to $25 million that GSA announced several weeks after agency leadership began meeting with the company.At the tail end of the Biden administration, GSA had sent out a request for information, or RFI, seeking industry input about how to improve the next iteration of SmartPay. But some industry players who submitted responses said they did not hear back from the government. Instead, GSA started meeting with Ramp.GSA put out a new RFI for the pilot program on March 20, 2025, leaving it open for less than seven business days.John Weiler, co-founder of the nonprofit research group the IT Acquisition Advisory Council, said such a short window appeared unusual. A week is nothing, it gives the impression they had already picked the winner, said Weiler, who has worked with Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley to investigate IT contracting issues.Ramp is the clear-cut favorite, to secure this work, one source inside GSA and another former official told ProPublica. The winner has not yet been announced.Procurement experts told ProPublica that consulting with industry leaders before a major overhaul is good practice but that the fact-finding process must be evenhanded and led by professional contracting officers.The GSA spokesperson said that any and all communications with potential vendors, of which there were multiple, has been a part of market research in order to provide the best solution for American taxpayers. The agency declined to answer questions about whether Ramp had already been chosen internally for SmartPay work.The pilot program is unique because it uses a special GSA purchasing authority known as commercial solutions opening. This process has been used by the Pentagon to help speed up the acquisition of products for fighters in armed conflict zones. The designation means the chosen contractor can be selected faster and without the same level of controls.Its not clear how Ramp originally secured private meetings with GSA leaders. Nor is it clear if Ramp will ultimately take over the entire SmartPay contract from Citibank and U.S. Bank. Spokespeople for U.S. Bank and Citibank declined to comment.It is clear that Ramp has never had a client like the federal government. The only public-sector partner listed on its webpage is a charter school network in Nashville, Tennessee.Still, even before the RFI was publicly announced, Ramp had begun reaching out to contacts in the payment industry asking about the special bank identification numbers required to process government payments, said an industry source. Such steps, two former GSA officials said, were another sign that Ramp was preparing to work on the program.Ramps meetings with GSA come as the agency is poised to take on a more significant role in spending decisions across government. The same day the SmartPay pilot was announced, Trump issued an executive order that seeks to centralize much of government procurement inside of GSA. The DOGE initiative has been effectively headquartered out of the agency staffers have installed beds and dressers for overnight stays in the building, and Musks right-hand man Steve Davis is a key adviser to the agencys leadership.The SmartPay contract negotiation has so far flown under the radar. But changes to the credit card program could further transform daily life for federal employees and fundamentally change how agencies operate. It also represents a giant business opportunity.Theres a lot of money to be made by a new company coming in here, said Hashmi, the former GSA official. But you have to ask: What is the problem thats being solved? Doris Burke contributed research.

Get ready for a safe and fabulous LGBTQ+ travel experienceJust in time for the spring and summer travel season, misterb&b has created the Queer Safety Index to aid LGBTQ+ travelers in selecting a fun and safe escape.The online travel portal, which connects travelers looking for queer-friendly accommodations (ranging from rooms to hotels from queer providers and allies), tips for dining, or even new companions or friends in faraway destinations, has created the index using a variety of source studying the climate for the community in states and cities nationwide.The LGBTQ+ Safety Index is an ordered ranking based on a weighted scoring model incorporating multiple data sources, starting with misterb&b most booked destinations, misterb&b explains in a recent blog post.In addition to examining travel trends and preferences from its vast customer, vendor, and online databases, misterb&b also used the Movement Advancement Projects (MAP) Overall Policy Tally to assess state-level protections and risks, the Human Rights Campaigns (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI) to evaluate a citys LGBTQ+ policies, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union to examine legislative risks, PFLAG for its community support, and the latest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for safety and hate crime reporting.You can follow the links to learn more about misterb&b and its Queer Safety Index.Keep scrolling to see misterb&bs top 15 safest U.S. cities for LGBTQ+ travel.15. Washington, DCDespite the current Trump administration, our nations capital scores high marks across the board for LGBTQ+ travelers. It has the Smithsonian museums, historic monuments, and grand architecture for daytime activities and a great foodie and nightlife scene for after sunset.misterb&b score: 0.737MAP Overall Policy Tally Washington, D.C.: 40.75/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: N/ALearn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Washington, D.C. at misterb&b.RELATED: Barry Hoy shares why Capital Pride is a celebration of love, diversity, and star-studded performances14. New York City, New YorkWhile some may say The Big Apple is too low on this list, NYC with its fine dining, lights of Broadway, the museums, and the nightlife that last until dawn is still a bucket list destination for many gays..misterb&b score: 0.75MAP Overall Policy Tally New York: 44.5/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to New York City at misterb&b.RELATED: Broadway-bound the best hotels in NYCs Theater District13. Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaOur nations original capital, Philadelphia is filled with history as well as a rich LGBTQ+ scene.misterb&b score: 0.776131MAP Overall Policy Tally Pennsylvania: 16.75 (fair)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Philadelphia at misterb&b.RELATED: A virtual tour of Philadelphias ghostly Eastern State Penitentiary12. Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs is a cultured oasis of LGBTQ+ inclusivity, where the gays can escape to fine dining, accommodations for every taste and budget, and stunning natural surroundings.misterb&b score: 0.782136MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Palm Springs at misterb&b.RELATED Joey Amatos Pride journey to Palm Springs11. Cathedral City, CaliforniaWhile not as well-known as its neighboring Palm Springs, Cathedral City has plenty of action at clothing-optional gay resorts.misterb&b score: 0.785347MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Cathedral City at misterb&b.RELATED: L.A. to Palm Springs and Cathedral City with a hope, a pray, and a leaf10. Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the biggest city in the smallest state, a true hidden gem for the LGBTQ+ community with its nightlife, food scene, and waterfront location.misterb&b score: 0.788671MAP Overall Policy Tally Rhode Island: 38/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Providence at misterb&b.RELATED: 75+ pics of Providence Pride 2024 show how the other P-Town parties9. Las Vegas, NevadaSin City has it all for the gay community, with great dining and nightlife opportunities.misterb&b score: 0.794831MAP Overall Policy Tally Nevada: 41.25/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Las Vegas at misterb&b.RELATED: Las Vegas is a top LGBTQ+ destination, and the day clubs are more inclusive than ever8. Albuquerque, New MexicoSitting at an elevation of 5,312 feet, Albuquerque is the other mile high city.misterb&b score: 0.801627MAP Overall Policy Tally New Mexico: 36/49 (medium)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Albuquerque at misterb&b.RELATED: The High Road to Taos Scenic Byway is perfect for Fall colors7. Denver, ColoradoThe Mile High City has quickly become a world-class city with unparalleled natural beauty, major sporting teams, a progressive culture, and a thriving LGBTQ+ community. And the state is led by out by Democratic Gov. Jarid Polis.misterb&b score: 0.803871MAP Overall Policy Tally Colorado: 45.25 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Denver at misterb&b.RELATED: These chill celebrations show Colorados state-wide Pride6. Honolulu, HawaiiSurfs up for LGBTQ+ travelers at this true island paradise.misterb&b score: 0.805810MAP Overall Policy Tally Hawaii: 31.75/49 (medium)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Honolulu at misterb&b.RELATED: Where to wet your whistle in gay Honolulu5. San Diego, CaliforniaProudly billing itself as Americas Finest City, sunny San Diego is famous for its mild year-round climate and thriving gay community.misterb&b score: 0.819190MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to San Diego at misterb&b.RELATED: Surf, sand, and super blooms the great Southern California road trip4. Portland, OregonKeep Portland Weird isnt just a slogan for some in this beautiful Pacific Northwest city, which might factor into why its so popular among LGBTQ+ travelers.misterb&b score: 0.828624MAP Overall Policy Tally Oregon: 37.5/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Portland at misterb&b.RELATED: Your gay guide to the Oregon wine country just outside Portland3. San Francisco, CaliforniaWith its history of gay activism, the Castro, a culinary scene second to none, and a true small city experience set in a truly stunning location, theres no need to explain why the City by the Bay ranks so high on everone's bucket list.misterb&b score: 0.859765MAP Overall Policy Tally California: 45/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to San Francisco at misterb&b.RELATED: Exploring San Francisco on a budget2. Seattle, WashingtonSeattle is famous for its seafood and stunning scenery, but safety means its also a great destination for LGBTQ+ travelers.misterb&b score: 0.8820167396811622MAP Overall Policy Tally Washington: 40.25/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Seattle at misterb&b.RELATED: Seattle offers wet and wild queer romance1. Chicago, IllinoisThe Windy City tops this list for safety but also has multiple gayborhoods, museums, nightlife, and an outstanding foodie scene.misterb&b score: 0.925818MAP Overall Policy Tally Illinois: 43/49 (high)HRC Municipal Equality Index: 100Learn more about LGBTQ+ travel to Chicago at misterb&b.RELATED: A queer guide to Chicago gayborhoods

by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, and James Bandler, ProPublica ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. A Wisconsin teenager accused of murdering two family members and plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump was inspired by Terrorgram, a white supremacist network that operated on the Telegram messaging and social media platform for half a decade, according to federal court records. The Terrorgram community, which has been linked to around three dozen criminal cases around the globe, including at least three mass shootings, was profiled last month in stories and a documentary produced by ProPublica and FRONTLINE.The court documents allege that Nikita Casap, a 17-year-old from Waukesha, Wisconsin, wrote a three-page manifesto calling for the assassination of Trump in order to foment a political revolution in the United States and save the white race from Jewish controlled politicians. In his manifesto, Casap allegedly encouraged people to read the writings of Juraj Krajk, a longtime Terrogram figure who murdered two people in an attack on an LGBTQ+ bar in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2022, according to the court records. Casap also allegedly recommended two publications produced by the Terrorgram Collective, a secretive group that produced alleged hit lists, videos and written publications including instructions for building bombs and sabotaging critical infrastructure and distributed them throughout the Terrorgram ecosystem.Launched in 2019, Terrorgram was a constellation of scores of Telegram channels and chat groups focused on inciting acts of white supremacist terrorism and anti-government sabotage. At the networks peak, some Terrorgram channels drew thousands of followers. Over the past six months, however, the network has been disrupted as authorities in Canada, the U.S. and Europe have arrested key Terrorgram influencers and community members. But the violence hasnt stopped. Casap in February allegedly shot and killed his mother, Tatiana Casap, and stepfather, Donald Mayer; stole their property; and fled in their Volkswagen Atlas, Waukesha County prosecutors say. He was arrested in Kansas. Prosecutors have charged the teen with two counts of first-degree homicide, as well as identity theft and other theft charges. He is expected to be arraigned on May 7, according to court records. A witness told local investigators that Casap was in touch with a male in Russia through the Telegram app and they were planning to overthrow the U.S. government and assassinate President Trump, according to charging documents in the Wisconsin case. The newly unsealed federal court filings indicate that the FBI is investigating Casap in connection to the alleged assassination plot. The bureau declined to comment on the matter.Last fall, federal prosecutors accused two Americans of acting as leaders of the Terrorgram Collective and charged them with soliciting the murder of federal officials and a host of other terrorism-related offenses. The U.S. State Department has officially designated the Terrorgram Collective as a terrorist organization, as have officials in the United Kingdom and Australia. The two Americans have pleaded not guilty to the charges.Do absolutely anything you can that will lead to the collapse of America or any country you live in, Casap allegedly wrote in his manifesto, according to an FBI affidavit. This is the only way we can save the White race. The teens writings and online postings that are cited in the affidavit indicate that he is a believer in militant accelerationism, a concept that has become increasingly popular with neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists over the past decade. Militant accelerationists aim to speed the collapse of modern society through acts of spectacular violence; from the ruins of todays democracies, they aim to build all-white ethno-states organized on fascist principles.Matthew Kriner, executive director of the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism, a nonprofit think tank, called the alleged Casap plot unique. Its the first time were explicitly seeing an individual tie an accelerationist act or plot with the president of the United States as a means of collapsing society, Kriner said. I think what we have here is a fairly clear-cut case of an individual who is being groomed to take drastic terrorist action in an accelerationist manner.Casaps public defender could not be reached for comment. A Telegram spokesperson said, Telegram supports the peaceful exchange of ideas; however, calls for violence are strictly prohibited by our Terms of Service and are removed proactively as well as in response to user reports."A ProPublica and FRONTLINE review shows that Casap was recently active in at least five extremist Telegram channels or chat groups, including a Russian-language neo-Nazi chat in which posters uploaded detailed instructions for crafting explosives, poisons and improvised firearms. He was also a member of a chat group with more than 4,300 participants run by the Misanthropic Division, a global neo-Nazi organization. Casap, according to the federal documents, also sought out information online about the Order of Nine Angles, a cult that blends Satanic concepts and Nazi ideology and has increasingly turned to Telegram to recruit and proselytize. This is a clear example of how Terrorgram continues to influence murder, said Jennefer Harper, a researcher who studies online extremism. Nikita was influenced online by an assortment of ideologies and groups that intersect with the Terrorgram ecosphere.

The queer community has proven its resilience repeatedly in the last several decades. But experts warn that continual exposure to trauma has made the community especially vulnerable to eating disorders and disordered eating.Research has consistently found that LGBTQ+ adults and adolescents experience eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors more frequently than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts.The causes can include bullying, poverty, abuse, body-image ideals (as perpetrated through the media) and the political climate, among other issues.(Note: According toEating Recovery Center, while it is possible that disordered eating behaviors can develop into an eating disorder, that is not always the case. Both disordered eating and eating disorders can share similar signs and symptoms. In this article, the professionals consulted each use a different term.)Looking at different typesThere are several categories of eating disorders, according to Chicago nutritionist Theresa LaMont, RDN, LDN (they/them/theirs).Anorexia and bulimia are the disorders most people are familiar with, LaMont said. However, theres one called OSFED, which stands for other specified feeding or eating disorder, and Id say thats the biggest catch-all bucket. Then there is binge-eating disorder, which is considered to be separate from anorexia and bulimia; its different because it doesnt have a restrictive component.Nutritionist Theresa LaMont (they/them). Photo: Courtesy of LaMontAvoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is another illness, LaMont said. This is one that has nothing to do with concerns about weight or shame. Its kind of an extreme set of sensitivities to food. A person with ARFID wont just eat chicken nuggets, they added. They will eat Tyson Chicken Nuggets in the red five-pound bag. It gets very, very specific and when those foods are not available, people will have extreme reactionseven physical, like gagging or vomiting.LaMont said that there are others that are rareusually niche [disorders]. Theres rumination disorder [when someone repeatedly regurgitates undigested or partially digested food from the stomach] or pica, which some people are familiar with. With pica, people eat food that isnt food [like chalk]. And then theres one thats a diagnosis although it shouldnt be one: atypical anorexia nervosa, in which you have all the symptoms of anorexia but youre just [not underweight]. Six percent of people with any eating disorder are considered to be medically underweight; 94% are not considered underweight.The role of traumaThe ostensible causes of eating disorders are myriad, but LaMont said trauma almost inevitably emerges as a common factor in the lives of the clients they see. With trauma, you could include bullying, sexual assault, homelessnessall of those things, LaMont said. I would say, from my personal experience, I can count on one hand the number of people who werent dealing with capital-T or lower-t trauma.Andersonville therapist Albe Gutierrez (she/her/ella) sees those various causes of disordered eating (a term she prefers in order to avoid pathologizing) can be relatedespecially for the trans communityto the body, as in restricting food intake as a way of shaping the body. For some, its about the ideal of having an attractive body.The current political climate, Gutierrez added, is impacting trans peoples ideas about their bodies, so I think issues like desire, [attractiveness] and passibility are heightened. To an extent, being attractive and passable are indicative of safety with gender identity. For some, its about camouflaging oneself.Therapist Albe Gutierrez. Photo: Courtesy of GutierreAnd how does one even become aware that he/she/they might have a disorder? Its remarkably complex, LaMont said. For example, if you think about adolescent-onset eating disorders, you can see family members saying, Somethings wrong. You used to eat all this food and now youre not, Youre eating in a very different way or Youre hiding food. Theres a lot of outside looking in.Gutierrez said, Working with disordered eating is a unique challenge in that food is always going to be around; it is literally necessary for life. I think the ubiquitousness of it could be a trigger and a barrier. Also, disordered eating could be connected to other mental-health needs that are not being addressed. People could be dealing with symptoms of depression or anxiety, and they turn to food for comfort, for example.With a lot of eating disorders, theway they function is by hiding themselves from the person suffering from them, LaMont stated. If someone knew they had an eating disorderin a black-and-white waythey wouldnt want to keep doing it. But if it starts as Well, its New Years so Ill cut out carbswell, everybody does that! Then you might start tracking calories, going lower and exercise more.An eating disorder shape-shifts so that the person with the condition, and the people around them, regard it as normal, LaMont noted.Quite frequently, eating disorders only become identifiable when theres someone close who sees the [sufferer] every day, or if there are medical consequences, they said. And, even then, with 94% of people with eating disorders having a normal or higher-weight body, the possibility of a doctor screening the person for an eating disorder is very, very low. The doctor might say, Youve lost 30 pounds? Keep up the good work.And this lends itself to a lack of culturally competent care, according to LaMont: Doctors get a little bit of training, like what an eating disorder looks like in a 13-year-old white girl whos underweightbut they dont know how to screen anybody else.Gutierrez suggested relying on family and friends, saying, If theres a pattern of comments that youre getting, solicited or not, that might be a sign.Weight-loss drugs present new complicationsLaMont called the proliferation of weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic one of their hot buttons.GLP-1 drugs are a phenomenal medication for the treatment of diabetes, they explained. Theyre life-changing for people suffering from it. The medications themselves are not good or badtheyre just medications. However, the unfettered rise of GLP-1s on the landscape is an absolute harm, especially given that there are all of these online places where you can get medications without seeing a doctor or being monitored. Its something I discuss with my clients day in and day out. People want a magic solutionbut, like any medication, it has benefits and side effects; its not great for everybody. But by making this so easily accessible, people who are already suffering from eating disorders are going to suffer more.The justification I keep hearing is that its not like ephedrine or the diet pills of the past; its different. But there are decades of research [with weight-loss medications]for people with diabetes. We dont have decades of research for people who dont have diabetes.On the road to recoveryLaMont was skeptical that LGBTQ+ culture would retreat from the bodily standards perpetuating eating disorders anytime soon.Societally, the very short version is that were fucked, they said. I say that not just because our current political administration is divorced from meaningful science or healthcare. But back in 2020, when COVID was first on the scene, a lot of the fat liberationist scholars and content creators said, If we live through this, theres going to be a huge backlash against fat bodies. They broke down this historical relationship between global health events, like the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, and how thinness became this body ideal after the eventsand this was connected with health and morality. So if you survive a pandemic, youre a good personand you shouldlooklike a good person, which is healthy and thin.So this intersection of post-COVID society and the rise of GLP-1 is wildly unsurprising to me. So, from a social standpoint, I dont see this getting better for a good five to 10 yearsbut I hope Im wrong.Regarding recovery for a queer individual, LaMont said, Lets pretend we live in a world where everyone has equitable access to healthcare. The first person you want to go to is a therapist; if theyre [properly] trained, theyll know what to look for. Emotionally, you have nothing to lose. But if you cant get a therapist, try a dieticianbut about 90% of them are cisgender white men. Plus, the academic qualifications have been raised, which means the field will look even more cisgender and white across the board. If you cant reach a therapist or nutritionist, try a primary-care doctor.Gutierrez concurred about the importance of therapists, saying, Understanding the factors influencing behavior is an important first step in changing any maladaptive behavior. [But] for the queer community, there can be a problem finding competent clinicians, especially for people who are minorities within minorities, like queer people of color. For those who may find such care geographically inaccessible, Gutierrez suggested turning to the internet or social media (such as YouTube), adding that people should practice due diligence.LaMont urged solidarity among members of the LGBTQ+ community as difficult times most certainly lie ahead.The thing that feels really important to megiven the social and political moment were inis that there is no LGB without the T, they said. Trans women of color are the reason that queer people have any of the rights that we have today, and they should be protected at all costs. The concept that trans people are under attack in this country significantly increases the likelihood of them suffering from eating disorders. People use the disorders as a coping skillas a tool to survive. Even before this administration, I worked with a lot of transgender siblings who were already trying to modify the appearance of their bodies to conform with their gender idealand I [fear] that its only going to get worse when trans people lose access to gender-affirming care.The post Trauma fuels vulnerability to disordered eating in the LGBTQ+ community appeared first on News Is Out.

Pari Kim isn't just "unapologetically autistic" she's also "unapologetically queer."The 23-year-old has captured audience hearts on season three of Love on the Spectrum, a Netflix dating show that features adults with autism. Pari's relationship with her now-girlfriend, Tina Zhu Xi Caruso, marked the show's first LGBTQ+ romance and the couple is still going strong."It's going really well with us. I just love her so much," Pari tells The Advocate. "She is really the Amtrak to my commuter. She's just perfect for me. I love how we both get so excited together. She's just the sweetest and I can always count on her. She also holds me accountable for things, keeps me on track. No pun intended." Love on the Spectrum's Pari Kim and Tina Zhu Xi CarusoNetflixNot only are the two still together, but they're starting to get serious. Pari says, "We talked about someday getting married and having a train-themed wedding. Maybe like, rent out a private Amtrak charter train. A nice vintage steam engine would be really cool, but yeah, it's gotta have trains in it."Though Pari finally did get her "Princess Charming," it wasn't without a little awkwardness that everyone experiences while dating. One scene from the show has gone viral for a sweet interaction in which Pari and Tina both seemed too nervous to make the first move, despite wanting to. Sign up for the PRIDE.com Newsletter to get a candid take on whats fresh and fun in LGBTQ+ culture this week!"I always wonder what it would be like to kiss a girl, honestly," Pari said in the clip, to which Tina responded, "Yeah. I wonder, too." The two then stood together in silence, creating a moment that queer women both on and off the spectrum have been relating to. Not to worry though Pari eventually got her dream kiss while riding a train over a scenic city bridge with Tina, who had thoughtfully avoided eating gluten just in case they ended up locking lips.@anathetomato_this is too real #loveonthespectrum #wlw#fypPari says that it's been "awesome" to watch her season and see just how far she and Tina have come. She would "love to come back if they invite me back for season four on Love on the Spectrum, and maybe someday be in more movies or TV shows.""I almost teared up at the ending when they show who's still together and that the Railfans got another member," Pari says. "I wish there was more. I want another season because I just feel like there's more to a story and I want to continue just telling it. And [Tina] has so many things I know she wants to tell, too. I really want to get to share more of my journey with everyone."As a leader of the "Railfans" a group of friends that share a special interest in public transportation Pari says that her dream job would be an influencer or partner for a railroad's social media, such as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in her home of Boston. Amtrak would also "be a dream come true." "I have so many great ideas I want to bring to the table," she says. "I feel like I have a good creative vision and they could use more diversity in their teams."See on InstagramPari's life has drastically changed in the weeks since season three of Love on the Spectrum premiered, as she's become a public figure almost overnight. The influx of followers to her Instagram profile even caused her to be temporarily locked out of her account because the platform assumed they were bots instead of new fans. While there's been some negativity online, Pari says she's "overwhelmed in the best way by all the kindness flooding in." "Some [fans] want to reach out and ride the T with me, say they've been touched, they have a kid who's on the spectrum, they love watching the show, or they feel like they can be themselves because of me. It doesn't go unnoticed," Pari says. "Every nice comment I read makes me smile, and I'll never forget the heartfelt gratitude. I just love all my fans and I hope they realize how much of an impact they make on my life."Pari wants the world to know that "there's nothing wrong" with being autistic or LGBTQ+ or both. She says "there's a lot more of us out there than you think, and it's just part of who we are.""There's people saying, like, 'You're confused' or 'Your sister's a bad influence.' No, this is just who we are and we don't have to change ourselves," Pari says, adding, "Just ignore the haters and bullies because they just want to get a rise out of you. There's always going to be way more people who love and support you than ones who want to bring you down."

With the increased use of AI technology in everyday life, people have been raising concerns about inclusivity and safety.LGBT tech, a national nonpartisan group, is advocating for the community by creating AllyAI, the first certification for AI systems to ensure bias is identified and mitigated against LGBTQ individuals.LGBT Tech was founded by Chris Wood with the mission to engage with technology and public policy leaders for strategic discussions to ensure the LGBTQ community is considered and present. Its programs includePowerOn, which distributes tech to homeless, isolated, and disadvantaged LGBTQ individuals;PATHS, which works to inspire and motivate LGBTQ youth and young adults in STEAM fields; andDigital Navigator, which provides education on digital skills, online safety, and affordable internet access.The organization has also been a voice for the LGBTQ community in consulting work on hardware, software and other technologies.The AllyAI LGBTQ+ AI Certification is the organizations current project in progress. It was first announced at theGSVxPSU Global Impact Forumin September 2024. The certification aims to ensure LGBTQ inclusivity at every stage of AI development and deployment.Shae Gardner, director of policy and research at LGBT Tech, explained that its important to look at every step of a systems creation. The first thing we need to know is whats happening with the data, Gardner said. If LGBTQ people are not present in the input, then we wont be considered in the output.Historically, LGBTQ+ peoples information and stories have often been ignored or erased. This takes a whole part of the population and their interests and knowledge out of consideration. What is created from this is a diminished product that cannot serve all people.Gardner compared this to thecurb-cut effect, a phenomenon in disability studies when a feature designed for a specific group benefits the population as a whole. Curb cuts at street corners were implemented to assist wheelchair users, but now benefit people using strollers, cyclists, and delivery workers.There is a business angle to inclusivity in addition to a moral one, explained Gardner. The mostrecent Gallup pollfound that 9.3 percent of Americans now identify as LGBTQ+. If you dont create this tech inclusively it is leaving out a whole population of people and will not function as you want it to.AllyAI will recognize specific programs that are inclusive after being rigorously tested and validated. LGBT Tech is creating an advisory board of community, expert, and industry advisors to create and update annual certification criteria. This will include legal experts as well as those in the tech field.There will also be established channels for LGBTQ+ individuals to provide feedback.One of the biggest considerations in creating inclusive AI is if data is considered mutable or immutable. Gardner gave the example of age as a mutable data point because our age changes every year. Other categories might be considered to stay the same throughout a persons lifetime, such as their ethnicity or gender.Yet the LGBTQ+ community knows that a persons sexual or gender identity might change or evolve over their lifetime as they grow in their understanding of themselves. Identity markers and terms also change over time as the meanings of words change and new terms are created.This means systems need to take a human- centric approach that takes into account multiple and fluid identities.There are key pieces we can utilize, and ensure theyre included, said Gardner. We can take a look at how data is being categorized, and how that represents someone as a whole human being.The certification process will also include red teaming, which is a cybersecurity practice of simulating an attack on a system to identify vulnerabilities. This will ensure that data is private and secure.We are here, weve always been here. Our trans community is under attack; communities are being censored, and we see that as even more incentive to ensure LGBTQ are counted and safely included in all aspects.Chris WoodExecutive Director and Co-Founder Chris Wood emphasized the importance of LGBTQ+ adoption of technology such as AI systems.Our society has rapidly accepted the use of AI, and this is only going to continue to grow, Wood explained. This means we need to embrace it. We need to make sure as we start building and using these tools that the AI is inclusive.LGBT Tech prioritizes actively using the technologies that they are researching. By utilizing up-and-coming technology, the organization works to mitigate certain harms and fight against the erasure of LGBTQ+ identities in the digital landscape.With the changing political landscape, the LGBT Tech team has had to pivot in their plans and be more creative.Things have shifted a lot in the last couple months, said Wood. We have to consider how we continue doing this in a way that will be impactful under this administration. We want to create a program than can survive and thrive in any political environment.However, he also emphasized that certain things do not change no matter who is in power. The economic incentive to include everyone is still there, and queer people continue to exist.We are here, weve always been here. Our trans community is under attack; communities are being censored, and we see that as even more incentive to ensure LGBTQ are counted and safely included in all aspects, Wood said.This has delayed development by a little bit, as LGBT Tech works on how to approach the issues in the right way.Because this impacts such large parts of our community, we want to be careful and mindful. But we are not slowing down. This delayed process just means we are ending up at a better place, Wood emphasized.One of the ways AllyAI evolved since its conception has been in community outreach. Since announcing the project, LGBT Tech has seen a desire of individuals to learn and be certified in creating inclusive AI systems. The certification might expand to train people, in addition to businesses, around the process of human centric inclusivity in technology.There is a collective potential in having individuals empowered, and its exciting to see people interested in this, Gardner said.Regardless of government directives, Wood wants AllyAI to be a malleable program that can change as the communitys concerns change.That is the ever-growing and evolving nature of which we work, and we are taking every stride possible, Wood said.LGBT Tech was built on the foundation of leaving the world better than it was found. By increasing LGBTQ+ visibility in the tech industry, it paves the way for continued advancements.Its about raising our hand when something isnt right, about creating change in a way that has a ripple effect, Wood expanded. He described running into participants of LGBT Techs early programing, and how amazing it was to see these people in a completely different place.AllyAI is another way to pave the road forward by ensuring future systems are including and prioritizing the LGBTQ+ community.This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBC Universal.The post Finding an ally in AI appeared first on News Is Out.

To say that Portland supports the LGBTQ+ community may be an understatement. Oregons largest city, with a population of 630,000, goes out of its way to honor the community. Portland became the first major U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor, Sam Adams, in 2008, narrowly beating out Houston by a year for that honor. That tradition of acceptance has only grown since then.The citys famed drag artist, Walter Willard Cole, who performed under the name Darcelle XV, died in 2023 at the age of 92. Cole founded his drag show bar Darcelle XV Showplace in 1967. The Guinness Book of World Records named him the oldest performing drag queen in 2016. Darcelle XV Showcase was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2020, and the club continues to be very popular today. The city is building a park that will be named Darcelle XV Plaza in Coles memory. The new space, formerly OBryant Square, will include a stage and a Wall of Fame for notable LGBTQ+ Portlanders. Portlands Architectural Heritage Center also plans an exhibit to honor Cole and the LGBTQ+ community.The Darcelle XV Showcase, where drag queen Darcelle XV performed, is now a landmark in Portland. Photo: Ed WalshIn 2018, Portland named a 13-block stretch of Stark Street downtown as Southwest Harvey Milk Street in honor of the assassinated gay San Francisco supervisor. The street had been named after Benjamin Stark, who was appointed a U.S. senator in 1861 and had supported slavery.Nightlife Portland has an abundance of small businesses run by members of the LGBTQ+ community or strong allies. One of the newest nightlife options is the lesbian bar, Doc Maries, on the east side of the Willamette River, east of downtown. The bar opened three years ago and is named for Dr. Marie Equi, a pioneering lesbian known for her work with working class and poor patients. She was born in 1872 in Massachusetts and moved west to be with her high school girlfriend in Oregon.The biggest concentration of gay bars and nightclubs is on the west side of the river in and near Old Town Chinatown. A name that is familiar to San Franciscans, Badlands, opened last June in the space formerly occupied by the Embers Avenue LGBTQ+ dance club, which closed in 2017. It is part of the Splash chain whose owner is TJ Bruce, a gay man who also owns SF Badlands, Badlands Sacramento, and the Splash bars in San Jose and Fresno.CC Slaughters is in the heart of Old Town Chinatown, four blocks from Badlands. It was established in 1981. It closed indefinitely in October 2020 because of the COVID pandemic but reopened in April 2021.Scandals, on SW Harvey Milk Street, is just a 10-minute walk west of Badlands with a big outdoor patio on the pedestrian-only section of the street, ideal for people-watching on a nice day. It has been going strong since 1979.Silverado and Stag PDX are a couple of gay strip bars in Old Town Chinatown. Eagle Portland is about a 10-minute drive or a 30-minute bus ride from Old Town Chinatown and has a couple of back outdoor patios. If you want to play pool without being encumbered by clothes, check out the bar on Thursday nights, where you can hangout nude or in your underwear and play pool. Oregons rules are apparently more lax than California. Portland has two gay bathhouses, Steam Portland and Hawks PDX. AccommodationsThe Sentinel Hotel is a great choice for anyone looking for a full service hotel with character. A scene in the classic 1991 film My Private Idaho was shot there. Several scenes of the Madonna movie Body of Evidence were shot in the historic property in 1993. The hotel is in easy walking distance from most of the LGBTQ+ nightlife in the city. Rental bikes are complementary.Hotel Lucia is also in the heart of the LGBTQ+ nightlife on SW Broadway at the corner of SW Harvey Milk Way. Like the Sentinel, it also offers free bikes. Lucia boasts that it is one of the first boutique hotels in Portland, and a hotel brochure focused on LGBTQ+s encourages visitors to celebrate pride every day.For those on a more limited budget, rooms with a shared bath are available at the gay-owned Portland International Guesthouse. Rooms at the four-unit inn start at $85, including a continental breakfast. Its conveniently located less than a mile west of Old Town Chinatown.SightsIf you are traveling in the summer, the clothing-optional Rooster Rock Beach is about a half-hour drive east of downtown Portland and very LGBTQ+ friendly. The east end of the beach is the gayest. Public transportation doesnt go there so you may want to rent a car to explore the beach.Portlands Hop-on/Hop-off Pink Trolley Sightseeing Tour is a great way to see highlights of the city without getting lost. It includes live narration as it weaves its way between 10 stops at major attractions in the city. A day pass costs $32.Over 600 varieties of rose bloom at the nternational Rose Test Garden, starting in May and ending in October. Photo: Dana PiccoliPortland is nicknamed the City of Roses. When Portland hosted the Worlds Fair in 1905, it planted 10,000 rose bushes throughout the city and, in 1918, the city received a variety of hybrid roses from England that were in danger from WWI bombings. Now, the citys famed International Rose Test Garden is home to 10,000 rose bushes in Washington Park, the citys crown jewel. You will also find the Oregon Zoo, World Forestry Center, Hoyt Arboretum, and the Portland Japanese Garden in the park.If you are traveling with kids, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is worth visiting. It includes two theaters, a planetarium, and a retired navy submarine that is docked next to the museum.Other things worth checking out are a day trip to wine country or a trip to Mt. Hood. One of two queer sections is shown at the famous Powells Books flagship store in downtown Portland. Photo: Ed WalshPowells Books is the worlds largest independent bookstore selling new and used books. Its flagship store, Powells City of Books, includes two LGBTQ+ sections and a cafe. The store takes up a city block and boasts about a million books. Barnes and Noble in New York City claims to be overall the largest bookstore in the world, but Powells claims to have more shelf space.Dining Out Speed-o Cappuccino bills itself as a queer, Latinx, and sex-worker-owned vegan coffee cart on 1015 SE Stark Street on the east side of the Willamette River clustered with several other LGBTQ+-owned and -allied eateries. Speed-o features bar food with a vegan gourmet twist.Taqueria Los Puales gets its name from the word Pual that is sometimes used as a slur for a gay man in Mexico. The restaurant specializing in Mexican food was started by two gay men, Brian Aster and David Madrigal, and features delicious and inexpensive food in a very colorful setting.Tacos and agua fresca at Taqueria Los Punales. Photo: Taqueria Los PunalesThe lesbian-owned Meals for Heels provides one of the most unique restaurant services in the world. The eatery specializes in late night deliveries to sex workers, with a large clientele base considering the city has more than 50 strip clubs. Founder Nikeisah Newton boasts that 90% of her staff is LGBTQ+. Newton was recognized with a Game Changer award last year by the Black Women in Food Awards.Lesbian Vietnamese chef and entrepreneur Jenny Nguyen opened The Sports Bra bar and restaurant three years ago. It is focused on womens sports. The restaurant offerings include bar food with a Vietnamese twist with such items as Aunt Tinas Vietna-wings and Moms Baby Back Ribs, featuring Vietnamese clay-pot style pork ribs.For an even more queer-owned dining options, check out the Everywhere is Queer app and choose Portland. Getting AroundPortland has a great public transit system. The Max Red Line light rail system runs from the airport to downtown in about 38 minutes. The single adult fare is $2.80. You can buy a single ticket or day pass with a credit card at the airport station vending machine. Each ticket is good for 2.5 hours. If you need to transfer to a bus, you can use the same ticket. When boarding a bus, you can just tap your ticket or a credit card to the fare box. If you use a credit card, it will remember and not charge you twice if you use the card again within 2.5 hours. You can also pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay.For more informationThe gay-owned mens clothing store underU4men runs a LGBTQ+ visitor center on the mezzanine level of its store on 800 SW Washington Street, in the heart of downtown. You can stop by and relax, and the center offers free bag and luggage checks. The centers website also offers links to discounts and special events.The citys official travel website is travelportland.com. The citys new visitor center is at 1132 SW Harvey Milk Street, across the street from Scandals.The post Explore LGBTQ+ history, culture and nightlife in Portland, Oregon appeared first on News Is Out.

Actress Karla Sofa Gascn is set to return to the screen in a new role following the controversy surrounding her involvement in the 2024 film Emilia Prez. Gascn will play a psychiatrist who embodies both God and the devil in the psychological thriller The Life Lift, opposite Vincent Gallo, according to Variety. The film is the directorial debut of Italian filmmaker Stefania Rossella Grassi.Source

Social media platforms commonly use artificial intelligence for content moderation, with the AI software itself relying on algorithms to screen content posted by social media users. Ultimately, the AI determines whether content adheres to or breaches platform guidelines.But issues can arise when a social media company loosens its restrictions on content, or if the algorithms themselves the building blocks of AI content moderation are biased.Social media experts Jenni Olson, GLAADs senior director of its social media safety program, and Andrea Annie Brown, founder and CEO of the ethical AI companyReliabl, shared their perspectives.Metas revised stance on moderating contentIn early January, Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp,announced policy changesin its Community Guidelines.Among the instated changes are a reduction of AI content moderation and acorresponding shiftto Community Notes, a volunteer-based program comparable to that used in the platform X, through which social media users self-report content violations.One thing Meta has now said is that they are not going to be doing as much moderation. Theyre going to focus on more extreme things, like CSAM [child sex abuse material] and violence, proactively, but everything else they are basically going to not moderate, said Olson in a Zoom video chat with the Bay Area Reporter.This change, coupled with the companys revamped Hateful Conduct policy that now permits anti-LGBTQ terminology and discourse and the dissolving of its fact-checking program, make for one giant red flag for queer individuals.The Meta stuff is so bad. Its just bad upon bad upon bad, said Olson.Metas reduced reliance on AI for content moderation, according to the companys CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg, is a necessary measure to lessen flagging posts and speech that do not justify review and removal.The problem with complex systems is that they make mistakes. Even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts, thats millions of people. And weve reached a point where its just too many mistakes and too much censorship, he said in a video featured in theMeta-released article, More Free Speech and Fewer Mistakes.The piece, authored by Joel Kaplan, Metas chief global affairs officer, further details the companys reasoning behind its content moderation policy change.In recent years weve developed increasingly complex systems to manage content across our platforms, partly in response to societal and political pressure to moderate content. This approach has gone too far. As well-intentioned as many of these efforts have been, they have expanded over time to the point where we are making too many mistakes, frustrating our users and too often getting in the way of the free expression we set out to enable, Kaplan wrote.Brown, whose company Reliabl provides platforms with community-centric data management solutions and custom, high-performance algorithms, sees Metas content moderation reduction as a poor excuse for a strategy. She emphasized the need to train the AI with an understanding of the context of a community, which is a focus of her company.At Reliabl, we essentially bring marginalized communities into the machine learning pipeline, because thats whats missing from this AI, Brown explained. Basically all these moderation rules, all these moderation algorithms, are written primarily by white, straight cis men. And so thats the perspective that theyre going to have. And then they wonder why they cant work in different contexts. So theres a laziness factor there.Gleaning insight from researchOlson, a lesbian who lives in the Bay Area, oversees GLAADs Social Media Safety Index, an annual report on the current climate in social media platforms for the LGBTQ community and the platforms policies.The SMSI, the first of which was published in 2021, provides insight into LGBTQ+ discrimination and harassment, restrictions on self-expression, and privacy issues on six major social media companies Facebook, Threads, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X and rates them using a platform scorecard. In the 2024 Social Media Safety Index, all but one of the companies received an F grade. (TikTok earned a D+.)The 2024 SMSI includes two comprehensive pages covering issues such as generative AI systems, automated gender recognition, and content moderation titled Focus on AI: Risks for LGBTQ People.As noted in the section, a major risk when it comes to using AI is the potential for algorithmic bias, which occurs as a result of systematic errors in machine learning algorithms.One of the most significant things in terms of LGBT people and other historically marginalized groups is, garbage in garbage out, bias in bias out. If you dont have LGBT people, people of color at the table giving the inputs to the AI systems, then they will be racist and homophobic and so on, said Olson.Algorithmic bias in social media platforms content moderation systems can result in the disproportionate flagging and takedowns of content; it can also result in discrimination and reinforce stereotypes.Essentially, the data used for the algorithms have a substantial impact on the presence of bias. If the data are not representative of a certain group, such as LGBTQ people, then biases surrounding that group perpetuate.How well companies are actually doing that [i.e. using community-centered data] or not is a huge question. And of course, theres all kinds of examples of Theyre not doing well and really horrible examples of bias, Olson added.Brown, whos spent the past six-plus years at UC San Diego researching algorithmic bias, namely in social media spaces, said that if a company is looking to improve AI, the exclusion of certain viewpoints and datasets isnt the answer.Youre literally just making the AI worse, because at the end of the day, AIs main goals are accuracy and efficiency, and if you want an accurate AI, that means including as many diverse viewpoints as possible, she said.All that is doing is just setting the technology further and further back, because you cant have an AI that understands human context if you dont help it understand the full spectrum of human reality. Even for the companies who dont necessarily care about inclusion and bias, by making their data pipeline and their training process more inclusive, theyll actually make their technology better, she added.Andrea Annie Brown is co-founder and CEO of ethical AI company Reliabl. Photo: Courtesy Andrea Annie Brown Brown, who is genderfluid and pansexual, described herself as a big fan of GLAADs work and as someone whos done a considerable amount of activism around LGBTQ inclusion in online spaces. Shes assisted GLAAD with some of its research on content moderation.The Safety Index and my organization, Reliabl, have kind of been doing parallel research for a little while now, and now were joining forces, which is cool. Were also working on some case studies on social media platforms who havent totally abandoned eliminating hate speech or more inclusive content moderation policies. [We] may be working with GLAAD in the future on that as well, she shared.Browns also the creator of Lips, a social media platform for the LGBTQ community. Launched in 2019, Lips is still up and running, with an estimated 50,000 users.It kind of just operates as its own little space on the internet for people to feel like they can be themselves, explained Brown.Via Lips development, she obtained a firsthand understanding of social media moderation in terms of what it looks like and whats possible.My conclusion I came to was that these big platforms make it seem like its harder than it is. They just dont care enough is the problem, she said.Furthering ethical AIResearchers and companies ongoing advocacy for, development of, and application of AI content moderation systems grounded in transparency, fairness, and diverse datasets i.e. ethical AI are sources of hope.As Brown commented, Social media can be a very positive thing, but unfortunately, [an initial] social media platform was built by a guy who is very misogynistic to rate the hotness of women on his campus [a reference to Zuckerbergs FaceMash website, which predates Facebook]. Thats not a good foundation to start any business from.With AI, its really about who builds the tools, and we really do have to build our own, she said.This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.The post Queer social media experts weigh in on AI content moderation appeared first on News Is Out.

If youre going to make a movie about a chaotic queer wedding, you better know your way around one in real life. Luckily, the cast of The Wedding Banquet has plenty of opinionsand they didnt hold back. Gayety reporter Caitlynn McDaniel asked them about their ultimate wedding dos and donts. Im going to say what a huge do for me is buffet style, said Bowen Yang with confidence.Source

Pari Kim has become one of the breakout stars of Love on the Spectrum season three and not just for her charming quirks, love of trains, or bubbly personality. The 23-year-old Boston native made history on the hit Netflix dating series as part of the shows first LGBTQ+ couple. And yes shes still going strong with girlfriend Tina Zhu Xi Caruso. Its going really well with us.Source

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has been spreading TERF rhetoric for years, but now shes making headlines for celebrating an anti-trans U.K. Supreme Court ruling that is poised to do real harm to trans women. According to Newsweek, the U.K.s top court unanimously ruled on Wednesday that transgender women are not included in the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010, and Rowling immediately started celebrating on social media. She has since made multiple posts, including posting a photo of herself smoking a cigar with the caption, I love it when a plan comes together, alluding to the money she donated to support the long-running legal saga.Rowlings near-constant deluge of outspoken anti-trans views has inspired many of the stars of the Harry Potter franchise to speak out against her, including everyone from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Eddie Redmayne, and David Tennant. So here are all of the stars who have spoken out against Rowling, and a few who have sadly defended her transphobia.Daniel RadcliffeHarry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has been speaking out against Rowlings transphobic comments for years including issuing a statement through the Trevor Project saying transgender women are women." Last year in an interview with the Atlantic he took the opportunity to let fans know that he doesnt agree with Rowlings views on trans women and how sad it makes him that she could do this after creating a deeply empathetic world with her novels.Id worked with the Trevor Project for 12 years and it would have seemed like, I dont know, immense cowardice to me to not say something, Radcliffe told the Atlantic. I wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments. And to say that if those are Jos views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise.Emma WatsonAfter Rowling published her five-point essay on trans activism, Emma Watson who played Hermione and once sported a Trans rights are human rights T-shirt took to X (formerly Twitter) to let her fans know she vehemently disagreed with Rowlings stance. "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they arent who they say they are, she wrote. I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.Rupert GrintRon Weasley actor Rupert Grint has not been quiet about his thoughts on Rowlings transphobia. He released an initial statement back in 2020 alongside Radcliffe and Watson, but has continued to speak out since then. "I am hugely grateful (for) everything that she's done. I think that she's extremely talented, and I mean, clearly, her works are genius. But yeah, I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that.He continued, I think to stay silent would have spoke. Sometimes, silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important to."Eddie RedmayneFantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne released a statement back in 2020 condemning Rowlings anti-trans views. As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand, his statement read. I disagree with Jos comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and its time to let them do so.Bonnie WrightBack in 2020, when Rowling first started ramping up her trans hate, Ginny Weasley actress Bonnie Wright posted her thoughts on X (formerly Twitter). If Harry Potter was a source of love and belonging for you, that love is infinite and there to take without judgment or question. Trans women are women. I see and love you, she wrote. Then in 2022, in an interview with The Sunday Times, she said she still held the same views as before but wasnt interested in continuing to talk about it. I made that comment then and I still stand with that same feeling, she says, but its got to the point where I prefer not to comment more. Its a subject outside of my input.Katie LeungWhen Harry Potter readers started complaining about the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the franchise and how lazy Cho Changs name is, Katie Leung (who played Cho) wrote on X (formerly Twitter), So, you want my thoughts on Cho Chang? Okay, here goes but instead of sharing her opinion on the name, she instead linked to organizations helping the Black trans community as a subtle dig at Rowlings hateful views, The Independent reported.Chris RankinIn 2021, Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley in the franchise, responded to Rowlings anti-trans statements in an interview with the Eastern Daily Press. I do a lot of work with charities that are LGBTQ+-focused and I raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust on a regular basis, he said. A lot of my family are members of the community. It is a huge part of my life and I think, by saying that, you can probably guess where my allegiances lie in that respect.He continued, What is important to highlight is that, when a trans person says they are male or female, that is what they are and that is how we should treat them. It is damaging to them to say otherwise.Harry MellingIn an interview with The Independent in 2022, Dudley Dursley actor Hary Melling said that his views on trans rights are very simple. I can only speak for myself, and what I feel, to me, is very simple, which is that transgender women are women and transgender men are men. Every single person has the right to choose who they are and to identify themselves as what's true to themselves," he said. "I don't want to join the debate of pointing fingers and saying, 'That's right, that's wrong,' because I don't think I'm the correct spokesperson for that," added Melling. "But I do believe that everybody has the right to choose."David TennantDavid Tennant, who played Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter, has had a long-standing feud with Rowling because he is a staunch supporter of trans rights, and Rowling cant stop expressing her transphobic views and financially supporting anti-trans causes. Tennant has openly supported trans rights over and over again, including wearing a trans ally T-shirt reading, "You will have to go through me, and speaking out against anti-trans UK politicians, but last month he made a subtle jab directly at Rowling and her upcoming Harry Potter TV series. When asked if he was going to act in the upcoming show, he responded, "I mean, they're great stories. I feel like my contribution has probably been made. I'm told there's an executive producer who doesn't love me on that show, Metro reported.Stars who have defended JK RowlingJim BroadbentIn 2023, Horace Slughorn actor Jim Broadbent told The Telegraph about the backlash against Rowling, I think J.K. Rowling is amazing. I havent had to confront [the backlash] myself, but I would support her in that, I think, if it came to it.Robbie ColtraneHagrid actor Robbie Coltrane may be best known for playing a gentle giant, but he came to Rowlings defense back in 2020 when the Harry Potter author started spewing anti-trans hate."I dont think what she said was offensive really. I dont know why but theres a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended," Coltrane said in interview with Radio Times when asked about the allegations of transphobia that are being pointed at Rowling. "They wouldnt have won the war, would they? Thats me talking like a grumpy old man, but you just think, 'Oh, get over yourself. Wise up, stand up straight and carry on.'"Ralph FiennesRalph Fiennes played the Harry Potter franchises main villain Voldemort and has also been an outspoken supporter of Rowling and her hateful views. In an interview with The Telegraph in 2021, Fiennes complained about cancel culture and voiced his frustration about the way Rowling was being treated. "I cant understand the vitriol directed at her," Fiennes said. "I can understand the heat of an argument, but I find this age of accusation and the need to condemn irrational. I find the level of hatred that people express about views that differ from theirs, and the violence of language towards others, disturbing."Helena Bonham CarterLiving up to her role as villain Bellatrix Lestrange, Helena Bonham Carter defended Rowling's anti-trans views back in 2022 in an interview with the Sunday Times.Its horrendous, a load of bollocks, said Bonham Carter. I think she has been hounded. Its been taken to the extreme, the judgmentalism of people. Shes allowed her opinion, particularly if shes suffered abuse. Everybody carries their own history of trauma and forms their opinions from that trauma and you have to respect where people come from and their pain. You dont all have to agree on everything that would be insane and boring. Shes not meaning it aggressively, shes just saying something out of her own experience.John CleeseJohn Cleese, who played Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter series, posted a series of transphobic tweets in response to people questioning his position on Rowlings anti-trans views. Im afraid Im not that interested in trans folks. I just hope theyre happy and that people treat them kindly. Right now Im more focussed [sic] on threats to democracy in America, the rampant corruption in the UK, the appalling British press, the revelations about police brutality, he wrote in one tweet per Variety.He responded to another question about his views with a follow up post: Yes, my understanding is superficial. One thing: When a woman who was once a man is competing against women who have always been women, I think she has an advantage, because she inherited a mans body, which is usually bigger and stronger than a womans. Does that prove phobia?

Ding!Jewels Sparkles shimmered ever since she entered the werkroom on season 17 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Hailing from Tampa, Florida, this queen is ready to bring plenty of sparkle to this Friday's epic finale."If you told me five years ago this was happening, I wouldn't believe it. This is so crazy. I'm on cloud nine! It has been such an amazing season," Sparkles tells PRIDE.Read More: Onya Nurve is proud to represent the Black community at the RuPaul's Drag Race finale See on Instagram Sparkles started the competition strong by lip-synching for the win on the very first episode and eventually won two maxi challenges by the end of the season."I'm so proud of myself for pushing through everything and making it to the end. I'm so proud of my journey on the show. If you believe in yourself, that's all that matters. You don't need the approval from other people. You don't need anything else, just your own resilience."Although Sparkles has a decent track record heading into the finale, the star also found herself in quite a few juicy fights throughout the season. She sent home her frenemy Arrietty after a very dramatic comedy roast challenge and even clashed with Onya Nurve during the first design challenge over stolen trim.However, her personal favorite feud of the season happened between Nurve and Lexi Love during the second design challenge when Nurve accidentally sabotaged Love's outfit. In fact, the fight got so bad that production had to shut down for a few hours."The journey was a little bit of a rollercoaster. We had our ups. We had our downs [and] our robberies both metaphorically and physically. I personally loved watching spray paint gate. That one for me was very enjoyable! I got to sit back, relax and watch the other girls fight for once. I wasn't involved. It was amazing!"RuPaul's Drag Race airs Friday nights on MTV. To see the full interview with Jewels Sparkles, check out the video at the top of the page.

Mary Harron, the acclaimed director and co-writer of the 2000 cult classic American Psycho, has shared her thoughts on the curious trend of Wall Street bros and other self-identified sigma males who embrace the films main character, Patrick Bateman. In a new, extensive interview, Harron expressed her bewilderment at how some men have misunderstood the movies satirical themes and foundSource

Its no surprise that notorious anti-trans activist J.K. Rowling is celebrating a major UK Supreme Court ruling against trans rights, but the way shes going about it truly underscores how out of her depth she is with this entire gender crusade shes been on in recent years.On Wednesday, the court declared that the legal definition of "sex" in the 2010 Equality Act refers strictly to biological sex, not gender identity even legally recognized gender identity. While the full extent of the consequences of this ruling have yet to be determined, its expected to make it easier to legally prevent trans women from having access to things like domestic violence shelters and womens health care.Rowling ghoulishly celebrated this blow in her usual way by being obnoxious on X."I love it when a plan comes together," reads one of her posts, helpfully tagged with #SupremeCourt and #WomensRights just in case there was any doubt this was about her gender essentialism.It also included a photo of her smoking a cigar and sipping whiskey as if shes partaking in some bizarre fusion of Mad Men and The White Lotus. (@) Because nothing screams "real woman" quite like channeling the energy of a villainous hedge fund bro, right?The irony is palpable. Rowling has built her public persona around rigid definitions of gender, but suddenly, theres nothing untoward about playing with gender norms and embracing patriarchal symbols as long as you have XX chromosomes, anyway.Rowling has poured money into anti-trans groups, including For Women Scotland, the organization behind this case. Shes repeatedly insisted that acknowledging trans womens rights somehow infringes on her owndespite all available evidence pointing to the contrary. Her version of feminism demands strict borders around womanhood and an army of lawyers to enforce them.And make no mistake: this is exactly what J.K. Rowlings feminism is and has been. Its all about exclusion, elitism, and a complete disinterest in perspectives beyond her own. Weve seen that in how shes targeted trans people on social media, taking digs at the Harry Potter actors who dared to do anything other than kiss the ground she walks on, and lashed out at asexuals for absolutely no discernible reason.While there may well be a part of her that believes shes championing women, her crusade feels more like an exercise in ego and desire to stomp out those with less power and privilege if they dont fall in line. And opting to celebrate something that actively harms so many people who are already fighting battles she will never understand really drives home just how delighted she is in her own villainy not that Rowling has the self-awareness to see it that way.No matter how much she thinks shes giving the patriarchy the finger with this little theatrical display of co-opted masculinity, at the end of the day, all the once-lauded author is doing is helping to uphold the same power structures that worked to oppress women all women for generations.

Ella Rae Wise, known for her role on The Only Way Is Essex, has shared with fellow housemates JoJo Siwa and Danny Beard that she believes she might be gay. In a candid conversation, Wise expressed her desire to have a girl experience, indicating her openness to exploring her sexuality further. During their discussion, JoJo Siwa offered supportive words, stating, They say if you haveSource

Gabby Windey and Robby Hoffman have officially tied the knot for the second time this year! The couple, who started dating in 2023, recently celebrated their legal courthouse wedding just over a month after their surprise Las Vegas ceremony back in January. On April 15, Windey, who has garnered significant attention for her TikTok content and her role in season three of The TraitorsSource

Vice President JD Vance is never beating those eyeliner rumors now!After being the subject of jokes that hes a robot who doesnt know how to interact with humans or that he once had sexual relations with a couch, Vance is now going viral because of Chinese AI videos mocking him for his supposed use of copious amounts of eyeliner.These hilarious AI ads dunking on the vice president started making the rounds on social media in the wake of President Donald Trump's sky-high tariffs placed on China and Vance's derogatory comments about China while on Fox News earlier this month. To make it a little more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture, he said. This sparked an onslaught of AI-generated phony videos of JD Vance wearing makeup and wigs, that have kept the internet entertained while Trumps trade war drives up consumer prices, and U.S. stocks continue to take a nose dive. "I have an entirely new respect for the creativity and sense of humor of the Chinese people. This compelling mockery of hillbilly Veep JD Vances predilection for eyeliner is funnier and more realistic than anything being produced here in the U.S, one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter), while someone else posted, "The Chinese memes keep coming for JD Vance and his eyeliner. Thats what you get when you troll a country of people by calling them peasants, they troll you back. Keep scrolling to see the funniest JD Vance AI memes the internet has to offer! (@) (@) "China relentlessly attacking JD Vance. What an absolute mess this administration has caused for no reason at all." (@) "Vance eyeliner, Made in China" (@) "I have an entirely new respect for the creativity and sense of humor of the Chinese people. This compelling mockery of hillbilly Veep JD Vances predilection for eyeliner is funnier and more realistic than anything being produced here in the U.S." (@) (@) "Chinese meme mocks JD Vance for eyeliner. Pretty comical actually." (@) "Forget the tariffs. Don't you guys think JD Vance is so beautiful? Especially his beautiful eyeliners." (@) "Vice President Vance, I am a Chinese peasant. Do you realize that your tariff policy will lead to the soaring price of your eyeliner?" China's netizens are having so much fun these days" (@) "The Chinese memes keep coming for JD Vance and his eyeliner. Thats what you get when you troll a country of people by calling them peasants, they troll you back" (@) "Need deescalation. How about Vance apologizes for calling them peasants and in return they take their eyeliner videos down? Deal?" (@) "Vance eyeliner" (@) "JD Vance: Collectors Eyeliner Edition has been been released was $10 now with tariffs its only $349" (@) "Omg China literally hates J.D. Vance and theyre using him as a model to sell their wigs!" (@) "Yet, JD Vance never said thank you to the Chinese peasants" (@) "The Chinese on TikTok are kicking ass and taking names Well, hello JD Vance "

Orville Peck, known for his haunting baritone voice, signature fringe mask, and genre-bending approach to country music, is stepping into a new spotlight and leaving the mask behind. The enigmatic artist is currently starring as the Emcee in the Broadway revival of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in New York City, a limited engagement running through July 20, 2025. While fans may know him bestSource

This story originally ran on Advocate.com in October 2018.Karlheinz Weinberger (Swiss, 1921-2006) had a lifelong obsession with photography, more specifically photographing men. By day, he worked in the warehouse department of a manufacturer, but in his free time, he roamed the streets of Zurich in search of subjects.In 1958, Weinberger met a young man with whom he was immediately fascinated. The young man's look was distinctive -- slicked back hair, denim jeans and jacket, cowboy boots -- and, through him, Weinberger was introduced to a loosely organized band of working-class teens who rebelled against any type of Swiss, post-war, bland, middle-class conformity. Regular society derogatorily referred to these ragtag bands of "rebels" as the "halbstraken" (the 'half-strong'-- a reference to their immaturity). The young men formed gangs and adopted the demeanor of 1950s Hollywood depictions of rebelliousness: Marlon Brando's leather-jacketed ne'er-do-well in The Wild One, Elvis Presley's pompadour, James Dean's smoldering, tentative sexuality in Rebel Without A Cause. However, these "Halbstarken" modified the styling of their movie idols and created wholly new looks. They ratted and slicked back their hair, wore exaggerated belt buckles and chain necklaces emblazoned with images of their idols taken from fan magazines, and most remarkably, adorned their denim. Weinberger shot these rebels both in his home and at carnivals and festivals around Zurich. This body of work remains the best known of his extensive 50-year creative output.Karlheinz Weinberger - Sports (Vol. 2), the second volume of works by Karlheinz Weinberger, is also available. The sports images were shot starting in the 1960s. Sturm & Drang presents a lesser-known but truly captivating side of Weinberger. Working for various sports newspapers and magazines, he covered athletes and contests in Switzerland and places such as East Germany. His fascination with the male physique was documented at bike races, wrestling matches, and weight-lifting events.For more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerSign up for the PRIDE.com Newsletter to get a candid take on whats fresh and fun in LGBTQ+ culture this week!For more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinbergerFor more works by Karlheinz Weinberger's check out his Instagram, @karlheinzweinberger

See on InstagramSinger, dancer, and actor Haley Kiyoko asked her social media followers for dating advice this week, and the answers she got are shocking and a little unhinged!The Lemonade Mouth star may be in a long-term relationship with The Bachelor's Becca Tilley, but on Tuesday she asked her close to two million followers on Instagram for their most unhinged tips for getting your crush to pay attention to you, in a post that she captions, This is a safe space #wlw.Im bored. Drop your most unhinged win over your crush hacks, Im not talking about playlist or manifesting with crystals. I mean borderline chaotic behavior. I need the tea, she wrote. And boy, did her followers not disappoint!From using Pavlovs dog method to condition your crush into loving you to licking your crush's hand, the advice is wild!I once saw a post where a girl was classically conditioning her crush by giving him a piece of candy every time they saw eachother so he would always associate her with it. i thought it was a great idea @fleetingnostalgia"I knew she was interested in someone else, but I gave her my bra in the club. @itsnotjiaSaw one girl who would put a nicotine patch on her situations situationship when she spent the night and would take it off in the morning. He'd have nicotine withdrawals when she wasn't around and he associated that with loving her lmao @goth_grl_createsIn a group setting, she mentioned she had gotten pulled over because her car tags were expired. SoI went to the county clerks office, bought her tags, went to her work, put the tag sticker on her car and left a note with her renewed registration. Some chicks dig acts of service. This girl did notugh @rose_wendy_13I spent a week getting to class late to memorize his schedule and what routes he took to get to class. i did this by FOLLOWING him every time the bell rang and writing down stuff like MONDAY: tech room e226 goes down first set of stairs and then walks to the second set etcetera. then after i had gotten it, the next week i 'accidentally' crashed into him @anjxanjain classic lesbian fashion, i flew across the country to see her after not seeing each other or even talking for seven years @alexisavacadoalvaradoI gaslit mine into liking me. I told her daily that she had a crush on me, and would write things in her notebook when she wasnt looking like I [heart emoji] Sophia for a full year. And now we are married @sophialayneI tried out for the high school soccer team just so that I could spend more time with her (I had never ever played soccer in my life, safe to say that I did not make the team @ryann87jI was into this girl at a dance class so I decided to dance as the guy role to be able to dance with her as much as possible, but despite blushing around me everytime she made clear she was straight. In the meanwhile this cute guy started flirt with me and I was like 'why not? (I'm so weak for attentions so) But anyway I was still flirting with the girl 'cause again... I'm a weak lesbian. So in the end nothing worked and they had a date together. @elscosartI learnt a whole ass language for her despite the fact that she was straight and I was not @rutroraggyyyyalmost crashed into a truck as i was getting on my motorcycle cause he was walking by and i wanted to impress him @jacq.n.cheesyJoin the sorority shes in and go on dates under the guise of sisterhood @lily_pierceI put crystals in my partners cups of tea (dont recommend they nearly choked) I also gave them treats every time they looked at me with love or said my name or a pet name. Were married now :) @flowery.floI once scored a girlfriend when I introduced myself to her by licking her hand. Didnt even need to add a cheesy wait until I try that somewhere else line. @von_onwardtogloryGo to her apartment with a can of paint and brushes. Paint a giant mural of her on the side of the building @the_beanz_talk

When filmmaker Andrew Ahn set out to reimagine The Wedding Banquet, he wasnt just updating a classic queer rom-comhe was telling a love story rooted in his own experience. Yeah, this one was really personal in a different way, he told Gayety. I made this for my boyfriend, and were in this phase of our lives where were thinking about how to grow our family. This question of marriage and thisSource

Comedian and provocateur Jordan Firstman has never been one to hold back. From his NSFW feature film Rotting in the Sun, which has more bare skin than actual dialogue, to his debut single titled I Wanna See My Friends D*cks, the Los Angeles-based funnyman lives to shock. But his latest hot take may have truly crossed the lineat least according to the gay fashion gods.Source

If you dont know Kaylah Zander-Nuezs name yet, thats about to change. With her scene-stealing return as Amelia Salazar in The Recruit Season 2, now streaming on Netflix, the Vancouver-born actor is bringing warmth, wit, and a whole lot of bite to the globe-trotting spy series. But as we found out in our recent conversation on the Pride Podcast, its not just the action-packed plotlines or starSource

Pedro Pascal is back, hotter than everand this time, hes saving the world and starting a family in Marvels Fantastic Four: First Steps, hitting theaters July 25. The beloved Internet Daddy officially joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, in a film that promises sci-fi spectacle, retro-futuristic flair, and, of course, plenty of thirst-worthy moments from oneSource

by Audrey Dutton ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Just weeks after creating a $50 million tax credit to help families pay for private school tuition and homeschooling, Idaho has shut down a program that helped tens of thousands of public school students pay for laptops, school supplies, tutoring and other educational expenses.The Republican leading the push to defund Idahos Empowering Parents grants said it had nothing to do with the partys decision to fund private schools. But the states most prominent conservative group, a strong supporter of the private school tax credit, drew the connection directly.The Idaho Freedom Foundation, on its website, proposed adding the $30 million that fueled Empowering Parents to the newly created tax credit, paying for an additional 6,000 private and homeschool students to join the 10,000 already expected to benefit from the program. The new voucher-style tax credits have major differences from the grants lawmakers killed.The tax credits are off-limits to public school students, while the grants went predominantly to this group. And theres limited state oversight on how the private education tax credits will be used, while the grants to public school families were only allowed to be spent with state-approved educational vendors.Rep. Soia Galaviz, a Democrat who works in a low-income public elementary school in Boise, condemned the plan to kill the grants in a speech to legislative colleagues.I have to go back to the families that I serve, the parents that I love, the kids that I teach, and say, You no longer can get that additional math tutoring that you need, she said, that the state is willing to support other programs for other groups of kids, but not you.When states steer public funds to private schools, well-off families benefit more than those in lower income brackets, as ProPublica has reported in Arizona. The programs are pitched as enabling school choice, but in reality, research has found the money tends to benefit families that have already chosen private schools.Idaho lawmakers passed such a program this year with the new tax credit, which some describe as a version of school vouchers that parents in other states spend on schools of their choosing.The credit allows private and homeschool families to reduce their tax bills by $5,000 per child $7,500 per student with disabilities or get that much money from the state if they owe no taxes. Lower-income families have priority, and theres no cap on how many credits each family can claim. The law says funds must go to traditional academic expenses like private school tuition or homeschool curricula and textbooks, plus a few other costs like transportation. But families dont have to provide proof of how they spent the money unless theyre audited.The Empowering Parents grant program that lawmakers repealed was open to students no matter where they learn, although state data shows at least 81% of the money went to public school students this academic year more than 24,000 of them. It offered up to $1,000 per student, with lower-income families getting first dibs and a family limit of $3,000.Idaho Gov. Brad Little created a similar program in 2020 called Strong Families, Strong Students with federal pandemic funds, to help families make the abrupt shift to remote learning. State lawmakers created the current program in 2022, also using one-time federal pandemic recovery money, and liked it so much they renewed it with ongoing state funding in 2023.Charlene Bradley used the grant this school year to buy a laptop for her daughter, a fifth grader in Nampa School District. Before the purchase, Bradleys daughter could use computers at school, but there was no way to do schoolwork at home, besides my cell phone which we did have to use sometimes, Bradley said in a Facebook message.Debra Whiteley used it for home internet and a printer for her 12-year-old daughter, who attends public school in north-central Idaho. Whiteleys daughter resisted doing projects that needed pictures or graphs. Now when she has a project she can make a tri fold display thats not all hand written and self drawn, which looking back on, I didnt have a clue she may have been embarrassed about, Whiteley said in a Facebook message.Annie Coltrin used it to get much needed tutoring for her daughter, a sophomore in an agricultural community in southern Idaho. The grant paid for Coltrins daughter to receive math tutoring in person twice a week, which took her grade from a low D to a B+.Such families were on the minds of education leaders like Jason Sevy when they advocated for preserving the Empowering Parents program this year.Sevy, who chairs a rural public school district board in southwestern Idaho and is the Idaho School Boards Associations president-elect, said families in his district used the Empowering Parents grants for backpacks and school supplies, or laptops they couldnt afford otherwise.Youre looking at families with five kids that were only making $55,000 a year. Having that little extra money made a big difference, Sevy said. But it also closed that gap for these kids to feel like they were going to be able to keep up with everybody else.Few families in Sevys district will be able to use the states new tuition tax credits for private education, he said. A tiny residential school is the only private school operating in Sevys remote county. The next-closest options require a drive to the neighboring county, and Sevy worries those schools wouldnt take English-language learners or children who need special education. (Unlike public schools, private schools can accept or reject students based on their own criteria.)This is the program that was able to help those groups of people, and theyre just letting it go away to free up money for private schools, Sevy said.The freshman legislator who sponsored the bill to end Empowering Parents is Sen. Camille Blaylock, a Republican from a small city west of Boise.Blaylocks stance is that the grants arent the proper role of government.Speaking on the Senate floor in March, Blaylock highlighted the fact that the vast majority of the Empowering Parents money went to electronics mostly computers, laptops and tablets.This program has drifted far from its original intent, Blaylock said. Its turning into a technology slush fund, and if we choose to continue funding it, we are no longer empowering parents. We are creating entitlements.In an interview, Blaylock denied any desire to divert public school money to private education and said she was unaware the Idaho Freedom Foundation took that unfortunate position.The last thing I want is for this to be a taking away from public schools to give to school choice, because that is not my intent at all, Blaylock said.She told the Senates education committee this year that her hope in ending the grants was to cut government spending by $30 million. But if the savings had to go somewhere, shed want it to benefit other public school programs, especially in a year when lawmakers created the $50 million tax credit for private and homeschooling.Regardless of how the $30 million in savings will be spent in the future, Blaylocks assertion that the grants werent supposed to help families buy computers goes against whats in the legislative record.Lawmakers pitched Empowering Parents three years ago as a way to help lower-income students be on equal footing with their peers, with one legislator arguing that tablets and computers are such a part of education now that without the ability of families to afford those devices, a students learning is substantially jeopardized.Republican Sen. Lori Den Hartog, opening debate on her bill to create Empowering Parents in 2022, said it was partly to address pandemic learning loss. But, she said, its also a recognition of the ongoing needs that students in our state have, and that there is a potential different avenue to provide resources to those students.First in the list of eligible expenses Den Hartog spelled out: computer hardware, internet access, other technology. Then came textbooks, school materials, tutoring and everything else. (Den Hartog, who voted to repeal the program this year, did not respond to a request for comment.)Killing the grants also went against the praise that Little, the states Republican governor, has showered on it. He has described the program as itself a form of school choice, touting how it helped low-income parents afford better education.The grants help families take charge of tools for their childrens education things like computers and software, instructional materials and tutoring, Little said in January 2023 when announcing his intent to make Empowering Parents permanent.He called the grants effective, popular and worthy of continued investment because they keep parents in the drivers seat of their childrens education, as it should be.In the months before Idaho lawmakers voted to kill the program, Little again cited Empowering Parents as a success story, a way to ensure Idaho families have the freedom and access to choose the best fit for their childs unique education and learning needs. He pointed out that the grants mainly went to public school students. He again touted it in his State of the State address in January, not as a temporary pandemic-era program but as our popular grant program to support students education outside of the classroom.Nonetheless, the Idaho House and Senate both voted to kill the grant program by wide margins, and Little signed the bill on April 14.Blaylock disagreed that the grants creators foresaw it would be used mostly for laptops and electronics. And, despite acknowledging state lawmakers decided to make it permanent, she disagrees that it was intended to be an ongoing program. She said public schools already get $36 million a year from the state to spend on technology, which they use to furnish computers students can take home, so families dont need state money to buy more.Little, in a letter explaining his decision to join lawmakers in killing the grants, said he was proud of the positive outcomes from the program. But, he wrote: Now that the pandemic is squarely in the rearview mirror and students have long been back in school, I agree with the Legislature that this program served its purpose.When looking back at how Empowering Parents was created, Sevy, the local school board chair, suspects it was a soft attempt to get the foot in the door toward vouchers, not purely an effort to meet the needs of all students.He remembers telling Den Hartog that the program was helping low-income families in his district. She was super-excited to hear that, Sevy said. Its like, OK! And here we are two years later, just getting rid of it.

by Alec MacGillis ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. More children ages 1 to 4 die of drowning than any other cause of death. Nearly a quarter of adults received mental health treatment in 2023, an increase of 3.4 million from the prior year. The number of migrants from Mexico and northern Central American countries stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol was surpassed in 2022 by the number of migrants from other nations.We know these things because the federal government collects, organizes and shares the data behind them. Every year, year after year, workers in agencies that many of us have never heard of have been amassing the statistics that undergird decision-making at all levels of government and inform the judgments of business leaders, school administrators and medical providers nationwide.The survival of that data is now in doubt, as a result of the Department of Government Efficiencys comprehensive assault on the federal bureaucracy. Reaction to those cuts has focused understandably on the hundreds of thousands of civil servants who have lost their jobs or are on the verge of doing so and the harm that millions of people could suffer as a result of the shuttering of aid programs. Overlooked amid the turmoil is the fact that many of DOGEs cuts have been targeted at a very specific aspect of the federal government: its collection and sharing of data. In agency after agency, the government is losing its capacity to measure how American society is functioning, making it much harder for elected officials or others to gauge the nature and scale of the problems we are facing and the effectiveness of solutions being deployed against them.The data collection efforts that have been shut down or are at risk of being curtailed are staggering in their breadth. In some cases, datasets from past years now sit orphaned, their caretakers banished and their future uncertain; in others, past data has vanished for the time being, and its unclear if and when it will reappear. Here are just a few examples:The Department of Health and Human Services, now led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., laid off the 17-person team in charge of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which for more than five decades has tracked trends in substance abuse and mental health disorders. The departments Administration for Children and Families is weeks behind on the annual update of the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, the nationwide database of child welfare cases, after layoffs effectively wiped out the team that compiles that information. And the department has placed on leave the team that oversees the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, a collection of survey responses from women before and after giving birth that has become a crucial tool in trying to address the countrys disconcertingly high rate of maternal mortality.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eviscerated divisions that oversee the WISQARS database on accidental deaths and injuries everything from fatal shootings to poisonings to car accidents and the team that maintains AtlasPlus, an interactive tool for tracking HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to stop requiring oil refineries, power plants and other industrial facilities to measure and report their greenhouse-gas emissions, as they have done since 2010, making it difficult to know whether any of the policies meant to slow climate change and reduce disaster are effective. The EPA has also taken down EJScreen, a mapping tool on its website that allowed people to see how much industrial pollution occurs in their community and how that compares with other places or previous years.The Office of Homeland Security Statistics has yet to update its monthly tallies on deportations and other indices of immigration enforcement, making it difficult to judge President Donald Trumps triumphant claims of a crackdown; the last available numbers are from November 2024, in the final months of President Joe Bidens tenure. (While we have submitted reports and data files for clearance, the reporting and data file posting are delayed while they are under the new administrations review, Jim Scheye, director of operations and reporting in the statistics unit, told ProPublica.)And, in a particularly concrete example of ceasing to measure, deep cutbacks at the National Weather Service are forcing it to reduce weather balloon launches, which gather a vast repository of second-by-second data on everything from temperature to humidity to atmospheric pressure in order to improve forecasting.Looked at one way, the war on measurement has an obvious potential motivation: making it harder for critics to gauge fallout resulting from Trump administration layoffs, deregulation or other shifts in policy. In some cases, the data now being jettisoned is geared around concepts or presumptions that the administration fundamentally rejects: EJScreen, for instance, stands for environmental justice the effort to ensure that communities dont suffer disproportionately from pollution and other environmental harms. (An EPA spokesperson said the agency is working to diligently implement President Trumps executive orders, including the Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing. The spokesperson added: The EPA will continue to uphold its mission to protect human health and the environment in Trumps second term.) The White House press office did not respond to a request for comment.Laura Lindberg, a Rutgers public health professor, lamented the threatened pregnancy-risk data at the annual conference of the Population Association of America in Washington last week. In an interview, she said the administrations cancellation of data collection efforts reminded her of recent actions at the state level, such as Floridas withdrawal in 2022 from the CDCs Youth Risk Behavior Survey after the state passed its law discouraging classroom discussion of sexual orientation. (The states education secretary said the survey was inflammatory and sexualized.) Discontinuing the survey made it harder to discern whether the law had adverse mental health effects among Florida teens. States have taken on policies that would harm people and then are saying, We dont want to collect data about the impact of the policies, Lindbergsaid. Burying your head in the sand is not going to be a way to keep the country healthy. (HHS did not respond to a request for comment.)Making the halt on data gathering more confounding, though, is the fact that, in some areas, the information at risk of being lost has been buttressing some of the administrations own claims. For instance, Trump and Vice President JD Vance have repeatedly cited, as an argument for tougher border enforcement, the past decades surge in fentanyl addiction a trend that has been definitively captured by the national drug use survey that is now imperiled. That surveys mental health components have also undergirded research on the threat being posed to the nations young people by smartphones and social media, which many conservatives have taken up as a cudgel against Big Tech.Or take education. The administration and its conservative allies have been able to argue that Democratic-led states kept schools closed too long during the pandemic because there was nationwide data the National Assessment of Educational Progress, aka the Nations Report Card that showed greater drops in student achievement in districts that stayed closed longer. But now NAEP is likely to be reduced in scope as part of crippling layoffs at the Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics, which has been slashed from nearly 100 employees to only three, casting into doubt the future not only of NAEP but also of a wide array of long-running longitudinal evaluations and the departments detailed tallies of nationwide K-12 and higher education enrollment. The department did not respond to a request for comment but released a statement on Thursday saying the next round of NAEP assessments would still be held next year.Dan Goldhaber, an education researcher at the University of Washington, cast the self- defeating nature of the administrations war on educational assessment in blunt terms: The irony here is that if you look at some of the statements around the Department of Education, its, Weve invested X billion in the department and yet achievement has fallen off a cliff. But the only reason we know that is because of the NAEP data collection effort!Shelly Burns, a mathematical statistician who worked at NCES for about 35 years before her entire team was laid off in March, made a similar point about falling student achievement. How does the country know that? They know it because we collected it. And we didnt spin it. We didnt say, Biden is president, so lets make it look good, she said. Their new idea about how to make education great again how will you know if it worked if you dont have independent data collection?Reality has a well-known liberal bias, Stephen Colbert liked to quip, and there have been plenty of liberal commentators who have, over the years, taken that drollery at face value, suggesting that the numbers all point one way in the nations political debates. In fact, in plenty of areas, they dont.Its worth noting that Project 2025s lengthy blueprint for the Trump administration makes no explicit recommendation to undo the governments data-collection efforts. The blueprint is chock full of references to data-based decision-making, and in some areas, such as immigration enforcement, it urges the next administration to collect and share more data than its predecessors had.But when an administration is making such a concerted effort to stifle assessments of government and society at large, it is hard not to conclude that it lacks confidence in the efficacy of its current national overhaul. As one dataset after another falls by the wayside, the nations policymakers are losing their ability to make evidence-based decisions, and the public is losing the ability to hold them accountable for their results. Even if a future administration seeks to resurrect some of the curtailed efforts, the 2025-29 hiatus will make trends harder to identify and understand.Who knows if the country will be able to rebuild that measurement capacity in the future. For now, the loss is incalculable. Jesse Coburn, Eli Hager, Abrahm Lustgarten, Mark Olalde, Jennifer Smith Richards and Lisa Song contributed reporting.

The United States is reportedly telling the United Kingdom to repeal its hate speech protections for LGBTQ+ people and other minorities in order to secure a trade deal.JD Vance intends to demand that the British government roll back laws against hateful comments, including abuse targeting LGBTQ+ groups, as a condition in any deal between the nations, an anonymous senior Washington figure who has advised the Trump Administration told The Independent.The source said that the vice president is obsessed by the fall of Western civilization, and believes that free speech is supposedly being suppressed in the U.K. through such laws. The vice-president expressing optimism [on a trade deal] is a way of putting further pressure on the UK over free speech. If a deal does not go through, it makes Labour look bad," the source said. "No free speech, no deal. It is as simple as that."The source also cited Vance's recent speech at an event in Munich, Germany for the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025. Vance said in his remarks that liberalism and immigration are the most surefire way to destroy democracy." The threat that I worry most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, not China, its not any other external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values," Vance said, adding, If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk."The U.K.'s Public Order Act 1986 prohibits "threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour" that expresses "racial hatred" or hatred "against persons on religious grounds or grounds of sexual orientation." The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 further prohibited inciting hatred against protected groups. A source from Downing Street, the office of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, told the outlet that free speech is not a feature of the talks."

Much has happened this week in positive changemaking for the LGBTQ community at this time of challenge and uncertainty. Heroes in government, law, and in faith communities, are standing up to enormous pressure by the Trump administration and those emboldened by anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Standing Up for LGBTQ Protections in Employment At the Equal Employment Opportunity [...]The post Heroes of the Resistance: Standing Up for LGBTQ Rights in Employment, the First Amendment, Health Care, Marriage Equality, and More. first appeared on GLAAD.

Kori King is truly a breakout star of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17.Although she didn't have any challenge wins and her runways didn't necessarily wow the judges, her charismatic personality online has helped her career take off in ways fans have never seen before.In recent months, the beloved queen has been battling Hairspray's Nikki Blonsky for the top spot on Cameo, which is a very impressive feat considering how many celebrities are on the fan site today.While walking the red carpet for the season 17 finale, King had a few choice words for her rival that may leave mouths on the floor."F**k Nikki Blonsky, you c*nt! I hope Hairspray comes and fires you and takes all of your rights to sing that f**king song. I hope you fall off the face of the Earth and never go back to Cameo. I need to get you banned, you f**king bitch," King tells PRIDE. See on Instagram One of the many reasons why King is so popular on Cameo is because fans are never sure which character she'll film as.Her multiverse includes many wild personas that spoof popular celebrities and characters such as Shrek, Suzie Toot, JoJo Siwa, Michael Jackson, and more."Kori Jackson is sickening! Kori Jackson is just a worried soul that needs saving. When he comes through me, he's saved!"Between her busy schedule filming hysterical Cameo videos and going on tour with her partner Lydia B. Kollins, King's career is just getting started.RuPaul's Drag Race airs Friday nights on MTV. To see the full interview with Kori King, check out the video at the top of the page.

It was just like any other Sunday. Despite cleaning up my apartment and doing laundry on Sunday (I prefer to get through all of that on Saturdays), the day included a morning jaunt with the dog, a light breakfast of eggs, toast, and coffee, and thinking about the iconic Charli XCX's performance from Coachella and Troye Sivan's appearance, wearing the popular "Protect the Dolls" shirt.Though Connor Ives made the shirt fashionable, the phrase is credited to ballroom culture. As one of the few safe spaces for trans folks, especially Black trans women, "Protect the Dolls" was a verbal statement, a call to action, for the need to safeguard trans bodies. The phrase stayed with me mid-afternoon as I finished putting myself together. With ten minutes to spare, I was briefly elated that I would make it in timeonly to look into my purse and realize the final version of a speech I was about to give was still on my desk. I kicked off my shoes, ran down the hallway to grab the speech, and returned to the elevators.Miraculously, I made it into the car in the nick of time.I exhaled and took several deep breaths after getting into the car. With my pulse returned to normal, I took out the speech and reviewed it again. Somewhere along the middle of the expressway, the phrase "Protect the Dolls" gave way to another internal thought: This is the third time in less than four months that I've attended a vigil or reacted to a death of a queer person in Upstate New York.The self-immolation of a trans veteran, the gruesome murder of a trans man, the murder of a gay couple, and now this. I felt anxious as the car slowly stopped at the church's entrance. I was about to give a speech at a memorial service for this community member. This time, a trans youth.Kat was only fifteen when she took her life.I didn't know what to expect. Actually, no, I did. I didn't expect anyone to pay attention to the plight of our trans bodies and expected few in numbers. But when I arrived, the parking lot was filling up. I smiled and nodded as I exited the car and hugged Mickey, the event organizer while speaking with the local news outlets.I can't describe my reaction when I walked into the church then. But days later, a word continues to pop up: euphoric.There was an abundance of warmth, love, and respect. Members of the communityteacher and neighbor, ally and siblingcame to pay respects to a young community member. I waited for my trans siblings to arrive: Javannah and Brittan, two leaders of one of the few trans-led and trans-centered organizations here. Sometimes, the room can feel somewhat empty when remembering trans lives. In the past, I've seen more folks attend a Drag Race viewing at a local bar than the community memorial service. But to my surprise, I observed filled seats.People paid respects by laying flowers and candles before Kat's image, like a shrine of a revered saint or martyr. And, in some ways, she was the latter; her body was sacrificed on the pyre of transphobia. Kat was one of many trans youth who suffered in silence, harassed, and bullied just for desiring to be their most authentic selves.I had flashbacks to my freshman days. When I was kicked or pushed while grabbing books from my locker and yelled at for refusing to go into the boys' locker room. And the moment a guidance counselor told my mother that this was "just a phase" while I sat there, my shirt tattered after defending myself against a bully.My quenched thirst brought me back to the present, and I sipped on a bottle as the program began. I felt ready and walked to the podium as the first speaker. Sadly, my contacts weren't, and at the start of the third paragraph, my eyes dried up out of nowhere. the words and sentences crafted were becoming difficult to read. I pressed on, taking my time to read through the haze, and semi-improvised where possible.Then I realized I was tearing up.Not only because I was at yet another memorial within the span of a few months, but I was giving a speech at a memorial for a trans teen. Someone who had yet to understand the pains in our journey, but also one who had yet to see the joy of living your authentic life. A teen who didn't yet experience the joys of first love and success. Someone who didn't have the chance to mature into a trans adult.I teared up because I saw parts of my own trans journey in that trans youth.Kat's mother spoke to an outlet days before the service, hoping to raise awareness of the need for more support in schools. She highlighted how Kat enjoyed fashion and looking polished. I was the same way back then and even more now. As a fashionista, I'm sure Kat would have loved seeing the growing popularity of the "Protect the Dolls" shirt, especially after Troye Sivan wore the shirt at Coachella. 100% of the funds used from the purchase go to Trans Lifeline. This trans-led and centered organization offers support for trans folks in crisis. As of date, the shirt has raised more than $100,000.But protecting the dolls is more than just a phrase or a trendy shirt. It's a promise we must maintain to honor Kat and all those who deserve to live in safety and dignity. We must act, we must protect, and we must love each other fiercely. And we must constantly remind trans and queer youths that they are a wonder, not a problem; a promise, not a peril.I have great sorrow for a life cut short, but I hope that the love and support we showed for Kat on Sunday will continue to grow and protect the community. Kat deserves that, and so does every trans youth.Protect the dolls, forever and always. With care,Your Lovable Trans AuntieYour Lovable Trans Auntie is our go-to advice column for lifes biggest (and messiest) questionslove, work, identity, and everything in between. With a signature blend of warmth, wit, and just the right amount of sass, Auntie offers readers a uniquely trans perspective thats as affirming as it is entertaining. Whether dishing out heartfelt wisdom, practical advice, or a little tough love, Auntie is here to remind everyone that theyre never alone on this journeyGot a crush but dont know how to tell them youre trans? Wondering how to deal with that coworker who still forgets your pronouns? Trying to navigate family drama, dating dilemmas, or just figuring out who you are? Aunties got you. Submit your questions to voices@equalpride.com.

Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend. 1.) The Wedding Banquet hit theaters today! Ang Lees reimagining of the 1993 classic is a joyful comedy about a chosen family navigating the disasters and delights of [...]The post The GLAAD Wrap: The Wedding Banquet in Theaters, Trailers for And Just Like That and Four Seasons, New Music by Sasha Allen, BODHI, and More! first appeared on GLAAD.

Bowen Yang, best known for his comedy chops, is about to turn peoples heads by showing off a whole new asset.The 34-year-old Saturday Night Live cast member is starring in a remake of Brokeback Mountain director Ann Lees 90s queer cult classic The Wedding Banquet that will feature one very revealing scene.Yang plays Chris, a commitment-phobic gay man in this mad-cap comedy about his closeted boyfriend (Han Gi-chan) plan to keep his visa by convincing his friend Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) to enter a sham marriage with him in exchange for paying for Angela and her partner Lees (Lily Gladstone) next round of IVF treatments, but things soon get complicated when his grandmother surprises them with plans for an extravagant Korean wedding banquet, the official synopsis reads. In the film, Chris wakes up in horror the morning after a hookup with a surprising person and the audience is treated to a brief shot of Yangs bare butt as he hops out of bed."It was something that for anyone other than [director] Andrew Ahn, I would've been like, 'Let's talk about coverage,' and 'I'm not going to show nip,' and 'I'm not going to show butt,'" Yang explained in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I would've gotten really granular about that. But there was just something about playing the comedy of that scene, which is such a shocking moment. And then you're supposed to believe that these two people are so good about moving past it and then immediately having to de-queer the house in a way that cleanses the stakes.Although the Las Culturistas host isnt well known for showing body-ody-ody in films, he dove headfirst into the scene. "There was no hesitation in the end because it just felt so integral," Yang revealed. "I just think it's a very important part of the story, that you see these two people jump out of bed, scream at each other, and then go, 'This doesn't mean anything. Okay, bye!"And if you were wondering if youll get a glimpse of Yangs real tush if you run to the theater to watch the film, the answer is, yes. No boy double or prosthetics were used in the making of the nude scene."You will be able to tell from the flat topography of my buttocks that I bare it all, the comedian joked. None of the cast members knew each other prior to filming, but Yang said that Ahns direction helped to accelerate this connection, this intimacy, and this sense that these were four people who knew each other for a long time.When Yang landed the role, he was already familiar with the original film, having watched it while in college. "I would go to the library at NYU and I would just post up with the DVDs oh my gosh, this is really aging me," Yang quips. "I remember being pretty blown away by this idea that films that you didn't realize were out there have been impactful in the culture and in cinema. I just remember watching it at a time when I thought my parents would never accept this thing about me. I'd come out to my parents, then I went back in the closet after conversion therapy. It gives me this check-in point now to where my family just accepts that part of me and embraces it.Despite his traumatic past with conversion therapy, Yangs relationship with his family has made a full 180-degree change, and they even press him for information about his love life. "I never thought we would get there. When I think back on the movie, I do think about the strides that have been made just within my family alone."The Wedding Banquet is in theaters now, or can be rented on Fandango at Home. Watch the full trailer below.

Margaret Qualley is stepping into a new kind of spotlight as a smooth, skillful lesbian private detective in the upcoming film Honey Dont!, directed by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke. The actress, known for her versatility and recent role in The Substance, confirmed in an interview this week that she will lead the queer noir comedy alongside Aubrey Plaza, who plays an enigmatic mystery woman.Source

Agatha All Along star and sapphic fave Kathryn Hahn joined Amy Poehler to give everyone a lesson on the terms Mother and MILF, and youll never get a better education. While promoting her new show The Studio, Hahn appeared on the April 15 episode of the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, and the comedy legends talked about everything from having dance parties together on the set of Parks and Recreation to Hahn being embraced by the LGBTQ+ community.After talking about the beauty standards in Hollywood that are especially treacherous for women as they age, Poehler said that Hahn has entered her Mother phase, as queer fans have taken to caller frequently calling her Mother.Youre Mother Hahn, Poehler said, per Pink News.Poehler attributed the queer communitys love of Hahn to the cultural impact of Marvel shows like Agatha All Alone and WandaVision which had fanbases led primarily by gay men, but not just gay men. And young gay women, Hahn said, not forgetting the sapphics who love her, and went wild for her character Agatha Harkness sharing a lesbian kiss with Aubrey Plaza.Theyre deciding to be like just Mother and that feels like youre being anointed, Poehler said. Then school was in session as the two women defined terms for the audience.Hanh likened Mother to Anne Bancrofts character Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate. Thats what it feels like. Theres a cougar-y vibe.Poehler agreed and said that she thinks its a way to compliment someones wisdom and fortitude while still making them feel sexy."Theres something that feels sexy about it, because its very dom. Its very, like, she will crush you. Its a little bit like Mother' The Saturday Night Live alum then added: But also, theres a reverence to it, like a respect. Theres like a loving respect.Then, proving that the Poehler has a handle on her LGBTQ+ history, she broke down where the term originated, It goes back to the Houses and all the queer culture back who were creating their own community and family.I love it, it moves me so much, Hahn said.Poehler pointed out that it used to be that once an actress hit their 50s, they would be on the way out and not seen as vital anymore, but things are changing.Both women agreed they hate the term MILF, which has a different connotation than Mother.Not one to mince word, Hahn succinctly laid out why the acronym is terrible, Its a porn term probably by a lot of young men that have a fetish for f*cking older women, she said.It just feels like from the dudes point of view in a gross, porny way, Hahn continued, saying that Mother feels more respected.It feels more gay-adjacent, queer-adjacent, Poehler said. I love the very young queer women that loved Agatha All Along. That was such a huge part of our audience that was very, very moving, Hahn explained before Poehler reminded her that it was the first Marvel show to feature a gay kiss.

Lesbian films have come a long way over the past two decades. From low-budget indies and underground cult hits to Oscar contenders and chaotic mainstream comedies, queer female characters have slowly taken up more space on screen and even managed to carve out happily ever afters every now and then.While the pickings are sometimes slim, each year usually gives us something worth holding onto. Some of these films broke new ground. Some quietly found their audience years later. Some are messy as hell but still mean a hell of a lot to those who loved them at the time or have come to love them in the years since.Heres our (very subjective) pick for the best sapphic movie of every year from 2005 to 2024.2005: The AggressivesThis documentary offers a rare look into the lives of masculine-presenting queer and trans people of color in early 2000s New York. Honest and intimate, The Aggressives captures a community often left out of mainstream queer narratives, making it a standout entry from the era.Where to watch: Paramount+2006: Imagine Me & YouOkay, okay, we're fudging a bit with this one. Imagine Me & You was technically released in 2005, but it didn't hit the states until the following year, and 2006 was pretty devoid of sapphic stories, so, here we are. Queer romcoms are still hard to come by, and even moreso in the aughts. But this cute story about finding the person you're meant to be with, even if it means getting off the well-trodden path, will always be a top tier entry.Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video2007: Itty Bitty Titty CommitteeThis scrappy indie follows a young butch who falls in with a radical feminist art collective, throwing herself into queer politics, identity, and a little chaos along the way. Directed by Jamie Babbit (But Im a Cheerleader), its a time capsule of mid-2000s queer counterculture with a punky, DIY spirit.Where to watch: Roku2008: I Can't Think StraightThis romantic drama tells the story of two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves drawn to each other in spite of strict expectations from their families and communities. It became a popular entry in the sapphic film canon, especially for viewers looking for stories that explored the intersection of culture, identity, and queerness.Where to watch: Here TV2009: Jennifer's BodyInitially dismissed by people who didn't understand it, Jennifers Body pairs teen horror with queer subtext thats not exactly subtle. The world was used to watching boys fall all over themselves for Megan Fox during this era, but queer girls recognized the tension-filled friendship between Jennifer (Fox) and Needy (Amanda Seyfried) long before that kiss scene played out. We'll wait for the sequel forever, if we have to.Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video2010: The RunawaysA gritty biopic about the rise and fall of the 1970s all-girl rock band, The Runaways largely focuses on the complicated dynamic between Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. Unfortunately, the film didn't go as sapphic as we would have liked to see, keeping instead to hints of a romantic connection. But Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning brought their A-game, and the tension between them definitely added an unforgettable layer of queerness that easily earns this one a place on our list.Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video 2011: PariahPariah isnt just the best sapphic film of 2011; its considered one of the best films of the decade period. Exploring a world that often gets overlooked in media, this Sundance winner follows Alike (Adepero Oduye), a Black teenager in Brooklyn coming to terms with her identity while navigating expectations held by her religious mother.Where to watch: Starz2012: Mosquita y MariSet in Huntington Park, Mosquita y Mari follows two Chicana teenagers whose friendship begins to blur into something more. The film received praise for centering a queer coming-of-age story within a working-class Latinx community, offering representation that's still pretty rare to come by even now.Where to watch: Daily Motion2013: Blue is the Warmest ColorThere are plenty of valid reasons Blue Is the Warmest Color shouldnt be on this list from the directors treatment of the actors to the way it frames queer intimacy through a male gaze. But theres no denying the cultural impact it had at the time, bringing a level of mainstream visibility to a sapphic love story that few films had achieved before. It sparked conversation, drew criticism, and introduced many viewers to queer cinema flawed as it may be.Where to watch: AMC+2014: Girltrash: All Night LongThis musical comedy takes place over the course of one chaotic night in Los Angeles., following a group of queer women split between impressing a "fantasy crush," playing a killer gig, and trying (and failing) to avoid trouble. Based on the cult web series Girltrash!, the film isnt without its behind-the-scenes drama. But theres something about its DIY feel and campy earnestness that stays with you.Where to watch: Pluto TV2015: CarolA quiet but powerful love story set in 1950s New York, Carol follows two women (Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara) as they navigate attraction, social expectations, and the ache of wanting more. It's particularly notable for bringing a sapphic love story to mainstream audiences and it didn't even have to end in tragedy to make straight audiences fall for its charms.Where to watch: Netflix2016: The HandmaidenPark Chan-wooks The Handmaiden is a twisty, seductive psychological thriller set in 1930s Korea, where a con artist posing as a maid becomes entangled with the woman shes meant to deceive. The films stunning visuals and unapologetic sapphic desire made it an immediate standout. We could use more films like this one!Where to watch: Prime Video2017: ThelmaThis slow-burning supernatural drama follows a sheltered college student (Eili Harboe) who starts experiencing strange seizures after developing feelings for another woman. As Thelmas powers begin to unravel, so does the tight grip of repression shes lived under. Genre films centered around sapphic characters have seen an uptick in recent years, but there have still been relatively few overall. Fortunately, Thelma is a worth entry into the queer supernatural canon.Where to watch: Fubo & Fawesome 2018: The FavouriteThe Favourite made a splash in 2018 thanks to its star-studded cast and overwhelming number of award nominations. Set in the early 18th century, the film follows Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) as her attention shifts between two women in her courtSarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail Masham (Emma Stone). Although the story centers around ambition and control, the fact that uses queer desire to explore those themes (and does so in the most quietly hilarious manner) makes it stand out from other period pieces. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video2019: Portrait of a Lady on FireSpeaking of period pieces, Portrait of a Lady on Fire offered a very different take on queer longing when it premiered in 2019. Set in 18th-century France, the film follows a painter (Nomie Merlant) hired to secretly paint a woman (Adle Haenel) before her arranged marriage only to fall in love with her instead. This French film is easily one of the most highly regarded and well-known sapphic films in recent years, and deservedly so.Where to watch: Max2020: Shiva BabyShiva Baby turns social anxiety into a comedy of errors as college student Danielle (Rachel Sennott) attends a shiva with her parents only to discover her secret sugar daddy is there with his wife and baby. The film isn't about queerness, exactly, which marks a welcome shift in media around this time. It's also a perfectly chaotic collaboration between Sennott and writer/director Emma Seligman, and fortunately not the only one.Where to watch: Netflix2021: Fear Street: 1994In 2021, Netflix dropped a trilogy of movies loosely based on R.L. Stine's Fear Street books, along with the delightful reveal that they revolved around two girls (Kiana Madeira and Olivia Scott Welch) who previously dated but had a falling out. There's so much to be said about all three of the films, but 1994 kicked things off, which makes it the real winner here. A lot of people die in these movies, but spoiler alert at least Deena and Sam get a happily ever after.Where to watch: Netflix2022: Everything Everywhere All At OnceEverything Everywhere All At Once was the splashy crown jewel of 2022. This multiverse-hopping adventure follows Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), a laundromat owner who discovers shes the key to saving existence itself. Among the films many threads is Evelyns relationship with her daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), whose queerness is a big part of why the two have been at odds with one another. As we hop through different universes, there's also a disturbing (yet romantic) one where Evelyn herself is in a relationship with Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis). This wildly original movie was a must-see both when it was released and now.Where to watch: Max2023: BottomsBottoms brought dirtbag lesbian comedy to the big screen with a story about two queer teens (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) who start a fight club to hook up with cheerleaders. This gleefully chaotic whirlwind is a refreshing break from saccharine coming-of-age stories and traumatic period pieces. The fact that it was a rare mainstream comedy featuring overtly queer protagonists was just the cherry on top.Where to watch: Prime Video2024: Love Lies BleedingLove Lies Bleeding ditched conventional expectations at every turn with its story about a reclusive gym manager (Kristen Stewart) who falls for an aspiring body builder (Katy OBrian). This one pushed a lot of buttons, but at the end of the day, its commitment to messy truths and unapologetic queer desire makes it one of the years most unforgettable films.Where to watch: Max

Sir Elton John has once again partnered with renowned home fragrance expert Harry Slatkin to launch a new candle and reed diffuser collection, the Woodside Collection, inspired by the springtime ambiance of Johns English estate. The collection debuted exclusively on QVC on April 14, 2025. A Fragrant Tribute to Woodside The Woodside Collection features a selection of scents that evoke theSource

Rising chart-topper and certified bisexual icon Doechii is turning up the heatagain. The genre-defying rapper and singer has just dropped the official music video for her breakout hit Anxiety, and its every bit as bold, surreal, and unforgettable as fans have come to expect from the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess. Co-directed with James Mackel, the video brings cinematic flair to the trackSource

By day, Karlheinz Weinberger was a warehouse clerk. But by nightand any free moment in betweenhe was a man with a camera, on a decades-long mission to document a side of masculinity that mainstream postwar Swiss culture tried to ignore. Weinberger (19212006) is now recognized as one of Switzerlands most fascinating photographers, known for his gritty, intimate portraits of rebellious youthSource

Pop newcomer Addison Rae continues her ascent in the music industry with the release of her latest single, Headphones On, out now via Columbia Records. The track marks the fourth release from Raes highly anticipated debut album, which is set to drop June 6. The emotional, synth-pop single arrived Wednesday with a cinematic music video filmed in Reykjavik, Iceland, adding another visually richSource

Fairy tales in their earliest conception were equally useful as both forms of entertainment and to pass on moral lessons and reinforce cultural mores. The Ugly Stepsister, a feminist beauty horror film from Norwegian filmmaker Emilie Blichfeldt that both shocked and delighted audiences at its Sundance premiere earlier this year, takes inspiration directly from one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time, Cinderella. While the film more than meets the requirements to entertain its both wickedly funny and deliciously squirm-inducing its the way it upends and interrogates moral lessons and cultural mores that makes it a spectacular piece of art and an exciting debut.Set in the 1800s, the film follows Elvira (Lea Myren), a girl with dreams of being swept off her feet by her very own Prince Charming, or rather, Prince Julian. When her newly destitute family is invited to a ball to woo the royal, both she and her beautiful stepsister Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Nss) become locked in a competition to win the Princes heart and his fortune. While that plot might sound familiar, this tale, unlike in the Disney version, unfolds from Elviras perspective. And unlike Agnes, Elvira doesnt fit neatly into the strict beauty standards set by those around her, so she must be molded, chiseled, starved, and sewn up to meet them, lest she lose her chance at royalty and what she imagines will be a happily ever after. At times its just as grisly as it sounds and Blichfeldt is unflinching in her presentation of the small and myriad grotesqueries involved with cosmetic procedures (the 1800s were the dawn of cosmetic surgery). But there is also a heavy dose of camp with more than a whisper of absurdity that elevates the film out of what would otherwise be a very grim, Grimm tale indeed.The film was born of rage, and it shows. For Blichfeldt, it came in part from her own frustration around gender expression and expectation. I dont want to judge anyone trying to navigate [femininity], you know what being a female or identifying as a female is, and how you do that. I just want us to be free to do it in more ways, and to ask more questions, she tells PRIDE. Im [trying] to make a space where we can choose things more freely.The film is her answer to the old, profoundly misogynistic adage that beauty is pain, and in The Ugly Stepsister thats not a metaphor or philosophic endeavor. Elvira is quite literally in agony in the pursuit of a beauty that she didnt know she needed or lacked until the world told her so, while (most) of those around her clap in delight at both the process and results.The film is all building toward a ball where the girls will not only have the opportunity to parade themselves past the price in gowns, but in a balletic performance as well, which not only shows off Blichfeldts assured and visionary direction but also her own background as a dancer. But before the big night, we spend time with Elvira and Agnes as they train and practice. Leading the preparation are a duo of women, a butch-femme couple, Madam Vanja (Katarzyna Herman) and Sophie von Kronenberg (Cecilia Forss), who together teach the girls choreography and etiquette, sorting the girls by talent and beauty. All the while, both women are rewarding and abetting the increasingly violent things Elvira is enduring in the pursuit of the latter.In a lesser film, these women could be cartoonish in their villainy. After all, in a time and place where women were entirely reliant on men and marriage to access wealth and security, these women have become gatekeepers to that access based around the strict adherence to beauty standards and gender conformity. But Blichfeldt sees them differently. Like everyone else, this duo is trapped in a system of patriarchal rule and have carved out their own way to survive as queer women in this time.For me, this is a film that is a lot about class, Blichfeldt explains. Cinderella, we have this idea that shes from rags to riches, but really, in almost all versions of the fairy tale, she starts as a noblewoman who is put into the kitchen for a while before a prince picks her up. Sophie and Vanja offered the writer-director another way to explore class in the films, she adds. I just got this idea that they should not be married, that they are actually kind of upholding these patriarchal things, but actually theyre doing it to live their own free life, she says.She looked at how sapphics survived in the 1800s, A lot of lesbian women do not have to be forced to marry, they had to find a way to earn a living, and that would be within these very feminine [professions such as] being school teachers.While this duo may have found freedom in careers and love with one another, theyre still complicit in the larger systemic issues. One of the most chilling scenes involves Sophie giving Elvira a gift to enhance her beauty which is horrific but that we wont spoil here while speaking in the coded language of empowerment, coding her harmful advice as changing Elviras outsides to match the true beauty within. That was a very important and very fun scene to write, because I think theres so many influencers and marketers out there that are kind of taking our language, says Blichfeldt.In this way, and so many others, there are equal moments of epiphany and horror in the film. Its darkly funny, naughty, and thought-provoking. Its a clever use of the visual language of common folklore of fairy tales to unpack and unwind our deeply ingrained ideas of beauty and gender, while also presenting a truly entertaining yarn. If The Ugly Stepsister represents what fairy tales are today, that they are opportunities to unlearn harmful ideas and beliefs, to open our minds to possibility, unravel gender, and escape societal constraints while also making us scream with horror and delight thats a happily ever after we can get behind.The Ugly Stepsister is in theaters today. Watch the trailer below.

If you thought Dylan Efrons abs and sense of humor had you head over heels for him, wait until you hear about how he saved two womens lives!While on an episode of Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast on Thursday, The Traitors season 3 star detailed his experience in South Beach, Miami that led him to jump into the Atlantic Ocean to save some swimmers alongside his friend Brennon and reality TV costar Sam Asghari.I just walk up the shore for the first time ever, and Im looking out, and theres people screaming in the water, Efron said, but while most people might have thought there was a shark, he didnt because the currents were ripping.Zac Efrons 33-year-old younger brother quickly realized there were five young women in the water in need of help. I just saw five girls, like, their hands were up, screaming. Theres people on the shore with their hands up, he recalled, Page Six reports. So I just looked around, and theres no lifeguards around. Me and Brennon just look at each other, and we just sprinted out there, Efron continued.Two of the women were close too shore and there was already had a guy helping them in, but there were still three other women out further, that he set his sights on rescuing. So I swam one in, swam back for another girl, he explained.Luckily, the third woman left out in the water was able to get back to shore on her own. The last girl I swam in, I was just trying to calm her down. Just saying, Breathe. Breathe. And shes just wrapped me in the biggest hug, like, doesnt wanna let go. So we hugged for like a full minute, just hugging this girl on the shore. Im like, Youre safe. Youre good, he said. This story almost makes us want to go swimming in a dangerous ocean!Then, Efron admitted that the young woman never said [another] word to him, and they both just walked away, describing the harrowing experience as being both random and really real.Efron said he didnt hesitate to jump into the ocean despite the rip current, Im in the water a lot, so I just felt comfortable. But he and Brennon ended up, like, a football field length away after getting in the water.The current was strong, he reiterated. The girls probably just got a little too far and got scared.

As if! Alicia Silverstone is dusting off her yellow plaid blazer and stepping back into the role that made her a 90s icon. Peacock is developing a Clueless sequel series, and yes, Silverstone is officially set to reprise her role as the ever-fabulous Cher Horowitz. The upcoming series is being billed as a follow-up to the 1995 teen comedy classic, which was loosely inspired by Jane AustensSource

Kori King may not have snagged any challenge wins or left the judges speechless on the runway during RuPauls Drag Race Season 17, but dont be fooled the queen is thriving. The fan-favorite performer has carved out a viral empire online, and in recent months, shes become a surprising sensation on Cameo, where shes been neck-and-neck with Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky for the top spot. YesSource