As Democrats continue to grapple with former President Donald Trumps decisive victory in last weeks presidential election, Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE) is breaking down how she pulled off a historic win in a campaign season that saw Republicans lean hard on anti-transgender fearmongering.McBride, who after serving four years in the Delaware state senate became the first out transgender person ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last Tuesday, told MSNBCs Chris Hayes last week that she is grateful to her home state for giving me this opportunity to serve. Related Sarah McBride will be the first trans member of Congress. Heres why thats important. Trans representation has never been more needed, and were finally getting it in Congress. The 34-year-old added that shes incredibly determined to defend both Delaware and American democracy in Congress. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today I think this victory is a testament to Delawarians, she said, that in our state of neighbors, we are fair-minded, that we judge candidates based on their ideas and not their identities. And I think voters across the state of Delaware Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike responded to our message of building a government that respects all of us, that respects all of us across all of our different backgrounds and of course across all of our different beliefs. In contrast to the GOPs anti-trans ads, McBride pointed to her own record in the Delaware Senate fighting for working families as the source of her appeal to the states voters.I was really singularly focused on bringing down costs facing workers, their families, and retirees. I helped pass paid family and medical leave, I helped secure the largest investment in our states Medicaid program since the Affordable Care Act passed, and I was able to do all of that with bipartisan support, she explained. We put forward a positive, inclusive message during the course of this year-and-a-half-long campaign, and I think voters really responded to that.While some commentators and Democrats have pointed to Republican ads attacking trans people, McBride insisted that trans rights issues were not on many voters minds. I was hearing about the cost of childcare, the cost of housing, the cost of healthcare, she said. I think those ads were part of a long-term strategy by the far-right wing in this country, which is a strategy to pick a small and vulnerable misunderstood community to fear-monger and scapegoat around in order to distract and divide from the fact that those far-right wing politicians have absolutely no policy solutions for the issues that are actually keeping people up at night, she explained. The anti-trans ads, she said, were meant to distract voters from Trumps unpopular policies, including his proposal to implement a 20 percent tariff on all overseas imports into the U.S., which experts have said would result in increased prices for many household goods.At the same time, she resisted the idea that anti-trans GOP ads were what swung the election in Trumps favor. When I was hearing from undecided voters, McBride said, they felt like the economy was better under Donald Trump and that we survived four years. And obviously I disagree with that perspective, but that seemed to be driving people. As The Advocate notes, post-election polling data from the Human Rights Campaign backs up McBrides theory of the case. According to the HRC, a mere four percent of voters said the GOPs anti-trans talking points influenced their voting decision.While the results of this election are deeply disappointing, this polling shows that strong majorities of Americans want elected officials to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination and to stay out of the health care of trans people, HRC president Kelley Robinson said in a statement. It also confirms that once again, anti-trans attacks were not a motivating issue for voters all they do is sow hate and division toward a community that just wants to be their authentic selves.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is demanding Donald Trump sign her gender-affirming care ban into law when he takes office. With Republicans set to control the House, Senate, and White House next year, she is even discussing what the bill does in detail on social media, including how it will throw doctors in jail for following the standards of care for trans youth, make gender-affirming care harder to obtain for trans adults, ban medical schools from teaching about it, and bar doctors from immigrating to the United States if they have been found to have offered gender-affirming care to trans patients. We must pass my Protect Childrens Innocence Act so President Trump can sign it into law! Greene said on X. She then listed out what her bill does and didnt just say that all it would do is end child genital mutilation surgeries. Related Marjorie Taylor Greene outraged that puberty blockers dont do a thing they were never meant to do She said that Big Pharma is lying to people about gender-affirming care. Then she pointed out that the next vice president will be someone who introduced the Senate version of the bill. Im grateful that Vice President-Elect JD Vance introduced the Senate companion of this legislation, and it will be an honor for President Trump to sign this bill into law, she wrote. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today We must pass my Protect Childrens Innocence Act so President Trump can sign it into law!What my bill does: Charges any person who knowingly performed gender-affirming care on a minor with a Class C Felony (10 to 25 years in prison or maximum $250,000 fine). Prohibits pic.twitter.com/fUyDjPmbEG Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) November 11, 2024While pundits in the mainstream media debate whether Vice President Kamala Harris discussed trans rights too much during the campaign something she barely mentioned at all Republicans spent tens of millions of dollars making trans rights an issue during the campaign season, and now many of them want a return on that investment. Many on the right especially Greene took last weeks election results as a mandate to attack transgender peoples rights. I am so excited! Greene said from Trumps Mar-a-Lago Election Night party last week. America will no longer tolerate this communist regime, ripping our border wide open, turning our kids trans, and promoting abortion as reproductive rights. The American people are fed up with a weaponized government. President Trump is going back to the White House!Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Now that the results of the 2024 elections are in Republicans will control the Senate, House, and White House everyone is talking about what Democrats should do to make a comeback in 2028. We at LGBTQ Nation want to know what you think they should do the most.Should they move to the left and discuss their progressive policy goals, which could include a plan for single-payer health care and an upward redistribution of the tax burden? Or should they tack to the center, emphasizing a pro-business, tough-on-crime position?Or is the solution outside of the policy realm? Have Democrats let communications on social media slide when it comes to reaching out to certain groups, like young cishet white men or Latin people? Or should they eschew identity-based communications and talk more about how Republicans make the economy worse for working people after President Joe Biden protected union pensions and achieved low unemployment while getting inflation down to low levels?Which do you think would help the most? Share your opinion View the article on LGBTQ Nation to participate in our reader poll.

Fearful that marriage equality will be in jeopardy under a second Trump administration, same-sex couples in Iowa are flocking to the altar before the president-elect is inaugurated in January and one person is going above and beyond to help these couples down the aisle.Through the organization Lesbians of Iowa, Chaplain Anitta Milloro has built a resource to connect couples with vendors that are willing to provide free services to queer couples, from photographers to officiants, to living will and notary services. They are currently helping more than 40 couples tie the knot. Related Democrats are at each others throats over the role of trans issues in Trumps victory But experts say we can find our way through. Theres only so long that I can sit in suffering before I have to roll up my sleeves and do something, Milloro told Des Moines news station KCCI. We take care of ourselves. Thats what weve had to do, thats what well continue to do. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Milloros project, called For A Time Such As This, provides an interactive map that shows where free services are offered. It includes vendors not just in Iowa but all over the country. Any vendor interested in being added to the map can submit a form on the site.The Supreme Courts 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges currently protects marriage equality rights at the national level. But with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, many fear marriage equality could be next on the chopping block, especially since Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas declared he wanted to look into it. Should the Supreme Court actually overturn marriage equality, the Respect for Marriage Act signed by President Joe Biden in December of 2022 would still apply. This law requires the federal and all state governments to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages performed in states where its legal. Iowa legalized marriage equality in 2009, but some LGBTQ+ Iowans dont trust the state GOP to protect that right. The party told KCCI that anyone saying it has plans to overturn marriage equality in the state is simply fearmongering, but Milloro emphasized that people simply dont trust them.They believe it can happen because it happened with Roe v. Wade. So how do we take steps to protect ourselves in light of an administration thats not going to do that for us?Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

In the wake of Donald Trumps election as president, transgender people are left wondering what lies ahead. For this vulnerable community, a Trump administration signals potential disaster: the candidate just won his election after $215 million in anti-trans ads targeting this small minoritya staggering amount that eclipsed spending on other issue-based ads. Now, transgender individuals are searching for ways to protect themselves under a federal government that may view them as top enemies from within, a term Trump has used to describe those on the left.I spoke with experts in transgender care and dozens of transgender individuals to identify steps the community can take now to prepare for a Trump presidency. Trump has pledged numerous actions against transgender people, from investigating educators to banning gender-affirming care for youth and ending legal recognition for transgender individuals. While some of these measures may take time to implement, others could happen swiftly. For instance, the upcoming December budget negotiations are likely to include anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ amendments, which Democrats may accept to avoid a government shutdown.For transgender people and their supporters, being prepared is essential. Here are practical steps the community should consider in the coming weeks to safeguard themselves against these anticipated challenges.Obtaining or updating your passport. Obtaining a federal passport is a crucial step for transgender individuals, as it serves as a valid ID in most places and is necessary for international travel. Passports also let you change your gender marker via a simple selection checkbox, making the process of having your official gender marker hassle-free. This last point is especially importantanticipated federal crackdowns could soon make it impossible to update your gender marker on federal documents and might even affect state IDs. Passports are valid for ten years, and some states allow you to align your gender marker with the one on your passport, making this action essential, even if you dont plan to travel internationally. And should the need for travel arise, youll be grateful you took this precaution.Many transgender people Ive spoken to have already begun this process. One family, hoping to secure a passport before federal rules change, opted for the expedited service. Ellie, the mother of a transgender teen, shared, Im determined to keep my son safe and alive, and we will do everything humanly possible to make that happen. She noted that they are researching options for moving internationally if gender-affirming care is banned federally, with Spain as their top choice. For transgender individuals, expedited passports are an important consideration to ensure they receive their documents before Trumps inauguration. Although they cost a bit more, expedited passports are processed much faster.Some observed a rise in the number of LGBTQ+ people seeking passports in the elections immediate aftermath. Andromeda, a transgender woman, noted, At the post office, there were five people in line for passports. Four of us were trans. She described the atmosphere as very sullen, adding, We were all very nervous but being very strong about it.Updating state documents and IDs. This step is crucial, as transgender people will need as many documents as possible that reflect their correct gender marker to navigate potential laws and regulations targeting them. Although most anti-trans laws specify that legal recognition of sex must align with the sex recorded at or near birth, enforcing these provisions is often challenging. In practice, having licenses and IDs that display an accurate gender marker can help transgender individuals avoid negative interactions and even defuse tense situations with officials. Additionally, obtaining such documentation may become more difficult in the futureTrump could, for instance, leverage laws like the Real ID Act to push for bans on correct gender markers on drivers licenses.Many transgender individuals have started this process quickly, anticipating that their opportunity to do so may soon disappear. One such person in South Dakota, Cole, shared, I need to get my name and marker officially changed before I am barred from the chance. In South Dakota, the process is particularly onerous, requiring a court order or a signed affidavit from a physician. Cole is concerned that completing it may become impossible once Trump takes office.Maintaining a supply of medication. Some individuals are taking steps to secure their access to gender-affirming medications, though this approach carries potential legal challenges. The Trump administration has indicated plans to sue pharmaceutical companies providing gender-affirming care, making medication access disruption a real possibility. Additionally, federal funding bans, threats, and investigations could further complicate access. States like California have announced intentions to enact laws protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from such federal actions. For individuals, practical methods to maintain a medication supply include underdosing to build an emergency reserve, working with a physician willing to prescribe extra medication, or obtaining hormones through online sources, though it is important to note that these steps are not without legal or personal risks.Nevertheless, many individuals reported taking these precautionary steps. One person, who asked to remain anonymous, shared that her doctor advised her she could continue using estradiol vials beyond four injections, contrary to prior instructions to discard them after four uses. This adjustment has allowed her to build up a supply that could last through a Trump presidency. Another respondent mentioned underdosing her estradiol to justify higher prescription doses, enabling her to maintain a backup supply in case of disruptions.Changing your social security office gender marker. This is a step many people overlook, as they may not realize that the Social Security Administration maintains a gender marker on file. If future policies restrict the ability to update identification documents, updating your gender marker with Social Security could help prevent mismatches that might flag your identification within federal systems. The process is straightforward, with an online portal explaining which form to complete and where to submit it. Most people will need to bring the form to their local Social Security office. Fortunately, changing ones gender marker is as simple as checking a boxno court orders or medical documentation requiredmaking it a relatively quick step to complete.Consider moving now, if you want to. For many, relocating is a significant and complex decisionand its important to acknowledge that moving isnt a viable option for a large portion of the queer community. Financial limitations, legal or personal circumstances, and a desire to stay and fight all keep many people rooted in their home states. However, for those considering a move, this may be an opportune moment to finalize those plans. Anti-trans legislation and actions could escalate quickly, potentially even before Bidens presidency concludes, especially with looming budget negotiations. While the exact scope of potential executive actions remains uncertain, many of the steps outlined here may become far more challenging once such actions are in place.Many people Ive spoken with have already decided to move. Sarah, a mother of a trans child from Texas, shared that she plans to relocate to Denver as soon as her house sells. Weve discussed moving for several years, and this is the push we needed, I guess, she said. When asked why she chose Colorado, she explained, Were hopeful that, in a blue state with shield laws, there will be some resistance to any national policies. For instance, when Biden made the Title IX changes, Texas fought back, so we didnt get those protections. Im hoping it would be like that, but in reverse. Its also why well rent instead of buyingif another move is necessary, we want to be able to pick up quickly and go.Another individual, Tawj, mentioned that theyve already formed a small caravan of queer people saving and preparing to move to a blue state before the transfer of power. Its a small group of five for now were all pooling money to make the move cheaper.For Chelsey, a transgender girl who is planning on moving next year, she spoke of her Grandmothers experiences in Nazi Germany as a major influencing factor, stating, My grandmother fled Germany and she saw her sister get shot by the Nazis. The stories that I remember from her were, we were never prepared to flee. We got complacent and even with organizing which is good and important. Its also important to be prepared to flee.To determine which state is safe to move to, watch for updates to my Trans Legislative Risk Assessment Map.Make decisions around staying or going stealth. A recurring topic in discussions about preparing for a Trump administration is the role that going or staying stealth may play in ensuring safety. For transgender individuals, stealth refers to living in ones gender identity without disclosing that one is transgender. For many, this involves extra attention to makeup and voice training to pass as cisgender and blend in. For transgender youth, it often means not informing school officials about their gender identity. Such steps may become critical, as schools could feel pressured by the Trump administration to enforce restrictions on trans youth, even in blue states. For trans adults, staying stealth could also offer a measure of safety in the face of increasingly common bathroom regulations.Many transgender people I spoke with had mixed feelings about going stealth under a Trump administration. Some have concluded that its the safest option for them, while others have chosen to remain visible, believing that visibility will be essential in the fight for transgender rights. Still others feel that stealth simply isnt an option for them.Relying on local community allies. One essential action transgender people and allies can take is to support community organizations, legal funds, and other resources. Historically, when restrictive laws have targeted the LGBTQ+ community, it has been crucial to connect with groups of LGBTQ+ individuals who can provide mutual support and safety. When choosing organizations to support, state and local groups are particularly valuable, as they offer the most current information on relevant laws and can advise on the best ways to address new challenges under a Trump administration. These organizations are also well-positioned to navigate the specific legal processes and advocacy opportunities within local communities.The Trump administration is expected to bring significant legal threats for transgender people, but there are steps that can be taken now to mitigate these risks. With a closing window to act before Trumps inauguration, these measures are time-sensitive. Early preparation may be the difference between enduring four years of intensified crackdowns on trans and queer communitiesor facing the brunt of an administration determined to restrict their rights. Taking steps now is essential for those looking to safeguard their futures.

The index to future histories chronicling Donald Trumps rise and fall got a new entry on Monday night, courtesy Jimmy Kimmel on his late-night Live show: Elonia Musk.The nicknname follows a flurry of palace intrigue around Musks appearance in a family photo snapped on election night that featured the billionaire X owner and his son but not once-and-future First Lady Melania Trump. Related Elon Musks trans daughter might leave the country because of Trumps victory Even if Trump doesnt implement his anti-trans agenda, Vivian Jenna Wilson cited one reason shes still leaving I think its a little weird, right? said CNNs Ana Navarro on Friday after Trump family members posted the pic to X. I mean,Elon Muskseems to be everywhere at all times. Hes like Secretary of Everything, and at the same time, hes like the First Lady. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Melania Trump did show at Trumps victory speech later that night. Anyone who said Laura Loomer would be the new First Lady owes a huge apology to Elon Musk. pic.twitter.com/6gg9ruDuw2 Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) November 8, 2024The First Lady assignment picked up steam over the weekend as rumors swirled that Musks online nemesis author, Stephen King, had trolled him on X with the same moniker, and Musk banned him from his increasingly right-wing platform. The speculation stoked accusations of hypocrisy on the part of the self-described free-speech advocate.Wait. Free Speech Musk has banned #stephenking from Twitter for calling him The First Lady? pic.twitter.com/FsKRS5cuTh bighcarter (@BigHCarter) November 11, 2024 The X ban rumor was debunked by Politifact, but nevertheless inspired a rash of memes feeding the worlds richest mans insatiable demand for attention.Just love Stephen King. Musk is already the 1st Lady elect! pic.twitter.com/qODZqeIaQJ Peter Morrison (@richmondpete) November 12, 2024It was left to Kimmel to memorialize Musks new status as Elonia.Trump isnt appointing comic book villains to run the government on his own, Kimmel said of the president-elects personnel announcements for his second administration. Hes been getting a lot of help from the richest man in the world.Musk has been in the room when world leaders have called Trump, and tonight weve learned hes also weighing in on staffing decisions, making clear his preference for certain roles. Hes picking out outfits for Trump to wear, hes been applying his bronzing cream to his face. Cute couple.Kimmel added with a rimshot flourish: Look out, Melania, Trumps got a new squeeze named Elonia Musk. While Trumps actual wife has shunned the traditional White House meeting with First Lady Jill Biden, Musk is diving in feet first into his role as Trumps work wife, joining a call to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky last week and weighing in on X about where he wants Trump to take the country. Like Trumps two ex-wives, Musk will likely suffer inevitable disappointment.In the meantime, the wannabe secretary of cost-cutting a nebulous position Trump has dangled like a bright, shiny toy for the ADHD-challenged CEO can take satisfaction in the fact his investment in Trumps candidacy paid off. He earned $15 billion alone on Election Night as his Tesla stock price surged.Thank you Stephen King for calling Elon Musk the First Lady pic.twitter.com/gjGc2QLAg7 F.T.W. Frizol the wonderful. (@BobFrizol61) November 12, 2024Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

A video circulating online from Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, depicts the lynching of two gay men who were allegedly caught engaging in sexual intercourse.The men were stripped down to their underwear and forced to hold hands while being paraded in the streets. They were covered in bruises and blood. Onlookers watched and recorded with their phones as the pair were beaten with sticks and fists and attackers hurled homophobic slurs at them. Related Death & rape threats force straight activist to flee Uganda over anti-LGBTQ+ law Nyombi Morris has faced horrific threats, including ones against his family, just because he supported his queer sister. An elderly man who witnessed the incident told LGBTQ Nation that mob attacks on queer people are common occurrences in Rumuewhara, a community in the city of Port Harcourt. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today We catch homosexuals all the time and teach them a lesson they wont forget. There are so many beautiful women in Nigeria so I dont understand why a man would be looking at his fellow man. Last year we caught a man who plaited his hair and dressed as a woman; we took off his clothes, we saw his Gboola (penis), confirming he was a man, and we beat him up mercilessly. In fact, we almost killed him.He added, Homosexuality is an abomination against God, and we wont tolerate such in our community or the wrath of Sodom & Gomorrah will befall us.Shortly after the incident, Metas Oversight Board called out Facebook and Instagram for failing to take down a similar video posted in December of two gay men in Nigeria who were beaten and tied up. The video garnered over 3.6 million views between December 2023 and February 2024. Despite being reported by 92 users for violence, incitement, and hate speech, three human reviewers concluded that it did not violate any community standards and should remain on Facebook. The alarming reality of jungle justiceIn Nigeria, the phenomenon known as jungle justice, which involves the extrajudicial and violent punishment inflicted by mobs, poses significant threats to LGBTQ+ individuals and often goes unpunished. This alarming reality driven by entrenched homophobia and bigotry influenced by both cultural and religious ideologies creates a harrowing existence for LGBTQ+ Nigerians.The combination of strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws, social stigma, and a flawed justice system that fails to protect minorities has created an environment where the lives of queer individuals are not only expendable but also actively endangered.Nigerian societies are strictly conservative, and a large majority of Nigerians hold highly negative and bigoted views of LGBTQ+ people.Same-sex relations can result in 14 years imprisonment under the 2014 Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA). Meanwhile, some northern states that are predominantly Muslim practice Sharia law and punish homosexuality with a death sentence. Queer individuals were already discriminated against in Nigeria, but when former president Goodluck Jonathan signed the SSMPA in 2014, the plight of the LGBTQ+ community worsened significantly. The law, which criminalizes not only same-sex unions but also LGBTQ+ advocacy, emboldened anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments and gave legal backing to violence.After the law was passed, Nigeria saw a staggering surge in violence and mob attacks against LGBTQ+ individuals that stretched over the next six years. Jungle justice, often characterized by severe beatings, public humiliation, and executions, became a common form of punishment for suspected LGBTQ+ individuals.Homophobic mobs typically operate without fear of legal repercussions, knowing that the public is on their side. In fact, a 2019 Pew Research survey found that 87% of Nigerians are against gay rights. These mob attacks are often perceived not as crimes, but as acts of moral policing methods for the community to cleanse itself of perceived corruption. A month after the bill was signed, two men accused of having a relationship were dragged by a mob to the town square in Gombe State, Northern Nigeria, where they were publicly beaten and stoned to death.Communities started organizing mobs in what was believed to be cleansing rituals to rid their communities of gay people. Their targets were mostly effeminate men because in Africa, effeminacy is often associated with homosexuality and unmarried men in their mid-30s to 50s. In one well-known tragedy, 14 young men were dragged from their beds by a mob wielding wooden clubs and iron bars. Four boys who managed to escape the lynching ran to a police station but were assaulted by the police officers, who handed them back to the mob.This form of violence became increasingly normalized over the next several years. Never thought it would be me Philip, a gay man living in Lagos told LGBTQ Nation he escaped a near-death experience in 2021 when he traveled to the eastern part of Nigeria to visit a friend.Ive always read stories of gay people who have been lynched in Nigeria, but I never in a million years thought Id be a victim myself. Being an effeminate man in Nigeria has always been quite a difficult experience, but I grew up in a rich neighborhood and attended private schools, so I never experienced violent confrontations.Philip was in his final year in college when he traveled to Enugu to see a friend, Sam. He was attacked by a mob who barged into Sams apartment while they were making dinner. The perpetrators accused Philip of being Sams lover. They dragged them outside and savagely beat them up. I remember being surrounded by multiple men and getting punched in the eye before someone hit me on the head with a hard object. I dont really know how long it lasted, but we were bruised and bloodied all over when they were done. My entire face was swollen, and I could barely see a thing.He continued, One man came back and started hitting Sam with a stick when he tried standing up but was restrained by the women there, who I guessed eventually pitied our condition. We were ordered to leave the neighborhood or they would kill us. Despite the bodily injuries I sustained and the unimaginable pain I felt all over my body, my friend and I managed to leave, abandoning all our belongings.Luckily a friend of Sams came to their aid. She took them to a hospital, where doctors refused to treat their injuries without a police report. So they had their wounds treated at a private clinic. Sam was admitted to the hospital the next day after learning he had internal injuries. Philip got multiple stitches, including on his face, and a cast for his broken arm. Another man Kenneth, lost his boyfriend, Mike, in 2020 when an unknown driver intentionally ran him down for being effeminate.Mike was the sweetest and kindest person Ive ever known, and I miss him every day, Kenneth told LGBTQ Nation. He was attacked in his school for being gay a week before his death, but Mike was quite a stubborn and unapologetic person, he never cared and always stayed true to himself. His friends said he was walking along the road when the driver who had catcalled him earlier swerved into the pedestrian lane and ran him down, killing him instantly.Kenneth said it still hurts him to this day that he cant get justice for Mike. Easy targets Homophobia in Nigeria and many other African nations is closely linked to religious fundamentalism and cultural norms. Religious leaders frequently preach against LGBTQ+ rights, portraying them as morally and spiritually wrong. This rhetoric fuels harmful ideologies and reinforces negative attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals, fostering beliefs that they deserve punishment, which triggers the mob attacks.African societies are also traditionally organized around the preservation of family units and adherence to culturally defined gender roles. LGBTQ+ individuals challenge these norms, which demand they marry and have children. LGBTQ+ people are thus viewed as neglecting their responsibilities.In a nation where poverty and lack of education foster resentment and unrest, marginalized communities become convenient scapegoats. LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly in low-income rural areas, are easy targets for mob violence, especially where law enforcement is weak or absent.In Nigerian boarding schools, students aged 12 to 18 often gang up on their queer classmates, and beat them up, while school authorities enable this behavior. Raymond, 20, was expelled from his school in 2021 after his classmates attacked him for writing a love letter to a boy in his class.My classmates found a love letter I wrote to my crush at school and beat me up like a criminal, he told LGBTQ Nation. They hit me with buckets and clothes hangers and stomped on me on the floor multiple times, then tied me up and dragged me to the security men, who locked me up in a cell. The next day the school authorities brought me out in the school assembly and some other boys who had homosexual allegations leveled against them. They made us stand in front of the whole school wearing only shorts and expelled us.Moreover, in areas where education is limited, misinformation and ignorance about LGBTQ+ identities flourish. The idea that homosexuality is a Western disease that can be spread is widely accepted. Even in South Africa, one of the few African nations to legalize same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face severe violence.The safety and dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals remain at risk as long as legal systems criminalize homosexuality and societal attitudes condone mob violence. Unless these root causes are addressed, LGBTQ+ people will continue to face violence, exclusion, and death at the hands of homophobic mobs, perpetuating an endless cycle of fear and trauma.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to begin his new term by starting the largest deportation program in American history, aiming to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. But Aaron Morris executive director of Immigration Equality, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting LGBTQ+ immigrants through legal services and litigation has said its already preparing to combat Trumps plans.Unfortunately, we have survived and thrived through a previous Trump administration, so there are certain expectations that we will have, and steps he will take, that will hurt both immigrant communities at large and also target LGBTQ immigrants, Morris told Gay City News. We are preparing various strategies and mapping out possibilities to stop harm from happening. Related U.S. immigration policy has always been based on racism Anti-semitism, Christianity, eugenics, and white supremacy have all played a role in who is (and isnt) considered worthy of being an American. Trump has pledged to reinstatehis ban on immigration from majority-Muslim countries.He threatened to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, the same law used to justify the internment of Japanese and German Americans during World War II, to put millions of immigrants in internment camps. He has also insinuated that he may deport naturalized citizens and the undocumented parents of children who gained birthright citizenship by being born in the United States. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Morris says he expects Trump to issue sweeping executive orders that overreach his legal authority during his first 100 days in office. Those orders will trigger court challenges that may take months to sort out, but they will also create fear, confusion, and anti-immigration sentiment that may endanger immigrants and people of color.While Morris says he and his organization disagreed with the immigration and deportation policies of President Joe Biden, Immigration Equality at least maintained an open dialogue with the administration. Morris expects his organization to play a much more defensive role in the second Trump administration, similar to the role his organization played during Trumps first.Despite Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric, his and Bidens records on immigrant deportations have been mixed. Millions more Central and South Americans have attempted border crossings during Bidens presidency than during Trumps, and Biden deported, returned, or expelled millions more of these immigrants than Trump did, according to The Washington Post. However, Trump deported hundreds of thousands of more undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S. than Biden did. Even though Biden deported more immigrants than Trump, he also repeatedly tried to protect undocumented immigrants already living in the United States, prioritizing the removal of immigrants deemed as public safety threats and pursuing efforts to create an easier pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of immigrantsmarriedto U.S. citizens. In contrast, Trump has repeatedlyused racism and fascist rhetoric to demonize darker-skinned immigrants as rapists, murderers, and thieves who are poisoning the blood of our country. He has also appointed anti-LGBTQ+ white nationalist Stephen Miller as his deputy chief of staff for policy, a man who declared during Trumps re-election campaign that America is for Americans and Americans only. Trumps deportation plan would break up law-abiding families that have been living, working, and paying taxes in the U.S. for decades. This would not only causethe U.S. to lose an estimated $100 billion a yearin taxes paid by immigrants, but it would also massively destabilize the agriculture, construction, and hospitality industries, all of which rely on immigrant labor. In some ways, [Trumps victory was] shockingly disappointing given the ramifications of what is going to happen to the queer community and immigrant community, Morris said. Stay strong, he added. We have weathered this storm before. We will do our part to chip away at everything Donald Trump will do, but we need people to open their homes, to open their government People can see the storm coming. People are going to be very afraid. At most, his administration will last four years.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Nicole Maines is finally telling her story on her terms.Maines has been a notable figure in US trans canon for some time. Maines's precedent-setting lawsuit, Doe v. Clenchy, where she sued her former school district over the right to use the girl's restroom, provided much of the foundation for journalist Amy Ellis Nutt's 2015 book Becoming Nicole.Maines also starred as the DC superhero Dreamer on Supergirl, the first trans superhero on television. Since premiering on Supergirl, Dreamer has entered the DC comic book universe, and was recently given her own full length graphic novel, Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story, authored by Maines herself. You might also recognize Maines from the Showtime thriller Yellowjackets. Unfortunately there's no word yet whether or not she'll be reprising the role of Lisa, but our fingers are crossed.See on InstagramMaines is an actress, trans activist, graphic novelist, and now highly successful memoirist. Her new memoir, It Gets Better...Except When It Gets Worse: And Other Unsolicited Truths I Wish Someone Had Told Me, came out on October 15th of this year and is a national best seller. In it, she gets to finally share her experience from her point of view, complete with all the detours, twists, and turns life takes along the way.Maines was kind enough to offer an interview about the wisdom she's gleaned as a public trans figure, the trans people she'd love to hear wisdom from, and how she's feeling after the results of the 2024 Presidential election.PRIDE: You've been a very public trans figure for over a decade, why did you want to write this book now?NICOLE MAINES: It was actually something that came up during [the earliest part of] the pandemic, you know, when we werent sure we would ever leave the house again? My book agents had reached out to me and suggested that it was the perfect time to start working on a memoir, where I could finally tell my story in my words, the way that I wanted. And with no end to the quarantine in sight, I agreed! See on InstagramThe book takes a lot of detours, and makes a lot of pit stops for things like the gay origins of The Little Mermaid or your gratitude for Black women in media. Were there any diatribes or soap box speeches that got cut that you wish there was more space for? What? Detours? Me? Unthinkable! Actually, I was very gladly surprised that I was able to get it all in! There really wasnt anything that ended up needed to be cut, but now, of course, that the book is out, Ive started remembering all sorts of stories and anecdotes that I didnt even think to include that Im totally kicking myself for leaving out! TypicalTrans people get asked a lot of banal, invasive, or incredibly misinformed questions about our experiences constantly. There are a lot of questions I'm sure you wish people would stop asking about your experience. What's something you wish people asked you about, or asked you about more? I wish people asked us more about what we want to be when we grow up. I wish people would care more about what we want to do with our lives, and where we want to go, and what we think, and what we do for fun. So much focus is on our bodies, and on how we could pose some kind of hypothetical danger to some hypothetical sports team. I wish we were seen for our humanity, rather than just being trans. Especially in this past election we have seen, even worse than before, a concentrated effort to demonize trans people and paint a picture of us as something to be afraid of. I wish people were more willing to look past the obvious attempts at fear mongering and recognize that we all just want to live happy, safe lives.See on InstagramYou've written a memoir, you've written and published a graphic novel, do you see yourself writing and publishing more in the future? Any chance you'll revisit your romance writing days from high school? Any genres you'd like to dip your toes into?Oh yeah, Im down for anything. I try my best to stay open to new opportunities and to say yes to as much as I can. Id really like to get back into the horror genre, whether thats acting or writing comics or something else. I feel like thats a sandbox I havent gotten to play in nearly as much as I would like. Maybe something with witches I dont know. Stay tuned.If you could have any other trans people share similar words of wisdom with you like you've done now for the trans kids out there today, who would it be?Oh man, I dont know. Ive been fortunate to have met so many incredible trans people, and learn from them and their experiences. Getting to work with Laverne Cox was absolutely a dream come true for me, and getting to sit down and talk with her at length on her podcast was incredible. I think right now, I, and all of us, could really stand to learn from our trans elders, though, who have seen dark times before and have seen us through them before. I think were all in a time of fear, and we need to take point from those of us who know a thing or two about fighting to survive in a world that doesnt want us.See on InstagramYou named your memoir, It Gets Better... Except When it Gets Worse, and right now it's looking like things are going to get worse before they get better. Anything you want to share given the events of the last week, whether that be hope, rage, despair, or all of the above?Right now, I have rage. Republicans told us in no uncertain terms what they stood for and what they planned to do when they got power. And now, our community is in more danger than we have been in years. We knew exactly what was at stake and still there are queer people who threw our community under the bus. All I have to say is that if you are one of those people who voted for Trump, third party, or not at all, do not show your ass at Pride. You are not a friend or ally to our community. You do not get to share in our joy when you knowingly vote for our oppression.See on InstagramIf you'd like to hear more from Maines, she has an event tonight at the Beverly Hills Public Library starting at 7 PST. Tickets are available here.This conversation has been edited for clarity.

Another day, another absolute nightmare name being floated as part of Donald Trump's incoming cabinet. Trump makes enemies wherever he goes and thinks the height of debate is making up insulting nicknames for his political rivals, but now that it's time to fill his cabinet, he seems to have forgotten all of the ridiculous barbs and childish fights he got in over the years. Case in point: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Trump has announced that he's planning to appoint Rubio to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of State the country's top diplomat, a position once held by Hilary Clinton in the Obama administration despite the fact that the two men once got into a dick measuring contest.During the Republican primaries in 2016, the MAGA leader called Rubio "little Marco," a "liar," and a "choke artist" an oblique reference to Rubio supposedly choking on water when he was responding to one of Obama's State of the Union addresses, but it sounds like Trump was saying something very different about Rubio'sskill set.The Floria Senator responded by mocking Trump for having "small hands" and his silver-spoon upbringing by saying, "A tough guy? This guy inherited $200m. He's never faced any struggle." (@) Yes, you read that right. Two Republicans spent the 2016 debates when the GOP was trying to decide who their presidential nominee was going to be, making fun of the sizes of each other'spoles, like a couple of middle schoolers.Frankly, both men should probably refrain from any more dick jokes because Stormy Daniels has the market cornered, hilariously calling Trump's penis "unique and horrifying" and "like a toadstool." Ouch. Of course, eventually, Rubio saw the writing on the walls and decided to kiss the ring and endorse Trump and is now set to become the first Latino Secretary of State. Everyone knows that people who engage in weird dick-measuring contests should be entrusted with negotiating with foreign leaders. Right?How is this reality not a parody?

Gay 19-year-old Jackson Lewis called it surreal that he won his race to join the Canyons School Board, located in Salt Lake Valley. The victory made him the youngest elected official in Utah history. I thought, you know, this is a perfect way to get involved, he told Salt Lake Citys FOX 13. Not just in the political world, but education is just so dramatically important. Related Sarah McBride explains how she pulled off her historic victory McBride insisted anti-trans ads werent what swung the election in Donald Trumps favor. Lewis is a recent graduate of Hillcrest High School, which is located within the Canyons School District. He ran to bring a student perspective to the conversations around school policies. He plans to fight for raised teacher salaries, later school start times, and more free meals for hungry students. He also hopes to address chronic absenteeism. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today We need to make sure students want to be in school and feel respected by the people that were there, he said. Hes also quick to emphasize that hes not naive and understands it will take a lot of hard work to achieve any of his goals. I know its not just going to happen with a single board meeting, right? Obviously, thats not how this works, he said. I want to reassure people who elected me I know how difficult this job is. I think [Lewis election] really reflects the student voice in Canyons School District, district superintendent Dr. Rick Robins told FOX 13. Where he was just a graduate a year ago, Im just excited to get his views on the district and how we can do better and improve. Lewis who was endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund wrote on his website that he first decided to run for office at 17 when he heard teachers at school lamenting their lack of resources and support. He also told Victory Fund he was inspired to run due to the threats state lawmakers made against vulnerable students. In August, Utah became the first state to completely ban a list of books from schools statewide. In January, the state passed a law banning trans people from using privacy spaces such as changing rooms and restrooms within public schools and other government facilities that align with their gender identities.Lewis said his candidacy has already inspired other young people to contact him about getting involved in politics. He advised them to talk to as many people in their communities as possible. I learned so much more than if I just sat online making posts about the election, Lewis said. Those conversations, those perspectives, getting into actual communities and learning the lived experiences of those folks, its going to make me a better politician, its going to make me a better board member.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a new law passed by Louisiana legislators mandating the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom in the state.Louisiana is the first state to try to enact a law forcing the display of the Biblical directives since a similar law in Kentucky was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1980 as a violation of the First Amendment. Related Smug GOP governor ignores fainting child as he signs law shoving Christianity into public schools Political commentators criticized the oblivious governor and called the incident an omen. In his decision, U.S District Court Judge John W. deGravelles said the law is unconstitutional on its face. He said its coercive to students, and, for all practical purposes, they cannot opt out of viewing the Ten Commandments when they are displayed in every classroom, every day of the year, every year of their education. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today There are any number of ways that the state could advance an alleged interest in educating students about the Ten Commandments that would be less burdensome, deGravelles wrote. The anodyne-sounding House Bill 71 directs school officials in every public school from kindergarten to college in the state to display the Ten Commandments on posters no smaller than 11 x 14 inches, with the Commandments the central focus of the poster and in a large, easily readable font.The law which was set to take effect January 1 mandates the display include explanatory text stating the Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries. Louisianas Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill vowed an immediate appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, one of the nations most conservative courts.The legal challenge was brought by nine families with children in Louisiana public schools who argued that the law unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance.A Jewish family, an atheist family, a Presbyterian family, at least two Unitarian Universalist families, and nonreligious families were party to the suit. House Bill 71 isnt the only religious law Louisiana lawmakers are trying to force on the public school system. Louisiana joined a trend gaining traction in other red states with the passage of a law last month that permits public school districts to hire chaplains to serve as mental health professionals and counselors.If you want to respect the rule of law, you gotta start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses, Lousiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) said as he signed House Bill 71 during a June ceremony. As he did, a young girl standing behind him fainted. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Everybody has their kinks!The 2024 presidential election was certainly a stressful week for everyone and the ripples effects are still felt today. How have millions of people coped with the results? Watching some NSFW content, naturally.Pornhub just dropped the latest statistics for election week and with Florida's top search being "MAGA" and Lousiana's being "goth," there's quite a few keywords that'll leave you intrigued. Check out the map below. Pornhub It's completely normal for many people to turn to adult content during these stressful times. In fact, some of our favorite celebrities have launched their own OnlyFans accounts.Let's also not forget that many adult entertainers are continuing to crank out a ton of spicy content to keep you distracted from all of the political discourse happening right now. Please remember to enjoy responsibly and take care of yourself during these tough times.If you'd like to see all of Pornhub's fascinating statistics for the election and this past year, visit their official website here.

Astrophotographer Jon Carmichael made history in 2017 with his astonishing image of the solar eclipse from a commercial airplane aided by an enthusiastic flight crew. He joins The Advocates in this week's episode to discuss his daring journey to outdo himself during the 2024 solar eclipse aboard David Copperfields private jet with just minutes to get the perfect shot.Watch The Advocates on advocatechannel.com!Also in this episode: Journalist and filmmaker Max Lugavere discusses his mothers dementia struggle and what compelled him to document it. Lugavere told The Advocates, My mom was the most important person in my life. Everything that I am today is attributable to her."From the iconic 90s show What Not To Wear, Stacy London is raising awareness about menopause. The TV host has been outspoken about her challenging experience with perimenopause, which caught her off guard. She wants to normalize talking about this women's health issue. And Rachel Smith talks to Jodi Comer about her strong female role in the movie The Bikeriders. You can catch The Advocates on ABC Localish Network and advocatechannel.com. Complete listings are available at advocatechannel.com/theadvocatesLocalish Network is available across the ABC Owned Television Stations linear and digital platforms and on Hulu, YouTube TV, Fubo, Vidgo, Tubi Samsung TV Plus, Amazons news apps on Fire TV & Alexa video-enabled devices, Prime Video, Freevee, Xumo, Rockbot and ABC.com.The Advocates with Sonia Baghdady furthers equalprides mission to amplify diverse voices and promote stories that inspire pride, inclusion, and equality for all. This association demonstrates the strength of equalprides ongoing relationship with Disney and ABC, including curating and distributing Advocate.com content and airing the Out100 Special in December and January.

Donald Trump's supporters spent last week celebrating the election results, but this week, some of them are changing their tune, and we can't help but cackle because it's either that or cry.The election proved to be a harsh awakening for us, but MAGA diehards spent days gloating until the chickens came home to roost, and they started to realize that there might be some fallout from their choice. From people being sad that their families don't want them at holiday dinners or are cutting them off altogether because they voted for Trump; to people being upset when they find out what tariffs actually are; to people from marginalized groups realizing that Republicans are racist (duh!); Trump voters are waking to the fact that their choices do in fact have consequences.The leopard won't eat MY face, right? Wrong Karen. (@) Even Fox News host and outspoken Trump supporter Jesse Waters revealed on air that his mother didn't invite him to Thanksgiving after Trump won the presidential election. "People are taking some space in the Waters household. I'll have you know that I wasn't invited to my mother's house for Thanksgiving. Apparently, there wasn't enough room," he said on his show on Monday night. (@) Republicans are quickly finding out that not only are Trump's policies on things like tariffs and mass deportation going to actively hurt them, but they're also discovering that family and friends are less likely to welcome you with open arms when you vote for a candidate hellbent on taking away every right and protection they rely on.MAGA voters fked around, and now they're going to spend the next four years finding out. It's too bad that those of us who didn't fk around still have to find out with them.Since we could all use a little catharsis right now, keep scrolling to see the funniest examples of MAGA getting exactly what they wanted! (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) #trump2024 #trump #trumpsupporters #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #maga #fyp #donaldtrump #republican #fyp TRUMP@coachchima#trump2024 #trump #trumpsupporters #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #maga #fyp #donaldtrump #republican #fyp TRUMP#trump2024 #trump #trumpsupporters #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #maga #fyp #donaldtrump #republican #fyp TRUMP (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

Susan Sarandon is opening up about what she looks for in a partner and clarifying that gender and age aren't necessarily coming into play.The actress recently chatted with The Times UK about her upcoming movie, The Gutter, and feeling blacklisted by Hollywood thanks to her pro-Palestine views. The conversation wound up taking a journey through her prolific acting career as well as touching upon aspects of her personal life, including dating."It has to be somebody who has curiosity, a sense of humour, intelligence and appetite for life," she said of a potential future paramour. "So God bless you if you manage to find somebody who fulfills any of those things, whether theyre younger, whether theyre older, whether theyre female or male, whether theyre gender-fluid, whatever. Those are just details. I think the big thing is finding someone with an open heart and open mind whos still curious."In case that's still a little unclear for your Sapphic tastes, the interviewer notes that Sarandon has, on occasion, "suggested that she would be perfectly happy dating a woman.""I don't care if it's a man or a woman," she told PEOPLE back in 2021. "I'm open to all age, all color. And those for me, those things are just details. But what I'm interested in is someone who wants to be adventuresome."But for now, she's living the single life alongside her three cats.

Brilliant Minds creator, showrunner and executive producer Michael Grassi has a long resume when it comes to TV shows, but his latest on NBC has the Degrassi alum exploring the world of medical dramas led by a gay character. Starring Zachary Quinto (read GLAADs interview with him),Brilliant Mindsfollows Dr. Oliver Wolf who is based on [...]The post Brilliant Minds Creator Michael Grassi Talks Gay-Fronted Medical Drama, Impact of Real-Life Dr. Oliver Sacks first appeared on GLAAD.

The top three notifiable sexually transmitted infections (STI) have all decreased by 2% over the last year, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday. The total diagnoses of primary and secondary syphilis dropped 10% in the last year and the overall decrease is related to something that has generally improved in the health lives of queer men.The decline in cases is especially important for men who have sex with men, as rates dropped 13% among gay and bisexual men for the first time since reporting on these groups began. However, this trend was only seen for the primary and secondary stages of syphilis, and was not seen for all four stages of the disease, which saw a 1% increase in diagnoses overall. Related Two Democrats are trying to make this STI medication free They want doxy PEP to be treated the same as PrEP, reducing barriers for low income individuals. Gonorrhea saw a similar trend, declining by 7% over the last year and falling to levels that were seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Chlamydia, meanwhile, remained at a stable rate. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Experts, however, are still cautious. Over two million sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed in the last year, which is an all-time high. Nevertheless, they remain somewhat optimistic that public health measures are beginning to help reduce the overall trend of STIs.Its been a long time since I have felt that way about the STI epidemic, said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the National Center for HIV, viral hepatitis, STD and tuberculosis prevention at the CDC told the New York Times. Mermin suggests that additional funding for public health departments, sexual behavior changes, and the recent development of new antibiotics all contributed to the decline.Combined, all of those different activities could have led to some of the decreases that were seeing, he said.The new antibiotic, doxycycline, also known as doxyPEP, is thought to have played the most significant role in the downward trends for syphilis. According to Dr. Julie Dombrowski, who spoke to NBC, this trend was already seen locally in Seattle. Shes celebrating seeing it at the national level. Dr. Laura Bachmann, chief medical officer of the CDCs STI prevention division, told NBC, I think were at an inflection point, and its important that we push forward and take advantage of innovations and investment of STI prevention going forward.Syphilis was also found to be disproportionately prevalent among different geographies as well as in certain marginalized racial groups. Native American, Alaska Native, and Black Americans all saw a disproportionate number of syphilis rates. Infections in the South were also at a disproportionate high.Syphilis, which was nearly eradicated 20 years ago, has surged in diagnoses in the past few years. It threatens newborns especially, as it can cause substantial health issues or even death.Newborns experienced a 30% increase in STI diagnoses in the past few years, however this trend has faltered somewhat, likely in response to additional testing among pregnant people. Pregnant people with STIs can transmit them to their newborns.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Fantasia Royale Gaga knows how to gag the children.The superstar has competed on Dragula and starred in a couple of hit shows on OUTtv including Miami Dolls and Hot Haus. In fact, Gaga won the first season of Haus.Now, the star has switched from contestant to judge as she joins Matthew Camp and Rebecca More on the new season of Slag Wars."It was a different ballgame for me. These are some amazing Slags. Every episode you're going to laugh [and] you're going to cry. I can see the passion they put into it," Gaga tells PRIDE. See on Instagram The sexy contestants are tasked to do a plethora of exciting challenges including burlesque, dancing, and anything else that could easily get fans in the mood."You're to be aroused a lot! I was aroused a lot. The whole cast is sexy. These Slags will have your mouth to the floor. You're going to see some stripping. You're going to see some ass. One minute you go from seeing some asshole and then you're going to cry listening to someone's story. It's incredible."Gaga has certainly popped up on a lot of popular reality TV shows, but there's one particular show fans are dying to watch her compete on... RuPaul's Drag Race."You just never know where Fantasia's going to pop up on your TV screen. That's all I'm going to say about that. You never know where you might see this body, honey."Slag Wars is streaming now on OUTtv. To see the full interview with Fantasia Royale Gaga, check out the video at the top of the page.

If you've noticed an uptick in pregnancy announcements, you're not the only one. It seems like we're in the middle of a Sapphic baby boom and we love to see it! Queer women left and right have been expecting, or recently had some adorable gaybies! If you need help keeping track of them all, we've compiled the biggest names and their baby bumps from 2024. Take a look!Megan FoxSee on InstagramBisexual baddie Megan Fox announced yesterday that she is expecting her third child, her first with fiance Machine Gun Kelly. We're wishing the couple best of luck. Congratulations!Brooke Eden and Hilary Eden HooverSee on InstagramQueer country musician Brooke Eden and her wife, Hilary Eden Hoover, just revealed they're the proud mamas of a perfect baby boy, Beckham. After a storybook pregnancy announcement, it's no surprise their baby and his little hat are just as cute. Congratulations!Francesca FaragoSee on InstagramReality star Francesca Farago and her fiance Jesse Sullivan just welcomed two beautiful twins, a boy and a girl, into the world! Farago and Sullivan have been together since 2021, and got engaged in May 2023. They've been very open about their IVF journey, including a failed transfer in February. We're so happy for these two and Arlo, Sullivan's 15-year-old from a previous relationship. Congratulations to the whole family!Ludmilla and Brunna GonalvesSee on InstagramBrazilian pop sensation Ludmilla anounced on stage at her concert last Saturday that she and her wife, Brunna Gonalves, are expecting their first child together. The announcement was iconic, and we're so happy for these two. Congratulations!Caitlin Sheil and Leah SheilSee on InstagramCaitlin Sheil and her wife, Leah Sheil, are two influlencers who've amassed a strong following through their content, most of which revolves around their relationship and lives together. Of course their pregnancy and new daughter, Lyla, had to be included too. Congratulations!Brittney Griner and Cherelle GrinerSee on InstagramWNBA star Brittney Garner and her wife Cherelle Griner welcomed a baby boy, Bash Raymond, together on July 8th. The couple have been together since 2019, and this their first child together. Congratulations, Griners!Candice Huffine and Shelly Lynch-SparksSee on InstagramModel Candice Huffine announced just yesterday that she and her wife, Shelly Lynch-Sparks, are expect their first child together! "An exciting new chapter filled with joy begins this January," they said in a joint Instagram post full of absolutely stunning maternity photos. Congratulations!Cardi BSee on InstagramThe rap icon Cardi B shared an Instagram post earliest this year announcing that she had given birth to the "prettiest little thing" on September 9, 2024. This is her third child with her partner, rapper Offset. Congratulations!

By: Sander Jennings Back in 2019, as a 20-year-old college student on a reality TV show actively supporting my trans sister, Jazz Jennings, many people would look at me and say, Sander Jennings, thats an ally. Others had some not so kind words. Heres what Ive learned and unlearned, as a proud ally to the [...]The post LGBTQ People Need You Now More Than Ever: Sander Jennings on Allyship Post-Election first appeared on GLAAD.

An elderly Christian nationalist televangelist has said there will be no more rainbow flags now that Donald Trump has won re-election. In a recording of his Sunday sermon following Election Day, 87-year-old Kenneth Copeland said, I believe its here right now, the [Christian spiritual] awakening weve been waiting for. Now the atmosphere has been cleansed. No more rainbow flags. No more. An audience member can be heard exclaiming, Thank you, Jesus! in response. Related To understand JD Vance, you need to meet the TheoBros These extremely online young Christian men want to end the 19th Amendment, restore public flogging, and make America white again. Copeland continues, And the spirit of Margaret Sanger is gone. Sanger is an American birth control activist and sex educator who opened the first birth control clinic in the nation, and established other organizations that evolved into Planned Parenthood, local clinics that offer reproductive and womens health, especially to low-income individuals. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Televangelist Kenneth Copeland used his Sunday service to declare that Trump's election will unleash a "spiritual awakening" in America because "the atmosphere has been cleansed": "No more rainbow flags. No more. And the spirit of Margaret Sanger is gone." pic.twitter.com/W6vTbzdlsT Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) November 12, 2024The televangelists comments arent surprising. He wasa member of former Trumps Faith Advisory Council. Before Trumps election, he led a prayer asking God to break the power of the homosexual lesbian spirits that are trying to ruin our children and ruin this nation.Copelands prayer made during a broadcast of the Rescue America Tour hosted by FlashPoint Live, a Christian evangelical political program began by asking the Christian God to oversee in school board elections, judges, sheriffs, mayors, city managers [and] college presidents.Those that refuse to hold to your will and do it, remove them and put someone in there that will, Copeland said, before continuing, We pray that your will be done on this Earth as it is in Heaven. We pray for the people that devils are fighting in and trying to ruin their lives with perverted ideas and perverted ways. Copeland, who has been twice divorced despite the Bibles prohibitions on divorce, continued, The people that are addicted to pornography and addicted to the things of the flesh in this world, and we break the power we break the power of the homosexual lesbian spirits that are trying to ruin our children and ruin this nation. Get down from there! We sit by the throne. You are under our feet.Copeland has previously made headlines for advocating for in-person worship services during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. He claimed thatJesus made Trump immune from COVID-19(even though Trump conducted the deadly virus during his presidency). He also told his followers thathe could cure them of COVID-19 through the TV.Copeland and his wife have earned millions throughout their careers and living in a $6.3 million mansion paid for by the church and using its$20 million private jet for vacations. In 2015, they were criticized by comedian John Oliver onLast Week Tonightfor their luxurious, tax-exempt lifestyle.In 2021, Copeland was also one of several mega-pastorsaccused of sexual abuseby former adult film actor Madyson Marquette.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

After white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes went viral for saying, Your body, my choice, and manically laughing like the disgusting misogynist he is while celebrating Donald Trumps victory last week, a hilarious rumor started spreading that he used to poop his pants. A lot.To be clear, we haven't seen the smoking gun, or rather the smoking tighty-whities in this case, but we are cracking up at the ALLEGED pants pooping as is the rest of the internet. Fuentes has been making headlines for years for praising Adolph Hitler, calling for a holy war against Jews, and saying, All I want is revenge against my enemies and a total Aryan victory," the Texas Tribune reports. The proud incel who has said he wants to marry a 16-year-old because thats right when the milk is good *shudders* corrupting the political rallying cry my body, my choice into Your body, my choice. Forever is so gross that we cant help but laugh at his current misfortune.The internet decided that Fuentes fked around, and now it was time for him to find out when they doxxed him a term used to refer to the publishing of private information online by releasing his home address and dunking on him for supposedly still living in his mothers basement. But the social media denizens werent done with him yet. Someone made a TikTok video claiming that they worked with Fuentes mom and found out that he used to poop his pants in high school. The rumor spread like wildfire, and soon someone on Reddit posted a statement saying that Fuentes pooped his pants while running a mile in high school and that he was so disliked people wouldnt even accept free weed from him. Another person on x (formerly Twitter) backed this up, writing, He crapped his shorts while running the mile in PE and nobody ever let him forget it. Thus, a villain was born.PRIDE hasnt been able to confirm the veracity of this statement, but that hasn't stopped the internet with having a heyday with it. Keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to Nick Fuentes being an ALLEGED poopy pants! (@) (@) @jules_is_okDid anyone else see the video by Nick Fuentes moms coworker?? (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

Did you know Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story star Cooper Koch has a twinand hes gay too? Thats right! Cooper, who plays Erik Menendez in Ryan Murphys latest crime drama, has a fraternal twin brother, Payton, whos also making waves behind the scenes in Hollywood.Who Are the Koch Twins?Instagram/@paytonjkochBorn to horse-racing magnate Billy Koch and author Kathy Kaehler, Cooper and Payton, now 28, grew up in a world where the spotlight was never far away. And while Cooper is grabbing attention on screen, Payton works his magic off-screen as a picture editor.Paytons resume is no less impressive than his brothers. Hes worked on major projects like American Horror Story, Ratched, and Only Murders in the Building, which even earned him an Emmy nomination. Talent definitely runs deep in the Koch family!How Close Are the Twins?If you check out their Instagram pages, youll see these twins are thick as thieves. For Pride Month, Payton shared a sweet post of the two with the caption, Happy Pride from your favorite gay twins. The Koch twins arent just familytheyre best friends.Instagram/@paytonjkochWhen Monsters sparked controversy over its portrayal of Erik Menendez, Payton was quick to support Cooper. I wont speak for Cooper, Payton said, but I will say that he cares immensely for the [Menendez] boys and stands with them and all victims of abuse. He added that Cooper did everything he could to ensure their stories of abuse were seen on screen.Whats Next for the Menendez Brothers?In real life, the Menendez brothers, who are serving life sentences, may see a change in their fate. The Los Angeles County District Attorney recently recommended their re-sentencing, citing new evidence of their fathers alleged abuse.Related | Cooper Koch Finally Clears Up Rumors About Monsters Shower Scene ProstheticSee more of the Koch twins below! More Stories: Meet Cooper Kochs Gay Twin Brother: Our New Fav Power DuoChris Jones Remembers That Time His D*ck Fell Out of His ShortsThe 2025 Grammy Nominations Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, and More!What Is Project 2025? A Closer Look at Its Potential Impact on LGBTQ+ RightsHistoric Achievements of LGBTQ+ Candidates in the 2024 ElectionThe post Meet Cooper Kochs Gay Twin Brother: Our New Fav Power Duo appeared first on Gayety.

Out Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has won her re-election race against anti-LGBTQ+ Republican candidate Eric Hovde by a thin margin of just 29,098 votes. But Hovde refuses to concede and may request a recount after claiming that irregularities affected the elections outcome. A bipartisan election commission has called his claims baseless.What happened in this election does not inspire confidence in our process, and that is wrong, Hovde said in a video posted on X on Tuesday evening. Like many of my supporters, I was shocked by what unfolded on Election Night. At 1 a.m., I was receiving calls of congratulations, and based on the models, it appeared I would win the Senate race. Then, at 4 a.m., Milwaukee reported approximately 108,000 absentee ballots, with Sen. Baldwin receiving nearly 90% of those ballots. Related Tammy Baldwin calls out her GOP opponents ads about her partner as homophobic Republican Eric Hovde is using Baldwins girlfriend to undermine the two-term incumbent. Milwaukee often counts its absentee ballots late into the tabulation process, and those ballots have historically favored Democratic voters, The Wisconsin Examiner reported. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Hovde also claimed that the voter turnout in Milwaukee precincts was higher than the number of registered voters posted on the countys website, but the websites number doesnt account for the historic and record-breaking turnout number of new voters who registered to vote on Election Day, according to U.S. News & World Report.Many people have reached out and urged me to contest the election. While Im deeply concerned, asking for a recount is a serious decision that requires careful consideration, Hovde said. Further, there are meaningful limits on a recount, because they dont look at the integrity of a ballot.Once the final information is available and all options are reviewed, I will announce my decision on how I will proceed, he said. Many people have reached out to me with concerns about the voting inconsistencies we experienced on Election Day. Here are my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/zDvaeHaizw Eric Hovde (@EricHovde) November 12, 2024In a statement posted on her campaigns X account, Baldwin wrote, Eric Hovde is spreading lies from the darkest corners of the internet to undercut our free and fair elections. Wisconsin voters made their voices heard. Its time for Hovde to stop this disgusting attack on our democracy and concede.The Milwaukee Election Commission (MEC) unequivocally refutes Eric Hovdes baseless claims regarding the integrity of our election process, the bipartisan commission wrote in a Tuesday statement, adding, Every aspect of the MECs operations was conducted with transparency and in strict adherence to established laws and procedures.Former Wisconsin Republican lawmaker Joe Handrick criticized Hovdes claims on X, writing, The internet is awash with the mathematically challenged claiming fraud because a late-night dump in [Milwaukee] stole the election from Hovde It was predicted. The actual [Kamala] Harris gain from the Milwaukee absentees was 68,154. The Baldwin gain was 70,530, he wrote. Baldwin won 69% of the votes in Milwaukee County, counteracting Hovdes wins in the states less populous rural counties.If Hovde requests a recount, hed have to pay for its cost of a few million dollars. State law gives candidates three days after the final count to request a recount, but the state will only pay for the recount if the vote difference accounts to less than a quarter of a percent. Baldwins margin of victory was just less than 1%.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Out Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was left scratching her head at a question asked by Fox Newss Peter Doocy at a White House press briefing. Commenters online are saying they believe the question was an attempt to audition for the role of press secretary under Donald Trump.The question? We know that, today, a week after the election, President Biden and Vice President Harris had a private lunch. How awkward was that? Related Karine Jean-Pierre viciously mocks Fox reporters insane question Do you think Americans seriously think this is an important question? I dont even understand, Jean-Pierre responded, confused. Why would it be awkward? Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Doocy tried to explain why he believes Joe Biden and Kamala Harris arent getting along at the moment, despite the lack of evidence that the two are at odds.Because she kept him at arms length and then she lost and now shes back, he said, even though Harris and Biden have made several joint appearances recently.Why would you characterize it as awkward? They have regular lunches. They meet and talk regularly. Why would you call it awkward? Jean-Pierre said.So theres no weirdness about the way things have unfolded? Doocy pressed, desperately trying to dredge up some conflict between Biden and Harris.Did you see them together yesterday as well when they honored our veterans and were together during the day making sure that we didnt forget the brave men and women that fought for this country? Jean-Pierre responded, referring to Biden and Harris trip to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday for Veterans Day.The president and vice president had lunch today, she concluded. Theyve had lunch many times. They communicate with each other regularly. THey had an opportunity to discuss the last 70 days or so of this administration, how important it is to get things done for the American people, and thats their focus. Doocy: We know that President Biden and VP Harris had a private lunch. How awkward was that?KJP: I don't even understand. Why would it be awkward?Doocy: Because she kept him at arm's length and then she lost and now she's back. KJP: Why would you characterize it as pic.twitter.com/Zns20bhgWt Acyn (@Acyn) November 12, 2024With Donald Trump announcing several nominations for key positions in his coming administration, people online accused Doocy of auditioning to be Trumps press secretary.Peter Doocy auditions to be Trump press sec https://t.co/Qz39hinoYL Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 12, 2024Its embarrassing watching what hes doing when auditioning to be Trump's press secretary. (@ChidiNwatu) November 12, 2024 This is embarrassing even for Doocy. Geoff (@GeoffBrown82) November 12, 2024Doocy is a paid antagonist. There was zero journalism in that exchange Denison Barb (@DenisonBarbs) November 12, 2024 Doocy trying to milk the last fleeting moments of being able to ask ridiculous, unfounded questions to a democratic White House before Trump takes over and he becomes completely irrelevant. Jared Ryan Sears (@JaredRyanSears) November 12, 2024KJP: Good morning. I will be taking no questions from Peter Doocy.Does anyone have any legitimate question? Critical Bill76 (@CriticalBill76) November 12, 2024 Fox news doing Fox "news"things again.On a serious note, why is Peter Doocy even allowed in the White House Press briefing room? Jrgen .. (@Jurgen80048425) November 12, 2024Fox creates false narratives out of nothing. Fookin Chookay (@slayergoddess69) November 12, 2024 He is such a fucknugget. Machine Pun Kelly (@KellyScaletta) November 13, 2024Truth and sanity keep at arms length from Doocy Dexter Wright (@Dexter__Wright) November 12, 2024 they should revoke Doocys badge. There is no real journalism going on in this exchange. He just sits there and finds something to complain about every week. He can complain from outside. Ashlee (@tweetwithashlee) November 12, 2024what a weird thing to ask Angelica Reed (@Angelica_Reed1) November 12, 2024 The amount of restraint KJP has to remain professional when dealing with stupidity is insane. She is iron. I am going to miss having her as WH Press Secretary. https://t.co/gahTDFmuFP Amy Panikowski (@AmyPanikowski) November 13, 2024How do other reporters in the room not laugh out loud at this nonsense? Brad Ross (@BradRossComms) November 12, 2024 Doocys gonna be Press Sec isnt he? https://t.co/1KrEU0qFYG Devin Nunes cow (@DevinCow) November 13, 2024I fear Doocy will have the last laugh when he becomes yet another Fox-News-to-White-House pick for the next administration, maybe as press secretary https://t.co/Xrc7URPKv2 Stuart Elliott (@stuartenyt) November 13, 2024 Can we just spend the rest of this administration ignoring him? https://t.co/vyxFrxHdf3 Zachary Pleat (@zpleat) November 12, 2024There are so many, many things about our era that get under my skin, but at the top of the list has to be how normalized this type of immature buffoonery has become. To think we have four more years (at least!) of this nonsense it's hard for me to wrap my mind around. https://t.co/RIAV4VF4lD Jennifer Erin Valent (@JenniferEValent) November 13, 2024BTW, kudos to @PressSec . She's done what is unthinkable in a Trump 'drama' administration served in this high-profile, demanding role for years. She's done a great job and should be applauded. https://t.co/F58kykYqhV A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) November 12, 2024Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Study found an +80% increase in the advertising industry saying the LGBTQ community is very important to their business compared to GLAADs 2021 Study Study found 48% of the industry says its very important to feature transgender people in advertising, a +71% increase from GLAADs 2021 study New York, New York Tuesday, November 12, [...]The post GLAADs 2024 Visibility Perceptions in Advertising Study Results first appeared on GLAAD.

With a new leadership installed, the Staten Island St. Patricks Day Parade will allow LGBTQ+ groups to participate under their own banner for the first time in 60 years. The event has become notorious for its steadfast refusal to end the longtime ban despite growing pressure to do so for decades. But Edward Patterson, the new head of Richmond County St. Patricks Day Parade Committee, has finally made it happen. The Staten Island parade was long thought to be one of the only St. Patricks Day celebrations left in the world that still excluded LGBTQ+ people, justifying its policy based on the teachings of the Catholic Church. LGBTQ+ people were also banned for 20 years from the parade that takes place in Manhattan the biggest St. Patricks Day Parade in the world but that ban ended in 2014. Related Federal judge blocks law mandating Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms The Louisiana governor claimed respecting the rule of law means starting with the original lawgiver, which was Moses. Quite simply, its just time, Patterson told reporters on Tuesday. People stepped up with a change in mindset that, frankly, wanted the controversy to go away. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Parade organizers have invited the Pride Center of Staten Island to march in the March 2, 2025 parade, which the organizations executive director Carol Bullock said was an honor. This event is a time-honored tradition that brings people together from all walks of life to celebrate Irish culture, Bullock said in a statement posted to Instagram, and we are excited to be part of this vibrant community celebration. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pride Center of Staten Island (@pridecentersi)Bullock has long fought for the right to participate in the event. She has spent years applying for a slot, despite repeatedly getting rejected. Our parade is for Irish heritage and culture, longtime parade committee president Larry Cummings reportedly toldThe Irish Voicein 2018. It is not a political or sexual identification parade.In 2020, he maintained that position,gripingat theAdvancethat its a non-sexual identification parade and thats that.In 2022, Bullock spoke about submitting her application in person to Cummings, who immediately placed it in the rejection pile when she handed it to him.He then did the same with applications from organizations supporting LGBTQ+ firefighters and officers. Parade organizers have not only been hostile to the participation of LGBTQ+ groups, but they have even physically removed folks from the parade who they felt supported LGBTQ+ people. In the past, they have also banned individual people from participating.In 2020, Miss Staten Island, Madison LInsalata, couldnt march because she came out as bisexual, and Republican City Councilman Joseph Borelli was barred by parade marshals because he had a rainbow pin on his jacket.They physically blocked me, my wife, and two boys in strollers, Borellisaid at the time,adding,I didnt come with it looking for an argument. My friends handed a pin to me. I really didnt think it was a big affront to the Irish. As a result of these stringent policies, many New York officials have refused to attend the parade, and last year, LGBTQ+ activists decided to hold a separate, more inclusive event. The decision to end the ban on the original parade was likely spurred by the number of people and groups who participated in the inclusive event while boycotting the exclusive one. Now, according to SI Live, the end of the LGBTQ+ ban has positioned the parade to be one of the largest in years. It is not lost on the parade committee how controversial this event has become, the group said in a statement. The end to this controversy is to the benefit of the committee, the Pride Center, and the greater Staten Island community. This is an emotional thing for me, because it matters. Inclusion matters, City Council member Kamillah Hanks, who has a half-Irish trans stepdaughter, told reporters. Now this parade will truly represent all Staten Islanders.Knowing how much the community supported us with the second parade, I know the feeling that everyone else is going to have out there now, Bullock told the New York Times. Thats the most gratifying thing.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

It is rather tiresome to live in straight culture as a homosexual.The post-election uptick of American womens interest in the South Korean 4B movement was as unsurprising as Vice President Kamala Harriss loss. (Voting equality is a fallacy; no woman, and especially no liberal Black South Asian woman, is going to be elected to the presidency as long as the electoral college exists.) Womens frustrations with men, and vice versa, symbolize what UC Santa Barbara professor Jane Ward described as both of paradox and the tragedy of heterosexuality in her book The Tragedy of Heterosexuality. If men and women dont like each other, how are they expected to love each other?But my initial feelings of bemusementstraight women, adorable!quickly turned to befuddlement. The South Korean movements four 4Bs refer to bihan (no marriage), bichulsan (no childbirth), biyeonae (no dating), and bisekseu (no sex). Sliding my lesbian spectacles down my nose like Miranda Priestly, I thought, No sex with men? Groundbreaking.Yes, no and what else? my mentor Barbara Johnson said. In all the flurry of saying yes and/or no to men, there has not been a serious consideration of the what else? of lesbianism.Sex, dating, marriage, and children can all happen between women.The irony of 4B is that it doesnt even scissor out the patriarchy because its logic continues to center itit continues to center what I call the man in the mirror: The trappings of the gender binary, I wrote in Breaking Free, have conditioned women to perceive our own personhood not as independent from men but wholly realized through them. That is, the ideal image of who we should aspire to become is not simply that of man but of how man has imagined woman. Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesHere, self-creation consists solely through negative construction, through a series of nos in relation to men. Wellesley College professor Katharine Moon contended that the reactionary motives behind American womens interest in the Korean 4B movement suggest that the movement will not become popular stateside: Its a temporary means to bring attention to the precarious situation of women, with Trump and his ascending to power, she said in an interview with The New York Times. So its not really about a total commitment to a way of life without men. Whereas in South Korea, it is a way of life.Even so, the movement seems like a hetero version of lesbian separatism minus the lesbianning. As a 24-year-old Korean woman recently told The Cut: I dont need to try being a lesbian, because in political lesbianism, I can just be a person, like a normal persona human being. I can be in a safe place, she said, indicating that a safe place is one without men.This form of political lesbianism was similarly espoused by lesbian feminists like Charlotte Bunch, Adrienne Rich, and Audre Lorde. Being a Lesbian means ending your identification with, allegiance to, dependence on, and support of heterosexuality, Bunch wrote in Lesbians In Revolt. It means ending your personal stake in the male world so that you join women, individually and collectively, in the struggle to end your oppression.For Lorde, the true feminist deals out of a lesbian consciousness whether or not she ever sleeps with women. Jack Mitchell/Getty ImagesBecoming a lesbian demands a recalibration of the mindset to decenter the patriarchy, which demands dismantling the gender binarynot reinforcing it.Designing ones lifeacts of self-creation, from whom one chooses to (consensually) fuck and to whom one chooses to build community withis comprised of freedom practices representing our agency and bodily autonomy. And in my book, I advocate for scissoring out the patriarchy but doing so without relying on the antiquated gender binary. Indeed, the criticisms of the movement have coalesced around issues of exclusionof trans people, of genderqueer people, of women with children. 4B is a reaction to misogynistic culture, created from a place of powerlessness in an effort to exact some power in the world. And while self-creation is crucial to our human dignity and authenticity, the fact is that our self-creation is always mutual co-creation with other people in the worldmost intimately, the people we choose to build and be in community with, which gives meaning to our lives. We need community for care, and for solace in times of crisis. However, it smacks of a kind of nave TERF libertarianism not only to believe that it is possible to live in a segregated silo with a select group of (cisgender, child-free) women but to actively seek it.We live in a worldand, indeed, an American societywith people of countless genders, and many of those people are men. What I find funny is that I have chosen a lesbian lifestylewomen are the North Star of my desires and the heart of my world-buildingso that I dont need to exclude men. I love men and, often, I prefer the company of men. But they are not the center of my life. These things are not mutually exclusive. Ryan Rahman/ShutterstockScissoring out the patriarchy does not mean scissoring out men, but it does mean eradicating misogynistic elements of heterosexual culture that demand womens oppression. This work does not have a quick or easy solution; it is not solved by a law or by technology. Rather it demands we all adopt a kind of lesbian consciousness that values the human dignity of each other, no matter our gender or sexuality.Marcie Bianco, PhD, is a writer, editor, and cultural critic. She is the author of Breaking Free: The Lie of Equality and the Feminist Fight for Freedom.Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.

When I was 13, I had a crush on one of the cutest boys in school. His name was Kyle*, and he was everything most girls liked in a boy at that age: popular, tall, and athletic with a great set of abs. Even though I was popular and athletic myself, I was also a short, semi-chubby boy who didnt know they were actually a trans girl, so of course, I thought Kyle was out of my league.One day, Kyle approached me and told me he liked me. I was stupefied, to say the least. But more than anything, I was excited. This is it, I thought. Not only was I finally getting a shot at love, but I was getting that shot with the most popular boy in school. It was every teenage girls dream. Related Bullies gave a trans boy a concussion. His school did nothing. He was jumped by a group of students theres even video of the horrific attack. A week later, a girl from my grade told me that she didnt appreciate me hovering around her boyfriend. I dont remember the rest of that conversation, but I do know that was the day I discovered Kyle not only had a girlfriend but that he never really liked me. In fact, Kyle professing his feelings for me was nothing but a cruel joke a bet between him and his friends to see who could make the silly little queer kid fall in love with them first. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Being asked out as a joke is something all types of kids experience growing up. One could argue that it happens so often that it could be seen as a twisted rite of passage. For decades, it has been used by many kids as a consequence of losing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. According to Urban Dictionary, the entire concept is called the Oreo Game.But for those of us on the receiving end of the fake affections, it isnt a game at all; it is an emotionally devastating attack on our looks, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or inherent otherness. This game can easily become a catalyst for future trust and self-esteem issues. Rock, Paper, ShameI recently searched being asked out as a joke on TikTok and found a plethora of skits and commentary by people of all races, identities, and orientations who endured it and grew up to have trust issues, low self-esteem, or both.One gender fluid 19 year old posted a video that declared, I will never believe a compliment on my looks from a man because I was a repeated victim of the oreo game in middle school. The caption goes on to say, It ruined my self-esteem for so many years.When I saw this video, I was curious about whether other trans people had similar experiences, so I went on a quest to find out.Samantha, a 25-year-old transgender woman, told LGBTQ Nation about the origins of her struggles with letting people in.I was 12 the first time a guy asked me out as a joke. I didnt like him, but I was open to it because he was kinda cute, and this was the first time a guy liked me. One of my classmates told me the only reason he asked me out was because he lost a game of rock, paper, scissors, and they thought it would be funny to ask the gay kid out. Now anytime a guy shows interest in me, I always reject them before they have a chance to reject me because I dont believe anyone could actually like me.Siya, a 23-year-old who identifies as genderqueer, shared a similar experience.I was asked out as a joke in grade 8 by one of the popular boys in my school. This was over a decade ago, but the embarrassment I felt stayed with me. To this day, I dont know why he did what he did. Even though I know Im attractive and worked hard for the body I have now, I still dont trust men who claim to like me. I wish I could, but my mind always goes back to grade 8. When the whole thing happened, I promised myself that I would never allow myself to experience that sort of humiliation ever again. Siya, Samantha and I are all victims of recurring offenses, and based on the conversations taking place on on TikTok, this is true for many of us.If one incident is devastating, it is not hard to imagine what multiple incidents can do to a person especially a young queer kid who is trying to find their identity and place in the world.Whenever Im approached by a man in public, my first instinct is to look around to see if theres a group of people watching. I get anxious and cant help but assume Im being punked. My other instinct is to make myself difficult to get to know. In my head, if a guy makes it past all the obstacles Ive placed before him, then he must really like me. Why else would he jump through so many hoops? Humor as a mask It may seem dramatic to react and behave this way when both of the times I was asked out as a joke were over 13 years ago, but the truth is both of those incidents left me with chronic self-doubt that Im afraid Ill never fully be able to shake.According to Kristie Tse, a psychotherapist who specializes in bullying, Being asked out as a joke can have deep psychological impacts, particularly for someone who identifies as queer The act can trigger feelings of shame and self-doubt, reinforcing internalized homophobia and causing pervasive anxiety about genuine social interactions. The trauma from such an event can linger, affecting their self-esteem, emotional well-being, and future relationships.One doesnt need to be an empath to know that asking someone out as a joke is cruel and that it can negatively affect a persons psychological well-being. Yet people (mostly guys) partake in this well into adulthood. So if the pain is so obvious to most of us, why do people do it? According to Tse, Young boys and men might be inspired to ask someone queer out as a joke due to a mix of societal pressures and lack of understanding about diverse sexual identities. Such actions often stem from insecurity or peer influence, where they use humor to mask their discomfort or confusion about queerness. This behavior might also be a misguided attempt to conform to harmful stereotypes or group dynamics that ridicule what they dont comprehend.Dr. Mary Poffenroth, a biopsychologist and author of Brave New You, adds that the incentive for young boys to ask someone out as a joke is a product of their developing brains strong desire for attention and approval from peers.Making a joke at someone elses expense can cause dopamine release linked to social approval because the reward system in the adolescent brain is extremely sensitive to social feedback, she explained. The behavior may be reinforced by this neurochemical reward, increasing the likelihood that it will be repeated. This can result in poor decision-making without fully considering the impact on others because the prefrontal cortex, which is in charge of impulse control and long-term consequences, is still developing. Do good intentions really matter?Many people on TikTok who played the Oreo Game growing up admitted that they had no intentions of hurting the people they asked out. In fact, some perpetrators reported that they would make it abundantly clear to the victim that their advances were insincere and begged the victim to say no.Be that as it may, having no intention of hurting someone doesnt mean they cant or wont end up hurt. Nor does it absolve you from any pain that you caused. Drunk drivers dont mean to cause accidents, but that doesnt make the impact of their poor decision-making any less severe.We have the information and means to raise a generation of kids that are more aware and empathetic towards queer kids as a whole, so cruel jokes like these dont happen. Lets all help trans kids develop a healthy self-esteem that allows them to welcome love in.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Growing up Black and trans in Detroit meant that I saw a lot of hardship, but for a long time, I had no idea my experience had a name. It wasnt until I met my wife that I found out what it meant to be trans. It took even longer for me to realize that I was actually a guy forcing himself to live as a woman. As a kid, I was bullied for not acting like a typical girl my age, but I loved studying American history. It was my best subject in the eighth grade. I learned that even with atrocities like slavery and the prevalence of racism, the Founding Fathers wrote the United States Constitution with the mind that it is a living document and can be changed to fit the needs of the nation. Related Please dont leave this world: Trans activists react to Donald Trumps victory Trump, too, is America. Quite possibly the most America. And we must accept that. All my life, Ive known Michigan to lean Democratic. When Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, I had just returned to my home state from Oklahoma City. I was so disgusted that people voted for him over Hillary Clinton. My wife and I made it through that first presidency because Donald Trump was limited in what he could do. But he still planted the seeds in his attempt to turn everything in America away from the values this country was founded on. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today America is growing, and diversity is a good thing. But people like Donald Trump think that being too diverse is a threat to our country. It isnt. The real threat is people like him and those who support him, who want only a small group of people to have rights while the rest of us have to pick at scraps to survive.Trump and his supporters want to control peoples bodies. They want to force people to have children they may not be ready for or cant afford. They want victims to carry children created from the abuse they had to endure. They dont want trans kids to transition because that means those are bodies they cant control. They want everyone to bend to this narrow view they have of the world and how it should work. I went out and voted because I was against all of this.I was angry when Trump succeeded in overturning Roe v. Wade to appease his pro-life supporters. Then states started banning abortion access, and as expected, people are dying because of it. I was hopeful that Kamala Harris would win, and when I woke up the morning after the election, I found myself in tears, fearful that as a trans man, I wouldnt have access to abortion care should I ever need it. I was afraid, but then it hit me: Thats what they want us to feel. Trump and his supporters want us to hide; they want us to quietly go back into the closet. They dont like that we arent scared to be ourselves. Since Trumps victory, I have seen so many messages from trans people saying theyre going to detransition for safety. Some who havent started transitioning say they wont even try at all. It breaks my heart. I want everyone who is trans to know that we cant just give in. They want us to give up and go back to hiding to make them comfortable. They did this to gay and lesbian folks, too, and they had to fight to remain visible. Our battles intersect with theirs. Certain people see all of us as a dangerous problem.My mother didnt find out I was trans until I was in my mid-thirties. Im 36 now, and though she initially seemed accepting, there seems to have been a shift. She calls me by my dead name and doesnt respect me as a man. I dont talk to her anymore, but I keep on going. We need to keep living. We need to keep being ourselves. We need to stay visible. Because then theyll realize their divisive tactics to make us hide wont work. The best thing you can do when faced with hatred is to not buckle at the sight of it. If we give in, they will win. They are counting on us to give up. They want to stop us from transitioning because they know it will drive some of us to end our own lives. We cant do that. Marsha P. Johnson fought hard for us to have the rights we do, and so many trans activists are fighting for us now. We have to be our own advocates, too. We have to be louder than the negative press. People need our stories. Get out there and tell yours.As Harris said in her concession speech, Theres an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is: Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. If America is indeed entering a dark time, we need to be like the stars and shine. Im not letting anyone put my light out, and neither should any of you. Were stronger when we live and keep going. Thats how we will survive. If anyone needs words of hope right now, especially my trans siblings in red states, know youre going to make it through this. You have to fight, to blaze the trails for those behind you. I believe in all of you. You must live. Dont give up.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Transgender Awareness Week is a moment to celebrate the progress, reflect on the regression, and prepare to fight for trans liberation. When I logged on to chat with Merrique Jenson, a powerhouse in trans advocacy and community support in the Midwest, I was greeted by a woman ready to talk about change. And not just any changebold, unapologetic change for those who need it most. As a second-generation trans Latina, Merriques work has spanned from Kansas City to Seattle, transforming lives and the conversation around what it means to protect, uplift, and empower trans women of color. In a world that often leaves trans women on the fringes, Merrique has spent over a decade bringing them into the heart of her work. Shes not just fighting against a system that hasnt worked; shes designing one that does.Transgender in the MidwestMerriques journey into advocacy is as personal as it is inspiring. She grew up in the Midwest, a region that, as she puts it, isnt always the most welcoming to folks like us. But rather than distance herself, Merrique leaned into the work with an intention few can rival. After starting in youth services, she was soon embedded in an unrelenting cycle of violence against trans women of color. In 2016, after the devastating murders of Black and Latina trans women, she decided enough was enough.And with that, her organization, Transformations, was born.These are my people, and I know how it feels to have nowhere to go, Merrique says. I wanted to create spaces for young trans folks of color to come together, learn, and thrive.Merrique also describes herself as a mama bear to the young people in her care, fighting for their right to exist safely in a world that often overlooks their struggles. Her clients have been everything from high school students facing violence in their communities to young trans women of color forced to confront unimaginable hardships. The realities she describes are not easy to digest, but her grit and commitment have proven stronger.Transformations is much more than a support group or advocacy program. Its a lifeline for countless young trans women of color, many of whom have faced system exclusion and violence simply for existing. What started as an organization operating on a shoestring budget has grown into a multi-state initiative that organizes national summits, creates support networks, and even boasts a Path of Roses toolkit for those engaged in survival work.The "Dolls" Are ThrivingSee on InstagramBut Merrique doesnt romanticize the work. Shes candid about the challenges that come with running the only trans nonprofit in Kansas City, especially when it comes to funding and city support. Its exhausting, she admits, but its also necessary. There are lives at stake.Transformations has been pivotal in amplifying the voices of trans women of color, not just locally but on a national stage. Whether through initiatives like their annual summit, The Dolls Are Thriving, or their groundbreaking support camps in the Ozarks, Merrique has proven time and time again that community and resilience go hand in hand.Last year, Kansas City declared itself a sanctuary for the trans communitya milestone bringing much-needed light to an often dark landscape. But Merrique is realistic about the work still left to do. Having a sanctuary city is symbolic, she explains, but it doesnt mean much without funding and resources. For Merrique, a real sanctuary means hiring trans people for city roles, funding grassroots organizations, and ensuring that the voices at the table reflect the community's diversity.Merriques frustration with the lack of financial support is palpable. Shes been consulting with city leaders and organizationsfor free, no lesssimply because shes driven to ensure trans folks have a real voice in decisions that affect their lives. Im doing this because if I dont, who will? she says with conviction.For many trans people, the pandemic brought an unexpected silver lining. In a way, the isolation provided a kind of safety where young trans women could connect, learn, and grow without the fear of street harassment or violence. Through virtual programming, Merrique reached more young trans women of color than ever. So many of our girls are learning about themselves onlinethrough TikTok, Instagram articles, she reflects. Theyre finding each other and learning how to survive in a world that tells them they dont belong.Merriques team created a space where they could be themselves, share their stories, and, in many cases, find the courage to take their first steps toward authenticity. The virtual world offered a unique sanctuary for those who couldnt attend in-person events.Merriques excitement for what lies ahead was infectious. She recently onboarded a new staff member, Amariah Hardwick, a young Black trans woman who is set to lead communications and creative projects at the organization. Shes brilliant, Merrique gushes. Im so thrilled to see her bring fresh energy to our team.Progress for Trans WomenSee on InstagramWith a new location in Kansas City thats poised to become a collective space for trans community care, Merrique is intent on creating not only a haven but also a vibrant hub where trans women of color can gather, thrive, and build the lives they deserve.And shes not done yet. Marrique has big plans for expanding Transformations reach, from raising funds for their Path to Roses toolkit to growing their leadership camp for trans women of color. Her vision is nothing short of transformative.For Merrique, the personal and political are inextricably linked. She understands that real change requires more than just symbolic gestures but real, actionable investment in the lives of those who continue to face adversity. She hopes that more people, organizations, and city leaders will recognize the resilience and strength of trans women of color and give them the tools they need to flourish.Merrique Jenson is a woman on a mission, rewriting the narrative of what it means to fight for justice. For her, survival is just the beginning. And with her work, thriving isnt just a dream: its the only possible future.Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ and Allied community. Visit pride.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of PRIDE.com or our parent company, equalpride.

Rebel Wilson is being accused of harassment, bullying, and making up lies on the set of her directorial debut The Deb by one of the stars of the film.In new court documents, young Australian actress Charlotte MacInnes, who stars in the musical comedy which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, alleges that Wilson repeated claims that three of the films producers sexually harassed and abused MacInnes despite telling Wilson that these things never happened, The Guardian reports.I was deeply disturbed by this behavior, and felt very bullied and harassed by Wilson, who was the director of the film and in a position of authority over me, MacInnes said.MacInnes also alleges that Wilson claimed that producers Amanda Ghost and Gregor Cameron sex trafficked her and held her captive. Nothing that I told Wilson could reasonably have conveyed that I was reporting any misconduct, because there was no misconduct, she alleges. I also understand [there were] claims that I was subjected to depraved sexual demands and that MacInnes remains captive by Ghost and Cameron as she is shuttled from city to city with them including Boston, New York, and London.These statements are completely false and absurd. I have no idea what could cause Wilson and her attorney to make up such lies about me.See on InstagramThese allegations are at the heart of the defamation suit the films three producers Ghost, Cameron, and Vince Holden filed against Wilson.Along with accusations of bullying and unlawful imprisonment, Wilson has also accused Ghost and Cameron of attempting to embezzle $900,000 AU from The Deb both on Instagram and in declarations filed with the court.The Pitch Perfect alum who married wife Ramona Agruma in September is countersuing and trying to strike down the defamation suit against her by using Californias anti-SLAPP laws, which allows defendants to dismiss meritless lawsuits early to prevent people from using lawsuits to intimate someone trying to exercise their right to free speech.This motion was filed to ensure that Rebel can use her voice for what she has always done, which is advocate for herself and others, Wilsons attorney Bryan Freedman, told Us Weekly in a statement.The legal back and forth between Wilson and the producers continued last Friday when Ghost, Cameron, and Holdens lawyer filed a motion to strike Wilsons claim, alleging that her declaration in support of her motion was full of multiple blatant falsehoods and rises to the level of outright perjury and her complaint isnt a public issue, but a private business dispute.See on InstagramThe dueling lawsuits seem to stem from disputes over The Debs writing credits, which could result in millions of dollars worth of legal bills, and Wilson's claim that the producers were blocking the film's intended premiere at TIFF.Beyond MacInnes claims that Wilson lied about the young actress being sexually abused, the producers allege that Wilson is behind a website that was created that accused Ghost a British-born producer of Indo-Trinidadian heritage of being an Indian Ghislaine Maxwell, The Guardian reports.The lawyers acting for the producers have requested a 90-day stay so they can establish the source of the anonymous website (amandaghost.com), which they claim contained grotesque lies and was registered two days after Wilson sent threatening emails saying she planned to very publicly ruin them. They also allege that Wilsons lawyer sent the producers emails threatening to include sex trafficking in the public filing, which he said cant be good for the film.The Deb doesnt have a U.S. theatrical premiere date yet.Wilsons anti-SLAPP motion and the producers request for a stay will be heard in court on November 21.

This articlefirst appeared on Mother Jones. It has been republished with the publications permission.At anevent late last week in Arizona, anti-vaccine activist and Donald Trump transition team member Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said hed fire and replace 600 people from the National Institutes of Health on day one of a second Trump term. The NIH is one of the public health agencies Kennedy loathes the mostand despite still lacking any defined role in a new administration, hes clearly relishing the opportunity to promise retribution against them.In comments that werefirst reported by ABC News, Kennedy declared, We need to act fast, and we want to have those people in place on January 20, so that on January 21, 600 people are going to walk into offices at NIH and 600 people are going to leave. Related Who is Robert Kennedy Jr.? Where does he stand on LGBTQ+ issues? Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is known for being an anti-vaxxer, but his stance on LGBTQ+ issues have flown under the radar. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Kennedy, a long-standing opponent of vaccines, has consistently been critical of the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control, and other federal agencies that are part of the basic infrastructure of public health. HisThe Real Anthony Fauciattacked Fauci, a former NIH director, at book length, albeit with what one physicianreviewercalled many errors and gross misrepresentations.The remarks offering some concrete details about Kennedys Trump-aligned andso-called Make America Healthy Again agendacame during an onstageinterviewat an entrepreneurship event in Scottsdale, which included discussions of Kennedys workout routine and his relationship with the once and future president.Calley Means, a self-described health care reform activist who played a role in Kennedys independent presidential run sat alongside him for part of the interview. He framed the MAHA movement as kicking the special interests and the Deep State out of government, calling the NIH an orgy of corruption. Kennedy made other eyebrow-raising claims during the interview, for instance claiming that pilot studies showed that anorexia could be cured with keto diets and other kind of diets.NIH wont do those studies because they dont want to know the source or the cure or the treatment of chronic disease, he declared. He also returned to his hobby horse, claiming links between vaccines and a spread in autism.I never saw anybody who was autistic when I was a kid, Kennedy claimed. Never. He added that men his ageKennedy is 70dont have full-blown autism, which he defined as wearing helmets and not being toilet trained and head-banging, stimming, toe-walking. (Experts believe that autism was underdiagnosed until recent decades; the earliest prevalence studieswerent conducteduntil the 1960s and 70s. Autistic adults have a range of abilities, and autistic self-advocates have said that Kennedyuses offensive and ableist languageto talk about autism: rather than full blown, public health experts would generally sayprofound autism. Kennedy also still uses the term Aspergers,an outdated phrasereferencing a scientist who worked with Nazis during the Holocaust.)Kennedy also used his appearance in Scottsdale to continue fawning over Trump, saying the incoming president has an aura of greatness around him for his role in standing up to what he called the globalist project.He also spoke critically about his own extended family, many of whomwere critical of his presidential run, and some of whom called him tragically wrong about vaccines as far back as 2019. Kennedy said those relatives were all under this kind of hypnosis and have been persuaded by this propaganda wall to turn on their own values.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

On October 16, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) claimed on X that transgender drugs are giving people cancer, referring to transgender minors.We need to stop the radical left and the gender industrial complex from transitioning kids, she wrote. No child should have gender-affirming care forced upon them before theyre even old enough to vote. Related Completely sane Marjorie Taylor Greene says its trans peoples fault that young women are crazy She said that young women are worried that men can replace them. Transgender drugs are giving people cancer. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today We need to stop the radical left and the gender industrial complex from transitioning kids.No child should have gender-affirming care forced upon them before theyre even old enough to vote.Transgender drugs are giving people cancer.https://t.co/nGKGPZSpfD Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) October 16, 2024She linked a Daily Mail article discussing a study that the article claims shows a link between thyroid cancer and feminizing hormone replacement therapy.LGBTQ Nation evaluated whether this claim has any merit. Claim Transgender drugs are giving people cancer. Fact Check LGBTQ Nation rates this claim: Mostly False One study of veterans may indicate a need for future research on the topic, but it didnt come to any conclusions. What did the study find?The Daily Mail article discusses a study from the University of California, Davis, published in the journal Thyroid that analyzes a database of transgender veterans to determine the rate of thyroid cancer among this group.This study was not peer-reviewed, however. Rather, it was a poster shown at the American Thyroid Associations Annual Meeting. Posters are condensed presentations of scientific information shown at meetings or events to give other researchers an idea of the projects that are currently being worked on, but they are still works in progress.This study analyzed a database to determine the rate of thyroid cancer among trans women veterans. The authors admit that the database is likely incomplete due to a number of veterans not reporting themselves as transgender. The authors determined that the rate of thyroid cancer among the trans veterans studied was 0.341% of all transgender female veterans. The authors of the study did not analyze a comparable sample of cisgender female veterans, which could provide evidence about whether trans veterans were more likely to get thyroid cancer because of something connected to the military. Nor did they find that every one of the trans veterans was on feminizing hormone therapy. In fact, only 11 of the 34 individuals with thyroid cancer (out of just under 10,000 trans female veterans) were on hormone replacement therapy. Additionally, the researchers didnt even claim that this relationship is causal. They only suggest that this may be worth investigating as a potential risk factor. Our findings are limited by reliability of objective criteria to include all possible transgender female veterans. Comparison to a cismale veteran cohort, exploration of risk factor exposure, and computation of estrogen areaunderthecurve will be important next analyses. Additionally, further research is needed to ascertain the role and mechanism of estrogen GAHT in the malignant transformation of thyrocytes, they wrote in their papers discussion section.In a press release, the authors expressed caution about over-interpretation. They emphasized that these results are only applicable to trans female veterans. We are being cautious with our findings, but further research is needed to ascertain the role of estrogen genderaffirming hormone therapy and thyroid cancer, said one of the co-authors.Moreover, the study had nothing to do with children, who were the focus of Rep. Greenes statement. What do experts think about the link between hormone replacement therapy and thyroid cancer?LGBTQ Nation reached out to experts for opinions on how best to interpret this study.A representative of the Endocrine Society, the professional medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, said that research has found an increase in thyroid cancer among [cisgender] veterans, suggesting that the lack of a comparison sample in this study may preclude any interpretation of a higher risk among trans women.Liam Hugh Connoly, a Senior Public Information Officer representing the authors of the study and UC-Davis, told LGBTQ Nation: As our press release states, any possible connection between gender-affirming estradiol use and an increased risk of thyroid cancer requires further research. The researchers do not and did not recommend anyone stopping, changing or deferring gender-affirming hormone therapy in response to the study without talking to their doctor. Based on the above evidence, Rep. Greenes claim is Mostly False. While it is true that one study stated that there may be a relationship between hormone replacement therapy and thyroid cancer, both the authors and representatives of the university behind this study do not suggest a conclusive relationship and only state that additional research is needed. In addition to the study containing limitations prohibiting the public from reliably interpreting it, external experts do not suggest that there is evidence of a heightened rate among transgender veterans. There is also no evidence from this study that any other type of cancer is prevalent in transgender female veterans, and the study does not suggest this relationship is seen among children.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Trans Awareness Week kicks off today and what better way to ring it in than with stories that not only explore trans identity but also celebrate it. After all, nows is really the time to reflect and uplift the trans community. While remembrance of trans struggles is certainly important, its equally crucial to lean into trans joy, as theres no greater feeling than to embrace and be embraced for living your most authentic life.Film is an excellent medium for reflecting positive trans narratives and there are some great ones out there. From comedies to love stories both of falling in love with others, and learning to love yourself to a few awesomely campy trans horror films, these streamable movies are a great way to kick off the week. Take a look.All film descriptions are courtesy of their respective studios and networks.Anythings Possible (2022)Synopsis: Anythings Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.Why we love it: This sweet love story truly has it all: Its funny, romantic, uplifting, and real.Where to watch: Prime VideoTransfinite (2019)Synopsis: Transfinite is a sci-fi omnibus feature film composed of seven standalone short stories where supernatural trans and queer people from various cultures use their powers to protect, love, teach, fight and thrive.Why we love it: The trans-POC representation alone makes this collection a must-watch, but its also a fascinating sci-fi exploration of identity.Where to watch: Rent on Prime VideoBit (2019)Synopsis: A transgender teenage girl on summer vacation in Los Angeles fights to survive after she falls in with four queer feminist vampires who try to rid the citys streets of predatory men.Why we love it: Trans, feminist vampires using their creature of the night powers to take out predators? Whats not to love?Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, VuduThe Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994)Synopsis: Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.Why we love it: This film is a classic for a good reason: Its still a joy to behold in all its sumptuous glory.Where to watch: TubiSo Vam (2021)Synopsis: Kurt is an outcast in a conservative town who dreams of moving to the city to be a famous drag queen. Kidnapped by a predatory old vampire, Kurt is rescued and resurrected by a gang of rebellious vamps who feed on bigots and abusers. As a vampire, he finally knows empowerment and belonging, but until Kurt faces the monster, he will never truly be free. The exciting debut from Australian trans teen filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay, So Vam is a low-budget, high-energy tribute to teen vampire classics, from a distinctly Gen Z, genderqueer POV.Why we love it: Directed by trans teen Alice Maio Mackay, this movie about a queer kid discovering his found (undead) family with a trans vampire is just so very cool. Where to watch: Shudder, AMC+Boy Meets Girl (2014)Synopsis: Boy Meets Girl is a poignant, sexy, romantic coming-of-age comedy about three 20-year-olds living in Kentucky. Robby (Michael Welch, Twilight) and his best friend since childhood, Ricky (Michelle Hendley), a gorgeous transgender girl, have never dated. Lamenting the lack of eligible bachelors, Ricky considers dating a girl. In walks Francesca (Alex Turshen), a beautiful young debutante waiting for her Marine fiance to return from the war. Ricky and Francesca strike up a friendship, and maybe a little more, which forces Robby to face his true feelings for Ricky.Why we love it: Fun and quirky, this romantic comedy is just the kind of easy breezy watch you may be craving.Where to watch: Prime Video, TubiLaurence Anyways (2012)Synopsis: In the 90s, Laurence tells his girlfriend, Fred, that he wants to become a woman; they confront the prejudices of their friends, ignore the council of their families, and brave the phobias of the society they offend.Why we love it: Honestly, its just so achingly romantic.Where to watch: Tubi, Roku NimonaSynopsis: A knight framed for a tragic crime teams with a scrappy, shape-shifting teen to prove his innocence. But what if she's the monster he's sworn to destroy?Why we love it: A shapeshifting punkrock ENBY monster girl helping her bestie reunite with his prince charming. Period. Where to watch: NetflixMonicaSynopsis: A woman returns home to care for her ailing mother who she hasn't seen in years in this tender portrait of family, forgiveness, and acceptance.Why we love it: My god for the performances alone! While this film definitely skews bittersweet its the hope we feel at the end that lands it on this list.Where to watch: Hulu, AMC+Alice JniorSynopsis: When teenage YouTube sensation Alice Junior moves from big city Brazil to the conservative countryside, she learns to harness the power of her trans identity and fulfill her dream: landing her long overdue first kiss.Why we love it: Because its the coming of age story we've always wanted to see but SO rarely (if ever) get to see on the screen.Where to watch: Kanopy, Rent on Prime Video

On Thursday, the 25th Latin GRAMMY Award airs live on November 14 on Univision, UniMs, Galavisin and ViX beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT, preceded by a one-hour pre-show starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT. This years list of nominees is filled with names from across the LGBTQ Latine community. Anitta, Kali Uchis, Kany Garca, Maria Becerra, [...]The post Queer Latine Women and LGBTQ Allies to Shine at This Years Latin GRAMMY Awards in Miami first appeared on GLAAD.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. While she entered the House of Representatives in 2015 as a moderate, she has increasingly supported Trump and also Republican policies against transgender people. Stefanik has little foreign policy experience and will echo Trumps isolationist and pro-Israel stances at the U.N., having said, America continues to be the beacon of the world, but we expect and must demand that our friends and allies be strong partners in the peace we seek. Her somewhat mixed LGBTQ+ rights record implies shell be no friend to LGBTQ+ people while serving in the U.N. Related United Nations says U.S. anti-LGBTQ+ laws violate its human rights agreements Bans on gender-affirming care and discussing LGBTQ+ people in schools were among the human rights concerns the committee had. Elise Stefanik at a glance Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Location: Schuylerville, New YorkParty Affiliation: RepublicanRace/Ethnicity: Czech/Italian-AmericanGender Identity: FemaleOrientation: HeterosexualPronouns: She/her/hersLGBTQ+ Ally: Somewhat Social mediaFacebook:RepEliseStefanikX:@RepStefanikInstagram:RepStefanikYouTube: repelisestefanikWebsite:GallegoForArizona.comElise Stefaniks stance on LGBTQ+ issues Same-sex marriageIn 2022, Stefanik was among 47 House Republicans who voted with Democrats to help pass the Respect for Marriage Act, a law that requires federal and state governments to recognize same-sex unions. Trans children in sportsIn April 2023, she voted in support of a bill that would require federally supported schools and colleges to ban trans athletes from playing sports. Transgender access to public bathroomsStefanik encouraged her supporters to vote against New Yorks Proposition 1, known as the Equal Rights Amendment, which would explicitly include LGBTQ+ people in the rights and protections listed in the New York State Bill of Rights.Prop 1 would change New Yorks Constitution, allowing biological boys in girls restrooms in public schools, Stefanik wrote. The amendment was passed with 61.9% of state voters supporting it. Dont say gay/LGBTQ+ discussions in schoolsStefanik has voiced support for the so-called Parents Bill of Rights, a bill that would out trans kids to their potentially unsupportive parents and would also require schools to list all library books and curricula online. Its provisions are similar to those sought by other parents rights advocates who support anti-LGBTQ+ Dont say gay laws in schools nationwide.She has also proposed a bill to prevent schools run by the Department of Defense from using trans-inclusive personal pronouns or keeping students gender identities confidential from parents. Gender-affirming care for trans youthIn September, she spoke at a campaign event for now-President-elect Donald Trump supporting his pledge to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Discrimination protectionsIn 2016, she voted to add a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act that would allow anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in all federal agencies.In 2019, was one of eight Republicans who voted in favor of the Equality Act, a law that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal anti-discrimination laws. However, in 2021, she voted against it even though the bills text hadnt substantially changed.In February 2021, she co-sponsored the Fairness for All Act, a law that sought to simultaneously prohibit discrimination against gender identity and sexual orientation while allowing exemptions for religious organizations and service providers to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. She withdrew her support for the bill one year later after religious and conservative groups criticized it for acknowledging the existence of trans people. Other LGBTQ+ issuesIn May 2022, she accused Democrats of being pedophiles in a social media post about the national shortage of baby formula following the COVID-19 supply chain issues. Her use of the slur echoes that of other Republicans who accuse their opponents, LGBTQ+ people, and allies of grooming children for sexual abuse.The White House, House Dems, & usual pedo grifters are so out of touch with the American people that rather than present ANY PLAN or urgency to address the nationwide baby formula crisis, they double down on sending pallets of formula to the southern border. Joe Biden has NO PLAN Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 13, 2022 Stefaniks careerGraduated Harvard College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in GovernmentWorked from 2006-2009 in President George W. Bushs Domestic Policy Council staff and the chief of staffs officeServed in 2012 as an aide to U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)Elected in 2015 to serve as New Yorks U.S. RepresentativeAppointed in 2015 to the House Armed Services CommitteeWon re-election in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024Elected in 2021 to serve as House Republican Conference chairAppointed in 2024 to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations A mixed past but an ugly futureStefanik was the youngest woman ever elected to Congress when she began in 2015. She voted against Trumps 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy, his pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, his Muslim travel ban, and the FCCs removal of net neutrality. However, she voted to repeal Obamacare, threatening healthcare access for millions of Americans.Stefanik has since become an ardent supporter of Trump and his right-wing policies. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who serves alongside Stefanik on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called her U.N. appointment a gift to [Russian President] Vladamir Putin as she opposes U.S. funding to help Ukraine fight off Russias ongoing invasion and supports Israels continued attacks on Palestinian civilians.While serving as the House Republican Conference chairperson, she has published ads echoing the so-called Great Replacement Theory, an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Democrats are allowing undocumented immigrants into the U.S. to outvote and silence Republican voters. This theory has been cited by numerous white supremacists and mass shooters who have targeted communities of color. Related links: Related Liz Cheneys likely successor in Republican leadership shows everything thats wrong with the GOP Elise Stefanik has proven she has zero principles or policy ideas, other than a willingness to embrace authoritarianism to gain personal power. MAGA Republicans know marginalized groups are stronger together. Thats why they want to divide us. Most recently, MAGA Republicans have used Jewish students as pawns in its quest to eliminate DEI programs and terminate academic freedom. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Star of stage and screenSheryl Lee Ralphis no stranger from using her voice to stand for equality and inclusion. The devout ally and activist for the LGBTQ community has been named Advocate of the Year and graces the cover of the latest issue of The Advocate. The Emmy Award-winning actress who currently stars in ABCs [...]The post Sheryl Lee Ralph Graces the Cover of The Advocate as 2024 Advocate of the Year first appeared on GLAAD.

Sophia Bush is living the dream.No, not just because she's been a working actor in Hollywood for over two decades, but because that career boasts some of the most iconic on-screen lesbian kisses of all time, and only continues to grow. Well before Bush, 42, was out as queer, and locking lips with soccer star Ashlyn Harris (don't worry, we'll get there) there were definitely signs. Making a living out of making out with other women is certainly not sapphic proof positive, but it can be a sign that someone might actually be queer shocking, I know. Well, Ms. Bush is at it again, recently broking the internet with ANOTHER jaw-dropping kiss on last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy. So, what better time to revisit her Sapphic kissing greatest hits?Nip/Tuck S1E7 "Cliff Mantegna" (2001)@wish.me.monstersThat time #sophiabush and #katemara kissed #niptuckshow #johnhensley #ryanmurphySay what you will about Ryan Murphy, but he's done a lot for the lesbian cheerleader community over the years. Ridley (Sophia Bush) and Vanessa (Kate Mara) from Nip/Tuck walked so Brittney and Santana from Glee could run.John Tucker Must Die (2006)The scene in the high school comedy classic John Tucker Must Die where Sophia Bush give Brittany Snow a kissing lesson altered my brain chemistry forever. If we don't get more of this in the upcoming sequel I will riot in the streets, and I don't think I'm the only one.Easy S3E3, "Spontaneous Combustion" (2019)Netflix's Chicago-based romp Easy may have been short-lived with only 25 episodes over the series' 3 seasons, but there were some real gems hidden in there. Key among them, was when Sophia Bush guest starred for an episode and gave us this steamy make-out scene with Jacqueline Toboni (who you may recognize from The L Word: Generation Q) during the show's final season. Grey's Anatomy S21E6 "Night Moves" (2024)@jaslovesdsavreTEDDY ALTMAN GIRLKISSER IS BACK!! #teddyaltman #cassbeckman #kimraver #sophiabush #greysanatomy #greysabc #foryoupageAs we mentioned, Sophia Bush guest starred in last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy and ended up kissing Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) square on the lips over dinner. Bush's character, Dr. Cass Beckham confides in Teddy that when she and her husband were going through a rough patch, they opened their marriage. Will Teddy and her husband, Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) open up their marriage? If it means Dr. Beckham will be around, I sure hope so!Real Life (2024)See on InstagramOff screen, Bush can often be found still kissing a woman namely her girlfriend, soccer star Ashlyn Harris (scroll through the carousel above for some lip locking examples!). Bush came out earlier this year, an experience she told Glamour made her "feel like I can finally breathe." In Harris's touching birthday tribute to Bush on Instagram, Bush replied with this sincere comment that read, "Last year I got free. This year I found the very best love in the very most unexpected place. I may never get over the gift of it. Thank you for putting me back together. For making my second birthday even better than my first. And for reminding me what the sound of my unbridled laughter sounds like. You are magic. You are my best present. "We love to see it literally!

We have officially kicked off Transgender Awareness Week which is about to turn into just Transgender Awareness come 2025 when the United States turns into Gilead from The Handmaidens Tale but I digress. We are not here to dwell, but what we are here to do is bring awareness to the community and focus on trans joy along the way. Including exploring the history and meaning of the Transgender Pride Flag. While you may have seen this flag, characterized by its baby blue and pink colors with a white strip in the middle, you may not know much about what it fully stands for or how it came to be. So, here are 10 fascinating facts you can add to your queer trivia knowledge!1. It was designed by activist Monica Helms in 1999The flags initial design came from transgender activist Monica Helms, a US Naval officer, back in 1999. Helms had served in the Navy since the 1970s and continued to be a voice and an advocate for the community following the creation of the flag. She even took on President Trump during his initial presidency in 2017 when he said transgender people couldnt serve in the miltary, noting that many of our allies around the world had openly trans people in their militaries with no issues. Michael Page, the activist behind the bisexual flag, also initially encouraged Helms to create the flag. 2. It debuted in 2000 at the Phoenix Pride ParadeFollowing the flags creation, Helms, a Phoenix native known as the transgender Betsy Ross, debuted the flag during the 2000 Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona. Helms also returned twenty years later to claim the title of the Phoenix Pride grand marshal to honor and recognize her contributions to the communitys history.3. The colors have significant meaningIn 2020, Helms told Atlanta Magazine that shed woken up one day with the idea for the colors and broke down what they mean in more detail. The traditional color, light blue, for boys, pink for girls, and a single white strip in the middle for those who are transitioning, gender neutral, or intersex, she said. Following the creation, she said she took it to protests, marches, funerals, and transgender days of remembrance, but that it didnt start gaining real traction until 2013.4. It was one of the first additional Pride Flags flown in government buildingsAlthough it took a while for the flag to gain the recognition it has since gone on to achieve, it also made its way into some government buildings in the UK before its global accolades. In 2010, the councils in Brighton and Hove flew the Transgender Pride Flag on November 28 in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance. Although the flag flew in plenty of other places, this marked a significant turn in governmental awareness.5. The pattern is a distinctive shapeIn line with the colors having significant meaning within themselves to represent the genders, those transitioning, or those either neutral or intersexed, Helms also said the pattern has its own meaning, too. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it will always be correct, she said. This symbolizes us trying to find correctness in our own lives.6. You can see the very first flag at the SmithsonianDuring Helms decade of trying to spread awareness of the flag, it took other countries flying the flag before people started to take note. On August 19, 2014, The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, accepted her donation of the original flag as a part of their LGBTQ+ collection. It is still there, and can also be found outside of offices of the likes of Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi.7. Its gone on to inspire other Pride FlagsThe popularity of the Transgender Pride Flag also paved way to inspiring other LGBTQ+ flags, perhaps most notably the Progress Pride Flag created by Danial Quasar in 2018. This flag incorporates the traditional rainbow Pride Flag alongside elements from the trans flag tht bring awarness to more marginalized groups within the LGBTQ+ community. In 2023, Quasar told The Trejor Project that hed had an epiphany that all of these flags matter to each person and theyre flying them for their own reasons. It just shows the grand diversity and sheer individualism that we have within our community that is so beautiful."8. Alternative versions of the Transgender Pride Flag existOther, lesser-known variations of the Transgender Pride Flag exist, including one by Ottawa designer Michelle Lindsay around 2009. This one also consists of pink and blue stripes, though darker shades, and the symbol for both male and female are combined via the white stripe in the middle. It was first displayed during the Ottawa communitys Trans Day of Remembrance ceremony, as its also known as the Transgender Remembrance Flag. Other flags include the Israeli Transgender Flag, represented with a bright green background and the same male/female combination symbol in the center, though in black instead of white. Little is known about the origin of this flag. There is also the Jonathan Andrew Captain John variation that, in 2015, he said he could not ever fund to properly produce.9. Theres also a Genderqueer FlagAlthough the white stripe in the popularized version of the Transgender Pride Flag represents our nonbinary friends, Marilyn Roxie designed a flag for the genderqueer and non-binary community. The first design first debuted in June 2010, and after three redesigns, made its final reveal one year later. This flag also has horizontal bars that have a deeper meaning, including lavender, which is a mix of blue and pink to represent androgyny, white for the agender community, and dark chartreuse green for those outside of the binary, a color considered the inverse of lavender.10. You can read more about Monica Helms experience in her autobiographySee on InstagramIn 2019, Helms released her autobiography, More Than Just A Flag, that details everything in her life from her time as a Navy veteran through to the books publication. It goes into further detail about her creation of the Transgender Pride Flag in 99, as well as her donation to the Smithsonial and her founding of the Transgender American Veterans Association in 2003.

Today marks the beginning of Transgender Awareness Week 2004. The week, celebrated each year from November 13-19, is dedicated to raising visibility and awareness about transgender and gender non-conforming people and address challenges the community faces. Transgender Awareness Week arrives at a particularly profound time to celebrate transgender peoples lives, contributions to our culture, and [...]The post GLAAD Unveils New Resources for Transgender Awareness Week, November 1319 first appeared on GLAAD.

In the wake ofDonald Trumps shocking and overwhelming victory in the 2024 Presidential Race, politicians, political commentators, and citizens nationwide are chiming in on how they feel their party has failed them, and how they think Democrats should have acted differently amid this historic election season. Unfortunately,some with platforms are trying to blamethe loss on [...]The post Late Night Host Seth Meyers Defends Trans Community: If youre choosing this moment to scapegoat and demonize vulnerable people youre way off. first appeared on GLAAD.

President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to serve as U.S. attorney general and lead the Department of Justice (DOJ). Trump will expect Gaetz who has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for potential lobbying violations, illicit drug use, and connections to sex trafficking to help end all federal legal investigations against Trump and use the DOJ to seek retribution against his political enemies.Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, Trumpwrote in his announcement on Truth Socialposted Wednesday, adding that he has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department. Related Anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Matt Gaetz under second investigation for allegedly sex trafficking a minor Gaetzs former friend, a confessed child sex trafficker, is helping investigators with their inquiry. Replying to Trumps announcement on X, Gaetz said it will be an honor to serve. Gaetz graduated with a Juris Doctor from the William & Mary Law School in 2007 and worked at the Florida-based legal firm of Keefe, Anchors & Gordon before being elected to Floridas House of Representatives in 2010. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today It will be an honor to serve as President Trumps Attorney General! pic.twitter.com/dg0iQ0bA6Y Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 13, 2024If the Republican-led Senate confirms Gaetz, he will be expected to end the federal cases that remain against Trump. Trump currently faces federal charges related to stealing classified documents from the White House, trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and paying hush money to an adult entertainer who he allegedly had an affair with. The next attorney general will also be expected to defend Trumps agenda, including his proposals to eliminate the Department of Education, deport 11 million immigrants, and cut federal funding to schools that teach critical race theory and transgender ideology, as right-wingers call gender-inclusivity. For years, Trump has called for his political opponents and critics to be prosecuted, locked up, deported and even executed. His targets have included President Joe Biden and his family, Vice President Kamala Harris, Former President Barack Obama, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Special counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Former FBI Director James Comey, U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, members of the congressional committee about the January 6 Capitol riots, unspecified people engaged in election fraud, and various reporters, editors and publishers. Gaetz has voted against the Equality Act, which would enshrine LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination protections in pre-existing federal civil rights law, as well as against the Respect for Marriage Act, which requires federal and state governments to recognize legal same-sex marriages. He opposes transgender athletes competing in sports and gender-affirming care for minors. He also helped rescind Floridas ban on gay adoption when he was a state legislator.Gaetz hasreferred to LGBTQ+ peopleas degenerate at least twice, saying that his school prayer bill will keep LGBTQ+ identities out of schools.He hasattacked the military for allowing transgender peopleto serve their country.He accused USAID, the federal agency that manages foreign aid and developmental assistance to other countries, of having a perverse ideology for supporting LGBTQ+ people in other countries. He also gotthe Air Force to shut down a drag eventon a military base after he complained about it.The allegations facing GaetzIn 2020, the Secret Service received a tip that Gaetz was associated with a Florida county tax collector who was charged with making fake IDs to sex-traffic underage girls. The DOJ opened an investigation into Gaetz that same year, and investigators found that Gaetz would show his colleagues videos of naked and topless women on his phone as he bragged about how he was able to go to the parties held by the county tax collector,according to some witnesses.In an attempt to get a pardon in 2020, the county tax collector wrote a letter to the Trump administration in which he confessed to paying women and girls for sex and said that he and Gaetz sexually abused a 17-year-old girl together but said that they thought she was 19.Around the same time, the DOJ was also investigating whether Gaetz paid for her to travel with him for an alleged sexual relationship with her when she was 17.Gaetz denied the accusations and said that he was the victim of an extortion plot by an unnamed DOJ official. In strange media interviews, Gaetz claimed his father was wearing a wire to help officials catch the person extorting him, and he denied that there were photos of him with child prostitutes no one accused him of that. Gaetzs close relationship with Joel Greenberg who pleaded guilty in 2021 following a DOJ probe into whether he had sex with an underage girl and introduced her to other adult men who also had sex with her while she was underage put him under suspicion, as did the fact that Gaetz was the only member of Congress to vote against a bill that increased funding to fight human trafficking.Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CO), who was House Minority Leader at the time, said that he would not remove Gaetz from his committee assignments.CNN reportedthat Gaetz showed pictures of naked women to his colleagues on the House floor and bragged about having sex with themin 2021.But by 2022, the DOJ investigation into Gaetz had concluded, and prosecutors recommended not charging Gaetz in the sex trafficking investigation due to a lack of credibility of two key witnesses.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Name a more iconic duo than a twink and a redhead!Grant Gibbs and Ashley Gill are the hilarious best friends that have taken TikTok and social media by storm thanks to their sex-positive and very eccentric music videos.The inspiration behind their raunchy songs? It all stems from these two wanting to live their best lives and flaunt their sexualities."The way we package it up is funny. We look like Disney Channel costars and we're talking about getting d*cked down. I think that's jarring," Gibbs tells PRIDE."We're sexual people and we want to celebrate that! Why not just talk about getting railed in a Panera? We're also celebrating female sexuality! I'm talking about my tight p*ss[y] and I'm not apologizing for it. We celebrate horniness in such a gorgeous way," Gill adds.After the duo went viral for their titular bop "A Twink and a Redhead," the influencers are now poking fun at straight culture by spoofing the country music industry in their new song "Heterosexuality.""Country music as a genre does not celebrate female sexuality or the LGBTQ+ community. We're making fun of how heteronormative it all is. We're just taking it up a notch. It's time to level up," Gill says."It resonated with so many people! There's so many gay/girl bestie duos out there. I love that. I feel like it really is a powerful duo," Gibbs shares.Fans can follow the besties on Instagram here. Plus, keep an eye out for their debut EP dropping Friday, November 22.To see the full interview with A Twink and a Redhead, check out the video at the top of the page.

Donald Trump hasnt even taken office yet, and hes already reshaping the government in idiotic ways. We knew that a second Trump presidency would not only mean an uptick in new and inventive ways to strip LGBTQ+ people of their rights but also ridiculous ideas that would waste time and tax-payer dollars we just didnt know hed start before he even took office!On Tuesday, the MAGA leader announced his plan to appoint Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. Yes, like the joke cryptocurrency Dogecoin Musk has invested in because apparently were living inside an article written by The Onion. (@) The new commission tasked with slashing federal inefficiency will be headed by an anti-trans bigot who to be fair has proven his efficiency skills on driving X (formerly Twitter) into the ground in just two years the social media platform is worth 80% less than two years ago when Musk purchased the company alongside a pharmaceutical exec who ran and lost against Trump in the Republican presidential primary. So lets get this straight: we need not one, but two losers to run a department dedicated to efficiency? Make it make sense.The internet has not been quiet about the clown show that will be running the government under Trump. The Office of Government Efficiency is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person. Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote on X, while other people roasted the choice by comparing Musk and Ramaswamy to Wario and Waluigi or Parks and Recs Tom and Jean-Ralphios failed business Entertainment 720. (@) Musk was also Trumps biggest campaign contributor, and his company, SpaceX, has secured more than $10 billion worth of federal contracts in the last ten years. Its almost like he bought a position that would allow him to keep bringing in those sweet federal dollars while being given the power to oversee the government agencies that police his companies Musks companies are currently in the middle of 20 different investigations and lawsuits by federal agencies, the New York Times reports.So two super-rich men will be running a new department that, according to a statement from Trump, will provide advice and guidance from outside of government on slashing government spending but wont be formal government employees. What could possibly go wrong? (@) This isnt even the only WILD choice Trump has already made in the week since he was elected. He also announced that he will nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth as the next Secretary of Defense.The jokes are coming in fast and furious, and we cant get enough. You cant cry if youre laughing, right? So keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to Trump hiring two idiots for one job! (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

On November 10, Ozians descended upon Shiz University for the Los Angeles premiere of Universal Pictures highly-anticipated movie musical event Wicked (part 1) directed by Jon M. Chu (who was unable to attend the premiere because his wife was in labor!) and starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glina. It was a [...]The post Wicked Los Angeles Premiere: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, LGBTQ Hollywood Don Pink & Green on Red Carpet first appeared on GLAAD.

Popular radio host Charlamagne Tha God misgendered Caitlyn Jenner numerous times on a recent episode of his show, The Breakfast Club all while calling her out for not being supportive enough to the trans community. During the episode, he recalled how Jenner came out as trans in 2015 and contemplated her support for Donald Trump. Related Bitter Caitlyn Jenner says trans women arent real women as she complains about the woke movement I live my life as a woman but I consider myself a trans person. If theres one thing this election taught me its that people really do vote their interest, and their interest is not attached to their identity. And I must say, its fascinating to me, Charlamagne said. I just find it fascinating. That is also how I feel about Caitlyn because Caitlyn is trans but she is a huge Donald Trump supporter. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today He claimed that Jenner offered to work for Trump something she disputes, saying that she would only serve if Trump offered before going on to refer to her using he/him pronouns. My message was clear headline was a bit misleadingMy stance remains unchanged as entirely supportive of the President, since 2015, emphasizing a commitment to serve if called upon. pic.twitter.com/5sDqtyT3yC Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) November 10, 2024Caitlyn Jenner, as a transgender, you just look like a devil damn fool glazing Trump and Elon the way you are after hearing stuff like that, he said while playing comments from Trump where he expressed his opposition to gender-affirming care Now, I dont have a problem choosing issues over identity, but not if one of the issues is somebody trying to erase the existence of my identity altogether. What I dont like is when someone can reap the benefits of a community, but not stand up for the rights of that community.He criticized her for her lack of advocacy for the trans community before going on to suggest that she took advantage of all the privileges that come with being trans, such as her acceptance of Glamours 2015 Woman of the Year, something she later regretted on X. /1 While I never competed for one of the dozens of Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year awards, awarded to me in 2016, I accepted the award. Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) November 9, 2024If youre going to be labeled a trans champion, you have to be ready to go to the mat for them at all times, he added, calling her a rich white male.Charlamagne has butted heads with Trump before, suing the President-elect for using his likeness in an anti-trans campaign ad without his consent. He specifically took issue with a misrepresentation of his views to suggest he opposed transgender people.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

In a podcast interview last Thursday the same day Donald Trump reached out to him to become his new Defense Secretary Fox News host Pete Hegseth spelled out the priorities that the once and future president has at the top of his mind for his second administration, and why Hegseth is his pick to carry them out as Trumps new pick to lead the Department of Defense.First of all, youve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,Hegseth said, referring to Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr, who is Black and expressed sympathy for the Black Lives Matter movement after George Floyd was killed at the hands of Minnesota police. Related Donald Trumps spiritual advisor says there will be no more rainbow flags after re-election He also said reproductive rights are now a thing of the past. Any general, any admiral, whatever, who was involved in diversity, equity and inclusion programs or woke st has got to go, Hegseth said. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Ladies & gentlemen, the next United States Secretary of Defense:pic.twitter.com/nm4W00zL3H Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 13, 2024Hegseth, 44, served as an Army infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan and as a member of the Minnesota National Guard. He joined Fox News in 2015 and hosts the networks Fox & Friends Weekend program, where Trump has been a frequent guest.You gotta get DEI and [critical race theory] out of the military academy so youre not training young officers to be baptized in this type of thinking, he said.Hegseth maintained things were different when he served, saying he had a sense that my senior leaders were committed to the completion of the mission for the right reasons, but added, [Now,] that trust is broken, and you have to reestablish that trust by putting in no-nonsense warfighters in those positions who arent going to cater to the socially correct garbage.Hegseth also maintains women shouldnt be serving on the front lines.Over human history, men in those positions are more capable. Straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles, Hegseth asserted in a recent CNN interview. Pete Hegseth 5 days ago: "I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles." pic.twitter.com/0W3LDSakud Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 13, 2024Hegseth has been an ardent defender of three service members accused of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Two earned pardons from then-President Trump at his urging.One mechanism for Trumps promised military purge is already drawn up, The Wall Street Journal reports. An advisory committee, called the warrior board in draft documents, will review top brass for their political views, disguised as an effort focused on leadership capability, strategic readiness, and commitment to military excellence. The outside group of former military members, stocked with partisan Trump appointees, will make recommendations to the new Defense Secretary for removal. Hegseth would be key to carrying out the purge, essentially forcing the military members to retire. It is legal for Trump to do this since, as president, he will be the militarys Commander-in-Chief.Trumps assault on top generals comes after he recruited several to his first administration. Many later went public with concerns over the presidents leadership, including an accusation by his own chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ret. Army Gen. Mark Milley, that Trump is a total fascist. There is precedent for an outside group advising the military on top personnel.Gen. George C. Marshall established a so-called plucking board in 1940, led by retired general officers, to clear out the militarys upper ranks and make room to promote promising junior officers. Politics was not a factor in assessing the aging leadership as the U.S. prepared for inevitable involvement in World War II.This time, its purely political.Do they start wearing MAGA hats in formation to signal whos where? one former senior Pentagon official asked the Journal. The potential for this to go wrong is infinite.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.