Those internet troll don't stand a chance!Stormy Daniels is truly a jill of all trades. Not only was she a successful adult entertainer, director, and producer, but shes written a New York Times best-selling memoir, hosts a popular gay reality show, a documentary was made about her for Peacock, and she had a hand in why former President Donald Trump is now a convicted felon. Queen.And while all of that is fantastic, one of our favorite things about Daniels is her ability to use her whip-smart comedy skills to take down internet trolls who spend their days hiding behind keyboards. Some people mock her for not being successful (she is!) or for supporting Kamala Harris bid for president, but the hate she gets is mostly from people mocking her for sleeping with former President Donald Trump and being a whore a name shes taking all the way to the bank with a merch line.Resorting to making lewd comments and insinuating someone is a slut is pathetic youd think theyd at least try to be original but Daniels retorts never fail to make us laugh. Scrolling through her X timeline will show you exactly how shes managing to sell out her comedy shows. We are living for her takedowns of Trump-loving Republicans and conservative Christian prudes!Keep trolling to see why we love Stormy Daniels so much! (@) She sticks it to the misogynists on the daily. (@) She stood up for vice presidential candidate Tim Walz's teenage son Gus when he had a heartfelt reaction to his father's nomination. (@) She's hilarious! (@) She can take down Trump for being a criminal, an adulterer, a faux Christian, and the proud owner of a tiny, well, you know, all in one biting sentence! (@) She's super talented and not afraid to point that out to people who want to reduce her to a pornstar as if that is a job you should be ashamed of. Not in this house! (@) Simple, straight forward, and to the point. No lies detected! (@) Trump's MAGA diehards come out in droves to demean Daniels, but she always hits the right back. (@) She's gifted at making fun of Trump without ever having to write his name. (@) She can turn a horrid comment into an opportunity to get that bag! Also, "Stormy 202WHORE" is such a clever slogan. (@) She always makes us laugh! (@) She knows how to troll someone who clearly has her confused with Monica Lewinsky.By the way, both Stormy and Lewinsky deserve a genuine apology from the American people and every late-night host since the '90s. (@) She doesn't shy away from her career as an adult film star, she embraces it and throws it back in the faces of prudes everywhere. (@) Being associated with Trump may get her a bigger audience at her comedy shows, but Trump being associated with Stormy is a big part of why he was convicted of 34 felonies. (@) She effortlessly makes fun of prudish zealots! (@) Don't even bother trying to make fun of Stormy because she will make you look like a fool!

Chappell Roan, the out pop star who ascended to the highest heights of stardom this summer, isnt willing to accept the invasions of privacy that frequently come hand-in-hand with fame.After releasing a 2017 E.P. and her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, in September 2023, Roan shot to fame this year after opening for Olivia Rodrigos Guts World Tour and releasing a new single, Good Luck, Babe! in April. Related Out pop singer Chappell Roan criticizes Joe Biden for not supporting liberty, justice & freedom Her comments drew backlash from liberals and support from her fans. But the 26-year-old, whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, has been open about the struggles shes had with her newfound fame and the attention she gets from fans. She has described her Chappell Roan alter ego as a drag project, and explained that thinking of her career in those terms has helped her separate her personal life from her job. As early as May 2023, she described having panic attacks between fan meet-and-greets while on tour. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today People would tell me really heavy things, she told Glamour. Its such an interesting world we live in where everyone wants to see who you really are on social media. What people want is to see your personality and to connect with you. But theres this delusion that they know you and that they can tell you anything. And its like, no, I dont want to hear the trauma because I have to then go process that, and then go perform a show like I didnt hear all of that.More recently, shes come out with a much more forceful defense of her own privacy. In an August 19 TikTok video, she compared fans approaching her while shes off duty to someone approaching a random woman on the street and demanding her time and attention.If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from the car window? Would you harass her in public? Roan asked. Would you be offended if she says no to your time because she has her own time?In another clip, she rejected the idea that she should accept that fans feel entitled to her time simply because its considered normal and the price of success. I dont give a f**k if you think its selfish of me to say no for a photo or for your time or to for a hug, she said. Thats not normal, thats weird. Its weird how people think that you know a person just cause you see them online and you listen to the art they make.Im allowed to say no to creepy behavior, she added. @chappellroan Do not assume this is directed at someone or a specific encounter. This is just my side of the story and my feelings. original sound chappell roan Days later, Roan posted a seven-slide Instagram post that further explained her position.Ive been in too many non-consensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women dont owe you s**t, she wrote, noting in the posts caption that shed turned off comments because this isnt a group conversation and that shes not afraid of the consequences for demanding respect.I chose this career path because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, she wrote. I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it. When Im on stage, when Im performing, when Im in drag, when Im at a work event, when Im doing pressI am at work. Any other circumstance, l am not in work mode. I am clocked out, she continued. I dont agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out just because theyre expressing admiration. Women do not owe you a reason why they dont want to be touched or talked to.This has nothing to do with the gratitude and love I feel for my community, for the people who respect my boundaries, and for the love I feel from every person who lifts me up and has stuck with me to help the project get to where it is now, Roan, who has rapidly become something of an LGBTQ+ icon, added. I am specifically talking about predatory behavior (disguised as superfan behavior) that has become normalized because of the way women who are well-known have been treated in the past.Roan wrote that she embraces success and is grateful for the turn her career has taken this year. But she went on to plead with fans to stop touching her, to stop harassing her family, and to stop calling her Kayleigh. There is a part of myself that I save just for my project and all of you, she concluded. There is a part of myself that is just for me, and I dont want that taken away from me.Roans statement has been polarizing. As Slates Cat Cardenas noted, many fans on social have expressed sympathy, while others have said that shes not really cut out to be a pop girlie.on a human level if I became as famous as Chappell Roan as quickly as she did I would become the joker within, like 2 days pic.twitter.com/hkKSaO8HNY Tobias "Substack" For Now (@Tobiasfornow) August 19, 2024Response from the media has also run the gamut, with Cardenas criticizing the extremes of stan culture built around unprecedented access to celebrities via social media. Out called Roans statement an overdue cultural reset for pop music stans, and Vogue sided with the pop star in comparing contemporary super fans with smartphone cameras to the predatory paparazzi of the 90s and early 2000s. At the other end of the spectrum, an August 29 Daily Mail headline screamed, Chappell Roans foul-mouthed outbursts at fans who give her the fast fame she craves prove shes ALREADY a spoiled diva with an ugly attitude proving Roan and her supporters point.

This articlefirst appeared on Mother Jones. It has been republished with the publications permission.Only some40 percent of disabled peopleare employed. But even that low figure is buoyed by federal laws against employment discriminationa target of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundations roadmap for a right-wing transformation of government by a second Trump White House.A key institution for the just treatment of disabled workers is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal bans on workplace discrimination. Viewed with distaste by many on the right since its founding through the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the EEOC obtained nearly $4 million in 2023 for disabled workers subjected to employment discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Related Biden administration releases new Title VII rules protecting trans employees The agencys new guidelines expressly prohibit misgendering, denial of bathroom access, and more. 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 Discrimination plays a significant role, according to Stetson University College of Law professor Robyn Powell, in unemployment among disabled people, who experience it at a rate about double that of people without disabilities.In response to substantiated complaints, the EEOC can sue companies for discrimination on the basis of disabilityamong other categories, including race, gender, and ageand may reach a consent decree, where companies agree to changes in policy and practice, sometimes with financial settlements to the affected workers.Consent decrees occur when there is a big employer where were seeing systematic examples of discrimination, Powell said. If we can open up employment opportunities by tackling discrimination, it helps everyone. The decrees are quicker, cheaper, and sometimes more effective than lawsuits in combating workplace prejudice. But they have a notable enemy in the Heritage Foundations pet project.Jonathan Berry, who was the chief counsel of Trumps 2016 transition team and held multiple jobs in his administration, writes in Project 2025 that EEOC should disclaim power to enter into consent decrees that require employer actions not already explicitly required by law. Back in 2012, during the Obama administration, a Heritage Foundation employeetestifiedbefore Congress that federal agencies habitually abuse consent decreesa viewpoint still clear in Project 2025.When we look at [Project 2025s] specifics around the EEOC and consent decrees, Powell toldMother Jones, we can see that they really are trying to attack and decimate disability rights. The EEOC and DOJ have really been critical in protecting the rights of people with disabilities, says Shira Wakschlag, general counsel and senior director of legal advocacy at The Arc, which serves people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Consent decrees are really critical in any kind of civil rights monitoring or systemic action.Anti-discrimination consent decrees tend to emphasize reform and accountability, with modest settlements compared to potential legal damages. Inone representative case, a government contractor that did not provide accommodations to Deaf and hard-of-hearing employees, and that fired workers on medical leave, agreed to a $1 million settlement with updates to policies on medical leave, reasonable accommodation, and managerial training on the Americans with Disabilities Act, including five years monitoring for compliance.Other types of Justice Department consent decrees also come under attack in Project 2025. Wakschlag says thats very concerning for disability rightsfederal consent decrees are used to fight the continuing institutionalization of disabled people, which violates both the ADA and the Supreme CourtsOlmsteadruling. Conservative attacks on consent decrees are not exactly new. Weve certainly seen pushes to either limit, restrict or get rid of consent decrees in agencies in prior administrations, Wakschlag says. The Trump administration, notably, put anear banin place on consent decrees between the Department of Justice and police departments that aimed to address police brutality.If the EEOCs ability to give consent decrees was diminished or ended, federal anti-discrimination legislation would be dramatically weakened. The agency could still provide technical assistancesuch as instruction on how the ADA protects employees and applicants withvisual disabilities,diabetes, orepilepsybut losing the power to push companies to commit to treat disabled workers better, and monitor their progress, will harm disabled workers and strip them of remedies.We would see a huge shift in power dynamics, Powell said, where we would see that it would really tilt the balance of power more towards employers in these disability discrimination cases.

New data from the 2020 U.S. Census reveals where same-sex male and female couples are living in states across the country, and its not always in the same places.While both male and female coupled households were often found in and around the main population centers of each state, coupled women gravitate toward smaller towns on average compared to coupled men, who reside in larger numbers than women in the countrys biggest cities, all with larger LGBTQ+ populations. Related Finally, the Census Bureau will ask questions about LGBTQ+ people However, some worry that the questions will still continue to erase some queer Americans. According to figures broken down by study authors Amara Jones-Myers and Lydia Anderson, female same-sex couples made up just under one percent of U.S. coupled households in 2020, with the number of male same-sex couples coming in at 0.8%. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today County-level maps show higher percentages of both types of same-sex couples in Florida, the Northeast, and on the West Coast. Counties in those areas also had the highest number of same-sex couples and counties with the highest percentage of same-sex coupled households, the data revealed.The top ten counties with the most same-sex couples overall were Los Angeles County; New York County (New York City); Cook County (home to Chicago); San Francisco County; Maricopa County (Phoenix); Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale); Harris County (Houston); King County (Seattle); Riverside County, California (Palm Springs); and San Diego County.The list of top counties for women couples includes Kings County, New York (Brooklyn); Alameda County, California (Oakland and Berkeley); Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas); and Bexar County, Texas (San Antonio).Male couples dominated the list in New York, San Francisco, Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale), and Riverside County, California (Palm Springs). Among counties with the largest share of same-sex couples among all couples, men made up 5.9% in San Francisco. For women, the largest share of same-sex couples was found in Hampshire, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires, where 3.9 percent of all couples were female-female. For women couples, Multnomah County, Oregon, (Portland) was the runner-up with 2.8% of all couples. For men, Washington, D.C., ranked second with 5.7 percent of all couples.Amy Stone, a sociology professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, said the data reveal where male and female couples feel most at ease, from smaller university towns like Hampshire or urban settings with more LGBTQ+ people like San Francisco and New York.Its where people feel safe living or where they find support. Where gay couples feel safe and where female couples feel safe isnt always the same place, Stone told the Associated Press. The U.S. Census currently does not track total LGBTQ+ populations in the U.S.; the survey only captures LGBTQ+ data if the respondents are living together as spouses or partners. Its estimated that same-sex couples represent about one-sixth of all LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. Those who are single or arent cohabitating, as well as LGBTQ+ people in opposite-sex relationships, dont show up in the numbers.The Census Bureau says it plans to add questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for people ages 15 and older to its annual American Community Survey, the agencys most comprehensive look at American life in addition to the traditional census.

A Houston park ranger is facing multiple criminal charges after three victims accused him of sexual assault and extortion.Joey Lamar Ellis, 33, was arrested in June and charged with official oppression, a felony involving a public servant using their office to unlawfully deny someone their rights, after one of his alleged victims filed a criminal complaint with Houston police alleging that Ellis demanded money from him in exchange for not being arrested. Related Pride Houston adds more security following federal terror warnings Several other cities Prides are also talking about how theyll keep their events safe. According to KPRC2, prosecutors allege that Ellis was on the clock when he targeted the man in Houstons Cullen Park, but was not supposed to be working in that park. Ellis allegedly approached a car in which the victim was sitting with another man, forced him get out of the car, strip off his clothes, and attempted to get the man to confess to a crime he did not commit. 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 The victim, Joshua Beede, told KTRK in June that he had been asleep in his car when Ellis approached.Ellis then told Beede he could either pay him or go to jail, with Beede giving Ellis $20 in cash and paying him an additional $100 via CashApp.Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Smith told KPRC2 that Ellis then tried to force his victim to help him lure others to the park for the same scheme. Beede told KTRK that Ellis intended for him to use a dating app to lure other men to the park.I was, like, fearful for my life, so I was doing everything he said, Beede said. He knew what he was doing though. Hes probably done it before. He didnt look nervous doing it.Elliss attorney, Wes Rucker, denies the allegations. Following reports of Elliss arrest in June, a second man came forward alleging that Ellis demanded either sex or money not to be arrested. The man, who asked not to be identified, alleges that in April, after an early morning workout in Cullen Park, Ellis approached him and accused him of trespassing. Ellis threatened the man with arrest, forced him to pull down his pants, and gave him a choice: either perform a sex act on Ellis or pay him not to be arrested. The man claims he gave Ellis $260.The man says he encountered Ellis in the park again a few weeks later and was given the same choice. That time, the man says, he fled in his car, with Ellis in pursuit, though he was eventually able to lose him on the highway. The man said he ultimately decided to file a report with Houston Police after hearing of Elliss arrest.I just left it alone, but then somebody else spoke up. So, I just hope that others will speak up. On Monday, Ellis was back in court facing one additional charge of official oppression and one charge of sexual assault after a third victim came forward. According to KTRK, prosecutors have also added a hate crime enhancement to the sexual assault charge. Smith said prosecutors believe Ellis targeted his victims because of their sexuality. Hes showing up at these parks where hes not assigned to work. But hes showing up to these other locations where hell find a single male or maybe two males, approach them, and coerce them into either performing a sexual act or giving him money, Smith said Monday.Smith also said that prosecutors believe there may be more victims who have yet to come forward.Following his June arrest, Ellis employer, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, released the following statement: The Houston Parks and Recreation Department has been made aware of the arrest of Urban Park Ranger Joey Ellis. The Department has removed him from the work schedule at this time and the public can be assured that appropriate measures are being taken while HPD investigates.

There are far too few LGBTQ+ women on reality TV, but in the last few years, thats slowly starting to change as more and more stars come out. Some people wait until they have left the show they were on, and others come out on air, but no matter how they do it, these women are bravely sharing their sexual and gender identities with the world, and we are so happy they are.From Bachelorettes revealing that theyre queer to RuPauls Drag Race stars coming out as trans, there are so many amazing women who have joined the fam!Chrishell Stause (Selling Sunset)See on InstagramChrishell Stause was a well-known soap opera actress before making the reality TV jump when she joined the cast of Netflixs Selling Sunset in 2019. Stause came out publicly in 2022 during the Selling Sunset season 5 reunion, where she announced she had started dating nonbinary musician G Flip. The two tied the knot in a small ceremony in Las Vegas a little over a year after they started dating.Becca Tilley (The Bachelor)See on InstagramBecca Tilley first became famous as a contestant on the straightest show on television, The Bachelor. After the show ended, she met and started dating queer musician Hayley Kiyoko, and while the pair kept their relationship out of the public eye for years, she finally came out in 2022.Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette)See on InstagramGabby Windey rocketed to fame on The Bachelorette where she was seeking a husband, but in 2023 she came out to the world by introducing her girlfriend TV writer Robby Hoffman on Instagram. Lots to say honestly, and its hard to get it out all right now, she explained in a video on her Instagram story when she came out. But I know everyones been really curious about who Im dating. You know I love to stir the pot and tease, but I did want to wait until I was ready.Amber Gill (Love Island)See on InstagramLove Island UK winner Amber Gill ended up with rugby player Greg OShea when the show ended, but three years later, she shocked fans when she announced that she had switched teams on Twitter (now X).I watch back on the shows that Ive been on and Im like, god, youre just so gay, Gill said last year on an episode ofQueerpiphany.JoJo Siwa (Dance Moms)See on InstagramJoJo Siwa first made a name for herself as a child performer on Dance Moms, and since then, she has gone on to become a pop star, YouTuber, and TikToker. The 21-year-old Karma singer came out back in January of 2021 after years of speculation about her sexuality by posting a pic of herself on Twitter that showed her wearing a T-shirt someone gifted her that read, Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever. She later announced she identifies as lesbian.Since then, Siwa has done many interviews where shes talked openly about her queer identity and has made headlines for her dating life. She dated Kylie Prew, TikTok star Avery Cyrus, and earlier this month, she publicly announced shes now dating So You Think You Can Dance contestant Dakota Wilson.Parvati Shallow (Survivor)See on InstagramSurvivor: Micronesia Fans vs. Favorites winner Parvati Shallow came out as queer on Dec. 30, 2023, when she shared an Instagram post hard launching her relationship with comedian Mae Martin. She posted a strip of adorable Photo Booth pics with the caption, Were here. Were queer. Happy new year.Stacy Snyder (Love is Blind)See on InstagramLove is Blind season 5 contestant Stacy Snyder got engaged to Izzy Zapata on the show, only for Synder to call it quits before the pair said I do. Then, on August 28, 2024, she came out as queer with a reel posted to Instagram where she kissed a mystery woman. We cant wait to find out who shes dating!Jasmine Pineda (90 Day Fianc)See on InstagramAt the Tell All reunion special for 90 Day Fianc, star Jasmine Pineda spoke openly about her sexuality, admitting that the costar shed like to have children with is her trans costar, Nikki Exotika. While she admitted to having girlfriends in the past, this was the first time the public became aware that she was part of the LGBTQ+ community.Erika Casupana (Survivor)See on InstagramSurvivor season 41 winner Erika Casuapan decided to start 2024 on the right foot, by coming out on Instagram on New Year's Eve. The reality TV star revealed her sexuality to her followers by posting a funny video where she joked that she wanted to try the tradition of eating grapes under the table on New Year's Eve in hopes of getting a boyfriend, but she was out of grass so she "chugged wine" instead and "realized I'm a lesbian."Ariana Madix (Vanderpump Rules)See on InstagramBisexual star Ariana Madix first became famous for joining the cast of Vanderpump Rules, but she became a household name after her long-term boyfriend and co-star Tom Sandoval cheated on her with her best friend, and it became the most talked about scandal in reality TV history. Madix hadnt spoken publicly about her sexuality until she had a sexual experience with co-star Lala Kent, and her then-boyfriend Sandoval blabbed about it to his friends on the show. Im not embarrassed or ashamed of what happened between Lala and I, but I do feel like Tom betrayed my trust by telling this story to his guy friends, she said during the episode. My sexuality is not something that is meant to sound cool to a bunch of dudes.Braunwyn Windham-Spinner (Real Housewives of Orange County)See on InstagramBraunwyn Windham-Burke starred in season 15 of The Real Housewives of Orange County when she was still married to her now ex-husband Sean Burke. After leaving the show, she came out as a lesbian in December 2020 and then announced her engagement to girlfriend Jennifer Spinner in 2022. The pair then tied the knot in a Valentines ceremony in Las Vegas in 2023.Chloe Veitch (Too Hot Too Handle, The Circle)See on InstagramChloe Veitch is a reality TV veteran. Shes starred in shows like Too Hot Too Handle, The Circle, Celebrity Ghost Trio, Celebrity Hunted, Eating With My Ex, and Perfect Match, but it was while she was doing press for Big Celebrity Detox last year that she came out.Veitch told The Sun that she felt like her bisexuality was her dirty little secret and that it took a big weight off my shoulders to come out publicly.At the end of the day, if Im happy, thats all that matters, Veitch said in the interview. Im itching to go out there and date both guys and girls. Its really exciting.Taylor Armstrong (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills)See on InstagramFormer Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong publicly came out as bisexual last year on a different version of the Bravo reality franchise. Armstrong was on a trip to Montana with the women from Real Housewives of Orange County as a "friend of the show" when she opened up about being bisexual and even having a long-term relationship with a woman in the past."Most people are surprised to find out that I'm bisexual probably just because of stereotypes," Taylor explained on the show. "I mean it's not something I broadcast, but I'm open to all people who have great souls that you can love."Demi Burnett (The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise)See on InstagramDemi Burnett made it big when she starred in season 23 of The Bachelor but began to explore her sexuality on Bachelor in Paradise season six. While in Mexico explored a relationship with Kristian Haggarty, and the pair became the franchises first same-sex relationship. Surprisingly, the Bachelor from her season, Colton Underwood, also came out as gay after he left the show.I was nervous about it, just because I didnt know how it was going to look, you know, all the fear of people judging you based off of who you choose to love still was lingering, but its liberating now that its out there, and everyones supporting me, she said at the time according to Today.Elizabeth Corrigan (The Bachelor)See on InstagramElizabeth Corrigan may have competed to win Clayton Echards heart on The Bachelor, but just months after starring on the show in 2022, she came out as bisexual on Instagram in honor of Pride month. She posted a carousel of photos on Instagram featuring the reality TV star in a rainbow bandeau top, along with a heartfelt message about her sexuality.Its important to me today to share with you all that I am queer. More specifically I am, always have been, and always will be-bisexual, she wrote.

Dear Trevor Community,Heading back to school can be an exciting time. As a parent, I know well the anticipation of new teachers, the joy of buying school supplies, and the prospect of new and old friends. I also know as an LGBTQ+ person that heading back to school can bring more than excitement it can bring new and old anxieties.At this time of year at The Trevor Project, our Crisis Counselors hear from LGBTQ+ young people who have challenging experiences at school. As a parent and LGBTQ+ person, I want nothing more than to support young people in educational settings because I know how difficult it can be.In the 90s, high school classmates called me gay before I even knew what it meant. After being outed, rejected, and bullied, I made the difficult decision to drop out of school, and for years after I had to fight to simply survive including finding a place to sleep.Weve made progress since I was an LGBTQ+ young person, but these challenges remain. LGBTQ+ young people report a number of negative experiences that happen to them at school, including verbal harassment, physical attacks, leaving a school because of the severity of mistreatment, and more. Thats why The Trevor Project is here for every young person, day or night.So as we enjoy going back to school, remember that we at The Trevor Project are always in your back pocket for the difficult moments, and no problem is too small for our trained crisis counselors to be there to listen. Together we can create a brighter future for all LGBTQ+ young people.Jaymes Black(they/she/he)CEOThe Trevor ProjectThe post A Back-to-School Message from Trevors CEO appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Tanner Mobley (he/him) Advocacy Associate, Conversion TherapyAs Advocacy Campaigns Associate at The Trevor Project, Im thrilled to share a major victory from our Advocacy Teams efforts. Over the past several years, Ive been part of an incredible team working tirelessly to get Pennsylvanias regulatory boards to adopt statements-of-policy against conversion therapy dangerous and discredited practices that attempt to change a persons LGBTQ+ identity. I want to take you behind the scenes and show you how we turned our vision into a powerful reality.The Urgent Need for ChangeOur drive to end conversion therapy in Pennsylvania was fueled by some eye-opening statistics. The Trevor Projects 2022 National Survey revealed that 5% of LGBTQ young people in Pennsylvania had experienced conversion therapy, and another 11% had been threatened with it. Even more concerning, 15% of LGBTQ young people nationally who needed mental health care but didnt receive it last year cited fear of conversion therapy as a major barrier.Our Its Still Happening Report also uncovered that Pennsylvania had the highest number of licensed practitioners linked to conversion therapy in the country. We identified at least 88 providers with active licenses who supported or practiced these harmful methods, or were part of referral networks perpetuating them. These figures made it clear that urgent regulatory action was needed.A Unified Effort: From Vision to RealityOur efforts in Pennsylvania started with a decisive executive order by former Governor Wolf that banned state funds from being used for conversion therapy. This was a crucial step, but we knew there was more work to be done to protect LGBTQ+ youth comprehensively.Turning this vision into reality wasnt easy. We gathered powerful evidence, including survivor testimonies and data on the severe harm caused by conversion therapy. Collaborating with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, mental health professionals, and legal experts, we built a coalition dedicated to making change happen.Engaging with Pennsylvanias regulatory boards required a lot of strategic effort. We worked with key stakeholders, presenting them with compelling data and heartbreaking survivor stories that illustrated the true impact of conversion therapy.One of the most moving moments came when Dr. Mark Woodland, Chair of the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine, shared his personal experience as a survivor of conversion therapy. His heartfelt testimony added a deeply personal touch, highlighting the lasting trauma inflicted by these practices. Seeing the board members agree and vote in favor of our proposed policies was a powerful moment of validation for all our hard work.Victory! PAs Licensing Boards Adopt Policies on Conversion TherapyOur efforts culminated in a major victory: all five of Pennsylvanias regulatory boards Medicine, Osteopathy, Nursing, Social Workers, and Psychology adopted comprehensive statements-of-policy against conversion therapy. This was a monumental step, signaling that Pennsylvania stands firmly against these harmful practices. With this achievement, Pennsylvania became the 28th state, in addition to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, to protect minors from conversion therapy. It was a long-awaited win, made even more significant following former Governor Wolfs executive order banning state funds for conversion therapy.A Night of Queer Joy and Celebration at the Governors ResidenceTo celebrate this victory, we held an unforgettable Pride event at the Governors residence. Standing alongside fellow advocates, survivors, and allies, I felt an immense sense of accomplishment and community. The evening was filled with joy, hope, and renewed purpose. We even had the first-ever Drag Queen performance at the Governors Residence, adding to the electric atmosphere of love and celebration.Governor Shapiros speech was a poignant reminder of the impact of our work. His words underscored the importance of advocacy and the change weve achieved. Were incredibly grateful for his support and tireless advocacy. A huge thank you also goes to the Pennsylvania Psychological Association and NASW-PA for their crucial roles in this success. Their dedication was key to our achievement.The Work ContinuesWhile we celebrate this victory, our work is far from over. The policies weve implemented in Pennsylvania serve as a model for other states. Moving forward, well continue to support survivors, monitor policy enforcement, and push for similar measures nationwide.This experience has been one of the most rewarding of my career at The Trevor Project. Its a testament to the power of advocacy, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to justice. Knowing that our efforts are helping to create a safer, more inclusive world for LGBTQ+ youth fills me with both pride and a deep sense of responsibility. As we continue this vital work, Im filled with hope and determination, striving to ensure that every LGBTQ+ young person can live authentically and without fear. This cause is deeply personal to me, and its what drives me every day to push for change and to stand up for those who need it most.The post A Mental Health Victory: Pennsylvanias Historic Ban on Conversion Therapy appeared first on The Trevor Project.

The brilliant writer, humorist, and essayist Mark Twain called on us to liberate ourselves with his dictum: Sing like no one is listening, love like youve never been hurt, dance like no one is watching, and live like it is Heaven on earth.And this is exactly what Gus Walz, 17-year-old son of Ohio Gov. Tim Walz and Gwen Walz, showed at the recent Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, August 21 as his father stood atop the stage and accepted his partys nomination to become the next vice president of the United States. Related Gay Gov. Jared Polis defends Kamala Harris evolving & more moderate policy positions Harris once supported a fracking ban, Medicare-for-all, and possibly expanding the Supreme Court. What happened? Gus, with heavy tears of joy running freely down his cheeks, seemed somehow uplifted from his seat by a fantastical force as he repeatedly announced to all assembled, Thats my dad. Thats my dad. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today The contagion of the moment reverberated throughout the hall and became a moment seen around the world, a moment of free and loving expression against the goliath of patriarchal constraints held against people who are assigned male at birth.Gus has received near universal support for his joyful exuberance, though some, largely right-wing detractors, attempted to shame him. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter, for example, posted an article on X about Guss reaction with the caption: Talk about weirdCoulter eventually deleted her post when she discovered that Gus has been diagnosed as neurodivergent with a nonverbal learning disorder, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder, which his proud parents Tim and Gwen called hissecret power. We love our Gus, Tim and Gwen Walz expressed toPeoplemagazine in August 2024. We are proud of the man hes growing into, and we are so excited to have him with us on this journey.I believe the secret power Guss parents alluded to was his ability to be himself, toSing like no one is listening, love like youve never been hurt, dance like no one is watching, and live like it is heaven on earth.The confinement and pain of strict, binary gender scripts Rev. Sean Harrisof Berean Baptist Church of Fayetteville, North Carolina loudly and vehemently lectured during his Sunday sermon on April 29, 2012 that parents must enforce strict gender role behaviors, a duty before their God, on their children.Dads, Harris commanded, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and you crack that wrist. Man up! Give him a good punch.He directed fathers to say to their sons, Okay? Youre not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male and you are going to be a male. He also told parents that they should be squashing that like a cockroach. He warned that the word of God makes it clear that effeminate behavior is ungodly.And to parents directing their daughters, Harris shouted and flailed, When your daughter starts acting too butch, you rein her in, and you say, Oh, no. oh, no, sweetheart. You can play sports. Play them. Play them to the glory of God. But sometimes youre going to act like a girl, and walk like a girl, and talk like a girl, and smell like a girl, and that means youre going to be beautiful. Youre going to be attractive. Youre going to dress yourself up! Though he later retracted and apologized for the tenor of his arguments, he reiterated his basic premise that parents have a responsibility to maintain the gender distinction that God created in them. This, he said, is a message for which he will never apologize.Though extreme in language and tone, Harris promotes what most of us have been very consciously and carefully taught throughout our lives. Gender roles (sometimes called sex roles) include a set of socially defined roles and behaviors connected to the sex we are assigned at birth.This can and does vary from culture to culture. Our society recognizes basically two distinct gender roles. One is the masculine, having the qualities and characteristics attributed to males. The other is the feminine, having the qualities and characteristics attributed to females. A third gender role, rarely condoned in our society, at least for those assigned male at birth, is an androgyny combining assumed male (andro) and female (gyne) qualities. Gender is constructed as a verb (a repeated action), according to social theorist Judith Butler in her 1990 bookGender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity,The act that one does, the act that one performs, is, in a sense, an act that has been going on before one arrived on the scene, Butler wrote. Hence, gender is an act, which has been rehearsed, much as a script survives the particular actors who make use of it, but which requires individual actors in order to be actualized and reproduced as reality once again.Paradoxically, while Rev. Sean Harris attests to gender distinctions as God-given, he betrays his own assertion by demanding that parents break their children early of any forms of gender transgression. Harris clearly demonstrates his role as director of this drama by inadvertently highlighting the social construction of gender roles and how we as social actors need to continually pass on the roles and scripts, using applause or jeers, to future generations. Gender roles maintain the sexist structures of society, and heterosexism reinforces those roles, for example, by casting such epithets as fa***t, dyke, homo, (Talk about weird) at anyone who steps outside their designated gender roles regardless of their actual sexual identities.Society flings these symbolic spears at the heart of anyone who violates established and socially constructed norms of behavior, attacking those which society often considers traitors to their sex.All people in our society, no matter our assigned sex designation, are saddled with the heavy burden yes, burden on the masculine / feminine binary. Concepts of masculinity and femininity promote the domination of men over women and reinforce the identification of maleness with power. People assigned a male gender at birth are encouraged to be independent, competitive, goal-oriented, and unemotional, to value physical and mental courage and toughness. People assigned a female gender at birth, on the other hand, are taught to be nurturing, emotional, sensitive, and expressive, to be caretakers of others while disregarding their own needs.Society mandates that males must be in control. They cannot get too close to their feelings, and if they do, they certainly cannot allow them to show. They must keep it all together and to suck it up. They cannot show vulnerability, awkwardness, or doubts. They must be on top, in bed and out.Within the male/masculine conflation, society maintains a rigidly controlled hierarchy: On top is found the so-called Alpha Male, characterized as the leader(s) with inflated confidence and mental and physical toughness. They are highly competitive with the goal of winning being more important than whatever is contested. They see the following things as weaknesses: intellectualism, empathy, and showing strong emotions (except anger and rage). They have a presence (take up the space they inhabit; being seen as physically dominant and virile). Signs of tenderness or vulnerability are only allowed for other team members in the arena of gladiators, when inebriated, and during the heat of sex.The so-called Beta Male, on the other hand, are seen by the Alphas as the followers: unremarkable, lacking confidence, avoiding risk and confrontation, lacking physical presence and charisma, and making emotional public displays.Though ultimately unattainable for all males, the deceptive rabbit of masculinity circulates around their track of life on patriarchal wires that offer the alluringly tasty rewards of control, security, and independence, but only to encourage perpetual competition in the race, leaving all men sprinting after that elusive rabbit. Some boys and men internalize this socially mandated illusion of masculinity to the extreme, within a self-destructive and toxic hyper-masculinity. As they run and run and run around the course, they invariably stumble, hurting themselves and others along the way.They build and accumulate frustration, turning to resentment and then to anger and often rage, because they can never truly reach, grasp, and consume the promised patriarchal bait.For those men and boys who survive, the societal masters dispose of them as dog trainers dispose of the overworked greyhounds. They are stalked, controlled, used, wasted, and ultimately slaughtered. Girls and women, who also grow up in a patriarchal system of domination, are certainly not immune to internalizing these messages and thereby, they often collude in pressuring males to join and remain in the race.Compulsory masculinity, when it reaches the level of toxic hyper-masculinity and even beforehand, demands that all boys and men surrender their critical reasoning by never challenging the system. They lose their individuality, their moral and ethical compasses, their emotions, and their very integrity and humanity for some promise of security, support, and sense of camaraderie as well as for the privileges that automatically accrue to followers of the patriarchal system of domination and control.Taken to extremes, this often results in violence. On the international scale, it results in wars. Fortunately, a new generation of assigned males, assigned females, assigned intersex people, and also trans people are challenging the system by revolutionizing the former conceptualization of gender identity and expression. They are shaking up traditionally dichotomous binary notions of male/female, masculine/feminine, and gay/straight.They are courageously calling into question this social myth of gender normativity and heteronationalism, the boxes society places us into as it imposes its gender scripts upon us all. They have opened the boxes for all of us to ultimately obliterate the gender status quo of binary oppositions by demonstrating the visible ways, the options to express ourselves upon an enormous gender continuum, one that does not depend upon a sex assigned to us, an assignment that is imposed and forced upon us by others.Their stories and experiences have great potential to bring us into a future a future in which anyone and everyone on the gender spectrum everywhere will live freely, unencumbered by social taboos and cultural norms of gender. It is a future in which our unrestrained expressions can live and prosper in us all. We are all born with a similar special power as Gus Walz, but, unfortunately, in many of us, our society literally or figuratively beats it out of us early in life.Gus Walz and Tim and Gwens combined parenting style has something very valuable to teach us all: that the sex we are assigned at birth has nothing to do with our physical and emotional expressiveness, that the gender scripts we are handed when we enter life were written long before our birth and hold little relevance to who we are and to our humanness.Thank you, Walz family, for modeling the possibilities of transcending and rewriting the gender scripts to liberate us all.

On the outside, Meg LeFauve may look like a calm, cool, and oh-so-professional screenwriter, but on the inside, shes a world class worrier. From an early age, Meg learned to deal with her worries by telling stories, but the idea of becoming a screenwriter in Hollywood was too overwhelming, so she took a detour and became a film producer. Meg was lucky enough to start her career as an executive and producer at Jodie Fosters Egg Pictures, where she spent 10 years learning from the best, and was nominated for an Emmy, a Golden Globe and won a Peabody Awardnone of which allayed her worries. So she decided to face her fear of the blank page and declared herself a screenwriter. As a writer, her fears were indeed realized with beginner drafts and anxious nights, but she also found that joy had entered the equation.Meg set Pixar, the place with the best storytellers in the business, as her beacon, and she got her chance to write with Pete Docter on the first Inside Out, for which she garnered an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay and an Annie Award. She went on to write Pixars The Good Dinosaur, which was nominated for a Golden Globe, and is thrilled to be back for Inside Out 2. She is also grateful to have worked with incredible fellow artists on Marvels Captain Marvel and Cartoon Saloons My Fathers Dragon for Netflix.Meg is currently writing with her husband, Joe Forte, and, after 30 years of navigating the business as individual filmmakers, writing together feels like finally coming home. Meg also finds her joy in travel, collecting weird rocks, and speaking with young artists on her podcast, The Screenwriting Life to lead the next generation of worriers toward their stories.Written by Ryan Bernsten (he/him), Director, Editorial & CopyRYAN:I was extremely touched by this film. I actually saw it two times in one week and I realized this is a perfect film for our Trevor audience to see. I love how you take abstract ideas like how memories form beliefs, which then form a sense of self. Tell me about what youve learned about young peoples sense of self, and what you think a healthy one looks like.MEG:The director, Kelsey Mann, wanted to do a movie about anxiety and how it arrives at that age. Its really that moment when your idea of the world and yourself switches. You become very self-aware and self-conscious. Before this, you lived your life not understanding that other people were looking at you, judging you. You just loved your parents, your parents loved you, and suddenly you became a teenager and all these new emotions arise. As we explored Anxiety the character, we realized that so much of that anxiety is questioning your sense of who you are and shifting from internal to external. And, as a parent, you cant control what your childs sense of self is. Its theirs. Meaning as a parent, sometimes you dont want them to see all those negative things about themselves. But that is a part of growing up. That is a part of knowing yourself, which is so, so important. So we worked really hard to figure out how to communicate that in metaphor with this physical, physical possession of the sense of self. And what I really related to, especially as a woman, is that so much of the external stimulus coming at us from our culture, from our friends, is a need for perfection and its not possible and its not even wanted, in my opinion. Great art comes from failure and imperfection, and your humanity is in there. Your connection to other people is in all of the, shall we say, rougher stuff. And thats what it means to be human. And for me, the most powerful moment in the film is when they all embrace her sense of self. Because you just have to know yourself and love yourself no matter what is coming up, no matter whats happening. So that compassion, that self-compassion as it relates to the sense of self, I think, takes on an incredibly powerful role.I also think theres a deeper question being asked in the film that a lot of people arent talking about, which is, you know, the sense of self as were portraying it, is created from the belief system, which the other writer, Dave Holstein, was very key in helping us figure out how to do that. So what that means is you can ask the question about your own beliefs. Is that true? Youve unconsciously decided who you are or youre deciding who you are. People are telling you who you are. Youve had experiences that you think determine who you are. And sometimes thats true. Sometimes its not true. So it kind of puts the teenager back as it should be, in the drivers seat of themselves and their sense of self, that they have the power.So, for example, thinking, Im not enough. Well, is that true? It may feel that way right now. Youre having that experience. But is that who you are? You have the power to ask those questions. Its a life journey to always be asking yourself, catch yourself with those beliefs and ask, is that true?RYAN:I also love this idea that beliefs are based on memories, but core beliefs sprout from maybe one out of thousands of memories. And some of those memories get sent to the back of mind and forgotten, as we see in the film. We dont actually tell ourselves the whole story.MEG:Listen, Anxiety is fun and she takes up a lot of great discussion around the film. But I agree with you, theres a deeper thing happening in terms of those memories. That memory might have been one moment, right? And it might have just been a moment that doesnt define you, but for some reason your brain maybe because of survival instinct has decided it is you.And I do believe its all about trying to protect you, even unconsciously. It doesnt mean to hurt you with anxiety or which beliefs are being chosen. But always you have the ability to know yourself and ask yourself about it. Okay, that was a memory. That did happen. It was upsetting. I failed that test. But does that mean Im a failure? Does that mean that every test I take will be a failure? Maybe it was that subject. Maybe it was that day. Maybe I had a fight with my mom before the test. Theres a kind of self-knowledge. You know, I went to Greece and we visited the oldest tomb they could find. Across the top of the tomb, it said, Know thyself. Its ancient wisdom and thats the best way to live: know yourself first. And I think theres a lot going on in the world where people dont take the time to know themselves and dont feel brave enough to be self-compassionate. So they put a lot of their stuff on other people.RYAN:I think its a perfect segue. How do you hope that this film, tackling these specific concepts that were talking about, will help young people and adults have better conversations around mental health?MEG:Well, you know, I had a friend who emailed me after seeing the movie with her daughter, and she said in the middle of the movie, her daughter leaned over and said about Anxiety, I feel like that all the time! And my friend didnt know that. So for me, like just lets start at the base level where you can talk about it, right? It might be that your kid says, I never have anxiety. Now you can talk about the fact that other people do and maybe theyre responding to you in a certain way that you dont understand. So to me, its about inclusion and being human. And if we can just talk about our insights without judgment and with compassion, thats a big ripple that can happen. There are adults going to the movie without kids because this is who they are inside too. We all have these emotions. For people to have conversations and have tools to know each other better and have compassion for each other, I think thats incredibly powerful.RYAN:I had a similar experience with people that I went and saw the film with, where we had an hour-long conversation about mental health topics wed never discussed because we had never had the vocabulary that this movie gave us.MEG:I love that.RYAN:Its incredibly powerful. And so you brought up new emotions. Can you tell me how you chose the emotions you did, and what you think we can learn from them?MEG:Well, it was super fun. In terms of choosing them, we had a lot more at the start. We had Guilt and Suspicion and Schadenfreude. We really wanted a cacophony of emotions overwhelming her. But pretty quickly we realized, no, no, we dont need that many. You cant know them well because theres too many to get to know.And so we chose those emotions. And, you know, Kelsey Mann is the director and the creator and so hes choosing the ones that he felt were really incredibly powerful. Its from the research. Its from our Rileys Crew. Its from me being a teenager. Its from watching our kids. So all of that comes together to help us to use these emotions.And also its the ones that we thought would be the most fun.Envy. You know, people think being jealous is bad. And were told, especially as kids, dont be jealous. Well, we think there is no bad emotion. Theyre serving a function for you. So jealousy tells you what you want. And thats incredibly important to know what you want. Maybe you think youre jealous of someone because of her hair. Is it really just her hair now? Maybe I think, I really like her hair, but I really like her confidence. I want to be more confident. It could be I want to be on the lacrosse team. How great to know that! I think that in our culture, it almost feels dangerous for women to know what they want. And I think its really important for girls to start thinking about what they want.Ennui. We have teenagers. For teenagers, Ennui is so fun and dominant, but also important. There are days you should say, you know what? Whatever. Im letting it go. Im not going to do that today. Im going to rest. Im not going to get all worked up about this. Its an important piece of yourself.Embarrassment. Come on. Thats just being a teenager. I love when they had him lay across the console. I thought that was amazing. He was super fun to write to, but I was very embarrassed as a kid. But I love that Embarrassment is about vulnerability. And he has a special connection with Sadness. And Anxiety, you know, at first when we created her, she was a bad guy. She had come into headquarters as a worker and disguised herself so that Joy didnt know Anxiety had arrived and then she took over kind of subversively. She was a monster. (A cute monster because its Pixar.) But she was a monster. And then we realized, no, thats not really quite right about Anxiety, because the truth is she is trying to help. Shes trying to protect you. And I was a very anxious kid.I created this thing in my head long before I even wrote the first movie, where my anxiety would be raging. Maybe I had to go in and pitch in Hollywood, and I would, before the meeting, I would just take some breaths, which is very important to be present. Take breaths, feel your feet, feel your fingers. And then I would say thank you to anxiety because you never want to cut a piece of yourself out. Thats not possible. Theyre just going to get louder, right?Because theyre trying to help you. So I like to say thank you. I know youre trying to protect me. Im going to be okay. So take a seat. And I would imagine a little red chair and Id say, take a seat. Later, I learned to give her a job. Anxiety is good. Shes good at certain things. Give her a job to do. So its really fun that I got to do that in the movie. So every emotion that you have is a part of you. Theres no bad emotion. Thats a lot of judgment to put on yourself. You just have to know its there and have a little self-reflection about whats happening. Why are you feeling that way?RYAN:Yeah, I get a little misty as I was a very anxious child myself. And when I saw that Anxiety tornado, and then in the middle you see her locked on the console. And thats what it feels like. I had never had a visual representation of that feeling. And it just got me so excited that people can come to it and say, this is what anxious people go through.MEG:And whatevers happening, you know that you can get support. And you know, you might need more support. You might need a therapist to talk to you. You might need medication. And its okay to know yourself, know whats going on, and what support you need. I just thought what Kelsey did as a director to create that visual was just stunning, Absolutely beautiful.RYAN:My last question for you. Youve brought up this Rileys Crew project. So, you know, were a mental health organization for young people and we think it is so cool that you actually had a panel of young people to help create this film. Im wondering if you wanted to tell me a little bit about that and let me know. What is one thing you wish everyone knew about how young peoples markets work that they might not understand or think about?MEG:Well, whats interesting is that I love the Rileys crew, and I think that what I was surprised about, to be honest with you, because of my own prejudice against young people or unconscious bias against young people was they took it very seriously. They came very, very prepared. They had notes. They type them up or wrote them up. They cared. They wanted to help. And I just love that about them. And they were brave. And they talked about what they saw and what they liked and what they didnt. And theyre really smart. Theyre really smart and they have something to say. And we need to listen to what they have to say.RYAN:I dont always think we know how to talk about mental health in a way that is fresh and productive. And I think your movie does that. So thank you.MEG:Thank you. And you know, I loved the end of the movie where Joy is called back to the console because ultimately joy is self-compassion and you just have to let yourself off the hook and love wherever you are, you know?RYAN:Words to live by.If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, our trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 via chat www.TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678-678.The post A Conversation With Inside Out 2 Writer Meg LeFauve appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Allies need to show up for LGBTQ+ young people not just during Pride, but year-round. Pride means taking action and reminding all of us that we can make tangible actions to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people volunteering, building relationships, voting, getting involved in local schools and institutions. Every individual action moves the needle toward a brighter future for LGBTQ+ young people.Were asking our community to commit to logging 26 miles however it feels best to move all in effort of supporting our mission to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. Youll also engage with the community on our Pride Ride Facebook group, celebrating each others wins and everything that makes the LGBTQ+ and allied community so powerful. Together, weve raised over $934,000 this year with over 31,000 supporters joining. Lets keep that energy going this September.Follow these simple steps to join our 26 Mile to Save Lives Challenge:Register in Facebook Messenger now to log your miles all month. Choose to create a team or participate solo!Follow this link and well automatically create a fundraiser with all the right settings on your behalf. You can edit the details on Facebook upon creation.In the face of rising anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, The Trevor Project remains here for LGBTQ+ young people through free, confidential 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis services, ongoing public education, advocacy, and research initiatives. Your support powers that work and powers our community to continue defending LGBTQ+ young people today and tomorrow.Have a question? Check out the FAQs for our Facebook Challenges!If you cant find your answer below, please reach out to development@thetrevorproject.orgfor additional help. Please be patient and allow us up to 24-48 hours to respond.Q: When and how do I log my miles?A: Youll be able to start logging miles on the first day of the month, but you can join the 26 Mile to Save Lives group and start your fundraiser right away. You can log your miles in Messenger by typing Menu then enter, and click the Record miles button, then enter your achieved miles and click the word Submit. Please note that the menu has multiple tiles.Q: What if my miles are incorrect or I receive an error?A: To correct your total activity in Messenger, type Menu then enter, click on Record miles and then click Edit my total miles. Let us know if you still experience issues.Q: How do we participate as a team?A: When you register in Messenger, you will be prompted to take on the challenge solo and invite others to join the Group.Q: Can I do a different activity?A: While the challenge is designed for miles, if you want to do another activity, youre more than welcome.Q: What do I do if I started a Facebook fundraiser for The Trevor Project but not specifically for the challenge?A: A Facebook fundraiser for The Trevor Project is the same as a fundraiser for this challenge. Thanks for supporting Trevors mission.Thank you so much for your support, and best of luck with the challenge!The post 26 Miles to Save Lives Challenge appeared first on The Trevor Project.

September kicks off with a long holiday weekend, which is the perfect time to catch up or get started on our new viewing obsession. Good news, there is a lot of great programming by, us, for us, and starring us headed our way this month. Here are the queer and queer-inclusive television and movies you dont want to miss this September.All film and series descriptions are courtesy of their respective studios and networks.Tell Me Lies (Season 2) - Sept 4Season two picks up as Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) return to college, not speaking after their dramatic breakup at the start of the summer. Yet, while very much at odds, they find themselves in a new version of their addictive dynamic - which is as infuriating as it is inescapable. Meanwhile, the story expands deeper into the lives of Lucy and Stephen's friend group, as the fallout from Season One impacts all of their lives in unexpected ways.Where to watch: Hulu Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Sept 6Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.Where to watch: In TheatersLover of Men - Sept 6Lover Of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln examines the intimate life of Americas most consequential president. As told by preeminent Lincoln scholars and never before seen photographs and letters, the film details Lincolns romantic relationships with men. Lover Of Men widens its lens into the history of human sexual fluidity and focuses on the profound differences between sexual mores of the nineteenth century and those we hold today. The film fills in an important missing piece of American history and challenges the audience to consider why we hold such a limited view of human sexuality. Lover Of Men is not only an exploration of gender roles and sexual identity, but also serves as an examination of American intolerance.Where to watch: In TheatersSelling Sunset (Season 8) - Sept 6Luxe real estate. Major drama. The top real estate brokers at The Oppenheim Group are back! Selling Sunset, a Netflix reality series set in the world of LAs high-end real estate, follows seven of the city's most successful female realtors who all work under the same roof at the #1 agency in the Hollywood Hills and the Sunset Strip. They work hard and play harder, as they compete with the cutthroat LA market and each other. These ladies will do what it takes to make it to the top of their game, all while trying to keep their personal lives intact. This season, new agents mean new drama. The realtors of The Oppenheim Group return with sleek penthouse listings, personality clashes, and pregnancies and throw enough shade to cover every cabana in Los Angeles. Welcome to Selling Sunset.Where to watch: NetflixHow to Die Alone - Sept 13How to Die Alone follows Mel (Rothwell), a broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who's never been in love and forgotten how to dream, until an accidental brush with death catapults her on a journey to finally take flight and start living by any means necessary.Where to watch: HuluMy Old Ass - Sept 13In this fresh coming-of-age story, an 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott (Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). But when Elliotts old ass starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldnt do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and whats becoming a transformative summer.Where to watch: In TheatersUglies - Sept 13In the future, kids are called "Uglies" until they reach 16 and get surgically transformed into the attractive "Pretties," and move to the glamorous part of town. A precocious teen is threatened with being denied the procedure unless she spies on a pal who skipped the operation and joined a rebellious group.Where to watch: NetflixThe Critic - Sept 13Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is the most feared theatre critic of the age. He lives as flamboyantly as he writes and takes pleasure in savagely taking down any actor who fails to meet his standards. When the owner of the Daily Chronicle newspaper dies, and his son David Brooke (Mark Strong) takes over, Jimmy quickly finds himself at odds with his new boss and his position under threat. In an attempt to preserve the power and influence he holds so sacred, Jimmy strikes a Faustian pact with struggling actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), entangling them and Brooke in a thrilling but deadly web of desire, blackmail, and betrayalWhere to watch: In theatersAaron Hernandez: American Sports Story - Sept 17The first installment of FXs American Sports Story is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from The Boston Globe and Wondery. The 10-episode limited series charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez and explores the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide and their legacy in sports and American culture.Where to watch: HuluThe Substance - Sept 20Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong?Where to watch: In TheatersAgatha All Along - Sept 18The infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what theyre missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The RoadWhere to watch: Disney+Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story - Sept 19Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, chronicling the case of the real-life brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, Jos and Mary Louise Kitty Menendez. While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed - and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole - that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.Where to watch: Netflix La Maison - Sept 20High fashion meets high stakes in this realistic behind-the-scenes look at how an iconic fashion house is thrown into scandal and reinvention by a viral video featuring star designer Vincent Ledu (Lambert Wilson), leaving his familys iconic and legendary haute couture house, LEDU, hanging by a thread. Perle Foster (Amira Casar), Vincents former muse who is still in his shadow, teams up with visionary next-generation designer Paloma Castel (Zita Hanrot) to save, evolve and renew the century-old Maison LEDU. Taking advantage of Vincents demise, Diane Rovel (Carole Bouquet), the ruthless CEO of the powerful Rovel luxury group, launches an offensive to acquire what she sees as her most important prize: Maison LEDU. To achieve her goal, anything is fair game, as this is more than acquiring just another brand its about revenge.Where to watch: Apple TV+Grotesquerie - Sept 25In Ryan Murphys 10-episode drama series Grotesquerie for FX, a series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community. Detective Lois Tryon feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someoneor somethingis taunting her. At home, Lois grapples with a strained relationship with her daughter, a husband in long-term hospital care and her own inner demons. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan, a nun and journalist with the Catholic Guardian. Sister Megan, with her own difficult past, has seen the worst of humanity, yet she still believes in its capacity for good. Lois, on the other hand, fears the world is succumbing to evil. As Lois and Sister Megan string together clues, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers.Where to watch: FXSocial Studies - Sept 27FXs limited series Social Studies is a groundbreaking, character-driven documentary series that delves into the lives of the first generation of digital natives. Filmed in Los Angeles over a school year, this ambitious social experiment features a diverse group of LA teens who open up their lives and phones to offer an intimate glimpse into how social media has reshaped childhood. From battling bullying, grappling with beauty standards, coping with comparison pressures and racism, exploring sexuality, and making life-altering decisions, their compelling and relatable experiences take us on a raw, visceral and urgent journey through the challenges of growing up in the digital era.Where to watch: FX Saturday Night Live (Season 50) - Sept 28NBCs Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase Saturday Night Live returns in fall 2024 for its 50th season of laughs, surprises and standout performances.Where to watch: NBC

For Disability Pride Month, The Trevor Project is proud to partner with Easterseals, one of the nations leading providers of life-changing disability and community services for over 100 years. Easterseals actively lobbied for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, which expanded protections to people with disabilities to prohibit discrimination in everyday activities like employment, transportation, education, and recreation.Disability Pride Month started in 1990 following this landmark legislation and continues to celebrate the milestones toward equity within the disability community its also a month that challenges the outdated and harmful idea that people with disabilities do not belong in society.Disability Pride Month is not about loving your specific disability and its symptoms all the time. Disability Pride is about accepting that you are not less than because of your disability. Celebrating Pride is about sharing stories and perspectives within the community, which helps to create a space where we can exist without shame.How can we all celebrate Disability Pride Month? A great starting point is self-education, even if youre disabled. Consider these ten ways to be more inclusive and learn about diversity within disability.1. Seek out authentic disabled voices in media, whether its reading Eddie Ndopus Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw, or watching disabled content creators on YouTube, like Squirmy and Grubs or Roll with Cole and Charisma.2. Remember that when you meet one person with a disability, youve met one person with a disability. Identity is not a monolith!3. Recognize that disabled people lead full lives and can be in romantic relationships, pursue higher education, or live interdependently. Having high support needs does not disqualify you from any of the above. The Easterseals podcast Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong highlights the everyday lives of disabled people.4. Understand intersectional identities exist within disability, like being BIPOC or queer, which can impact individual needs and experiences. Understanding intersectionality can lead to more inclusive spaces.5. Know that disability is different for everyone. Not every wheelchair user is unable to walk. Someone with a mental illness may not have an apparent disability. Two people who both have Cerebral Palsy may have very different presentations of their disability. 6. How someone relates to their disability is also different for everyone. Some folks may use person with a disability to describe themselves, while others might prefer disabled person. And some people dont have a preference! To be an ally requires respect and curiosity about how someone wants to refer to themselves.7. Believe that disabled people are experts in their own experiences and needs. Listen to disabled people when they share new information and avoid offering uninvited suggestions for managing someone elses disability.8. Be open to a persons disability and how their accessibility needs can change over time. Disability is not static, and making space for someones needs at any time can be a powerful way to demonstrate inclusion and respect.9. Know that much of what has been presented in the media and on screen about disability is not correct. Take interest in understanding disabled people in your everyday life rather than focusing on stereotypes in the media.10. Ask your friends about their disability and their disability pride! Create a space where disability can be talked about without judgment or shame. Let your disabled friends know you care to understand their identity.The Trevor Projects Guide to Supporting LGBTQ+ Young People with Disabilities is an additional resource that offers ways to further that self education and foster inclusion. Remember that education is not a destination, but a practice we can continue to build on indefinitely.Happy Disability Pride Month!If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Projects trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat atTheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.The post 10 Ways to Be More Inclusive and Learn About Diversity Within Disability appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Nina West is a veritable every-queen an actor, singer/songwriter, producer, author, host, and activist who won the title of Miss Congeniality on the 11th season of RuPauls Drag Race and is featured on the upcoming RuPauls Drag Race: All Stars 9. Nina made history at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2019 as the first person to walk the carpet in full drag, in support of her season; that year, RuPauls Drag Race won five Primetime Emmy Awards, including Best Reality Competition Show. Ninais also passionate about giving back, raising money for Trevor this year.1. Hi Nina! We were deeply honored and thrilled to be chosen as your charity of choice for Drag Race All Stars this year. Could you share with us the reasons behind selecting The Trevor Project?Ya know, when we were asked to select an organization, I knew almost immediately that I wanted to pick Trevor. I think the main reason is that when I was growing up, an organization like this did not exist, and I was one of those kids who really needed it. And after my own bullying story in college, I was more motivated than ever to work towards ensuring that anyone who may be LGBTQIA+ never feels alone. Trevor does life-saving work. And I want to ensure that our next generation of queer youth live to see their own dreams come true.2. What do you think other allies can do to be the one to support LGBTQ+ young people?I think our allies need to listen to our stories and share them. They must use their voices to speak for our community in rooms we may not have the ability to fully advocate for ourselves. I also think it is vital that our allies use their voices to show up in the voting booth to ensure our rights are fought for and protected.3. Youve always been a powerful advocate for mental health awareness. If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger self about mental health, what would it be?This is tough because the subject of mental health is so vast and complicated. I know what I am feeling when I feel it, and sometimes I may not have the words to put to it, but I know it just doesnt feel greator right even. And when I think of my younger self, I think of all the self-inflicted turmoil I put myself through just due mainly to the fact that so many people told me I was not good enough. And when I think about that specifically, I think I would tell younger me to stop caring what other people have to say about me.4. Finally, now that All Stars is sadly coming to a close this week what is next for Nina West?Well, it was just announced that I will be in the new Tina Romero zombie film QUEENS OF THE DEAD with an all-star queer cast like Cheyenne Jackson, Katy OBrien, Jaquel Spivey, Margaret Cho, Dominique Jackson, Brigette Lundy-Payne, among many others which is super exciting! And, this weekend, I will drop a new comedy music EP entitled THE VERY QUEEN! I also will be out on the road this holiday season for A Drag Queen Christmas. There is a lot happening so I am excited to start sharing some of that now!And I also want to thank Trevor for being so supportive of me this season on All Stars. I am so proud to do this work together.The post Nina West on Drag Race and Supporting The Trevor Project appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Medical insurance company Aetna just announced that its going to be providing additional fertility coverage, specifically offering intrauterine insemination (IUI), to all policyholders regardless of sexual orientation or whether theyre partnered.Expanding IUI coverage is yet another demonstration of Aetnas commitment to womens health across all communities, including LGBTQ+ and unpartnered people, Cathy Moffitt, MD, senior vice president and Aetna chief medical officer, CVS Health, said in a press release. This industry-leading policy change is a stake in the ground, reflecting Aetnas support of all who need to use this benefit as a preliminary step in building their family. Related Aetna agrees to provide equal fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ people in landmark settlement Until now, LGBTQ+ people faced a queer tax that heterosexual couples experiencing infertility did not. This comes after a settlement agreement from a lawsuit earlier this year which stated that Aetna has to provide such care for LGBTQ+ people. The case, Goidel et al. v. Aetna, was filed in September 2021 and only came to a resolution in May after years of waiting and legal battles. 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 It was argued that the previous policy, which only gave such coverage to straight people who were unable to conceive after six to 12 months of attempts and only gave coverage to LGBTQ+ people after they paid out of pocket for 12 cycles, was discriminatory. The plaintiffs in the case, Emma Goidel and her partner Illana Caplan, filed it after becoming aware of the disparities in the policy. They had the assistance of the National Womens Law Center and local law firms.How is it OK to say if youre straight and your partner cant get you pregnant, you come into the doctor and well cover your treatment, but if youre a queer and your partner cant get you pregnant, too bad youre going to pay? said Goidel in a 2023 interview with ABC News.Aetnas new policy begins September 1, and in addition to the new policy, theyre going to begin reimbursing claims and will be giving $2 million in funds to the plaintiffs.We know firsthand the barriers people face in accessing needed medical care to start or grow their families, said Chief Clinical Officer Kate Steinle of a nationwide health care provider for the LGBTQ+ community, FOLX, in the press release. As an in-network provider focused on the LGBTQ+ community, we applaud Aetnas efforts to reduce out-of-pocket costs, so that more people can have the families they dream of and deserve.

July 16, 2024 The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, released the following statement to acknowledge the two-year anniversary of the launch of The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the three-digit code that connects people across the United States with free and confidential support for mental or behavioral health emergencies:Statement from Jaymes Black (they/she/he pronouns), CEO at The Trevor Project:As our country continues to experience a mental health crisis that is especially pronounced among our young people, and even more so among those who are LGBTQ+, The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is absolutely critical in connecting youth with life-saving crisis services. The Trevor Projects research found that 50% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. Our work with the 988 Lifeline has allowed us to further bridge this gap connecting more LGBTQ+ youth with the competent, inclusive services they need than ever before in our organizations history. Last year, The Trevor Project served more than 500,000 crisis contacts, and the 988 Lifeline played a key factor in connecting a record high volume of young people with life-saving care.In reflecting on the two years since the historic launch of the 988 Lifeline, we celebrate the landmark achievement of this bipartisan victory to expand access to mental health care across the country. Trevor is proud to have led the charge, along with our LGBTQ+ and mental health movement partners, to secure the option for LGBTQ+ youth to press 3 after contacting the 988 Lifeline and connect with specialized LGBTQ+-inclusive services.At the same time, we must call for continued investment, growth, and expansion of 988s 24/7 services to ensure that mental health crisis services are available to all those across the country that need it. The 988 Lifeline has allowed us to take a monumental step toward addressing our ongoing national mental health crisis, as the recent National Strategy for Suicide Prevention acknowledged. Now is the time to deepen our collaborative efforts to ensure that all people especially those who are young, queer, people of color, low-income, and living at intersections of these and other identities can access the 988 Lifelines life-saving care equitably and efficiently.If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Projects trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.LGBTQ+ young people can also access 24/7 support via 988. To call an LGBTQ+-trained crisis counselor, dial 988 and then press 3. To text, send the word PRIDE to 988. To chat, visit https://988lifeline.org/chat/ and opt-in for LGBTQ+-specific support by checking off the box for LGBTQI+ support in the Pre-Chat Survey.The post The Trevor Project Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline appeared first on The Trevor Project.

As a kid, I was really good at following the rules. Growing up in a more conservative suburb outside of St. Louis, Missouri, my goal was to fit in: that Id find a good husband, get a decent job, have a couple of kids, travel when I could, live a good life. Like I was expected to, like I was supposed to. Being a lesbian never felt like an option. While I didnt experience much blatant homophobia, it wasnt talked about. I didnt let myself think that I might be gay until college. I was so scared of breaking the rules I had made that I hid the truth from myself for so long, and then from everyone else. But slowly I found myself landing farther and farther from that vision of who I should be.I finally came out as a lesbian at the age of 22 in June 2020. I was finally able to authentically be myself, as I was, after hiding such a big part of myself for such a long time. However, I then found myself in a different kind of closet just two months later when I started getting sick. Since then, my queerness and my disability have felt inextricably linked.It also never felt like an option for me to be disabled. I had set high expectations and getting sick meant falling short of who I was supposed to be. In December 2021, I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). This autonomic nervous system disorder causes my heart rate to increase by 30+ beats per minute when I stand up. This causes all sorts of symptoms, including brain fog, dizziness, fatigue, migraines, stomach issues, and more. I struggle almost immediately upon standing, and within 45-60 minutes of sitting up. I currently cant drive, travel, or live independently. I had a hard time accepting that this was my new normal. This Disability Pride Month, I am finally confident enough to also share my chronic illness publicly.At The Trevor Project, weve found that the intersection of disability and LGBTQ+ identity is correlated with distinct mental health challenges. Among LGBTQ+ young people who reported having a disability, higher rates of recent depression (60% vs. 51%) and anxiety (75% vs. 63%), as well as seriously considering suicide (48% vs. 37%) and attempting suicide (19% vs. 11%), were observed compared to LGBTQ+ young people without disabilities. I can say unequivocally that my physical health has a drastic impact on my mental health, and as a result Ive needed to seek mental healthcare that understands both my disability and my sexuality.The intersection of the two can also create unsafe environments for young people trying to be authentically themselves. I am lucky that I live in an affirming household that accepted me coming out. Im also grateful for my healthcare and that I am able to work remotely with no expectation of travel. Many people in a similar situation as me do not have access to the support they need to thrive as disabled LGBTQ+ young people, and we need to make sure that all young people know that they are loved for who they are, and they are safe in the spaces where they live.To be honest, this isnt easy. I sometimes wish that I led a different life, that was closer to the normal I used to set rules around as a kid. I dont know why I am chronically ill. I might never know what caused it. But, come to think of it, I guess I also dont know why Im a lesbian. I am getting closer every day to accepting all parts of myself, even if Im not who I once dreamed of becoming.When I came out publicly, I wrote that it was a part of myself that I had hidden for too long. And without realizing, when I first spoke about my chronic illness, I said that I was trying to be better about sharing this part of my life even though its scary. Talking about my chronic illness has felt like coming out in a way, because of the fear I felt for so long around revealing my true self. In both, I worried constantly about being judged or ostracized. But my sexuality and my disability are critical elements of the whole of me, and I dont want to hide any longer.Although the shame I felt about my sexuality was similar to the shame I felt about my chronic illness, my pride I have as a lesbian feels just as meaningful as the pride I am working towards developing in my disability. I no longer prioritize the person I should have been, but I am choosing to love who I am now, all parts of me.The post My Second Coming Out appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Candace Owens slide into irrelevance continued on Wednesday as the far-right member of Blacks for Trump simultaneously condemned TikTok for Americas decline and sat worshipfully consuming its content.I believe women are being socially engineered to hate men, and men are being socially engineered to be gay, Owens blurted about the video sharing platform. Related Candace Owens thinks Munchkins performed satanic ritual in The Wizard of Oz Its the only reason youd have a dead person and dance around them. Dont at me, she told her followers, including the over half a million users on the app that she finally joined in July and began castigating soon after. Its just what I see, she added. 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 Owens analysis portrayed the popular platform as a partnership between the media, Hollywood, and psychoanalysts to socially engineer the American public into unnatural behaviors that will ultimately advantage the apps Chinese overlords who pose an existential threat to the United States.Theyre not socially engineering us to do good things, Owens claimed. Candace Owens, whose podcast is currently #6 on the Spotify news rankings, thinks that "women are being socially engineered to hate men, and men are being socially engineered to be gay" pic.twitter.com/19qF0D3L0L Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) August 29, 2024The former Vogue intern described a diabolical process whereby TikTok is able to speed up evolution and make us behave in ways that are not natural to humanity its just not natural to our human existence to behave in these ways.Those include making men more and more effeminate and women having a strange relationship with children oh, and also feminism.On TikTok, you see some people that, like, took on feminism and were like, I dont want to have children at all, which, again against evolution.Even in circumstances where the biological overrides and women are going, You know what? Suddenly, I feel my biological clock ticking. I want to have a child, they are social engineering women to want to do that without men, she claimed, echoing right-wing rhetoric about single mothers, broken homes, and alleged anti-family attitudes among left-wingers.That part of the conspiracy explains why men are being socially engineered to be gay, Owens explained. Ive picked up on it. Theyre just making men more and more effeminate, encouraging effeminate behavior.She arrived at her conclusion because feelings, Owens assured her followers.Its interesting that people are now waking up to this, the online host said to no one who would take issue with her rabid paranoia.Dont hate me, she added. Hate whats actually happening.Of course, Owens has spouted similar baseless conspiracy theories in the past. Recently, she claimed that French President Emmanual Macrons wife is actually a transgender man.

Jaymes Black (they/she/he pronouns) makes history as the first Black and first nonbinary CEO of the nonprofit organizationJuly 10, 2024 The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ+) young people, announced Jaymes Black (they/she/he pronouns) as its new Chief Executive Officer. Black, an accomplished senior leader with more than 20 years of experience managing high performing teams at scale, is stepping in to lead the organization, effective July 15. Black will succeed Peggy Rajski (she/her), a founder and decades-long Board Member who stepped in as Interim CEO in 2022.Blacks substantial expertise blends nonprofit and corporate competencies, and spans business and community leadership, LGBTQ+ advocacy and coalition building, fundraising strategy and innovation, large budget oversight and financial acumen, call center operations and user experience, and more. In addition to their extensive professional qualifications, they identify as a Black nonbinary lesbian bringing compelling lived experience that will help The Trevor Project work toward its mission to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people.I am elated and deeply honored to step into the role of CEO at The Trevor Project for so many reasons especially since this is an organization I desperately needed myself as a queer young person growing up in South Texas, said Jaymes Black (they/she/he pronouns), incoming CEO at The Trevor Project. Right now, far too many queer and transgender young people are struggling with thoughts of suicide and other mental health challenges not because of who they are, but because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized by other people. I know what that feels like, first hand. I also know this is an enormously difficult moment for both Trevor and the young people we serve. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the dangerous, demeaning rhetoric surrounding it has reached a record high in this country, and LGBTQ+ young people are constantly being exposed to messages that attempt to invalidate their very identities. As CEO, it is my job to reinforce that LGBTQ+ young people have so many more people who love and support them exactly as they are, than those who wish them harm. This work wont be easy, but I am ready to roll my sleeves up to help create a world in which all LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, accepted, and free to thrive as their truest selves.Prior to joining Trevor, Black served as President & CEO at Family Equality, the leading national organization for current and future LGBTQ+ families. Family Equality works to ensure everyone has the freedom to find, form, and sustain their families by advancing LGBTQ+ equality through advocacy, support, storytelling, and education.We are thrilled to welcome Jaymes as our new CEO at such a critical moment for The Trevor Project, and for the LGBTQ+ young people we serve, said Julian Moore (he/him), Chair of The Trevor Projects Board of Directors. The search for Trevors new leader was rigorous and throughout the process, Jaymes established themself as a sort of unicorn candidate. Their history of successful leadership in finance, technology, and business, combined with leading and growing an LGBTQ+ nonprofit during a historically challenging time for our community, makes Jaymes a uniquely remarkable fit. The role of CEO is a big job, and we are more than confident in Jaymes ability to lead The Trevor Project forward.Prior to leading Family Equality, Black had a seasoned career in the corporate sector, where they held a variety of senior leadership roles, including at companies such as Charles Schwab, Sabre Corporation, and Northrop Grumman. Black has an MS in Management and was honored on The 2022 Out Magazines Out100 list a compilation of the years most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people.Statement from Kelley Robinson (she/her), President, Human Rights Campaign:Our movement is facing an urgent moment where we must both meet the needs of our people today and fight for a future where there are laws, policy, and the type of representation for us to get free. This is also a defining moment as movement leaders seek to meet the demands and build organizations that can create the kind of impact our communities deserve. Jaymes uniquely gets this.Statement from Nadine Smith (she/her), Co-Founder & CEO at Equality Florida:Jaymes Blacks leadership at The Trevor Project comes at a crucial time for LGBTQ youth and families facing extremist attacks. With a deep understanding of our communitys needs and a strong commitment to innovative problem-solving, Jaymes will guide The Trevor Project in meeting current challenges and building a stronger, and more resilient organization.We are overjoyed to welcome Jaymes to Trevor, and they are well-positioned to lead the organization into its next chapter, said Rajski. For more than 26 years, The Trevor Project has been providing high-quality, life-saving crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to our beloved LGBTQ+ young people. When I founded the organization back in 1998, I never imagined it would grow to such heights. I know that Jaymes and their decorated background will usher the organization through its next phase, continuing our critical work supporting LGBTQ+ young people for generations to come.We are immensely grateful to Peggy Rajski for stepping in at the Boards request as The Trevor Projects Interim CEO, and stabilizing the organization during a period of significant change, continued Moore. Peggys leadership has enabled The Trevor Project to serve more LGBTQ+ youth in crisis than ever before. Were thankful for Peggys support as Jaymes steps into their role as the organizations new CEO. As a Founder of The Trevor Project in 1998, Peggy has continued her deep commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ youth mental health for longer than 26 years, and her positive impact will continue as she returns to her seat on the Board.Rajski will support Blacks transition as the Special Advisor to the CEO, then return to her role on the organizations Board.If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Projects trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.The post The Trevor Project Names Jaymes Black as New Chief Executive Officer appeared first on The Trevor Project.

The parades, picnics, and festivals that symbolize Pride Month may have concluded until next June, but we know that Pride celebrated by and for LGBTQ+ communities reverberates year-round. This is particularly true when considering the legal advancements made for LGBTQ+ young people across the nation during the 2024 state legislative sessions. While discriminatory bills that aim to erase or harm LGBTQ+ young people and adults alike often make headlines, its critical that we recognize the collective power we have in supporting legislators who champion key legal advancements. With over 260 LGBTQ+ affirming bills introduced in 40 states aimed at advancing protections for LGBTQ+ youth and adults and at least 20 of those bills being enacted into law theres a lot to celebrate.Nationally, The Trevor Project helped secure an additional $33.1 million in federal funding an 11.5% increase for the 988 LGBTQ+ youth specialized services network. This increased funding will help ensure that even more LGBTQ+ young people across the U.S. can connect with a trained crisis intervention counselor when they need support.This support is essential, particularly when we consider the significant harm that discriminatory legislation causes LGBTQ+ young people. Over 600 such bills were introduced this year, with a significant portion targeting transgender young people and inclusive school policies. While pro-equality lawmakers defeated over 34 of these discriminatory bills, we know that simply the debate around these bills can cause harm; 90% of LGBTQ+ youth reported being negatively impacted by discussion of recent politics.While we prepare for these future challenges, we also recognize the importance of celebrating the advancements we collectively achieved across every region. States such as Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Kentucky adjourned without any anti-LGBTQ+ bills being enacted into law thanks to the hard work of state advocates and lawmakers. Here are some of the major trends in enacted legislation that emerged related to LGBTQ+ inclusive schools, access to transgender medical care, and anti-discrimination measures.Safe and Affirming SchoolsSignificant wins were achieved this year to make K-12 schools safer and more affirming for LGBTQ+ young people. Colorado passed legislation that will now require school professionals to use a transgender students correct name, in addition to enacting legislation that affirms gender-inclusive graduation attire requirements and allows cultural or religious objects to be worn during the ceremony. States such as Washington and Minnesota advanced inclusive curriculum requirements, while Oklahoma and Vermont took steps to circumvent discriminatory curriculum censorship measures. Progress was made to advance positive mental health outcomes for students through the passage of advanced requirements for LGBTQ+inclusive mental health services for students in California, and the establishment of a task force to study the effects of bullying and hate speech in Connecticut. Connecticut also enacted legislation that requires the development of state school climate survey standards for the collection of data on diversity, equity, and inclusion along with developing a model school climate improvement plan. Further, Maryland enacted legislation that strengthens anti-bias training requirements for educators.Transgender Medical CareDespite continued attacks on transgender medical care in states across the U.S., many advocates took steps to protect access to this vital care. States such as Maryland, Maine, and Rhode Island passed legislation that strengthens protections for providers of essential medical care for transgender youth, also known as shield laws. Washington passed similar legislation that harmonizes language concerning reproductive health care services and transgender medical care, further protecting access to such care in the state. To make this care more accessible, Minnesota advocates built off their previously enacted shield law by passing legislation requiring health insurance plans to cover transgender medical care. This win further demonstrates that we can make access to transgender medical care a reality for transgender people across the country, regardless of region.Over the last two years, Minnesota has had its most consequential legislative session for LGBTQ+ rights since the passage of marriage equality in 2013, said Kat Rohn (they/she), Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota. Requirements for all insurance to cover gender-affirming care, and first-ever state investments in training care providers, are building on the promise of Minnesotas trans refuge bill in 2023 and continuing to send a message of welcome and inclusion here in our state.These wins arent just happening in state legislatures. This month, a federal district court permanently blocked Florida from enforcing a previously enacted law prohibiting transgender medical care for minors and further restricting access to this essential care for adults. This ruling makes history, as Florida was the first state to pass this type of discriminatory ban on health care. Additionally, efforts to restrict access to transgender medical care in Ohio have been continuously challenged and blocked through both a lawsuit challenging the previously enacted ban on transgender medical care and public pressure to lessen the impact of proposed administrative rules on transgender medical care.Anti-DiscriminationColorado advanced legislation that strengthens anti-discrimination measures based on gender identity and expression. Colorado also passed legislation establishing a youth bill of rights that clarifies anti-discrimination requirements pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity in youth detention facilities. Pennsylvanias leading boards of licensure comprehensively banned the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy by licensed mental health providers, with the support of The Trevor Project.Reasons to Be HopefulAs we reflect on these advancements, its important to recognize that legislative wins dont appear out of the blue. These legal protections that further support and uplift the needs of LGBTQ+ young people only prevail through the countless hours of work that state based advocacy organizations, and their LGBTQ+ communities put in to demonstrate the importance of making our communities safe and affirming for LGBTQ+ young people and adults. If you want to join the impact, text TREVOR to 50457 to receive advocacy alerts to your phone.The post As Pride Month Ends, Celebration of Legislative Wins Continues appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Ever since Donald Trump appeared on the scene, the mainstream media has struggled with how to deal with him as a candidate. At first, they were enchanted by his sheer weirdness, which made for great copy and footage. But when Trump flooded the field with lies, they couldnt bring themselves to use the term. They used falsehoods or claims without evidence. Most of all, they treated Trump as if he were just like any other candidate, even when he was anything but. You would think that by the third time around, the media would have learned its lesson. If anything, the media has gotten worse. This election cycle, reporters at major outlets seem to be going out of their way to treat Trump ever-so-gently, normalizing his most dangerous behavior. Related New York Times publishes story based on edited emails put together by anti-trans activist The story accused the Biden administration of wanting to remove age limits on gender-affirming surgery. But thats not what happened. Perhaps the worst offender is the self-appointed paper of record, The New York Times. When the scandal broke about Trump illegally filming for a campaign ad at Arlington National Cemetery last week while his aides physically assaulted a worker the Times reported that the campaign clashed with an official at the cemetery, which downplayed just how brazen Trumps actions were. The paper then followed up with another story about how Trump returns to the politics of forever wars, as if that was the story instead of how the Trump campaign broke the law prohibiting using the hallowed ground for political purposes. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today In short, the politics became the story, not the scandal. Or look at the papers coverage of Trumps cognitive decline. Oh, wait. That was just reserved for Joe Biden.Instead, the Times decided to run a story about Trumps truly bizarre rantings at his rallies. They didnt question the stability of someone who worries about being eaten by sharks or praises Hannibal Lecter. Rather, they came up with this humdinger of an appraisal: It is difficult to find the hermeneutic methods with which to parse the linguistic flights that take him from electrocuted sharks to Hannibal Lecters cannibalism, windmills, and Rosie ODonnell.Who are we kidding here? Trumps inability to think linearly hints at cognitive issues. He is now the oldest candidate to run for president. Instead of a serious look at whether hes displaying exactly the kind of problems that the Times took Biden to task for, the paper came up with a cutesy little piece that quotes English professors instead of geriatricians. The Times velvet-glove approach to Trump extends to his allies as well. In a piece about Trumps appearance before Moms for Liberty, the paper treated the extremist group as a stand-in for the fired-up suburban women that Trump is in danger of losing. Moms for Liberty is a far cry from the suburban women demographic, consisting instead primarily of evangelicals who dont have kids in public schools. The article failed to mention the groups recent scandals with one howler of an exception: The Moms for Liberty can get a bit carried away one of their local chapters once accidentally quoted Adolf Hitler.Heres the problem. It wasnt an accident. Hitler was actually quoted by name. (The paper had to issue a correction.) Also not mentioned in the bit carried away part was the groups efforts to ban hundreds of books and attack drag queens.The list goes on and on. Theres the story about J.D. Vance that says that he confounds Democrats. He does no such thing. Democrats are delighted that Vance, a bottomless well of misogyny, is on the ticket. Hes the most unpopular vice presidential candidate in modern times, which, considering Sarah Palin, says a lot. Theres also the false equivalency, like the story about how Kamala Harris and Trump each have a housing plan. Harris plan is to give first-time homebuyers a $25,000 tax credit. Trumps is mass deportation of undocumented immigrants; that is, the people who make up an estimated 20% of the construction industrys workforce. Do those sound like equivalent plans? (The Times reassures us that economists have doubts about both plans.)Its not just the Times, of course. The Washington Post did a story about how Trump lost his mojo after Biden dropped out instead of looking at what it says about his mental state that he couldnt campaign like a normal candidate. Reporters think that criticism is a sign that they are doing their job. They have the same sense of infallibility as the pope does. But the fact is that the press has spent the past nine years normalizing a man who is not normal. They treat him like any other candidate indeed, better than any other candidate. If Kamala Harris did a campaign event at Arlington National Cemetery, the press would be all over her. Never mind a credible story about a $10 million cash bribe from Egypt. You probably havent heard about that one, but thats another Trump story that has come and gone over the past few weeks. Our current reporting or at least our current reporters arent up to the task of covering Trump. They can only fit him into the template that they have been using for decades. Its a horse race, and Trump is one of the horses. How will his statements play with voters? How is he doing in the polls? The scandals, the increasingly bizarre behavior, the felonies, the insurrection its all too much to fit into that template. So it falls by the wayside. When it comes to the task of telling the truth, too much of the mainstream media isnt up to the job.

On a recent campaign stop in Wisconsin, a vital swing state in the 2024 presidential election, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) urged Peter Thiel the out, billionaire tech investor who bankrolled his winning Senate bid in 2022 to get off the sidelines and support him and former President Trump in their campaign for the White House.Thiel has so far declined to support Trump in his third run for the White House. Related Peter Thiel is the conservative gay billionaire behind JD Vances rise to power The conservative tech titan has been a patron of the Republican VP nominee since the start of his career. Im going to keep on talking to Peter and persuading him that you know hes obviously been exhausted by politics a little bit but hes going to be really exhausted by politics if we lose and if Kamala Harris is president, Vance told the Financial Times. 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 He is fundamentally a conservative guy, and I think that he needs to get off the sidelines and support the ticket.The gay conservative founder of Palantir, an internet analytics firm, backed Donald Trump in 2016, hoping for government deregulation in tech and other sectors in line with his libertarian ideology.But claiming disappointment with Trumps first term, Thiel has so far declined to support the MAGA king for a second, even as he worked behind the scenes to get Vance installed as the twice-impeached former presidents No. 2.Last year, Thiel said he didnt intend to give any money to Republican politicians in 2024.They couldnt get the most basic pieces of the government to work,Thiel told The Atlantic of the Trump administration. So that was I think that part was maybe worse than even my low expectations. Theres always a chance I might change my mind, Thiel added about a possible GOP cash infusion.Last week, the Harris campaign reported they had raised a combined$540 millionwith affiliated groups since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, dwarfing the Trump campaigns take in the same time period.Thiel, the gay co-founder of PayPal, took a liking to Vance after they met when Vance was an undergraduate at Yale and buttonholed Thiel at a lecture. Thiel has been a kind of angel investor in Vances career ever since, recommending him for work as a venture capitalist and hiring him at his own VC firm. Following the success of Vances memoir Hillbilly Elegy, Thiel bankrolled his run for the Senate with $15 million, setting him on a path to become Trumps running mate.In his Yale lecture, Thiel detailed what he called the failures of elite institutions and his belief in Christianity, which led Vance to reconsider a career in law and pushed him into tech. Raised a Protestant evangelical, Vance also followed Thiels lead when he converted to Catholicism in 2019. Vances wife, Usha, is a practicing Hindu.While Thiel came out as a Trump supporter in 2016, Vance didnt follow his patrons example yet.My god what an idiot, Vance tweeted about Trump the month before the election.

In a bizarre rant during a discussion with an extreme anti-LGBTQ+ organization, Donald Trump claimed that schools are performing surgery on students in order to make them transition. This is false.The transgender thing is an incredible thing, Trump said at a fireside chat with Tiffany Justice, one of the co-founders of the anti-LGBTQ+ Moms for Liberty (not the one caught having sex with other women). Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation. The school decides whats gonna happen with your child. Related Trump said hes never heard of Project 2025. This video proves hes lying. The former president and felon has claimed no knowledge of the authoritarian blueprint. And you know many of these childs [sic] 15 years later say, What the hell happened, who did this to me? Its incredible, he 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 Gender-affirming surgery is almost never performed on minors. Genital surgery as part of a transition is never performed on minors. Schools are not forcing kids to transition. Trump was simply lying. Also, the rate of regret for gender-affirming care is lower than the rate of regret for getting a tattoo or weight loss surgery or having children. Trump says, "Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days late with an operation."I'll give CashApp $1000 to anyone that shows proof of a middle school or high school that operated on a child and changed their gender.pic.twitter.com/McG4wakYTz Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) September 1, 2024Moms for Liberty has spent the last several years attacking LGBTQ+ rights, especially in schools. This includes efforts across the country to ban books by LGBTQ+ authors, attempts to ban students from kissing people of the same sex, supporting laws that ban discussions of LGBTQ+ people in schools, and suing the Biden administration for the right to misgender trans kids. The organization has been designated an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.Trump attacked trans people at other points during his appearance at the Moms for Liberty event. He lied and said that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was a person that transgendered. In reality, she is a cisgender woman; she was assigned female at birth and identifies as a woman today.Describing a fight at the Olympics this year involving Khelif, Trump referred to her with he pronouns.He ended up winning the gold medal, Trump said. And there was another one who also transgendered, and he or she she ended up also winning the gold-He, Justice said, correcting Trump into using the wrong pronoun for Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who is also a cisgender woman who was accused of being trans at this years Olympic games. Trump pointed at Justice and laughed. Tiffany said it, I didnt. See, Im a politician, I have to be politically correct.Im a mom, I have to protect my kids, Justice replied. She did not explain how misgendering Lin Yu-ting protects her kids. Trump: He or she ended up winning the gold medal.Justice: He.Trump: Tiffany said it, I didn't. I'm a politician, I have to be politically correct.Justice: I'm a mom. I have to protect my kids. pic.twitter.com/RK2L4NiHjf Acyn (@Acyn) August 31, 2024

Say hello, hello, hello to the fresh set of drag queens competing for the title of the UKs Next Drag Super Star! Thats right season six of Drag Race UK is coming and twelve new glamazons brimming with charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent are ready to battle it out through a series of new and classic challenges for RuPeter badges and to win it all!Back to judge is of course Mama Ru herself, along with Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton. Plus each week they will be joined by an extra special guest judge including Mabel and Simon Le Bon!Sickening, no? But enough chit-chat, let's meet the queens who will be stepping into the Werk Room and strutting their stuff on the main stage when the show premieres this fall. And keep scrolling to watch the season six teaser trailer, and meet the queens video! Queen bios are courtesy of the World of WonderHello, hello, hello!Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.ACTAVIA21, NORTH WALESPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerTell us about yourself!Hello! Im Actavia, I am 21 years old, and I'm from a tiny little town in North Wales called Bala but I now live in Manchester. Bring on the Welsh!How does it feel to be a Ru girl?This is literally like a dream come true. It's such a clich thing to say but I just cant believe its real and that Im here.How long have you been doing drag?I quickly became obsessed with all things drag around five years ago when I was 16 years old however, being from such a small town, drag was never something that was around me. After discovering Drag Race, everything just clicked! Ive always loved performing and being on stage so I knew drag was for me and here I am!How would you describe your drag?I would describe myself as a bit of a chameleon, and I always like to add a villainess look to my drag aesthetic but Im really approachable I promise!What can we expect to see at an Actavia show?I come alive on stage. If you were to come to an Actavia show, you would see a blend of camp, dancing, energy, and a bit of stupidity. My shows are high energy and you would definitely be out of breath just watching me.Whats the drag scene like in your hometown of Bala?It's honestly tiny. I always say the drag scene there is absolutely immaculate - because I AM the drag scene there! There is no other drag queen in my town, as far as I'm aware!What are you most looking forward to in the competition? Im a dancer so I love anything where I can move my legs. Im so excited to do anything thats thrown at me in this competition and grab it by the horns!Would you say youre competitive?I wouldnt say Im competitive, but I do enter a lot of competitions and I am now on the biggest drag competition now so actually I guess you could say I am!What would it mean to you to win it? To be crowned as the UKs Next Drag Race Superstar would just be the ultimate validation not only for myself, for all the hard work Ive put into my drag over the years. It would just mean the world!CHANEL OCONOR25, SCOTLANDPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerTell us about yourself! Hello! My name is Chanel O'Conor, I'm 25 and Im originally from the Isle of Bute in Scotland.We hear youre a talented seamstress? I make all of my own clothes, and Ive created looks for other queens too. In fact, a lot of my work has already featured on the show as I've made outfits for Drag Race UK Series two winner Lawrence Chaney and for various other queens. Im so proud of that, but its now time for me. I want to show off all of my creations ON ME - and I want to win!Why drag?I discovered drag as a child watching comedy specials that starred iconic drag characters such as Lily Savage and Dame Edna. From watching these legends, I became obsessed and fell completely in love with drag. Growing up, I used to escape the island for a drama class on the mainland every Saturday, which is where I discovered my true love for experimenting with character creation. From that, I took a drag show to the Edinburgh Fringe and it just snowballed from there - Ive now been doing drag for eight years!How did you create the persona of Chanel?I created the character of Chanel OConor as a way for me to play pretend in a world I could never be in - being rich, being famous and being a natural ginger. I mixed my love for powerful women and fabulous fashions to create a baby version of Chanel OConor someone who is pure luxury, Austrian royalty twice removed and sips champagne in her private submarine in Lake Como!What are you most excited for?Im so excited to meet Ru and cannot wait to see her up close and see her fabulous outfits. I feel like Im going to learn so much from Ru she is an icon!Are there any challenges you are worried about? I am so nervous for any dance challenges. Im not typically a dancer. Im a stand by the bar, buy a drink on my husbands credit card and be politely escorted to the VIP area kind of dancer!What would it mean to you to win the competition? Ive worked so hard and put so much effort into my drag that to win the Drag Race UK crown would be truly incredible. To bring it home for Scotland, one more time would be amazing. Give me the crown baby! CHARRA TEA23, BELFASTPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerIntroduce yourself!Hello world! My name is Charra Tea, I'm 23 and I am from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Woo!How does it feel to be a Ru girl?I feel like I'm on a prank show and any minute now, someone's going to pop up and say, Just joking!. Im so excited! Meeting RuPaul for the first time is going to be so surreal. I'm obsessed and Im hoping she can understand this gorgeous Belfast accent.What inspires your drag?I was an artsy kid growing up and I've always been drawn to big, bold, bright colours which I incorporate into my drag. Some people call it tacky, but I love that and I embrace the tacky!What would you see at a typical Charra Tea show?If you were to come to a Charra Tea show, expect to see a pop culture parrot. I love incorporating random niche quotes in my shows from all the UK pop culture legends - Gemma Collins, Kim Woodburn, Nadine Coyle - I love them all!How did you get into drag?My drag aspirations began after I watched the movie Hairspray. I thought to myself I want to do that and now Ive been doing drag for around five years! I love the transformation and confidence that drag gives me.Whats the drag scene in Belfast like?Theres not a massive drag scene in Belfast, but in our little scene is expanding with something for everyone. There are so many amazing drag queens in the area, I'm so proud to represent Belfast on Drag Race UK.What are you most excited about? Im definitely not a seamstress, but I can put an outfit together. If it stays on, thats another story! I've also been in a few school plays in my time, so I think I might have the acting and comedy challenges sorted! This is the Olympics of drag so I'm just excited for everything! Im especially excited to show people that even a little shy child like me can grow up to fulfil my dream!How competitive are you?Im very competitive. I always like to be the best. I've only competed a few times in drag, and only won once, so hopefully I can win again. Fingers crossed!What would it mean to be the UKs Next Drag Race Superstar?To win Drag Race UK would be incredible. Who goes on Drag Race and doesn't want to win? Im fun, fresh, Im not afraid to be tacky and be myself and I love primary colours. I want that crown! DITA GARBO47, KENTPronouns out of drag: They/ThemPronouns in drag: She/HerTell us about yourself!Im Dita Garbo, Im 48 years young from the sunny seaside town of Folkestone in Kent, and Im so excited to be putting Folkestone on the map! How would you describe your drag?I serve burlesque Hollywood glamour. My influences are burlesque icon Dita Von Teese and Hollywood starlet, Greta Garbo. Hence my name Dita Garbo. I like to say Im the burlesque lovechild of Dita Von Teese and Greta Garbo! But I can switch it up if I need to keep up with the kids!I can jump, split, kick, turn, shablam, drop, turn, backflip, split again but then I might need some help getting up!You are the oldest contestant weve had on Drag Race UK. How will you use that to your advantage in the competition?The nice thing about being older is that you come to the competition with a lot of wisdom. If the younger queens need it, Ill give them some motherly love and advice, but if they annoy me, I'll tell them! How did you start in drag? I first got into drag in Madrid, Spain years ago, where I was in an androgynous drag group called Lujuria, which means 'lust in Spanish. It was so much fun. Sadly, I dont have any photos to show you as it was back in the day before mobile phones! I took a fifteen-year break from drag to travel the world as a professional dance teacher, but once a drag queen, always a drag queen! I re-emerged as a burlesque diva a few years back, and Ive even set up my own little Folkestone drag scene. What challenges are you most excited to take on? I can sew, I can dance, and I can sing too so Im excited for any challenges that require those skills! Ive been a performer all my life and Im so proud and happy to have been invited by Ru into the Drag Race UK sisterhood and I cant wait to show what I can do as a mature lady! Why do you deserve to be the UKs Next Drag Race Superstar?Ive got a ton of experience and knowledge that I can bring to the competition plus I would be the oldest winner of RuPauls Drag Race UK! So, watch out girls because here I come!KIKI SNATCH25, LONDONPronouns out of drag: They/ThemPronouns in drag: She/HerTell us about yourself! Hey, Im Kiki Snatch, I'm 25 years old from London and I'm going to snatch your hearts, baby!What can you expect at a Kiki Snatch show?Im not just a look queen, Im a big performance queen. I can dance and sing whilst looking pretty doing it! Youre going to get cartwheels, splits, dips, tricks, games with the audience, games... Youre just going to have a fun, fabulous time. Thats why they call me Kiki!Who are your drag influences?My drag is inspired by iconic female artists such as Mica Paris, Donna Summer, Beyonc, Ciara and Teyana Taylor. Im also inspired by the women in my family they are all so fierce and powerful.Tell us about your drag name origins?Im a bundle of joy and I love to party and so Kiki comes from me loving a kiki, which is drag lingo for having a good time. And Snatch of course can mean many things applicable to me a snatched waist, a snatched face or snatching the Drag Race UK crown!How does it feel to be a Ru Girl?Im so excited and I just cant contain it! I remember where I was when I got the call. I was just about to start work and I heard the word Condragulations!. I couldn't scream out loud, so I did a silent scream and hid myself for a little bit, and then composed myself!What challenge are you most excited for? I cannot wait to get onto Snatch Game. Im also looking forward to a girl group challenge because that has me written all over! Why do you deserve the crown?Because Im here to SNATCH the crown and shut it down! Winning the title would prove that the kooky and misunderstood ones can come out on top too.KYRAN THRAX26, LANCASHIREPronouns out of drag: He/Him, They/ThemPronouns in drag: She/HerTell us about yourself! Hello, I'm Kyran Thrax, I'm 26 years old, and I'm originally from Lancashire. How does it feel to be a Ru girl? The idea that I'm here right now just feels so correct! I'm raring to go, the timing is perfect. I am going to be a monster.Why drag? Im a performer, and whilst studying Acting and Contemporary Theatre at drama school, I was doing Shakespeare, expressionism, and clowning... and so I thought why not put it all together and mix it with my love of make-up and drag. And so here we are! Ive been doing drag for four years, and Ive been doing it full time for two. I absolutely love it. Ive done fashion shows, drag brunches, commercials, performances in theatres and clubs. Youve probably even seen me on a cinema screen and now, Im finally here!Who or what are your drag inspirations?I'm very inspired by Lady Gaga - she's a creative genius! I'm also inspired by art house horror films and of course, my mum! Also, the London drag scene is wild when I first came here, I saw so many subcultures and avenues of drag that it gave me the creative freedom to create Kyran Thrax!What are you most excited about? I'm excited for every challenge - apart from the sewing challenge. I can make amazing things in my brain, but then actually constructing and sewing them is a whole other ballgame!Are you competitive?Yes. When people first meet me, they can be intimidated because Im quite a lot, but once you get to know me, youll find that I'm really soft and silly. There's not a mean bone in my body. I actually hate confrontation. If you shout at me, Ill most likely cry! What would it mean to you to take the crown?It would mean absolutely everything to me to win Drag Race UK. I have been through so much in life and just to be here is amazing. Im going to cherish every single moment. LA VOIX43, STOCKON ON TEESPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerIntroduce yourself!Hello, darlings! I'm La Voix, I'm 43 and Im from Stockton on Tees. I am a seasoned diva and I cannot wait to get going!How does it feel to be a Ru girl?I'm so excited. When they rang me and told me the news, I couldn't believe it! Shocked isnt even the word. I had to clear my diary Im very busy you see.Describe a typical La Voix drag show?Im known for big, loud belty songs and I love to make em laugh. Comedy and singing are my thing. You are indeed a very busy queen. Tell us about your career highlights?Where do I even start?! Ive competed in Britain's Got Talent, starred in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, working with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley; Ive starred in various pantomimes over the span of twenty years; Ive worked on EIGHTY cruise ships (yes eighty!) and Ive toured all over the world with my one woman show and now Im here on RuPauls Drag Race UK!Do you have time to list some of the famous names youve worked with?Some of the names I've worked with are Mickey Rooney, Bobby Davro, Claire Sweeney, Les Dennis, Pamela Anderson, David Gest, Cilla Black, Joanna Lumley, Jennifer Saunders, Zoe Ball, Nigella Lawson, Lulu did I mention Claire Sweeney? Jane MacDonald, Rylan, Ant and Dec, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan... Is there anyone I havent worked with at this point?!Id love to work with RuPaul, Adele and Madonna next Im hoping that this competition gives me the chance to!Who are your drag inspirations?The big divas. Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and Liza Minnelli. Just all the greats big, belty confident women!Youre already a very established performer. Why Drag Race UK now?I wanted to do Drag Race because drag has changed so much since I first started drag back in prehistoric times, twenty years ago. I thought Drag Race UK would be an amazing second chapter of my career and a personal challenge to immerse myself in the new world of drag. Also, I just love RuPaul!How competitive are you?Oh, Im the queen of competitions. Ive done quite a few! I love a competition. It pushes me out of my comfort zone. Im not going in with a game plan. Im going in there with an open mind, extra tights and a secret hidden bottle of vodka. I love the adrenaline of it all. Bring it on!Are you nervous about anything in the competition?Im not the best dancer and all of the other queens are probably going to be death dropping and splitting all over the main stage. Meanwhile, Ill just be sat in the corner with a cup of tea quietly praying.What would it mean to you be crowned the UKs Next Drag Race Superstar?It would be phenomenal. If I were to win, it would be life changing. For me, its more than winning Drag Race UK. Its a relaunch and rebirth for my drag. LILL36, MANCHESTERPronouns out of drag: They/ThemPronouns in drag: She/HerTell us about yourself! Hiya! My name's Lill, I'm 36 years old, and I'm from the best place in the world Manchester! Im gorgeous, Ive got great style, Im creative, fun and Im easy like a Sunday morning.How would you describe your drag?I would say my drag is very creative and rebellious. I love getting stuff from charity shops, cutting things up and transforming old tatty stuff into the stunning! Ive got a thousand different references that influence my drag. I adore fashion and my favourite designer is John Galliano, who inspires a lot of my fashion looks. The best thing about me is my sense of style. My style is usually glamourous pin up girl, but sometimes it can be freaky and weird! Fashion comes and goes, but style is forever.What are the origins of your drag name?Lill is an acronym for Living in Lavish Luxury. My friend made it up for me one day, and I ran with it! I like to think I'm living in lavish luxury always! I appreciating each moment as it comes, I spoil myself rotten and I have a great time. How does it feel to be a Ru girl?It feels absolutely crazy to be here. I've been doing drag for about ten years and I absolutely love it. Drag is the best! I feel like Im finally here at the top of my game and looking absolutely correct.What challenges are you most confident about?Im very good at making things, and so I would say a sewing challenge. Ive already made some costumes for Drag Race UK queens Banksie and Cheddar Gorgeous, and so I feel really confident that my looks are strong and no one is going to be able to top them!Im also looking forward to anything that lets me be funny! Whether thats an acting challenge or a comedy roast, thats somewhere where I feel Id be able to have some fun. What's the biggest misconception about you?I think it takes quite a while for people to get to know me. At first, people might think that I'm a bit rude or a bit stoney faced, but I'm definitely not. I've got the biggest, softest heart. I'm just a bit shy at first!What would it mean to you to take the crown?I believe I deserve to win because Ive got great style, Im a fab performer, Im a lot of fun and nobody else does it quite like me. It would be fabulous to receive validation from RuPaul, the judges and all of the Drag Race fans out there!MARMALADE24, CARDIFFPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerIntroduce yourself!Greetings one and all! My name is Marmalade, I am 24 years old and I am the crown jewel of Cardiff drag.How would you describe your drag?I would describe my drag as Hollywood glamour, all wrapped up in a gorgeous Welsh sense of stupidity. When I was sixteen, I saw the most fabulous photo of the Hollywood starlet, Lana Turner in the film The Prodigal and that was it! All I wanted from then was to become that image. My favourite leading ladies are Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Faye Dunaway, Barbara Streisand. Also, two of my all-time favourites are Meryl Streep and Goldie Horne in Death Becomes Her. I like to think that I give vintage aesthetic with a modern twist!What is the drag scene like in Cardiff?The Cardiff drag scene is very tiny. There are very few queens and kings there. That said, it's a mighty scene. We're a gorgeous set of very talented weirdos. I am the prettiest though. I mean, look at me!Your work has already appeared on Drag Race UK. Tell us more?Outside of drag, I am a full-time seamstress. Ive made outfits for Drag Race UK alumni such as Lawrence Chaney, Victoria Scone and Tia Kofi, but its now my time to step into the spotlight so here I am! I started sewing out of complete necessity, as there werent many drag seamstresses in Cardiff, and now its become a career and my passion and my major superpower. Where does your drag name come from?My original drag name was Marmite, mainly because I really liked Marmite. But one day, I accidentally said I was called Marmalade. I realised it sounded much better so I stuck with it. Believe it or not, I've never actually had marmalade. I have no idea what it tastes like!Are there any challenges youre nervous about?Im not worried about any of the challenges. I have watched Drag Race since the very beginning and I know exactly what I need to bring and guess what, I'm bringing it. If I do falter, I'm also bringing delusion to back me up. I'll just tell myself that I did great!How important is it for you to represent Wales?I am so excited to represent my hometown of Cardiff, and my home country. There's so much talent in our small but mighty nation and you're going to see it right here!RILEASA SLAVES32, LONDONPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerTell us about yourself?Hey boo! My name is Rileasa Slaves, I'm 32 years old from London, but I was born in St Lucia. She's international baby! People say youre the spitting image of a certain pop star... tell us more?I have been told I resemble a certain worldwide superstar named Rihanna. Like Rhianna, Im also a Caribbean queen, a glamazon, and a superstar, but Im not Rihanna. Im the real Rileasa, ready to be rileasad onto the world.What have been your career highlights?Drag has opened so many doors for me. Im a trained contemporary dancer, and I have performed on tour with Becky Hill, travelled all over Europe and even performed at Glastonbury! It was an amazing moment to perform to such a big crowd. And now, Im on Drag Race UK!Who or what influences your drag?I grew up in the small Caribbean island of St Lucia, with dancehall music, Soca and Calypso as the soundtrack to my life, and then later I fell in love with London the city that gave me permission to be myself. And so my drag is sunshine with a touch of spice!What does drag mean to you?The first time I did drag, I had so much fear in my bones. A lot of my fear came from my religious upbringing in the Caribbean and the difficulties you can face being part of the LGBTQ+ community in the Caribbean. Becoming Rileasa has given me the opportunity to face my fears.Are you competitive?My biggest competitor is me! I want to get out of my head and have some fun, with my eyes on the prize! Why do you deserve the crown?I deserve to take the crown because Im bringing the island flavour, the sauce and a little something special to the competition that y'all have been missing out on! The world is ready for Rileasa to be crowned the UKs Next Drag Race Superstar. Lets go!SAKI YEW33, MANCHESTERPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerIntroduce yourself!Gday mate! I'm Saki Yew and I'm 33 years old. I'm originally from Melbourne, Australia, but love brought me all the way across the globe to settle down in to life as a booked and blessed Manchester drag queen.What can you expect from a Saki Yew show?Theres a lot of energy - you wont be able to take your eyes off me! You can expect to see a showgirl whos going to perform her heart out, whether it be a ballad or a dance anthem. It's really important to me, to represent my cultural identity in my drag and so I serve Australian showgirl glamour, mixed with high energy Filipino sass and a sprinkle of Northern wit and realness. I think I am a bit of a Frankenstein drag queen!What skills do you bring to the competition?Ive been a drag queen for over thirteen years, and I have an extensive entertainment CV. As well as serving face and showgirl glamour, I am also a very experienced sewer and crafter. I particularly love crochet. My love of crochet comes from when I was on tour with the Lion King and during breaks in acts, I would crochet blankets, beanies, scarves. I even crocheted a beanie for my dog! Heres hoping, that the opportunity arises to crochet in a design challenge!What challenges are you looking forward to?I cant wait to show off in a girl group challenge and a Rusical! With my musical theatre background, these challenges are made for me.How competitive are you?Im super competitive. I can play dirty if I want to, but let's see how the girls play first! I've got my eyes on the crown, so the girls had better watch outWhat would winning the crown mean to you?Taking the crown would mean the world to me. A dream come true, and for any little boys and girls watching out there, they might see that winning at life could be a possibility for them too. ZAHIRAH ZAPANTA28, NOTTINGHAMPronouns out of drag: He/HimPronouns in drag: She/HerIntroduce yourself!Mabuhay! Im Zahirah Zapanta, Im 28 years old from Nottingham and Im your beauty queen!How does it feel to be here as a Ru Girl?I am feeling incredible, beautiful and most importantly humble! Im so excited to be here.Describe your drag?The look is correct, the hair is laid, the performances are fabulous, but the personality is a chaotic mess! Im so proud of my British Filipino roots and it has influenced my drag so much. As a little kid, I constantly watched beauty pageants such as Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Continental, and the UK has given me a unique and eclectic edge. I grew up with a lot of powerful women in my life. Growing up with Filipino aunties, my mum, my sister and lesbian aunties has definitely shaped Zahira. The genetics do help me look this fabulous too! Tell us about your journey to drag?I was born in the Philippines and came to the UK with my family when I was 10 years old settling in Nottingham. Growing up, I was well known where I grew up. I was always quite flamboyant and my family actively encouraged me to be a beauty queen. As a teenager, it felt like a natural move to showcase my love of makeup and dressing up on YouTube. I built a fanbase, created a network, forayed into drag, learnt more about the art and I became a beauty queen!How excited are you to meet Mama Ru?Mama Ru is a celestial omnipotent being that has been a part of my life and my heart for so long! Getting to meet her is my dream. Its unreal to think shes a real person!Are you in it to win it?Of course, I'm most definitely in it to win it!Watch the Drag Race UK season 6 trailer below.Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

The Helmsley Charitable Trust awards first-of-its-kind $5 million grant to The Trevor Project to launch LGBTQ+ youth mental health awareness campaign across rural AmericaSeptember 3, 2024 Today, The Trevor Project and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announced that theyre joining forces to support the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people across rural America. Through a $5 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust, the two organizations will develop a targeted multimedia campaign to raise awareness of the public health crisis of LGBTQ+ youth suicide.It is estimated that every 45 seconds, at least one LGBTQ+ young person in the United States attempts to take their own life. The multimedia campaign will shed light on the issue, connect young people with the crisis care they need, and encourage everyone to do their part to combat this undeniable crisis.No one should feel isolated simply because of who they are, yet the LGBTQ+ community is too often met with hostility, said Walter Panzirer (he/him), Trustee at The Helmsley Charitable Trust.Protecting the lives of young people should not be viewed as political or controversial; it should be something that we all support, Panzirer said. I look forward to collaborating with The Trevor Project to spread awareness of the serious challenges LGBTQ+ youth face and let them know that help, support and resources are available to help them thrive.The grant will fund public service announcements, social media blasts and traditional advertising, initially in the states supported by Helmsleys Rural Healthcare Program Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The funding will also provide The Trevor Projects public training team with the resources needed to deliver 50 trainings to youth-serving organizations in Helmsleys nine-state rural footprint, building LGBTQ+ cultural competency among youth-serving adults. These trainings will be orchestrated in the counties and regions that report higher rates of suicide among young people.We are thrilled to partner with The Helmsley Charitable Trust on this critical endeavor to support the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people in rural regions at a time when they may need it most, said Jaymes Black (they/she/he), Chief Executive Officer at The Trevor Project. The Trevor Projects research has consistently shown that LGBTQ+ young people are at higher risk for suicide compared to their peers, and we have a lot of work to do to connect them with the support they need. This work is especially crucial as we consider the unique barriers that exist for young people in many communities across the nine states. Together, we look forward to decreasing stigma, educating youth-serving adults, and making it possible for LGBTQ+ young people to lead the happy, fulfilling lives they deserve.LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers, and The Trevor Projects National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People by State found this crisis is particularly severe in rural America. In Montana, 55 percent of LGBTQ+ youth considered suicide in the past year, compared to 45 percent nationwide. In South Dakota, 19 percent of LGBTQ+ young people attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 14 percent nationwide.Access to mental health care remains a considerable barrier for LGBTQ+ young people in rural areas. For example, 72 percent of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed in Nevada and 62 percent in North Dakota said they wanted mental health care in the past year and were not able to get it, compared to 60 percent nationally.The multipronged campaign will spread awareness of these suicide risk disparities by amplifying the stories of real LGBTQ+ youth, helping them destigmatize their identities and encouraging help-seeking behaviors. Initially, the campaign will feature The Trevor Projects video series, Learn with Love and Sharing Space, marketing them directly toward individuals in the selected states. In a second phase, new videos will be created to further elevate the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in rural communities.The campaign will launch in 2025.About The Trevor ProjectThe Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Trevor offers 24/7 crisis services, connecting highly trained counselors with LGBTQ+ young people whenever they need support. To drive prevention efforts, The Trevor Project also operates robust research, advocacy, education, and peer support programs. The Trevor Project envisions a world where all LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, seen, and accepted exactly as they are.About The Helmsley Charitable TrustThe Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grant making in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsleys Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $700 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories. For more information, visit helmsleytrust.org.If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Projects trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.The post The Trevor Project and The Helmsley Charitable Trust Team Up to Support LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health appeared first on The Trevor Project.

This story originally ran in 10/1/2023Fall is here, which means it's time for three things, gay Christmas aka Halloween, pumpkin spice lattes with oat milk (don't you dare judge me), and for the Christian Autumn queens to reign supreme on social media. Wait.. slow down.. before you roll your eyes over this apparent hetero hell, here's what you have wrong out about, Caitlin Covington, aka the face of the viral Christian Girl Autumn meme.Yes, she is back and welcoming the fall season once again with delightful pumpkin-themed decor, that embraces the essence of autumn. In a TikTok video shared earlier this week, Covington unveiled her seasonal front door decor adorned with whimsical pumpkins, announcing the return of autumn in a charming and timely manner.This seasonal celebration evokes the spirited ambiance of fall and resonates with the enduring narrative of allyship that unfolded between Covington and the memes creator, trans social media influencer Blizzy, a few years back. @cmcoving Shes backkkk #fallfrontporch #fallfrontporchdecor #autumnaesthetic The Christian Girl Autumn meme, a digital sensation in 2019, featured Covington alongside blogger Emily Gemma, both clad in the quintessential fall attire. The playful meme, created by Blizzy, served as a whimsical segue from "Hot Girl Summer" to "Christian Girl Autumn," capturing the internets fancy and propelling Covington into the realms of internet stardom.Covington became the face of the meme after Blizzy used a random photo she found while searching for "Christian girl outfits" on Google to make the "Hot Girl Summer" joke. See on Instagram As reported by Insider, the viral wave also carried a tide of unwarranted assumptions concerning Covingtons and Gemmas political and religious stances, with numerous online commentators hastily pegging them as conservative Republicans. The memes light-hearted portrayal and the duos autumnal attire steered the stereotyping. See on Instagram However, the narrative took a heartwarming turn when Blizzy embarked on her transition journey. The ensuing financial hurdles prompted Blizzy to launch a GoFundMe campaign, seeking support to alleviate the costs of her transition. Covington ended up donating $500, also urging her followers to rally behind Blizzy's cause and support her. See on Instagram In 2021, a viral tweet also highlighted Covington's allyship and support for Blizzy, as noted by Into. (@) Now, as the mother of two cheerfully heralds the arrival of fall with her Pumpkin-themed decor on social media, the tale of her enduring allyship with Blizzy continues to resonate, showcasing the meaningful human connections that can blossom amidst the playful engagements of internet culture.As for Blizzy, while her celebrity has continue to grow, she did share in an interview with Paper the difficulties of being a trans woman influencer, which has contrasted to Covington's lucrative deals she's gotten off of her fall influencer status. Still, Blizzy highlighted the success she's had and the continued opportunities her social media work has gotten her. In a recent tweet of one of Covington's recent videos, Blizzy playfully wrote "that's my daughta." (@) The story serves as a warming narrative, just as comforting as a pumpkin spice latte amidst the crisp autumn air.

Content Warning/Authors Note: My story is rooted in my lived experience as a survivor of multiple forms of sexual violence and suicidal ideation. Everyone living with C-PTSD has an entirely different story. In reflecting on my personal narrative, I use she/her pronouns to describe my childhood self, but I currently use they/them pronouns to describe myself in the present and future tense.I remember the feeling of my childhood carpet on my back as I stared at the ceiling for hours. At fourteen years old, I scribbled manic notes in my journal about not wanting to be alive, and ate vanilla ice cream on the floor in a catatonic state.Yesterday was Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) Awareness Day. As we honor and spread awareness of C-PTSD, I cling tightly to the ways in which my younger self followed her wisdom to stay alive in the face of multiple traumas that she didnt think she would survive.I grew up with an innate sense that I did not belong in the world, which was reaffirmed in my mind by my home environment, anti-LGBTQ politics, bullying and internet harassment, and multiple acts of sexual violence that exacerbated the depression that I live with. I tried many cries for help, including physically harming my body but I didnt feel heard by my parents or the adults in my life. It felt like my pain was thrown into the ether. Like many LGBTQ+ young people, I saw suicide as my only way out of a misunderstood hopelessness. Still, I clung to the hope that someday I would understand what this was all for.As a queer and nonbinary young person, I struggled to find the right therapist, diagnosis, and medications that kept me healthy and stable. Despite being successful at school and accomplishing things to make my parents proud, I felt like I didnt know who I was; masking my emotions to keep everyone around me happy. I dealt with eating disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and didnt know why.I didnt receive a C-PTSD diagnosis until I was 25 and started working with the therapist who saved my life by recognizing my childhood self as part of me. Complex post traumatic stress disorder can happen as a result of chronic, or compounded trauma, violence, or stress. For me, it was the result of prolonged sexual violence, harrassment, and exploitation. It was everything, everywhere, all at once. It was the divorce in my childhood, the feeling of chronic abandonment, the vandalism of my locker on my birthday, the sexual assault behind my high school, being outed, the ways in which all my friends forgot about me, and on, and on, and onIn a recent conversation with my therapist, I divulged that Ive been clinging to hope since I was ten years old. Ten year olds shouldnt be finding reasons to cling to hope, I say.They do when theyve experienced really bad stuff, my therapist responds.The traumas that I have lived through were real and fundamentally changed the way that my brain works. As a result of chronic trauma, my entire nervous system was dysregulated for most of my life. It has made me interesting, empathetic, neurospicy, and passionate about creating a better world. But it has also left me feeling unworthy; deeply sad, anxious, healing, and hungry for safety. It has made relationships hard, but it has made me work harder to find the joy that is rightfully mine. Because all of these parts of me are equally valuable and deserve to show up. And the unique parts of you deserve to show up, too.When I think about my high school self, I think of Nex Benedict and Leelah Alcorn. I think of the beautiful LGBTQ+ young people taken too soon, and the safer world that we can create in their honor.In our 2024 U.S. National Survey, 70% of queer young people reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and 55% reported symptoms of depression. This number increases for nonbinary young people like me. These numbers remind me that we are not alone and we need change. We need structural, cultural, and policy reform to prevent the factors that lead to complex post traumatic stress for LGBTQ+ young people to fester. We need necessary rules like Title IX protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, to prevent discrimination against students in schools. Because if I felt safer in school as an LGBTQ+ young person, I would have felt more empowered to speak out and seek professional help from my administrators.And when bad stuff does happen, we need equitable access to accessible, affirming, affordable, comprehensive, mental health care to treat and heal our brains and bodies. Because mental health is a human right. Our National Survey also showed that 50% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. Receiving specialized care when youre struggling is lifesaving; all LGBTQ+ young people deserve this.As a twenty-seven year old living with C-PTSD, I do everything on behalf of my childhood self who didnt feel seen, heard, or understood. If youre feeling that way, know that there is an adult out there who survived and is championing you to survive, too. Grant yourself the hope to cling to light in the darkness. The world deserves to have you in it; you deserve to be here. Thats why The Trevor Project is always here for you, 24/7, free and secure. You can call us anytime at 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or visit trvr.org/get-help to speak to our counselors. There is no shame in reaching out for help. Doing so saved my life.Leah Juliett is the Sr. Associate, Social Media Community Engagement at The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ+) young people.The post Clinging to Hope: Honoring C-PTSD Awareness Day appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Writer and comedian Joel Kim Booster, best known for his gay take on Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice, proposed to his vacation boyfriend over Labor Day weekend and he said yes.The pair met shortly after the pandemic in Puerto Vallarta, where they enjoyed a no-strings hook-up that neither man was prepared to pursue into romance, Booster says until they did. Related Ex-CNN host Don Lemon weds boyfriend of 5 years in star-studded ceremony The guest list included some controversial guests. The Industry co-star, 36, popped the question along with a boxed gold band off the coast of Jeju Island, South Korea, Boosters ancestral home. His soon-to-be husband, video game producer John-Michael Sudsina, agreed to the proposal. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Vacation boyfriend -> Vacation husband. Try to be normal about this. pic.twitter.com/CtmzhE4aeK Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) September 1, 2024The LTR wasnt inevitable, in Boosters telling. Neither man professed interest in the other beyond the pleasures of a weekend hook-up.We both had very much the vibe of like, We know how these weekends work,' Booster told Jesse Tyler Ferguson on his podcast Dinners on Me. You dont have to continue to talk to me. You can find your next conquest. Im not going to glom onto you. Youre not going to glom onto me. And he was very, again, like, you know, This is not going to be a relationship. And I said, Thats fine. Meanwhile, Im talking about him on every podcast that I go on.Boosters Q jumped in 2022 with the release of Fire Island, his retelling of Austens satiric and affecting critique of social status in 19th century Englands upper classes, now transported to the iconic gay summer enclave. Hes written and produced for Big Mouth and The Other Two, and appeared in Shrill, Search Party and Sunnyside.Sudsina is a principal creative producer for Valorant and League of Legends from video game developer and publisher Riots Games, based in Los Angeles. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) While Booster is looking forward to the nuptials a date has yet to be announced hes contending with at least one family member who requires special handling: his mom.She changes the subject a little bit, Booster said in his Ferguson interview. I think she loves him, and loves that Im happy, and I think like, the Republican conservative in her is like, Maybe thats a step too far. Its like, I dont know if she would be at our wedding or not. And again, I dont need her to, and it doesnt hurt me.For now, Booster is basking in engagement bliss.Very much in love. Very happy, he posted to Insta about his fianc. No matter where I am, hes my home.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Jessica Benham is running for a third two-year term in her heavily blue district in Pittsburgh, south of downtown, two rivers away from the Andy Warhol Museum, and not far from Liberty Ave., where the chosen family of Queer as Folk cavorted a generation ago.Benham, who identifies as bisexual and speaks freely about living with autism, has racked up Soviet-style vote totals in her previous elections, winning with 78.8% in the general in 2022 and a whopping 98.2% in the Democratic primary in April. Republicans arent even running an opponent against the 32-year-old in November.Those facts have freed Benham to concentrate on policy in her roles on the Pennsylvania Health and Human Services committees, and most importantly, constituent services in House District 36, which she says gives her the most hope and joy in her job.Benham spoke from her district office in a converted row house in the Carrick neighborhood of Pittsburgh, across the street from a branch of the Carnegie Library. The high-visibility location is a promise to constituents that government is there and working for them. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today LGBTQ Nation: You studied political science and communications at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, which describes itself as a Christian college. How big a role does faith play in your life, and whats your reaction to the rise of Christian nationalism in the country?Rep. Jessica Benham: I am a queer pastors daughter, and so that comes with its own set of difficulties: growing up feeling like you couldnt be who you are, even struggling to really understand early on who you are. And that was something that I was really processing, I think, throughout college. But moving away from home really gave me a chance to explore who I was, to meet other LGBTQ+ folks who were experiencing similar things, because I certainly wasnt the only person in that boat, even at a place like Bethel University.For a long time, I didnt really want much of anything to do with religion because of what I had experienced, but now I have the opportunity to define my own relationship with a higher power. Theres nothing in the Bible that says that we cant love who we love or be who we are. In fact, it very much says the opposite, that God has created us as who we are and loves us as who we are.And so for me, looking at the rise of Christian nationalism is scary because its a stark departure from what I believe the true values of, frankly, most if not all religions are, which is love, community, acceptance, and support. And so weaponizing religion against vulnerable people, and seeing that done so openly by members of the Christian right, is disappointing and terrifying, but not unexpected. Does religion have a place in U.S. politics?Anybody who tells you that their religious beliefs dont influence how they govern,theyre lying to you, right? We govern and we legislate from our lived experience, but a formal role? Absolutely not. Folks can have their individual religious beliefs, but there is no formal role for religion in government.Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have spent a lot of time campaigning in Pennsylvania. You are an admitted childless cat lady living in the Southside Slopes of Pittsburgh with your feline companion, Ravi. Lets say you ran into the Republican nominee for vice president at a donut shop. What would you say to him?[Laughing] Oh, that he made a big mistake. Anyone whos been on the internet for more than five minutes should know that you dont take on the childless cat ladies. Whats the status of reproductive rights in Pennsylvania, and are they legally protected?At this point, they are mostly legally protected in the state of Pennsylvania. There are some exceptions and stipulations, and I would, of course, like to see stronger protections, not just around the issue of abortion, but also around IVF, around birth control. I do think that we need to be as proactive as possible in defending our access to reproductive healthcare.While you were studying for an MA in Bioethics from the University of Pittsburgh, you were involved in an effort to organize a union of graduate workers. What was the result, and why do white-collar workers in an academic setting need union representation? Well, if youve got a boss, you need a union. So we can start there. But that particular effort ended up failing by 30-some votes, in large part because of the union-busting efforts of the administration at the University of Pittsburgh. They were outright lying to students about what a union would mean for them.So we lost that particular effort, but that has restarted, and there are more folks involved now. Because what has happened since is that the university has taken away healthcare benefits a lot of them. Graduate workers realized, hey, if we had had a union, they would not have been able to unilaterally do that. That would have been something we would have been bargaining for.Prior to your election in 2020, you were the director of development for the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy, which you co-founded, and youve been vocal about living with the same disability. How has it impacted your relationships with colleagues in the state house? I think theres more barriers to the presence of folks with disabilities in politics thats something important to highlight and mention. In a lot of ways, Ive had to overcome more than my colleagues to experience similar levels of success, but I think Ive done a decent job at it. The governor signed one of my bills into law this year, which will level the playing field between smaller pharmacies and the big chains, and it was no small feat, I can tell you, to get a bill passed through a divided legislature and signed into law.But I did it by building relationships, both on my own side of the aisle and also across the aisle, and then, of course, on the other side of the building, as well, in the Senate.You are the first woman in the Pennsylvania legislature to identify as LGBTQ+. When did you come out as bisexual and how has that impacted your public and your private life? I came out in a very limited way in college. Youre not really allowed to be out at Bethel University, which is a fact that I remind them of any time they call me to ask for alumni donations.But, you know, I was out much more widely after that, in graduate school and in my work life. I still havent really had that conversation with my family. Obviously, its very publicly out there now in the press, so I know that they know, but its just never really talked about, and Im still processing how I feel about that. Maybe well talk about it someday, but for now, its one of those unspoken things.Interesting fact: the Pennsylvania LGBT Equality Caucus was formed in 2011 without any out LGBTQ+ lawmakers because there werent any at the time; like the U.S. Congress now, the Pennsylvania Equality Caucus accepts all members. How many LGBTQ+ members are serving today? There are now six of us, with a variety of different identities within the community. Theres something to be said for being supported by folks who have a deep understanding of what it is that youre going through. And, you know, its nice to be not the last one in now. When I got elected, Brian Sims and Malcolm Kenyatta took me under their wings and were great, sort of big brothers to me.You helped pass legislation through the Pennsylvania House to protect LGBTQ+ civil rights. What does the bill do, whats the status, and what does it share with the Equality Act currently stalled in the U.S. Congress?The Fairness Act does some incredible things, but its also representative of how much further we have to go. It protects folks from discrimination in education, employment, and housing on the basis of gender, sex, sexual identity, or orientation, and it adds disability, as well. It goes beyond the current protections that we have federally, which are pretty much limited. It does some really, really good things, basic things, right? And thats why I say its symbolic of how much further we have to go. To say that someone shouldnt be discriminated against because of who they love or who they are is so basic, right? You would think that this would not be something that would be controversial, but it is, and thats why its stalled in the State Senate, same as the Equality Act is stalled in the U.S. Senate.I have cried a lot in the Capitol building, because you dont think about what your first death threats gonna feel like, you know, until it happens, and its a brutal feeling. But when the Fairness Act passed on the House floor, it was the first time that I had cried for a good reason. And theres this great picture out there of me and Malcolm, who led on the bill, holding each other and sobbing on the floor when the vote total was announced, and it just perfectly captures what that moment felt like.Pittsburgh is the setting for the American version of the groundbreaking TV series Queer as Folk. Were you a fan of the show, and which version do you prefer? The British original or the American remake? Thats a great question. I have never seen either! [Laughing] I dont actually own a television.Pittsburgh doesnt have a single gay village like lots of other American cities; its got several smaller gay-friendly neighborhoods, and, according to Reddit, an abundance of theyborhoods. What is a theyborhood, and what does an LGBTQ+ community dispersed across the city rather than in one place say about Pittsburgh?I have never heard the term theyborhood before! Thats a new one for me. I think I like it, right? It seems a little bit more potentially inclusive than gayborhood. We have a number of centers of community for folks throughout the Pittsburgh region, and so while theres no one, centralized gayborhood in the way that there might be in, say, Philly, for example, there are a lot of places, including but not just limited to bars, where folks come together and those are really valuable.What we dont have, really, in Pittsburgh proper, is one that caters to women from the community we dont really have a good lesbian bar, and so thats something where theres an opportunity.You support a ban on gifts to elected officials. What are the details? Is that any gift of any amount, however small, and even if its reported? I do support a gift ban to elected officials, but I think its really important to define what that looks like, right? If you do a strict gift ban, that means that if somebody hands me a bottle of water, I cant take it. And that is overkill. I think in general we should be okay with folks accepting sort of de minimis gifts. Theres something to be said for a little bit of flexibility for the small stuff.But its interesting, this is actually the first year where I will have any gifts that are reportable, because in Pennsylvania, gifts in the aggregate above $250 have to be reported. And the way that our gifts law is currently written, you have to report gifts from anyone who is not a member of your immediate family or a spouse.Well, my partner is a registered lobbyist, and so according to the gifts law, I have to report every single thing that my partner gives me, because over the course of a year, I will receive more than $250 worth of stuff. [Laughing] So the list currently contains a number of different books, bouquets of flowers, a stuffed otter animal. Its a little funny, right? If we were married, I wouldnt have to report those things. What can you tell us about your partner and where does the cat fit in?[Laughs] Well, the cat is a big fan. But beyond that, I think I learned a lesson around keeping my personal life as private as I possibly can. There are very few things in this world that I get to keep low-key.Would you support mandatory national service for young people in the military, or some other form of public service of their choosing, like Teach for America or the Peace Corps? No, I dont think that I would. I mean, Ill be honest, I havent really given that a whole lot of in-depth thought. But, you know, my first gut reaction is to say no. I dont think that when you force people to do public service they learn the same lessons that they would learn if they choose to do it of their own volition.Whats the single most important thing the world should do to address the climate crisis?Only one thing? Oh, killer. One thing, that is a really hard question.I think were at this tipping point, right? This precipice that I feel like were gonna fall off of. Ill keep doing everything that I can, obviously, but sometimes it feels and I say this as a young person like its too late, like the generations before me failed, and so its almost more about managing the climate crisis. Obviously, we need to take steps to prevent catastrophe, but we know that the climate crisis is going to hit inequitably. Folks who are living in poverty are going to be harder hit. Folks in the Global South are going to be harder hit, so we have work to do there. But broadly, transitioning toward sources of renewable energy is probably the top thing. In addressing climate change and infrastructure, youve said that you brought together everyones voices, including workers and communities hit hardest by pollution, for difficult conversations about energy production and the environment. Am I right to think youre talking about fracking there, which is a controversial topic in Pennsylvania?Im talking about any number of things there, right? For example, we talk about hydrogen for heavy industry. There are a ton of different perspectives on what industries thats appropriate for. Its not just about fracking, its a much broader conversation than that. Ive been in some not-so-fun rooms that Ive pulled together of folks who disagree intensely about the direction we should be moving, but it was important to me to arrange those conversations because when we silo perspectives, people end up talking past each other in public, and theres no real desire to try to move forward together.There is space for the workforce in the production of renewable energy. There is space for environmental concerns in the labor movement, and if we dont facilitate those conversations, which sometimes I mean, look, I was on one call in particular that I remember with people screaming at each other, but you know what? At least they were talking. That doesnt happen often enough, and Im sure that fracking was a part of those conversations.Republicans are trying to make an issue of Vice President Harris position on fracking, which has changed. She called for a ban on the process in her first campaign for president and has since modified her position to include it among broader set of energy goals. Where do you come down on the issue? I hear two concerns that folks raise to the top when I talk to them: the economy and reproductive rights. Those are the two things that I hear in conversations with folks. You know, regular people who arent hyper-involved in politics, those are the issues that I hear about from folks. I think that Vice President Harris is doing an excellent job of speaking to those concerns that voters have on the issue of energy production.I mean, the Inflation Reduction Act, its mind-blowing to me that they have managed to get that done considering the hyper-partisan environment that is national politics the biggest investment in our infrastructure and in climate justice, literally ever, and so thats something that we should be talking about. Those things go hand in hand: investing in our infrastructure, investing in our workforce and investing in our environment dont have to be at odds.Your governor, Josh Shapiro, has navigated that issue with finesse. What advice do you think hes given Harris on the subject, and what have you drawn from his example?Its a good question, and youd have to ask him what advice hes given to the vice president. Predictions!My prediction is that hope and joy will win in November. Our greatest defense against the rise of authoritarianism, against the rise of fascism, is our ability to feel hope and joy. If we want to address any number of the crises that we are facing as a country, as a world, whether were talking about economic inequality, whether were talking about reproductive justice, whether were talking about the environment, infrastructure, so on and so forth, if we want to make meaningful strides on any of those issues, our only options are hope and joy.What is the best part of representing the constituents of Pennsylvania House District 46?What I love about being a state rep, in particular, is that I can get from one end of my district to the other in 15 minutes. Now, I have a dense urban district, right? And so that means I can be just about everywhere if I am in town. And I love getting to go to community events, community meetings, really meeting folks where they are. That level of accessibility, I think, makes a meaningful difference in folks ability to feel like government is there and working for them. And for me, it just brings me a lot of that hope and that joy that I was talking about.

Were all waiting with bated breath to get our greedy little eyes on Babygirl, Queer, and Disclaimer which have been heating up screens, and audiences pants this week at the Venice Film Festival. The wait is brutal but fortunately we dont have to delay the gratification or erotic thrill of a queer film, because baby, weve been making them for decades.From Sapphic heists, to killer (literally) hookups in the woods, to dark and steamy explorations of gay desire, queer films noir, filmmakers have been blending the subversive genres with the taboo delights of LGBTQ+ love and lust to make cinematic magic. So, yes, we can't wait to see the latest from Halina Reijn, Luca Guadagnino, and Alfonso Cuarn. But since we aren't currently star-spotting from a gondola in the canals, we have plenty to keep us busy on streaming right now. Here are 10 queer erotic thrillers you can watch right now, and where to do so. All film descriptions courtesy of their respective studios. Stranger by the LakeFrank (Pierre Deladonchamps) spends his summer days hopelessly searching for companionship at a popular cruising spot on the shores of a lake in rural France. One day, he meets Michel (Christophe Paou), an attractive yet darkly mysterious man and falls blindly in love. When a death occurs, Frank and Michel become the primary suspects but they choose to ignore the dangers and instead continue to engage in their passionate and potentially lethal relationship.Where to watch: KanopyCruisingIn New York City during the middle of a hot summer, body parts of men are showing up in the Hudson River. The police suspect it to be the work of a serial killer who is picking up gay men at West Village bars like the Eagle's Nest, the Ramrod, and the Cock Pit, then taking them to cheap rooming houses or motels, tying them up and stabbing them to death. Officer Steve Burns (Al Pacino), who resembles the victims' dark-haired, slim profile, is sent deep undercover by Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) into the urban world of gay S&M and leather bars in the Meatpacking District in order to track down the killer.Where to watch: VODThe HandmaidenA gripping and sensual tale of two women - a young Japanese Lady living on a secluded estate, and a Korean woman who is hired to serve as her new handmaiden, but is secretly plotting with a conman to defraud her of a large inheritance. Inspired by the novel Fingersmith by British author Sarah Waters. Where to watch: Prime Video BoundCorky, a lesbian ex con hired to work in an apartment as a plumber, meets neighbors Caesar, who launders money for the Mafia, and his girlfriend Violet. The two women have a love affair and decide to steal $2,000,000 that Caesar has in custody before he gives them back to Mafia boss Gino Marzone. Caesar is set up by the two scheming women as a scapegoat but things start to go wrong when he reacts in an unexpected way...Where to watch: Paramount+Mulholland DriveLos Angeles, city of angels. Amnesiae and wounded, a mysterious femme fatale wanders on the sinuous road of Mulholland Drive. She finds shelter at Betty's house (Naomi Watts), an aspiring actress who just arrived from her hometown and in search of stardom in Hollywood. Initially intrigued by the stranger who calls herself Rita (Laura Elena Harring), Betty discovers that her handbag is full of dollar bundles. The two women get to know each other better and decide to investigate in order to discover Rita's true identity.Where to watch: On VOD Love Lies BleedingReclusive gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou's criminal family.Where to watch: MaxO FantasmaBy day, brooding, lonely Sergio works as a trash collector in the streets of Lisbon. By night, he embarks on an increasingly intense odyssey of random, anonymous sexual encounters. Quickly, Sergio becomes fixated on a hot, young stranger and begins to retreat further and further into his dark dream life, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, love and obsession.Where to watch: TubiSequin in a Blue RoomSequin in a Blue Room is the story of Sequin, who is exploring his burgeoning sexuality through an obsession with anonymous, no-strings sexual encounters. That is until he finds his way into The Blue Room - a strictly anonymous, group sex party - where a whole new, alluring world unfolds before him. There, Sequin connects with a captivating stranger, but they are separated suddenly. Utterly fixated on this man, Sequin sets off on an exhilarating and dangerous mission to track him down.Where to watch: On VODNevrlandIn this dark, sexy, psychological coming-of-age drama, 17-year-old Jakob struggles with crippling anxiety and takes refuge in the internet. While on a cam-chat site, he meets 26-year-old artist Kristjan. Caught between reality and fantasy, youth and adulthood, Jakob's blurry process of sexual awakening is a psychedelic trip of hot, strange hallucinatory sequences of desire and madness that will bring you to the edge of your seat.Where to watch: Tubi The 4th ManGerard Reve (Jeroen Krabbe) is a controversial alcoholic novelist who claims his stories "lie the truth." But when he is seduced by sexy widow Christine (Rene Soutendijk), Gerard finds himself trapped in a nightmare of blasphemy, bloodshed and bisexual desire. Has Christine brutally murdered her previous three husbands or is Gerard only hallucinating his horrific fate as the fourth man?Where to watch: The Internet Archive

(@) Every time we think Donald Trump has said the weirdest thing hell ever say, he manages to outdo himself!On August 29, Trump gave a rambling, xenophobic speech at an Alro Steel in Potterville, Michigan, that devolved into name-calling Vice President Kamala Harris he referred to her as Marxist, fascist, Comrade Kamala Harris, and incompetent before delivering a bizarre line that has people comparing him to a cannibalistic serial killer. After whining that hes the most poorly treated president in the history of the country (Lincoln and JKF would like a word, sir), he told the crowd of steelworkers and other Michiganders that they deserve to have a leader who respects them, the Arkansas Advocate reports. I have your back. I have your heart and I have every other part of your body, Trump said. Well, that statement started off normal and then took a sharp left turn into weirdo, creepster territory really quick!When the Call to Activism X account posted the bizarre quote, people quickly took the comments to roast the former president for sounding like his favorite serial killer, who Trump has frequently referred to as the late great Hannibal Lecter, as if he were a real person and not a fava bean eating, chianti drinking fictional serial killer with a taste for human flesh. Sound like were getting closer to the truth about Hannibal Lecter, one person wrote.Another hilarious commenter compared the MAGA leader to a real-life cannibalistic serial killer, Getting some Jeffrey Dahmer vibes there. The late great Jeffrey Dahmer of course, while another person pointed out that if youre a beautiful young woman, he also has your psy, in reference to the gross comments Trump made in the infamous Access Hollywood tape.Keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to Trump claiming to have your heart and body! Gross! (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

Irish teacher Enoch Burke, an evangelical Christian opposed to transgender identities, has been arrested for a third time after trying to trespass once more onto the campus of Wilsons Hospital School. The high school suspended him in 2022 and later fired him for refusing to address a student by their personal pronouns. The school subsequently barred him from the premises and got a court order to keep him off campus.Burke claims hes being silenced for his Christian beliefs and has made it his lifes work to cast himself as a martyr over the issue. He has already spent more than 400 days in prison for defying a court order to stay away from the school, which is located 50 miles west of Dublin. Related JD Vance tried to bully Ireland out of passing a trans-inclusive hate speech law He tried to influence foreign policy despite having zero experience in the field. Following his termination from the school, Burke appealed the decision. 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 After his release from Dublins Mountjoy Prison in June, Burke allegedly resumed stalking the school when the fall term began late last month. Attorneys for the school asked the courts for protection from Burkes disruptions.On Monday, officers with Irelands Garda (the national police force) executed a High Court order in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, according to a spokesperson. A man was detained by An Garda Sochna and has now appeared before the High Court.Video of the arrest posted to Burkes X account shows the teacher being loaded into a vehicle as he claims to police, I have a right to my job. I have a right to work here. I have a right to be here, and not to tell students that have to take puberty blockers.A clutch of Burkes supporters verbally harassed officers as they executed the court order. BREAKING: Teacher Enoch Burke arrested at Wilsons Hospital School after refusing to endorse and affirm transgender ideology.Judge Barry ODonnell, who made almost 400,000 from 2016-2018 representing TUSLA as a barrister, ordered his arrest. TUSLA is the Irish State Child pic.twitter.com/Ni8xLSRS7a Enoch Burke (@EnochBurke) September 2, 2024In the same post, Burkes defenders tar the magistrate in his case, Judge Barry ODonnell, with charges of bias for representing Irelands Child Protection agency as a barrister. The state service is saturated with LGBT ideology, they wrote, using as an example a request to staff to familiarize themselves with drag performers, and making acceptance of LGBT and transgender ideology a condition for fostering children.What a mockery, they wrote, to expect Enoch Burke, a Christian teacher, to sit before this man and expect justice.Should Burke again argue hes being silenced because of his Christian beliefs, hell likely get the same response from ODonnell as he did from another Irish High Court judge, who said last September, according to the Associated Press, that it is an insult to every law-abiding citizen for someone who is the subject of a court order to decide, unilaterally, that it should be ignored.

J.K. Rowling went after visually impaired, transgender Italian Paralympian Valentina Petrillo by claiming that the mere existence of a trans athlete in sports is cheating, even though the athlete followed all the rules set by the competition. Petrillo, in response to the backlash against her inclusion in womens sports, called for people to treat trans people better.Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo? The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility! Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on, said Rowling on X. Related Meet 2024s Olympic Team LGBTQ This 2024 Olympics database includes profiles of the 144 out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and nonbinary Olympians. Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo? The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility! Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on. #Cheats #NoShame pic.twitter.com/bvqhs3DexI J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 2, 2024 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 Rowling was questioned for her response when someone stated that she was unfairly conflating trans people with cheaters just by existing in sports and that she was stereotyping trans people as a whole.In response, Rowling wrote, Stereotypes are simplistic/prejudiced blanket assumptions about a demographic that dont correlate with the facts. I know all trans people arent cheats. However, knowing you have an unfair advantage and exploiting it anyway is pretty much the textbook definition of cheating. She then continued to reply by misgendering Petrillo, who is a woman. This isnt cheating. How is it cheating? Shes a trans woman. By automatically saying that trans people are cheating, youre associating stereotypes to us that just arent true. The Pissed Off Lawyer (@legaltweetz) September 2, 2024Stereotypes are simplistic/prejudiced blanket assumptions about a demographic that don't correlate with the facts. I know all trans people aren't cheats. However, knowing you have an unfair advantage and exploiting it anyway is pretty much the textbook definition of cheating. J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 2, 2024Petrillo, who is the first out trans person to compete in the Paralympics, had failed to qualify for the finals in the womens T12 400m and instead finished third in the semi-finals. She achieved a time of 57.58 seconds, topping her personal best.She said to the press after the race, I pushed I tried my best. They are stronger than me, I had to go down too much, to do a 56 [seconds]. With 57.50, I have to be happy even if Im a little down.But I hope my son is proud of me, Petrillo said while crying. Thats important to me because Im a trans dad, its not everyones dream dad. But I hope he will be proud of me. I hope he will always stand by me, I hope that he loves me even if I am like this. I cant help it if Im like this, Im sorry. Dont treat trans people badly. We suffer. Its not fair. We dont hurt anybody, she said to the New York Times.She continued by pushing back against discrimination against trans people. Its September 2, 2024 right? Lets mark this down as a historic day. From this day forth I dont want to hear any more talk about discrimination or prejudice for trans people.There are so many people who die for the mere fact of being trans people, who kill themselves for the mere fact of being trans because they lose their job, because the sport doesnt include them and now Ive made it. So, we can all make it if Ive made it, Ive done my little bit and we can all make it, she continued. She also talked about the beauty of the Paralympics and her time there.Its all so beautiful (at the Paralympics). Afterwards how will it be out there? Its not beautiful like this. Its not all purple out there, she said, in reference to her favorite color.

Kamala Harris journey to become the first Black and South Asian vice president of the United States is nothing short of groundbreaking. Now, as the 2024 presidential nominee, understanding Kamala Harris political stances offers valuable insight into her vision for the future.What key issues define her political agenda, and how might they affect her candidacy and the shaping of the nation? Lets take a look at her stances to explore these questions further. Related How much do you know about Kamala Harris and her stance on LGBTQ+ rights? She could become president. Heres a closer look at her history on LGBTQ+ stances. 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 GazaAs the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has articulated her robust support for Israels right to defend itself, emphasizing the necessity of protection against threats from militant groups like Hamas. At the same time, she has acknowledged the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, highlighting its severe impact on Palestinian civilians.In her recent remarks, Harris affirmed her commitment to working with President Joe Biden to negotiate a cease-fire and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a cease-fire deal done, she asserted in her Democratic National Convention speech.Moreover, Harris has consistently addressed the rights of Palestinians, advocating for their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination. Her stance underscores a nuanced approach, aiming to maintain support from both pro-Israel Democrats and those advocating for Palestinian rights. However, her campaign has said she doesnt support an embargo on the sale of U.S. weapons to Israel, something long sought by pro-Palestinian protestors. She risks alienating them and other progressive voters if she doesnt explain how her administration would differ from the current ones approach.If she becomes president, Harris is expected to replace some of the chief architects of the Biden administrations strategy in Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reported. Her national security adviser, Philip Gordon, has emphasized the need for diplomatic (rather than military) foreign policy solutions. However, she has not yet laid out concrete details about the diplomatic levers she could use to force Israel to end its targeting of Palestinian civilians. AbortionKamala Harris has consistently championed the need to protect reproductive rights, advocating for national legislation that mirrors the protections once granted by Roe v. Wade. In the aftermath of the Supreme Courts 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe, Harris emerged as a key figure in the Biden administrations efforts to keep the issue at the forefront. Her proactive stance was underscored by a historic visit to an abortion clinic, marking the first such visit by a sitting vice president.During her tenure in the Senate, Harris was a vocal supporter of abortion rights. Sheco-sponsored legislationto ban states from restricting abortion rights and opposed a bill to ban abortions after20 weeks of pregnancy. She has also advocated for laws requiring states with histories of restricting abortion rights to obtain federal approval for new abortion-related laws. In her speech at the end of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, she mentioned that former President Donald Trump and his conservative allies are out of their minds for intending to empower extremists, cut social programs, and outlaw abortion across the country. Related Dobbs had the opposite effect conservatives intended People are seeking abortions more than ever. Taxing the richKamala Harris supports a comprehensive tax plan that would increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations to generate nearly $5 trillion in revenue over the next decade. She would increase taxes on individuals earning more than $400,000 a year a group representing approximately 1.8% ofAmericas top income earners. She has pledged to ensure that middle and lower-income families dont face increased tax burdens.Additionally, Harris wants to raise the corporate tax rate from the existing 21% to 28%, which would generate an estimated $1.3 trillion over ten years, according to the Treasury Department. By targeting affluent individuals and major corporations, she seeks to address economic disparities and secure funding for essential government initiatives without affecting the broader population.Her campaign spokesman, James Singer, articulated her vision by saying the plan is a fiscally responsible way to put money back in the pockets of working people and ensure billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share. HealthcareDuring her 2019 presidential campaign, Harris supported the introduction of a Medicare-for-all public option that would allow people to choose between public and private health insurance. While she has since backed away from this plan, during her time in the Senate, she supported bills that expanded Medicare coverage in individual states. She has supported the Inflation Reduction Act, which allows the federal government to negotiate drug prices for those most commonly prescribed under Medicare. As vice president, she has also spoken about the Biden administrations efforts to reduce medical debt.During her current presidential campaign, she has pledged to improve healthcare access by reducing drug prices and expanding coverage under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a federal law that Republicans have long sought to repeal. She has also publicly opposed Republican proposals to privatize or cut health care programs for elderly and lower-income Americans. The 2024 Democratic National Platform has also pledged toensure that health insurers adequately cover mental health and substance use treatment. The environmentKamala Harris has taken a unique approach to addressing climate change by framing it as an issue of freedom and patriotism. During her speech at the Democratic National Convention, she emphasized the importance of environmental protection as a fundamental right, stating that the freedom to breathe clean air, and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis is at stake.Although she has not introduced new policies for tackling climate change, she has supported the Biden Administrations pledges to fight climate change, pledged U.S. investments into helping other countries fight climate change, and previously supported the Green New Deal, which would invest federal funds into state and local efforts to end pollution and build renewable energy sources. LGBTQ+ issuesKamala Harris has consistently demonstrated her commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, building a record of support that spans her career in public service. As Californias Attorney General, Harris played a pivotal role in restoring marriage equality in the state by refusing to defend Proposition 8, a voter-approved measure that had revoked the right to same-sex marriage. Her decisive actions helped pave the way for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that ultimately struck down the proposition.Beyond marriage equality, Harris has actively worked to dismantle harmful legal precedents, including leading efforts to abolish gay and transgender panic defenses in criminal trials. Her advocacy extends to healthcare as well, where she has pushed for insurance coverage of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a crucial method for HIV prevention.As a vocal opponent of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Harris has condemned policies that restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those affecting transgender youth. She emphasized her stance by saying, The fight for equal rights is patriotic. We believe in the foundational principles of our country; we believe in the promise of freedom and equality and justice. As president, she has pledged to support the Equality Act, a bill that would add LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination protections to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. She has also pledged to continue protecting transgender students and gender-affirming care and to oppose anti-LGBTQ+ book bans in red states. Related Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris on LGBTQ+ rights: A side-by-side comparison LGBTQ+ rights are a crucial issue in the 2024 election. Heres where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris stand on key queer issues. A vision for progressive changeKamala Harris stands as an advocate for progressive change, pushing for policies that tax the rich, expand healthcare, fight environmental pollution, and expand LGBTQ+ civil rights. While her current campaign hasnt always detailed the specific policies shell pursue as president, the Democratic National Platform and her past actions and statements reflect her long-term dedication to these issues.Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter for the latest in LGBTQ+ news and election updates.

Another year, another round of heartbreaks.If youre reading this, we have bad news a queer show you loved, or at least liked has been cut short in its prime. Or hopefully, come to its natural end. Nothing stings worse than a show you love getting the axe unless of course, it ended on a cliffhanger, that is worse.But here are the shows that we wont be seeing again.All series descriptions are courtesy of their respective networks.Dead Boy Detectives(Netflix)Synopsis: Teenagers born decades apart who find each other only in death, Edwin and Charles are best friends and ghosts who solve mysteries. They will do anything to stick together including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and her friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), they are able to crack some of the mortal realms most mystifying paranormal cases.Canceled: August 30Somebody Somewhere (HBO)Synopsis: Sam (Everett), is a true Kansan on the surface, but, beneath it all, struggling to fit the hometown mold. Grappling with loss and acceptance, singing is Sams saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders who dont fit in but dont give up, showing that finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. Anywhere. Somewhere. In season three, we see growth against all odds.Canceled: August 26The Acolyte(Disney+)Synopsis: An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.Canceled: August 19My Lady Jane(Prime Video)Synopsis: Gird your loins for the tragic tale of Lady Jane Grey, the young Tudor noblewoman who was Queen of England for nine days and then beheaded, back in good ol 1553. Actually f*ck that. Were retelling history the way it should have happened: the damsel in distress saves herself. This is an epic tale of true love and high adventure set in an alt-universe of action, history, fantasy, comedy, romance, and rompy-pompy. Buckle up.Canceled: August 16Renegade Nell (Disney+)Synopsis: Nell Jackson, a quick-witted and courageous young woman finds herself framed for murder and unexpectedly becomes the most notorious outlaw in 18th-century England. But when a magical spirit called Billy Blind appears, Nell realizes her destiny is bigger than she ever imagined.Canceled: July 30Life & Beth(Hulu)Synopsis: Beth does her best to keep her relationships alive while struggling to support friend and family who are all facing their own problems while entering their fourth decade.Canceled: July 26Clone High(Max)Synopsis: A modern refresh of the hit series of the same name, CLONE HIGH follows a high school for clones of the greatest minds in history. Twenty years after the original experiment was put on ice, Joan, JFK, Abe, and Cleo have been thawed out to resume school with their new clone classmates all while navigating a new set of cultural norms and overly dramatic teen relationships.Canceled: July 26Halo(Paramount+)Synopsis: In its adaptation for Paramount+, HALO will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. HALO will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.Canceled: July 18Reginald the Vampire (SyFy)Synopsis: Reginald Andres finally got his life together when he was turned into a vampire. While he doesnt fit into the stereotypical expectations of what a vampire looks like hes not chiseled or classically handsome Reginald has found his place amongst an unlikely cohort that includes the cool vampire who sired him, the former vampire chieftain turned unexpected ally (or is she?), and his co-worker/former girlfriend. A show with a lot of heart and just enough blood, Reginald the Vampire proves the undead life is just as complicated as life itself.Canceled: July 15High School(Freevee)Synopsis: Based on musicians Tegan and Sara Quin's best-selling memoir, High School is a story about finding your own identitya journey made even more complicated when you have a twin whose own struggle and self-discovery so closely mimics your own. Told through a backdrop of 90s grunge and rave culture, the series weaves between parallel and discordant memories of sisters growing up down the hall from one another.Canceled: May 23The Other Black Girl(Hulu)Synopsis: Nella, an editorial assistant, is tired of being the only Black girl at her company, so she's excited when Hazel is hired. But as Hazel's star begins to rise, Nella spirals out and discovers something sinister is going on at the company.Canceled: May 10Scavengers Reign(Max)Synopsis: In this surreal sci-fi animated series from creators Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the remaining crew of a damaged interstellar freighter ship find themselves stranded on a beautiful, yet unforgiving alien planet where they must survive long enough to escape or be rescued. As the survivors struggle to locate their downed ship and missing crewmates, their new home reveals a hostile world allowed to thrive without human interference.Canceled: May 10Housebroken(Fox)Synopsis: A dog named Honey leads a group of neighborhood animals in group therapy sessions.Canceled: May 10Quantum Leap(NBC)Synopsis: Sam Beckett, a scientist who finds himself trapped in time after a botched government time travel experiment run by the military, which forced him to leap from body to body and into different people's lives sorting out their problems and hoping to return home.Canceled: April 5Uncoupled(Netflix/Showtime)Synopsis: Michael Lawson (Neil Patrick Harris) seems to have it all figured out. Hes a successful New York City real estate agent with a great career, a supportive family, close friends, and a loving relationship with his partner of 17 years, Colin (Tuc Watkins). But when Colin unexpectedly moves out on the eve of his 50th birthday, Michael is completely blindsided. Overnight, he has to confront two nightmares: losing the man he thought was his soulmate, and suddenly finding himself a single gay man in his mid-forties in New York City.Canceled: March 21Ratched (Netflix)Synopsis: Ratched is a suspenseful drama series that tells the origin story of asylum nurse Mildred Ratched. In 1947, Mildred arrives in Northern California to seek employment at a leading psychiatric hospital where new and unsettling experiments have begun on the human mind. On a clandestine mission, Mildred presents herself as the perfect image of what a dedicated nurse should be, but the wheels are always turning and as she begins to infiltrate the mental health care system and those within it, Mildreds stylish exterior belies a growing darkness that has long been smoldering within, revealing that true monsters are made, not born.Canceled: February 5Obliterated (Netflix)Synopsis: Obliterated is a high octane action-comedy that tells the story of an elite special forces team who thwarts a deadly threat to Las Vegas. After their celebratory party, filled with booze, drugs and sex, the team discovers that the bomb they deactivated was a fake. The now intoxicated team has to fight through their impairments, overcome their personal issues, find the real bomb, and save the world.Canceled: February 1Wolf Pack (Paramount+)Synopsis: When a raging wildfire descends on California, a mysterious creature hiding out in the forest is awoken and a group of teenagers find their lives changed forever. Wolf Pack stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rodrigo Santoro, Armani Jackson, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson, and Tyler Lawrence Gray.Canceled: January 25The Flight Attendant (Max)Synopsis: The Flight Attendant is a story of how an entire life can change in one night. A flight attendant (Cuoco) wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man and no idea what happened.Canceled: January 19Schmigadoon! (AppleTV+)Synopsis: A couple on a backpacking trip discovers a magical town in which everyone acts like they're in a classic musical.Canceled: January 18Our Flag Means Death (Max)Synopsis: Our Flag Means Death is loosely based on the true adventures of Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), a pampered aristocrat who abandoned his life of privilege to become a pirate. The series also stars Taika Waititi as Blackbeard, historys most feared and revered pirate.Canceled: January 9Minx (Starz)Synopsis: In 1970s Los Angeles, an earnest young feminist joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women.Canceled: January 5

Everybody say LOVE!RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs. The World Season 1 winner Blu Hydrangea is celebrating 10 years with her partner, Johnson Orr. While Orr keeps a somewhat low profile, Blu does share pictures of the two of them with relative frequency, and might I say they are one cute couple.Yesterday, the queen posted to Instagram announcing that they were officially ringing in their aluminum anniversary with a stunning photo of the pair lush and gorgeous. The next photo is one Blu has posted before but is always charming to see, a black and white pic of the two ten years prior, bright eyed and baby faced. Neither of them were planning on falling in love, buying a house, or getting engaged to each other, but sometimes fate has other plans. On the pair's joint TikTok, The Wee Cosy Cottage, Blu posted a video remarking on how strange it is with a caption reading, "Doing home renovations with the 'one night stand' I met 10 years ago." Blu's post has us feeling the romance in the air! Here are 10 of the couple's cutest moments to remind you that love's not dead yet!Ringing in a full decade with each otherSee on InstagramCarving pumpkins!See on InstagramAll dolled upSee on InstagramBlu's Seventh DragiversarySee on InstagramWhen Johnson did Blu's makeup and it turned out shockingly good!See on InstagramSpending the holidays together, like Valentine's Day...See on InstagramAnd Christmas...See on InstagramAND another gorgeous Christmas, this time their first as fiances!See on InstagramWhen they bought their "Wee Cosy Cottage" together...See on InstagramAnd got engaged the same day!See on Instagram

Sen. J.D Vance (R-OH) has expressed support for conservative proposals to further restrict abortions and fertility treatments. His support contradicts recent statements made by his Republican presidential running mate, former President Donald Trump, opposing further restrictions on both. Trumps first presidency rolled back national legal protections for both.Vance voiced support for these restrictions in his foreword to the 2017 Index of Culture and Opportunity, a collection of essays that largely focused on the role of women in modern families. The collections 29 essays were written by conservative authors for The Heritage Foundation, the right-wing think tank that later authored Project 2025, a blueprint to help Trump roll back the federal government and civil rights protections. Related JD Vance begs gay billionaire Peter Thiel to fund his & Donald Trumps campaign The Trump campaign is far behind Harris when it comes to fundraising. Could the gay tech mogul bail them out? The collection said the increasing number of single-parent households was on the wrong track, Forbes reported. One of the essayists wrote that theyd like abortions to one day become unthinkable. Another essay, written by Jennifer Lahl, founder of the anti-abortion Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, said that IVF was harmful to women and criticized women who have children later in life for spending a large portion of their most fertile years building their careers. Other essays criticized food stamps and disability benefits programs for incentivizing people not to seek work. Another said that hunger is a great motivator for people who are able to work to find work. 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 Vances foreword to the collection praised the essays as admirable for their willingness to house culture and opportunity under the same intellectual roof. He also said that the prevalence of single-parent families and declining participation in civic institutions like churches are destroying social capital and upward mobility for Americas middle class.Vance spokesperson Luke Schroeder told The New York Times that Vance does not agree with every opinion in the essay collection. The Heritage Foundation also wrote that Vance had no role in producing or approving the contents of the 2017 essay collection. Nevertheless, the 2017 essay collection somewhat echoes Vances past statements on parents and childbirth. Vance has previously said that childless cat ladies including stepmother Kamala Harris and adoptive father Pete Buttigieg are determined the country miserable. He has said that people without children have no physical commitment to the future of this country, and that postmenopausal females (that is, women above the age of 50) exist mostly to help raise other peoples children. Vance also wrote the foreword to Dawns Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America, a book by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation. In his book, Roberts wrote that contraceptives, IVF and childless individuals have all ruined America. Vances foreword compared Democrats and left-leaning liberals togardeners who have poisoned American soil and wolves who must be shot dead.Vance also wrote a blurb endorsingUnhumans, a book by anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec which said that liberals arent human. The book suggested overthrowing the U.S. government and praised historic dictators who murdered thousands of their own citizens. Trump has recently said he supports abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy and has said he wants to provide free access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) a conception method used by many LGBTQ+ families even though anti-abortion advocates believe that IVFs discarding of any unused fertilized embryos is murder. Trump has only recently voiced support for these measures as numerous polls show that majorities of voters oppose Republican efforts to ban abortion and IVF.

Luca Guadagnino's Queer premiered at the Venice Film Festival this week, and we have every reason to be jealous of the lucky few who've already gotten to see it.The film is an adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel of the same name, penned by Challengers scribe Justin Kuritzkes. Set in Mexico City in the 1950s, it follows American ex-pat William Lee (Daniel Craig) as his life is shaken up by the arrival of a young student named Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Queer also stars Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Andra Ursuta, Michael Borremans, David Lowery, and Omar Apollo. And, as of last week, A24 is on board to distribute the film, with hopes for a theatrical release by the end of the year.While we wait for more information about exactly when those of us who aren't fortunate enough to hit up international film festivals might get to see Queer, let's take a journey through some of the things its cast and creative team have said that have us hyped up for its eventual release."I think I love the idea of seeing people and not judging them, of making sure that even the worst person is the person that you identify with." -Luca Guadagnino, Venice Film Festival press conference"Theres nothing intimate about filming a sex scene on a movie set. Theres a room full of people watching you. We just wanted to make it as touching and real and as natural as we possibly could. Drews a wonderful, fantastic, beautiful actor to work with. We kinda had a laugh. We tried to make it fun." -Daniel Craig, Venice Film Festival press conference"I had to get on the soup diet. Luca did not tell me to lose weight, but when youre about to have a sex scene with Daniel Craig, youre like, 'Oh, dude, I cant be looking off.' I was at 200 pounds, because Im six-five." -Omar Apollo, revealing he has a sex scene with Craig, Interview Magazine"This is a movie about the fever dream of connection and disconnection. And the only way we can really communicate the depths of their connection, and the dramatic denial inhabiting them, is that you have to see their interaction. From the way they travel together; the way they drink together; the way they fuck together; to the way they are apart and together. Its integral to this idea of connection and disconnection, or as Burroughs would say, disembodiment." -Luca Guadagnino, Variety"I felt like I was a medium between these two brilliant artists Luca on the one hand and William S Burroughs on the other and it was my job, really, to bring them together." -Justin Kuritzkes, RadioTimes.comWhen youre rolling around on the floor the second day its a good way to get to know someone. -Drew Starkey, Venice Film Festival press conference"I remember that we said, What is unfinished, we want to try to finish. And in doing that, we have to understand why it was unfinished and how Burroughs would have finished it." -Luca Guadagnino on William S. Burroughs' original novel, Variety"If I wasnt in this movie and I saw this movie, Id want to be in it. Its the kind of film I want to see, I want to make, I want to be out there." -Daniel Craig, Venice Film Festival press conference"Its always exertion and breaths and groans. Just you in a booth alone doing that, you feel like youre in an insane asylum." -Drew Starkey on ADR for the film, Interview Magazine"I want to leave the audience at the end of it with an idea of self who are we when we are alone. Who are you when you are along in that bed, and you are left with the feeling of how you have felt for someone else." -Luca Guadagnino, Venice Film Festival press conference

Australias ambassador to Iran was called into the Islamic Republics foreign ministry in Tehran this week after sharing a post celebrating Wear It Purple Day on his embassys official Instagram account. Wear It Purple Day is an annual LGBTQ+ awareness day in Australia that celebrates young queer people.Lets keep championing diversity and inclusion for a brighter, more inclusive future. , the countrys account @australiainiran posted on Sunday in both English and Farsi. The text accompanied a photo of Ambassador Ian McConville posing in Tehran on the embassy rooftop alongside two staff members. They all wore purple clothing and accessories. Related Benjamin Netanyahu claims Iran paid gay people to protest against Israel In his speech to a joint session of Congress yesterday, the Prime Minister of Israel compared queers for Palestine to Chickens for KFC. Irans semi-official ILNA news agency reported on Tuesday that the post was deemed norm-breaking by the Islamic government, according to Reuters. Iranian state media on Monday said it promoted homosexuality.The countrys Mehr news agency, another semi-official government outlet, quoted the director of the Regional Department at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as having strongly condemned the action of the Australian embassy in posting such content that was against the accepted norms. 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 The content published by the Australian embassy is insulting and contrary to Iranian and Islamic tradition, customs and culture, the Iranian diplomat said, while suggesting that its distribution was a violation of international law.Homosexual activity is illegal in the Islamic Republic and is punishable by death in some cases. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Australia in Iran (@australiainiran)McConville, who was appointed ambassador in April, took issue with the Iranian governments characterization of the post, according to ILNA. He said the inclusive message wasnt intended to insult the Iranian people or their values. The Islamic Republic, McConville pointed out, wasnt mentioned in the post.In 2022, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei infamously described homosexuality as a symptom of the moral depravity plaguing Western nations.By contrast, the embassys post championed Western values of tolerance and inclusivity.Today, and every day, the post read, were dedicated to creating a supportive environment, where everyone, especially LGBTQIA+ youth, can feel proud to be themselves.The post remains live on the Australian embassys Instagram account.McConvilles call to the carpet follows an incident in August when Irans ambassador to Australia was called into that countrys Department of Foreign Affairs over a post on X advocating for the violent removal of Israelis from the holy lands of Palestine.Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the remarks abhorrent, hateful and antisemitic, saying it was entirely inappropriate for the Iranian ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, to engage in that way.Albaneses disapproval may turn out to be the first in an extended game of diplomatic tit-for-tat between the nations.

The Trevor Project caught up with Joshua Croke (they/them), the President and Co-Founder of Love Your Labels. The organization is based in central Massachusetts, and its mission is to support LGBTQ+ youth through art, fashion, and design, while working with families and communities to create inclusive and loving space everywhere. Love Your Labelss upcoming event, Queer AF, takes place on September 6, 2024, in Massachusetts.Tell us about Love Your Labels and how you positively impact the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people in MA.Thanks to the research of The Trevor Project, Love Your Labels knows the impact of having affirming adults in the lives of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. Our organization fiercely advocates for youth by using art, fashion, and design programming to build community with and provide support for 2SLGBTQIA+ young people and create inclusive and loving spaces everywhere.Our Threads Youth Fashion program for high school-age youth uses fashion design and sewing skills education to talk about expression, identity, gender, and more, creating an inclusive and loving space where youth are affirmed as they explore and come into their own identities. When we feel pressured by outside influences like society and the media to dress a certain way, clothes can make us feel very dysphoric. On the other hand, clothing can feel incredibly affirming and joyful when were able to express ourselves in the way we want.Our Threads program helps provide some tools for students to create their own garments to express themselves in the way that feels best, which can go a long way in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.Queer AF sounds like a great way to build and find community. What inspired you to create the annual event?Queer AF was the first fundraising event we held as an organization and it came out of a desire to create a fun and accessible event that uplifted and amplified queer and trans folks in the community. Seeing queer and trans adults living joyful lives in an affirming community can be transformative for people navigating their own journey at any age.Queer AF is about queer joy and providing opportunities for folks to walk proudly as themselves. Our community modeling program means that many of our models have never walked a runway before, some saying theyve been told either directly or by false mainstream standards of beauty that it isnt a place for them. Our runway is for everybody, and weve had so many stories from folks who have said that experience helped them come out, gave them the confidence to do drag, or provided an opportunity to have a conversation with their child.The growth of the event, from 100 guests the first year to over 700 in 2023, has been a true testament to the power of community. And the fact its currently our largest fundraiser for our youth programs is really an incredible icing on a pretty fabulous cake.How does Queer AF support the LGBTQ+ young people in your area?Queer AF is our largest fundraiser for Love Your Labels, but it also gives students of our Threads Program and youth in the community opportunities to connect with each other, model in the show, and some former students even participate as featured designers in the show alongside designers who are more advanced in their careers and have appeared on shows like Project Runway.This year our show is 13+, including a free youth section for 13- to 17-year-old youth. I cant imagine the impact of being that age, walking into a historic venue like Mechanics Hall, and seeing 700 queer people and the people who love them celebrating our identities and community it still makes me emotional every year. The queer joy is palpable.What are your goals with the Banned Books Drag Looks campaign? How do you hope the campaign impacts LGBTQ+ young people?This year, our Queer AF theme is #WithTheBanned. While this event is centered and rooted in queer joy and celebration, we must also take a stand against the rise of book and drag bans and efforts to erase queer and trans stories from our schools, our media, and our laws. Our #BannedBookDragLook campaign was inspired by this theme.The art of drag is a powerful medium that so many follow and engage in, and were hoping more folks can bring visibility to book-banning efforts through this creative medium, tell their followers what is going on across the country, and share how people can get involved to fight back against this hate.What message of hope and inspiration do you have for LGBTQ+ young people?My message of hope to queer and trans young people is that we can create our own worlds within this one that celebrate, love, and affirm who we are. Its not always easy and its not always as accessible as we want it to be in our present moment, but building and stepping further into that world is worth everything there is so much joy and boundless love for you in these worlds we can create together. My message of hopeful inspiration is to stay informed, find joy in the advocacy we have to do together, and pursue your passions fiercely. Onward!The post Love Your Labels: Affirming LGBTQ+ Youth Through Fashion appeared first on The Trevor Project.

Texas has eliminated the ability for transgender people to alter the sex marker on their birth certificates. The new policy change, which was made with no forewarning or announcement, will put trans people at risk of discrimination.Previously, trans people could change the sex marker on their birth certificates by presenting proof of gender-affirming surgery, a court order signifying that they had fully transitioned and supporting statements from medical professionals. These are no longer sufficient, a spokesperson for the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) told The Texas Newsroom. Now, birth certificates can only be changed for children due to a hospital error or omission. Related Detransitioned man stuck in limbo because Texas forbids drivers license gender changes Right-wing Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered the mans personal info to be added to a list of transgender Texans that hes compiling. Additionally, the DSHS website previously listed directions on how to change ones assigned sex at birth on their birth certificate the directions have since been removed.Recent public reports have highlighted concerns about the validity of court orders purporting to amend sex for purposes of state-issued documents. DSHS is seeking assistance from the Office of Attorney General to determine the applicability of these concerns to amendments to vital records, said DSHS spokesperson Chris Van Deusen. Van Deusen was likely referencing state Attorney General Ken Paxtons continued efforts to oppose the legal recognition of trans people in Texas. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Last week, Paxton blocked trans people from being able to change the sex marker on their drivers license. This is part of his sweeping policy to oppose gender-affirming care for trans people, particularly trans minors, who have reported mental and emotional distress over laws targeting their educational and healthcare rights.Paxtons crusade is also part of an onslaught of policies across the country to deny any legal recognition of trans people. Five other states are enacting policies restricting birth certificates, according to the Movement Advancement Project.The Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) wrote of the new policy changes on Instagram, stating, We are committed to keeping the community safe and will do all we can to assure trans Texans can get the most accurate information as possible through these rolling changes.Trans people have and always will exist. We will continue the legacy of our trans ancestors by fighting back, creating spaces for joy, and living our lives to the best of our abilities. Our transness is not determined by a piece of paper and cannot be taken away by hateful policies. We will overcome transphobic bigotry, TENTs post added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TENT (@transtexas)Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has bullied state agencies into denying the specific types of updates that transgender Texans need, wrote Johnathon Gooch, communications director for Equality Texas. Ironically, that means the states top legal officer has instructed state agencies to deny court orders from state judges. So, what should be a simple administrative task has now become a nightmare.Because birth certificates are used to help correct the gender markers on trans peoples drivers licenses and other government-issued identity documents, if these commonly used documents dont match their gender identity, it effectively outs a person as trans. This outing can lead to difficulty accessing various services as well as harassment and violence.

The British Queen has blessed us with some tea!Bridgerton star Golda Rosheuvel opened up about falling in love with a woman for the first time on a brand new podcast hosted by The Good Wife's Cush Jumbo.Today, Jumbo launched her brand new Sony podcast, Origins with Cush Jumbo, where she'll talk to stars about their coming-of-age stories.In the first episode, Rosheuvel admitted that she didn't realize she was gay when she was younger when the 38-year-old newly minted podcast host asked her if there were "women throwing themselves at you at school?""No, there weren't actually," the Queen Charlotte actress said. "I only kind of discovered my sexuality when I went to drama school."RosheuvelI then admitted to the relatable experience of being a queer woman who dated a guy who turned out to be gay. "He's now gay I'm sure he is still," she quipped.Rosheuvel also opened up about her first relationship with a woman. "I fell in love with a woman who was touring in another production," she explained. "We met in this random German town and all the two productions got together. And I remember going, Oh, hello. And again, I think we held hands and, you know, spoke and chatted, and then we tried to have this long-distance relationship. She was American and tried to have this long-distance relationship."After Jumbo called her relationship with an American "exotic," RosheuvelI opened up about how supportive her family was when she came out despite their religious backgrounds. First, she told her brother, who responded, "Let's cook some food," before telling her mother, who was setting up a Christian choir when she met her father, who went on to become an Anglican priest.Jumbo pointed out that "on paper," you'd think they wouldn't understand. "Because my parents were just wonderful people of the world, Cush, do you know what I mean? Me being gay was just, you know, my mum, of course, they're your parents," RosheuvelI said. "She was like, oh, you know, I'm a bit worried, but because they want the best for you, do you know what I mean?"We love finding out more about the woman behind one of our favorite Bridgerton characters!

It's not easy working in adult entertainment.Since the very beginning of pornography, there's been countless amounts of stars who have moved on from adult film and pivoted to different careers.Max Konnor is a very popular content creator today who's won big at notable events like the GayVN Awards.On the red carpet earlier this year, Konnor teased just how much longer he'll be working in the porn industry."I ask myself [how long I'll stay] every day. I'm getting a little tired, but we'll see," Konnor tells PRIDE. See on Instagram Even though a retirement may be on the horizon, the star is still working harder than ever before. In fact, he even offered some top tips and tricks to any aspiring adult entertainers."The biggest advice I give to people starting out is to humanize your brand. Take the quirkiest [and] weirdest things about yourself and show that to yourself. People become fans for d*** and ass. They stay fans because you're a decent human being."Konnor certainly has the credibility needed to give the best advice in the industry. The star took home the Performer of the Year Award at the 2022 GayVN Awards and he's even performed in Off-Broadway shows.Plus, fans of OUTtv are enjoying his run on reality TV by starring in the hit show X-Rated: NYC alongside Joey Mills, Dante Colle, and Boomer Banks.The new season of X-Rated: NYC is right around the corner, so catch up on the first three seasons by visiting the official website here.

Six major publishers have sued Florida over H.B. 1069, a 2023 law that allows anyone to get any book removed from a school library simply by challenging it over sexual conduct. The law has resulted in the removal of hundreds of literary works including a childrens book about gay penguins often for indefinite amounts of time during the review process.The publishers HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks recently filed a lawsuit against Florida officials on behalf of the Authors Guild, bestselling authors Julia Alvarez, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas, two students and two parents. Related Florida county banned a childrens book about a lion cub because 2 characters in it seem gay Christian, the Hugging Lion contains no mention of sexuality, but it gave some conservatives gay vibes. Fighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority, the publishers wrote in a joint press statement. We are unwavering in our support for educators, librarians, students, authors, readerseveryone deserves access to books and stories that show different perspectives and viewpoints. 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 H.B. 1069, which went into effect on July 2023, requires libraries to remove any challenged books from school shelves within five days of a complaint and to keep the book unavailable until the objection is resolved. However, the law does not specify a time frame for reviewing any challenge, nor does it require librarians to return challenged books to the shelves if they are found to contain no sexual conduct. Any book found to be acceptable can then be sent for review to a state-appointed special magistrate at the school districts expense.Florida H.B. 1069s complex and overbroad provisions have created chaos and turmoil across the state, resulting in thousands of historic and modern classics works we are proud to publish being unlawfully labeled obscene and removed from shelves, the publishers added.The books removed by the law include Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Forever by Judy Blume, at least three gay-inclusive childrens pictures books And Tango Makes Three, Stella Brings the Family, and Daddys Roommate as well as dozens of books with LGBTQ+ themes, protagonists of color, or discussions of racism, the free speech organization PEN America reported. These bans have a chilling effect on what authors write about, and they damage authors reputations by creating the false notion that there is something unseemly about their books, wrote Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild. Yet, these same books have edified young people for decades, expanding worlds and fostering self-esteem and empathy for others. We all lose out when authors truths are censored.While a spokesperson from Floridas Department of Education (DOE) claimed in September 2023 that Florida does not ban books, the DOE also revealed that approximately 300 books were removed from schools across Florida during the school year. One school district removed over 2,800 books from library shelves including the dictionary due to the complaints of a single individual. Another school district purged all LGBTQ+ books from its libraries and classrooms.Failed presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has said reports of his states book bans are a hoax and maintains that the censored books are pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards. The states DOE has provided conflicting guidance on how to implement the law, resulting in schools preemptively removing books rather than undergoing the time-intensive review process. In response to the law, one San Francisco bookseller has begun sending banned books to community centers, schools, and individuals in Florida and other red states with similar book bans. Similarly, the oddity museum, Ripleys Believe It or Not!, has begun offering free banned books to Floridians, and the musician Pink began giving away thousands of banned books at her Florida tour stops.In addition to H.B. 1069, Florida also recently passed H.B. 1467, a law that requires all school classroom and library books to be selected by a certified media specialist, and H.B. 1557, an expansion of its infamous Dont Say Gay law, which bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades.