Like a turtle on its back, Pete Hegseth is floundering.On Friday, while Americans celebrated the long Thanksgiving Day weekend, the Pentagon chief celebrated his reported no quarter order to kill survivors of the first of dozens of strikes on purported Venezuelan drug boats with a meme on social media depicting the childrens book character, Franklin the Turtle, hanging from a helicopter and firing on suspected drug runners. Related Pete Hegseth shredded over pathetic speech to military leaders: Most loser sh*t I have ever seen 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 For your Christmas wish list, Hegseth wrote from his personal X account.For your Christmas wish list pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 1, 2025The post was universally criticized.A civilized people respect life given by God and dont treat lightly taking of life no matter how vile that life was used, The New York Times quoted one X user in reply. That meme was far from Christian. It was bloodlust.Even President Trump has distanced himself from his so-called Secretary of War, professing 100% support for the former Fox News talking head while disagreeing with his reported order to kill everybody on the fast boat off the Venezuelan coast. Pete said he did not order the death of those two men, the president said on Sunday of the survivors of the first strike, while adding, I wouldnt have wanted that. Not a second strike.Hegseth lashed out at the media over the report from the Washington Post last week that he ordered the killing, accusing the fake news of delivering more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.Congress members and experts in the laws of war say the order amounted to murder.The administration was scrambling on Monday to contain the fallout and insulate Trump from Hegseths blunder. They showed little success.Even perpetually smug 28-year-old White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was back on her heels, if not on her back like Hegseth.Uncharacteristically stumbling over her words, Leavitt read straight from a script describing the administrations official position.The strike conducted on September 2 was conducted in self-defense to protect Americans in vital United States interests, the secretary blurted from the prepared text.But the criticism of Hegseth continues to mount.Pete Hegseth is incompetent, reckless, and a threat to our national security, posted out U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT). He needs to go. Pete Hegseth is incompetent, reckless, and a threat to our national security. He needs to go. https://t.co/lxb1Vp0Jhm Rep. Becca Balint (@RepBeccaB) December 1, 2025Balint and other members of the congressional Equality Caucus have watched with dismay and outrage as Hegseth carried out President Trumps latest ban on transgender service members, dismantled DEI in the military, banned LGBTQ+ content from libraries under his purview, and even stripped a Navy ship of its name honoring veteran Harvey Milk.A leaked Signal chat in April revealed Hegseth inadvertently shared classified plans for an airstrike in Yemen with the editor of Atlantic Monthly.The latest accusation from defense officials under Hegseths command came just days after six former members of the military currently serving in Congress, including Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), posted a video on social media reminding officers and troops they are duty-bound not to follow illegal orders from their leaders, reaching all the way up the chain of command to Hegseth and Trump.The congressmembers chief concern was the administration pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens in illegal immigration sweeps and the occupation of Washington, DC, and other Democrat-run cities. It also foreshadowed the current allegations against Hegseth.Americans trust their military, but that trust is under threat, they said. Hegseth and Trump both lashed out at the members, with Trump calling their behavior seditious.Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand, he posted to his Truth Social platform. An example MUST BE SET.Hegseth described the group of vets as the Seditious Six and called for Kellys court-martial, as he threatened service members who may disobey an illegal command.Orders are presumed to be lawful, Hegseth claimed. What he termed personal philosophy does not excuse disobedience.Out Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) didnt have to tie himself in knots to arrive at his description of Hegseth: How about the Seriously Stupid Secretary or the Sack-of-Sh*t Secretary? Pocan asked in a post in reply to Hegseths outburst.This is deeply embarrassing for our country to have a 34 time felon as Commander-In-Chief and a Fox talking head of a cabinet secretary. Living Idiocracy 2. How about the Seriously Stupid Secretary or the Sack-of-Shit Secretary?This is deeply embarrassing for our country to have a 34 time felon as Commander-In-Chief and a Fox taking head of a cabinet secretary.Living Idiocracy 2. https://t.co/YWPWHwAvAR Mark Pocan (@MarkPocan) November 25, 2025The latest accusations against the former Fox & Friends Weekend host earned the head of the renamed Department of War a new moniker from Jimmy Kimmel, one of Hegseths most enthusiastic critics: Secretary of War Crimes.We have killed more than 80 people in these little boats already, Kimmel said.https://t.co/02tZvyo0HU The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 2, 2025Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

A transgender woman and National Guard employee is suing the Trump administration for its discriminatory bathroom policy that has significantly affected her quality of life while at work.LeAnne Withrow served in the Illinois National Guard for 13 years and is now a civilian employee in the State Family Programs Office. Until Donald Trumps January executive order denying all federal recognition of trans people, Withrow had never had a problem using womens restrooms at work. Now, she barely eats or drinks all day to avoid having to use the facilities. Related University punishes trans educator for discrimination after student calls her demonic Withrow told Advocate that she often skips both breakfast and lunch and avoids water as much as possible, surviving her work days on a single granola bar or a spoonful of peanut butter. While there is a single-user restroom in the building where she works, many of the other buildings she visits on a regular basis do not have one. I know that I have to operate within the bounds of the policies as they currently exist, and I intend to do my job well and fully. And so, in order to do that, Im making that sacrifice, she said. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today After nothing came of filing complaints with both the Army National Guard Bureau Equal Opportunity Office and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Withrow decided to sue the Trump administration.She filed a class action lawsuit in November, arguing that the trans bathroom ban violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, based on the Supreme Courts 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. The ruling decided that sex discrimination includes discrimination against LGBTQ+ identities. Its a question of human dignity, its a question of equal treatment under the law, and I was not raised to back down from either of those things, she told Advocate.Withrow truly believes in military service. She joined because she truly wanted to give back to the United States and to my community. I always wanted to serve, and it was the privilege of a lifetime to be able to serve in the National Guard for 13 years and do the things that I got to do there, meet the people that I met. But really, it was about service to others, which I think is an important thing for all of us to keep in mind and something we should dedicate a little bit of our time to every day, she said. Even though recruiters told her she could be an astronaut based on her 99th percentile aptitude test results, she began her career as a cook to focus on serving others. She ultimately became a staff sergeant and chief public affairs officer.Withrow came out as trans during the Obama Administration, after then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ended the ban on openly serving in the military as trans. She was grandfathered in during Trumps first-term military ban, and now that she is a civilian employee, the current ban does not apply to her. After initially introducing a trans military ban during his first presidential term which the Biden administration then overturned the president signed an executive order in January called Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness, which banned trans people from serving in the military. In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethissued a memoenforcing the ban and halting gender-affirming care for service members and their families. While the order was contested in the courts, inMay the Supreme Court ruled in May that it could go into effect, and trans troops were given a deadline in June to self-identify for voluntary separation.In January, the administrationordered a shutdown of all federal programs that promote or reflect gender ideology. A cited example of that so-called ideology was allowing trans people to use the facilities that correspond to their genders, effectively banning trans people from using the bathroom on federal property.The directive followed and built on Trumps Day Oneexecutive orderto make it the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female and take all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology. Winthrow said having to spend time thinking about bathroom strategies takes away from the important work she does every day. I think that the Family Programs Office has an incredibly important task, and thats taking care of soldiers and their families and veterans, and that mission is the thing I would like to be focusing all my attention on, she said.So its frustrating to realize that I have to logistically plan out which bathroom am I going to be allowed to use today, where Im at, at a given time, instead of just focusing on that mission, she added. She said she also feels added pressure to overperform so that no one can say trans people are not built for the work.Despite the challenge of going to court, Withrow feels optimistic because she believes were doing the right thing. I sort of, in the back of my mind, always believe that the good guy is going to win, she said. And I think were the good guy in this. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Irish comedian Graham Linehan has his next project lined up a ChatGPT video game about punishing transgender lesbians.Linehan once a beloved funnyman, actor, and writer in the U.K., known for creating the BAFTA award-winning shows Father Ted and The IT Crowd has more recently taken the J.K. Rowling route of dedicating his life to anti-trans causes. In 2023, he said that combating trans activism had "consumed his life," cost him jobs, and ended his marriage. Nearly three years later, he's still just as dedicated.In a new Observer profile, titled "Graham Linehan won't shut up," journalist Andrew Hankinson interviews Linehan. He has a hard time getting him to talk about anything other than trans issues.At one point, Linehan confirms comments he made on a recent podcast where he said if he saw that the pilot of a plane was trans, he wouldn't fly on it due to "a high suicide tendency among trans-identified people.""No one who thinks they're a different sex should be flying a passenger plane," he says.In perhaps the most bizarre part of the interview, Linehan tells Hankinson that he's working on a trans lesbian role-playing game in ChatGPT.Linehan tells Hankinson that he's been working on a "hidden role deduction game" in the AI chatbot with the following prompt: "You are five blind lesbian adventurers out for a good night out. Slaying dragons and whatnot. But one of your number is a hulking great troll pretending to be a woman.""Find the troll lesbian and then devise an amusing punishment without giving him an erection," the prompt concludes.Linehan was recently in court over charges that he harassed a teenage trans activist on social media and damaged her phone. He was found not guilty of harassment but guilty of criminal damage to the phone. Linehan says he will appeal the guilty charge.

Anti-trans right-wing groups called out Benedictine University (BenU), a Catholic college in Illinois, for hosting a Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) event in November. While the university initially doubled down on why TDOR fit with their Catholic values, after Fox News recently picked up the story, the university apparently removed pages from its website claiming to offer safe spaces for diverse communities.At Benedictine University, we believe that honoring the dignity of every person and praying for those who have died are fundamental expressions of our Catholic and Benedictine identity, the university said in its initial statement on November 20. The recent event was first and foremost a prayer service to honor lives lost. It was a solemn remembrance rooted in Catholic social teaching and belief in the inherent and sacred dignity possessed by every person, created in the image of God. Related University punishes trans educator for discrimination after student calls her demonic TDOR, which occurs annually on November 20, specifically remembers trans people who lost their lives due to anti-trans violence. The universitys response aligns with various love your neighbor elements of Christian doctrine.The day before TDOR, the Libs of TikTok account on X, an anti-LGBTQ+ hate account run by Chaya Raichik, posted the events flier. The event was hosted by the Benedictine University Campus Ministry and its Safe Space program. 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 Benedictine University, a "Catholic" university outside of Chicago, Illinois, is hosting a "Trans Day of Remembrance" across campus to highlight "anti-trans violence."Hey @BenU1887, where is your day to remember the Christian children who were gunned down by trans terrorists? pic.twitter.com/wwQQvGJNaI Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 19, 2025Benedictine University has observed TDOR anually since 2018. In its statement, the university said the annual observance demonstrates its enduring commitment to the principles that everyone deserves respect, love, safety, and justice.Every life deserves profound reverence, the university stated, regarding the event. Every life lost deserves to be remembered. When we witness suffering, injustice, and violence, its our duty to love. This is what our University stands for.In the days after the Libs of TikTok post, some small and local news sites ran stories based on outrage, complaining about the Catholic universitys recognition of TDOR and including the universitys statement. However, yesterday nearly two weeks after the event took place Fox News picked up the story and gave it more national attention. Fox News noted that the university has a Office of Belonging and quoted the schools site about its goals to help faculty/staff develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to create safe spaces at BenU and make our campus more welcoming and inclusive to LGBTQ+ individuals and communities.The Fox News article also noted the universitys Safe Space program. Commenters on X and on Fox News social media accounts made general anti-DEI and anti-woke comments about the university and its TDOR event. The universitys Safe Space page stated, We work to be a community characterized by the highest standards of empathy and opposition to all forms of hatred. We welcome LGBTQ+ persons with sincerity of heart and generosity. The page also highlighted the gender-neutral bathroom options for the school and how to access those facilities, as well as a list of teachers and staff who had signed up to be Safe Space Ally. However, despite originally doubling down on their support for the LGBTQ+ and specifically the trans community, the university has seemingly removed its pages for its Office of Belonging and Safe Space program. The university has also removed links for information on the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (Campus Center) and the universitys land acknowledgement.While it has become a growing practice for universities to tone down or remove their DEI pages and LGBTQ+ support programs under the second Trump administration, this is notable for the shift in support, especially since the shift immediately followed attention from Fox News.The universitys removal of its aforementioned webpages seems incompatible with the end of its original statement: We remain committed to being a community where all feel safe, respected, and welcomed, and where we can come together in prayer, especially in moments of sorrow.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The University of Oklahoma has placed a trans graduate instructor on administrative leave after a student received a zero on a psychology assignment that described transgender people as demonic and asserted that gender roles are Biblically ordained. The dispute has quickly escalated into a statewide political flashpoint.Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.The controversy began when junior Samantha Fulnecky submitted a 650-word reaction paper for a course on how social expectations shape gender. Instead of addressing the assignments questions using data, her essay claimed society is pushing lies about gender, warned that eliminating strict gender roles would be harmful, and described transgender identities as demonic, Them reports.Related: Oklahoma transgender student dies after allegedly assaulted by students at schoolScreenshots of the essay and instructors comments were posted by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA on Thanksgiving. Right-wing media networks quickly boosted it. (@) Graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth, who graded the paper, wrote that the zero was based on academic criteria, not retaliation for the students religious views. Curth wrote that the essay does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive. Curth also noted that portraying a marginalized group as demonic is highly offensive, and urged the student to use empirical sources rather than doctrinal statements when critiquing course material.Related: Oklahoma trans woman fired over Charlie Kirk comments was nearly driven to suicideA second instructor, Megan Waldron, independently reviewed the paper and agreed that it did not satisfy the assignment prompt or basic academic writing expectations.Fulnecky then filed a religious discrimination complaint with the university.OU confirmed Sunday in a new public statement that it takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms. (@) The university said it immediately began a full review after receiving the students complaint, maintained regular communication with the student, and ensured no academic harm resulted from the disputed grade. OU also said the student filed a discrimination claim based on religious belief, that the review process has been activated, and that the graduate instructor was placed on administrative leave to ensure fairness. A full-time professor is now teaching the course for the rest of the semester. OU said the instructor will not face academic or financial harm during the review.On Sunday, Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt urged OUs Board of Regents to investigate and warned that students should not be penalized for their religious beliefs, in a social media post. (@) His intervention helped transform a grading dispute into a statewide ideological battle over higher education governance and LGBTQ+ inclusion.On Monday, the campus chapter of Turning Point USA posted on Instagram that Curth was placed on leave for blatant discrimination and framed the grade as punishment for quoting the Bible, claiming the universitys Sunday statement confirmed its position. See on Instagram OU has not said when its investigation will conclude.

Jennifer Capasso, a 42-year-old transgender woman with stage four rectal cancer, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center in New York City after she secretly recorded her surgical team allegedly making transphobic comments about her. MSK denied her accusations and said her recording violated worker privacy.Capasso claimed that operating room staff preparing to remove her malignant lung tumor said that she had man parts, referred to her and her trans partner as men, and said that being trans was not right and doesnt make sense, The New York Times reported, recounting accusations from a lawsuit she filed last March in New Yorks Supreme Court. Related Less than 1% of U.S. clinical trials include trans patients. It isnt by choice. Capasso also said that during the March 7, 2022 procedure, an operating room nurse told a hospital administrator to change Capassos sex in her patient records from female to male. Capasso said this incorrect gender designation remained on her medical records until last January.She recorded the alleged comments through her phone, which she placed in a nearby handbag during the procedure. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today She also claimed that her colorectal surgeon misgendered her during a June 2021 procedure. The surgeons behavior made her feel unsafe and humiliated with heightened gender dysphoria, she said.If true, the hospitals actions would violate New York Citys LGBTQ Health Care Bill of Rights, which requires healthcare workers to recognize, affirm, and document a patients designated name and pronouns in medical records. In its court filings, MSKs lawyers claimed that Capassos recording was largely inaudible, making it impossible to ascertain the speakers or the full context of their discussion.The secret recording captured portions of a discussion that occurred during surgery while plaintiff was under anesthesia in which staff members discussed plaintiffs transgender status with every reasonable expectation that plaintiff would not hear this discussion, MSKs lawyers wrote.A third of trans people reported negative experiences with health care providers, including verbal harassment or a refusal of care, according to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. A 2019 studyin theJournal of Clinical Oncologyfound that 83% of oncologists said they wanted to learn more about caring for trans patients. Only 37% felt they knew enough to adequately care for trans people as a whole.Despite the accusations, Capasso said she continues to receive care at MSK because its one of the worlds best cancer hospitals.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Swiss tennis star Mika Brunold opened up about his sexuality in a revealing Instagram post.The 21-year-old athlete came out as gay when he took to Instagram and admitted that it was time to open up and share his sexual orientation with his fans.After writing that he has spent countless hours working on his game, body, and mindset, Brunold said that self-discovery has been the most important thing hes devoted time to. Through all of this, one of the most important things Ive learned is that success on the court isnt just about physical skill its about discovering your personality and staying true to yourself, he started his Instagram post.Brunold went on to admit hes felt like he had to hide the fact that hes gay from the public. Ive been thinking a lot about how to talk about this, he wrote. And while it hasnt always been easy, hiding it and pretending to be someone Im not was never an option.Thats why I feel its time for me to open up and share with you that Im gay, he continued.See on InstagramBrunold also admitted that he felt pressure to stay quiet about being gay, a source of stress and anguish that straight people never have to face. Being gay doesnt mean loving the same gender it also means dealing with things most people never have to think about, he said. The fear of not being accepted, the pressure to stay quiet, the feeling of being different. But Ive grown. And Im proud of who I am today. Brunold wrote that in an ideal world, we wouldnt even need to come out at all, but that he felt it was important because he believes its not talked about enough in sports.Historically, tennis hasnt been a very inclusive sport, with very few out LGBTQ+ players, despite Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King both coming out in the early 80s.But things are slowly changing, and now not only is Brunold an out gay player, but sapphic Aussie player Daria Kasatkina made it to this years Grand Slam, and last year Brazilian gay tennis star Joo Lucas Reis da Silva became the first active male pro tennis player to come out publicly.

A group of HIV-positive men met at at the border between the United States and Mexico Sunday to kiss, creating a powerful display of defiance in the face of discrimination.Ahead of World AIDs Day, MPact Global Action for Gay Mens Health and Rights hosted the third annual Besoton Sidoso Internacional, also known as the International HIV Kiss-In, in Friendship Park/Parque de la Amistad on the border between California and Mexico. The demonstration sought to uplift people living with HIV and take away the stigma that surrounds dating and sex, while also showing solidarity with queer migrants as they face persecution from the Trump administration."As of one of the only openly HIV-positive Executive Directors of a global organization, I am inspired and heartened by this highly visible action for the rights of all people living with HIV, especially queer migrants, when theres so much fear and disinformation out there," Andrew Spieldenner, MPact executive director, told The Advocate. "Our communities are powerful when we come together.Migrants living in high-income countries are disproportionately affected by HIV infection, according to a 2018 report from the National Institute of Health, and frequently have characteristics associated with poor HIV clinical outcomes. A large portion of migrants acquire HIV after migration, and are frequently unable to access care.Up to 3 percent of non-U.S. citizens living in the United States (640,000 people) are LGBTQ+, a separate study from the Williams Institute found, including as many as 288,000 undocumented immigrants. Queer migrants are already at a heightened risk under Trump's policies, and queer migrants living with HIV in U.S. detention centers are particularly subjected to violence, stigma, and denied access to lifesaving medications."MPact works in collaboration with local communities to create the International HIV Kiss-in because it's a bold, provocative, and revolutionary act to publicly demonstrate the sexuality of people living with HIV and declare the human rights of queer migrants," said Alex Garner, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives & Communications at MPact. "We've transcended borders of sexuality and of gender and borders cannot restrict our fight for queer migrants and people living with HIV as we utilize the power of a kiss."Scroll for more pics from the Besoton Sidoso Internacional.

We were first introduced to Porsha Williams as the demure wife of former NFL player Kordell Stewart on the fifth season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, but since then, the reality star has undergone a huge transformation. She may have started out on the franchise as a straight woman who thought the Underground Railroad was an actual train, but over the years, she became a fierce Black Lives Matter activist who is now dating a woman. On November 28, Williams hard launched her new girlfriend, Sway McKinney, with a series of adorable photos of the happy couple on Instagram to celebrate McKinneys birthday.Williams seems happy in her new sapphic relationship, but what do we know about Sway McKinney?Who is Sway McKinney?See on InstagramPatrice "Sway" McKinney is a master barber who started her career as a full-time barber and hair stylist back in 2012, before getting tired of being on her feet all day and becoming an entrepreneur. McKinney started her own salon suite business and opened four Encore Salon Suites locations across Atlanta, Georgia. Now, she also has a mentorship program where she helps other people open their own salon suite businesses.How did Porsha Williams announce she was dating Sway?See on InstagramOn Friday, Nov. 28, Williams posted a birthday message to McKinney on Instagram, alongside a carousel of photos of the happy couple. The Happiest Birthday @sway_thepro, she wrote. She continued: Hope this year continues to bring you everything you want and more!" And added, Cant wait to act up saturday!The Instagram post included photos of Williams standing in front of glitzy Christmas trees with McKinney standing behind her with her arms around her waist, a photo of the two women pressing their cheeks together with Williams making a kissy face, video footage of the couple dancing together, and a pic of McKinney grabbing Williams' butt while kissing her on the cheek. McKinney also shared video footage from her birthday celebration, which included shots of her dancing with Williams.Has the cast of 'RHOA' met Sway McKinney?At this year's BravoCon, Williams said that most of her fellow castmates on the Real Housewives of Atlanta have already met McKinney. Actually, it was almost the whole group at the same time, she said, per Essence. I had already gone out on a date with my female friend. It was not really a date it was just me, her, my sister hanging out. And then when the premiere came, I said, maybe I should just text her and ask her if she wants to come with me.Williams said that she introduced her new girlfriend to cast members Phaedra Parks and Angela Oakley, among others. Fans also spotted McKinney when filming of season 17 of RHOA was happening at Drew Sidoras movie premiere earlier this year.Is this the first time Porsha Williams has dated a woman?See on InstagramFollowing her divorce from her second husband, Simon Guobadia, Williams talked openly about her interest in dating women."When you go through a bad enough breakup, you're like, 'I don't like nobody,'" Porsha told People in June. "I was sitting there, I was like, 'Do I like women enough? Can I get with a woman? Who can come in and fill this void?' But I don't yet. It'll come.While Williams has never explicitly come out as bisexual or queer, she has talked openly about her same-sex sexual experiences, and in October at CultureCon 2025, Williams shared with fans that she was dating both a man and a woman."The people who Im talking to now, its just two," she said in a video shared from the event. "I narrowed it down to two, and he is nice and she is nice."Looks like the best woman won.

Former President Joe Biden will be honored Friday with the Chris Abele Impact Award at the LGBTQ+ Victory Institutes 41st International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference, an annual Washington, D.C., gathering that has become both thermometer and barometer for the political fortunes of LGBTQ+ Americans.Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.For Biden, who left office in January, the award marks a capstone in what LGBTQ+ advocates widely view as the most inclusive administration in U.S. history: one that appointed a record number of LGBTQ+ officials, reinstated and expanded federal protections, restored transgender military service, and elevated barrier-breaking queer and trans leaders such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Admiral Rachel Levine, Ambassador Chantale Wong, and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.Related: Pete Buttigieg will be inducted into LGBTQ+ Political Hall of Fame at DNC (exclusive)The moment arrives as LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans Americans, under the second administration of President Donald Trump, face accelerating political aggression, misinformation campaigns, and state-sanctioned erasure. And it comes as LGBTQ+ candidates and elected officials themselves enter the next cycle with what Victory Institute President and CEO Evan Low describes as a rare, almost paradoxical blend of urgency and hope. President Biden has shown unwavering commitment to ensuring LGBTQ+ people can participate fully and openly in our democracy, Low said in announcing the award. The Institutes board cited Bidens historic leadership on LGBTQ+ equalitya standard made starker by the political environment in which this years conference unfolds.In an interview with The Advocate, Low said the timing underscores a broader truth: the community is being targeted with laser-focused attempts to legislate us out of existence, even as LGBTQ+ leaders at every level of government run toward, not away from, the fight. You would imagine that people feel disenfranchised or at a loss, he said. Yet quite the contraryour LGBTQ elected officials arent sitting on the sidelines. Theyre leading the fight. A conference shaped in momentumMore than 700 LGBTQ+ elected officials, advocates, and global human-rights leaders will gather from Thursday to Saturday for the nations largest LGBTQ+ political convening. The program features the breadth of LGBTQ+ power in 2025, including Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and prominent allies such as Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who is running for U.S. Senate. Authors Mary Trump, the presidents niece, and Stuart Milk, the nephew of legendary assassinated California politician Harvey Milk, are also expected to appear.But what animates the conference is not only who holds office now its whos preparing to run next.The 2024 election results in states like Virginia and New Jersey, where Democrats saw huge wins, Low said, have triggered a measurable surge in LGBTQ+ people seeking political training and contemplating bids for office. Victorys candidate training programs, he noted, are seeing two to three times their typical demand. He cited one example as emblematic: the organizations first-ever training program exclusively for transgender candidates offered 15 slots and received nearly 65 applications. Theres this narrative that the LGBTQ community, particularly the trans community, is a political liability, Low said. In fact, we feel the contrary. They are assets. And we have the receipts to prove it. The new metrics of LGBTQ+ political powerLow spoke with particular admiration about California U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the powerful House Oversight Committee, Virginia state Sen. Danica Roem, the first out trans person elected to a state legislature, and Delaware U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride, the first out transgender person elected to Congressleaders he said are reshaping the metrics by which LGBTQ+ officials are judged.What makes them successful is that theyre passionate about everyday issues, he said. They elevate democracy, infrastructure, housing affordabilitynot just LGBTQ+ rightsand they do it while being proud, openly LGBTQ leaders. This, he argued, is what makes LGBTQ+ visibility politically durable: authenticity paired with competence on the issues that govern daily American life.Related: Sarah McBride explains how Democrats big tent is bisexualLGBTQ+ candidates, he said, are confronting unprecedented levels of harassment, doxxing, and threats to themselves and their families. Victory Institute, in response, has expanded its professional development support to include mental health services and counseling. These are significant barriers to entry, he said. We want to ensure people know how to grapple with what is before them. Bidens recognition comes as at least 80 out LGBTQ+ candidates have already filed to run for federal office in the 2026 cyclea historic figure that Victory officials expect to climb. Related: Democrat Sarah McBride on her approach to expanding trans acceptance in Congress and AmericaLow said Bidens recognition is part of a broader realignment: LGBTQ+ inclusion at the highest levels of government, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has become an expectation rather than a novelty.Weve reached a pivotal moment in American history, he said. It is in the best interest of any administration to ensure LGBTQ voices are present at the highest levels.