When is Pride Month 2024? How the celebration of LGBTQ+ identities came to be.
Pride is a month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ identities commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Here's when major cities celebrate in 2024.
Mother of trans woman beaten to death in Miami Beach speaks out for first time
For the first time, we are hearing from the mother of a 37-year-old transgender woman who police say was beaten to death early Tuesday with a metal pipe.
Sophia Bush comes out as queer, confirms relationship with Ashlyn Harris
Actor Sophia Bush came out as queer in an emotional essay in Glamour and confirmed she’s in a relationship with retired soccer player Ashlyn Harris.
United Methodists endorse change that could give regions more say on LGBTQ and other issues
United Methodist delegates have overwhelmingly endorsed a constitutional amendment seen by advocates as a way of defusing debates over the role of LGBTQ people in the church by giving rule-making autonomy to each region of the international church. Delegates voted 586-164 on Thursday for the “regionalization” proposal on the third day of their 11-day General Conference, the legislative body of the United Methodist Church, meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. The plan would create multiple regional conferences — one for the United States and others covering areas ranging from the Philippines to Europe to Africa.
Over 90% of trans youths live in states with bills that target their rights, report says
More than 90% of transgender youths live in states that have already passed or are currently considering bills that restrict their rights.
Gay actor's speech back on at Pennsylvania school after cancellation over his 'lifestyle'
A gay actor’s speech that was canceled over his “lifestyle” is back on at a Pennsylvania school after residents spoke out. The Cumberland Valley School District’s board voted 5-4 Wednesday night to allow children’s book author Maulik Pancholy, who is gay, to speak against bullying during a May 22 assembly at Mountain View Middle School. The board on April 15 unanimously canceled Pancholy's talk after a board member cited concerns about what he described as the actor’s activism and “lifestyle.”
Sissy Strolls bring queer people of color together in WeHo
This monthly outing satisfies an appetite for stepping out on the town while addressing the lack of comfortable social spaces for queer people of color in West Hollywood
Man arrested in connection to death of trans woman outside Miami City Ballet
Miami Beach Police have arrested a man in connection to the death of a transgender woman whose body was discovered near the Miami City Ballet.
United Methodist Church grapples with deep divides over LGBTQ issues
Leaders of the United Methodist Church meet to determine its future over LGBTQ issues and dwindling membership.
West Virginia says it will appeal ruling that allowed transgender teen athlete to compete
West Virginia will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on an appeals court ruling that allowed a transgender athlete to compete on her middle school teams, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday. “We’re not going to allow the elites in the swamp to impose their values on West Virginia citizens," Morrisey said at a news conference in the state Capitol. A 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 last week that West Virginia's transgender sports ban violated Becky Pepper Jackson's rights under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools.
Hundreds of athletes urge the NCAA not to ban trans athletes from women’s sports
A group of more than 400 current and former Olympic, professional and collegiate athletes, over 300 academics and roughly 100 advocacy groups released separate letters Tuesday urging the NCAA not to ban transgender women from competing in women’s college sports.
Tennessee GOP-led Senate spikes bill seeking to ban LGBTQ+ Pride flags in schools
A bill designed to ban LGBTQ+ Pride flags in Tennessee public school classrooms was spiked Tuesday after it failed to attract enough support in the GOP-controlled Senate. The proposal had easily cleared the Republican-dominant House nearly two months prior after the bill's sponsor said he had parents complain about “political flags” in classrooms. “There were some parents in my district that felt like there were flags being displayed in the public school classroom that did not coincide with their values and felt like their children should not be indoctrinated in the schools,” said Republican Sen. Joey Hensley.
Transgender Louisianans lost their ally in the governor's seat. Now they're girding for a fight
As transgender people in Louisiana watched surrounding states in the deeply conservative South implement a slew of laws targeting nearly every facet of their lives in recent years, they counted on their ally in the governor’s office to keep their home a relative oasis. Former Gov. John Bel Edwards, the only statewide elected Democrat at the time, was indeed able to block most of the bills. Edwards has been replaced by Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump who has shown support for such legislation.
A lesbian archive inside a Brooklyn brownstone has documented decades of Sapphic history
The Lesbian Herstory Archives, the home of an LGBTQ history trove in Brooklyn, New York, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
New federal rule bars transgender school bathroom bans, but it likely isn't the final word
A new rule from President Joe Biden's administration blocking blanket policies to keep transgender students from using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity could conflict with laws in Republican-controlled states. The clash over bathroom policy and other elements of a federal regulation finalized last week could set the stage for another wave of legal battles over how transgender kids should be treated in the U.S. Most GOP-controlled states now have laws reining in their rights.
Minnesota and other Democratic-led states lead pushback on censorship. They're banning the book ban
A movement to ban book bans is gaining steam in Minnesota and several other states, in contrast to the trend playing out in more conservative states where book challenges have soared to their highest levels in decades. The move to quash book bans is welcome to people like Shae Ross, a queer and out Minnesota high school senior who has fought on the local level against bans on books dealing with sexuality, gender and race. “Especially when I was like sixth, seventh grade, I’d say reading books, especially books with gay characters ... was a way that I could feel seen and represented.”
"I'm Living Two Different Lives": This 19-Year-Old Student Explained The "Terrifying" Reality Of Living With Unsupportive Parents In 2024 And How It Affects Their Daily Life
"Every morning, I go to school, put a rainbow keychain on my backpack, and become a proud queer student. Every night, I put the keychain back in my bag and go home to a family that would disown me or take everything away from me if they knew who I really was. There are so many painful details that add up far too fast, but at the end of the day, the point is that I'm living two different lives, and they're only separated by a couple of streets."
Seattle hospital won't turn over gender-affirming care records in lawsuit settlement with Texas
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is dropping a request for a Seattle hospital to hand over records regarding gender-affirming treatment potentially given to children from Texas as part of a lawsuit settlement announced Monday. Seattle Children's Hospital filed the lawsuit against Paxton's office in December in response to the Republican appearing to go beyond state borders to investigate transgender health care. Paxton, a staunch conservative who has helped drive GOP efforts that target the rights of trans people, sent similar letters to Texas hospitals last year.
Why a Popular Queer Nightclub in Brooklyn Was Mentioned in Donald Trump's Court Filings
Trump's legal team reportedly tried to serve a subpoena to Stormy Daniels last month while she was arriving for an event at a notable LGBTQ venue
The Anglican Communion has deep differences over homosexuality – but a process of dialogue, known as ‘via media,’ has helped hold contradictory beliefs together
With over 80 million believers in 160 countries, the Anglican Communion has been grappling with LGBTQ+ issues since the 1970s.
Venerable San Francisco LGBTQ bar the Stud reopens at new location
One of San Francisco's oldest LGBTQ bars, on Saturday the Stud re-opened it's doors for the first time in four years at a new location.
Lama Rod describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. He wants to free you from suffering.
Instead of traditional maroon and gold Tibetan Buddhist robes, Lama Rod Owens wore a white animal print cardigan over a bright yellow T-shirt with an image of singer Sade, an Africa-shaped medallion and mala beads — the most recognizable sign of his Buddhism. "Being a Buddhist or a spiritual leader, I got rid of trying to wear the part because it just wasn’t authentic to me,” said Owens, 44, who describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. The Harvard Divinity School -educated lama and yoga teacher blends his training in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism with pop culture references and experiences from his life as a Black, queer man, raised in the South by his mother, a pastor at a Christian church.
Melania Trump Returns to Politics, Hosting Her First 2024 Fundraiser — for a Conservative Gay Group
While her husband's campaign espouses anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, sources say Melania will capitalize on her less inflammatory track record to court the Log Cabin Republicans, which advocates for an LGBTQ-inclusive GOP
Venice Biennale titled 'Foreigners Everywhere' platforms LGBTQ+, outsider and Indigenous artists
Outsider, queer and Indigenous artists are getting an overdue platform at the 60th Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition that opened Saturday, curated for the first time by a Latin American. Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa’s main show, which accompanies 88 national pavilions for the seven-month run, is strong on figurative painting, with fewer installations than recent editions. A preponderance of artists are from the Global South, long overlooked by the mainstream art world circuits.
Biden expands Title IX protections for pregnancy, trans people and sexual assault victims
The Biden administration has finalized new Title IX regulations that codify protections for transgender people, as well as enhance protections for victims of sexual assault or harassment and pregnant people. "For more than 50 years, Title IX has promised an equal opportunity to learn and thrive in our nation's schools free from sex discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement on the revision. “These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights.”