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RuPaul finds 'Hidden Meanings' in new memoir
RuPaul Andre Charles made a rare Chicago appearance for a book tour on March 12 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Presented by National Public Radio station WBEZ 91.5 FM, the talk coincided with ...
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Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...
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NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...
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Oprah, Niecy Nash-Betts honored at GLAAD Media Awards
Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts were honored at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards that took place in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton on March 14. Winfrey received the Vanguard Award, introduced by iconic Chicago ...
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College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies
Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...
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SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...
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UPDATE: Nex Benedict's death ruled a suicide; family responds
A medical examiner's report concluded that the cause of death of Oklahoma student Nex Benedict (he/they) was suicide, media reports confirmed. Benedictâa 16-year-old transgender studentâdied Feb. 8, a day after ...
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Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...
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Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77
On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixnerknown for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...
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LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner
--From a press release
Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...
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Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit
On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...
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Trans golfer banned from competing
Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out on Instagram after the NXXT Women's Pro Tour suddenly announced on March 8 (International Women's Day) that participants must be "a biological female at birth" in order to competebanning D ...
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SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer
Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...
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NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle
Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...
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LPAC celebrates historic wins for LGBTQ+ candidates in Super Tuesday primaries
From a press release: Washington, DCâToday, LPAC,the nation's leading organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, proudly announces the outstanding victories of 67% of endorsed candidates ...
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AMA launches toolkit to increase screenings for HIV, STIs, hepatitis, tuberculosis
Press release
CHICAGO — With disruptions in clinical care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and viral hepatitis across the U.S., the American Medical Association ...
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Sinema retiring from the U.S. Senate
Kyrsten Sinemaâthe bisexual U.S. senator from Arizona who recently switched from being a Democrat to an independentâannounced that she will not run for re-election this year, ...
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Without compromise: Holly Baggett explores lives of iconoclasts Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap
Jane Heap (1883-1964) and Margaret Anderson (1886-1973), each of them a native Midwesterner, woman of letters and iconoclast, had a profound influence on literary culture in both America and Europe in the early 20th Century. Heap ...
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Federal investigation initiated in Nex Benedict case
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has started an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where Nex Benedict, a transgender 16-year-old sophomore, went to school and was bullied before his death, The Advocate ...
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Court blocks Texas attorney general's demand for PFLAG data
From a press release: AUSTIN, TexasâTravis County District Court Judge Maria CantĂș Hexel on March 1 blocked the latest effort by the Texas Attorney General's Office to persecute Texas families with transgender youth, temporarily haltin ...
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SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor
Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctora film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...
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NATIONAL School items, HIV/AIDS activist dies, Nex Benedict, inclusive parade
In a new survey, the Pew Research Center asked public K-12 teachers, teens and the U.S. public about the ongoing scrutiny placed on classroom curricula, mainly regarding race and LGBTQ+ identities, ABC News noted. Among other ...
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Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican McConnell to step down from leading U.S. Senate
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) will step down from Senate leadership in November, having served in that capacity longer than any senator in history, The Advocate noted. McConnell has been a senator since 1985 and has ...
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Activists and others urge removal of Oklahoma schools superintendent after Nex Benedict death
TULSA, OKLAHOMAâToday more than 350 national, state, and local organizations advocating for equality across the U.S., alongside notable public figures, issued an open letter to Oklahoma legislative leadership urging justice ...
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APA adopts policy supporting transgender, gender diverse and non-binary individuals
From a press release: WASHINGTONâThe American Psychological Association (APA) has adopted a landmark policy affirming evidence-based care for transgender, gender diverse and nonbinary children, adolescents and adults, noting that recent ...
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There she goes again: Author Alison Cochrun discusses writing journey
By Carrie Maxwell When Alison Cochrun began writing her first queer romance novel in 2019, she had no idea it would change the course of her entire life. Cochrun, who spent 11 years as a high ...
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Dorian Film Awards: 'All of Us Strangers' takes top prizes
February 26, 2024 - Los Angeles, Ca. - For its 15th Dorian Film Awards, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics fully embraced All of Us Strangers, writer-director Andrew Haigh's fantastical and tear-inducing tale of two ...
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SAG Awards honor Streisand, few LGBTQ+ actors
Queer entertainers made their markalthough not a major oneat the 2024 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, held Feb. 24 in Los Angeles. The event was live-streamed on Netflix for the first time. Indigenous and Two-Spirit actor ...
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911 calls, videos show cascade of failures in Nex Benedict's death, GLAAD responds
"It is haunting to hear Nex Benedict, in their own words, describe how school and state leaders failed, at every level of leadership, to keep them safe from bullying and harm. Less than 24 hours later, ...
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Federal jury finds man guilty of killing trans woman in landmark case
In a groundbreaking case, a federal jury in Columbia, South Carolina found Daqua Lameek Ritter guilty of killing transgender woman Dime Doe after deliberating for almost four hours, The State reported. It is the first time ...
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Unprecedented Alabama Supreme Court ruling undermins access to family-building healthcare, GLAD responds
--From a press release
Feb. 23, 2024 (Boston) — Today, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) issued the following statement from Polly Crozier, GLAD's Director of Family Advocacy, on the Alabama Supreme Court decision ...
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SHOWBIZ Kristen Stewart, Rock Hudson, Talia Keys, 'True Detective,' Marvel comic
At the Berlin Film Festival, Kristen Stewart defended her photo shoot for a Rolling Stone magazine cover that went viral and divided audiences on social-media platforms, per The Hollywood Reporter. "The existence of a female body ...
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NATIONAL Chuck Schumer, anti-marriage bill, drag event back on, military doctor
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced his support for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)and, as a result, several LGBTQ+-advocacy organizations dropped their opposition to it, The Hill ...
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HIV criminal laws disproportionately impact Black men in Mississippi
--From a press release
A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that at least 43 people in Mississippi were arrested for HIV-related crimes between 2004 and 2021. Half of all arrests in the state ...
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Oklahoma non-binary student dies after being assaulted
Officials acknowledged there are unresolved questions about a 16-year-old non-binary Oklahoma student who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom, NBC News noted. Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, ...
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Owasso High School student of Bridge v. Oklahoma State Board of Education case dies, groups respond
--From press releases
Oklahoma City, Okla. â In response to the death of 16-year-old Owasso High School student Nex Benedict following an assault in the school restroom, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Oklahoma ...
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Brittney Griner's jersey retired at Baylor University
On Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Brittney Griner's #42 jersey. Grinera two-time AP national player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA women's career blocks leader (with 748)attended a Bears home game ...
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Oprah Winfrey, Niecy Nash-Betts to be honored at the 35 annual GLAAD Media Awards in LA March 14
--From a press release
Los Angeles, CA -Feb. 20, 2024 - GLAAD announced that global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress and author Oprah Winfrey will receive GLAAD'sVanguard Award and Emmy-winning actress and producer Niecy ...
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GLAAD releases report on LGBTQ+ inclusion in video games
LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD has released a report on queer inclusion in the world of video games. Among the key findings in "Gaming: The State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games" is that 17%ânearly one in ...
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SHOWBIZ Elton John, Hannah Gadsby, video game, Jennifer Lopez, queer thriller
Video below
Sir Elton John has sold his Atlanta home and is now auctioning off more than 900 of his personal items that were kept in the 13,500-square-foot condo, The Daily Mail noted. The massive collection includes rare ...
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NATIONAL Utah board member, Baths founder dies, Fla. protests, DoJ equity plan
Utah's Republican governor and lieutenant governor urged the State Board of Education to take action against a conservative board member whose social-media post questioning the gender of a high school basketball player incited threats against the ...
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Tenn. legislators back bill that lets officials refuse to perform same-sex weddings
Defying a national ruling that authorized marriage equality, Tennessee lawmakers approved a measure that would allow public officials to refuse to perform weddings of same-sex couples, The Hill reported. Tennessee's House Bill 878/Senate Bill 596 says ...
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Human Rights Campaign report releases new data on experiences of Black queer youth
--From a press release
WASHINGTON â Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in ...
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Democrat flips seat once held by George Santos
On Feb. 13 in New York, Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election to succeed the U.S. congressional seat formerly held by openly gay Republican George Santos, who was recently ousted. According to NBC News, Suozzi's ...
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THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros'
Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...
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Coalition of LGBTQ+ advocates, health care providers release Project RAINBOW report
--From a press release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. â A coalition of more than two dozen LGBTQ+ advocate organizations and health care providers are releasing a new report aimed at addressing the challenges and discrimination that ...
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Republicans file bill to ban trans women from U.S. Olympic teams
Republicans in both houses of Congress have launched another effort to ban transgender women and girls from female sports teamsand this time, they are attempting to ban trans women from competing on U.S. Olympic teams ahead ...
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GLAAD finds missed chances for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Super Bowl ads
--From a press release
Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 â GLAAD is reacting to a lack of LGBTQ storytelling in ads that aired duringSuper Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 and is reminding brands, corporations and advertising agencies why including the LGBTQ ...
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New US Trans Survey highlights importance of gender-affirming care and societal acceptance
After surveying 92,329 people in 2022, the early insights gleaned from the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey (USTS) have been releasedâand they highlight just how much impact gender-affirming care can have. The USTS, which was last completed ...
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Cher, Mariah Carey among Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees
Cher, Mariah Carey among Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees On Feb. 10, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees for its 2024 class. According to NPR, two-thirds of the artists on the list for "rock's highest ...
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Quantum Leap reboot springs into LGBTQ+ representation
Through the magic of television, Quantum Leap is once again jumping into the past to bounce back into the futureand in a recent episode, "The Family Trasure," non-binary artist and performer Wilder Yuri and writer Shakina ...
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NATIONAL Texas court, police chief, Gentili memorial, Philly controversy
The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments challenging Senate Bill 14, the ban on gender-affirming care that went into effect last September, KERA reported. SB 14 blocks trans minors from accessing gender-affirming medical care, such as ...
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SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue
In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...
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GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride'
On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...
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National Black Justice Coalition commemorates National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
--From a press release
WASHINGTON — Today, Feb. 7, marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). In commemoration, Dr. David J. Johns, CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a leading Black LGBTQ+/same-gender ...
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GALECA announces nominees for the Dorian Film Awards
--From a press release
Feb. 5, 2024 - GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, consisting of over 500 entertainment critics, journalists and media icons, today announced the group's democratically chosen nominees for its 15th Dorian Film Awards. All of ...
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GLAAD remembers Cecilia Gentili, transgender Latina, actress, activist, health care activist, journalist
--From a press release
(New York, NY - February 6, 2024) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to the death of transgender actress and advocate Cecilia Gentili and elevating voices of transgender and political leaders honoring ...
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VIEWS Parents, not legislators, should be making decisions about medical options for children
By Jeffery M. Leving
No matter the medical issue, when it comes to kids, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said something last December that every lawmaker in the country should realize when it comes to medical decisions for children. "Were House ...
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Comcast NBCUniversal partners with News is Out, Word In Black on fellowship program highlighting Black, LGBTQ+ issues
--From a press release
Digital Equity Local Voices Lab Fellows to be placed at 16 local publications to receive training and create content Philadelphia (Feb. 6, 2024) â News is Out [ https://newsisout.com ] , a queer media collaborative of ...
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Parker stepping down from leading LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
Annise Parker, the former mayor of Houston, announced that she is stepping down from being president/CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund at the end of 2024. In a public letter, Parker stated, "This is not goodbye. I ...
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Women dominate 2024 Grammys
It was the year of the woman at the 2024 Grammys. Regarding everything from performances to wins, women dominated the 2024 Grammys that took place Feb. 4 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Tracy Chapman ...
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Iowa governor introduces bill to out trans people on official documents
By Lu Calzada
As states around Illinois continue to introduce anti-LGBTQ billsand in some cases, pass anti-LGBTQ resolutions into lawIowa recently added one more blow for Midwestern LGBTQ+ Americans. Governor Kim Reynolds introduced HB 649 Feb. 1, and it ...
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More information emerges about death on Atlantis gay cruise
By Lu Calzada
Further details have emerged following the death of a Chicago man on a Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Atlantis cruise targeted towards gay men. Following a Reddit post by the man's sister which has ...
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HRC honors Domingo, Lysette, Macy's CEO at New York dinner
On Feb. 3, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) brought together more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ advocates and supporters from across the country for its annual Greater New York Dinner. This year's event honored members of the LGBTQ+ ...
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13th Annual Bay Area American Indian Two Spirit Powwow Feb. 10
--From a press release
San Francisco, CA. On Saturday Feb. 10, 2024, the 13th Annual Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) Two Spirit Powwow will be held at Fort Mason-Festival Pavilion, San Francisco, California, from 10 am to 6:30 pm. ...
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SHOWBIZ JoJo Siwa, Tom Holland, Bowen Yang, Pet Shop Boys, Mariah Carey
In the wake of Nigel Lythgoe exiting So You Think You Can Dance, queer personality JoJo Siwa is returning to the series, per Deadline. Siwa, who was a judge on season 17 of the Fox show, will replace Lythgoe, who left ...
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NATIONAL Marriage news, fighting fentanyl, anti-LGBTQ+ crimes, Grindr
The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill that would affirm marriage equality in the state, The Washington Blade noted. House Bill 174, introduced by state Del. Rozia Henson (D-Prince William County), passed in the Democratic-controlled ...
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Broadway star Chita Rivera dies at 91
Chita Riveraa Broadway legend with more than seven decades of creditshas died at age 91 after a short illness, People Magazine reported. "It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved ...
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Seattle LGBTQ+ bars push back against raids
In Seattle, a group of Capitol Hill gay bars and clubs are teaming with neighborhood queer community leaders Dan Savage and Terry Miller in calling for the state's liquor control board and Seattle police officials to ...
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Ohio man sentenced for firebombing pro-LGBTQ+ church
On Jan. 29, 2024, Ohio resident Aimenn D. Penny was sentenced to 216 months (18 years) in prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to burn down a pro-LGBTQ+ church, according to a ...
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HRC State Equality Index: Anti-LGBTQ+ 2023 state legislative season "most destructive"
--From a press release
WASHINGTONâToday, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the education arm of the nation's largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, in partnership with the Equality Federatio ...
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New Survey: Unstable housing most cited reason for food insecurity among LGBTQ+ youth
--From a Williams Institute press release
A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that 85% of LGBTQ+ youth programs surveyed said unstable housing was the main reason LGBTQ+ youth had inadequate access to food. The programs ...
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LGBTQ+ figure skaters win gold, silver at U.S. Championships
LGBTQ+ figure skater Amber Glenn nailed a triple axel and clinched her first senior U.S. title on Jan. 26 at the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Columbus, Ohio, per a U.S. Figure Skating report. ...
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SHOWBIZ Sundance items, Green Day, 'Wednesday,' Queerties, 'The Wiz'
At the Sundance Film Festival, Jodie Foster told Variety that the $1.4-billion success of Barbie helps confirm that Hollywood no longer views women directors as too much of a risk. She said, "With a big success ...
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NATIONAL Toni Atkins, Maine, bisexual advocate dies, Jussie Smollett, school board
San Diego leader and California Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins kicked off her bid to become California's next governor, becoming the latest Democrat to join the 2026 race, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Atkins is ...
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