Andy Burnham is now the U.K.’s prime minister following the resignation of Keir Starmer. Upon assuming the role, Burnham immediately unveiled a new Cabinet and promised to tackle the country’s cost-of-living crisis and reform social care. But for Britain’s LGBTQ+ community, the biggest question is what his leadership will mean for equality, especially during a particularly low moment for queer and trans rights in the U.K. However, Burnham arrives in office with one of Labour’s longest records of public support for LGBTQ+ rights. While serving as Health Secretary, he voted in favor of the Equality Act and later backed the…
Author: Lauren Mulvey
New Jersey has become the latest state to pass a health care shield law protecting access to gender-affirming care, reproductive health services, and IVF for state residents and visitors. The legislation protects health care providers and patients from certain out-of-state investigations and legal actions linked to medical services that are legal in New Jersey. It also reinforces privacy protections for medical records. The measure comes as an increasing number of states adopt similar laws in response to an increase in health care restrictions nationwide.For transgender people, LGBTQ+ families, and others who may travel across state lines for care, legal protections are…
Across the country, a growing number of LGBTQ+-owned coffee shops are proving that a great cafe can go go beyond lattes and cold brews to become meeting places and community safe havens for queer-folks in small towns and big cities alike. For generations, coffee shops have served as “third spaces.” Places that exist somewhere between home and work. And before bars and nightclubs became the center of queer social life, coffee shops offered LGBTQ+ people in particular a chance to gather. Today, that tradition is experiencing a renaissance. At Brick Road Coffee in Tempe, Arizona, weekly community gatherings, book clubs,…
Minneapolis has overturned a nearly four-decade-old ban on adult bathhouses, becoming the latest U.S. city to pull back restrictions imposed during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The decision was made via a 9-2 vote by the Minneapolis City Council. It officially renounces a 1988 ordinance that prohibited bathhouses and similar adult venues. City officials and public health advocates say the repeal marks the city’s shift toward modern inclusive health practices. “This is the first step and it will not be the last,” said council member Jason Chavez. LGBTQ+ Minneapolis residents and allies who supported the repeal argued that closing…
Japan is preparing to institute a nationwide LGBTQ+ education program intended to address the lack of public knowledge on gender and sexual identities in the country. ABC Japan reports the measure is a result of the recent Act on the Promotion of Public Understanding of the Diversity of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The act was passed in 2023 and mandated that the country develop a new plan. The plan has already been approved by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is now expected to gain final approval via a signature from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet. However, Takaichi…
New York City is expanding access to gender-affirming healthcare through two initiatives that reiterate its commitment to the LGBTQ+ community at a time when transgender healthcare faces increasing pressure nationwide. Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently announced a $15 million investment offering more robust access to gender-affirming care across the city. The funding will establish a direct care access fund for healthcare providers. It will also fund the launch and operations of a dedicated call-and-text resource line, and support transgender and gender non-conforming healthcare research. The announcement follows plans to open a city-run gender-affirming care clinic in Queens. This will be one of…
A recent poll from GLAAD indicates that a large majority of Americans support companies and politicians who stand up for LGBTQ rights. The poll revealed that around 68% of registered voters agreed that companies and brands should be able to show support to the LGBTQ+ community. Furthermore, around 61% of respondents indicated they believed corporations that showed public support for these communities had a positive impact on wider community acceptance. Consumers are also more likely to trust and support brands that remain consistent in their values and support civil rights issues, even if they are controversial, LGBTQ Nation reports. The…
Turkish authorities blocked an LGBTQ+ cruise from calling at two national ports last week, forcing the ship to cut Turkey from its trip itinerary. The ship, Virgin Voyages’ “Scarlet Lady,” was turned away at Kuşadası and Istanbul with Turkish leaders citing “moral standards” and “family values.” According to reports from Advocate, the ship rerouted its journey and continued on to Crete, Greece and Cairo, Egypt. The Scarlet Lady was being chartered by Atlantis Events, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ cruise company. It’s journey hosted over 2,000 LGBTQ+ passengers. This is the first time Atlantis Events has experienced a complete denial of port…
In early June, legendary gay British artist David Hockney passed away at home at age 88, leaving behind a six-decade legacy of masterpieces in contemporary art. A museum in London pays tribute with a display of his works this summer. Running through August 23 at the Serpentine in London, an exhibition of Hockney’s works entitled “A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting”(2020-2021) will be on display at the Serpentine in Kensington Gardens. The exhibition will display Hockney’s celebrated panoramic frieze, a long horizontal painting depicting the passage of time, inspired by the famous Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th-century…
Nepal has become the 40th country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage, according to PinkNews. A lawsuit filed three years ago mandated that the Nepali government create a new marriage register for couples from LGBTQ+ communities, but a new ruling further solidifies the ability of LGBTQ+ Nepali citizens to marry. “This landmark ruling marks a historic milestone for equality, dignity, and human rights in Nepal, while providing crucial legal clarity and protection for the rights of same-sex couples,” said monk and former politician Sunil Babu Pant to Nepali non-profit Pahichan. Babu Pant claims the ruling “reaffirms” the constitutional…
In Mobile, Alabama, tourism agency Visit Mobile is standing up for LGBTQ+ visitors and residents alike, reiterating their commitment to inclusivity in the coastal city. Last week, however, local pastor Travis Johnson urged the organization to avoid the promotion of Pride events due to alleged “friction” they cause in the community, according to 1819 News. “Nobody’s trying to stop anybody from whatever decision they make. Just don’t use taxpayer money” Johnson said. Johnson is a member of the organization’s board of directors, but has been outnumbered in his beliefs on Pride events. Visit Mobile is funded by local lodging taxes, and…
At the Palm Springs Art Museum, Q+ Art is a continuous in-house initiative that displays the works of queer artists year round. “Q+ Art amplifies voices that have long been marginalized, remedies conventional narratives of art history, and celebrates the rich diversity of queer expression,” says Q+ Art Curator-at-Large, David Evans Frantz. Museum visitors can view “Lake Verea: DarkRooms and Other Games,” an exhibition from Mexico City-based artists Francisca Rivero-Lake and Carla Verea, more commonly known as Lake Verea. As queer women and collaborators, Verea and Lake bring intimate portraits of architecture to the stage with experimental photographic techniques. This…
The Becket Arts Center in Becket, MA is hosting their second annual Pride art exhibition “Amplifying Queer Creativity” running through July 5. Becket is a quaint town in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. It is just one of many small communities that make up the famous Berkshire region. These towns are often known to be beacons of history, art, culinary creation, and innovation. This year, the Arts Center collaborates with other local organizations to present their second official LGBTQ+ Pride exhibition. The center’s exhibit page reads: “as efforts to erase and defund all Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in government, education…
In celebration of Pride month, The SoHo Project Space is presenting “A Culture of Queer,” through the end of June in New York City. This show displays a variety of works by NYC artists, spanning a number of mediums and disciplines. “This exhibition is a celebration of queer art and the role it plays in enriching civilization. This can take shape in many forms, often not directly addressing sexuality or identity, but provoking thought in countless ways,” the organization’s website reads. The SoHo Project is an independent photography gallery in New York City with the self-described mission of “preserving the…
It’s Pride Month, and there are countless wonderful LGBTQ+ influencers, actors, comedians, singers, and activists to follow online. We’re highlighting a few of our favorite LGBTQ+ content creators right now to celebrate during Pride Month and all year long. Happy Pride! Pattie Gonia This trans legend and climate activist backpacked 100 miles in drag across California last year in an attempt to raise one million dollars for eight different outdoor nonprofits. And it was a success! Pattie co-founded The Outdoor Oath, a nonprofit committed to helping BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities get outside into nature. Tig Notaro Comedian, writer, actress and…
A federal court has ruled that the Trump Administration’s trans military ban is illegal. Donald Trump implemented the military ban in January of 2025 as one of his first priorities of his second presidential term. The executive order mandating this change claimed the identities of trans military personnel conflicted with “a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2-1 in Talbott v. USA that the ban was imposed to directly target a group of people based on their gender identity. The new ruling…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has removed public information from a federal webpage guiding Americans on safe-sex practices and mpox prevention. The information was removed from a CDC page titled “Safer Sex, Social Gatherings, and Monkeypox.” Now all that the page renders is a notification reading “The page you’re looking for was not found.” According to The Advocate via archives preserved by the Wayback Machine in May, the page offered health guidance for navigating Pride events, sex clubs, festivals, hookups, parties and intimate contact during an infectious disease outbreak. It advised readers to get necessary vaccinations, avoid…
New federal legislation dubbed the “Don’t Say Trans” bill was passed by the House of Representatives recently. If approved by the Senate, the bill—House Resolution 2616 or “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act” — would force school teachers to out their transgender students across the country. In addition it would require schools to obtain parental consent before allowing students to use preferred pronouns, gender markers on school forms, as well as using any sex-based accommodations like bathrooms and locker rooms.The new bill would implement these changes by officially amending Section 8526 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,…
As the Trump Administration continues to target the LGBTQ+ community, Seattle is reporting an ever-increasing influx of queer and trans Americans relocating to the city from red states, pushing the city to consider declaring a civil emergency to address mounting pressure on housing, healthcare, and social services. The Seattle LGBTQ Commission submitted a letter to the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and Seattle Attorney’s Office on Trans Day of Visibility. The letter highlighted the fact that the city had been receiving transplants and refugees fleeing from states like Texas, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, and Idaho as state legislators continue to restrict trans…
“Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art” explores the works of LGBTQ+ artists from Africa and its diaspora at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. The exhibition, on display through August 23, 2026, puts particular emphasis on the voices of the artists involved, including Zanele Muholi, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Leilah Babirye, Jim Chuchu, Sola Olulode and more. The exhibition is the largest on this subject to date, and includes nearly 60 artworks. It’s also part of a larger research initiative known as the Here Project, which documents these voices. It includes practicing artists from all throughout the…
Last week, Dr. Steve Deeks presented evidence that a “functional cure” for HIV has been discovered after three people living with the virus were able to suppress it for several months without sustaining a regular treatment regimen. “It is an inspiration and a potential road map to get to where we need to go,” said Deeks who leads a team of researchers at nonprofit Caring Cross, which works on the development of immunotherapies. The findings were presented at a gene therapy conference. The researchers discovered that a single infusion of immune cells engineered to recognize HIV led to virus suppression…
The LGBTQ community in the USA has found an ally in an NFL team owner, Arthur Blank, after he donated $1 million to The Trevor Project, a leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ young people. Blank is the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and founder of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, an Atlanta based foundation established in 1995 that has granted over $1.5 billion to charitable organizations primarily in Georgia and Montana. Carl Nassib, a former NFL player who came out as gay in 2021, voiced his approval of Blank’s donation and has worked closely…
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has secured another win for the city’s LGBTQ+ population by appointing a black lesbian to oversee the city’s Department of Records and Info Services (DORIS). Taking the position is seasoned librarian and archivist Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz who expressed her joy at receiving the honor via an official statement. “Providing access to government records, documents and data is our municipal responsibility,” she wrote. “Embracing and preserving a comprehensive imprint of NYC histories, as representative of our many communities, is the mission of DORIS that I aim to uphold.” Smith-Cruz is also looking forward to working with Democratic Socialist Mayor…
The European Parliament has voted in favor of an EU-wide conversion therapy ban on April 29, sending the legislation to be approved by the European Commission. The vote follows a petition brought forward by the European Citizens’ Initiative, a program that allows citizens of the EU to propose new laws. Once proposed laws reach one million valid petition signatures, the Commission is to decide on what actions to take. The petition against conversion therapy currently holds over 1.2 million signatures which have been compiled since 2024, according to PinkNews. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted a debate ahead of the…
LGBTQ+ art and culture is thriving on the stage in New York City this season. With new shows and old classics to see, you can fill up your calendar in the coming months with queer stories, musical masterpieces, and hilarious performances from the best of the best. Here are six of the most exciting LGBTQ+ shows to see on the stage in New York City now. Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t had the chance to watch epically steamy gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry on HBO Max, then we suggest you…
The southern African nation of Botswana has officially repealed its draconian anti-sodomy law. Section 164 of Botswana’s Penal Code banned sodomy and also invoked a potential seven-year prison sentence for those convicted. The law was imposed during British colonial rule. Many countries around the world had no laws protecting nor limiting the rights of LGBTQ+ communities until colonial rule. The journey to repeal began in 2019, when Botswana’s High Court unanimously ruled the law unconstitutional. At the time, Judge Michael Leburu wrote: “Human dignity is harmed when minority groups are marginalized.” He also emphasized that “sexual orientation is not a fashion…
Pope Leo XIV announced recently that he will continue supporting the Catholic Church’s current stance on LGBTQ+ issues and support for informal blessings of same-sex marriages. The announcement was made at a news conference following a nearly two week-long visit in Africa according to reports from PinkNews. However, the new pope also said the church would not move forward to offer formal recognition for same-sex couples. Leo claimed the church would continue to respect the policies and sentiments expressed by his predecessor, the late Pope Francis. The late Pope began expressing support, or at least tolerance for LGBTQ+ people in…
The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, which is currently in the development and fundraising phase, may face obstacles as House Republicans move to exclude transgender women from the museum’s display plans. LGBTQ Nation reports that just last week the Democratic Women’s Caucus and House Democratic Caucus sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson urging him not to bring to a vote an amended version of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act (H.R. 1329). The amended version of the bill, rewritten in March by Republican lawmakers, proposes that only “biological women” be included in the museum’s plans for exhibitions…
Pride season will soon be taking place in many destinations around the world. If you are looking forward to attending LGBTQ+ events, here’s where you can celebrate Pride in May. U.S. Rochester, Minnesota: May 16. For one day only in Rochester, at Soldier’s Field Park, enjoy five hours of live entertainment, family-friendly activities and more, including drag performances, live music and over 100 local vendors, artists and community resources. Plus, peruse food trucks, bring the kids to the Youth Tent, beat your friends in yard games and wear your best rainbow colors. rochmnpride.org/ Springfield, IL – May 16. Not too…
Public libraries throughout the U.K. have begun stocking books meant to “help” parents of transgender children, encouraging methods for detransition and conversion therapy. QueerAF, an LGBTQ news outlet, investigated the availability of books discussing conversion practices, detransitioning and ‘desistance’ in early 2026. “When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Thoughtful Parents,” authored by therapists Lisa Marchiano, Stella O’Malley, and Sasha Ayad, is currently being stocked at 58 public libraries across nearly every county in the U.K. This includes cities like London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, and Swansea, according to PinkNews. The authors of the book are known anti-trans advocates, with…