In a win for Poland’s LGBTQ+ community, the country has abolished the last of its draconian LGBT-Free zones which have excluded gay people from public life in local communities for years. In 2020, over 100 of Poland’s municipalities were designated ‘LGBT-free zones,’ which essentially meant these areas were to be void of LGBTQ+ education, culture and “ideology.” Most of these municipalities were located in Poland’s southeastern region. Polish youth pushed back on the zones, a few even founded an organization called The Atlas of Hate which documented all the Polish municipalities where LGBT free zones were adopted. They faced multiple lawsuits…
Author: Lauren Mulvey
After a leaked budget draft was released late last month, organizations like The Trevor Project have issued warnings about budget cuts to programs like 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services. According to the leaked budget proposal, the federal program that offers emergency crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide would lose funding effective Oct. 1, 2025. The program was implemented during the Biden-Harris Administration in 2022, and was funded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Since then, it has provided over 1.2 million crisis contacts with life-saving, LGBTQ+-inclusive services. Since then LGBTQ+ advocates and…
As Pride celebrations around the world begin, the highly anticipated WorldPride Washington DC 2025 is also gearing up. WorldPride is packing an impressive schedule, and if you’re heading to Washington, DC between May 17 and June 8 you’re sure to already have some Pride events on your itinerary. Here’s a recap of the not-to-miss WorldPride events. May 23-June 8 – International Choral Festival: This event is presented by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and will feature daily hour-long pop-up performances from singers from around the world at different venues throughout the city. This festival is free and open to…
Chief executive of Co-op food stores, Shirine Khoury-Haq, has vowed to “protect trans people to the end” following a recent rise in anti-trans sentiments in the U.K. Co-op operates over 4000 food stores all across England, according to Pink News, and in a recent letter to staff, Khoury-Haq claimed she would “continue to advocate” for trans people following the U.K.’s recent anti-trans Supreme Court ruling. Just last month, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that the 2010 Equality Act’s definition of a woman does not include trans women. On April 16, the court ruled unanimously claiming that the act only referred…
Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will serve as grand marshal at this year’s New York City Pride. Jean-Pierre served as press secretary during President Joe Biden’s term in office, and has been revered for her “trail-blazing career” representing the LGBTQ+ community “at the highest microphone that exists” said NYC Pride spokesperson Chris Piedmont in a statement. Jean-Pierre’s resume speaks for itself. In 2020, she served as Kamala Harris’ campaign chief of staff, becoming the first Black person to hold the position and one of the highest-ranking LGBTQ+ people in the Biden-Harris campaign, according to LGBTQ Nation. She also…
Though LGBTQ+ history is being erased from government-run websites, The History Project in Boston is rescuing information erased by the National Park Service. The campaign to erase LGBTQ+ history from broader American historical documentation began in January when Trump’s executive orders asked the diversity, equity and inclusivity efforts be scrubbed from government agency websites. According to LGBTQ Nation, one of the most “egregious” examples of this is the removal from the NPS website of the names of trans women who sparked the Stonewall uprising of 1969. These occurrences have erased or muted LGBTQ+ history in every corner of the country,…
Artists competing in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will only be allowed to display flags from the country they are representing while performing. This year, participants who also identify as LGBTQ+ will be barred from supporting the community during their performance, and will only be able to bring flags provided by Swiss television station SRG SSR. Participants are also barred from holding flags to express solidarity with other countries such as Ukraine, Palestine, or Israel. Eurovision is an original song competition in which each member of the European Union sends an artist to represent their country with a new song…
Massachusetts’ Senate introduced a bill recently to better allow healthcare professionals and lawyers to work safely with people accessing gender-affirming and reproductive care. The bill was first introduced by Sen. Cindy Friedman (D) who cited Trump’s latest attacks on healthcare as a motivating force. Friedman included the bill as part of a larger legislative effort called “Response 2025,” which reportedly is meant to counter alt-right Project 2025, NBC 10 Boston reports. If approved, the bill would prevent state agencies from providing information to, or working with, federal or out-of-state investigators who may seek to prosecute a healthcare provider or lawyer…
Angela Giampolo’s Caravan of Hope is an RV that tours around rural red towns in conservative states to provide queer-related legal services like gender marker and name changes, basic estate planning, uncontested divorces, and general legal guidance according to LGBTQ Nation. Giampolo, who has been practicing LGBTQ+-focused law in Philadelphia since 2008, hatched the idea after she received an influx of calls and inquiries from scared locals following Donald Trump’s 2016 election win. Though Giampolo had a good handle on providing help and resources to her urban community, she wondered how people in rural areas and red states were getting…
Get ready to embark on a delectable culinary journey like never before during the highly anticipated Taste of Pride! From now through July 31st, you can enjoy an exquisite celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and dining flavors in the National Capital Region. Talented chefs and amazing restaurants will curate exceptional menus that showcase the best of their culinary artistry. Taste of Pride (ToP) is an annual multi-tiered event series celebrating the rich connection between the LGBTQ+ and culinary communities. This year’s program will feature a multi-month collaboration between DC’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) that showcase the distinctive flavors and culinary…
Colorado’s House of Representatives recently approved two bills to protect trans rights. The first bill included is H.B. 25-1309, which makes it illegal for health insurance providers to deny or limit gender-affirming care provided by a doctor, and codifies public health rules protecting gender-affirming care in Colorado. This bill also exempts testosterone prescriptions from state monitoring programs which are meant to limit abuse of controlled substances. Republicans attempted to amend the bill to exclude gender-affirming care for trans minors, an amendment which was struck down by the Democrat-majority chamber. Additionally, H.B. 25-1312, allows courts to consider deadnaming and other forms…
India’s famous Festival of Letters recently featured LGBTQ+ poets, making history for the country’s queer population. The festival took place between March 7 -12 and showcased a range of voices including writers young and old, women, Dalit authors, those from marginalized castes, Northeast Indian scribes, tribal poets, and of course, queer writers. The Sahitya Akademi, often seen as a mirror of the government’s cultural agenda, for the first time allowed these poets into a high-profile poetry reading. Around 700 writers spanning 50 languages showcased their work for the first time at the Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi. This year’s theme: Indian…
Nearly twenty Republican legislators in Montana’s state house helped reject a bill that would have charged adults with “endangering child welfare” if they obtained gender-affirming medical care for children under the age of 16. Seventeen Republicans joined Montana Democrats to take down the bill which had already been approved by the state’s Republican majority Senate. S.B. 164 sought to penalize any adult who “knowingly procures or provides” gender-affirming care to minors, with fines up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to five years. The harsh bill didn’t just target doctors or health care providers, but any adult in the state, even those…
With just one month’s notice, lead organizers for WorldPride 2025 – slated to take place May 17 through June 8 – have told members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) that attendance may be dangerous for trans internationals due to the Trump Administration’s recent anti-trans policies. WTOP news reports that Ryan Bos, executive director of D.C. Capital Pride Alliance, spoke at a COG meeting and voiced his concerns on the issue. “It’s possible that we may actually issue a statement telling trans folks internationally not to come, or if they come, they come at their own risk,” Bos…
An appeals court in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has officially re-criminalized homosexuality. The decision follows the case of Jason Jones, an activist from Trinidad and Tobago who challenged Sections 13 and 16 of the country’s Sexual Offenses Act. The sections were later found unconstitutional by High Court Justice Devindra Rampersad, making same-sex activity legal by precedent in 2018. At the time Rampersad said of his decision “This is a case about the dignity of the person, not the will of the majority or any religious view…history has proven that the two do not always coincide.” Despite this, the…
As the country and world get ready to celebrate WorldPride in Washington, DC this summer, more details about the big event are coming out every week. Recently, Rainbow History Project announced their featured exhibition entitled “Pickets, Protests, and Parades: The History of Gay Pride in Washington.” Rainbow History Project (RHP) is a non-profit volunteer-led group which has been recording LGBTQ+ history in D.C. for more than two decades. Their WorldPride exhibition will be on display between May 27 and July 6 in Freedom Plaza. Spokesperson for the organization, Emma Cieslik said the multi-display exhibition would be open 24/7 under any…
Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker stood up for trans kids and called Donald Trump a “cruel bully” at a recent Human Rights Campaign event. Pritzker has a reputation for backing LGBTQ+ rights and other civil liberties. In 2019, he signed an executive order to protect trans youth in 2019, and in 2023 he introduced legislation to prevent book bans. He spoke at the Human Rights Campaign dinner last month in L.A. about the Trump Administration’s agenda, which becomes more and more threatening with every executive order signed by Trump. “Right now it’s drag queens reading books and transgender people serving in the…
LGBTQ+ representation and censorship are still problematic topics here on Earth, but on the moon, no worries. An LGBTQ+ art piece has landed on the moon during a recent launch of two unmanned space missions carrying messages to “promote advocacy” in space. Aerospace firms Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines partnered with Interstellar Foundation and Space Pride to launch the two missions: Blue Ghost Mission 1 and IM-2 Mission. The missions contained a “milestone” Nanofiche disk with artwork etched on the surface, according to Pink News. The mission also included a digital copy of the art in a “lifeship Pyramid” inside…
Activists unleashed a 200-foot long trans pride flag in Salt Lake City last week after Utah became the first state to ban Pride flags in schools and government buildings. On March 30, thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies flooded the streets outside the state Capitol to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility and to protest the recent legislation. With the approval of Republican governor Spencer Cox, anyone displaying a pride flag outside a school or government facility will be fined up to $500 as of May 7. Cox has previously disagreed with the bill’s rhetoric, according to Pink News, but failed…
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has fired Black queer comedian Amber Ruffin, who was slated to deliver an address at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner this month. Ruffin was removed after the WHCA’s nine-member executive board voted unanimously to do so last week after announcing her as the dinner’s host in February. According to LGBTQ+ Nation, Ruffin said she had refused to follow the WHCA’s instructions in mocking both Republicans and Democrats in her address. Ruffin called the Republican administration “kind of a bunch of murderers” and claimed that criticizing their Democratic opponents “makes [the administration] feel like…
Kirsty Coventry is the new president of the International Olympic Committee, but where doe she stand on trans rights? Coventry is the first woman to head the committee in its history, and after being voted into the spot said “the young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamt of this moment. Glass ceilings have been shattered today.” She competed in her first Olympics in 2000. During her participation in the Games she won Gold in 200-meter backstroke in 2004 and 2008, along with five additional medals from both years, according to Pink…
An advocacy group in Chile released a report recently indicating that 2024 was a “year of regression” for LGBTQ+ rights in the country. The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh)’s 23rd Sexual and Gender Diversity Human Rights report noted that LGBTQ rights are regressing for the first time since Chile became a democracy in 1990. The report indicates that around 23.5 percent of human rights violations against LGBTQ people over the last two decades occurred in 2024, with a total of 2,847 discrimination reports recorded. That’s a 78.7% increase from 2023. The people most affected was the trans community…
A panel of judges for the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals has ruled that gender-affirming care for minors is an essential medical treatment for trans youth, deeming a state ban unconstitutional. The current case was brought by two families of trans youth represented by the ACLU of Ohio after the GOP introduced a bill amendment meant to undermine Obamacare. That amendment was being used to prevent essential healthcare, according to LGBTQ Nation. The ban on gender-affirming care swept through Ohio in January of 2024 after legislators approved a bill that banned hospitals from providing gender-affirming care to minors, and…
New reports reveal that an annual prevention shot for HIV has successfully passed an early safety trial. The drug, lenacapavir, has undergone its first critical testing trial in Phase I with success and is on track to become an effective and convenient preventative measure against HIV, according to The Lancet medical journal. Lenacapavir has been under medical trials for years, and just last year, research from the New England Journal of Medicine indicated that twice-yearly injections of the drug could potentially offer complete protection from HIV. Research provided findings from a randomized trial of more than 5,000 cisgender women in…
Republican lawmakers in West Virginia’s state legislature have passed a terrifying bill allowing health care providers to examine children’s genitals to identify their “biological sex” without parental consent. The bill seeks to confine gender within a binary, defining “sex” based on whether a person produces eggs or sperm, and demanding that gender-segregated spaces such as restrooms and locker rooms be used based on an individual’s sex assigned at birth. The bill would also require transgender students to face examinations at school. The West Virginia House of Delegates approved an amendment from Delegate J.B. Akers to officially allow childrens’ health care…
City councilors in Boston have voted 12-1 to make Boston a sanctuary city for members of the LGBTQ+ community. The designation came after Councilor-at-Large Julia Mejia and District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon called on the city to adopt measures to support transgender people. NBC 10 Boston reported Mejia said Boston wouldn’t back down on Wednesday. “We’re seeing attacks on our trans loved ones, and here on the local level, a lot of folks are feeling helpless.” Breadon, the first openly gay woman elected to the city council, said “many of our neighbors are feeling unsafe and insecure for various reasons,”…
A new law was passed in Hungary this week banning all Pride events. The draconian legislation officially makes holding a public Pride event a criminal offense according to Outright International. The bill, that was pushed through hastily thanks to an initiative from nationalist-populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, imposes crackdowns on civil rights throughout the country leading up to the 2026 general elections. It passed with a wide margin, with 136 votes in favor and only 27 against. The bill is aligned with Orbán’s rhetoric surrounding LGBTQ+ rights, i.e. that they are a threat to society, namely minors. The new law…
Art lovers visiting L.A. should mark their calendars to see The Broad art museum’s exhibition “Jeffrey Gibson: The Space In Which To Place Me” May 10 through Sept. 28, 2025. Gibson is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Cherokee by descent and he received a B.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in painting, and a masters from the Royal College of Art in London. His career’s work has centered around indigenous and LGBTQ+ experiences. This is Jeffrey Gibson’s first solo museum presentation in Southern California and will include over thirty artworks exploring…
MSNBC is doing a talent revamp to include two out gay Black men on “The Weekend,” a historic win for Black LGBTQ+ representation. “The Weekend” will be hosted by MSNBC vet Jonathan Capehart and senior Washington correspondent Eugene Daniels, who will join new Washington correspondent Jackie Alemany for a three-person panel show, according to LGBTQ Nation. Capehart and Daniels are the first two Black gay men to host a news program together under a major network. The three hosts make a highly qualified united front. Capehart is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor for the Washington Post, and current…
Following Trump’s executive order to ban transgender people from the military, the Pentagon is now saying that it will draft and submit a procedure to identify trans service members and begin discharging them. Trump introduced a similar policy in 2017 during his first presidential term, which banned the military from accepting trans enlistees, according to The Washington Blade. But the current directive takes his previous actions a step further, removing personnel unless they are granted a special waiver. When issuing his initial ban, Trump said being trans fundamentally “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle,…