Though a majority of the U.S.’s most popular Pride celebrations took place in June, the fun continues both domestically and abroad. If you’re still looking to celebrate Pride this year, head to sunny California to attend Pride in San Diego on July 20-21, or pack your bags for Silicon Valley Pride August 24-25. Also yet to occur is the ever-colorful New Orleans Pride, which is set for August 29 – September 2. In Phoenix, Arizona, Pride is on October 19th and 20th. Fun also awaits across the pond in Europe with Amsterdam Pride, slated for July 27 through August 4.…
Author: Lauren Mulvey
Elon Musk has offered a general “amnesty” to hate groups who were formerly banned. This follows his decision to restore Donald Trump’s account which was banned last year, and Kanye West’s account which was restricted last month. To gage whether he should reinstate further banned members, Musk posted a poll to his account which received 72.4 percent in favor of amnesty. Imran Ahmed, CEO of campaign group the Center for Countering Digital Hate said to the Guardian “Superspreaders of hate, abuse and harassment will be the only people to benefit from this latest decision by Twitter.” Musk has received ample…
Countless countries, cities, and businesses have become famous for their appearances in film and television, with millions of viewers packing their bags to visit various locations around the world. When George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones became a viral HBO television series, tourists started flocking to filming locations in Croatia, Spain, Malta, Ireland and more, to see where all the drama went down. Croatia’s Dubrovnik, and many other cities, feature popular Game of Thrones walking tours that take you to various iconic filming locations. Hotels and resorts have made many special appearances in many films and on TV. In Italy,…
Lake Worth Beach has become Florida’s first sanctuary city for the LGBTQ+ community. Last night, the Commission of Lake Worth Beach declared itself a sanctuary and safe space that is dedicated to protecting the healthcare, education and lives of the queer community. Mayor Betty Resch told CBS News, “Lake Worth Beach is a vibrant and diverse city with a proud history of embracing the gay community. Today we continue that tradition by ensuring our city remains a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people.” CBS also indicated a similar proposal has been made in Tallahassee, Florida. Lake Worth Beach and the greater…
Gay Wine Weekend, hosted by Out in the Vineyard, returns in July, 2024 for another year in California’s sunny Sonoma County. This exclusive event invites the LGBTQ+ community around the country to celebrate three days of fun in wine country. Last year, Gay Wine Weekend officially relocated to the Russian River Valley/Healdsburg Region of Sonoma County to take advantage of a wealth of new venues, restaurants, and wineries. “It was a huge success and so much fun to introduce guests of Gay Wine Weekend to this part of Sonoma Wine Country,” said Out in the Vineyard owner Gary Saperstein. The…
Following an extreme alt-right backlash in 2023, Target has announced it is limiting Pride month merchandise, which will now only appear in select stores. In a recent press release, the mass retailer announced it would be limiting the number of stores where customers can purchase Pride merchandise this year. In addition, stores who are including LGBTQ+ merchandise will not have Pride apparel for children this year. Despite citing “historical sales performance” as their primary reason for discontinuing the sale of Pride merch, it seems uncanny that these actions follow a boycott of Pride products in 2023, when alt right groups…
Washington state has mandated that public schools begin teaching LGBTQ+ history. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington signed a new law last week that will ensure the state’s public schools introduce new curriculum detailing LGBTQ+ history by 2025 In signing this bill into law, Washington joins six other progressive states which have already implemented similar mandates for public schools. These states include: California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Illinois and New Jersey, according to LGBTQ+ think tank, Movement Advancement Project. The new law seeks to encourage feelings of safety and acceptance at school for students of all races, gender and sexual identities. NBC affiliate…
A recent study from the Cultural Currents Institute found that Google searches for questions surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity have surged over the past 20 years. Searches for questions like “Am I lesbian?” and “Am I gay?” have increased by up to 1300%. Other common searches include “Am I trans?” and “How to come out.” The Cultural Currents Institute, an organization studying trends in public opinion, collected Google Trends data between January 2004 and present day across all 50 states to render its findings. Data by state found that Utah ranks highest for the most number of questions like…
After Georgia’s president Salome Zourabichvili refused to sign anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently the parliament signed it into law anyway. According to LGBTQ Nation, Georgia’s Georgian Dream party modeled the legislation after Russia’s recent vehemently hateful anti-LGBTQ+ laws. The new laws imposes “draconian curbs on LGBTQ+ rights and provides a legal basis for Georgian authorities to outlaw Pride events, the rainbow flag, and public displays of affection, and also to impose censorship of film and books.” Furthermore, the law also re-certifies the existing ban on same-sex marriage attained abroad and gender-affirming surgeries, bans LGBTQ+ people from adopting or changing their gender on…
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has released their official 2024 Social Media Safety Index. The index, one of the leading reports on anti-LGBTQ online hate and discrimination, is intended to increase safety for LGBTQ+ people according to the report’s official release. “As we have seen over and over again, there is a direct line from dangerous online rhetoric and targeting to violent offline behavior against the LGBTQ community,” according to GLAAD. The report analyzes various popular social media platforms based on user safety, and rates them accordingly. These Platform Scorecard ratings provide an overview of “the current…
Keir Starmer became the newest prime minister of the U.K. after a recent general election that brought the social democratic Labour party into prominence. But where does Starmer stand on LGBTQ+ rights? The U.K. has received a lot of flack recently for being one of the worst places for LGBTQ+, particularly trans people, to live. After the election, the Labour party officially holds 411 of 650 seats in the House of Commons. This means Starmer and the Labour party are taking their place as the majority in the U.K. for the first time in 14 years, but what does this…
The Paris 2024 Olympics are quickly approaching and we’re taking a moment to appreciate the LGBTQ+ athletes taking part in this year’s games. Some of the most famous LGBTQ+ athletes competing in this year’s games include the fastest woman in the world, Sha’Carri Richardson, a 23 year old American track and field sprinter who identifies as bisexual. Last summer, she won the world championship 100-meter title. In the Summer Games, she will represent Team USA. Emma Twigg and Robbie Manson representing New Zealand, who both identify as gay, will be competing in rowing. Manson, who represents New Zealand, qualified for…
October has begun and so has Subaru of America’s annual initiative to help shelter pets find homes with the return of Subaru Loves Pets month. For the month of October, 600 local Subaru dealerships pledge to donate $100 for every pet adopted from their partnered local animal shelters; donations are capped at $3,100 for each participating dealership. They will also donate $20 to the ASPCA for select purchases of Subaru Pet-Friendly Accessories. The ASPCA has found that nearly 6.3 million pets enter shelters nationwide annually, and each year approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized. This month you could help one…
A win for trans youth in California and around the country comes after a state judge ruled that Chino Valley Unified School District must comply with the state law that protects trans youth from being forcefully outed in schools. In the court’s 50-page ruling, San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael Sachs determined Chino Valley’s policies were “discriminatory” based on prior case law. “The District could have adopted a policy which focused on the existing problems (bullying, mental health, psychological distress, any drastic behavior changes, etc.) instead of focusing on the protected group,” the ruling reads. According to LGBTQ Nation, earlier this…
The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that people living with HIV will be now allowed to receive kidney and liver transplants from other people living with HIV. The new rule will take effect immediately. Life-saving organ transplants for people with HIV were prohibited for years up until this point for fears of transmission. The decision follows a recent study from “The New England Journal of Medicine,” which discovered that kidney transplants between people with HIV had “similar high rates of overall survival and low rates of organ rejection,” as transplants between HIV-negative people, according to the Associated Press. …
There are many Black historical figures who help changed the social and the political landscape in the U.S., and many new people today working to do the same. In February, we honor the legacy of Black lives in America, and one of the most influential Black queer figures in the literary and social justice realm was James Baldwin. Today, he continues to be one of the most revered literary talents of the 20th century. In 1924, Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York where he was raised by a single mother, who later married a man called David Baldwin. Throughout…
After receiving backlash for his historical decision to let the Catholic church bless same-sex marriages, Pope Francis is denouncing the “hypocrisy” of his critics. Throughout the final months of 2023, the church was taking small strides to becoming more inclusive, and in December. Pope Francis officially approved the informal blessings of same-sex marriages within the church. A rush of backlash from conservative parishes around the world followed the decision. Despite this, Pope Francis maintains that he made the right choice, and “warned those who disagree with it that their ‘hypocrisy’ is showing,” according to Pink News. In an interview with Italian…
LGBTQ+ crisis hotlines have seen a significant increase in calls following Trump’s win in the presidential election. As the country prepares for four years with Donald Trump pushing the racist, transphobic, and misogynistic Project 2025 agenda, many LGBTQ+ youth are scared for what the future holds. The LGBTQ+ community is undoubtedly fearful, The Trevor Project, a youth LGBTQ+ suicide prevention intervention organization, reported a 125% increase in calls and messages on election day and the day following. According to Pink News, Rainbow Youth Project’s executive director Lance Preston said calls received to their organization were based in the “Fear that…
Drag icon RuPaul announced his new partnership with a bookstore called Allstora to send a Rainbow Book Bus around the country to provide young readers with banned books. Other figures behind the Rainbow Book Bus include actor and drag performer Adam Powell, and Eric Cervini, author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated history book The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America, according to LGBTQ Nation. Cervini and Powell are partners and both can be found sharing the book bus’ tour throughout the country on their Instagram pages. Books featuring topics and themes of sexuality, identity, race, and social…
This year, thousands of people gathered in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, for the largest Pride parade the city has seen. The celebrations ensued peacefully with the protection of a heavy police presence, according to Washington Blade. In previous years, the parade had been canceled after violent anti-LGBTQ+ protestors threatened the safety of those in attendance. Those who marched urged the Serbian government to pass new laws to protect LGBTQ+ rights and to also move forward on a “long-promised” same-sex partnership law. The Pride parade journeyed past the Serbian parliament building where a rally was led by parade organizers who read their list…
Seeing Bishop Mariann Budde standing up to Donald Trump and his cronies at a church service held in his honor was a much needed reprieve from all the conservative malarky since the presidential inauguration. Bishop Mariann Budde made headlines and went viral all over the internet last week after giving a critical and necessary inaugural sermon addressing Donald Trump’s bigotry head on. During her sermon, Budde said “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic,…
Three teenagers who attended a recent Ron DeSantis campaign event were escorted out and attacked by his supporters after displaying a rainbow flag. Ron DeSantis is infamous for passing legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community including the “Don’t Say Gay” law which prevents young people from being educated on identities within the LGBTQ+ community. Since announcing his run for president in May, DeSantis has been considered Donald Trump’s biggest competitor in the 2024 presidential election. The event took place at the Phillip T. Glennon Community Center in Tega Cay South Carolina. The protestors being abused have been identified as 19 year…
Conservative lawmakers around the USA are focusing much of their energy on restricting the rights of the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities. These politicians have been trying to subvert these communities with disruptions of the culture surrounding them. One of their primary takedown methods? Banning famous books. There are many books new and old which discuss LGBTQ+ topics, and conservatives are making attempts to ban incredible literary classics, along with new educational commentary. But this is no new tactic. Conservative parents have long been complaining to schools about their children reading books with even a mention of sexuality, race or…
In the midst of an epidemic of anti-LGBTQ censorship laws around the country, Minnesota turns the page by passing a law prohibiting libraries from banning books. Recently, Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill into law banning K-12 schools, colleges and public libraries from complying with removal requests “based solely on the viewpoint, content, message, idea or opinion conveyed,” according to Them. Walz spoke of his decision to sign the bill in a post on X: “Censorship has no place in our libraries. As a former teacher, I’m clear: We need to remember our history, not erase it.” Versions of the…
A top court in Japan has ruled that mandatory sterilization of people seeking to change their gender is unconstitutional. The court decision follows reports from several international human rights organizations that the requirement was discriminatory and infringed upon human rights. These organizations included the United Nations and Association for Transgender Health. Prior to the court decision, Japanese law required that those seeking to transition must present a diagnosis of gender dysphoria and meet five core requirements, including: being at least 18 years of age, not being married, not having underage children, having genital organs that resemble those of the opposite…
Studies have shown lesbian women make around 9% more than straight women. And in the U.S. the disparity is even larger at 20%. This phenomenon was broken down in a viral TikTok from creator Aria Velz who analyzed multiple studies to try and find the answer. Velz points out that lesbians are oftentimes more educated than straight women, but they are also less likely to “have children, live more predominantly in cities, and have more professional jobs.” However, Velz goes on to explain that even when those factors are controlled, lesbians are still earning more than straight women. Her explanation?…
SafeHome, the expert research source on home security and safety, has released their third annual LGBTQ+ state safety report cards, rating states based on how they protect their queer communities. The new report, published on May 29, rendered results that may not surprise you. SafeHome reported that at the end of 2023, 75 of 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the country became laws. In 2022, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ Americans reached a five-year high. SafeHome’s new scoring system takes into account legislative analysis and hate crime data sourced from the FBI. Apart from this information, the ranking is also based…
The Supreme Court is gearing up to hear a landmark case on transgender healthcare, an issue that has swept the nation, threatening the well-being of the trans community at large. The case, U.S. v Skrmetti, will follow up on a legal challenge to ban gender-affirming care in Tennessee. Tennessee lawmakers approved the care ban last year. The ban threatens civil penalties for any adult who aids a minor in receiving out-of-state gender-affirming care without parental consent. Similar laws or policies are in effect in 26 states throughout the country, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Pink New reports that the…
What teams are you cheering on at The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris? According to OutSports, at least 155 out athletes from 25 countries around the world are competing in many categories, including basketball, field hockey, gymnastics, tennis, volleyball, and more. Big names competing this year include track star Sha’Carri Richardson, trans nonbinary runner Nikki Hiltz, and British diver Tom Daley. Hiltz made history as she qualified for the games this year, finishing in record time for a 1500m race in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials. “I wanted to run this one for my community,” they told OutSports. “All…
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…