Blythe del Kuzio

Forget New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and every other every other well-documented LGBTQ+ enclave. According to Spotify Wrapped, the U.S. cities with the queerest musical taste are Berkeley, Burlington, and Cambridge. This week, the music streaming platform launched the 2023 edition of its annual viral marketing campaign. It tallies up data on users’ listening habits for the previous year and repackages it all in flashy, social media-ready graphics. And a new feature introduced this year is getting a lot of attention. Related: Mary Trump pulls podcast from Spotify due to Joe Rogan’s COVID misinformation Donald Trump’s lesbian niece said that she hopes she “will be part of a growing avalanche.” “Sound Town” shows users a city in which other people supposedly share their taste in music, and according to The New York Times , listeners have been “baffled and entertained” by the seemingly random cities they’ve been assigned. Get the Daily Brief The news you care ab...

Apparently annoyed that a U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral disagreed with his unlikely theory that drag shows are scaring people away from joining the military, Freedom Caucus member Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) questioned whether the vice admiral has even served in the military as long as he said he has. The bizarre exchange occurred yesterday in a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing that was ostensibly about “How U.S. Arctic Strategy impacts homeland security.” Crane brought up what he called “recruiting issues in the Coast Guard” when questioning U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Peter W. Gautier. Related: Chairman of Joint Chiefs blisters Matt Gaetz over “woke” military accusations Gaetz, who railed against trans people in the military and critical race theory, was left gaping and shaking his head. “Why do you think you’re, across the military, having so many recruiting issues?” Crane asked. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about...

Musician Elton John recently has challenged Britain to be the first country in the world to fully eradicate HIV – and to do it by 2030. John recently addressed Parliament while being honored for his work in fighting HIV and AIDS through the Elton John AIDS Foundation. “Whoever wins the next general election can help us end AIDS worldwide by 2030, starting right here at home,” he said, praising the fact that new HIV diagnoses in the country are down 46% from their 2015 peak. Related: Elton John launches unusual product collab to fight AIDS Elton John and toast spread. What a delicious combo. “We can be the first country in the world to defeat this awful virus. Let’s do it… I want to be back here in 2030 with all of you here and say, ‘You did it, we did it.’ Great Britain led the way in ending this disease.” Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter He emphasized that whoever wins the ne...

Kirk Cousins, starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, recently appeared in a broadcast touting his support for the rapidly anti-LGBTQ+ organization Focus on the Family (FOTF). In the 34-minute video , Cousins engages in conversation with the organization’s chief operating officer, Ken Windebank, in front of a live audience. Related: Extremist Christians force library to remove LGBTQ+ books to keep its doors open They searched the library’s catalog for words like “gay” and “transgender” to ban books. Cousins spoke at length about his devotion to Jesus and scripture. “You have to trust God’s plan for your life, and you have to believe He has a plan,” he declared. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter He also said, “There are consequences to the choices you make in life. Good or bad. And if you sow good things you’ll reap good things. But if you sow poor decisions, you’ll reap...

“I don’t want to run away from the only place that truly felt like home because it hasn’t gotten as perfect as I imagined it could be,” says Chasten Buttigieg. The author, speaker, advocate, and husband of U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg , is talking to me about Traverse City, Michigan. Last year, the Buttigieges bought a house in the town known for Sleeping Bear Dunes and cherry farms on Lake Michigan’s northeast corner, adding one more gay couple and a pair of adopted twins to the population of 15,702. In May of this year, Buttigieg released a young adult edition of his 2020 memoir I Have Something to Tell You . With an increase in book bans targeting LGBTQ+ authors and other marginalized communities, particularly those writing stories for queer youth, the age-appropriate adaptation offers a compelling case for unconditional love and the ramifications of when that support comes with strings attached.  Chasten Buttigieg poses with his book, “I Have Somethi...

Nepal has registered its first same-sex marriage after years of legal wrangling. It is the first South Asian country to recognize a same-sex marriage. Maya Gurung, a transgender woman, and Surendra Pandey, a gay man, were wed in 1997 in a traditional Hindu ceremony but were unable to have their marriage recognized by the government. Under Nepalese law, transgender women are unable to change their gender. Related: Here are the craziest theories ‘experts’ have to explain why some people are LGBTQ From sperm-eating anal worms to poor nutrition, here are the most ridiculous reasons religious people use to explain why some people are LGBTQ. The country’s constitution, adopted in 2015, forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter In 2007, the country’s Supreme Court ordered the government to form a committee to prepare a law legalizing same-s...

A high school principal and four top staff members have been reassigned to “non-school sites” as investigators look for evidence they violated a Florida state law barring “improper student participation in sports.” According to sources at Monarch High School in Broward County, the student in question is a female athlete who has transitioned or is in the process of transitioning while being allowed to play on the girls’ volleyball team. Related: Anti-trans school sues state for religious discrimination after it forfeited basketball game The Christian school says it has a religious right to refuse to play against trans people. A Broward County Public Schools Special Investigative Unit is looking into allegations that school officials allowed the student — who was not assigned as female at birth — to play with other females on the team. The officials who allegedly colluded to allow the student’s participation include principal, James Cecil; Assistant Principal Kenneth May...

Nonbinary icon Janelle Monáe inspired an awards show to de-gender one of its categories. At the 2023 Soul Train Awards, Monáe was awarded the “Spirit of Soul” award, which was formerly called the “Lady of Soul” award. “For the first time ever, the award show renames its iconic ‘Lady of Soul’ category to honor the diversity and inclusivity of this year’s recipient,” stated a press release. “They are a force to be reckoned with in the worlds of music, film, fashion, and advocacy. A champion for the LGBTQIA+ community and advocate for mental health awareness, Janelle Monáe defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries with their chart-topping music and captivating on-screen roles.” Related: Janelle Monáe’s “Lipstick Lover” is a groundbreaking celebration of Black queer joy “Lipstick Lover” is a reminder that it is possible to be unapologetically Black, creative, sensual, and proud of who you are during every stage of life. In their acceptance speech, Monáe said their...

The far-right and viciously anti-trans Daily Wire has announced its first feature-length comedy film written to mock trans women and girls who are fighting for the right to participate in sports as their gender. A trailer for the film entitled Lady Ballers depicts a group of cisgender men deciding to pretend to be trans women and join a women’s basketball league as one team with the intent of dominating the sport. Related: Anti-trans school sues state for religious discrimination after it forfeited basketball game The Christian school says it has a religious right to refuse to play against trans people. The trailer calls the film the “most triggering comedy of the year,” a derisive reference to the right-wing narrative that progressives are “snowflakes” who are easily triggered. This is ironic, considering that the people at The Daily Wire were so triggered by the existence of trans people that they made an entire movie about something that has never happened. Get...

A new Doctor Who special premiered over the weekend that has transgender fans cheering and anti-trans trolls going berserk. “The Star Beast,” the first of three episodes celebrating the long-running British sci-fi series’ 60th anniversary, debuted on BBC One in the U.K. Saturday and is currently streaming on Disney+ in the U.S. Written by out showrunner Russell T. Davies (creator of the original Queer as Folk ), the episode features the return of David Tennant to the show’s title role, along with the introduction of Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney’s Rose Noble, the trans daughter of Tennant’s character’s former companion Donna (Catherine Tate). Related: Jinkx Monsoon to play a “major role” in new ‘Doctor Who’ The high-profile sci-fi role follows her sell-out Broadway run in the musical “Chicago.” The episode also put themes of gender identity front and center, with multiple conversations about pronouns and gender, and Finney’s character playing a crucial role. Get...