Blythe del Kuzio

Florida governor and failed Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis shocked Floridians earlier this month when he vetoed over $32 million in arts funding from the state’s budget. On Thursday, he offered an explanation for the decision, citing what he characterized as “sexual” arts festivals. “You have your tax dollars being given in grants to things like the Fringe Festival, which is like a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff,” DeSantis said during a Thursday press conference, according to the Tampa Bay Times . Related Federal judge overturns Florida’s gender-affirming care ban in historic victory for trans rights Judge Robert Hinkle overturned a ban that’s driven thousands of families out of the state “It’s like, how many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that?” DeSantis added. “Not very many people would do that.” Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscri...

Last year,  despite minding other people’s business online, I didn’t know what a “trad wife” was. Now it seems like every time I log in to Instagram or TikTok, there is another video of a beautiful woman cleaning her home or making an extraordinarily long and needlessly difficult meal. These trad wives, short for traditional wives, are women who post online content showing themselves adhering to patriarchal gender roles while keeping house and raising children—and making it look easy. Take Nara Smith, a model and mother of three who’s married to Mormon actor and model Lucky Blue Smith. Nara, who’s biracial and opaque about her politics and religion, doesn’t claim to be a trad wife, but the signs are there. Through mellow voice-overs, she walks us through cooking barbecue chicken pizza or pasta from scratch in full makeup, jewelry, and evening wear. No powder, liquid, or sauce ever touches the hem of her sleeve or splashes her face. Her kitchen is spotless and grand. There is not ...

Transgender legislation trackers have universally noted that 2024 has seen the most radical increase in the total number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. However, this year has also seen fewer anti-LGBTQ+ bills actually pass into law. The Trans Legislation Tracker reports that 617 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been in consideration this year across 43 states, with 225 having failed and 348 active. However, only 44 total bills are reported to have been enacted into law. Related New far-right “vision board” outlaws trans people & jails people who spread “trans ideology” The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is being called a laughable “authoritarian fantasy”. The American Civil Liberties Union reports similar data—they say that 517 bills have been introduced, 340 defeated, and 39 passed into law. Journalist Erin Reed’s legislation tracker reports 760 total bills in consideration, with 565 failing and only 53 brought into law. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and ...

Doctor Who star and long-time LGBTQ+ ally David Tennant has been at the center of controversy in the U.K. for the past week over comments he made about an anti-trans politician. Last Friday, June 21, the actor won the “Celebrity Ally” award at the 2024 British LGBT Awards. During his acceptance speech, Tennant specifically called out Kemi Badenoch, a rising star of the U.K.’s conservative Tory party who serves as the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and a Minister for Women and Equalities. Related Sam Smith speaks out for trans people as UK government increases attacks Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was the latest politician to attack trans people, saying they don’t exist. “If I’m honest I’m a little depressed by the fact that acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and live their life how they want to live it as long as they’re not hurting anyone else should merit any kind of special award or special mention. Because it’s common sense, isn’t i...

Although HIV transmission rates have declined from 201 to 2022, one demographic is seeing a rising share in new HIV infections: young Latino men, the Associated Press reported. Young Latino men are the most at risk for HIV infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This demographic recently accounted for nearly 33% of new HIV infections even though they only make up 19% of the United States population. Related These 5 statistics show the changing face of the Hispanic LGBTQ+ experience Nearly 1 in 5 young Hispanic adults identify as LGBTQ+. And that’s not all… African-American men still have the highest rate of new infections from HIV. However, Latino gay and bisexual men accounted for the largest amount of new HIV cases in 2022. Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina have the highest rates of these new diagnoses. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by su...

A transgender woman in Minnesota was found dead, wrapped in a bloody blanket in the backseat of a car, police say. Liara Tsai’s body was discovered after the car’s driver, Margot Lewis, got into a car accident following a long, high-speed drive that caused distinctive tire marks. When police discovered the accident, they noted Tsai’s body wrapped in a blanket and a mattress. Related Bi teen almost beaten to death by thugs shouting slurs at him The victim woke up in the ICU with a brain bleed, a broken nose, and multiple fractures. “In checking to see if anyone else was in the vehicle, a deceased individual, a 35-year-old female, was located in the back seat. The condition of the deceased was suspicious, and it was immediately apparent that the death was not a result of the motor vehicle accident,” police said in a Facebook statement . Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsle...

If you’ve ever driven into Hollywood south on the 101 freeway, following signs for the Hollywood Bowl and Highland Avenue, then you were met with the sight on your right of the iconic Gothic bell tower at the Hollywood United Methodist Church . Dedicated in 1930, as Hollywood boomed and Los Angeles stretched west to the Pacific, the church has been “a sanctuary of hope” since the first congregants started to organize in 1909. That tradition famously took the form of two enormous red ribbons hung on the bell tower in the 1990s. “Our church has been proud supporters of our LGBTQIA+ family for decades,” Associate Pastor Devon Jones tells LGBTQ Nation . “Especially back in the early 1990s during the AIDS crisis, when people were being turned away from family and friends.” Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today In response, “We put two huge red AIDS ribbons on our bell tower, l...

The California Assembly on Thursday voted by a wide margin to pass legislation protecting students in the state from forced outing. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is expected to sign the bill into law. AB 1955, known as the SAFETY Act, strengthens existing California law prohibiting school districts from enacting any policy requiring staff to disclose information about a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to anyone without the student’s consent. Related This school district is going to start outing trans kids even after the state told them not to One district board member said there’s a good reason that trans students trust their teachers more than their parents. The bill cleared the Assembly by a vote of 60-15, after passage by the Senate. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “Forced outing policies remov...

Former high school dropout and teen mom Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is proudly proclaiming her ongoing opposition to comprehensive sex education for children in her home state. Last year, she became a 36-year-old grandmother after the underage girlfriend of her 17-year-old son gave birth to his child. “I have been known in this state for several years now, even before I ran for office, because I was advocating for our children in schools to get comprehensive sex ed out of our schools,” Boebert recently told Steve Bannon, former advisor to former President Donald Trump, on the right-wing media outlet Real America’s Voice . Related Lauren Boebert could stay in Congress for years to come after winning GOP primary Her gamble in switching districts may have paid off. Unlike abstinence-only sex education, which tells adolescents not to have sex, comprehensive sex education offers an ongoing, age-appropriate curriculum that teaches young people about protecting their overall sexual wel...

Russia’s LGBTQ+ community is using Telegram as a means to find one another in the midst of intense state persecution, WIRED reports. “Telegram is now an empowerment tool for Russian LGBTQ+ people,” Activist TImofey Sozaev says. “It gives them the opportunity to feel and see that they are not alone. This breaks down isolation and restores people’s belief in their strengths.” Related Russian trans politician forced to detransition or get sent to psychiatric hospital They asked the Russian Supreme Court if they had a right to exist and they responded that they “don’t make decisions.” Roughly half of the country’s population uses the app, and by virtue of the encryption built within, many in the LGBTQ+ community are able to build up channels for one another. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today This is essential for the community. Crackdowns on sites ...

This week, the Supreme Court took up the Biden administration’s appeal of Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, a sign the conservative Court majority wants to weigh in on an issue fueling the far-right’s anti-LGBTQ+ antipathy. How they rule — with a hands-off libertarian response or a Christian Nationalist-inspired intrusion into personal rights — is a question that won’t be answered until the Court’s next term. Related Supreme Court will hear gender-affirming care ban case. It could change everything for trans rights. A ruling in this case could have wide-ranging effects on legal issues concerning trans people for years to come. In the meantime, a Nashville bakery is bringing the biscuits. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Vegan bake shop Guerilla Bizkits in the Volunteer State is stepping up to help local tra...

In the last seven years, the number of LGBTQ+ elected officials in the United States has increased by nearly 200%, according to a recent report by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Significantly, the report also found that every state and D.C. has at least one openly queer elected official. “LGBTQ people are running in historic numbers right now, and we are winning,” Elliot Imse, the executive director of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, told NBC News . Related Jill Biden celebrates LGBTQ+ victories at White House Pride celebration She warned about “those who want to send our country backwards” The research found that as of this May, there are 1,303 out LGBTQ elected officials. This is a 10% increase from 1,185 officials last year and a 190.8% increase from the 448 out officials in 2017. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today However, the number of trans e...