Blythe del Kuzio

A new Gallup poll found that support for same-sex couples having the right to marry has dropped over the past two years among Republicans, with only a minority of GOP voters supporting marriage equality now when a majority of the GOP supported it in 2022. This may be a result of the mass anti-trans and “groomer” panic over the past several years. In 2021 and 2022, Gallup found that 55% of Republicans supported marriage equality. In 2023, the number dropped to 49%, and this year, in data that has just been released , Gallup found that only 46% of Republicans support marriage equality. Related 7.6% of adults in the U.S. now identify as LGBTQ+ according to poll According to Gallup, demographic trends indicate that LGBTQ+ people could account for more than 10% of U.S. adults in the next three years. 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 toda

Yulia Alyoshina, a transgender Russian politician, announced last month that they were detransitioning. In an interview published on Thursday with Novaya Gazeta Baltiya , they revealed that they were forced to undergo this detransition due to threats of being sent to a psychiatric hospital. Alyoshina, who will be referred to with they/them pronouns as it is not currently clear what English pronouns they currently prefer, had sought help from the Russian Supreme Court asking whether they had a right to exist as a transgender person. The court responded by saying it “doesn’t make decisions.” Related Russian bar employees arrested for promoting LGBTQ+ “extremism” Drag performers were stripped as their outfits were confiscated by authorities. “I made posts on my Telegram channel in May and June because of this stress,” Alyoshina said. “I’ve been under severe stress since winter.” Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ

Earlier today, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear a case about a ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors in Tennessee. The case, United States v. Skrmetti , concerns three families affected by Tennessee’s 2023 gender-affirming care ban, S.B. 1 . The bill restricts all gender-affirming care for transgender minors, imposing civil penalties on doctors who don’t follow it. The Supreme Court will decide on this case in the fall during the presidential election. Related Supreme Court allows Idaho’s gender-affirming care ban to go into effect The decision may spell bad news for trans children and their doctors. This case, depending on how the Supreme Court rules, will determine the fate of gender-affirming care bans in states across the country, with the potential to affect other transgender rights issues. 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

A university student from the Philippines called out Pope Francis for his repeated use of an offensive term referring to gay priests. Lorenz Acebedo, a student studying psychology at a university in Manila, used his prepared remarks at a virtual meeting with the pontiff to condemn his use of the Roman Italian word “frociaggine,” which translates loosely to “fag**try” in English. Related Pope Francis uses anti-gay f-slur while refusing to let gay men join the priesthood This is the second time in a few weeks he has used the anti-gay slur. “Stop using offensive language against the LGBTQIA+ community,” Acebedo told the Pope on Thursday. “This leads to immense pain.” 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 The psychology student used his time at the video conference “ Building Bridges Across Asia Pacific: A Synodal Encounter with Pope Francis and Univers

Three drag stars — including two past competitors of RuPaul’s Drag Race — are going to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to lobby House lawmakers about increasing protections for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when homophobia and transphobia are rampant. Jiggly Caliente and Joey Jay — who appeared on past seasons of Drag Race — and Austin, Texas-based drag activist Brigitte Bandit are visiting the Capitol as a part of Drag Lobby Day, an event organized by MoveOn Political Action. Related Gay lawmaker Noah Arbit is fighting for hate crimes protections in Michigan He talked to us about his work to pass a hate crimes bill, Michigan’s badass women, and his love of cerulean. Caliente, Bandit, and Jay will focus on meeting with “lawmakers of vulnerable, battleground Republican districts — especially those with a high population of LGBTQ+ residents,” said Britt Jacovich, MoveOn’s press secretary. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your communit

Earlier this month,  former President Donald Trump held his first campaign rally as a convicted felon at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona,  hosted  by the arch-conservative student group Turning Point USA. This wasn’t Trump’s first appearance at Dream City Church; he also  held  a rally there with Turning Point USA in 2020. For events like this, it’s an ideal venue: A weekly attendance of around 21,000 believers makes this one of the  largest  churches not just in Arizona but in the nation. Dream City, which didn’t respond to my questions for this story, is a mecca for special guests who blur the line between religion and politics. Its annual conference has featured notables like musician and pastor Sean Feucht, who  participated  in a White House prayer session for President Trump in 2019 and is currently leading a  tour  of prayer rallies at state capitol buildings across the country. The lineup for this year’s event also included David Barton, whose organization,  WallBuilder

Matthew Cortland, the owner of the international bar chain The Cauldron, says that his job as the co-founder and owner of the witch and wizard-themed pubs is to “to make our wizard-themed venues as inclusive as possible for all people.” Cortland was put to the test recently when a transphobic customer left a review raging against their host, saying that the host “forced his pronouns on us and ruined the entire experience.” Related How a gay fraudster charmed British royalty with fake historic tours & adult play parties Dennis Severs’s home was the site of legendary activity ranging from bizarre to downright steamy. Now it’s open to the public. The reviewer said, “He was the worst man I’ve ever met, from his Adam’s apple to his tiny bulge.” Be informed, be inspired Sign up for our newsletter for your dose of LGBTQ+ news, covering all facets of our community. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “Couldn’t even choose your own drink,” the reviewer added. Cortland deleted t

Matt Bomer, a 46-year-old gay heartthrob, is set to star in a “ Golden Girls -like” sitcom and oh my god, I’m literally having some sort of mental and emotional breakdown right now. According to Variety , the 46-year-old dreamboat will star opposite famous gay actor Nathan Lane and ally Linda Lavin in Mid-Century Modern , a multi-cam series from gay executive producer Ryan Murphy and Will & Grace creator David Kohan. The show will stream on Hulu. Related Actor Matt Bomer lost the role of Superman after he was outted as gay “That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you.” A press release from the streaming service describes the show thus: “The series follows three best friends — gay gentlemen of a certain age – who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs where the wealthiest one lives with his mother and a naked Gen Z housekeeper.” Dive deeper every day Join our

Little Gay Pub, a much-loved and much-posted-about gay club in Washington D.C., is expanding to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the owners — longtime D.C. bartenders Dito Sevilla, Dusty Martinez, and Benjamin Gander — have announced. Sevilla told The Advocate that the co-owners were thrilled about the move, saying, “We love Philly! We are so excited to have the opportunity to bring our unique brand of not-so-Little Gay Pub, offering a quirky, campy, glamorously gay hospitality experience to an incredibly historic and LGBTQ-friendly city like Philadelphia.” Related Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” is nothing short of revolutionary for queer South Asian representation With unapologetic audacity, Patel champions the visibility of queer and trans characters, ushering them from the margins to the forefront. The Philadelphia location will be at the corner of 13th and Drury Street, near the historic McGillin’s Olde Ale House. It is slotted to open sometime next year, as early as late December but

While serving as features editor between 1980 and 1981 for the Boston-based Gay Community News – a progressive national publication – I received a telephone call from Margaret Lazarus, co-director of Cambridge Documentary Films, Inc. located across the Charles River. She explained to me that she and her husband, co-director Renner Wunderlich, had been making documentary films on several topics for classroom use. They were now very much interested in producing a film about homophobia. She asked whether I would like to join a production team and whether I knew others who were knowledgeable and interested in such a project. Related Gaza Strip & the West Bank are now part of the horrific history of concentration camps We must not be the abused child who grows into a child abuser. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today And that was the beginning of a nearly two-year p

LGBTQ+ American Idol alums are speaking out about the way they were treated by the reality TV singing competition and its fans from the show’s early 2000s heyday. In a recent Rolling Stone article based on interviews with 18 former contestants who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, several suggested that the show set them up for ridicule because of their perceived sexual identity and gender expression. Some even cited instances of what they felt was veiled anti-LGBTQ+ bullying. Related Trans ‘American Idol’ contestant blows judges away & gets standing ovation from Katy Perry Her emotional rendition of Sara Bareilles’ ballad “She Used To Be Mine” was inspired by her experience coming out. Zachary Travis, who was 16 when he auditioned for Idol in 2005, explained that judge Simon Cowell’s sneering reaction to his androgynous appearance, the show’s use of music from The Crying Game over his exit when the episode aired in 2006, and the reaction from the show’s fans to his