We’re feeling vindicated by our decision to bring Detroit-based journalist Eleanore Catolico on board as part of a year-long New Voices Fellowship in 2022.
The category includes “Coverage that centers on historically marginalized or undercovered communities through revelatory storytelling.”
In commentary, the judge heaped on praise for Catolico’s vivid long-form writing style.
“Journalists don’t have to be tremendous writers but it definitely helps in the handling and telling of someone’s personal stories and experiences, and Eleanore masters both beautiful prose and intentional storytelling in both pieces,” the judge remarked. “Come on — ‘a chiaroscuro of bodies veiled by shadows?’ That’s narrative excellence, as are both entries as a whole.”
In her New Voices Fellowship application, Catolico, a former Metro Times intern, wrote about being raised by Filipino immigrant parents in a working-class suburb and how she found her voice and her desire to write long-form journalism.
Catolico’s fellowship has ended, but we’re pleased to see her vision and hard work pay off — and excited to see what else she accomplishes in the future!
What does one organization do when pro-censorship advocates and special interest groups spearheading widespread book removals in local-area school districts permeate into public libraries?
It opens its own library.
The Woodlands Pride, a nonprofit pride organization based in The Woodlands, will host its grand opening of The Woodlands Pride Community Library on Friday. Those in attendance can skim through about 300 titles that feature minority and LGBTQ narratives and display stories about different races, religions and cultures.
According to Rachel Walker, engagement specialist and chair of community outreach for The Woodlands Pride, the library will stock books such as Kwame Mbalia’s Black Boy Joy and Martin Pistorius’s Ghost Boy and other texts deemed controversial.
“These books have come from people in the community that have donated,” Walker said. “We’ve had other organizations that help with their own smaller book drives. People have given monetary donations, which we use to purchase brand-new books through Village Books.”
The library will be located in the back room of Village Books, owned by Teresa Kenney. Kenney and Walker discussed possibly creating the library after a Montgomery County Commissioners Court meeting the two attended in late March.
The commissioners took action on a new policy by Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough that would remove librarians from The Montgomery County Memorial Library System’s book reconsideration committee and replace them with five commissioner-appointed residents.
The decision to replace these subject experts with members who were not required to meet any guidelines to be selected to review children’s, adolescent and parenting texts passed on a 3-1 vote. Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley was the sole dissenter.
The Woodlands Pride had been collecting titles from a book drive they launched last summer in response to the rampant book challenges by nearby public school boards — notably Conroe ISD — and increased legislative attacks on LGBTQ youth.
The organization planned to donate these books to Montgomery County’s library system. However, its plans changed after the new policy was approved, and members were concerned that the titles may never make it onto the shelves.
“Afterward, when the vote didn’t go the way we wanted, we went out for coffee and kind of chatted,” Walker said. “We both had the idea that using those books and opening up a library would be a wonderful idea, and she [Kenney] offered her space so kindly.”
Village Books will house the library; however, the library is a separate entity and not tied to Kenney’s business. Those who want to donate books to the community library can purchase titles from a wish list curated by Kenney or contribute financially to The Woodlands Pride. The organization will use these funds to buy books from the store.
“For Village Books, it was important for us to do this to give a voice to those who others are trying to take their voices away. This was one way we could do that,” Kenney said. “Particularly, because if they are being removed from shelves in the libraries or school libraries, not everyone can go out and purchase them, and we recognize that, and they still should be accessible to them. That’s why it was important to us to ensure that all voices are respected, heard and honored.”
Kenney, a staunch anti-censorship and literacy supporter, has also fought back against book bans individually. Her store has a section that features titles removed from school districts locally and nationwide.
The community library will be accessible to the public during Village Books operating hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except for Sunday, when the store opens at noon and closes at 5 p.m.
Walker said that the library will not be staffed until they determine the level of foot traffic it will attract. Instead, visitors can use the mobile app Libib — used by other nonprofits and teachers who catalog their classroom libraries — to check out and return titles.
Walker added that community members who want to donate books they have not purchased from Village Books can contact the media at thewoodlandspride.org to arrange a time for a volunteer to pick up the titles.
“We just hope that we can be a place that elevates the voices that it seems like outside influences are trying to silence,” Walker said.
June is the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, often regarded as the tipping point in the modern gay rights movement and earning its recognition as Pride Month. Houston Press met with members of the LGBTQ community to learn more about their experiences belonging to this group. These are their stories.
At 78 years young, openly gay Houstonian Dennis Beedon has been there, seen that and lived to tell the tale. The septuagenarian has been one of the key behind-the-scenes players with some of the most influential movers and shakers in Houston in an effort to benefit the LGBTQ community as well as Houstonians writ large.
While he may not have been born in Texas, Beedon got here as soon as he could (after growing up in Chicago, serving a stint in the U.S. Army, and living in Puerto Rico and Florida), and he picked up the moniker as the “Mayor of Montrose” amongst his inner circle because of his status in the neighborhood – or “gayborhood,” as he might call it.
How he earned that title is really where the story begins, and living his truth, especially when it comes to his sexuality, has been a tenet that he has never shied away from.
“I was out to everybody, including my family and friends, since I was relatively young, give or take my military career,” he said. “I knew that I was gay during the military because I had a boyfriend when I was in the army, but I never never had any issues with anything LGBTQ during my time. My mind and openness really set in place when I moved to Houston, though, and that is because I lived in Montrose. I was exposed to everything and everybody during that period of time, both positive and negative in the sense of how Montrose was back in 1979 to 1981. I mean, it was pretty decadent.”
Montrose — known nowadays for its eclectic cafes, coffee shops, bars, nightlife, restaurants and the rest — holds a rich history of being a safe haven for Houston’s LGBTQ community when the times were more or less as less pleasant for the queer community. It was also a place where the queer community felt free to live their life proudly, no matter how demure or flashy it might have appeared to outside eyes.
The small in stature but mighty in voice Beedon followed suite. He did not let the fickle finger of popular opinion about the queer community sway him during his new beginnings in Houston. In fact, it’s where he found his passion for community involvement.
That was also shortly before the outbreak of what is now known as HIV/AIDS, which galvanized Beedon’s determination to make a difference. He left his job in the insurance industry and answered the calling to community service.
“I went to work for what was then still being put together, The Assistance Fund, [which consisted of] five gentlemen who were donating $500 a month each into a general fund,” Beedon said. “Because HIV was becoming so widely known as well as the issues created from it, those that were stricken with that illness were being fired from work. These five gentlemen were making $500 donations each month in into a general fund, and then they were paying for the COBRA insurance for those that were fired from their positions because of HIV just to keep their medical insurance covered.”
Part of his passion for battling the spread and stigma of HIV/AIDS stemmed from his own personal experience. Beedon had witnessed the public shock of Rock Hudson’s death as well as the uproar over the game of musical chairs played by various funeral homes regarding Liberace’s body — both of whom passed away due to complications from the virus.
However, over the course of his years, Beedon has seen healthcare progress to the point that an HIV diagnosis is no longer the death knell it formerly was. Instead, people are now living full and healthy lives thanks to breakthroughs in medication partnered with a healthy lifestyle.
“It’s progressively gotten much, much, much better, in fact, to the point I was [in a relationship] with somebody for my first 21 years of living in Houston who was stricken with HIV.”
Because of his involvement through various initiatives to promote awareness of and testing for HIV, which largely took place in the Montrose neighborhood, Beedon earned his now unforgettable nickname as the “Mayor of Montrose.”
“In the clubs, I would run into people who would visit me at The Assistance Fund. Automatically, the connection was quite obvious of why they were at The Assistance Fund … it’s because they were looking for testing and for dollars to get medication. So they would approach me at the clubs and pull me to the side, and they would say, ‘I have a friend. Would you please talk to him or her, because they won’t go to a clinic to get tested.’” he said. “So, I would approach whomever they were talking about, counsel them and bring them into The Assistance Fund.”
Because of his motherly nature, he earned the additional nickname “Mother of Montrose.” To examine the initials, it fittingly spells “mom.” But it’s also because he was well connected to local dignitaries.
“They called me the Mayor of Montrose, or mom, because I was getting things done for them. I actually could go downtown and see the mayor of Houston, whoever that was at the time, and get some things done rather quickly,” he said.
Since then, the name has stuck, as has his involvement in LGBTQ causes. One of his most recent endeavors is volunteering with the New Faces of Pride. The organization’s mission is to foster unity, inclusivity and empowerment within the diverse LGBTQ+ community of Houston through year-round events and fundraising initiatives.
It’s signature event will be the New Faces of Pride Festival and Parade, with the festival running from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday followed by a parade at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 901 Bagby. Planet Pink!, the official after party, takes place at POST Houston, 401 Franklin until 2 a.m.
The New Faces of Pride’s inaugural parade is the first of two pride-related parades this month, which has been a topic of conversation in the LGBTQ community, but Beedon says it is all good.
“The New Faces of Pride has been very well received,” he said. “It’s a community thing, and that’s the focus.”
As he slowly approaches 80, Beedon has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
“I’ve been able to do a few good things in people’s lives, and that makes me want to get up every day and keep going. I really am not going to retire, no matter what,” he said.
The New Faces of Pride Festival runs from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday followed by a parade at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 901 Bagby. Planet Pink!, the official after party, takes place 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. at POST Houston, 401 Franklin. For information, visit newfacesofpride.org. The festival is free to $250 to attend. The parade is free. Planet Pink! is $25 – $60.
Social media users are claiming a Canadian cancer charity replaced reproductive anatomy terminology with gender-neutral language. But this misconstrues the organization’s guidance for treating transgender and nonbinary patients.
On June 7, the conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted, “UNREAL. In order to be ‘inclusive,’ the Canadian Cancer Society will no longer use the term ‘cervix’ and instead use the term ‘front hole.’”
Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren made a similar statement in a video shared June 17 on X: “I don’t know what’s dumber or more delusional, the fact that some are trying to make ‘front hole’ terminology a thing, or that a leading cancer charity, the Canadian Cancer Society, has apologized for not using it and instead referring to a woman’s cervix as a ‘cervix.’”
Lahren’s video showed a screenshot of a June 9 Daily Mail article headline that said, “Top cancer charity apologizes for using word ‘cervix’ instead of trans-friendly ‘front hole.’”
The Daily Mail article cites an archived page of the Canadian Cancer Society’s website that provides information for trans and nonbinary patients about getting screened for cervical cancer.
At the bottom of the archived page, under a section titled, “words matter,” the organization states, “We recognize that many trans men and non-binary people may have mixed feelings about or feel distanced from words like ‘cervix.’ You may prefer other words, such as ‘front hole.’ We recognize the limitations of the words we’ve used while also acknowledging the need for simplicity. Another reason we use words like ‘cervix’ is to normalize the reality that men can have these body parts too.”
The archived page did not say “cervix” would no longer be used. The Daily Mail story may have misconstrued the language about “limitations” as a statement of regret, but the organization was explaining why it uses the word “cervix.” The words “apology,” “apologize” and “sorry” are not mentioned on the webpage, which was archived April 4.
The page has since been updated and the “words matter” section was removed. The only mention of the term “front hole” appears under a question about whether trans men and nonbinary people assigned female at birth should get screened for cervical cancer.
The page recommends these individuals talk with their health care providers about screenings and says, “Anyone with a cervix can get cervical cancer. The cervix is at the top of the vagina. Some trans men may call the vagina the front hole.”
When PolitiFact contacted the Canadian Cancer Society, we were referred to the organization’s June 12 statement on cancer information it provides to the trans community.
“We support all people with all cancers in communities across the country, regardless of age, race, language, education, geography, socio-economic status, gender identity or sexual orientation,” the statement said. “We use medical terminology, while also providing cancer information using plain language and formats to meet people’s unique needs and help them navigate their questions about cancer risk.”
In 2023, PolitiFact checked False claims that health professionals were being “urged” to call vaginas “bonus holes” to avoid offending transgender or nonbinary patients.
Viral claims that the Canadian Cancer Society apologized and will “no longer use the term ‘cervix’ and instead use the term ‘front hole’” are based on an inaccurate interpretation of an archived webpage. The organization was explaining why it uses “cervix.” We rate the claim False.
The fashion industry writ large reinforces gender norms in many ways, but there’s one every one of us encounters daily: gendered sizing and styling. A faceless entity decides what a man or woman should look like, and if you don’t fit either mold or identify with either label, that’s your problem. Thankfully, there’s a growing segment that offers tools to opt out of that binary.
Gender-neutral and gender-inclusive clothing brands offer a wider range of fits and styles than you might find at a traditional company. These companies make clothes for queer, nonbinary, and trans bodies of all shapes and sizes. I’ve tested and worn dozens of these and whittled down my favorites below.
Every garment in this list links to its manufacturer and also some other retailers that carry these garments. On some third-party retailer websites, the items we’ve highlighted are placed in gendered clothing sections, which is disappointing considering it’s 2024 and these items are explicitly gender-neutral. I’m just giving you a heads-up so you’re not surprised to see the gender-neutral underwear I recommended get categorized as “for women” at Amazon.
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Both&
Both& offers a wide assortment of tops and bottoms based on a sizing system the company developed independently. Rather than using existing size frameworks, Both& developed its signature length-to-width ratio by surveying its community, asking people what they liked and didn’t like about the way traditionally sized clothing fit their bodies.
The result can be seen best in its signature tees. Not only are they made from durable heavyweight cotton, but they also hang on your body in a way that creates a silhouette that steps outside the shapes that gendered garments often reinforce. The Khazeel tee, for instance, hangs in such a way that it easily conceals the presence of a binder, while the drop shoulder cut hangs off of, rather than skims, the body.
TomboyX
I’ve been a TomboyX wearer for years now and can’t help but sing its praises. With everything from shorts, briefs, and thongs to bras and outerwear, I’ve never had a TomboyX garment that disappointed. Underwear can be tricky for queer and trans people for any number of reasons, but TomboyX has a wide variety of cuts and fits, with sizes that go up to 6X.
I’m a big fan of the bikini briefs and boy shorts for everyday wear, and the 9-inch shorts for wearing around the house or under skirts. The bra selection is also one of my favorites of any company on this list. TomboyX offers traditional number-letter sizing on some of its bras but offers standard S to 4X type sizing on other bras. If you’ve had trouble finding a bra that fits, I can’t recommend the all-day bralette enough. It offers support and breathability, plus fits perfectly under any top.
Wildfang
Originating in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, Wildfang has been a mainstay of the gender-neutral fashion scene for years. Its founders sought to break free from gender norms and offer clothes that can be feminine, masculine, neither, or all of the above.
With inclusive sizing going up to 4X on some garments (unfortunately, some top out at 3X) and including tall sizes, it’s pretty easy to find things that will fit your body no matter your body’s shape or gender presentation. Some of the pants do tend to have a higher crotch than you might expect, even on the larger sizes, so you might have to size up on those depending on your proportions—or get the tall size.
I’m a huge fan of the high-waisted coverall. Not only do you get to wear a flight suit like an astronaut or space miner, but they’re fashionable, come in a variety of vibrant colors, and fit so well you’ll want to wear it all the time even if it’s way too warm out to be wearing a full-body coverall.
Another mainstay of my wardrobe (and my partner’s) is the essential cropped button-up. As just an outer layer, it can turn a sports bra and a pair of pants into an outfit, and the fit hangs off your body rather than squeezing it or circus-tenting off of it like traditionally sized men’s button-ups can.
Thistle and Spire
I’ve historically had a complicated relationship with lingerie. If it fits my bust, it doesn’t fit my shoulders; if it fits my waist it doesn’t fit my butt, and so on. I could write a dissertation on the lingerie brands that have failed me. Instead, I want to highlight my new favorite: Thistle and Spire. If you’re active in online sex worker (OnlyFans, Fansly, etc.) communities, you’ve seen some of these garments, for good reason.
Thistle and Spire offers inclusive sizing and size details on its garments that tell you what you need to know about how each item fits. A part of the reason for that is its dedication to offering garments that will make you feel hot no matter your size, gender, or sexual orientation. And you’ll see that dedication reflected in the models wearing each garment. Finding lingerie modeled by someone with a body that looks like yours is an extremely affirming experience.
Thistle and Spire’s entire catalog is ornate, sexy, and creative, but my favorite is the Medusa set. The bralette fits my bust (and shoulders) perfectly and offers a high degree of adjustability to make sure it fits the body just right. The same goes for the matching bottoms. Here’s another thing Thistle and Spire does that feels like it should be impossible: the lingerie is comfortable. It supports my body where it needs to be supported, and it’s comfy to wear for long periods, so much so that you’ll want to wear it everywhere—you can!
Just throw on some pasties (Thistle and Spire offers these too) and you can wear the bralette as an actual top. They even ship in a mesh bag you can use to wash them (in delicate mode).
The Fluxion
Shopping for a binder is hard. The best results you’ll get come from stores that take your measurements and custom-make you a binder made for your specific body, but that can take a long time, and it’s expensive.
When shopping for binders for my partner, hearing about the wait filled them with dread. So I set out to find a middle option: a binder that fits them the way they want and ships in a shorter time frame. That’s how I found the Fluxion.
The binders are durable and well-made, with sturdy stitching on every seam, and a comfortable cotton lining inside a Lycra shell. It feels like a tight swimsuit material, and during testing I found it does a great job of binding a large bust on a small frame, or a medium bust on a large frame. Because they’re made from Lycra, they do stretch out and need to be washed to get the tautness back. That’s something you don’t have to worry about as much on binders made from non-stretch fabrics or custom-made binders like those offered by companies like Shapeshifters.
The Biden administration’s new Title IX rule expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students has been temporarily blocked in four states after a federal judge in Louisiana found that it overstepped the Education Department’s authority.
In a preliminary injunction granted Thursday, U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty called the new rule an “abuse of power” and a “threat to democracy.” His order blocks the rule in Louisiana, which filed a challenge to the rule in April, and in Mississippi, Montana and Idaho, which joined the suit.
The Education Department did not immediately respond to the order.
The Louisiana case is among at least seven backed by more than 20 Republican-led states fighting Biden’s rule. The rule, set to take hold in August, expands Title IX civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ students, expands the definition of sexual harassment at schools and colleges, and adds safeguards for victims.
Doughty, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, is the first judge to block the rule. It deals a major blow to the new protections, which were praised by civil rights advocates but drew backlash from opponents who say they undermine the spirit of Title IX, a 1972 law barring sex discrimination in education.
Louisiana is among several Republican states with laws requiring people to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their sex assigned at birth, restricting transgender students from using facilities that align with their gender identity. President Biden’s rule clashes with those laws and claimed to supersede them.
The Louisiana lawsuit argued that the new rule would force schools across the four states to pay millions of dollars to update their facilities. In his decision, the judge called it an “invasion of state sovereignty” and concluded that the states were likely to succeed on the merits of the case.
His order says the rule likely violates free speech laws by requiring schools to use pronouns requested by students. It also questions whether the Biden administration has legal authority to expand Title IX to LGBTQ+ students.
“The Court finds that the term ‘sex discrimination’ only included discrimination against biological males and females at the time of enactment,” Doughty wrote in his order.
The judge expressed concern that the rule could require schools to allow transgender women and girls to compete on female sports teams. Several Republican states have laws forbidding transgender girls from competing on girls teams.
The Biden administration has proposed a separate rule that would forbid such blanket bans, but it said the newly finalized rule does not apply to athletics. Still, Doughty said it could be interpreted to apply to sports.
“The Final Rule applies to sex discrimination in any educational ‘program’ or ‘activity’ receiving Federal financial assistance,” he wrote. “The terms ‘program’ or ‘activity’ are not defined but could feasibly include sports teams for recipient schools.”
Judges in at least six other cases are weighing whether to put a similar hold on Biden’s rule. The Defense of Freedom Institute, a right-leaning nonprofit that backed the Louisiana lawsuit, applauded Doughty’s order.
“We are confident that other courts and states will soon follow,” said Bob Eitel, president of the nonprofit and a Trump administration education official.
Biden issued the new rule after dismantling another one created by Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos. That rule narrowed the definition of sexual harassment and added protections for students accused of sexual misconduct.
On social media Thursday, DeVos called the Louisiana decision a victory, saying Biden’s “anti-woman radical rewrite of Title IX is not just crazy but it’s also illegal.”
Schools across the country have denied students entry to prom, graduation ceremonies and other school activities because of dress code policies that advocates say disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ students and girls.
In May, 16-year-old Florida junior Sophie Savidge told NBC News that she wasn’t allowed to go to prom because she wore a suit. In a statement at the time, the school pointed to its online guide to attire, which stipulates that “ladies” are required to wear dresses and “one piece attire only” to formal events.
A transgender student in Alabama reportedly wasn’t allowed to go to her senior prom in April because she wore a dress. The school’s student handbook said that it was up to administrators to “deem appropriate clothing or appearance,” according to AL.com.
And the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi filed a federal complaint with the Department of Education against Harrison County School District for barring a transgender girl from wearing a dress to her regional band concert this spring. The complaint detailed a two-year pattern of the district punishing girls — transgender and cisgender alike — for violating dress codes requiring students to dress in clothes that are “consistent with their biological sex.”
The school district added the provision of “biological sex” to its dress code after LGBTQ+ students complained that they couldn’t wear clothes that expressed their gender identity, said Liz Davis, a fellow at the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project.
School administrators have long used dress codes to enforce a rigid gender binary and uphold different standards based on assigned sex. This year, there has been a renewed effort in school districts across GOP-led states to enforce policies that are more explicitly restrictive to queer, trans and gender nonconforming students, as a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in statehouses across the country.
“Requiring students to dress according to their biological sex —even if it seems to be neutral as a rule, and it’s not calling out any particular student — has a disproportionate impact on gender nonconforming, nonbinary and transgender students because it is tying gender expression to their sex assigned at birth, essentially,” Davis said.
Students who are targeted over dress code infractions can lose out on class time or face punishments like suspension, and may face emotional distress from being pulled from class and told to change, she said.
Sex-based dress codes often force boys to wear pants and girls to wear skirts or dresses of a certain length. Advocates say these rules push rigid gender stereotypes and outdated, misogynistic ideas of how girls should dress in the presence of boys. And they leave no room for less traditional gender expression.
School dress codes that rely so heavily on “biological sex” are reminiscent of anti-LGBTQ bills and policies across the country.
“The district’s discriminatory dress code policies and enforcement are part of a wider sex-based hostile environment, which has impacted our clients and other students,” Davis said, referring to the complaint in Mississippi.
Policies that purport to bring “clarity” to sex discrimination laws by codifying definitions of “male” and “female” in order to exclude trans people from those categories often use exceedingly specific language that also fails to account for intersex people. The language embedded in these policies, often called “Women’s Bill of Rights” bills, was first proposed by Independent Women’s Voice, a conservative organization that has argued it’s necessary to protect women-only spaces and activities from trans people’s inclusion.
So far this year, at least 10 states have introduced or passed similarly worded legislation to narrowly define “biological sex” based on a person’s reproductive capacity or chromosomes. Oklahoma’s governor just signed the state’s own version of a Women’s Bill of Rights into law on Monday. Last year Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko (R) introduced a Women’s Bill of Rights resolution to Congress, though it’s made no progress since.
Some state-level legislation now includes definitions of sex that explicitly bar trans people from updating their drivers licenses or state IDs, which makes it harder to vote, travel, and exist in public life.
Advocates say that an emphasis on “biological sex” has negative ramifications for all people, including cisgender women, because it encourages people to police one another’s gender — including kids. People have harassed child athletes who they suspect are transgender, and one state official in Utah came under fire for falsely suggesting that a student was transgender because of how she looked.
Sex and gender researchers previously told HuffPost that binary definitions of sex do not reflect how scientists currently understand human sex, which is determined by a variety of biological phenomena including hormones, genitals and otter secondary sex characteristics.
As more and more anti-LGBTQ legislation specifies how LGBTQ+ students can — and cannot — express themselves and participate in school activities, Davis said she would not be surprised if we see more schools across the country adopt policies that have explicit “biological sex provisions.”
Those kinds of provisions are likely to violate Title IX, a 1972 federal law which protects against discrimination on the basis of sex in public schools and colleges, Davis said.
The Biden administration released long-awaited final guidance for Title IX this spring, expanding the definition of sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Since then, more than a dozen red states have sued the Department of Education and vowed to not comply with this updated interpretation.
“The country has to decide. Do we want to live in a place that looks like some of the most regressive politics in the states where right wing elected officials have control over everything: the way you dress, how you identify, the name and pronoun you use, what bathroom you’re able to access?” Brandon Wolf, the press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, told HuffPost earlier this spring. “Or do we want to live in a country … where we have the freedom to be ourselves, we have the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies?”
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Pride Month is here, and that means it’s time for Orlando to flaunt what it’s got (although the main event, the Come Out With Pride parade, doesn’t happen until October). This June, the city celebrates the journey of identity and love with queer musicians, pool parties, festivals and more. Bring your rainbow hand fans and heart-shaped sunglasses — this June is promising some amped-up pride in Orlando.
Gay Days Where: Various When: Through June 3 During Gay Days, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld, guests can expect more than a dozen events like pool parties and drag-themed bingo, Miss Gay Days pageant, a Mr. Gay Days leather competition and more.
Girls in Wonderland Where: Various When: Through June 3 Girls in Wonderland is a queer dream festival lineup with DJs and artists, pool parties, happy hour events and more.
Born This Way Ball at Cocktails and Screams Where: 39 W. Pine St. When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20 Wrap up in the heat of Pride this June with a drag concert as a tribute to Gaga’s Born This Way album. Bring the extravaganza out at this local ball located at Cocktails and Screams.
Pride Bar Crawl Where: Elixir Kitchen and Bar, 9 W. Washington St. When: 4 p.m. Saturday, June 22 Drink your way around Orlando to savor colorful Pride-themed drinks at different local bars and wave your flags into the night with a free after party included with a ticket.
Art With Purpose Where: Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 N. Mills Ave. When: 1 p.m. Friday, June 7 At this night of understanding, guests are welcomed to delve into the struggle of identity through art. Hosted by Zebra Youth at OMA, this event is free.
Love Is Universal Where: Red Coconut Club, 6000 Universal Blvd. When: 5 p.m. to midnight Thursdays, and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays in June Celebrate your pride at Red Coconut Club, located in CityWalk with flirty drinks, Pride merchandise, a live DJ and performances to celebrate Pride Month through June 30.
Zebra Youth Pride Prom: Masquerade Where: Plaza Live Orlando, 425 N. Bumby Ave. When: 6 p.m. Friday, June 14 It’s prom night! Tickets are free with reservation, but a $15 donation to Zebra Youth is suggested. Prom will be held at the Plaza Live and the dress code is semi-formal to formal. From 6 to 8 p.m. the prom will host guests ages 13-17, and from 9 to 11 p.m. guests 18-24 are invited to the dance floor.
Orlando Out Fest Where: Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St. When: June 27-30 Orlando Fringe is hosting a Pride festival celebrating LGBTQIA-related stories, artists and history through this four day festival of gay cowboys, drag-queen storytelling, stand-up comedy and more.
Speak and Paint with Pride Where: 5481 Deer Creek Drive When: 5 p.m. Saturday, June 29 Listen to Rep. Rita Harris and Cynthia Alice Anderson emcee this venue where guests are welcomed to share their story of Pride, or paint it! Food is included with a ticket.
Sunset at the Zoo Where: 3755 W. Seminole Blvd., Sanford When: 5 p.m. Friday, June 28 At the second after-hours event at the Central Florida Zoo this year, Sunset at the Zoo invites guests to enjoy food trucks, local nonprofit vendors, themed crafts and activities and a live DJ. Celebrate the fun of Pride surrounded by nature and exotic wildlife.
Pride in Mental Health Where: Peaceful Peacock, 1700 S. Bumby Ave. When: 7 p.m., June 21 A day dedicated to supporting mental health in the LGBTQ+ community is set at Peaceful Peacock. The event includes insightful activities, a smart art installation, and a full yoga class and sound bath.
Pride Month, the worldwide celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and rights, kicks off Saturday with events around the globe.Video above: New LGBTQ+ bar set to open in Kansas City, MissouriBut this year’s festivities in the U.S. will unfold against a backdrop of dozens of new state laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights, particularly transgender young people.Here are things to know about the celebrations and the politics around them.Why is June Pride Month?The monthlong global celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970, a public celebration that marked the first anniversary of the violent police raid at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar.At a time when LGBTQ+ people largely kept their identity or orientation quiet, the June 28, 1969, raid sparked a series of protests and catalyzed the movement for rights.The first pride week featured marches in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, and it has grown ever since. Some events fall outside of June: Tokyo’s Rainbow Pride was in April and Rio de Janeiro has a major event in November.In 1999, President Bill Clinton proclaimed June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.What’s being celebrated?Pride’s hallmark rainbow-laden parades and festivals celebrate the progress the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement has made.In the U.S. in April, a federal appeals court ruled North Carolina and West Virginia’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory.Video below: Weekend LGBTQ+ Pride festival kicks off in West Hollywood, CaliforniaIn one compromise in March, a settlement of legal challenges to a Florida law critics called “Don’t Say Gay” clarifies that teachers can have pictures on their desks of their same-sex partners and books with LGBTQ+ themes. It also says books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes can remain in campus libraries and gay-straight alliance chapters at schools need not be forced underground.Greece this year legalized same-sex marriage, one of three dozen nations around the world to do so, and a similar law approved in Estonia in June 2023 took effect this year.What’s being protested?Rights have been lost around the world, including heavy prison sentences for gay and transgender people in Iraq and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” in Uganda. More than 60 countries have anti-LGBTQ+ laws, advocates say.Tightening of those laws has contributed to the flow of people from Africa and the Middle East seeking asylum in Europe.In recent years, Republican-controlled U.S. states have been adopting policies that target LGBTQ+ people, and particularly transgender people, in various ways.Twenty-five states now have laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Some states have taken other actions, with laws or policies primarily keeping transgender girls and women out of bathrooms and sports competitions that align with their gender.GOP state attorneys general have challenged a federal regulation, set to take effect in August, that would ban the bathroom bans at schools. There also have been efforts to ban or regulate drag performances.Most of the policies are facing legal challenges.Video below: Thousands take part in LGBTQ+ Pride march in JerusalemSince Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, leading to restrictive abortion laws in most GOP-controlled states, LGBTQ+ advocates are worried about losing ground too, said Kevin Jennings, CEO of nonprofit civil rights organization Lambda Legal. On the eve of Pride, the organization announced a $180 million fundraising goal for more lawyers to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ laws.Progress such as the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide could be lost without political and legal vigilance, Jennings said.“Our community looks at what happened to reproductive rights thanks to the Dobbs decision two years ago and has enormous anxiety over whether we’re about to have a massive rollback of what we’ve gained in the 55 years since Stonewall,” Jennings said.What about businesses?While big businesses from Apple to Wells Fargo sponsor events across the U.S., a pushback made ripples last year at one major discount retailer.Target was selling Pride-themed items last June but removed some from stores and moved displays to the back of some locations after customers tipped them over and confronted workers. The company then faced additional backlash from customers who were upset the retailer gave in to people prejudiced against LGBTQ+ people.This year, the store has said it would not carry the items at all its stores. But the company remains a major sponsor of NYC Pride.Are events safe?Keeping the events safe is the top priority, organizers said, but there could be challenges.The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory in May that foreign terrorist organizations could target events associated with Pride. The same month, the State Department renewed a security warning for Americans overseas, especially LGBTQ+ people and events globally.Law enforcement officials noted ISIS sympathizers were arrested last year for attempting to attack a June 2023 Pride parade in Vienna and that ISIS messaging last year called for followers to attack “soft targets.”The agencies say people should always watch out for threats made online, in person or by mail. People should take note if someone tries to enter a restricted area, bypass security or impersonate law enforcement and call 911 for emergencies and report threats to the FBI.NYC Pride has a heavy security presence and works with city agencies outside the perimeter, said Sandra Perez, the event’s executive director. The group expects 50,000 people marching in its June 30 parade and more than 1.5 million people watching.“The fight for liberation isn’t over,” Perez said. “The need to be visible and the need to be mindful of what we need to do to ensure that the future generations don’t have these struggles is really top of mind.”
Pride Month, the worldwide celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and rights, kicks off Saturday with events around the globe.
Video above: New LGBTQ+ bar set to open in Kansas City, Missouri
But this year’s festivities in the U.S. will unfold against a backdrop of dozens of new state laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights, particularly transgender young people.
Here are things to know about the celebrations and the politics around them.
Why is June Pride Month?
The monthlong global celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970, a public celebration that marked the first anniversary of the violent police raid at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar.
At a time when LGBTQ+ people largely kept their identity or orientation quiet, the June 28, 1969, raid sparked a series of protests and catalyzed the movement for rights.
The first pride week featured marches in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, and it has grown ever since. Some events fall outside of June: Tokyo’s Rainbow Pride was in April and Rio de Janeiro has a major event in November.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton proclaimed June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
What’s being celebrated?
Pride’s hallmark rainbow-laden parades and festivals celebrate the progress the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement has made.
In the U.S. in April, a federal appeals court ruled North Carolina and West Virginia’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory.
Video below: Weekend LGBTQ+ Pride festival kicks off in West Hollywood, California
In one compromise in March, a settlement of legal challenges to a Florida law critics called “Don’t Say Gay” clarifies that teachers can have pictures on their desks of their same-sex partners and books with LGBTQ+ themes. It also says books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes can remain in campus libraries and gay-straight alliance chapters at schools need not be forced underground.
Greece this year legalized same-sex marriage, one of three dozen nations around the world to do so, and a similar law approved in Estonia in June 2023 took effect this year.
What’s being protested?
Rights have been lost around the world, including heavy prison sentences for gay and transgender people in Iraq and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” in Uganda. More than 60 countries have anti-LGBTQ+ laws, advocates say.
Tightening of those laws has contributed to the flow of people from Africa and the Middle East seeking asylum in Europe.
In recent years, Republican-controlled U.S. states have been adopting policies that target LGBTQ+ people, and particularly transgender people, in various ways.
Twenty-five states now have laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Some states have taken other actions, with laws or policies primarily keeping transgender girls and women out of bathrooms and sports competitions that align with their gender.
GOP state attorneys general have challenged a federal regulation, set to take effect in August, that would ban the bathroom bans at schools. There also have been efforts to ban or regulate drag performances.
Most of the policies are facing legal challenges.
Video below: Thousands take part in LGBTQ+ Pride march in Jerusalem
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, leading to restrictive abortion laws in most GOP-controlled states, LGBTQ+ advocates are worried about losing ground too, said Kevin Jennings, CEO of nonprofit civil rights organization Lambda Legal. On the eve of Pride, the organization announced a $180 million fundraising goal for more lawyers to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Progress such as the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide could be lost without political and legal vigilance, Jennings said.
“Our community looks at what happened to reproductive rights thanks to the Dobbs decision two years ago and has enormous anxiety over whether we’re about to have a massive rollback of what we’ve gained in the 55 years since Stonewall,” Jennings said.
What about businesses?
While big businesses from Apple to Wells Fargo sponsor events across the U.S., a pushback made ripples last year at one major discount retailer.
Target was selling Pride-themed items last June but removed some from stores and moved displays to the back of some locations after customers tipped them over and confronted workers. The company then faced additional backlash from customers who were upset the retailer gave in to people prejudiced against LGBTQ+ people.
This year, the store has said it would not carry the items at all its stores. But the company remains a major sponsor of NYC Pride.
Are events safe?
Keeping the events safe is the top priority, organizers said, but there could be challenges.
The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory in May that foreign terrorist organizations could target events associated with Pride. The same month, the State Department renewed a security warning for Americans overseas, especially LGBTQ+ people and events globally.
Law enforcement officials noted ISIS sympathizers were arrested last year for attempting to attack a June 2023 Pride parade in Vienna and that ISIS messaging last year called for followers to attack “soft targets.”
The agencies say people should always watch out for threats made online, in person or by mail. People should take note if someone tries to enter a restricted area, bypass security or impersonate law enforcement and call 911 for emergencies and report threats to the FBI.
NYC Pride has a heavy security presence and works with city agencies outside the perimeter, said Sandra Perez, the event’s executive director. The group expects 50,000 people marching in its June 30 parade and more than 1.5 million people watching.
“The fight for liberation isn’t over,” Perez said. “The need to be visible and the need to be mindful of what we need to do to ensure that the future generations don’t have these struggles is really top of mind.”
This week marks the start of one major intersection of LGBTQ+ extravaganzas happening around Orlando. Gay Days, Girls in Wonderland and One Magical Weekend will bring pool days, dance parties, special performances and maybe even celebrity appearances to Orlando now through Monday, June 3.
Vacation destination Gay Days features events staged at several locations around town, including attractions, gay and lesbian clubs and other spots. This year’s events include all-day pool parties, Miss and Mr. Gay Days pageants, drag bingo and more.
Girls in Wonderland offers a queer music festival and plenty of themed pool parties, live performances, happy hours and more. Performers this year include Snow Tha Product, Chloe Star, Gabby B., Chicky Lulu and plenty more.
One Magical Weekend is a pride and music festival that invites people from all over to Orlando for a massive celebration. There’s a nonstop schedule of activities promising dance events, DJ sets and lots of late-night parties all wrapped up into one weekend. Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
In the words of Renee Rapp: “Can a gay girl get an amen?”
In the song “Not My Fault,” Renee Rapp teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion on an unapologetically gay anthem for the major motion picture, Mean Girls: The Musical. The song starts with the now-iconic clip from the original movie in which Cadie confronts Janice with the accusation: “It’s not my fault you’re like, in love with me or something.”
Since Mean Girls dropped in 2004, there have been many think pieces about Janice’s role as forming the caricature of early-2000s red-scare lesbian panic. That was the year after Madonna and Britney shocked the world by kissing on the VMAs stage. It was four years before Katy Perry solidified her stardom with her hit “I Kissed A Girl.”
Sapphic stars had, of course, achieved fame and success before — in the 90s, having a k.d. Lang poster in your room was the equivalent of listening to Girl in Red (we’ll get to that) — but queerness was still othered. For better or worse, Glee wouldn’t toxify our airwaves until 2009. And queerness was something to be whispered about, especially sapphic relationships — which went either ignored or fetishized.
Now, in 2024, having an explicitly queer song leading a major studio film shows a seismic sapphic shift. Janice is no longer at the fringes of the film’s plot. And the implications of having a lesbian play Regina George? Yes, a gay girl can get an amen from me.
Renee Rapp is just one of the young, sapphic popstars gracing the airwaves today. In those toxic early-2000s, a popstar’s success depended on how well their sexuality could be marketed by and to men. Hindsight has us reckoning with the egregious objectification of Britney Spears and her peers in recent years. But now, with social media, the biggest popstars have more control over their image and have achieved success by unapologetically marketing to women — 2023 wasn’t the year of the girl for nothing.
The biggest stars in the world are leveraging predominantly female audiences — Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and even male pop giants like Harry Styles. And now the queer girls are taking over by singing not just about girlhood, but explicitly about sapphic desire. Within this zeitgeist, they’re remaking what it means to be a girl for everyone. No longer is it about appealing to the male gaze, it’s about identifying with people who make you feel seen and follow your interests unapologetically. This message is resonating with the straights and sapphics alike. Particularly on TikTok, it’s causing some to realize they’re not as straight as they thought.
From Gay-Famous to Mainstream-Famous
There’s long been a category of celebs who are irrefutable icons in the queer space but who go largely ignored by the mainstream music crowd. Think Troye Sivan. He’s been gaymous since his first album, Blue Neighborhood. Close to a decade later, he’s finally broken through to the mainstream. Traversing from queer subculture to mainstream pop culture usually takes years. What’s exciting about the latest class of girls who like girls is that they’re starting their careers with mainstream recognition — and a lot of that is thanks to TikTok.
From young artists coming out in the past few years to emerging artists branding themselves as queer from the get-go, queerness is no longer relegated to the sidelines.
However, niche queer music communities are alive and well. It’s how “do you listen to Girl In Red” became code for asking if a girl was queer. And it’s why, on TikTok, algorithms are leading individuals to queer content creators and suddenly realizing they, too, are queer. “If TikTok is showing you this, you might be gay,” read a wave of videos during the pandemic. And for many people, TikTok was right. Perhaps this surge of sexual awakenings has something to do with a new generation looking for queer representation in music. And finally, finally, it’s here.
Perhaps this is what Jojo Siwa was talking about when she declared in her now-notorious interview that she was the harbinger of “gay pop.” When she said in an interview that she “wanted to start a new genre … called ‘gay pop,’” she might have been onto something. She later clarified that she didn’t mean she invented the genre, but wanted to be part of brining it mainstream. “There’s so many gay pop artists … but I think that those gay pop artists do deserve a bigger home than what they have right now,” she said.
Fortunately for Jojo Siwa, she’s getting what she wanted — gay pop artists are getting way bigger platforms. Unfortunately for Jojo Siwa, it’s not her.
Femininomenons
Take Coachella 2024. It might as well have been Pride. One of the hottest queer moments was the rise of Chappel Roan. Bard of bisexuals everywhere, Chappell Roan has been giving gay girls infectious pop hits since 2020, with “ Pink Pony Club,” the lead single of her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
After her Coachella set and her viral summer single “Good, Luck Babe!” — a song about a queer girl who leaves the singer for a man — Chappell is one of the biggest rising stars to emerge from the desert, the people’s princess. Roan’s album is full of soaring pop bangers that put queerness at the center. The opening track, “Femininomenon” is a neologism Chappell created that combines “feminine” and “phenomenon.” The songs that follow are about coming of age, coming into one’s queerness, and discovering one’s whole self — themes that have earned her a cultish fanbase and a viral Tiny Desk Concert, the hallmark of any true indie artist.
Other femininomenons are shaking up the industry scene across all genres — both on and off stage. Billie Eilish has been a global megastar since she was only a teenager. After coming out as bisexual in 2023, Billie made headlines at Coachella for her undeniable queer energy. Having a Grammy-winning pop superstar be openly queer is a sure sign that the tide is changing. Especially since, after penning the song that defined girlhood last year — “What Was I Made For?”, which won Song of the Year at the Grammys for Barbie — her new album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, features songs like “Lunch” about queer desire.
Billie isn’t the only established young female singer to explore queer themes in their music and videos. Singers like Madison Beer, who was discovered in 2012 at the age of 13, has since come out as bisexual and talked about songs on her new album that are inspired by relationships with women. And these go beyond the lyrics.
Her newest single, “Make You Mine,” is accompanied by visuals inspired by emblematic bisexual film, Jennifer’s Body. Her other single, “Sweet Relief,” features a trans model as the love interest — which should not be revolutionary in 2024, but in the mainstream pop world, it still is.
Then there are the bevy of alternative and rock artists who have become queer icons. From Phoebe Bridgers and Boygenius to MUNA and Remi Wolf, Gen Z favorites are here, queer, and soon everyone will be talking about them.
The industry and mainstream audiences are finally feeling the heat from these female stars and paying attention in a huge way. In the words of Chappell Roan herself: “You’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.”
Here are the young, queer popstars singing about sapphic love:
Renee Rapp
Our media-untrained princess is a loud and proud lesbian force. After declaring “a huge thank you to every man that helped make me realize that I was a lesbian” at the GLAAD Media Awards, I’m excited to see where her music and personality take her next.
Chappell Roan
This Midwest princess launched the gay pop hit of the summer with “Good Luck, Babe!” We’ve been massive Chappell fans for years, and we love watching her finally get the attention she deserves. Sapphic sleeper hits from her debut album include “Naked in Manhattan.” Stream The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess now!
Billie Eilish
Billie’s latest era promises to be her most authentic yet. She has always been known for her daring fashion and unconventional approach to popstardom — traits that many have read as signals of her queerness — and it’s thrilling to see her step into her new album bringing an unapologetic vibe to everything she does. Stream “Lunch” now.
Victoria Monét
After winning Best New Artist at the 2024 Grammy Awards, Victoria Monét’s career is primed to to hit the stratosphere. A songwriter and frequent collaborator with big names like Ariana Grande, Monét has been behind the scenes for years. But now her own songs are poised to take over the airwaves. She’s also confirmed her bisexuality and how coming out freed her as an artist — perhaps allowing her to earn her a Grammy.
“In songwriting, I stopped writing pronouns that weren’t accurate,” she told Em Rata on High Low. “It was really freeing, and it opened up another window of creativity where I could say whatever I actually feel and be true.”
Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers has been the unchallenged giant of the confessional indie singers since her debut album Stranger in the Alps. Collaborations with artists like MUNA, she has confirmed her queerness in her music and in everything from Sapphic sartorial choices and of course, her work with Boygenius. At this year’s Grammys, Bridgers issued a direct FU to the straight male gatekeepers of the industry, using her way with words to say: “the ex-president of the Recording Academy, Neil Portnow, said that if women want to be nominated and win Grammys, that they should “step up” … To him, I’d like to say, ‘I know you’re not dead yet, but when you are, rot in piss.’”
Boygenius
Comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, Boygenius is a collaborative project of Sapphic singers singing rock bangers. The 2024 Grammys saw them winning in traditionally male categories such as best rock song and best rock performance for their single “Not Strong Enough,” as well as best alternative album for their debut studio album, The Record.
Ethel Cain
Another for the sad, ex-Tumblr girls, Ethel Cain’s melancholy melodies are finally gaining mainstream attention. Ethel Cain’s character says Southern gothic fantasy of Hayden Anhedönia, a 24-year-old artist whose stage persona is much like character-based singers of yore — think Marina and the Diamonds. The world she creates in Preacher’s Daughter and her other work is similar to the dark fantasies of Lana Del Rey. And similarly, this world is about chasing freedom above all else.
“I want some variation for the trans experience as depicted in trans art,” Anhedönia told Billboard in 2022. “Ethel Cain the character is trans, but I didn’t make it a big part of the story because to me, being transgender is kind of boring. It’s like, ‘I have brown hair, I’m transgender’ — it’s very ‘whatever,’ you know? Ultimately, it’s not about the identity itself, it’s about the freedom to be whatever you are.”
MUNA
MUNA is an indie-pop comprised of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson who have been gaymous since their
debut album in 2017. Thanks to collaborations like “Silk Chiffon” with Phoebe Bridgers and features in queer films like Alex Strangelove, they’ve been reaching an increasingly mainstream audience with their infectious gay pop bangers.
Remi Wolf
With multiple viral hits under her belt and one of the most impressive voices on the pop scene, Remi Wolf is the coolest Gen Z stars out there. Her eclectic style, genre-bending sound, and energetic stage presence make her a certified superstar. And her indiscriminate use of pronouns in her music solidifies her as a bisexual superstar.
Girl in Red
Girl in Red used to be an IYKYK niche music act known pretty much only by girls who like girls. If she came up on your Spotify algorithm, it was trying to tell you something. But she has since exploded and become an indie-pop darling — even collaborating with pop princess, Sabrina Carpenter on “ You Need Me Now?”
Madison Beer
Like Billie, Madison’s latest phase feels more herself and unrestrained. A child of the Tumblr days, it’s no surprise that she’s drawn to queer ephemera like Jennifer’s Body. As she blossoms as a musician, let’s hope we hear more sapphic themes in her lyrics.
The LGBTQ-focused Inside Out Film Festival is kicking off in Toronto, where the world premiere of the comedy Sisters is acting as the festival’s gala screening.
Sisters follows two best friends Lou (Susie Yankou) and Esther (Sarah Khasrovi) who have long thought of each other as family. Their co-dependency is tested when Lou makes the discovery of a an impossibly chic long-lost half sister, Priya (Kausar Mohammed).
The first look at Sisters sees Lou and Priya at a trendy restaurant, where Lou is struggling to fit in with Priya’s impossibly cool friends.
Sisters was a recipient of Inside Out’s Re:Focus grant that is meant to provide direct financial support to LGBTQ women and nonbinary filmmakers. Yankou makes her feature directorial debut on the film, which she also wrote.
The Temple Bar in Detroit is closed until further notice after a portion of the building collapsed Friday morning.
A bar employee said that a part of the wall and roof collapsed around 10 a.m., sending debris tumbling down onto the sidewalk. The falling blocks also damaged the overhang above the business’s front door.
When a Metro Times reporter arrived around noon, access to the building was blocked off with yellow caution tape.
The worker says the wall “just fell over” for no apparent reason. Nobody is believed to be hurt.
The owner of the beloved LGBTQ+ dive bar could not be reached for comment.
Known as a DJ night hotspot, Temple Bar had plans for a Friday evening party to coincide with this weekend’s Movement Music Festival. The event, a fundraiser for the Underground Music Academy, was to feature sets by Shigeto, Beewack, DJ Caro, Kandylion, and more. It’s unclear if the event will be rescheduled.
The bar opened nearly a century ago in 1927 by the father of the current owner. A long-standing business in a part of Detroit that has seen rapid development in recent years, it had freshened up its facade with a fresh coat of red paint last year.
This spring, multiple federal government agencies announced changes to antidiscrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people at work, at the doctor and in the classroom. Around the same time, a federal court ruled that restricting gender-affirming care and barring a West Virginia transgender student from playing girls’ sports violates antidiscrimination law.
Behind these policy and legal shifts is a 2020 Supreme Court case most people likely have never heard of: Bostock v. Clayton County.
Weighing cases in which employees said they were fired for being gay or transgender, the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock that firing people for their sexual orientation or gender identity amounts to “sex discrimination,” which is prohibited under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The landmark Bostock ruling’s impact on LGBTQ+ civil rights is proving significant. Here’s a crash course on the case, how it is shaping federal policy and being used to challenge legislation that aims to curb transgender rights.
Bostock v. Clayton County unpacked
In June 2020, as the world reeled from the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests against police brutality gripped the United States, the Supreme Court issued its 6-3 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. The ruling combined three Title VII lawsuits in which employees said they were fired because they were gay or transgender.
All three cases were “direct evidence” cases, said Jennifer Shinall, Vanderbilt University law professor. That means there was no dispute that the plaintiffs were fired for their LGBTQ+ identities; the question was whether that counted as illegal discrimination.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court found that it did.
Neil Gorsuch, considered to be a “reliable conservative vote” on the Supreme Court, authored the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the four liberal justices on the bench at the time.
Justice Neil Gorsuch in his chambers at the Supreme Court in September 2019. Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County. (AP)
Gorsuch said the 1964 Civil Rights Acts’ authors likely did not consider LGBTQ+ identities when drafting the bill. But, he wrote, even if “sex” referred only to biological sex assigned at birth, “It is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.”
He gave an example he said shows such discrimination: A woman being attracted to men is tolerated, but a man being attracted to men is not. “An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex,” Gorsuch wrote. “Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”
This ruling is binding precedent only for Title VII employment cases, and Gorsuch made it clear that it did not address questions beyond those narrow circumstances. Nevertheless, many LGBTQ+ advocates and legal experts saw potential for the same legal logic to be applied to other laws that prohibit “sex discrimination,” such as Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools; the Affordable Care Act; and even the U.S. Constitution.
How the Bostock case is shaping federal policy
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing each federal agency to review and revise its policies to ensure they reflected the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Bostock.
The Education Department’s recently released regulations for Title IX are one of the most controversial changes. Title IX, passed in 1972, aims to protect students against sex discrimination and harassment in classrooms and school admissions. But it is best known for changing athletics to require that women and men receive equitable participation opportunities.
On April 19, citing the Bostock case, the Education Department updated its regulations to extend protections against sex discrimination to LGBTQ+ students. Although the regulations stopped short of providing guidance on the controversial issue of transgender athletes in school sports, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities under the nation’s leading gender-equity law prompted backlash.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote on X about the rule change, “This expansion embraces radical gender theory & erases the protections women fought for.”
This expansion embraces radical gender theory & erases the protections women fought for. Every state that seeks to protect women’s sports should follow suit. https://t.co/tpsjZGBJof
Interpretations of Title VII and Title IX have often informed one another, said Shinall, the Vanderbilt University law professor. So, it’s not unusual that an interpretation of a term in one statute would affect the other.
But opponents are expected to argue that Bostock only applies in limited circumstances, and these changes overstep agencies’ policy-making authority.
“The bottom line is that the (Biden) Administration is interpreting Bostock more broadly than perhaps the (Supreme) Court will ultimately accept,” Duke University law professor Doriane Lambelet Coleman told PolitiFact in an email.
Title VII is a general nondiscrimination rule, but other statutes, such as Title IX, make exceptions for single-sex accommodations such as sex-segregated living facilities and single-sex sports teams.
It’s unclear how the Supreme Court will apply Bostock’s logic to those statutory exceptions — such as whether barring a transgender girl from playing on a girls’ sports team is unlawful discrimination.
Issues of privacy, safety, fairness or equal opportunity could figure in deciding how nondiscrimination rules should apply beyond employment.
“I think that the margins of Bostock are going to be subject to a tremendous amount of litigation,” said Elana Redfield, federal policy director at the Williams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law. “As the Biden administration continues to examine the applicability of Bostock in other contexts, that’s going to provide new testing ground for the scope of the ruling.”
How Bostock is being used in legal challenges to anti-trans laws
The Bostock case also has been cited by individual plaintiffs in lawsuits nationwide that challenge laws restricting transgender access to bathrooms, school sports teams and gender-affirming care.
Most recently, the U.S Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit applied Bostock’s reasoning to a case in which a Houston County, Georgia, sheriff’s department employee alleged discrimination because the health insurance policy would not cover her gender-affirming surgery. The court ruled in her favor, writing, “Applying Bostock’s reasoning to the facts in this case, we conclude that the district court was correct in finding that the (policy) violated Title VII.”
Other lower courts are also weighing whether Bostock’s reasoning applies to other federal laws that prohibit sex discrimination or the Constitution’s equal protection clause.
(Source: U.S. Courts)
Several circuit courts have found that Bostock’s LGBTQ+ protections apply to other federal statutes, and in some cases, the Constitution’s 14th Amendment equal protection clause.
Most recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled in both a school athletics case and a case about access to gender-affirming care that discrimination against transgender people constituted illegal discrimination under federal law, and in the case of health care, constitutional law.
But some circuit courts have decided differently. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in the case LW v. Skrmetti, said Bostock was limited to Title VII and does not apply to the Constitution.
Most lawsuits make a two-part argument, alleging discrimination under federal laws such as the Affordable Care Act or Title IX, and that certain state laws violate the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
“In all of those cases to some degree, the question of Bostock’s applicability beyond Title (VII) is at issue” said Joshua Block, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union‘s LGBTQ & HIV Project. The ACLU is serving as legal representation for transgender plaintiffs in several of these cases.
The Supreme Court has declined in the past to review cases that wrestle with similar issues. But given the number of cases related to Bostock, and disagreement among the circuit court rulings, experts wonder if the Supreme Court will have to resolve the issue.
“The court is always more likely to take cases with clean facts that allow the court to only decide one issue and decide as narrowly as possible,” Shinall said.
The first gay couple ever to appear on American television dates back to 1975 — in Norman Lear’s groundbreaking and highly controversial sitcom Hot I Baltimore.
Back then, featuring an LGBTQ+ couple on national TV was considered horrifying, even shameful. Although it’s far more common nowadays to see LGBTQ+ characters represented in film and television, we still have a long way to go.
These days, we’re lucky to have such a diverse array of incredible gay and lesbian couples gracing our screens, both big and small. Let’s take a look at some of the most fabulous same-sex pairings represented in the media over the years.
Jack and Ennis – Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain was one of the first same-sex romance films to make it to the mainstream media. Back when the movie was in production, A-list celebrities turned down the leading roles of Jack and Ennis right and left. Back then, the idea of a gay gay love story was so taboo in Hollywood that actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg were quick to say “no” because they were terrified that the world would think they were gay and their career would be over.
It looks like it was their loss, though, since the 2005 film was an Oscar-winning triumph. The roles were given to Jake Gyllenhall and Heath Ledger, respectively. Gyllenhall and Ledger play Wyoming cowboys caught up in a 20-year-long forbidden romance.
Despite their undying love for each other — Jack famously tells Ennis, “I wish I knew how to quit you!” — they’re held back by spousal duties and the restrictive social norms of the time.
Ronit and Esti – Disobedience
Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz play forbidden lovers in this gut wrenching 2018 film. Esti (McAdams) and Ronit (Weisz) seem to have all the odds stacked against them. Set in an Orthodox Jewish community, the highly religious standards make it just about impossible for the two to express their passions. But gloriously, they find a way.
In private, when no one’s watching, Esti and Ronit are able to act on their years of pent-up emotions.
Grab a box of tissues for this one. Disobedience is a total tear-jerker.
Carol and Therese – Carol
This 2015 film captures the sizzling love affair between Therese (Rooney Mara) and Carol (Cate Blanchette.) While the film is a stunning visual masterpiece, the snowy Manhattan backdrop and lush mid-century decor pale in comparison to Mara and Blanchette’s on-screen chemistry. In the film, our leading ladies Therese and Carol must keep their love affair a secret because Carol has a daughter and is going through a tough divorce. Their forbidden romance is constantly disrupted by Carol’s suspicious husband, a private detective, and … you guessed it … the constricting social norms of the 1950s.
Elio and Oliver – Call Me By Your Name
Call Me By Your Name is an exquisite love story that’s set “Somewhere in Northern Italy.” Based on the novel by Andre Aciman, the 2017 film put Timothee Chalamet on the map and launched him into the stratosphere.
What separates Call Me By Your Name from the other films listed is that there’s no bloodthirsty antagonist determined to tear Elio and Oliver apart. In fact, the only people preventing Elio and Oliver from living happily ever after are… Elio and Oliver.
Since there’s no evil force lurking in the corners, Call Me By Your Name unspools like a sun-dappled fantasy. Their romance is met with nothing but support from friends and family.
Due to the film’s lack of obstacles, a handful of critics have labeled this story unrealistic. It doesn’t have the many hurdles that same-sex love interests usually face, both in real life and in media portrayals.
Yet author Aciman says this is very much intentional. Quoting Aristotle, he said of Call Me By Your Name: “Art is not about what happens, but about what should, and ought to happen.”
Nicky Nicholls and Lorna Morello – Orange is The New Black
Orange is The New Black made waves — seismic waves — when it premiered on Netflix in 2013. The series is groundbreaking both for its diversity and its depiction of an array of lesbian relationships.
While Piper and Alex are Orange’s primary couple, many fans found themselves gravitating more towards the second-tier couple, Nicky Nicholls and Lorna Morello.
Played by Natasha Lyonne and Yael Stone, respectively, the frisson between these two is enough to set fire to Litchfield Prison. What starts out as a casual friend-with-benefits deal eventually grows into one of the most heartbreaking romances on television.
Blaine and Kurt – Glee
Kurt Hummel went through hell and back during the first handful of seasons on Glee. As the only openly gay kid in his closed-minded Ohio-based high school, he bore the brunt of constant torment from his peers.
Just when he was at his lowest point, Blaine (Darren Criss) waltzed in to flip Kurt’s life upside down once and for all. It was a heartwarming change of pace for Kurt, who had spent his whole life on the outside looking in.
Santana and Brittany – Glee
Initially, Santana and Brittany’s liaison was played off as a joke. But as the series evolved, so did their relationship. The pair went on to become one of the most popular couples on Glee.
Tweek and Craig – South Park
Tweek and Craig, South ParkComedy Central
When we hear the term South Park, the word “progressive” doesn’t immediately spring to mind. After all, the animated series is famous for its shock humor and toilet jokes. This makes it all the more amusing that the Mountain Town series has one of the hottest LGBTQ couples on TV.
The romance between Tweek and Craig was borne out of fan service. Ever since they appeared in a 1998 episode titled “Tweek and Craig,” some starry-eyed fans of the show had been “shipping” these fictional characters.
This did not go unnoticed by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who decided to respond by making Tweek and Craig a “canon” pair.
Cam and Mitchell – Modern Family
It’s safe to say that Modern Family wouldn’t be the same without Cam and Mitchell. Their comedic charm brings so much wit to the ABC sitcom, and many regard the pair as fan favorites. Despite having conflicting personalities, their differences only seem to strengthen their bond.
Patrick and David – Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek’s David and Patrick have the perfect relationship. From the beginning, it’s been nothing but smooth sailing for these two. Their lack of drama is quite refreshing for LGTBQ+ couples, who are mostly represented in the media through a tragic lens. And while there’s certainly a place for that, it’s nice to see a breezy gay couple getting on with their lives together.
One of the cutest moments in TV history was when Patrick proposed to David. Instead of a typical engagement ring, Patrick proposed with four rings — typical of what David usually wears.
They say, “To love them is to know them.” Based on Patrick’s four-ring proposal, he certainly knows David!
When Five15 first opened its doors as a retail store and coffee shop in downtown Royal Oak in 2009, the Detroit area was in a deep economic recession and owner Gary Baglio was trying to come up with ideas to get people in the door.
“One night, I was watching an episode of Sex in the City, and the girls went to a drag queen bingo,” he recalls. “And I thought, ‘Oh my God, that would be so cool.’”
His first show, with the local drag queen Sabin, sold out completely, he says. A month later, so did the second. At first the crowd was mostly from the LGBTQ+ community, but Baglio says soon they were getting bachelorette parties, members of the Red Hat Society, book clubs, and more.
“So we added shows and went to every Saturday night, and then we added a second show on Saturday night, and then fast forward to today where we do six shows a week,” he says.
Now, Five15 is celebrating 15 years of drag queen bingo with a promotion offering free tickets.
For 24 hours on Wednesday, May 15, all seats purchased for drag queen bingo comedy shows will be available free of charge.
(The store’s original address was 515 S. Washington Ave., and it happened to open on May 15 in what Baglio calls “kind of a weird coincidence.”)
The promotion covers shows through Aug. 24, excluding the popular Sunday brunch buffet shows. No cancellations or modifications are allowed, and a valid credit card is required at the time of reservation; the card will be charged the full amount in the event of a no-show.
The shows feature a drag queen comedian host who lightly roasts the audience. Over the years, it has featured many drag queens who have appeared on the popular RuPaul’s Drag Race, including Ginger Minj, Plane Jane, and Jade Jolie.
Baglio says the shows now draw fans from all across the Detroit area.
“The demographic of my audience is made up of everybody — young, old, Black, white, gay, straight, you name it,” he says. “We have motorcycle clubs and roller derby girls. We’ve had 80th anniversaries here. I could tell you stories, we would be on the phone for two days.”
Metro Times readers voted Five15’s drag queen bingo as “the best group night out” for 15 consecutive years.
“People come here because they’re curious,” Baglio says, adding that the show is all about “humor and laughter and just leaving your stuff at the front door and coming in and everybody’s the same here.”
The store moved to a bigger location across the street in 2017. Baglio says the city government has been very welcoming.
“They helped us find a space that would be larger and help us get a liquor license that we could afford, because, you know, drag queens just look better with alcohol,” he says.
“It just brings in tons of people to the show, and then they go to the different bars in the area, the different restaurants,” he adds. “It’s bringing over 1,000 people every weekend.”
Baglio believes the event is popular because it’s unpretentious.
“You’re not going to come here and win a million-dollar jackpot,” he says. “You’re gonna win a mug. But it’s just solid good fun. You will take home a memory that you’ll have forever and probably come back.”
Are the stars and stripes getting a multicolored makeover?
Some social media users said the classic red, white and blue banner could be on the chopping block: “Democrats are calling to redesign the American Flag to make it more inclusive,” said a May 3 X post that is being screenshotted and reshared on Facebook.
The viral post includes a photo of a massive flag with pale pink stars and rainbow stripes.
(Screenshot of X post)
But the featured image is not part of a “redesign.” The photo was taken in 2015 at a protest. After searching for news reports and reviewing Nexis news archives, PolitiFact found no evidence of such calls for a redesign of the American flag by Democrats.
The Facebook posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Our star-spangled banner has been the same since July 4, 1960, when Hawaii was incorporated as a state. With 50 stars for the 50 states and red and white stripes representing valor and innocence, the flag has become an iconic symbol of patriotism and fodder for misinformation. (We do a lot of flagfact–checks!)
Despite some state flag redesigns and calls from specific individuals such as singer Macy Gray for a more inclusive design, the American flag has not been altered — nor are Democrats calling for it now.
The American flag shown in the viral post blends the structure of the American flag with the colored stripes of the LGBTQ+ pride flag. Protesters carried it outside the U.S. Supreme Court almost a decade ago during the fight to legalize gay marriage.
It is not uncommon for movements to use an altered image of the American flag to make a political statement. For example, black-and-white flags featuring one blue stripe are often used to signal support for law enforcement.
We rate the claim that “Democrats are calling to redesign the American Flag to make it more inclusive” by featuring rainbow colored stripes False.
The list of new rules designed to protect victims of campus sexual assaults and the rights of LGBTQ+ students has come under attack by Republican attorneys general in several states.
This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury.
The list of new rules designed to protect victims of campus sexual assaults and the rights of LGBTQ+ students has come under attack by Republican attorneys general in several states.
Miyares called the changes a “dangerous overhaul” of Title IX, and said the new rules would negatively impact students, families and schools in the commonwealth. The ruling also comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration overhauled the commonwealth’s transgender student policies.
“The Biden Administration’s unlawful rule would jeopardize half a century of landmark protections for women, forcing the administration’s social agenda onto the states by holding federal funding hostage,” Miyares said in a statement. “They are avoiding Congress and the constitutional process because they know it will not pass. We cannot roll back Title IX in the name of false equity.”
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares at the Virginia State Capitol on Jan. 10. (Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
Attorney generals from Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia have also signed onto the suit, which was filed in Tennessee. Separate lawsuits have been filed in other states, including Louisiana and Texas.
Title IX, which has undergone several transformations based on the political party in office, was created to address women’s rights and prohibits any federally funded school or education program from discriminating against any student based on sex since it was established in 1972.
The Department of Education said some differences compared to the previous version developed under the Trump administration, include protections against all sex-based harassment and discrimination, prohibits schools from sharing personal information and supports students and families.
Narissa Rahaman, executive director for Equality Virginia, said in a statement that the rule prevents opponents from weakening “crucial” civil rights protections including for LGBTQ+ students by ensuring that pregnant and parenting students have a right to equal education opportunities, protecting student survivors and guaranteeing the rights of LGBTQ+ students to come to school as themselves without fear of harassment or discrimination.
“Students across races, places, and genders prove every day that they can do great things, especially when there are strong Title IX protections in place, which is why the Biden Administration’s updates to the Title IX rules are essential to ensure every student can thrive at school,” said Rahaman.
The new rule is slated to take effect on Aug. 1 and will apply to complaints of alleged conduct that occurs on or after that date, according to the Department of Education.
Protections
While the ruling protects students and employees from all sex-based harassment and discrimination, it will also impact LGBTQ+ students and employees, including providing complete protection from sex-based harassment and prohibiting schools from sharing personal information.
Schools must act “promptly and effectively” to protect and treat all students and staff who make complaints “equitably.” Schools must also provide support measures to complainants and respondents, and act to end any sex discrimination in their programs and prevent any recurrence.
The rule further clarifies the definition of “sex-based harassment,” which means to treat someone unfairly because of their gender; and the scope of sex discrimination, including schools’ obligations not to discriminate based on sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The federal agency said the changes will empower and support students and families by requiring schools to disclose their nondiscrimination policies and procedures to all students, employees, and other participants in their education programs so that students and families understand their rights.
The final rule also protects against retaliation for students, employees, and others who exercise their Title IX rights, and supports the rights of parents and guardians to act on behalf of their elementary school and secondary school children.
The rule also protects student privacy by prohibiting schools from disclosing personally identifiable information with limited exceptions, which is something the Youngkin administration has opposed.
Advocates say one of the rights students should have is the power to decide who finds out about their transgender status, to protect them from being bullied or harassed.
Virginia policies
In 2021, the first model policies for transgender students were designed under former Gov. Ralph Northam to provide school officials guidance on the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students and to protect the privacy and rights of these students.
However, some schools declined to adopt the model policies, and the state law that led to them lacked enforcement incentives or penalties.
The current policies adopted by the Youngkin administration were revised to require parental approval for any changes to students’ “names, nicknames, and/or pronouns,” direct schools to keep parents “informed about their children’s well-being” and require that student participation in activities and athletics and use of bathrooms be based on sex, “except to the extent that federal law otherwise requires.”
Virginia schools have also not fully adopted the newly revised policies, and state law has not changed since the policies were overhauled in 2023.
The Virginia Department of Education faces two lawsuits over the policies adopted by the Youngkin administration.
“All Virginia students, including our transgender and non-binary students deserve to feel safe and welcomed at schools,” said Wyatt Rolla, a senior transgender rights attorney with the ACLU of Virginia. “Accessing restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities that are necessary when you are at school learning is a key part of our schools being inclusive of those transgender [and] non binary students that are part of our community.”
Athletics not included
The provisions under the new Title IX rule did not mention anything about requiring schools to allow transgender students to play on teams that align with their gender identity. Virginia has taken its own shot at banning transgender athletes from competing in sports through legislation.
In February, the Youngkin administration attempted to challenge the Virginia High School League’s policy on transgender athletes, the Daily Progress reported.
The proposed policy would have matched with the administration’s current policies that students should be placed on teams based on their biological sex rather than their gender identity.
The Virginia High School League, which oversees interscholastic athletic competition for Virginia’s public high schools, allows for transgender athletes to participate on teams that match their gender identity, but under certain conditions.
Simultaneously, lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly controlled by Democrats killed bills, including Senate Bill 68, during the previous session that would have essentially banned transgender students from competing in sports.
Sen. Tammy Brankley Mulchi, R-Mecklenburg, who carried Senate Bill 723, said students like her 6-year-old granddaughter should have a choice to play with their own gender during a Feb. 1 Senate Education subcommittee hearing.
Mulchi’s bill would have required schools and colleges to have separate sports for boys and girls based on their biological sex. Any dispute would require a note from a doctor.
“If she [my granddaughter] wants to play an all-girl sport, I want her to play against girls that were born girls and not play against someone that is much stronger than her or can hurt her and take away her chances of a scholarship,” Mulchi said.
However, Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax, argued during the February hearing that whether students are competing with their respective biological sex or not “children of all ages, sexes have different builds and strengths and no children are alike on the same team.”
Camp Slasher host Allie Slasher performing in 2023
With summer right around the corner, the timing of upcoming drag event Camp Slasher couldn’t be better.
Presented by La Petite Mort, the production vehicle for Super Passive’s Allie Slasher, Camp Slasher aims to present an evening of drag themed around the best/worst of summer-camp slasher flicks of the 1980s — think Friday the 13th, The Burning or Sleepaway Camp — and the ridiculous and gratuitous kills within. (Side note: Did you know there was a slasher film made in Orlando in the 1990s about a killer tree surgeon? There was!)
The lineup promises new and familiar faces alike in the form of Sue Cyde, Draggedy Anne, Davi Oddity, Anesthesia, Amnesia Effect and Papi Takami alongside Allie Slasher.
Previous iterations of La Petite Mort events at Will’s Pub have been eye-popping collisions of horror-themed drag that verges on performance art (complete with performers not averse to a little friendly confrontation), put on in front of crowds that get bigger every time out.
There’s also an open stage following the two shows, though you have to register in advance to participate. There are some games and competitions in addition to the drag performances as well.
Camp Slasher happens Monday, May 6, at 8 p.m. at Will’s Pub. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
(CHARLESTON, W.Va.) — West Virginia and North Carolina’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory, a federal appeals court ruled Monday in a case likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-6 in the case involving coverage of gender-affirming care by North Carolina’s state employee health plan and the coverage of gender-affirming surgery by West Virginia Medicaid.
“The coverage exclusions facially discriminate on the basis of sex and gender identity, and are not substantially related to an important government interest,” Judge Roger Gregory, first appointed by former President Bill Clinton and re-appointed by former President George W. Bush, wrote in the majority opinion.
The ruling follows a decision earlier this month by 4th Circuit judges that West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the rights of a teen athlete under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools.
Like with the transgender sports law ruling, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said his office planned to appeal Monday’s health care case decision.
“Decisions like this one, from a court dominated by Obama- and Biden-appointees, cannot stand: we’ll take this up to the Supreme Court and win,” Morrisey said in a statement.
After the ruling, West Virginia plaintiff Shauntae Anderson, a Black transgender woman and West Virginia Medicaid participant, called her state’s refusal to cover her care “deeply dehumanizing.”
“I am so relieved that this court ruling puts us one step closer to the day when Medicaid can no longer deny transgender West Virginians access to the essential healthcare that our doctors say is necessary for us,” Anderson said in a statement.
A spokesperson for North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell, whose department oversees the state’s health plan, said the agency was still reviewing the decision Monday but would have a response later.
During oral arguments in September, at least two judges said it’s likely the case will eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Both states appealed separate lower court rulings that found the denial of gender-affirming care to be discriminatory and unconstitutional. Two panels of three Fourth Circuit judges heard arguments in both cases last year before deciding to intertwine the two cases and see them presented before the full court.
In June 2022, a North Carolina trial court demanded the state plan pay for “medically necessary services,” including hormone therapy and some surgeries, for transgender employees and their children. The judge had ruled in favor of the employees and their dependents, who said in a 2019 lawsuit that they were denied coverage for gender-affirming care under the plan.
The North Carolina state insurance plan provides medical coverage for more than 750,000 teachers, state employees, retirees, lawmakers and their dependents. While it provides counseling for gender dysphoria and other diagnosed mental health conditions, it does not cover treatment “in connection with sex changes or modifications and related care.”
In August 2022, a federal judge ruled West Virginia’s Medicaid program must provide coverage for gender-affirming care for transgender residents.
An original lawsuit filed in 2020 also named state employee health plans. A settlement with The Health Plan of West Virginia Inc. in 2022 led to the removal of the exclusion on gender-affirming care in that company’s Public Employees Insurance Agency plans.
During September’s oral arguments, attorneys for the state of North Carolina said the state-sponsored plan is not required to cover gender-affirming hormone therapy or surgery because being transgender is not an illness. They claimed only a subset of transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria, a diagnosis of distress over gender identity that does not match a person’s assigned sex.
West Virginia attorneys said the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has declined to issue a national coverage decision on gender-affirming surgery.
State lawyers said West Virginia’s policy is not a case of discrimination, either, but of a state trying to best utilize limited resources. West Virginia has a $128 million deficit in Medicaid for the next year, projected to expand to $256 million in 2025.
Unlike North Carolina, the state has covered hormone therapy and other pharmaceutical treatments for transgender people since 2017.
