Welcome to our weekly column, News is Good, where we feature positive news about the LGBTQ+ community. Too much of what we see in mainstream media coverage focuses on the challenges we face and not the celebrations. Here are five things we’re excited about this week.
State of Mexico legalizes same-sex marriage. With an overwhelming majority vote, the congress of the State of Mexico, the country’s most populous state, voted to legalize equal marriage. With the State of Mexico’s decision, 29 of Mexico’s 32 states now recognize the validity of same-sex marriage.
The late Jeff Guaracino is honored with a street in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood. Guaracino was the president of Visit Philadelphia and a beloved LGBTQ+ pioneer and presence in Philadelphia until his unexpected passing at age 48 in December 2021. The corner of 13th and Locust Streets will now include Jeff Guaracino Way. In addition, Oct. 11, 2022 was proclaimed Jeff Guaracino Day by Mayor Jim Kenney.
Cleveland becomes the latest U.S. city to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth. This week, the Cleveland City Council passed a ban on the harmful practice of conversion therapy for those under the age of 18. According to ordinance No. 696-2022, “this Council intends to prohibit within the boundaries of the City of Cleveland the practice of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression change efforts, or any other practice seeking to fundamentally alter the sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression of another person.”
Screamfest LA includes queer scares this Halloween season. The country’s largest and longest-running horror film festival kicked off this week and runs through Oct. 20 at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Los Angeles. Included in the festival’s lineup of over 100 films, are the LGBTQ+-centric feature film “Swallowed” and short films “Role Play” “Seance” and “Heartbeater.” Tickets are available now for the festival’s run.
Negroni Sbagliato is the new queer drink, thanks to nonbinary “House of the Dragon” actor Emma D’Arcy. If you were at a queer bar this week, you likely overheard several orders for Negroni Sbagliato, a cocktail made with Campari, sweet vermouth and prosecco or champagne. The drink is seeing a renaissance thanks to an HBO Max TikTok where D’Arcy and fellow actor Olivia Cooke asked each other fan questions. When asked about their drink of choice, D’Arcy replied, “Negroni, sbagliato, with prosecco” and a viral sensation among LGBTQ+ TikTokers was born. In fact, the drink is so popular now that restaurants and bars are running out of Campari.
Do you have good news you want to share with us? Email our team at newsisout@localmedia.org.