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 a few things we’re excited about this week.
The Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars donned their rainbow colors for Pride. While teams that have been rolling back their Pride day celebrations or ditching their special jerseys have been making news, the Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars celebrated the LGBTQ+ community in recent games. Coincidentally, the teams’ Pride night matches were against each other! All players participated and wore the warm-up Pride jerseys. Along with the jerseys, there were special Pride-themed activities and recognitions during the game.
Speaking of hockey, queer TikToker gets engaged at the Colorado Avalanche Pride night game. Congratulations to TikToker Cass (Caps and Max), who planned a unique surprise proposal for her girlfriend, Sarah. The couple first met at an Avalanche Pride night in 2020, so it was fitting that three years to the day, Cass would pop the question. The Avalanche helped Cass plan the surprise out. It was a success; Sarah said yes.
Miss San Francisco crowns its first-ever transgender winner. Monroe Lace will be the first trans contestant to represent San Francisco in the Miss California contest this June. Lace, 25, is a UCLA graduate and a newcomer to the pageant scene, with Miss San Francisco being her first-ever competition. Lace told the Bay Area Reporter, “I want to be the Miss San Francisco that brings San Francisco with me and leaves the city a better place. I think my story is part of America and I want to see America in me. My win is our win, all of us together.”
Miley Cyrus responds to her duet with Dolly Parton being pulled from elementary school’s concert with a donation. Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, Wisconsin, recently made news when the Cyrus and Parton song “Rainbowland” was removed from the school’s Spring concert program. According to Fox 6 Milwaukee, the school district Superintendent Jim Sebert said, “It was determined that ‘Rainbowland’ could be perceived as controversial.” Cyrus, who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community, responded through her charity, Happy Hippie, by making a donation to Pride and Less Prejudice. The organization provides “LGBTQ-inclusive books to Pre-K through 3rd-grade classrooms to help students and teachers ‘Read out loud, read out proud!'”
Grindr teams up with CDC and more to provide free HIV testing kits. Queer dating app Grindr is making it easy for users to access free HIV testing kits through a new initiative called “Together TakeMeHome.” With the partnership of the CDC, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) and Emory University, U.S. Grindr users can request a free kit directly through the app.