Our weekly column, News is Good, features 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.
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo to replace Dr. Anthony Fauci. Marrazzo will be stepping in to replace the retired Fauci as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Marrazzo, an infectious disease specialist, is known as an HIV prevention expert and co-founded the Lesbian/Bisexual Women’s Health Study. She will officially step into the position this fall.
Pedro Almodóvar’s gay Western gets release date. “Strange Way of Life” stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as former lovers who reunite in the Southwest and must face their past. The film is considered a short, with a runtime of about 30 minutes and will be available nationwide Oct. 6.
San Francisco kicks off Transgender History Month. Mayor London Breed raised the transgender flag at San Francisco’s City Hall this week and declared the start of the city’s second annual Transgender History Month. The declaration falls on the 57th anniversary of the city’s Compton’s Cafeteria Riots, a pivotal moment in the San Francisco trans liberation movement. About the month, Breed said, “We are proud of what this city stands for, and today and the entire month of August reflect the resilience of the transgender community and San Francisco’s commitment to supporting and protecting the rights of trans people.”
“Bachelorette” Gabby Windey comes out as LGBTQ+ on Instagram. The former Denver Broncos cheerleader and “Bachelorette” Season 19 co-star shared her romance with comedian Robby Hoffman on Instagram and then on ABC’s “The View.” Windey told “The View” hosts, “I don’t want to live and not be living my full truth. I don’t want to do that to myself. I don’t want to do it to my girlfriend.”