While driving from the Ballina airport to Byron Bay, New South Wales, I came across two things I’d never seen before. The first was a “Watch Out: Koalas Spotted” sign. The second was a police station covered with rainbow banners and flying a Progress flag. While in Sydney for WorldPride, I, a few fellow journalists […]
Author Archives: Dana Piccoli
Dana Piccoli is an award winning writer, critic and the managing director of News is Out, a queer media collaborative.
Dana was named one of The Advocate Magazine’s 2019 Champions of Pride. She was also one of Curve Magazine’s 2017 Pridelist for her work in LGBTQ media. Dana is an inaugural recipient of the Curve Award for Excellence in Lesbian Coverage.
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Supreme Court, Biden weigh in on trans athletes
Transgender athletes saw two significant victories last week: one from the conservative U.S. Supreme Court and the other from the LGBTQ-friendly White House of President Joe Biden. The events triggered a flood of national media attention,
Posted inArts and Entertainment
News is Good: 365 days of gay, Jinkx Monsoon to join “Doctor Who” and more
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. New book celebrates 365 days of LGBTQ+ icons […]
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Record number of LGBTQ+ candidates elected to Chicago City Council; LGBTQ+ representation increases from seven to nine
Washington, DC — Tonight three LGBTQ+ Chicago City Council candidates won runoff elections: Timmy Knudsen, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth and Lamont Robinson all three of whom Victory Fund endorsed. Manaa-Hoppenworth is now
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
N.J. governor declares ‘safe haven’ for transgender, nonbinary people
By Sophie Nieto-Munoz While other states pass bans on transgender health care, New Jersey will be a “safe haven” for those seeking gender-affirming care, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday. Murphy signed an executive order Tuesday directing all state departments and agencies to protect those providing or receiving gender-affirming health care services. Under the order, state officials will […]
Posted inTop Stories
The power of Drag: A look back through images
Drag is nothing new. It has existed proudly and out loud for centuries. If you attended a performance of William Shakespeare’s plays at The Globe in 1599, your Juliet, Lady Macbeth and Desdemona would have been played by men dressed in drag. In the states, former enslaved person William Dorsey Swann (Born: March 1860 – Died: Dec. […]
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Election 2023: Johnson defeats Vallas and LGBTQ+ Council representation to increase
Cook County Commissioner and educator Brandon Johnson narrowly defeated former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas on April 4 in a close race to become Chicago’s 57th mayor, with Johnson capturing (as of publication) about 51.48
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Record number of LGBTQ+ elected officials now serve in the U.S.
Washington, DC LGBTQ+ Victory Institute released "Leading Out Loud: Growing LGBTQ+ Political Representation," a new report tracking increases in LGBTQ+ representation in government over the past five years. The release of the report is part
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
India prepares for marriage equality ruling
The world’s largest democracy is at the crossroad of monumental change. India’s more than 2.5 million LGBTQ and intersex people are looking at the country’s Supreme Court with great hopes because it will hold another hearing on marriage equality on April 18. The five justices on March 13 heard the issue. The Supreme Court last […]
Posted inFrom Philadelphia Gay News
Conservatives look to BookLooks for help banning books
The Central Bucks School District has been a hotbed of controversy for the last couple of years, in part because conservative administrators, members of its board, and people from the community keep trying to ban an increasing number of books they find objectionable. Last year, administrators put forward five books to be reviewed for possible […]
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Bill would prohibit discrimination in the military, protect trans service members
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) introduced legislation today that would prohibit discrimination in the military and protect transgender service members. The Ensuring Military Readiness Not Discrimination Act, commonly
Posted inArts and Entertainment
News is Good: Seattle Kraken & Dallas Stars show their Pride, a sweet proposal and more
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. https://www.tiktok.com/@seattlekraken/video/7215706756293414186 The Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars donned their rainbow colors […]
Posted inTop Stories
15 transgender people who have made the world a better place
In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, we’re celebrating trans individuals who have had an impact on making the world a better place for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. From the worlds of science and technology to art and activism, these 15 trans people have changed the way we view the world. Lorena Borjas […]
Posted inFrom Bay Area Reporter
Youth march for trans rights in SF
Young people took to the streets Saturday, March 25, for a Youth 4 Trans Liberation March, which started at Turk and Taylor streets in the Tenderloin and ended outside San Francisco City Hall.
Posted inFrom Tagg Magazine
D.C. Trans Pride: An Event By and For the Trans Community
Trans Pride is set to return to the Washington, D.C. area May 19 and 20, 2023. Planning for this year’s program is underway, led by community members who were once a part of a local Pride organization and are now looking to branch out on their own to create a stand-alone program for the trans, […]
Posted inFrom Bay Area Reporter
LGBTQ Agenda: Half of trans youth may lose access to affirming care, HRC says
Just over half of trans American youth ages 13-17 have lost or could soon face barriers to gender-affirming care, according to a report from the national Human Rights Campaign.
Posted inFrom Philadelphia Gay News
Trans Day of Visibility events set for Philly, Harrisburg
In the continued fight for trans lives, trans equality and trans visibility, organizers in Philadelphia and around Pennsylvania are holding events for International Trans Day of Visibility on March 31. Philly Trans March (PTM) will host Rise for Trans Lives: a TDOV demonstration at City Hall on March 31 at 6 p.m. PTM and participants […]
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Chicago Blackhawks mark Pride Night, with one change
The Chicago Blackhawks organization again hosted its annual Pride Night celebration, in partnership with BMO, on March 26, as the team took on the Vancouver Canucks. (The Canucks prevailed 4-2.) As media outlets previously reported, the
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
EXCLUSIVE: First Gen Z congressman demands action on LGBTQ rights, gun control
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) during an exclusive interview with the Washington Blade on March 24 called for President Joe Biden to “speak out about” the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country. The congressman said the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education “should be heavily involved in investigating what’s going on in Florida […]
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
ALA: 2022 saw record demand of censorship of library books
On March 22, the American Library Association (ALA) released new data documenting 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022 the highest number of attempted book bans since the ALA began compiling data about censorship