Imagine being 17 years old without a parent or guardian or a permanent place to call home when housing costs are soaring, and high inflation is driving up the cost of food and other necessities. When well-educated, financially stable Washingtonians are tightening their financial belts because of the uncertainty, it is a frightening time to […]
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 Philadelphia Gay News
Philly Trans March calls out attacks against trans community, trans youth
“Anti-trans legislation is a direct attack on our siblings and their ability to participate in a world that is largely falsified,” D’Auriel Epiphany said at the 2022 Philly Trans March (PTM). Epiphany started the local queer skate group Rolling with the Homos. “The rules are made up; it is all about telling us how we […]
Posted inFrom Tagg Magazine
They woke up different: A coming out story
It sure felt like destiny that I started meeting queer people – especially Katy who introduced me to their genderqueer sibling and the loving and supportive LGBTQ+ community when I moved to the U.S. and away from my family’s influence. But as COVID-19 swept through the world, I was forced to return to the place […]
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
J.D. Vance signals opposition to same-sex marriage bill
J.D. Vance, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio who was able to obtain the Republican presidential nomination thanks in part to backing from gay conservative entrepreneur Peter Thiel, signaled on Tuesday he’d vote against legislation pending before Congress seeking to codify same-sex marriage into law. Vance made the comments during a debate with Democratic […]
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Federal judge rejects ‘Don’t Say Gay’ challenge
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed a challenge to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law on technical grounds, per The Bay Area Reporter. The ruling took place Sept. 29. Winsor, a Donald Trump appointee, dismissed the
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Thousands take part in Chicago Marathon; non-binary participants noted
Thousands of individuals ran, walked, rode in wheelchairs and relied on other forms of movement as they took part in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon throughout the city on Oct. 9. And for the first
Posted inNews
Nat’l Coming Out Day presents unique challenges for communities of color
On the 34th anniversary of National Coming Out Day, LGBTQ people across the country honor the community and its fight for equality. But not everyone sees coming out as a celebration. “Coming out is not always the best option for persons of color who already — because of our pigment on top of our identity […]
Posted inNews
Combating misinformation and misconceptions about being intersex
“What does it mean to be intersex?” “What does intersex look like?” “How do intersex individuals fit into the larger LGBTQIA2S community?” These are some of the questions that the intersex advocacy organization interACT tackles on its website and outreach. Established in 2006, interACT uses “innovative legal and other strategies, to advocate for the human […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
News is Good: A bisexual Nobel Prize winner, Velma comes out 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 five things we’re excited about this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQKHtdElMng Scooby-Doo’s Velma comes out in latest franchise release. […]
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
Author Kenny Fries on being queer, disabled, and Jewish
(Editor’s Note: One in four people in America has a disability, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Queer and disabled people have long been a vital part of the LGBTQ community. Take two of the many queer history icons who were disabled: Michelangelo is believed to have been autistic. Marsha P. Johnson, […]
Posted inFrom Windy City Times
Russian court sets Brittney Griner’s appeal date
Brittney Griner’s date in front of an appeals court has been set.
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
Slovenia legalizes marriage, adoption for same-sex couples
Slovenia has become the first country in Eastern Europe to legalize same-sex marriage and the adoption of minor children by same-sex couples. After considerable debate Tuesday in the Slovenian Parliament, 48 lawmakers passed legislation that guarantees the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Twenty-nine MPs opposed the legislation, while one abstained. This past July, the […]
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
Putin slams LGBTQ people in Ukraine annexation speech
In a rally ceremony that resembled a political convention on Sept. 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated his signing a degree that Russia had annexed four regions of Eastern Ukraine that were overrun by Russian military forces and Russian-backed separatists. “The people made their choice,” said Putin in the formal signing ceremony at the Kremlin’s St. […]
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
Survey shows 72% of Utah residents back same-sex marriage
The results of a poll run by the Hinckley Institute of Politics and the Desert News found 72% of Utah’s residents agree that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights as cis-gender marriages. “For a state that less than 20 years ago passed laws and a constitutional […]
Posted inFrom Philadelphia Gay News
Analysis: Iran protests for women, but not for lesbians
Mahsa Amini didn’t have to die. While visiting Tehran, Iran with family, Amini was dragged off the street for not wearing her hijab properly and taken to the police station for some “re-education.” She was never seen alive again. Amini’s death on September 16 has propelled protests throughout Iran, with women illegally removing their hijabs […]
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
Longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate, event promoter Jacob Pring dies at 47
Jacob Nathaniel Pring, a D.C.-area LGBTQ rights advocate whose career included working as a mortgage loan officer and Lyft driver by day while organizing social events and parties at night and on weekends at D.C. gay bars and other venues, including “Gay Day” at the National Zoo, died Sept. 26, at his home in Springfield, […]
Posted inFilm and Television
News is Good: Gay wrestling champ, “Bros” on the big screen 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 five things we’re excited about this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQIeBB9XMe8 Billy Eichner’s gay rom-com “Bros” hits theaters. The […]
Posted inUncategorized
News is Good: Dragstravaganz, gay football and more
Welcome to the first installment of our new 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. Kelley Robinson to lead […]
Posted inFrom Bay Area Reporter
Folsom Street Fair set to return
After two years of not-quite-the-real-thing Folsom Street fairs, the massive kink and leather-focused street party is back in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood.
Posted inFrom Washington Blade
Biden notes LGBTQ, intersex rights in UN General Assembly speech
President Joe Biden on Wednesday reiterated his administration’s commitment to LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad. “The future will be won by those countries that unleash the full potential of their populations, where women and girls can exercise equal rights, including basic reproductive rights and contribute fully to building stronger economies and more resilient societies, where […]