This article originally appeared in Bay Area Reporter. LGBTQ people have a variety of housing options when they’re lucky enough to be able to afford property. In San Francisco – long considered a safe haven for the queer community – individual needs have to be weighed both against the city’s chronic housing shortage and a […]
Author Archives: John Ferrannini
Posted inTop Stories
Travel tips for LGBTQ+ people: Staying informed under new federal policies
Clear answers are hard to come by for LGBTQ+ travelers fearful about going through airports under the second Trump administration. There have been reports of trans people’s passports being changed and federal agents disqualifying people from entry to the United States due to anti-Trump memes. Perhaps the biggest threat facing trans and nonbinary people is […]
Posted inTop Stories
Pope Francis, who changed Catholic approach to LGBTQs, dies
This article originally appeared in Bay Area Reporter. Pope Francis, who made the Catholic Church less hostile toward LGBTQ+ people, died Monday in Rome. He was 88. For most of his life, he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and at the time he was elected the church’s 266th pontiff, he was the cardinal archbishop of Buenos […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Critical acclaim for ‘Emilia Pérez’ comes with criticism, too
Leading this year’s Oscar contenders by the sheer number of nominations, the musical comedy Emilia Pérez is eliciting criticism in addition to critical acclaim for its portrayal of transgender people and Mexican culture. The film won the best musical/comedy at the recent Golden Globes, setting it up as a strong Academy Awards contender. The film […]
Posted inNews
Gay Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver running for president
Chase Oliver, the gay Libertarian from Georgia who is his party’s presidential nominee, got an unexpected boon August 23, when Democrat-turned-independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. Oliver’s message to disappointed RFK Jr. supporters – who at the time he suspended his presidential bid […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
LGBTQ+ designers share impact of merchandise being dropped from Target stores after Pride backlash
This article first appeared in the Bay Area Reporter. At first, it seemed like a dream come true. LGBTQ+ designers and artists were recruited by Target to create merchandise for the giant retailer’s Pride collection. Not only would the job bring in revenue, it would create exposure for the creatives and their products. But last […]
Posted inTop Stories
Golden State queer mecca is more than San Francisco
This article is part of the LGBT Media History Project. The 1979 police assault on San Francisco’s former Elephant Walk bar on Castro Street after the White Night riots was a defining moment for the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, helping to cement the solidarity of a new community while the whole world was watching. Earlier that year, […]
Posted inOut and Aging
Long-term HIV survivors fighting for their lives all over again
The fight against the HIV epidemic has seen a number of good milestones lately – the World Health Organization reaffirmed July 22 that those who consistently take antiretroviral treatment and maintain undetectable viral loads don’t transmit the virus during sex. Meanwhile, among HIV-negative men who have sex with men seen at San Francisco City Clinic, PrEP use increased each […]
Posted inTop Stories
Drag performers of color reflect on ‘queer joy’ – and the current backlash to their art
With roots stretching back thousands of years, drag performers have recently become a cultural Rorschach test. Just as the art form has catapulted into mainstream spaces – thanks, RuPaul – it has elicited fear in cultural conservatives, who, as the Bay Area Reporter has been reporting, are seeking to limit its public visibility through state […]