There’s a new WNBA team in town. The Bay Area’s Golden State Valkyries have officially unveiled their brand, drawing inspiration from Norse mythology. The Valkyries, known as a band of fearless warrior women, embody strength, boldness, and fierceness—qualities that the new franchise aims to represent, according to a press release by the WNBA. https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790360287725674855 This […]
Category: Top Stories
Posted inCulture
As Target pulls back on its Pride line, here are 5 places to get Pride merchandise instead
After the viral backlash last year against its Pride line, Target announced late last week that its Pride line would only be available in select stores and online. Also, only adult apparel will be available this year. Which stores will carry Target’s Pride line has not yet been announced. According to a media response received […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
From LGBTQ+ book bans to internet bans: A bipartisan attack on knowledge
“They had LGBTQ-inclusive books in every single classroom and school library,” Maxx Fenning says of his high school experience. “They were even working on LGBTQ-specific course codes to get approved by the state,” he said, describing courses on queer studies and LGBTQ Black history. No, Fenning didn’t grow up in Portland or a Boston suburb. […]
Posted inNews
States with the most anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes
In February 2024, Nex Benedict, a nonbinary 16-year-old from Oklahoma, was attacked by their peers in their school bathroom; they sustained head injuries and died the following day. The official autopsy report classified Benedict’s death as a suicide, the result of ingesting a lethal combination of prescription and over-the-counter medication. Prosecutors said they would not file […]
Posted inNews
Dallas Voice celebrates 40 years
The May 10 issue of Dallas Voice celebrates the 40th anniversary of the publication of the first issue and we’re celebrating with one of our biggest issues of the year. In addition to news, long time Dallas Voice writers will offer their take on 40 years of publication.
Posted inCommunity
Give Out Day 2024: A nationwide push to support LGBTQ+ organizations
Give Out Day kicks off this week and is the only national event specifically focused on raising funds for LGBTQ+ nonprofits across the United States. Organized by California-based LGBTQ+ organization Horizons Foundation, the month-long event provides an opportunity for LGBTQ+ organizations to engage with their supporters and gain visibility. This is especially crucial for smaller […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Diversionary Theatre: San Diego’s sanctuary for queer expression and community engagement
Located in San Diego’s University Heights neighborhood, Diversionary Theatre has been centering the stories of the LGBTQ+ community for nearly 40 years. Founded in 1986, it opened in part as a response to the AIDS crisis, offering a place for the community to gather during a frightening time in our history. “It gave the LGBTQ+ community a […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
GLAAD’s annual “Where We Are On TV” report shows a troubling trend in LGBTQ+ representation
GLAAD, the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, has released its annual “Where We Are On TV” report and confirmed what many television viewers had suspected: there were fewer LGBTQ+ characters and storylines on broadcast television and streaming in 2023 than in 2022. Last year at News is Out, we covered the trend of “Cancel Your Gays” in […]
Posted inTravel
Report reveals how anti-LGBTQ+ state policies are influencing tourism
The IGLTA Foundation, the philanthropic branch of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association and Community Marketing and Insights, has released a new report on the state of LGBTQ+ travel. The report, made with the input of over 2,300 community members, examines the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ policies on LGBTQ+ travel, with a particular focus on Florida. It […]
Posted inChangemakers
The impact of The Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents: Championing LGBTQ+ voices with Sue Kerr
You don’t get the title “Unofficial Lesbian Correspondent of Pittsburgh” for nothing. If you ask Sue Kerr where the nickname came from, the Founder and Publisher of The Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents says the title started as a joke but has evolved into something special. “That name was given to me by a local radio host […]
Posted inNews
Biden administration announces changes to Title IX and protections for LGBTQ+ students
On Friday, April 19, the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Education issued its final rule revising Title IX, a federal civil rights law originally passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. While Title IX is often associated with high school and collegiate athletics, its reach is much broader. It influences any […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Tribeca Film Festival 2024: Spotlight on LGBTQ+ films and TV shows in this year’s lineup
The Tribeca Film Festival has revealed its lineup for the 2024 festival, and there is considerable LGBTQ+ representation. Started in 2022 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, the film festival is one of the country’s most prestigious and provides opportunities for independent films to find distribution. This year’s lineup includes screenings of […]
Posted inTop Stories
News is Out, Word In Black and Comcast NBCUniversal welcomes 16 journalism fellows to cover Black and LGBTQ+ communities
Philadelphia (April 15, 2024) — Today, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists at 16 Black and LGBTQ+ serving news publications across the country. During the year-long fellowship, the group will receive the training and resources needed to tell stories within marginalized communities through media and […]
Posted inBooks, News, Top Stories
Top 5 banned books in U.S. have LGBTQ+ content, ALA report shows
This week, the American Library Association released its “2024 State of America’s Libraries” report. This year’s report heavily focuses on censorship, book bans and book challenges libraries across the country have been facing. In the report’s introduction, titled “These Are Not Ordinary Times,” ALA president Emily Drabinski shared the challenges facing U.S. libraries. “The unprecedented wave of organized censorship […]
Posted inTop Stories
NBCUniversal’s Yvette Miley receives prestigious NLGJA Leadership Award
Yvette Miley, Executive Vice President at NBCUniversal News Group, has been honored with the 2024 Leadership Award by NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. This accolade recognizes her impactful efforts to enhance diversity and inclusivity, especially pertaining to LGBTQ+ representation in the media. The award will be presented during the ‘Headlines & Headliners’ fundraising event […]
Posted inTop Stories
Additional ways Project 2025’s plan could affect the LGBTQ+ community
In November, we wrote about Project 2025, a playbook written by the conservative policy think tank Heritage Foundation. If put into action, the playbook could have dire effects on countless Americans, particularly women and the LGBTQ+ community. That article has consistently been one of the most-read pieces on the News is Out site. We want […]
Posted inCommunity
A parent by any other name: What kids call their LGBTQ parents
One of the most frequent questions I’ve heard from prospective LGBTQ+ parents is “What should our kids call us?” I therefore began the Mombian LGBTQ Parental Names Project in 2011 to collect examples of our parental names. Here are just a few of the names — and the stories behind them — that more than 400 people […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
NYC Pride gears up to celebrate a monumental month dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, joy and unity
This year, the Heritage of Pride organization celebrates 40 years as custodians of the iconic New York City Pride March. Throughout the month, culminating in the June 30 parade and festival, the organization is poised to honor its legacy of advocating for equality and celebrating diversity with events designed to empower the queer community, particularly […]
Posted inTop Stories
Everywhere is Queer connects LGBTQ+ businesses and customers
You’re standing in the middle of downtown Madison, Wisconsin and wondering if there are any LGBTQ+-owned businesses to support. Maybe you’re planning a trip across the South and want to visit LGBTQ+-owned restaurants along your way. Or you’re in your town looking for an LGBTQ+ doctor or service person. Everywhere is Queer can help. The […]
Posted inNews
J.P. Morgan & StartOut Growth Lab empowers LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs
J.P. Morgan and StartOut have announced the inclusion of nine new early-stage companies into the 2024 Growth Lab Accelerator program. An organization focused on LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, StartOut works to accelerate “the growth of the LGBTQ+ community to drive its economic empowerment, building a world where every LGBTQ+ entrepreneur has equal access to lead, succeed and […]