Founded in 1991, Victory Fund and its non-profit arm, Victory Institute, have spent the last 30 years working to level the political playing field by supporting LGBTQ+ candidates for races all up and down the ballot. Currently, Victory Fund is supporting over 400 candidates, including key senate, mayoral and gubernatorial candidates. Annise Parker, the former […]
Category: Top Stories
Posted inArts and Entertainment
News is Good: Benefits for same-sex couples, Hayley Kiyoko pens a book 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. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs changes policy for the […]
Posted inChangemakers
LGBTQ+ Changemakers: Alex Schmider
The LGBTQ+ Changemakers series features LGBTQ+ people all over the country who are making a difference through visibility and ingenuity. As director of transgender representation at GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), Alex Schmider is a force for good regarding trans stories on television and film. In addition to his pivotal work at GLAAD, […]
Posted inNews
LGBTQ+ History Month is a celebration of community
As I write, it’s National Coming Out Day. Since 1988, this day in October has been a day of solidarity for those who have come out. It is also a hopeful, supportive, gentle opportunity for anyone in flux, transition or considering coming out. We all have coming out stories. It is important to voice them. […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
News is Good: A Philly icon is honored, the Negroni sbagliato sensation 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. State of Mexico legalizes same-sex marriage. With an overwhelming […]
Posted inNews
Asian Americans lead the fight against hate crimes in California
In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills that address the unprecedented number of bias incidents and hate crimes in the state. Initially aimed to confront the rise of such cases against Asian American and Pacific Islanders, the laws will also aid in defense of LGBTQs, who have experienced a similar increase. It’s an example of the importance of allies and cooperation among victimized communities to provide the means to combat harassing comments and violent behavior spurred by racial/sexual slurs, conspiracy theories, and political rhetoric.
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 inOpinion
Support for LGBTQ+ journalism starts locally
Standing up in my highchair, peering over my dad’s shoulder, I was interested in what had his attention: the newspaper. I wanted his attention, but I was patient and curious. I wasn’t old enough to read yet, but I looked at the pictures and graphic images and reached for the comics. Back in the 1960s […]
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 inFeatured
Why having LGBTQ+ people in office matters
Representation matters. It matters everywhere, from the actors people see in movies to the teachers who impart knowledge to the politicians who determine the laws that shape our lives. The results can be overwhelmingly beneficial, helping underrepresented people to connect with each other and reducing negative stereotypes. Few people can understand the aforementioned benefits better […]
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 inTop Stories
Banned Books Week is a reminder of why we need to fight for LGBTQ+ content
Book burnings evoke thoughts of Europe nearly a century ago, but they’re being suggested here in the U.S. this year under a scary climate that is trying to eliminate all LGBTQ+ books from the shelves of public libraries and schools—and not enough people are talking about it or trying to stop it. Many hope to […]
Posted inOpinion
Queer media is here to help combat anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination
Nobody understands the LGBTQ+ community like LGBTQ+ media. Bringing people the news and opinions from our various local LGBTQ publications is what News Is Out is all about. We show you the beating heart of what drives and impacts LGBTQ people. We inform you of your rights and alert you to those trying to take […]
Posted inMusic and Podcasts
Seven LGBTQ+ culture podcasts to subscribe to right now
If you are like 41% of Americans, then you are likely listening to podcasts regularly. The world of podcasts is wide, with a niche for pretty much anyone who wants to learn something new, get lost in a story or find common ground. The number of LGBTQ+-centric podcasts is rising, featuring everything from finances to […]
Posted inTop Stories
News is Out’s LGBTQ+ international roundup
The LGBTQ+ community stretches far and wide and it’s important to know what’s happening beyond our own borders. Here are some important developments happening with the international LGBTQ+ community. Singapore In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently announced that the government would move to strike down Section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalizes sex […]
Posted inPolitics
Finding allies across the aisle
Some of my best friends are Republicans. I hang out with people who are Republican. Many are military, currently serving or retired or are LGBTQ+ people raised in military homes. Many are in the banking or finance sector. A few friends are trust fund babies, moneyed people who vote their pocketbooks. We are friends. We […]
Posted inFeatured
Anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate crimes affect LGBTQ+ people too
Another virus has been spreading throughout our country since former President Donald Trump racialized the coronavirus by repeatedly calling it the “China virus” or “kung flu:” Hate. His thinly veiled racist dog whistles encouraged identification of the virus with Asians and a justification for punishing anyone perceived as Chinese, which is liberally misapplied to almost […]
Posted inBooks
LGBTQ+ content featured heavily in recent book bans
The most recent rise in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has been heavily focused on students and what they should and should not be exposed to in the classroom. School libraries have been forced to pull certain books off their shelves, while teachers have been told to remove books from their syllabi. What’s the current state of banned […]
Posted inFeatured
Why is there LGBTQ+ media? One word: information
Take monkeypox, for example, specifically its relationship to our community. LGBTQ+ media reports a depth and breadth of information you won’t get from mainstream media. We immediately understood the impact monkeypox would have on the LGBTQ+ community and began writing about it and taking it seriously much earlier than mainstream media. The reason is that […]