I’m lucky enough to live in a city with multiple gay bars. From the Pride Stairs of Woody’s to the drag shows of Missy B’s, Kansas City has a bar for every type of queer person out there. Or, so I’ve heard. The truth is, I’ve never been to any of them. Admitting this can be a little […]
Category: News
Posted inTop Stories
New report reveals 73% of LGBTQ+ centers face rising threats amid anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
A new report by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and CenterLink reveals that LGBTQ+ community centers across the U.S. are facing increasing threats and harassment, much of it driven by anti-LGBTQ+ political rhetoric. According to the 2024 LGBTQ Community Center Survey Report, 73% of the LGBTQ centers surveyed reported experiencing anti-LGBTQ threats or harassment in […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
Queer tech firm CEO takes a nonlinear approach to autism diagnoses
When it comes to a wealth of experience, subject matter expertise, and an interest in solving a complex problem, entrepreneur Amanda “Mandy” Ralston fits the bill. Her work offers a unique solution with the potential to improve people’s lives. “I don’t take myself that seriously, but I do take my ideas very seriously, and most […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Video games with powerful LGBTQ+ representation you should try
LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream gaming is fairly new, but games with queer themes have always existed. Throughout the last decade, dozens of games have been released that include gay, lesbian, and trans characters, among other identities. Today we’re bringing you a compilation of the most impactful queer stories you can experience in video games, complete […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
National efforts to preserve LGBTQ+ history gain momentum with Demuth Foundation
When Abigail Baer arrived at the Demuth Foundation in Lancaster, Pennsylvania six years ago after being hired as its executive director, she discovered visitors to the historic residence and studio of the late artist Charles Demuth left without learning much about the celebrated master watercolorist. One detail about his life that largely went unmentioned was […]
Posted inTop Stories
News is Out to host virtual Project 2025 panel with special guests on 10/23
What is Project 2025 and how would it impact the LGBTQ+ community if it came to pass? Learn more about this controversial conservative playbook in a virtual discussion with News is Out and special guests Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (PA), Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis, Charlotte Clymer, Kevin Jennings (Lambda Legal), Janelle Perez (LPAC), Rep. Julie Johnson (TX) […]
Posted inTop Stories
Corporate America’s embrace of LGBTQ+ rights shaped history. What’s next for allyship?
Special to News is Out from the LGBT History Project. “The evolution of a company’s policies and branding and reputation is a lifelong work-in-progress,” said Bob Witek, a pioneering LGBTQ+ business leader and communications strategist. Concepts like DEI are mainstream today, and advertising to LGBTQ+ customers is commonplace — but neither were the norm thirty years […]
Posted inCommunity
A brief history of National Coming Out Day
October 11 is National Coming Out Day, an LGBTQ+ holiday celebrated for the last 36 years. With renewed attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in recent years, events like National Coming Out Day are especially important. But what’s the history of this pivotal day in LGBTQ+ history? Keith Haring’s artwork used for NCOD. Photo: HRC Records […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Revisiting “Friends”: The show’s complicated relationship with LGBTQ+ issues
Friends trampled its competitors in the Neilson ratings throughout the 1990s and 2000s and ushered in a new era of non-family-oriented sitcoms. Centered on six pals in their late 20s to early 30s, the NBC phenomenon hugged audiences tight with relatable storylines about living young and having fun in New York City. 30 years after […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Nico Lang’s book, “American Teenager,” shines a thoughtful spotlight on the everyday lives of trans youth
Early on in Nico Lang’s debut book, “American Teenager,” readers meet Wyatt, a transgender teen living in South Dakota. A sensitive and kind ballet student, Wyatt and his family open their hearts and home to Lang. Wyatt, who was 15 at the time of Lang’s interview, shares that he had to grow up fast as […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Trans artist Nonamey finds community, inspiration in Portland
San Francisco has the first-ever Transgender District, the Office of Trans Initiatives, a designated month to honor trans history, and the status as a sanctuary city for trans and gender-nonconforming people, but there’s another trans-embracing metropolis on the West Coast: Portland. It’s where multimedia artist Nonamey calls home. “It’s the city where I feel, in […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
Lesbian software developer seeks to preserve lost LGBTQ+ history
Up until the early 2010s, if you searched “Babe Ruth” in the Baseball Hall of Fame, nothing would pop up. To find information on the greatest baseball player of all time, you would have to search “Ruth, George Herman.” That is the way online archival systems were set up and there was a clear problem […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
15 films and tv series about LGBTQ+ history and where to find them
While LGBTQ+ history is rich, it’s often not taught or widely known to a mainstream audience. Much of our history is hidden in the annals of archives or through oral tradition. How can we look to the future when we remain unclear about our past? This history month, we’re examining how our stories have been […]
Posted inCommunity
Breaking the silence: LGBTQ+ domestic violence too often overlooked
Myth: Domestic violence occurs only in straight relationships. Fact: Domestic violence occurs in LGBTQ+ relationships at a higher rate than the general population. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Williams Institute, about 44% of lesbians and 61% of bisexual women have experienced physical violence from an intimate partner. So have 26% […]
Posted inHistory
Biden’s acknowledgment of LGBTQ+ History Month ‘consequential’
President Joe Biden signed a letter acknowledging Equality Forum’s LGBTQ+ History Month launch event held on Sunday, writing that, “by celebrating stories of bravery, resilience and joy, your example inspires hope in all people seeking a life true to who they are.” Malcolm Lazin, Equality Forum executive director, said Biden’s letter is “consequential.” He noted […]
Posted inNews
StartOut and J.P. Morgan unveil latest cohort of LGBTQ+ startups for Growth Lab Accelerator
The Growth Lab Accelerator, a joint initiative by StartOut and J.P. Morgan has announced its 2024 cohort of LGBTQ+ owned startups. Since its inception in 2017, the Growth Lab has propelled 93 companies to scale, helping create over 4,200 jobs and raising more than $892 million in funding. During the five-month program, the selected startups […]
Posted inHistory
“But the Bible says!”: How one mistake accidentally sparked today’s anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
This article originally appeared in Philadelphia Gay News as part of the LGBTQ+ History Month series. After months of deliberation, David Sheldon Fearon wrote a letter in 1959 to the committee responsible for developing the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible. Fearon, recently deceased, was then a 21-year-old seminary student in Canada who hoped […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Ambitious arts initiative uncovers ‘treasures’ created by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Chicagoans
Chicago has no shortage of cultural events—with 77 neighborhood areas and an innumerable amount of cultural communities, there’s something for everyone. Financial assistance from Chicago Cultural Treasures, now in the final year of its four-year initiative, has focused on funding BIPOC groups—including LGBTQ+-centered organizations—so they can continue as part of the city’s cultural tapestry. El […]
Posted inNews
Local LGBTQ+ Media Giving Day is October 8
Celebrating 100 years of local media for and by the community. News is Out, a collaboration of six LGBTQ+ media representing more than 250 collective years of experience covering the community, is launching the first Local LGBTQ+ Media Giving Day Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 during LGBTQ+ History Month. Tax-deductible donations are being accepted now through […]
Posted inCommunity
Half of Black gay men will be diagnosed with HIV, despite highly effective preventive treatments − why?
At a pharmacy in Iowa, a 42-year-old Black gay man couldn’t find a medication he needed. The pharmacist, a white woman, told him they didn’t stock that medication. But while he waited to pay for his other purchases, he saw another customer place the medication he just asked for on the counter. “I felt really […]
