Welcome to our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community. On Monday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review the constitutionality of Chiles v. Salazar, a case challenging Colorado’s 2019 ban on conversion therapy for minors. During a House hearing, Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) repeatedly misgendered Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), sparking […]
Category: News
Posted inArts and Entertainment
How Thailand’s TV lesbian romances captured a global audience
While dramas about male same-sex romance (known as “boys’ love”, or BL) have been popular in Asia since 2010, “girls’ love” (GL) dramas are only now seeing a meteoric rise in popularity – and they are coming out of Thailand. On January 23 2025, Thailand became the first country in south-east Asia to legalise same-sex […]
Posted inNews
Generative AI in journalism: Preventing harm and enhancing news consumption
As AI seemingly seeps into every area of consumers’ lives, especially media, it’s now vital to find proper ways to engage with it. AI-generated media content can often further stereotypes or only push user-frequented content about marginalized communities. However, experts say a few tools can be used in order to benefit consumers and increase their news consumption. […]
Posted inCommunity
Preserving history through The Dallas Way archives
What started more than 10 years ago as a simple suggestion has grown into one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ archives. Since 2011, The Dallas Way has led the effort to preserve the stories of Dallas’s LGBTQ community. The idea for the organization was sparked when a Dallas Voice reporter was interviewing community leaders Jack […]
Posted inTop Stories
U.S. Supreme Court to review challenge to Colorado’s conversion therapy ban
On Monday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would consider the constitutionality of Chiles v. Salazar, which would challenge Colorado’s 2019 ban on conversion therapy for minors. Conversion therapy refers to practices or treatments aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Major medical and mental health organizations like the […]
Posted inTop Stories
The OutLook: LGBTQ+ politics & policy: March 7, 2025
Welcome to our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community. In his first speech to the joint session of Congress, President Donald Trump spoke about banning transgender women in sports and declared “our country will be woke no longer.” The Census Bureau has requested permission from the Office of Management and Budget […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Trailer drops for Hulu’s gay buddy comedy “Mid-Century Modern”
Hulu’s Mid-Century Modern, a new series about three gay middle-aged men who decide to live together in Palm Springs, finally has a trailer. Produced by Ryan Murphy and created by Will & Grace’s Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, the series stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham, and Linda Lavin. Lane, Bomer, and Graham play lifelong friends who, after the death of a dear […]
Posted inNews
Prioritizing LGBTQ+ mental health: Free virtual event on March 18
LGBTQ+ mental health challenges are at an all-time high. From rejection and trauma to political attacks and inadequate health care access, the community faces disproportionate struggles. In honor of LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week, News is Out is hosting a virtual event on March 18 at 3:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. ET to help you prioritize mental wellness. Tune […]
Posted inTop Stories
Beyond the highway: How LGBTQ+ truck drivers are paving the way for change
Before embarking on his weekly 2,000-mile trip as a truck driver, Derric Schmid sets up his smart TV and preps meals in bulk like ham and potatoes. To some, long hours on the road away from family and friends sounds grueling. But for Schmid, it’s his way of life. “I love the freedom,” Schmid said. […]
Posted inTop Stories
The rise of LGBTQ+ gun ownership: Safety, politics and identity
The closest I’ve been to a gun is in the video game PUBG, where my character — a guy with a chiseled face and six-pack abs who dresses like a survivalist — can carry up to three weapons as well as many Molotov cocktails and grenades as can fit in a backpack. My favorite gun in the […]
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The OutLook: LGBTQ+ politics & policy: February 28, 2025
Welcome to our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community. Over 2500 people showed up at the Iowa State Capitol on Thursday to protest the legislature’s bill to remove transgender people from the state’s Civil Rights Act. The bill, which passed 35-15, will allow for discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
Lived experience guides Tate Smith’s trans and DEI consulting firm
Five years ago, Tate Smith, then a legal secretary, decided it was time to share something about himself at his workplace, Clifford Chance, a major law firm in London. “I was like, ‘OK, I haven’t spoken publicly since I was in high school, and I don’t know if I can do it.’ But then I […]
Posted inTop Stories
Michigan representative introduces resolution to overturn same-sex marriage
Michigan State Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, has introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Michigan now joins Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota in creating resolutions looking to overturn same-sex marriage in the United States. House Resolution 28 is […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Queer representation in ‘Star Wars’ has so much further to go
Star Wars is a massive global franchise that has come quite a long way in terms of representation and progress since it began in 1977, but it has so much further to go. It’s likely little surprise that Star Wars isn’t exactly breaking new ground when it comes to queer representation. Even for those not […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
The queer couple fighting for DEI — with math
When faced with questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, detractors often respond with demands for evidence or complaints about cost. Husbands Chad Topaz and Jude Higdon spend their time trying to find answers to those questions — on top of their other jobs as math professor, university administrator, and parents to a son and two dogs. It started when Topaz, […]
Posted inTop Stories
The OutLook: LGBTQ+ politics & policy: February 21, 2025
Welcome to our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community. A week after references to transgender and queer people were removed from the National Park Service’s Stonewall Monument page, now a groundbreaking 2016 LGBTQ+ study has also been removed. San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the San Francisco Community Health Center join six other […]
Posted inNews
Gallup: 9.3% of Americans now identify as LGBTQ+
Public opinion pollster Gallup has just released its most recent data about LGBTQ+ Americans. Gallup’s latest poll shows the LGBTQ+ community is growing, now at 9.3%—up nearly two points from 2023. That number has doubled since 2020 and is six points higher than in 2012 when Gallup first began tracking this data. These results reflect the […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Queer Las Vegas: Where to stay, play and slay
Las Vegas is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country (and the world). With an estimated 175 casinos and 156,000 hotel rooms, just waiting for tourists, Las Vegas fits a lot into relatively small space. As a queer traveler, I’m always looking for places that are welcoming and Las Vegas overwhelmingly fits […]
Posted inNews
Vigils planned to honor slain trans man, Sam Nordquist
A Minnesota transgender man is being remembered across the country with vigils, days after his body was found in Yates County, New York. Sam Nordquist, 24, of Red Wing, Minnesota, was found deceased a week after his family contacted police to issue a missing persons report. According to New York State Police (NYSP), Nordquist was “the victim of […]
Posted inCommunity
Baking with a mission: Darnel’s Cakes advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness
Advocacy takes many forms. For Kyle Cuffie-Scott, it means opening a bakery in honor of his cousin Darnel, dedicated to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. For the last five years, he has run Darnel’s Cakes, an LGBTQ+- and Black-owned bakery in Northern Liberties, with co-owner Joe Lope. Cuffie-Scott, who is originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, got his start […]
