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. New Jersey Library board pushes back against group trying […]
Category: Politics
Posted inArts and Entertainment
News is Good: Trans athlete wins “The Climb,” a queer caucus in MN 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. Lawmakers in Minnesota form a Queer Caucus. 12 members of […]
Posted inCommentary
LGBTQ+ candidates are there as Chicago politics prepare to shift
The exhausting Chicago election cycle continues. Once the midterm and gubernatorial races were resolved, the Windy City was already midstream in campaigning for the 2023 municipal elections Feb. 28 (with runoffs April 4). Chicago could very well see a significant pivot in its municipal politics in 2023. A contentious term, not to mention some campaign […]
Posted inPolitics
5 pro-LGBTQ+ legislative bills to pay attention to in 2023
While 2023 is gearing up to be as fraught or even more so than 2022 when it comes to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, there are some bills that would make lives for queer and transgender youth and adults better. Here are five bills you will want to pay attention to in the coming weeks and months now […]
Posted inCommentary
6 up and coming LGBTQ+ politicians to watch in 2023
A record number of openly LGBTQ+ politicians won their elections in November 2022 and they’re taking office this January. One can only hope that this record number “rainbow wave” of LGBTQ+ candidates is a promising sign of growing progress. Despite a tough legislative fight that lies ahead for some cities and states, many queer and […]
Posted inNews
Update on 2022 LGBTQ+ midterm candidates
As of Dec. 7, 2022, there are 436 LGBTQ+ winning candidates, 332 of whom picked up endorsements by Victory Fund. LGBTQ+ candidates will fill offices of all kinds, from local school boards to the national stage, in the coming weeks and months. Here is an update on who has won, including those we have profiled […]
Posted inNews
News is Good: Queer Grammy nods, “L Word: Gen Q” returns and more
Welcome to our weekly column, News is Good, featuring 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. A bipartisan group of Senators votes to end of debate for […]
Posted inNews
Election 2022: Venton Jones for Texas House of Representatives (District 100)
As part of News is Out’s Election 2022 coverage, we are looking at races all over the country and sharing campaigns of key LGBTQ+ candidates. Name: Venton Jones Office: Texas House of Representatives District 100 Bio: Venton Jones is founder and CEO of the Southern Black Policy and Advocacy Network, a non-profit with the mission […]
Posted inNews
Election 2022: Emily Randall for Washington State Senator (26th District)
As part of News is Out’s Election 2022 coverage, we are looking at races all over the country and sharing campaigns of key LGBTQ+ candidates. Name: State Senator Emily Randall Office: Washington State Senator 26th District, includes Port Orchard and a portion of Bremerton as well as Gig Harbor and northern Pierce County. Bio: Long […]
Posted inNews
Election 2022: Eric Sorensen for U.S. House Illinois (17th District)
As part of News is Out’s Election 2022 coverage, we are looking at races all over the country and sharing campaigns of key LGBTQ+ candidates. Name: Eric Sorensen Office: U.S. House Illinois District 17 Bio: Sorensen lives in Moline with his partner, Shawn, and two dogs. Sorensen, a longtime TV meteorologist endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory […]
Posted inElection 2022
Election 2022: La’Tasha Mayes is ready for Harrisburg
In January 2023, La’Tasha Mayes, who is running unopposed for Pennsylvania’s 24th state house district, will join only a handful of openly LGBTQ elected officials in Harrisburg. She’ll also become the first out lesbian to serve in the General Assembly. Mayes grew up in West Philadelphia and went to college in Pittsburgh, where she has […]
Posted inNews
Election 2022: Maggie Trevor for Cook County Board of Commissioners (9th District)
As part of News is Out’s Election 2022 coverage, we are looking at races all over the country and sharing campaigns of key LGBTQ+ candidates. Name: Maggie Trevor Office: Cook County Board of Commissioners (9th District) Bio: Trevor was born and raised in Rolling Meadows, where her parents were among the city’s original residents. In late 2014, […]
Posted inTop Stories
The Victory Fund is changing the game for LGBTQ+ candidates
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 […]
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 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 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 inChangemakers, Politics, Top Stories
LGBTQ+ changemakers: Mayor Remy Drabkin
Welcome to the first in our LGBTQ+ Changemakers series. There are LGBTQ+ people all over the country who are making a difference through visibility and ingenuity. Mayor Remy Drabkin is one of those people. Drabkin, a lesbian, is the owner of Remy Wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and one of the founders of Wine Country […]
Posted inUncategorized
A lesbian perspective on reproductive freedom
I was once young. And fresh off the turnip truck. So naive I laugh today looking back. I thought every lesbian would be my friend. I worried about the ducks I saw in Rock Creek Park. What would they eat? Who fed them? It was an early girlfriend who moved me off the worry with […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s a time for protests, not parades
If there was any doubt that a government-led backlash against the LGBTQ+ community was gaining force, it was made plain when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed itself (Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization) and ruled that Roe v. Wade was unconstitutional after nearly 50 years of being the law of the land. What had been […]