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Pride Month display at NYC’s Stonewall National Monument excludes transgender flags

The transgender flags that usually adorn the Stonewall National Monument in New York City during Pride Month were missing this year, so some New Yorkers are taking matters into their own hands.

This comes as the National Park Service is accused of actively erasing transgender visibility and history.

“It’s a terrible action for them to take”

During June, Pride flags are placed around the park’s fence. They usually include a mixture of rainbow LGBTQ+ flags, transgender flags and progress flags, which have stripes to include communities of color.

Photographer and advocate Steven Love Menendez said he created and won federal approval for the installation nine years ago. Within a few years, the National Park Service was picking up the tab, buying and installing flags, including trans ones.

Pride flags fly in the wind at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan's West Village on June 19, 2023 in New York City.
Pride flags fly in the wind at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan’s West Village on June 19, 2023 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

This year, however, Menendez said the National Park Service told him to change the protocol.

“I was told … only the traditional rainbow flag would be displayed this year,” he said.

Now, no transgender or progress flags are among the 250 rainbow flags installed around the park.  

“It’s a terrible action for them to take,” Menendez said.

Earlier this year, the National Park Service removed references to transgender and queer people from the Stonewall National Monument’s website.

“I used to be listed as an LGBTQ activist, and now it says ‘Steven Menendez, LGB activist,'” Menendez said. “They took out the Q and the T.”  

“I’m not going to stand by and watch us be erased from our own history”

Many visiting the monument said they are opposed to the change.

“I think it’s absurd. I think it’s petty,” said Willa Kingsford, a tourist from Portland.

“It’s horrible. They’re changing all of our history,” Los Angeles resident Patty Carter said.

Jay Edinin, of Queens, brought his own transgender flag to the monument.

“I’m not going to stand by and watch us be erased from our own history, from our own communities, and from the visibility that we desperately need right now,” he said.

Three small transgender flags stuck in soil behind a fence in Stonewall National Monument park.
The transgender flags that usually adorn the Stonewall National Monument in New York City during Pride Month were missing this year, so some New Yorkers are taking matters into their own hands. CBS News New York

He is not the only one bringing unauthorized flags to the park. A number of trans flags were seen planted in the soil.

National Park Service workers at the park told CBS News New York they are not authorized to speak on this subject. CBS News New York reached out by phone and email to the National Park Service and has not yet heard back.

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Trump Administration to close LGBTQ+ youth suicide hotline in 30 days

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The Trump Administration will eliminate funding for a crucial suicide hotline dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth in just one month. 

The federal government will close the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services – a federal program that provides emergency crisis support to queer youth considering suicide – effective July 17, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced Wednesday. This is several months ahead of its initial October 1 closure deadline, first revealed by leaked budget draft in April. 

“This is devastating, to say the least. Suicide prevention is about people, not politics,” Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a statement. “The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible. The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous – as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement. Transgenderpeople can never, and will never, be erased.”

The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S. seriously consider suicide each year, and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. The LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services, funded through the Department of Health and Human Services, has provided more than 1.2 million people with queer-inclusive crisis services, and the 988 Lifeline has served more than 14 million, government data shows.

The Trevor Project’s crisis services saw a 33 percent increase in calls and messages on the day of Trump’s inauguration compared to the weeks prior. Volume went up 46 percent the next day in comparison to typical daily rates. This followed a record-breaking 700 percent increase observed across the Trevor Project’s crisis lines on November 6, the day after the presidential election.

“I want every LGBTQ+ young person to know that you are worthy, you are loved, and you belong – despite this heartbreaking news,” Black continued. “The Trevor Project’s crisis counselors are here for you 24/7, just as we always have been, to help you navigate anything you might be feeling right now.”

The funding cuts can still be reversed by Congress. The Trevor Project is calling on legislators to restore funding for the lifeline in its annual budget, which individuals can support by visiting TheTrevorProject.org/ActNow.

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, you can still call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.

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For a Gay Asylum Seeker, Trump’s ICE Crackdowns Strike Terror

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Over the past week, the Trump administration has deployed thousands of troops, including the National Guard and the Marines, to crack down on protests in Los Angeles against ICE raids in the latest act of their ongoing legal and military attacks on undocumented immigrants.

Kelvin, a gay man from Harare, Zimbabwe, is one of over 11 millionundocumented immigrants in the U.S.—many of whom are afraid of being deported. He’s also one of the 100,000 people in the 2024 fiscal year who sought asylum in the U.S. because of their LGBTQ identity and one of the 1 million asylum cases pending determination.

“As an LGBTQ member, as an immigrant and as a black person … it’s like a gang team against me. So I can say ‘terrified’ is the only word I can use, but it is what it is at the end of the day,” he says, referring to the prospect of being sent back to Zimbabwe.

Kelvin, who has been living in New York City and asked to use his first name only for fear of being caught by ICE, grew up in the Pentecostal Church in Zimbabwe. Through his childhood, his family instilled in him the idea that being gay was an abomination and a sin, which forced him to hide his sexual orientation until he mustered up the courage to come out to his mom at 19 years old.

“She was cooking [when I told her],” he says.

He remembers his mother looking him in his eyes and responding in Shona—a Bantu language primarily spoken in central and southern African countries—“Mwari havazvifarire uye iwe unofanirwa kutendeuka,” or, in English, “God doesn’t like that and you need to repent.”

Portraits of Kelvin’s parents. Illustration by Zoe Gaupp.

Later, Kelvin told his dad while they were watching TV in the living room after dinner.

“Daddy ndiri ngochani,” or “Daddy I’m gay.”

Kelvin didn’t get the response he was looking for. “You’re not my kid and to me you’re dead and I don’t wanna see you again in my life and I want to have nothing to do with you,” Kelvin remembers his father yelling, telling him “goodbye” and to “leave immediately.”

Crying and confused, Kelvin—who had no idea that that would be the last time he’d ever see his father before he passed away in 2023—left his childhood home. He stayed with his cousin who protected him as locals came looking to stone him—a common practice in his village to show people they were unwanted.

Kelvin’s experience is not unusual for LGBTQ people in this part of the world. Zimbabwe is one of at least 67 countries that have national laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults, where the maximum sentence is a year in prison and a fine. The Zimbabwean Constitution offers no legal protections for LGBTQ individuals against discrimination, violence or harassment. As a result, LGBTQ Zimbabweans live in danger, both legally and socially.

In January 2024, four months after arriving in New York City, Kelvin sought asylum in the U.S. out of fear he’d be abused, imprisoned or killed because of his sexual orientation if he returned to his village.

During his time in the U.S., Kelvin met Kate Barnhart—the executive director of New Alternatives, an LGBTQ homeless youth resource center in New York City—who helped him find refuge at a shelter in Manhattan and is helping him secure asylum status.

“The city is closing the migrant shelters, and it’s really not entirely clear whether migrants are supposed to fold into the general homeless system or how any of that’s going to work,” Barnhart told Uncloseted Media.

Since President Trump’s return to office, many organizations—including Barnhart’s—are worried about federal funding and employee cuts, which have caused many groups that help asylum seekers to lose funding, cut programs and lay off employees.

Within the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, his administration has deported 139,000 people. These deportations include multiple LGBTQ asylum seekers—including Andry Hernández Romero, a 31-year-old gay makeup artist with no criminal record who fled Venezuela a year ago after he says he was targeted for his sexual orientation and his political views—and a gay man who fled Guatemala after receiving death threats over his sexual orientation. A federal judge recently ruled that the latter individual was wrongfully deported.

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In addition, Mayor Eric Adams has been cracking down on immigration in New York City, having ordered the closure of 52 migrant shelters in the past year. He’s also been aligning with the Trump administration on immigration policy, telling CBS News that he is “looking at ways that [he] can use [his] executive power to go after those dangerous, violent people.”

Barnhart says that all of this, coupled with the Trump administration’s military attacks on civilian demonstrators in Los Angeles, has created concern and fear for many LGBTQ asylum seekers, causing some of them to go underground to protect themselves.

“The mayor [being] basically beholden to Trump is really problematic from the point of view of those of us who would like to see New York City really take a strong stance as a sanctuary city,” she says.

For Kelvin, the city and the Trump administration’s hard stance on immigration is nerve-wrecking.

“There’s nothing I can really do to change it or control it so that’s why I refuse to really think about it,” Kelvin, 26, told Uncloseted Media about the latest escalation in immigration raids.

“Thinking about it that much … ain’t gonna change nothing,” he says. “[It] destroy[s] your inner peace.”

He says the pain of feeling misunderstood back home was so intense that he “wanted to end [his] life” and at one point tried to jump off a bridge in Harare, the nation’s capital. The only reason he survived was because a man came up to him and said that his life was worth living.

Myeshia Price, the former director of research at The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ advocacy organization that focuses on suicide prevention efforts, says that more than 1 in 3 asylum seekers and refugees experience depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder and that up to 15% of refugees have attempted suicide.

In addition, the Trump administration’s 2026 Skinny Budget proposal aims to increase the Department of Homeland Security’s budget by almost 65%, which would help fund the 20,000 new officer hires the president recently ordered from the department, to stop what Trump has described as an “invasion” at the U.S. border.

“At this critical moment, we need a historic Budget—one that ends the funding of our decline, puts Americans first, and delivers unprecedented support to our military and homeland security. The President’s Budget does all of that,” said Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget and co-author of Project 2025.

Kelvin, who previously lived in a shelter in the Bronx and is now working as a waiter and living in a studio apartment, has waited over a year for an interview with an officer who will decide if he should be granted asylum status. If he is denied, he will have the option to appeal to an immigration judge. According to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, only 14.4%of asylum cases filed in court were granted in 2023.

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And the current political climate will likely make it significantly harder for Kelvin to be granted asylum. The Syracuse TRAC Immigration Databasefound that asylum approval rates in the U.S. dropped by a third in October in the lead-up to Donald Trump’s second term. The Trump campaign has threatened to increase detention of asylum seekers, introduce an application fee for asylum and end parole programs at the border. Additionally, one of the administration’s earliest actions in January was to suspend asylum entirely at the southern border.

As Kelvin grows roots in New York City, he hopes to get a degree in social work and fashion design. He finds the city offers greater freedom to connect with the gay community and to express his sexuality openly.

But with his status in limbo, he worries that if he’s sent back to Zimbabwe, he could be locked up or killed.

“That’s reality. So I just got to live with it. So, yeah. I’m okay. I’m good. I can see I’m excited because I’m safe. I’m good. So, yeah. Looking toward the future.”

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Frameline49: “Row of Life” Screening Happens Tuesday at the Roxie Theatre in SF & Streaming Now

tFormer Marine, three-time Paralympian, fourteen-time Guinness World Record setter, and renowned ocean rower Angela Madsen is committed to her sport. By chronicling the year leading up to Madsen’s unsupported solo row from Los Angeles to Hawai’i, director Soraya Simi captures both the everyday beauty of a sapphic love story and an athlete’s fearless tenacity. Once Madsen embarks on her nearly 3,000-mile journey, however, Row of Life takes a harrowing turn when the film team and Angela’s wife, Debra Madsen, suddenly lose contact with the rower. 

Although the final chapter of Angela Madsen’s incredible true story is marked by tragedy, Row of Life is a testament to the transformative, affirming power of sports. Brought to the screen in part by TOGETHXR, a media company founded by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, and Simone Manuel, Row of Lifespotlights the remarkable life of an unsung gay athlete.

Tickets: https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline49/row-of-life

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NLGJA Los Angeles Announces Nominees for Inaugural Journalism Awards

The Los Angeles Chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, an organization that advocates for fair and accurate coverage of the LGBTQ+ community in the Southland while striving to foster community among LA’s queer and trans journalists, news media professionals and creatives, has announced the nominees for three inaugural journalism awards for Southern California journalists and newsrooms who championed LGBTQ+ stories in 2024. The awards will be presented at the 2025 Press Pride Prom, a benefit and awards ceremony presented by ABC7 and hosted by award-winning journalist Tracy Gilchrist.

NLGJA Los Angeles’ Awards Committee has selected three nominees for three new awards. The Troy Masters Legacy Award for Visionaries in Media, presented in collaboration with the Los Angeles Blade, honors a journalist or news media professional whose work reflects a dedication to the craft of journalism and a commitment to setting the stage for the next generation of LGBTQ+ industry leaders. The award is named in honor of Troy Masters, veteran queer journalist and former publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, who passed away last year. The nominees include Mariah Castañeda, co-founder of LA Public Press; veteran journalist LZ Granderson, who currently serves as an OpEd columnist for the Los Angeles Times and an ABC News contributor; and John Griffiths, founder of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and Dorian Awards.

“We are honored to present an award this year in honor of beloved Los Angeles publisher and journalist Troy Masters,” said NLGJA LA co-president Hansen Bursic, “These nominees embody Masters’ dedication to LGBTQ+ journalism and his passion for community building in Southern California and beyond.”

The Excellence in LGBTQ+ Reporting Newsroom Award honors a news outlet whose coverage of the queer and trans community is well-informed, complex, varied and intersectional, with a track record of promoting The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists’ mission to advance fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities and issues. The nominees include LAist, Los Angeles Blade, and Variety.

The Queer Beat Award for Excellence in LGBTQ+ Reporting honors a single story or series that demonstrates care, skill and a commitment to fair and accurate reporting of LGBTQ+ themes, issues and people. The nominees include A Night They Can’t Remember, at One of the Country’s Most Popular LGBTQ+ Bars by Kate Sosin and Steven Blum for The 19th; Banned Rainbows and ‘Forced Outing.’ Will Elections Reshape This Relentless School Board? by Jaweed Kaleem for the Los Angeles Times; and She Was Supposed to Be at Pulse Nightclub — And Club Q. Now She’s Fighting To Keep LGBTQ+ People Safe by Lil Kalish for HuffPost.

“These nominees represent the diverse and passionate spirit of Southern California’s LGBTQ+ journalism community,” added NLGJA LA co-president Katie Karl. “At a time when queer and trans stories and journalists are under attack, we are proud to uplift a few of the incredibly talented journalists who are speaking truth to power and helping tell our community’s stories.”

The award winners will be announced at Press Pride Prom, a benefit for the NLGJA LA Chapter and awards ceremony held on July 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. in Glendale at the historic Grand Central Air Terminal. The event, which offers LGBTQ+ and other attendees the opportunity to relive their high school prom as their authentic selves, will feature food, drinks and a live DJ. The event will be hosted by veteran LA-based journalist Tracy Gilchrist, recently made internet famous with her “Wicked” “holding space” interview with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The event is presented by ABC7.

Early bird tickets are on sale now until June 20. Tables and regular tickets will also be available to purchase through July 18. You can learn more and get tickets here.

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British Library to reinstate Oscar Wilde’s reading pass in symbolic gesture of repentance

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The British Library has announced it will posthumously reinstate gay poet and playwright Oscar Wilde’s reader pass after revoking it in 1895 due to his homosexuality. 

Known at the time as the British Museum Reading Room, the venue banned Wilde after he was found guilty of “gross indecency” with men and sentenced to two years of hard labor.

The symbolic pass will be presented to Wilde’s grandson, Merlin Holland, at an event on October 16, Wilde’s birthday. Asked how Wilde might react to the gesture, Holland told The Guardian, “He’d probably say ‘about time’ too.”

Holland, who is also a Wilde scholar, said that his grandfather had already been imprisoned for three weeks when the British Museum Reading Room revoked his access. “So he wouldn’t have known about it, which was probably as well… It would have just added to his misery to feel that one of the world’s great libraries had banned him from books just as the law had banned him from daily life. But the restitution of his ticket is a lovely gesture of forgiveness, and I’m sure his spirit will be touched.”

Holland also said, however, that he doesn’t think his grandfather’s conviction should be pardoned as part of a 2017 UK law allowing posthumous pardons for anyone convicted under former laws that criminalized homosexuality. The law led to pardons for an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 gay and bisexual men, but the names of those men were not released. 

“Oscar didn’t think there was anything wrong in same-sex love… I’m not absolutely certain he has been pardoned… If I had to ask for a pardon, I wouldn’t, because all it would do is make the British establishment feel better about itself… History’s history, and you can’t start rewriting it.”

Laura Walker, lead curator of modern archives and manuscripts, said the reinstatement of the pass is even more important since the British Library owns a massive collection of Wilde’s manuscripts. 

“We really want to honour Wilde now and acknowledge what happened to him,” Walker told The Guardian. “Section 11 of the law, which related to the criminalization of homosexuality, was unjust.”

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World Cup: A Year Out, Growing Attacks on Rights

 The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) should take immediate and demonstrable steps to safeguard human rights for all people involved in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. With just one year until the monumental event kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and only days until the Club World Cup kicks off on June 14, 2025, escalating attacks on human rights and civil freedoms threaten to undermine FIFA’s human rights commitments and responsibilities.

“In 2018, the US, Mexico, and Canada provided clear human rights commitments in their bid documents to host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup,” said Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance. “Despite FIFA’s mantra that ‘football unites the world,’ a World Cup held under discriminatory and exclusionary policies risks deepening social divides rather than bridging them. FIFA should exert its leverage and demand concrete, legally binding guarantees that human rights won’t be further sacrificed for the sake of the game.”

In its statutes, Human Rights Policy, and 2026 Bidding Process Guide, FIFA accepts its responsibility to respect human rights in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Bidding Process Guide specifically requires would-be hosts to document their commitment to “ensur[ing] that the hosting and staging of the Competition do[es] not involve adverse impacts on internationally recognized human rights.” The guide gives particular attention to “labor rights, the rights of children, gender equality, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and protecting all individuals from all forms of discrimination.”

The Sport & Rights Alliance has identified several critical areas where government policies in the 2026 host countries, particularly the United States under President Donald Trump, pose significant and immediate risks to the human rights of immigrants; freedom of the press and free expression; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights; safety for children; and the right to be free from discrimination, requiring urgent and transparent intervention.

Discriminatory Immigration Policies

FIFA anticipates that as many as 6.5 million people could attend the 2026 tournament across the host countries. The current US administration’s abusive immigration policies, including enforced disappearances under the Alien Enemies Act, travel bans, increased detention, and visa restrictions, threaten the inclusivity and global nature of the World Cup.

Despite President Trump’s executive order stating that teams qualifying for the 2026 Men’s World Cup will be exempt from travel bans, as of now fans and extended family members from banned countries will not be allowed to enter the United States. Delays, denials, and the real prospect of detention for fans, media, and other participants from specific countries could severely disrupt the tournament.

“FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat US immigration and other anti-human rights policies pose to the tournament’s integrity and use its leverage with the US government to ensure that the rights of all qualified teams, support staff, media, and fans are respected as they seek to enter the United States regardless of nationality, gender identity, religion, or opinion,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “FIFA should establish clear benchmarks and timelines for the US policy changes needed to ensure respect for immigrants’ rights during the 2026 World Cup and beyond.”

Human Rights Watch wrote to FIFA on May 5 to say that it should use its leverage to push the Trump administration to roll back discriminatory immigration policies in the United States. FIFA respondedon June 3, stating that it “expects … host countries take measures to ensure that any eligible persons who are involved in the Competition are able to enter the respective countries,” and “is actively working on this matter with relevant authorities.” FIFA also said it would engage with relevant authorities if it becomes aware of human rights concerns.

“Fans travel to the World Cup to celebrate and express their passion, and any attempt to curtail our fundamental rights, including the right to free speech, is a betrayal of the spirit of football,” said Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe. “We’re particularly concerned about the potential for selective enforcement and discrimination against fans based on our perceived political views or national origin. FIFA must obtain the necessary guarantees to ensure fans from all over the world are able to safely travel and attend the games.”

Right to Protest; Freedom of Expression

With the 2026 Men’s World Cup potentially serving as a spotlight for public criticism and controversy, the escalating crackdowns on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, particularly for people engaged in speech and protest related to Palestinian rights, is deeply troubling, the alliance said. Students and activists have been detained and their visas revoked for speaking out about their views. The Trump administration has also deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles following protests against immigration arrests, claiming they constitute an act of “rebellion” against the government.

FIFA’s stated commitments to free expression have also previously been contradicted when it has imposed rules prohibiting players and fans from making political or religious statements. At the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar, for example, Iranian fans displaying “Woman, Life, Freedom” banners were removed from stadiums, while rainbow flags were confiscated at a number of matches.

“The ability to peacefully protest without fear of retribution is a cornerstone of a free society, yet is increasingly under threat in the United States,” said Daniel Noroña, Americas advocacy director at Amnesty International USA. “There is a long history of peaceful protest in global football. FIFA and the US authorities must ensure that the World Cup does not become a pretext for stifling dissent or expanding mass surveillance, and every player, fan, journalist, and resident can participate and protest without fear of sanction, arbitrary detention or discriminatory treatment.”

Discrimination, Violence against LGBTI People

The increasing legislative and rhetorical attacks on the rights of LGBTI people, particularly transgender people in the United States, underscore the current administration’s intention to erase transgender people from public life and dismantle crucial human rights protections. Discriminatory laws and the hostile political climate around LGBTI rights in the United States could directly threaten the security, bodily autonomy, dignity, and inclusion of LGBTI fans, players, and workers at the 2026 Men’s World Cup.

In Mexico, LGBTI people, and especially trans and gender-diverse people, face violence across the country, which affects their daily lives and participation in public events. Federal and state authorities should take urgent steps to prevent and punish violence against LGBTI people, with particular attention to the specific risks faced by trans and gender-diverse communities.

“The alarming discrimination and violence against LGBTI individuals in the United States and Mexico cast a chilling shadow over the promise of an inclusive World Cup,” said Gurchaten Sandhu, director of programs at ILGA World. “As organizer of the event, FIFA should demand that all host cities and states uphold universal human rights, ensuring no fan, worker, or athlete faces discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, or sex characteristics, and that any discriminatory laws are actively challenged and nullified.”

Press Freedom

Journalists covering the 2026 Men’s World Cup face distinct and alarming risks in both Mexico and the United States. Mexico consistently ranks among one of world’s most dangerous and deadly countries for media professionals, who face threats, harassment, and violence from both organized crime and public officials. The pervasive impunity for these crimes creates a chilling effect and zones of silence in which critical information is suppressed. In the United States, journalists could face intrusive screening, social media monitoring, and be denied entry based on perceived political views, undermining their ability to report independently.

“Journalists covering the World Cup must be granted unimpeded access, free from arbitrary restrictions, detention, or violence,” said Antoine Bernard, advocacy and assistance director at Reporters Without Borders (RSF). “FIFA and the local authorities must implement exceptional measures to protect all media workers – not only ensuring smooth entry for foreign press but actively safeguarding all journalists who will be covering large crowds, excited spectators, and potential protests, and addressing the systemic impunity that allows violence against them to persist. Local law enforcement’s policies need to be strengthened to ensure the distinction of journalists from demonstrators, bystanders, and fans, and they must clearly communicate the policies they intend to follow in ensuring this distinction, in full respect of journalists’ freedom and independence.”

Labor Rights

The immense scale of the 2026 Men’s World Cup will necessitate a massive workforce in host cities to staff stadiums, hospitality, transport, and more. The Trump administration’s dismantling of federal programs and anti-union sentiment increase the risk of exploitation and child labor, wage theft, and unsafe working conditions for these critical workers.

“The extensive network of contracts for stadium construction, hospitality, and event services in the host cities must be built on a foundation of respect for workers’ rights,” said Luc Triangle, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). “We are gravely concerned that without strong, enforceable labor protections, this tournament will inadvertently fuel precarious work and child labor, suppress wages, and deny workers their fundamental rights to organize and bargain collectively. FIFA must demand robust social dialogue and binding agreements to protect every worker contributing to this World Cup.”

Transparency and Anti-Corruption

The Sport & Rights Alliance also harbors significant concerns related to low governmental transparency and weak anti-corruption regulations in and around the 2026 Men’s World Cup, particularly given recent policy shifts in the United States and Mexico. As the tournament approaches, robust oversight and unwavering commitment to ethical principles are needed to prevent the exploitation of this global event for private gain at the expense of human rights and public trust.

“The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in a global context where anti-corruption efforts are increasingly under strain,” said Tor Dølvik, special adviser at Transparency International. “All host countries and FIFA must uphold their anti-corruption responsibilities by establishing comprehensive risk management mechanisms that close potential loopholes for corruption, and reliable systems for detecting and reporting irregularities. Full transparency regarding all expenditures related to the World Cup—before, during, and after the events—will be vital in building trust and ensuring integrity throughout the process.”

FIFA’s Responsibility

FIFA, as the chief actor responsible for an event that will leave a tremendous footprint, needs to conduct an updated human rights due diligence assessment and unequivocally leverage its influence to ensure that the 2026 Men’s World Cup is a rights-respecting and rights-advancing event.

A new human rights due diligence assessment should consider the need for tangible commitments to reverse discriminatory policies, strengthen protections for historically marginalized groups, ensure substantial accountability for human rights abuses, and establish truly effective, transparent, and independent grievance mechanisms for people to seek support and a remedy. Failure to act decisively risks irrevocably tarnishing the legacy of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and setting a dangerous precedent for future mega-sporting events.

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The Sport & Rights Alliance’s mission is to promote the rights and well-being of those most affected by human rights risks associated with the delivery of sport. Its partners include Amnesty International, The Army of Survivors, Football Supporters Europe, Human Rights Watch, ILGA World (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), the International Trade Union Confederation, Reporters Without Borders, Transparency International, and World Players Association, UNI Global Union. As a global coalition of leading nongovernmental organizations and trade unions, the Sport & Rights Alliance works together to ensure sports bodies, governments, and other relevant stakeholders give rise to a world of sport that protects, respects, and fulfills international standards for human rights, labor rights, child wellbeing and safeguarding, and anti-corruption.

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LGBTQ+ elders are more likely to live in poverty. Here’s how we can change that

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An alarming amount of LGBTQ+ seniors are living in poverty — but it doesn’t have to be this way.

One in five U.S. households led by people over 50 have no retirement savings, according to a recent report from the Milken Institute and SAGE, and 61 percent of American elders — those ages 65 and older — say that they worry about not having enough financial resources to support themselves in later life. 

This fear is felt even more strongly by LGBTQ+ elders, about 40 percent of whom are living below the federal poverty line. Compared to the rest of the population, their poverty rates can be between 20 and 40 percent higher than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. 

This is due to several factors, including “lifetime earnings that might be lower, economic discrimination, and lower homeownership rates,” says Caitlin MacLean, managing director of innovative finance at the Milken Institute and one of the report authors. LGBTQ+ people are also more likely to be denied loans and to live alone in single-income homes. 

“Long-term care is extremely expensive as we age, and 50 percent of the LGBTQ+ population falls into the ‘very low income’ level determined by area median income, making it very difficult to even afford subsidized housing and care, let alone market-rate options,” MacLean tells The Advocate. “This further exacerbates the lack of economic opportunity for LGBTQ+ older adults.”

One of the most straightforward ways to address this crisis is to fund affordable, LGBTQ+-affirming elder housing programs, which can be done through social bonds, impact investment funds, or prize funds. Additionally, affirming programming, workforce training, and inclusive design improvements can be added to existing services.

While government incentives may not be available, especially in places with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, MacLean says “even states that have discriminatory policies often have cities that have their own ability to issue debt or build housing or design funding incentives that are at a local level and therefore more flexible.”

It’s not just state or local governments that can act — MacLean stresses that financial institutions, private investors, and corporations can also take initiative. Even individuals could do something “as simple as volunteering time at housing that already exists for older adults.”

“Necessity drives innovation, so we are hopeful that individuals in communities across the country will see the growing need we have for affordable and affirming housing and care for older adults,” MacLean says. “We hope that each person can find a way to become a champion for designing, funding or advocating for this type of service and supports.”

“Everyone can do something to be a champion for LGBTQ+ older adults,” she adds. “Now more than ever, we need people who are willing to step up and stand up for long-term solutions for a healthier, thriving community.”

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Converse celebrates 10 years of Pride collections with powerful “Proud to Be” campaign

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Converse has long been known for its fantastic Pride collections. The iconic shoe brand has celebrated Pride Month with rainbow footwear every year since 2015.

This year, the company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of showing its Pride. “Converse has always stood with the bold, the daring, and the unapologetic,” the website says. “For our 2025 ‘Proud to Be’ celebration, we’re not looking back, we’re lighting the way forward towards a future of love and joy for everyone.” 

The brand also invited members of past Pride campaigns to write love letters to their future selves. 

2025 Converse Pride Collection
2025 Converse Pride Collection

“I know that you are somewhere creating the life you’ve always dreamed of,” writes Xavier. 

“I hope to look back and see a world where I no longer need to justify my existence,” says Allié.

Converse Pride Collection

Ayo writes, “I hope that you never forget the magic of black queer and trans existence.”

The letters are also highlighted in a powerful ad.

The 2025 Converse Pride shop includes two t-shirts and 15 unique sneaker designs – including rainbow flames, zebra stripes, and rainbow soles. There is also an option to create your own custom pride shoes, with gradients available depicting colors of the trans, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and nonbinary flags. 

2025 Converse Pride Collection
2025 Converse Pride Collection

The company also puts its money where its mouth is, partnering with organizations like It Gets Better, the Ali Forney Center, and the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth to provide annual grants. Since 2015, the website says, Converse has pledged and donated almost $3.4 million to LGBTQ+ organizations around the world.

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LGBTQ-Affirming Kids Books to Rewrite Messages from the Playground

The fight to offer diverse children’s books in public schools will go national this month when the Supreme Court issues a ruling on Mahmoud v. Taylor. The case surrounds three couples who objected to a small number of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books offered as nonmandatory supplemental learning materials in Montgomery County Public Schools, in Maryland. Because the district did not offer an opt out clause to prevent access to their children, they claimed infringement on their religious rights.

“What’s at stake in Mahmoud v. Taylor isn’t just access to books—it’s whether LGBTQ kids get to see themselves reflected in the world around them,” author and therapist Chris Tompkins tells GLAAD. “Book bans are often framed as debates about age-appropriateness or parental rights, but underneath is fear. These stories challenge long-held beliefs and push against societal norms many of us were raised with. The fear isn’t really about the books themselves, though. It’s about what they represent: visibility, change, and the undoing of old narratives. But discomfort isn’t a reason to avoid these stories; it’s an invitation to grow. We can’t challenge bias or build empathy without first being willing to look at what makes us uncomfortable.”

Through his book Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021), Tompkins invites parents, relatives, educators, and allies to critically examine, understand, and address their own beliefs to enable them to shape the “messages from the playground” kids receive to be affirming and welcoming.

Chris Tompkins, therapist and author
Chris Tompkins, therapist and author of “Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground”.

Messages from the playground, Tompkins explains, describes “the subconscious beliefs we all pick up from our childhood about what it means to be a boy or a girl, gay or straight, or Black, white, and so on. Messages are the dominant societal worldview and the playground is our mind or, rather, our consciousness.” This analogy “unites those of us trying to make the world a safer place for all children,” and can be used to connect people, rather than separate.

Raising LGBTQ Allies helps allies explore these subconscious beliefs and potential biases about LGBTQ people. Tompkins wants readers to know bias often stems from fear, and that open and honest conversations with kids about gender and sexuality can prevent shame that can drive internalized homophobia (fear and shame directed inward) and fear directed toward others. Tompkins discusses how to rewrite the narrative where being LGBTQ is normalized and humanized rather than a difference to separate and exclude. It starts with adults addressing their own experiences and rewriting those narratives too.

“We cannot fully address homophobia, transphobia, bullying, shame, and their effects without exploring trauma,” Tompkins notes, which does not have to be catastrophic or exceptionally violent.

“Trauma is also experienced as a daily microaggression, such as homophobia, transphobia, bullying, and time spent in the closet. Any child who has experienced the closet has known shame—and shame itself is trauma.”

It’s never too early to begin holding authentic discussions with children to help them learn that “there are many ways of being human.” To that end, Tompkins shared a list (which includes recommendations from Healthy Gender Development and Young Children: A Guide for Early Childhood Programs and Professionals) of LGBTQ-affirming books that will “unwrap a more inclusive world” for developing young minds:

Books for ages two and up

  1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell—the heartwarming true story of two penguins who create a family that reflects the new world in which we live (2-5 years old).
  2. Of Course They Do! Boys and Girls Can Do Anything, by Marie-Sabine Roger and Anne Sol—a book that debunks commonly held gender myths in a cheerful, no-nonsense fashion (2-5 years old).

Books for ages three and up

  1. The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf—all the other bulls run, jump, and butt their heads together in fights. Ferdinand, on the other hand, would rather sit and smell the flowers (3-5 years old).
  2. Who Has What? All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies, by Robie H. Harris—this is a helpful book for parents or families when their children start to ask questions about their bodies (3-7 years old).

Books for ages four and up

  1. I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings—the story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for trans kids everywhere (4-8 years old).
  2. Jacob’s New Dress, by Sarah and Ian Hoffman—this heartwarming story speaks to the unique challenges faced by boys who don’t identify with traditional gender roles (4-8 years old).
  3. Not Every Princess, by Jeffrey and Lisa Bone—a book that helps readers gently question the rigid construction of gender roles, while challenging societal expectations in an inspirational way (4-8 years old).
  4. Red: A Crayon’s Story, by Michael Hall—a story about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way (4-8 years old).
  5. Love Makes a Family, by Sophie Beer—this fun, inclusive board book celebrates the one thing that makes every family a family . . . and that’s LOVE (preschool and up).

Tompkins also recommends visibly displaying LGBTQ books and materials. “This sends a powerful message to children who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Even seeing a book or sticker sends a subtle message that this space is safe.”

“Books help children make sense of the world in honest and accessible ways. Having them in public schools isn’t political; it’s about inclusion and fostering empathy for identity difference,” adds Tompkins. “Children will learn anything we teach them. They can learn acceptance just as easily as intolerance. And they absorb everything around them, including the conversations we don’t have about the communities we don’t include. Having LGBTQ-related books matters—not just for the kids who see themselves in the pages, but for every child growing up in an increasingly diverse world.”

For more information about Raising LGBTQ Allies, visit Chris Tompkins’ website, A Road Trip to Love.

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