Alex Cooper

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Keeping the record queer with LGBTQ+ archives

Have you ever wondered what to do with the piles of Advocate or Out magazines you’ve collected through the years? Or swag you’ve collected at Pride events that you keep in storage boxes in closets? What about those ticket stubs to Melissa Etheridge concerts you kept religiously? LGBTQ+ archives throughout the country seek to create a home for those artifacts to help preserve queer history.  Archives can help people understand that they aren’t alone, archivists say, allowing them to see that queer identities have always been around and are a part of history, even if some of that history has been lost or erased. A […]

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A bipartisan effort looks to rectify tax inequities for same-sex married couples

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation helping bring financial equality to same-sex married couples.  Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine reintroduced the Refund Equality Act on Thursday, the 10-year anniversary of the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling, which legalized marriage equality as a constitutional right.  The act would allow married same-sex couples to amend tax returns dating back to when they were married, which would help them secure about $55 million in refunds, according a 2021 report by the Joint Committee on Taxation and cited by the senators.  The reintroduced bill would: The bill is […]

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U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV. Here’s what he’s said about LGBTQ+ people

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Two days after the College of Cardinals gathered to elect a new pope, a decision has been made. Robert Prevost has been chosen, becoming the first American pope in history. He’s adopted the name Pope Leo XIV. Leo’s ascension to the papacy comes after Pope Francis, a relatively progressive pope when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, died last month.  The new pope is from Chicago and is 69. He earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, then received a diploma in theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. He previously served as a Catholic missionary in South America, CNN reports. […]

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The Trevor Project receives $5M grant to support LGBTQ+ youth mental health in rural Midwest

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The Trevor Project and the Helmsley Charitable Trust announced on Tuesday the trust awarded Trevor $5 million to support a campaign in support of LGBTQ+ youth in the rural Midwest. It comes after the Trevor Project found young queer youth are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide in rural areas than their peers. Across the country, every 45 seconds, it’s estimated that at least one LGBTQ+ youth attempts suicide, according to the group. The Trevor Project found that 55 percent of LGBTQ+ youth in Montana considered suicide, compared to 45 percent nationwide. In South Dakota, 19 percent of young people […]

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Trans rights leader Kris Hayashi to lead advocacy department at National LGBTQ Task Force 

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The National LGBTQ Task Force announced on Tuesday that long-time transgender rights activist and community leader Kris Hayashi has joined the organization as its director of advocacy and action.  Hayashi most recently served as the executive director of the Transgender Law Center and previously led the Audre Lorde Project as its executive director/co-director.  “We could not be more excited or honored to welcome Kris Hayashi to our team and the Task Force family. Kris will bring immeasurable expertise to our advocacy and policy work as our community, especially our trans and non-binary siblings, are under unrelenting and unprecedented attacks,” said Kierra Johnson, executive director […]

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Republican Lawmaker Spoke in Support of Bill to Kill Gay People in Uganda: Report

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U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, a Republican representing parts of Michigan, encouraged the Ugandan government to “stand firm” amid the international backlash against the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which includes the death penalty in some cases, during a speech in Uganda last October. The act is also known as the “kill the gays” bill. Walberg made the remarks at Uganda’s National Prayer Breakfast. The Republican co-chairs the event in the U.S. According to reporting by The Young Turks, the trip was paid for by the secretive conservative group The Family — which is also known as the Fellowship Foundation. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni sat in the audience. […]

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Murders of LGBTQ+ People Often Go Unsolved. We’re Telling Their Stories.

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Out of the more than 300 transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming deaths due to fatal violence reported by the Human Rights Campaign since 2013, about a third are still unsolved. A recent FBI report found that in 2022 there was a 13.8 percent increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation and a striking 32.9 percent surge in those targeting gender identity compared to the previous year. It’s clear that there is an increasing rate of violence against LGBTQ+ people. But queer people being targeted for who they are isn’t new. Neither is a lack of sincere investigations into cases involving queer people, whether that investigation […]

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Black Transgender Woman Lisa Love Killed Walking Home in Chicago

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Lisa Love, a Black transgender woman from Chicago, was shot and killed in the early hours of October 17. She was 35. She’s one of more than 20 trans and gender-nonconforming people to have been killed in 2023. She’s the fourth to be reported in October alone. All four of the victims this month have been Black. Authorities say she was shot in the chest and back, according to local news station WGNTV. Her family said she was leaving a friend’s home.  “An all-around good person who did not deserve this,” Donna, a cousin of Love’s, told WGNTV. “A loving, caring, free-spirited person. Always […]

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Megan Rapinoe Announces Retirement, Says This Is Her Last World Cup

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Lesbian soccer legend Megan Rapinoe said in a press conference Saturday that she plans to retire at the end of 2023, which means the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which starts later this month, will be her last one. Rapinoe has been a fixture on the U.S. women’s soccer team since she joined it in 2006. The 38-year-old made the comments during an appearance ahead of a U.S. game against Wales in California, The New York Times reports. “I could have just never imagined where this beautiful game would have taken me,” Rapinoe said. “I feel so honored to have represented […]

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