Ariel Messman-Rucker

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BOYCOTT: Grindr’s surprising ties to the Republican Party, explained

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If there was one place that was free of MAGA politics, you’d think it would be a gay hookup app, but you’d be wrong. Not only are there frequent reports that spikes in Grindr usage during large conservative events like the Republican National Convention cause the app to crash, but Grindr now has a Republican in a major leadership role and has been wading into politics more and more during President Donald Trump’s second term. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. When gay businessman and investor George Arison took over […]

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TV judge slams homophobic father who sued his gay son for conversion therapy costs

Shortly after this discovery, Gregory spent $6,000 to send his son to conversion therapy, which Michael ended up running away from due to the toxic and cruel conditions at the establishment. Michael only agreed to attend conversion therapy out of fear that his parents would disown him and throw him out of the house. At first, Gregory tried to gaslight the situation into making the son responsible for not “fulfilling his promise” of attending conversion therapy, which Judge Williams quickly denounced in the viral clip. “You’ve gaslit this young man for far too long. He’s still a youth and he’s […]

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These anti-LGBTQ+ Georgia Republicans did drag themselves, unearthed photos show

Rep. Mike Collins in drag in his high school yearbook.Piedmont Academy yearbook in 1985. Carter, whose real name is Earl LeRoy Carter, is seen wearing a long dress and sash in the Robert W. Groves High School yearbook for 1975, the year he graduated from the school in a suburb of Savannah. There is no caption attached to the drag photo, but there is a strong resemblance to Carter’s senior photo in the same yearbook when the two are compared. The congressman was also the subject of a Reddit thread in 2025, where a user posted another photo of Carter in […]

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Amber Glenn is set to be the first out queer woman on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team

Glenn has been on an epic run. She won the same competition the previous year, becoming the first openly queer woman to win, and took home her first career Grand Prix Finale title at the end of 2024, recording the highest-ever score for an American woman in the short program. It has been 20 years since an American woman has won an Olympic figure skating medal, but this 26-year-old LGBTQ+ athlete has the opportunity to change that at the Milano Games next month. Glenn is poised to score a spot on her first Olympic team, which would make her the […]

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What is ‘hopecore’ and how can it make life better for LGBTQ+ people?

The social media landscape has become a toxic wasteland full of conspiracy theories, alt-right pipelines, ragebait, and meaningless consumerism.  The real world is already a dark and overwhelming place, and now we also spend way too much time doomscrolling on our phones, where we’re fed all of this toxicity. This is where the “hopecore” trend comes in. A shining beacon of optimism in a sea of toxic sludge, hopecore is using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to inspire a positive outlook on life. Since we could all use a little of that in our lives, we talked to Will Dempsey, a […]

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How to protect your mental health during Trump’s second term, according to LGBTQ+ experts

We’re living in dark times. Every time you turn on the TV or open social media, you’re bombarded with terrible news that is often life-altering if you’re queer.  The Trump administration is busy dismantling LGBTQ+ rights and protections, attacking the trans community left and right, curtailing free speech, and, since they can’t overturn Roe v. Wade again, they’re attempting to destroy almost $10 million worth of taxpayer-funded birth control. And every time a big event happens — like Charlie Kirk being shot — it always seems to circle back around to queer and trans people being to blame or it increases the […]

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Julie Johnson just made history as the first LGBTQ+ person ever elected to Congress from the South

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Lesbian Texas State Rep. Julie Johnson just won a seat in the U.S. House, beating out Republican Darrell Day and Libertarian Kevin Hale, becoming the first out LGBTQ+ person elected from Congress from the South. As a state representative, Johnson helped to kill anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and advocated for reproductive rights, and Equality PAC Cochairs Mark Takano and Ritchie Torres are sure she’s going to continue to fight for “those who need it most, especially the LGBTQ community in Texas.” In a joint statement, Takano and Torres said that the over $600,000 the PAC spent on Johnson’s campaign was well worth it […]