Christopher Wiggins

NBC News has laid off about 150 employees, roughly 7 percent of its newsroom, and dissolved its dedicated editorial teams covering Black, Latino, Asian American, and LGBTQ+ communities, according to The Wrap. The Advocateconfirmed the firings through a source who was affected by the cuts. The move is part of a reorganization that separates MSNBC from NBC News under a new entity called Versant. Executives described the decision as an efficiency measure to eliminate overlap and streamline operations across NBCUniversal’s news division. But it also dismantles the network’s identity-based teams: NBC BLK, NBC Latino, NBC Asian America, and NBC Out. NBC News confirmed that while some roles were […]

As the federal government shutdown enters its 12th day on Sunday, the Trumpadministration has implemented a comprehensive purge of the federal public health workforce, laying off thousands of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cuts have dismantled critical programs in family planning, LGBTQ+ and adolescent health, and infectious disease surveillance, leaving experts warning that the United States is entering the viral respiratory infection season flying blind. The Office of Management and Budget confirmed “substantial” reductions in force across multiple agencies. OMB Director Russ Vought, who announced “The RIFs have begun” on […]

As the Trump administration continues waging an unprecedented war on transgender people in every facet of American society, local school boards have continued to serve as crucial battlegrounds. In the face of escalating attacks on LGBTQ+ students and teachers, curricula, books, and diversity initiatives, queer leaders are not retreating. They are stepping up to serve and lead in some of the most embattled public institutions in America. In California, for Culver City school board president Triston Ezidore, the battle is not abstract. Elected in 2022 at just 22 years old, Ezidore quickly saw how national talking points about vaccines, “critical race theory,” and transgenderyouth filtered into even his West […]

The Miami Herald reports: The Florida Department of Transportation on Sunday evening began removing the pride-themed crosswalk on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. The Herald observed workers removing the rainbow pavers from the LGBTQ+ crosswalk at the intersection of Ocean Drive and 12th Street shortly after 6 p.m. The crew was seen operating an excavator, and slamming what appeared to be a sledgehammer, to pull out the colorful sidewalk pavers. A crowd of onlookers — beachgoers, residents and drag queens — formed as the workers removed the crosswalk. “Put a mask on so nobody sees who you are! You’re ashamed!” one man […]

In Alabama, where Republicans have entrenched their dominance and legislatorshave passed some of the nation’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws, Dakarai Larriett is mounting a campaign he knows will be an uphill climb. At 43, the Birmingham-born entrepreneur and activist could become the first Black out gay man elected to the U.S. Senate. But Larriett insists that isn’t the point.  “This campaign is so about the policies, the policies that improve the lives of people, and not the personalities,” he said in an interview with The Advocate. A career in business and service Larriett’s résumé spans both the corporate world and community activism. After graduating from the University […]