John Russell

Lizzo brought an army of drag performers to the stage at her Knoxville, Tennessee, concert on Friday night to protest the state’s anti-drag law. RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Asia O’Hara, and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo joined the singer onstage at the Thompson-Boling Arena along with over a dozen local Tennessee drag performers. Kids need protection from poverty, not drag queens, she said. “Support your drag entertainers!” Lizzo told the crowd at the end of the show-stopping number. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrU0CndvWV1/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=1080&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtqnation.com&rp=%2F2023%2F04%2Flizzo-brought-an-army-of-queens-to-protest-tennessees-anti-drag-law%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A723%2C%22ls%22%3A120%2C%22le%22%3A580%7D In early March, Tennessee became the first U.S. state to pass a law aimed at banning drag performances in public spaces […]

City officials in Port St. Lucie, Florida, have canceled a planned Pride parade in anticipation of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signing into law a bill aimed at banning drag shows and, in the words of one state Republican, “erasing” the LGBTQ+ community. Ongoing festivities scheduled to take place this weekend will now be restricted to those who are 21 and older. On Wednesday, Pride of the Treasure Coast, Inc., announced the move in a Facebook post, citing the current “political climate” in Florida. Florida’s biggest LGBTQ+ organization says their state “may not be a safe place” anymore. “After multiple meetings with city officials, […]

Friends and family are mourning Ashley Burton, a Black trans hairstylist who was murdered earlier this month. Atlanta police reportedly found the 37-year-old’s body shortly after 4:30am on April 11 in the breezeway of her apartment complex. Investigators say she was shot inside her home before fleeing outside, where she collapsed. So far a suspect has not been named, but according to 11 Alive, police believe this was a domestic-related shooting. One activist said she is even considering detransitioning for her own safety. A friend told Fox 5 that Burton, a South Carolina native who moved to Atlanta to pursue a career as a makeup […]

Following a week in which three anti-LGBTQ+ bills became law in Kansas, Indiana, and Idaho, Out White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spotlighted the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s recently launched LGBTQ+-specific service. “I know that these political attacks can really take a toll on people’s mental health. So I want to say directly to LGBTQI+ kids – you are loved just as you are, just the way you are,” Jean-Pierre said during last Thursday’s White House press briefing. “And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you call 988, The National Crisis Hotline and dial the number ‘3’ to talk to a counselor who has been specifically […]

A transgender woman says she was assaulted and humiliated by a TSA agent at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. On Saturday, the woman posted a series of tweets describing the incident as well as a photo of herself crying in an airport bathroom. The alleged victim has since deleted the tweets and has made her Twitter account private.  The Biden administration just made travel a whole lot easier for transgender people with a series of policy changes. Retirement paperwork will get easier too. “Hi, so a TSA agent at JFK punched me in the genitalia, yelled at me […]

Maryland’s newly-elected governor Wes Moore (D) ran on a promise to support legislation that would require state Medicaid plans to cover gender-affirming care. Now it looks like he’ll soon get a chance to make good on that promise. On Monday, the state’s senate approved the Trans Health Equity Act in a 32–14 vote after the bill passed in the Maryland House of Delegates on Saturday. S.B. 460 now goes to Moore’s desk for a signature. An anti-trans tweet about gender-affirming surgery led trans men to proudly share their scars.  The new law, introduced by Maryland Del. Anne Kaiser (D) last year, requires […]