Quispe López

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In a viral post, transgender author alleges anti-LGBTQ+ senator Lindsey Graham hired her for sex work

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After longtime U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night, reportedly from aortic dissection, the reaction from the LGBTQ+ community was immediate. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. The South Carolina Republican had served in the U.S. Senate since 2003, spending his final years as a loyalist to President Donald Trump despite having run against him in the 2016 Republican primary. Throughout his tenure, Graham was a staunch opponent to the advancement of LGBTQ+ civil rights, opposing marriage equality; advocating against the 2011 repeal of “Don’t […]

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Daughters of the American Revolution live up to their name by rejecting ban on trans women

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The Daughters of the American Revolution officially rejected a proposed ban on transgender women from joining the organization on June 26. The long-awaited vote came after years of pressure within the DAR — a nonprofit historical preservation and education society created in 1890, composed of women with direct ancestry to soldiers in the American Revolutionary War — to exclude trans women from the organization’s definition of “woman,” which would effectively ban them from its ranks. In 2023, the DAR officially amended their guidelines to include language that protects trans members against discrimination in the application process, per The Washingtonian. “Some have asked if […]

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Ringleader in torture and killing of trans man Sam Nordquist pleads guilty

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Precious Arzuaga, a 38-year-old woman whom prosecutors say acted as the “ringleader” in the torture and violent murder of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black transgender man, pleaded guilty to all charges against her today, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, and aggravated sexual abuse. In September 28, 2024, Nordquist traveled from his home state of Minnesota to Ontario County in upstate New York, where he planned to meet his online girlfriend Arzuaga, and return two weeks later. Linda Nordquist said her son never returned as planned. Instead, investigators say Nordquist was subjected to months of “depraved” torture by Arzuaga, her son, and a network of […]

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Federal judge declines to block DOJ efforts nationwide to obtain trans youth medical records

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Maryland U.S. District Judge Julie Rubin, a Biden-era appointee, rejected a first-of-its-kind bid from transgender advocates that would establish a national order preventing Trump’s Justice Department from strong-arming hospital systems and service providers into giving away sensitive patient information about trans minors who receive gender-affirming care, per Reuters.  Rubin heard arguments Tuesday from families of transgender children and LGBTQ+ legal advocates seeking certification of a class action lawsuit against the DOJ that would have blocked the department from pressuring hospitals to share private medical records. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. […]

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A new strain of Shigella is disproportionately impacting queer men

Dr. Carlton Thomas, a gastroenterologist and host of the Butt Honestly podcast, knew something was wrong after having oral sex in the dark room play space of a Fort Lauderdale gay bar last year. Just a few days after returning home from the trip, he had developed diarrhea, dehydration, extreme fatigue, and a 104-degree fever.  As a gay GI doctor, Doctor Carlton, as his social media followers regard him, knew his symptoms could only be one thing: Shigella, an increasingly common bacterial infection that can spread through feces, usually via water contamination, unwashed hands, and, yes, certain types of sexual contact, especially […]

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Pride flag burned outside gay couple’s Pennsylvania home

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A gay couple reported the burning of a Pride flag outside of their Lancaster, PA home on April 28. The Lancaster Police department is currently investigating the incident. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Tuc To and Peter Helman told local NBC affiliate WGAL that they noticed the burnt flag on Wednesday morning after the vandalism allegedly occurred. When they checked their Ring security cameras, they found footage, shared with WGAL, of a person in a hoodie with their face obscured approaching the flag with a […]