Quispe López

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For LGBTQ+ youth, vaping is becoming a dangerous coping mechanism

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It’s long been known that the bullying LGBTQ+ people face in their youth can have lifelong health ramifications, but a new study is finding this type of social rejection may have a particularly impactful effect on vaping rates. Previous research has shown that LGBTQ+ people tend to vape at disproportionately high rates compared to their straight and cisgender peers, with 22% of gay men and lesbians and 18% of bisexuals vaping, compared to 15% of straight people. But according to a new study published in the journal of Prevention Science, LGBTQ+ youth may exhibit high rates of e-cigarette and vape usage because of […]

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A First Nation is making itself a safe haven from Alberta’s trans youth care ban

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The Saddle Lake Cree Nation is standing up against the Canadian Province of Alberta’s gender-affirming care ban by positioning itself as a safe haven for transgender people seeking medical care.  In December 2024, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other members of the United Conservative Party passed a law that bars medical providers in the Canadian province from prescribing gender-affirming care like puberty blockers and hormone therapy to trans youth under age 16. Smith previously stated that the ban’s goal is to “preserve [the] fertility” of young people, despite longstanding scientific research that puberty blockers do not render a person infertile, and studies demonstrating repeatedly that gender-affirming care saves lives. Stay up to date […]

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BOYCOTT: Lilly Wachowski says ‘If you support Harry Potter, you’re supporting trans genocide’

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Lilly Wachowski, acclaimed co-director of films including The Matrix, Bound, andV For Vendetta, said in a new interview that supporting the Harry Potter franchise is akin to supporting genocide against transgender people. In an interview with Variety published today, Wachowski was asked about her thoughts on the controversy surrounding HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series set to premiere in December. The project has been met with significant LGBTQ+ backlash, especially given author J.K. Rowling’s involvement as executive producer and the author’s long history of anti-trans organizing.  Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. “She is funding trans genocide. J.K. […]

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What queer people should know about the ‘diarrhea parasite’ ruining our summer salads

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Big gay salads are the spice of life when it comes to summer living, but queer people can’t have anything under this administration — not even fresh produce and a sense of unadulterated whimsy at the farmers market. It’s no secret that the Trump administration’s defunding of institutions that previously kept us healthy, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), has had widespread consequences, now including a parasite that loves to live on fresh produce and causes watery diarrhea. If you’re looking at that bag of salad mix sitting in your fridge a little more suspiciously, […]

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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 […]