The Advocate

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Biden honors LGBTQ+ trailblazers for marriage equality contributions at Presidential Citizens Medal ceremony

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As his administration ends in just over two weeks, President Joe Bidenrecognized two pivotal figures in the fight for marriage equality, awarding them the Presidential Citizens Medal during a ceremony at the White House on January 2, 2025. Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry, and Mary L. Bonauto, senior director of civil rights and legal strategies at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), were among 20 honorees receiving the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. The ceremony in the East Room celebrated Americans who have made transformative contributions to the nation and their communities. “Together, you embody the central truth: We’re a great nation […]

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President Jimmy Carter dead at 100 — here’s his history as an LGBTQ+ ally

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Former President Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, will be remembered as a staunch LGBTQ+ ally, although it took him time to evolve on some issues. The former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner died on Sunday after over a year in hospice care. He is the longest-lived U.S. president. He passed away at his home in Plains, Ga. — the same house he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died last year, spent the majority of their lives, according to the Carter Center. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center wrote on X, formerly […]

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Meet Bobbie Simpson: California’s first out trans school board member

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Bobbie Simpson made history Wednesday when she was sworn in as a member of the Shasta County Gateway Unified School District school board, becoming the first out transgender person to hold such a role in California. Simpson won her election on November 5 with more than 56 percent of the vote, beating out incumbent Elias Haynes, who had served on the board with his wife, Lindsi, who were both subject to recall votes. Simpson recently told local outlet KRCR that she was partially motivated to challenge Haynes because “having a married couple on the board really seemed like an improper representation of the district,” as one […]

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Newsom touts new law protecting teachers from outing LGBTQ+ students

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week hailed the signing of a new law that protects teachers from getting fired if they refuse to out trans students to their parents, suggesting instead that educators should focus on educating children rather than monitoring their sexual or gender identity. “I just don’t think teachers should be gender police,” Newsom said at a press conference December 16. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1955 in July. The new law, known as the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act (SAFETY), officially prohibits schools from disclosing a student’s sexual or gender identity or sexuality to their guardians […]

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Texas City Council that targeted LGBTQ+ people gets voted out — and replaced with first gay member

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Voters in Odessa, Texas, rejected three incumbent City Council members just one month after they voted to implement a harsh anti-trans bathroom ban, replacing one with the city’s first out gay council member. Craig Stoker, the executive director for Meals on Wheels in Odessa, won his November election for at-large City Council member with 56 percent of the vote — in the same county President-elect Donald Trump won 76 percent of the vote.  Stoker beat Denise Swanner by campaigning on infrastructure — specifically roads and garbage pickup — in contrast to the incumbent, whose campaign sent out mailers comparing the two’s opposite positions by listing […]

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Troy Masters, publisher of LGBTQ+ paper Los Angeles Blade, has died at 63

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Troy Masters, publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, an LGBTQ+ newspaper, has died at age 63. Masters died unexpectedly Wednesday, a family member announced, according to the Blade. The cause of death was not released. “We are shocked and devastated by the loss of Troy,” said a statement from his family. “He was a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ community and leaves a tremendous legacy of fighting for social justice and equality. We ask for your prayers and for privacy as we mourn this unthinkable loss. We will announce details of a celebration of life in the near future.” “All of us at the Los Angeles […]

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Laphonza Butler, first Black lesbian U.S. senator, steps down from office for Adam Schiff

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Laphonza Butler, the first Black lesbian U.S. senator, has stepped down to make way for the newly elected Adam Schiff and given a farewell speech of gratitude. Butler, a California Democrat and former union leader who has also been president of EMILY’s List, which works to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office, was only the third Black woman in the U.S. Senate — after Kamala Harrisand Carol Moseley Braun — and the first LGBTQ+ person of color overall in the body. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her last year to fill the remainder of the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term, and she said she did not intend to run for the seat this year. Schiff, a prominent Democrat and […]

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The 5 states with the smallest amount of LGBTQ+ people

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The hubs and duds of queer life in modern America have been revealed, thanks to a report from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. The good news: wherever you are, you’re not alone. Overall, 14.1 million people reported that they “identify as LGBT” between 2020 and 2021, making up a significant portion of the population at 5.6 percent. By state, there wasn’t a single area with an LGBTQ+ population of less than 4 percent.  However, compared to others, some states still have less than half as many queer people proportionally. While the report did not give any reasoning as […]

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Federal government eases rules on organ transplants between donors and recipients with HIV

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has eased the regulations on kidney and liver donations between HIV-positive donors and HIV-positive recipients, something that HHS says will increase access to these organs. A rule on interpretation of the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act removes requirements for clinical research and institutional review board approval for such donations, “based on research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of kidney and liver transplants between donors and recipients with HIV,” says an HHS press release. The rule became final Wednesday. “We continue to do everything in our power to increase access to life-saving organs while addressing health inequities faced […]

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Three more inductees announced for LGBTQ+ Political Hall of Fame

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The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute has chosen three more 2024 inductees to its LGBTQ+ Political Hall of Fame. They are North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge John Arrowood, Virginia state Sen. Danica Roem, and Claudia López, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. They join Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in this year’s class, as voted by the LGBTQ+ Victory Action Board of Directors. Buttigieg, who has also been mayor of South Bend, Ind., and sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, was inducted in August during the Democratic National Convention. The new honorees will be inducted December 7 during the 2024 International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. “The 2024 nominees are not only historic firsts […]

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