Trudy Ring

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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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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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Here’s how queer couples can protect their marriage under a new Trump administration

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Some same-sex couples are worried about the status of their marriages under a new Donald Trump administration. Legal and financial experts don’t see an immediate threat to marriage equality, but they recommend some safeguards to put in place. Trump has gone from supporting domestic partnerships for same-sex couples instead of equal marriage rights (in 2000, a common view at the time) to saying marriage should be left to the states to saying marriage equality is settled law.The kind of allies he has in Congress and those he’s appointing to his Cabinet and is likely to appoint to the Supreme Court if he has a chance aren’t exactly […]

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U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas introduces bill to deny transgender identity

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has introduced a bill to deny transgender identity. Marshall Wednesday introduced the Defining Male and Female Act of 2024, which a press release from his office calls “a bill to codify legal definitions of male, female, and sex to ensure they are based on biology rather than ideology.” It would write a binary definition of sex into federal law. “In human beings, there are two — and only two — sexes: male and female, which refer to the two body structures (phenotypes) that, in normal development, correspond to one or the other gamete — sperm for males […]

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Trump picks anti-trans, anti-vaccine Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services

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Donald Trump announced that he’s chosen vaccine denialist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be secretary of Health and Human Services, Trump said on social media Thursday afternoon.  “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump wrote. “The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure […]

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How can you support transgender and nonbinary youth right now? The Trevor Project has some tips

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Trusting that they know who they are, standing up for them, and not supporting anti-LGBTQ+ politicians are among the best ways to support transgender and nonbinary youth, says a new research brief from the Trevor Project. It’s based on information from the young people themselves. The brief, released Wednesday, which marked the start of Transgender Awareness Week, uses data from the 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. “With more knowledge about supportive actions and their possible impacts, TGNB youth can be better cared for by parents, caregivers, friends, and community,” the brief says. This support can also help decrease suicide risk, it notes. When asked how […]

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Judge rules the military must cover gender-affirming surgery for members’ dependents

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The Department of Defense’s health insurance plan, Tricare, must cover gender-affirming surgery for transgender dependents of active and retired service members, a federal judge has ruled. The exclusion of coverage for this care violates the equal protection guarantees of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen ruled November 1. The suit was brought by two transgender women in their 20s, identified by the pseudonyms Jane Doe and Susan Roe, who are both daughters of retired military members and are covered by Tricare. Doe and her father filed suit in 2022 in U.S. District Court in Maine, and Roe was added to the suit last year. Doe lives in Maine and Roe in Florida. Both of […]

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Dorothy Allison, revered and award-winning lesbian feminist author, has died

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Dorothy Allison, the lesbian feminist author of the novel Bastard Out of Carolinaand other noteworthy books, has died at age 75. Allison, who had cancer, died Wednesday at her home in Northern California, Sinister Wisdomreports. “Allison wrote about a queer, poor South with dynamism and ferocious love,” Literary Hub notes. “Her books tangoed frankly with historically taboo subjects, like sexual abuse, and spotlit characters under-glimpsed on the shelves of hegemony.” Her books reflected her life. She was born in 1949 in Greenville, S.C. Her mother was just 15 years old, and Allison “had a difficult childhood marked by poverty and sexual, physical, and emotional abuse,” as Sinister Wisdom puts it. […]

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Here are some key LGBTQ+ races to watch on Election Day

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Sarah McBride Besides the presidential race and deciding who’ll control Congress, Tuesday’s election will feature numerous important races involving + candidates. At least 668 out candidates will appear on ballots nationwide, up from 574 in 2020, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Here’s a look at some of the key races. All the LGBTQ+ candidates mentioned here are . Sarah McBride is running to be the first out transgender member of Congress. She is running for Delaware’s sole seat in the U.S. House, succeeding Lisa Blunt Rochester, who vacated the post to run for U.S. Senate. McBride, facing Republican John Whalen III, is heavily favored to win in the majority […]

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