Features

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King Charles announces UK government’s trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban

The UK Government has pledged a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy. A Draft Conversion Practices Bill was included in Wednesday’s King’s Speech, outlining Labour‘s legislative programme for the coming parliamentary session. The Government committed to eradicating what it called “abusive” practices, in line with a pledge made in its 2024 election manifesto. Officials say the ban will be carefully targeted to avoid interfering with legitimate healthcare for those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation will cover England and Wales only, as criminal law is devolved across other UK nations, and will be published for pre-legislative scrutiny to allow expert […]

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Founder of ‘women-only’ app loses appeal after landmark trans discrimination ruling

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A “women-only” social media app has lost an appeal to overturn a ruling that found it discriminatory against trans women. In January 2022, Giggle for Girls, marketed as a female-only space that allows women to find roommates, engage in freelance work, find friendship groups and more, came under fire for excluding trans women with its use of artificial intelligence. A court ruling in August 2024 found that Australian businesswoman and founder of Sall Grover and her app had unlawfully discriminated against trans woman Roxanne Tickle when her membership was withdrawn. Grover, whose Wikipedia page describes her as a “self-identified trans-exclusionary radical feminist”, filed the notice […]

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The LDS church sued him for telling LGBTQ+ Mormons’ stories. Now he’s fighting back.

The Church of Latter-Day Saints (aka. the Mormon Church) has filed a lawsuit against a podcast whose host interviews LGBTQ+ Mormons. The church is accusing the podcasters of trademark infringement, claiming that the branding around the podcast Mormon Stories deliberately misleads people into thinking the podcast and its content are affiliated with the church. The podcaster says that’s not true. “Defendants’ use of Church trademarks and copyrighted materials has caused and will continue to cause individuals to be confused and access Defendants’ content mistakenly believing it comes from or is affiliated with or endorsed by the Church,” the church claimed in their lawsuit.  “This […]

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An app banned an LGBTQ+ activist as a “terrorist.” They ignored it for years, until he fought back.

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Waymo, a ride service that uses self-driving “robotaxis,” recently changed its user policies after San Francisco-based LGBTQ+ rights activist Dr. Nasser Mohamed sued the service’s parent company, Alphabet. Waymo had banned and denied him service for years because his name resembled other Middle Eastern names on a government terrorist watchlist. When Mohamed registered his Waymo account in early November 2023, the company forbade him from booking rides in its self-driving cars. For two years, he thought it was a technical error. He submitted numerous support requests, but the company repeatedly closed them without explanation, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. When he complained […]

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Community grieves Juniper Blessing, trans student with ‘heart of gold’ who loved meteorology and Pokémon

Students at the University of Washington are in mourning after the identity of the 19-year-old trans student stabbed and killed on Sunday became public. Her name was Juniper Blessing. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Blessing, a major of the Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science, was the “most amazing human being we have ever known,” her family wrote in a statement. According to friends who have posted on social media, she enjoyedplaying video games like Hollow Night, studying meteoreology, buying jewelry and perfume, and singing with a […]

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Kansas anti-trans bathroom law leaves even state officials confused

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There may be a few public restrooms in Kansas where the state’s expansive anti-trans bathroom law won’t apply. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued an opinion exempting certain spaces from the requirement that restroom facilities be segregated based on gender assigned at birth. The Republican issued an opinion in response to a request from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s office, according to the Kansas Reflector. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Kelly’s office said the law was overly vague and wanted clarity on whether it would apply even to restrooms […]

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Meta hits all-time low for LGBTQ+ safety in new GLAAD report

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A new social media report from GLAAD shows that Meta has hit an all-time low when it comes to safety for its LGBTQ+ users. The LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation’s Social Media Safety Index confirmed that Meta’s policy changes on Facebook, Instagram and Threads have made the platforms more harmful for queer users, particularly trans and non-binary people. The news comes after a year in which Meta has been scaling back best practice policies surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and loosening its hateful conduct policies. In 2025, Meta’s policy changes included allowing anti-LGBTQ+ terminology when referring to queer people, removing protections for LGBTQ+ people, modifying sections of its Hateful […]

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America could elect its first Black transgender member of Congress

She was the first transgender bride on the TV show “Say Yes to the Dress.” She and her husband are the first transgender parents in Illinois history to be listed as their accurate genders on their children’s birth certificates. “This idea of, ‘I won’t be erased,’ that’s something that brewed in my childhood,” she said. “I think that’s where the fight comes from. … I don’t want to fail, and I haven’t failed yet. I think that’s the scary part. I’ve never, ever had a floor beneath me.”  Brady-Davis is currently the only Black trans person holding public office in the United States, serving on […]

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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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Transgender Americans are fleeing hostile red states. Seattle says it’s overwhelmed

Seattle may be facing what advocates describe as a refugee crisis, not from foreign migrants but from transgender Americans fleeing red states. The city and its residents are welcoming to the trans community. Seattle city leaders are discussing declaring a civil emergency based on the growing influx of LGBTQ+ individuals moving to the Washington metropolis, according to the Seattle Gay News. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. The outlet reports that the Seattle LGBTQ Commission sent a letter to city leaders on Trans Day of Visibility, raising concerns about the […]

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