Perspectives

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Watching the Armageddon of the House GOP and Speaker Johnson

I was speaking to a friend of mine recently about the preposterous nonsense going on with House Republicans and their inability to elect a speaker. “They need to find someone who only has six months to live. They will get the sympathy vote, and they’ll have an out when that person dies,” he joked. “They already tried that, to a degree,” I answered, in a more serious tone. “Steve Scalise is being treated for blood cancer, and he didn’t get an ounce of sympathy, so he pulled out of the speaker’s race instead of making himself sicker.” (As a side […]

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USA Cycling to segregate trans athletes in updated policy

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USA Cycling has updated its trans athlete participation policy, segregating trans athletes who wish to compete across domestic races in the US into two new categories.  The governing body for cycling in the United States has updated its policy, aligning itself with standards set by the world cycling governing body, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). From July this year, all trans women who have transitioned after puberty arebanned from competing in the women’s category at UCI-sanctioned events. Trans athletes competing in USA Cycling events will be categorised as either Group A or Group B athletes, depending on their discipline and race category.  Group […]

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Leading homophobic nations bid for 2036 Olympics

I am writing this shortly after being released from “house arrest” in Mumbai, India. I came here, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is meeting, to lobby them against awarding the 2036 Olympics to a homophobic regime. Some of the world’s leading anti-LGBTQIA tyrannies are bidding to stage the games, including Qatar, China, Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt and Hungary. Giving any of them the Olympics would not be consistent with an event the IOC claims will “celebrate humanity.” I thought India was a democracy but I was wrong. The day after I arrived in Mumbai, six police officers turned up at […]

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LGBTQIA+ and progressive communities have a Palestine problem; supporting Israel is not the answer

For 11 excruciating days now, I have been in tears and terrified for the safety of my blind mother, paralyzed father and two siblings in the Gaza Strip.  For 11 days, I have been watching horrific Israeli violence defying humanity while being fully supported by the U.S. — liberals and conservatives alike — with the stated intent of destroying the lives of more than two million people, including my family and loved ones. This intent and the magnitude of the destruction and loss of life make a textbook example of genocide, defined as:  Any of the following acts committed with […]

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NHL bans all theme-night gear, including Pride symbols, from uniforms

The NHL issued a sweeping ban against on-ice theme night gear, barring clubs from having players wear rainbow sweaters or use multicolored tape on sticks during Pride Night, for example, officials confirmed Tuesday. The move, first reported Monday by the LGBTQ news site Outsports, followed a 2022-23 season when a handful of players — including Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov and then-San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer — declined to participate in their clubs’ Pride Night celebrations. Outsports called the NHL’s new directive “the most stifling, anti-LGBTQ policy any pro sports league in North America has ever issued.” Representatives for the NHL and the players union […]

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STI Rates, Including HIV, Could Spike Due to Medicaid Cuts

We have come a long way from the days when HIV was an almost certain death sentence. But our work is far from over. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an uptick in rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, and low-income communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and communities of color continue to be impacted at alarming and disproportionately high rates. These communities are also more likely to be served by Medicaid. Medicaid is the largest source of insurance coverage for people living with HIV in the United States, covering an estimated 40 percent of nonelderly adults with HIV, and Medicaid accounted for 45 percent […]

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First trans woman to compete in international cricket match: ‘I never dreamed I would do this’

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A Canadian cricket player is set to become the first trans woman to compete in an international match.  Danielle McGahey has been named by Cricket Canada as part of the country’s squad as they compete to qualify for nest year’s Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. Canada will take on Argentina, Brazil and the United States in the ICC Americas Qualifiers in Los Angeles next week, where they will vie for a place in the global play-offs.   A native Australian, McGahey moved to Canada in February 2020 and has spoken of her pride at representing her adoptive country on the international stage.  Speaking […]

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Anti-trans attacks aren’t the winning election issue the right thinks it is

Republicans are waging war against the transgender community, believing that they have a winning electoral strategy.  In terms of causing both physical and emotional damage, they have succeeded, as states like North Carolina and Missouri have banned gender-affirming treatment for minors. But the attacks may not be quite the brilliant campaign tactic that the GOP thinks it has. If anything, Republicans are finding that they may have gone too far. Moreover, based on history, attacking the trans community may be more of a losing proposition at the ballot box than Republicans believe.  The current run of attacks on the trans community is sadly not […]

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Queer Woman Sha’Carri Richardson Is Now Fastest Woman in the World

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In a glorious comeback after being banished from the Tokyo Olympics in 2022 for testing positive ahead of the games for THC, one of the active components of cannabis, out American runner Sha’Carri Richardson won the 100-meter world title at the World Athletics Championships in Hungary on Monday. Delighting crowds at the National Athletics Center in Budapest, Richardson ran a personal best time of 10.65 seconds, making her the fastest woman in the world. The achievement proved her personal mantra, “I’m not back. I’m better.” In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding her exit from the Tokyo games, the world champion said […]

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More states expect schools to keep trans girls off sports teams as classes resume

As children across the U.S. head back to classes and practices for fall sports, four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls teams. Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming had new laws in place restricting transgender athletes before classes resumed, and a Missouri law takes effect at the end of this month, bringing the number of states with restrictions to 23. North Carolina could enact a ban later this month, and Ohio could follow in the fall. A few laws, including ones in Arizona and West Virginia, are on hold because of federal lawsuits. This year’s new restrictions […]

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