Perspectives

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University sues federal gov’t for threatening federal funding over trans volleyball player

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San Jose State University (SJSU) and the California State University (CSU) system are suing the federal government in response to its determination that SJSU violated Title IX by allowing a transgender volleyball player to compete on the women’s team. The current administration launched an investigation into the university immediately following the president’s executive order, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, issued soon after he took office. The school made headlines in the heat of the 2024 election campaign when the girls’ volleyball team co-captain, Brooke Slusser, joined a lawsuit led by anti-trans activist and swimmer Riley Gaines which challenged the NCAA’s […]

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Virginia’s HIV Safety Net is Fraying. Lawmakers Must Act.

This past Friday, I was asked point blank: “What would happen if we don’t have funding for your Ryan White Part B program in April?”  It was framed as a hypothetical. For our organization, it is not.  As Executive Director of Health Brigade, I have led through uncertainty before. We are one of Richmond’s longstanding providers of HIV prevention and care, and the need for our services has always exceeded available resources. But in May 2025, Virginia cut $20 million in Ryan White Part B (RWB) funding at the state level. For Health Brigade, that meant a 75% reduction in […]

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NHL player hurls antigay slur during Olympics hockey match

During last month’s quarterfinal game between Canada and Czechia at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, a player from the National Hockey League shouted a homophobic slur, seemingly toward a referee. Radko Gudas plays defense for the Anaheim Ducks and represented his home country, Czechia, at the men’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics. But during a heated exchange last week, he shouted that someone, seemingly a referee, was a “f***ing c**k sucker,” as seen in videos of the incident shared to social media. Gudas shouted the term while arguing with the referee over a two-minute penalty he received in the second period […]

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Does the American Dream Still Exist for People Like Me?

“That’s fine dude. I’m not mad at you.” Those are the first and last words I heard Renee Good say, seconds before she was brutally murdered on Jan. 7 by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. I came across the video as I watched my fiancée scroll through her social media feeds while sitting in our Brooklyn apartment. We proceeded to scour TikTok to gather more information. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of videos of the shooting—all from various angles—I asked her to put the phone down. We sat in silence as I interrogated the pit forming in my stomach. I was […]

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Trump stole our Pride flag but he cannot steal our Pride!

President Donald Trump directed the National Park Service (NPS) to remove the Rainbow Pride Flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City on February 5, 2026. This came just one year after the NPS deleted all references to transgender and queer people from its website of the Stonewall National Monument through Trump’s executive order. The initialism that once read LGBTQ+ has been reduced to LGB, standing for lesbian, gay, and bisexual. Local and state elected officials, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D), are planning to re-raise the Pride Flag in defiance of the […]

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The mental health system is failing queer kids of color—and we’re letting it happen

Jayden is a 16-year-old Black queer teenager living in a low-income neighborhood on Atlanta’s west side. When he was unable to attend school because of his worsening panic attacks, he finally asked for help, but his cries went unanswered. The mental health system in this country wasn’t made for queer kids of color, which is why even when they go out to search for mental health care, too many are met with doors closed or closed minds. Jayden isn’t real, but his story is. It is built from interviews, national survey data, and the experiences of BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth in low-income communities […]

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Lonely in plain sight: Why so many gay men feel unknown

Loneliness is one of the most common issues that comes up in the work I do with gay men. Regardless of age, it’s a topic that comes up repeatedly in therapy. Loneliness is rarely about being alone, though. More often, it’s about carrying thoughts, feelings, or experiences we don’t feel safe to share. Psychologist Carl Jung, a pioneer in understanding the human psyche, said, “Loneliness does not come from having no people around you, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you.” Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email […]

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No, trans women don’t have inherent advantage over cis women in sports: new study

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Transgender women athletes do not have an inherent advantage over cisgender competitors, according to a new study. That’s what advocates of trans inclusion have been saying for years, while anti-trans forces have been saying the opposite. Now a report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which its authors call “the most comprehensive synthesis to date,” counters the idea of inherent advantage. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. The authors, all based at academic and medical institutions in Brazil, looked at 52 studies with 6,485 participants, including 2,943 trans […]

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Fact Sheet: LGBTQ and Ally Inclusion at Super Bowl LX and the Winter Olympics

LGBTQ Ally Bad Bunny to Headline Halftime Show, Bi Singer Billie Joe Armstrong to Perform Pregame with Green Day, and LGBTQ Icon Brandi Carlile to Sing “America The Beautiful”  GLAAD:  “Inclusion is good for the world and it’s great for business growth. Most LGBTQ sports fans are more likely to purchase from brands that support causes they care about. Over 20% of Gen Z is LGBTQ, so inclusion and visibility are keys to future proofing.  When the NFL elevates and celebrates inclusive talent and values, it trickles down to high school fields and stands, and pee-wee games across the country. […]

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Dems skewer anti-trans sports bill that would allow invasive genital exams: “I’m deeply concerned”

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Lawmakers in Maryland sparred last week over proposed legislation that would ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports at the varsity and junior varsity high school levels. During a February 5 hearing on HB 63 before the state General Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee, several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pressed the bill’s sponsor, Del. Kathy Szeliga (R), on how the law would be enforced. In her opening remarks, Szeliga seemed to anticipate that line of questioning. “There’s some people who are concerned about the enforcement of this. Well, we enforce all kinds of things in high school sports, as you […]

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