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Florida Republican official suspended for social posts mocking Pulse murder victims

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A Florida city suspended one of its council members over hateful social media posts, including one mocking victims of the Pulse shooting. Now, she has sued while alleging that some of the posts were doctored. The Groveland City Council last week suspended Councilwoman Judith Fike after nearly decade-old posts resurfaced, including one in which she wrote victims of the nearby Pulse mass shooting were killed more easily than if they had been hurled from buildings. According to The Orlando Sentinel, the post read: “‘Duh….why would the shooter target a gay club? My answer…Easier than marching them up steps to push off the roof..some […]

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Baylor University to return $643,000 LGBTQ-inclusion grant

Baylor University, a Baptist institution in Waco, Texas, announced Wednesday that it would rescind its acceptance of a $643,000 grant that it had recently been awarded to study the inclusion of women and LGBTQ people in the church.  In a letter posted to the university’s website, Baylor University President Linda Livingstone said returning the funds “is the appropriate course of action and in the best interests” of the school.  “We remain committed to providing a loving and caring community for all — including our LGBTQIA+ students — because it is part and parcel of our University’s mission that calls us to […]

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Trump poised to make LGBTQ+ nonprofit workers ineligible for student loan forgiveness

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Donald Trump‘s Department of Education is drafting plans to gut a student loan forgiveness program for public servants — and employees of LGBTQ+ groups are being singled out.  Trump signed an executive order in March dismantling access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, directly pointing to nonprofits that serve transgender people as ineligible for loan forgiveness. Now, the Education Department has unveiled drafted plans that would follow through with the order. The cuts are expected to disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ people, who are more likely to have student loans and more likely to work for nonprofits.  “The proposed restrictions on student loans […]

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DOJ subpoenas more than 20 doctors and clinics that provide trans care to minors

The Justice Department announced that it had sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics involved in “performing transgender medical procedures on children.”  The department’s brief announcement Wednesday did not name any of the 20 doctors or clinics or say where they were. It also did not specify what constituted “transgender medical procedures” but said its investigations “include healthcare fraud, false statements, and more.” “Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.  Also Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission […]

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LGBTQ+ groups face alarming funding crisis as Republican anti-trans attacks mount, new report finds

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Philanthropic support for LGBTQ+ causes is collapsing just as queer and transcommunities face an escalating national crisis. New data from Funders for LGBTQ Issues shows foundation funding for LGBTQ+ organizations in the U.S. dropped sharply to $209.4 million in 2023. That’s a staggering decline of nearly $49 million, or 19 percent, from 2022. When adjusted for inflation, that cut deepens to 22 percent. Even as the funding picture grows increasingly dire, many philanthropic institutions are opting to remain anonymous. The report omits the names of top funders and grantees for the first time in decades, reflecting a growing trend among donors who fear political retaliation […]

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Trans athletes can no longer play sports in Indiana starting this month

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Indiana’s new law banning transgender female athletes from competing in college and university sports has gone into effect this month. The ban expands the state’s pre-existing ban on trans female athletes in K-12 school sports; a ban which was passed despite the state only having one trans female high school athlete. The bill — which passed the state Senate in February, the state House in April, and was signed by a Gov. Mike Braun (R) that same month — applies to all public colleges and universities, and any private school competing against a public institution, the Public News Service reported. The law “prohibits […]

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World’s most sexually liberated cities revealed – with this UK city making the top 10

The results are in for the world’s most sexually liberated cities in 2025, and a surprising UK city has made the top 10.  Global research by escort consultancy group Erobella analysed cities around the world and ranked them based on the number of gay bars they have, the frequency of LGBTQ+ events there, access to contraception, transgender rights, the legality of sex work, and laws protecting against homophobic and transphobic behaviour.  This year, eight European cities have made the top 10 most sexually liberated cities, whilst only one US city has made the list. This marks a clear shift from last year’s rankings, […]

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Authors and Illustrators Issue Personal Statements in Response to Ruling in Supreme Court Banned Books Case

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This past Friday, June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a blow to public school education and the freedom to read with their ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor,allowing a preliminary injunction to remain in place for a small group of Maryland parents seeking to opt their kids out of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books at school. The nine authors and illustrators named in the case issued a joint statement following the decision, slamming the ruling and stating in part:  “We created our books for all children. We believe young people need to see themselves and families like theirs in the books they read; this is […]

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This LGBTQ+ travel company’s mission of inclusivity is radical & ‘You’re more than welcome’

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As the Trump administration escalates its attacks on transgender people’s rights, revoking “X” gender markers on passports (something a federal court has halted), instructing consular officials to deny visas based on gender presentation, and enforcing a binary-only framework, one LGBTQ+ travelcompany is charting a course toward inclusivity for marginalized travelers. VACAYA, a queer-focused cruise and resort company founded in 2017, has become a sanctuary for those too often sidelined, even within LGBTQ+ spaces: transgender, nonbinary, BIPOC, body-diverse, bisexual, and pansexual travelers. “In our industry, trans travelers are often trapped, by their passports, by government systems, by legal names that don’t reflect who they are,” Randle Roper, VACAYA’s cofounder and chief […]

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More than 100 trans inmates ‘missing and presumed dead’ after Israeli strike on Iranian prison

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More than 100 trans prisoners are reportedly missing, and presumed dead, after the infamous Evin prison in the Iranian capital city of Tehran was hit by Israeli airstrikes. Situated in the Evin neighbourhood of north Tehran, Evin Prison was opened in 1972 and has a long and bloody history of human rights abuses, including beatings, torture, prolonged solitary confinement, sleep deprivation and sexual abuse, alongside poor conditions.  The prison is the main site for detaining the Islamic Republic’s political prisoners, journalists, academics and foreign citizens accused of spying – including dual-British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, human rights activist Narges Mohammadi and Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert. The prison […]

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