Note: This column contains disturbing accounts of sexual violence.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked a Republican-led attempt to enshrine discrimination against transgender athletes in federal law, The Advocate reported, as the lawmakers rejected the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. After senators voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, professional wrestling magnate Linda McMahon, the upper chamber considered moving forward with the anti-trans legislation. The bill was stopped by a cloture vote—a motion that requires 60 votes to end debate and move forward. The legislation—introduced in the House of Representatives by Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube and passed by Republicans earlier this year with the support of two Democrats—aimed to rewrite Title IX protections by defining sex in athletics solely based on “reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
In Minnesota, a Republican-led bill to bar transgender girls from competing on girls’ elementary and secondary school sports teams in the state was hotly contested on the state House floor before failing to pass, per the Minnesota Star Tribune. The bill, called the Preserving Girls’ Sports Act, was introduced last month by Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover, and it prompted more than two hours of debate before the recent vote mostly along party lines. With protests and counter-protests at the Capitol, the bill was criticized by Democrats as legislation that, in effect, would bully children, subject girls to invasive medical exams and erase transgender people from society. State Rep. Brion Curran, DFL-White Bear Lake and head of the Minnesota Queer Legislators Caucus, said Minnesotans are unified in sending a clear message to the transgender community that “you are seen and you deserve to play with your peers.”
Two executive orders signed by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun sought to reinforce prohibitions for collegiate transgender athletes, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. The Republican governor claimed the orders intend to “protect women’s sports” and “make clear that Indiana does not endorse the gender ideology that has put women’s sports in danger.” One of the orders requires Indiana’s Commission for Higher Education (CHE) to review policies at the state’s colleges and universities “to ensure compliance” with the 2020 Title IX Rule, rather than former President Joe Biden’s 2024 rule that extended protections to transgender student athletes. House Bill 1041 would require all sports teams at Indiana’s public and private higher educational institutions to be either male, female or coeducational.
Equality Florida Institute was the national winner of the 2025 National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Champion for Children award, according to a press release. The prestigious national honor follows Equality Florida having been selected by the Florida Association of School Psychologists (FASP) as the one nominee from Florida this year. The recognition is all the more striking and important coming at a time when LGBTQ+ youth and adults across the country, and especially in Florida, have become the targets of unprecedented attacks on their very existence. “It’s an incredible honor to be chosen as the recipient of this year’s award, especially at a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and especially transgender young people are facing relentless attacks,” said Equality Florida Deputy Director Stratton Pollitzer.
Very disturbing details have been revealed regarding the torture and death of 24-year-old trans man Sam Nordquist—a Black individual from Minnesota who died at the Patty’s Lodge motel in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, according to the New York Post and CNN. Weeks of torture included sexual assault with a broomstick, forcing him to eat feces and pouring bleach on him, and two children (ages 7 and 12) were allegedly forced to take part in the activity outlined in the indictment. “Sam was beaten, assaulted, sexually abused, starved, held captive and we cannot make sense of that,” Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford said. Authorities have said they have no evidence of a hate crime, and seven people have been charged in Nordquist’s death; officials said at least some of the alleged assailants identify as LGBTQ+ and at least one lived with Nordquist.
San Francisco Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford recently talked with KGO/ABC News 7 about this year’s San Francisco Pride theme: “Queer Joy is Resistance.” In part, Ford said, “Here in San Francisco, our community is celebrated and we’re not going to stand for what we’re facing,” adding that “resistance” will include letting go of some companies no longer aligned with SF Pride’s values. Meta will not be involved in this year’s festivities although Google will—albeit in a smaller way compared to previous years. San Francisco Pride will take place June 28-29; ABC News 7 is the exclusive broadcast sponsor of the event.
A recent webinar sponsored by a national group of Catholic priests brought together laypeople and clergy to discuss the experiences, hopes, and challenges of LGBTQ+ Catholics, according to New Ways Ministry. The Women in the Church working group of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests sponsored the webinar “Conversations in the Spirit: Understanding and honoring the lived experience of our LGBTQ+ Catholic siblings, parents, family, priests, and allies.” More than 300 participants logged on to hear featured speakers, join breakout sessions and participate in prayer exercises. Among the featured speakers were Yunuen Trujillo, an LGBTQ+ pastoral minister who serves on New Ways Ministry’s Board of Trustees; Father Bryan Massingale, an out gay priest who is a social-ethics theologian; and Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv., the leader of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, among others.
By a vote of five to four, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress frozen, with Chief Justice John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson in the majority, CNN reported. However, the court did not immediately say when the money must be released, allowing the White House to continue to dispute the issue in lower courts. Among the groups challenging the freeze are the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a New York-based organization working to speed HIV prevention; and the D.C.-based Global Health Council, which represents other groups that administer health programs.
State school officials say a southwestern Washington school district is violating protections for LGBTQ+ students with multiple policies, including its approach to preferred pronouns, according to OPB. The decision from the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction follows a nearly two-year investigation into district policies and directives at the La Center School District in Clark County. The report orders La Center to make changes quickly to conform to state policy aimed at protecting transgender and gender-expansive students—taking place a month into a new federal administration that has taken an aggressive stance against what President Donald Trump has called “gender ideology.”
The Washington Parents Network filed a Title IX complaint against Washington Superintendent Chris Reykdal and Gov. Bob Ferguson for state policies that the network claims have harmed students’ rights, NBC Right Now noted. The network contends that policies advanced by Reykdal and Ferguson have violated Title IX by prioritizing gender identity over biological sex, impacting the rights of students across Washington state. The complaint comes on the heels of proposed anti-trans changes to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) handbook regarding trans students competing in girls sports.
The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library—South Florida’s leading LGBTQ+ museum and archive—said it’s been effectively cut off from state, federal and corporate funding due to anti-LGBTQ policies from Tallahassee and the White House, Axios noted. “This is stretching into places that we really have not seen before,” Stonewall CEO Robert Kesten said. “Our future is threatened now.” The museum’s recent annual gala fundraiser had only one corporate sponsor, compared with six to 10 in previous years, according to the Miami Herald.
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund—which helps openly queer candidates raise money and offer strategic support—has endorsed former Gov. James E. McGreevey in his bid to become mayor of Jersey City, per The New Jersey Globe. “Jim will bring a unique and important perspective to Jersey City and ensure all residents are considered when making policy decisions,” said the group’s president, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker. “He will also make history when elected, becoming the first out LGBTQ+ person to ever serve as mayor of Jersey City.” McGreevey currently runs the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, working with formerly incarcerated individuals to help secure housing, job training, rehabilitative services and healthcare access.
In California, the home of LGBTQ+ Huntington Park Councilmember Eddie Martinez was raided by law-enforcement authorities as part of a corruption probe involving the alleged misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars allocated toward the construction of a controversial aquatic center, per Q Voice News. Authorities with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office served search warrants at 11 locations, including Huntington Park City Hall as well as the homes of Mayor Karina Macias, Councilwoman Marilyn Sanabria and City Manager Ricardo Reyes as part of a corruption probe called Operation Dirty Pond. The Huntington Park Regional Aquatic Center was proposed as a 30,000-square-foot, two-story building with an Olympic-size pool, gym, football field, conference rooms and more—but residents haven’t seen any results, Vice Mayor Arturo Flores said.
Paramount Global told its employees that it’s ending numerous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, per CNBC. Paramount co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins stated they would comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning the practice in the federal government and demanding that agencies investigate private companies over their DEI programs. (Cheeks and McCarthy are both gay, according to LGBTQ Nation.) Among other things, the company donated millions to racial-justice causes in 2020 after the police murder of George Floyd and has promoted initiatives such as Content for Change, a campaign centered on racial equity and mental health. Paramount joins companies like Walmart, McDonald’s, MolsonCoors, Harley Davidson, Google, Target and Amazon in rolling back their DEI goals and policies in recent months; Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have rebranded their DEI efforts, while Apple and Costco have publicly defended and committed to their DEI stances.
Book Riot released its list of 11 must-read new queer books that are out this month. A few include Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert, by Bob the Drag Queen (out March 25); Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories, by Torrey Peters (out March 11), about a group of lumberjacks who plan a dance that requires some of them to volunteer to dance as women; Liquid: A Love Story, by Mariam Rahmani (out March 11); Homegrown Magic, by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos (out March 11); and We Are Villains, by Kacen Callender.
Gregory Maguire—the gay author of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, upon which the musical Wicked is based—recently talked with The National Catholic Reporter, according to New Ways Ministry. He discussed the ongoing impact of Wicked, the intersections of faith and sexuality, and silence and storytelling, especially when it comes to the stories of LGBTQ+ Catholics. In part, he said, “I grew up in a progressive enough circle that the consideration of any kind of sexuality, even straight sexuality, was presented as a potential gift. It could also be a potential temptation, but it was a potential gift.” Maguire added, “I was asking people to think: How would you identify something as evil? If somebody down the street does something, how quickly would you say that’s wicked, that’s evil? And what would you mean by that?”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, on behalf of The Pride Center of Terre Haute, is suing Indiana State University for First Amendment violations because the school refused to let the organization hold a Pride festival on campus, per The Advocate. The Pride Center accuses the university of securing an agreement with the city of Terre Haute to hold this year’s festival at an off-campus city park without the group’s knowledge or consent. “ISU’s failure to provide Pride Fest an on-campus location is directly related to the message of inclusivity, equality, and support conveyed by all Pride festivals,” ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk said in a statement.
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists plans to transform its approach to the annual Headlines & Headliners benefit in New York event in 2025, a press release noted. The organization will instead launch a dynamic national series of conversations—“NLGJA: Our Community”—among members to address concerns about fairness and accuracy of coverage of the LGBTQ+ demographic in its respective communities. “NLGJA: Our Community” events will be scheduled for April 21-25, and each chapter will announce specific programming details in the coming weeks.
National Black Justice Collective (NBJC) CEO and Executive Director Dr. David J. Johns issued a statement in recognition of Paul Tazewell making Oscars history as the first Black man and first Black same-gender loving (SGL) man to win Best Costume Design, for his work in Wicked, a press release noted. Johns said, “Paul Tazewell’s historic Oscar win is more than just a well-deserved honor—it is a powerful affirmation that Black LGBTQ+/same-gender loving (SGL) creatives belong and thrive in every industry. His artistry, spanning Broadway to Hollywood, has made breakthroughs in storytelling through costume design, ensuring that our community and its excellence are seen and celebrated on the world’s biggest stages.” He added, “With an Emmy, a Tony, and now an Oscar, Tazewell’s achievements remind us that when barriers fall, brilliance can shine through. NBJC celebrates this moment, not just as history made, but as inspiration for future generations of Black SGL artists who deserve opportunities, and to be recognized and honored for their work.”
Following a board meeting on March 3, the Tom of Finland Foundation issued an open letter “reaffirm[ing] our unwavering commitment to TOM House as the heart of Tom of Finland Foundation,” and will establish a task force. “TOM House has always been, and will remain, a vital space for gathering and celebrating Tom of Finland’s legacy and the Foundation’s mission,” the letter added. The task force will be made up of “key stakeholders, experts, and artists from our community and will conduct a thorough assessment over the next 90 days. At the conclusion of this period, they will present their findings and a set of options for the Board’s consideration. While this vital work is underway, the Artist-in-Residence Program will continue as planned, ensuring that TOM House remains a welcoming and inspiring space for artists and the many communities we serve.” The foundation recently dealt with a controversy when now-former board member Durk Dehner stepped down after images of him surfaced wearing Nazi regalia.
Chris Andoe, the longtime editor in chief of Out in STL, told SLM he has purchased the eight-year-old magazine from owner Chris Keating—for $1. Andoe said, “This is a community asset, and there was always a fear that maybe it could go away, and I think this is going to encourage people to invest more in it. I’m really, really happy about rebuilding our roster and getting this back where it should be.” Andoe is now recruiting a board of directors and hopes to get the publication back in print as well as beef up its website.
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