In NYC, city councilmembers approved bills intended to protect gender-affirming care after several hospitals either cancelled appointments or denied care for youth and some adults in recent months because of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year, Gay City News reported. “We’re not defending an ‘ideology’—this thing that the right wing puts up in front of us,” LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chair Tiffany Cabán said during a rally earlier that day. “We’re defending lives, period.” Int. 1201-A, led by Councilmember Shahana Hanif, broadens a person’s private right of action to include gender-affirming care if there is interference with reproductive or endocrine medical care. Another bill, Int. 1200-A, spearheaded by Cabán, requires the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice to offer information on the legal rights and resources available to transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary and intersex (TGNCNBI) individuals. Int. 1203-A requires the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to assess the resources available and service gaps for newly-arrived TGNCNBI migrants and create a plan to address said gaps. There were two other measures as well.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced out former Republican New York U.S. Rep. George Santos to more than seven years in prison, The Advocate noted. Seybert handed down the 87-month sentence in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, New York, eight months after Santos pled guilty to 23 federal felony counts, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, theft of public funds and money laundering. Federal prosecutors asked the court to impose the seven-year, three-month sentence, citing Santos’ “social-media blitz” and his attempts to portray himself as a victim; they said his posts accusing the Justice Department of being a “cabal of pedophiles” and calling himself a “scapegoat” showed no remorse and a high risk of reoffending.
Rebecca Rolfe, the executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, plans to retire at the end of the year after being at the helm for more than two decades, Axios reported. The center launched “Unbreakable Pride” two years ago in partnership with other LGBTQ+ organizations across the country to provide support services, advocacy and resources beyond the Bay Area. The center has yet to announce Rolfe’s successor. “In spite of the fact that I’ve been here so long, I’m a believer in change, and I’m really excited to see the direction that the center will continue to grow in,” Rolfe said.
A scandal has erupted within Virginia’s Republican Party, according to Axios. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked John Reid—the state’s openly gay Republican nominee for lieutenant governor—to drop out over the discovery of photos of nude men posted to Tumblr under a handle used by Reid elsewhere online. Reid denied sharing the images, saying, “That’s not my account”—and accused Youngkin’s political team of targeting him because he’s gay and telling his campaign that if he quit, the “lies and threats” against him will stop. Randolph-Macon College political science professor Richard Meagher commented that a path forward needs to be forged by Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who’s running for governor.
Lesbian Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig entered the U.S. Senate race, joining a growing field to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith, per The Minnesota Star Tribune. Craig’s entry to the Senate race means she won’t seek a fifth term to her U.S. House seat as she joins the Democratic field with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former state Sen. Melisa López Franzen. In her announcement video, Craig criticized President Donald Trump for “trampling our rights and freedoms as he profits,” Elon Musk as “an out-of-control, unelected billionaire trying to take control of our government and burn it to the ground” and “cowardly congressional Republicans,” NBC News noted. Flanagan—who would be the first Native American woman in the U.S. Senate if she wins—immediately signaled after Smith’s announcement that she would run to replace her.
Several Pride events to be held as part of D.C.’s World Pride celebrations in May and June have been relocated from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, NBC News noted. events include an International Pride Orchestra concert, a drag story hour and Pride-related art exhibits, including one featuring panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Organizers say some were moved after the Kennedy Center informed them that it would not move forward with contracts to host them, while others were moved proactively after President Donald Trump suddenly fired several members of the center’s board of trustees in February and made himself chair. The International Pride Orchestra’s Pride Celebration concert will now take place at Strathmore, a concert venue in Bethesda, Maryland.
The University of Kentucky (UK) canceled celebrations for minority graduates due to state and federal pressure targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on college campuses, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. UK will no longer host programs that honor LGBTQ+, Black and first-generation graduates to be “in accordance with state and federal law,” spokesperson Jay Blanton told the outlet. That includes the Lavender Graduation ceremony hosted by the Office of LGBTQ+ Resources, the Harambee Unity Graduation Celebration honoring Black students and the First-Generation Student Pinning ceremony. Earlier this year, the Kentucky legislature passed House Bill 4, banning all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at higher education institutions in the state; the law takes effect early this summer. The University of Louisville, in Kentucky, also confirmed that a graduation ceremony for LGBTQ+ students was cancelled April 21 because of the law, per the Louisville Courier Journal.
The Trump administration claimed that the University of Pennsylvania violated laws guaranteeing women equal opportunities in athletics by letting a transgender swimmer compete on the school’s women’s team and allowing her in team facilities, according to ESPN. The statement does not name Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the school in Philadelphia in 2022 and was the first openly trans athlete to win a Division I title that year—which she may now lose; however, a recent U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights investigation focused on her. The department wants Penn to sayg that it will comply with Title IX; effectively strip Thomas of any awards or records in Division I swimming competitions; and apologize to each female swimmer “whose individual recognition is restored expressing an apology on behalf of the university for allowing her educational experience in athletics to be marred by sex discrimination.”
And in a related matter, Riley Gaines—a former collegiate swimmer who appeared in an anti-transgender video for the current presidential administration—has claimed that “the gender ideology movement as a whole really is an attempt to normalize pedophilia,” per LGBTQ Nation. Gaines (who became an anti-trans activist after she tied for fifth place with trans woman Lia Thomas at a collegiate swim meet three years ago) commented while speaking to MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk (founder of the young conservative group Turning Point USA) on the right-wing media outlet Real America’s Voice. Trans identity itself is not considered a mental disorder by the World Health Organization, and studies have shown that trans identity is a “condition” but not a mental disease. In addition, scientists have long acknowledged that biological gender exists on a spectrum that can vary due to genetic, hormonal, reproductive and other factors.
During the Trans Day of Visibility (March 31), in a ceremonial room at the historic Maryland State House, activist Lee Blinder stepped to a lectern and did something rare: They called out Gov. Wes Moore for failing to back up his words with action, The Baltimore Banner noted. “We know who you, Governor Moore, can be for us. And I am begging you to do it,” Blinder told Moore, who was present. Blinder later told The Washington Blade, “The intention of what I shared is to show to the governor that this is a community in distress. … What we wanted out of that conversation was to not only be heard, but to see functional action. We’re really grateful to the governor for everything that he’s done in the past for this community, but the circumstances have changed and we really need to see very specific actions taken in order to ensure this community has the ability to exist in public [spaces].”
In response to growing uncertainty within the LGBTQ+ community regarding the future of parenthood equality, GWK Academy (formerly known as Gays With Kids) stated that it’s expanding from focusing exclusively on gay men to serving the entire queer community with all its family-building needs, a press release announced. To support their expanded mission, GWK Academy is becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Initially founded as Gays With Kids in 2014 by Brian Rosenberg and husband Ferd van Gameren for its first decade, the organization has been dedicated to focusing on everything having to do with becoming and being a gay father.
NYC Pride/Heritage of Pride unveiled its lineup of grand marshals for the 2025 NYC Pride March. Joining the ranks of honor this year are former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, non-binary drag activist Marti Gould Cummings, trans entertainer DJ Lina, trans advocate Elisa Crespo and Trans formative Schools, a press release noted. The NYC Pride March—among the largest and most significant LGBTQIA+ marches in the world—will take place Sunday, June 29, with the theme “Rise Up: Pride in Protest.” Other NYC Pride programming in 2025 includes PrideFest, the largest LGBTQIA+ street festival in the United States; and Youth Pride, an inclusive celebration for the LGBTQIA+ community under 25.
Also in NYC, LGBTQ+ Democratic organizations are endorsing candidates in the upcoming June primary competitions for citywide and local contests, including the pivotal race for New York City mayor, per Gay City News. The Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City backed City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams first for mayor, while the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club endorsed four mayoral candidates: Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander, Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and state Sen. Jessica Ramos. Lastly, the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn endorsed Lander, Mamdani and Brooklyn Assemblymember Zellnor Myrie. Notably, none of those clubs endorsed the candidate with the strongest polling—former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who led the way with 45% of the vote in an April poll conducted by Honan Strategy Group; Mamdani was second in that poll. Current Mayor Eric Adams is running as an independent candidate in his re-election bid.
In New York state, Collar City Pride will not be celebrating in its namesake city this year, per The Times Union. The LGBTQ+ advocacy group is relocating its 2025 Pride Festival outside of the city; also, It will also not be participating in city-organized Pride events such as Troy Pride Night Out and the annual Pride flag-raising. “Pride is about visibility, safety, and joy—and those things cannot flourish without meaningful support from our civic partners,” organization founder Meagon Nolasco said in a statement. Nolasco told the Times Union that the organization has been searching for a backup location since January, with Rensselaer, Watervliet or East Greenbush in mind; a release stated that transportation would be provided from downtown Troy to the event. The decision stemmed from an April 1 meeting with Mayor Carmella Mantello about a post on Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly’s personal Facebook page supporting President Donald Trump; also, Nolasco mentioned a lack of response to Collar City Pride’s concerns for the transgender, gender-nonconforming and nonbinary community after Trump was elected.
Also in New York state, a candlelight vigil was held for Sam Nordquist at Rochester’s Asbury First United Methodist Church, News 10 reported. Nordquist, a trans man from Minnesota, was found dead in Yates County in February—and investigators said several suspects kidnapped and tortured Nordquist for a month before killing him. “I am part of the trans community, I am a transgender man, so it’s very important to make sure Sam’s voice continues to be heard, not just initially but throughout the rest of my life,” said vigil attendee Ryan Tuttle, WHAM noted.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker received standing ovations for his recent speech before New Hampshire Democrats, Politico noted. He criticized pundits and scorned those “flocking to podcasts” to take issue with their colleagues for not caring about the working class—the same people, he argued, “who when it comes to relief of the struggles of real people have been timid, not bold.” Pritzker also mentioned “those same do-nothing Democrats [who] want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people and trans kids and immigrants instead of their own lack of guts and gumption.”
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke—defeated for U.S. Senate and Texas governor in recent elections—recently stated in a town hall that “if” Texans want him to run for Senate again in 2026, “then yes I will,” per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. O’Rourke—who once said that religious institutions should lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage—would probably be pitted against either incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn or challenger Attorney General Ken Paxton. O’Rourke also made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2020 election.
Recently, a coalition of Iowa State University (ISU) students and Ames, Iowa, community members held a funeral for the school’s LGBTQIA+ center, the Ames Tribune noted. About 50 people gathered in front of Parks Library around a makeshift coffin painted with the Pride flag. Iowa State’s Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success, often referred to as “The Center,” must be restructured and renamed due to Senate File 2435. The law, which will take effect July 1, bans state universities like Iowa State from starting, maintaining or funding DEI offices or positions unless required by law or for accreditation. ISU Students Against SF 2435 Coalition published a mock obituary and shared it with the Ames Tribune prior to the event.
Republican pastor/Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers (R) incorrectly claimed that Obergefell v. Hodges—the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide—is not settled law because “there is just no right to gay marriage in the Constitution” and because marriage is “God’s institution,” according to LGBTQ Nation. “Settled law” refers to binding legal precedents that are considered a somewhat permanent and substantive part of legal doctrine, according to the Virginia Law Review. Last year, Deevers introduced a bill that would fine and imprison adults for consensually creating or sending sexual images or text messages.
The NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) filed an application with U.S. Soccer to launch a Division II league in 2026—marking the latest development in the evolving lower-league club landscape in women’s soccer in the United States, CBS Sports noted. The application was filed on April 1 with a six-page letter signed by NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman that was submitted to U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson; the letter compared the proposed Division II league to the minor-league baseball system. The NWSL has eight affiliated teams from its existing Division I league lined up for the inaugural season of the Division II league: Bay FC, Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Orlando Pride, Racing Louisville, Seattle Reign and the Washington Spirit.
Harvard University will immediately rename its Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to “Community and Campus Life,” per The Harvard Crimson. In two April letters outlining demands to Harvard, federal agencies urged the school to dismantle its DEI programming or lose billions of dollars in federal funding. However, Harvard publicly rebuffed the demands and sued the administration over the $2.2 billion funding freeze it imposed in response—although the renaming of the office indicates that Harvard may be willing to concede ground as DEI initiatives are under attack across the nation.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had begun to shutter a Pentagon program meant to advance women’s participation in peace-building and conflict prevention—and which was created by a law written by GOP lawmakers and signed by President Trump during his first term, The Hill noted. “I proudly ENDED the ‘Women, Peace & Security’ (WPS) program inside the [Defense Department],” Hegseth wrote on X. As the program is under federal statute and can’t be outright ended by Hegseth alone, he said the Pentagon would comply with the minimum requirements of the WPS and fight to shutter the program during the department’s next appropriations process.
D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum announced plans to open a special exhibition called “LGBT Jews in the Federal City” on May 16 that will remain at the museum through Jan. 4, 2026, The Washington Blade noted. “This landmark exhibition explores a turbulent century of celebration, activism, and change in the nation’s capital led by D.C.’s LGBTQ+ Jewish community,” according to a statement released by the museum. The exhibition will take place as D.C. hosts WorldPride 2025, which is slated to be held in locations across the district from May 17 through June 8.
The queer website Them recently ran a piece on 11 hidden gems in red states. Among other things, the historic downtown of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was named best rural gay enclave; Espresso Café (in Jackson, Mississippi) was tabbed the best queer café in the Deep South; and Fort Lauderdale’s Stonewall National Museum and Archives was cited as the best museum to pay tribute to your queer ancestors. Of Eureka Springs, writer Nico Lang stated, in part, “You can always find something to do in town, whether it’s entering an amateur drag contest or going on a zombie pub crawl during the busy Halloween season. But the best thing to do is sit in the middle of town, people-watch, and take in its beautiful limestone streets.”
LGBTQ+ Arizonans recently gathered at Phoenix’s Encanto Park for OutLoud Sports’ Saguaro Cup, an annual kickball tournament. However, what began as a fun community event turned tense when park ranger Danielle Flowers—followed by several Phoenix police officers—arrived to break up the games, leaving attendees, per the Phoenix New Times. In a joint statement, Phoenix Police and Phoenix Parks and Recreation said the incident was administrative: “Staff alerted the organization that their reservation had expired at 2 p.m., and another event was scheduled in the same space at 4 p.m. As the afternoon progressed, the group had not left. Park rangers responded as they worked toward a solution respectful of all reservation commitments.”
A suspect was arrested for sexually violating and then robbing a corpse on a Manhattan subway train in April, The New York Daily News reported. Felix Rojas was taken into custody and charged with rape after his son told police he recognized his father as the suspect in security footage released by the NYPD; however, he did not believe his dad was guilty of necrophilia, a police source said. Rojas, 44, of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, was expected to be arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on April 28.
The U.S. Congress approved a revenge-porn bill that First Lady Melania Trump backed, per NPR. More than 400 House representatives voted in favor of the TAKE IT DOWN (Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks) Act. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in January introduced the measure in January; the Senate passed it the following month. Public forums—including websites, apps and other online platforms—would have to include a way for subjects of revenge porn to request that it be scrubbed; the platforms would then have 48 hours to remove the content. Offenders will be subject to prison time, a fine or both.
Several neighbors accused the City of Seattle of failing to stop what they described as rampant public masturbation, indecent exposure and criminal behavior at Denny Blaine Park, according to KiNG5. The group—Denny Blaine Park for All—said it filed a lawsuit because neighbors said they have repeatedly witnessed and documented men on video masturbating in broad daylight. The park is a well-known nude beach and LGBTQ community hub in Seattle. Nudity is not illegal in Washington, although there is a law against indecent exposure, Seattle police explained online.
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