On June 11-14, the National Black Justice Collective (NBJC)—alongside United by Equity, Black Music Action Coalition and a broad coalition of civil-rights organizations, Black entrepreneurs, ballroom houses, faith and political leaders—will host the Second Annual National Equity Week, a press release announced. The week is a multi-day campaign that aims to spotlight urgent calls for reparative justice and racial equity. In part, the release stated, “With more than 100 local governments advancing reparations efforts and public demand growing for structural change, Equity Week 2025 is a call to Congress and elected officials nationwide: the time for equity is now.” Among the events will be OUT on the Hill, at the Rayburn House Office Building; and gathering and ceremonial walk around the Reflecting Pool that will honor the legacy of Bayard Rustin, the organizer behind the 1963 March on Washington.The full list of events is here.
The organization Truth Wins Out is calling for a total ban of “ex-gay” conversion therapy following a study published in the JAMA Network Open, a press release noted. The study (which analyzed 703 sexual and gender minority individuals assigned male at birth) revealed that individuals subjected to conversion therapy are nearly three times as likely to develop high blood pressure and show elevated markers of heart inflammation—significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease. “We already knew the cruel and discredited practice of conversion therapy was heartbreaking, but now we know it can also literally break your heart,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “The chronic stress needed to constantly live a lie can lead to high blood pressure and heart inflammation.”
The Trump administration is reducing the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) role in evaluating nominees to the federal judiciary—and LGBTQ+ legal groups criticized the move, The Advocate noted. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy “will no longer direct nominees to provide waivers allowing the ABA access to nonpublic information, including bar records,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a letter to the group. “Nominees will also not respond to questionnaires prepared by the ABA and will not sit for interviews with the ABA.” However, National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter told the outlet, “The American Bar Association’s vetting of judicial nominees serves critical functions that protect the quality and integrity of the judiciary. … Having an independent professional organization evaluate judicial nominees also increases public trust in the judiciary by demonstrating that appointments are based on merit and qualifications, not just political connections, and serves as a professional quality check that can help maintain the overall caliber of the federal judiciary.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. Navy to rename the ship named for the late San Francisco supervisor and gay-rights icon Harvey Milk, per The Bay Area Reporter. The decision—coming during Pride Month—set off waves of criticism from LGBTQ+ officials and community leaders. Military.com noted that the planned timing of the announcement (June 13, just after World Pride wraps in D.C.) is intentional, and that the move is being made to create “alignment with president [Donald Trump] and [Hegseth] objectives and [Navy Secretary John Phelan] priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.” Milk became one of the first openly gay elected officials in U.S. history during the 1970s, making him an icon of the nascent LGBTQ+-rights movement, and was killed while serving on the board of supervisors in San Francisco.
Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court ruled that “X” gender markers are allowed on birth certificates—meaning non-binary and gender-nonconforming people can be recognized as their true selves legally, according to PinkNews. Xix non-binary individuals filed a lawsuit against Puerto Rico’s governor, health secretary and other officials, challenging the territory’s birth-certificate policy. The decision places Puerto Rico—which is an unincorporated U.S. territory rather than a state—alongside 17 states that already allow non-binary or gender-neutral markers on birth certificates. LGBTQ+-rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano of Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ+ Federation called the ruling a “historic decision for equality.”
California high-school trans athlete AB Hernandez won the girls’ high jump and the triple jump, stirring controversy, according to ESPN. Hernandez competed under a new rule change that might be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body; the new regulation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events in which Hernandez qualified. The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics—including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump—calling for Hernandez to be banned from competing. LGBTQ Nation noted that the Department of Justice plans to investigate the state anyway to see if its trans-inclusive anti-discrimination law has deprived cisgender girls and women of “fair athletic opportunities.”
Employees at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can only celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month away from the office and on their own time, according to The Advocate. “There should be no official FBI actions, events, or messaging regarding Pride Month,” FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson emailed assistant directors in charge and special agents in charge.This comes after Donald Trump ended all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the federal government. There were several Pride Month observances by the FBI under President Joe Biden, including flying the Pride flag at its D.C. headquarters, and agent participation in Pride events.
Pride365 and the Capital Pride Alliance announced the launch of Pride365 Radio—a new streaming radio station amplifying LGBTQ+ voices, queer artistry and Pride events year-round, according to a press release. With original programming available 24 hours a day, the station is now live on the Pride365 App, on the Pride365 website at Pride365.org/listen and on Live365. Listeners can expect a blend of music from LGBTQ+ and allied artists, including Chappell Roan, Lady Gaga, Kim Petras, Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX and Renee Rapp; the station also honors the legends who have soundtracked the queer journey, such as Madonna, Cher, Whitney Houston, Deborah Cox and CeCe Peniston. Past Capital Pride Concert headliners like Charlie Puth, Meghan Trainor, Alessia Cara, Rita Ora, Joe Jonas, VASSY and Marshmello will also be featured, along with many of WorldPride 2025’s featured artists, including Doechii and Cynthia Erivo.
GLAAD announced “Pride 2025: One Story. One Future.,” with resources, programs and initiatives designated to enhance dialogue during Pride Month, a media release noted. GLAAD has also updated its community resource hub at GLAAD.org/PRIDE. In addition, GLAAD took part in WorldPride 2025 in D.C. In a featured session during the Human Rights Conference; GLAAD hosted a special “Activating for a Culture in Crisis” panel taking place on June 5. This year’s WorldPride theme, “The Fabric of Freedom,” honors the 50th anniversary of Pride in Washington, D.C., and centers the intersections of identity, resistance, and access in the global LGBTQ movement.
As Pride Month kicked off, Texas legislators have advanced legislation that bans public K-12 schools from sponsoring student clubs based on sexual orientation or gender identity, drawing sharp criticism from Democratic legislators and LGBTQ+ advocates, Newsweek reported. Senate Bill 12, sponsored by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, passed its final hurdle in the Texas House and is now poised for Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature. Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu said during a debate, according to The Texas Tribune, ”The real monsters are not kids trying to figure out who they are. The monsters are not the teachers who love them and encourage them and support them. They are not the books that provide them with some amount of comfort and information. The real monsters are here.”
Democratic U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona has adopted some far-right principles, including anti-trans ones, according to The Advocate. For example, Gallego told The Dispatch that it was “legitimate” to restrict transgender girls from participating in some school sports and suggested those decisions be left to “local institutions,” adding, “We love you. We want you to be part of our community—but this is just the one place you can’t play. Let’s find other activities for you to be involved.” In April 2024, the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Gallego for Senate during his campaign against MAGA figure Kari Lake, calling him a “proven” ally. Also, Gallego (who is the son of immigrants from Colombia and Mexico, per his campaign website) has praised Trump’s approach to border enforcement and dropped his support for Medicare for All, saying the need “just isn’t there anymore.”
In Ohio, Kent State University (KSU) plans to close its LGBTQ+ Center, Women’s Center and Multicultural Center on June 27, News 5 Cleveland noted. The university said it is closing several identity-based centers in order to comply with the new state law. However, KSU added that while the centers themselves will close, the E. Timothy Moore Center and the Williamson House—home of the Center for Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services—will remain available for students with guidelines that are still being developed. The university’s Stark Campus will discontinue its LGBTQ Resource Center; however, the space will remain available as a general resource room.
The World Playground Summit—a fully online experience uniting 25+ LGBTQ+ founders, travelers, creatives and culture-makers—will take place June 17-21. The event will aim to teach others how to design location-independent, emotionally grounded, purpose-driven lives—no matter the politics at home. “This isn’t about abandoning the fight,” says Summit creator Ken Krell, founder of the PrideNomad Foundation, who left the U.S. in 2009 to become an expat/digital nomad. “It’s about not abandoning yourself. Queer people have always created freedom wherever we could. We’re not running—we’re expanding.” Some of the speakers will include Ben Stokes, of Chasing Rainbows VC; Turo co-founder Shelby Clark; former Disney/Fox exec Jim Fielding; Justin Ayars, JD, of EqualityMD; and comedian/confidence coach Jenn Lederer.
A man injured in a shooting during Pride celebrations in Philadelphia has died, according to The Advocate, citing WCAU. Derwin Darnell Joseph Matthews Jr., who was shot in an alley, was a chef and a member of Philadelphia’s ballroom community. Matthews was reportedly in an argument with the suspect when he was shot; authorities were looking for a male in his late teens or early 20s wearing a beige shirt, grey shorts, and light-colored sneakers.
James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room—by Quintessence Theatre and now in previews at the Sedgwick Theater in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood—is the first sanctioned by the late author’s estate, WHYY reported. “It’s the first authorized version,” said co-writer and director Paul Oakley Stovall. (Ben Sprunger is the other co-writer.) “As we’ve been rehearsing, people are coming out of the woodwork: ‘I did one, but I didn’t tell them.’ You know? This is the first authorized world premiere by the estate.” The story, about an American couple traveling in Europe as the man gets involved in the Paris gay scene, is about queer identity and American privilege abroad. Stovall and Sprunger both came out of Chicago’s About Face Theatre and the city’s avant-garde theater scene.
Drag superstar Sasha Colby surprised a few LGBTQ+ couples with an impromptu wedding ceremony during Them x Destination DC’s WorldPride DC Kickoff event at Succotash, a press release announced. The nuptials came on the 10th anniversary of marriage equality becoming the law of the land; the event was topped off with traditional wedding celebrations including a delicious cake, beautiful flowers, a champagne tower and more. The event also featured remarks from Them Editor-in-Chief Fran Tirado as well as a performance from Colby. This event was part of Them’s month-long Pride celebration, which kicked off with the unveiling of a cover story featuring Bella Ramsey.
Trailblazing former NBA player Jason Collins officially married his longtime partner, film producer Brunson Green, in Austin, Texas, per Instinct Magazine. Collins—the first out gay active NBA player—came out in Sports Illustrated in 2013. Collins and Green confirmed their relationship publicly in 2014 and got engaged at the Los Angeles Lakers Pride Night in 2023.
In Pennsylvania, Easton City Council passed a resolution titled “Resolution Declaring The City of Easton Pa, An Affirming City For Lgbtq+Community, Affirming Those Members Right To Care,” according to Philadelphia Gay News. Councilmember Frank Pintabone introduced the resolution with support from Easton Mayor Sal Panto; the resolution passed unanimously with a six-to-zero vote. Eastern PA Trans Equity Project initiated the resolution’s introduction and passage.
In Alabama, as Prattville Pride prepared for its second annual festival this weekend that recently took place, organizers expressed their disappointment that the event won’t actually take place inside Prattville city limits, according to AL.com. After attempting to reach out to city officials to set up the event this year, Prattville Pride Vice President Caryl Lawson said the group was left scrambling to reserve another nearby venue. The Prattville Pride fest took place at Evans Park and Pavilion near Maxwell Air Force Base, according to its Facebook page.
The Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) clinic—alongside the national ACLU and ACLU Massachusetts—is representing two Harvard Medical School physicians in a First Amendment challenge to the removal of their scholarship from a government website, Yale Law School noted. Dr. Gordon Schiff and Dr. Celeste Royce each had an article taken down from Patient Safety Net (PSNet) for their alleged violation of President Trump’s Executive Order 14168—the so-called “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” order. Schiff’s and Royce’s commentaries happen to reference the existence of transgender individuals, using the terms “LGBTQ” and “transgender,” according to the clinic.
In San Francisco, the last remaining gay bar on Polk Street—The Cinch—has found a new owner just in time for Pride Month, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Scott Taylor, the beverage director at nearby Harris’ Restaurant, is taking over the bar, according to a Tuesday announcement; Taylor has spent the past 23 years working in the industry managing various restaurants, bars and nightclubs throughout San Francisco. “There will be minimal changes to the bar’s look. I want to hold onto its history,” Taylor said. The Cinch was founded in 1974, and is one of the oldest gay bars in the city. During that decade, it was part of a vibrant gay scene in Polk Gulch that competed with the Castro as an epicenter of queer life in the city.”
In California, a sea of rainbow Pride flags marked the annual Sonoma County Pride Parade & Festival, per The Press Democrat. The media outlet joined the festivities, marching with T-shirts that read “We come out daily” and dancing to music provided by columnist Kerry Benefield and senior reporter Martin Espinoza. In addition, Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram and other sheriff’s office personnel passed out stickers and candy to parade watchers. However, some community organizations—such as Positive Images and the Santa Rosa-Sonoma County branch of the NAACP—opted not to participate, with the latter stating that Sonoma County Pride has not made space for Black community leadership. The grand marshals included musician Holly Near and activist/educator Magi Fedorka, per the event’s website.
In South Carolina, trans man Luca Strobel (who posts under the Tiktok handle @FulltimeCowboy) said he was recently accosted in a bar by staff, called slurs and detained by police after using the women’s restroom, The Advocate reported. Strobel said he had gone to pick up his friend, Caroline Frady, at Sand Dollar Social Club in Folly Beach in order to be her “sober ride” home. He then said that another man who said he was the bar owner burst into the women’s room (which only had Strobel and Friday in it), peering over the stall to look at Strobel as he used the restroom. After the reputed owner allegedly yelled that there was a man in the restroom, Strobel was eventually arrested. In a follow-up video, Strobel said he was released on $500 bond, hit with a trespass notice barring him from entering Sand Dollar Social Club and issued a ticket for public intoxication and disorderly conduct; Frady said she received the same.
The annual Splash of Pride show—featuring “mermen”—is returning to Fort Lauderdale’s Wreck Bar at B Ocean Resort each Wednesday through June, GayCities noted. June 11 is “Sexy Salty Sailor Night,” June 18 is “Pip Icons Swim Night” and June 25’s theme is “Rainbow Pride: Love Is Love.” Fort Lauderdale’s official Pride celebration is temporarily on hold, with plans to move the annual event to the fall. However, Pride Month will certainly be noted in the city in June.