In Pennsylvania, advocates are taking legislative action to remove “one man, one woman” language and ensure marriage equality protections are explicit under state law, per Philadelphia Gay News. “As legislators, we are entrusted to retain laws that reflect and represent the will and values of our constituents,” said state Sen. Carolyn Comitta, who introduced Senate Bill 434, the Marriage Equality Act, in a memo. A press release said the update would eliminate discriminatory language that exists in current Pennsylvania law and affirm marriage equality should federal protections be reversed.
CVS Health (the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager) has denied coverage for a new HIV-prevention drug despite it being nearly 100% effective—partially citing the drug’s high cost, The Advocate noted. will not cover Gilead’s Yeztugo, generic name lenacapavir (LEN), through its commercial plans or the Affordable Care Act.
Gilead is still negotiating the price—which is more than $28,000 annually—with CVS, sources told Reuters.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let the state keep its ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors in place, per LGBTQ Nation. The brief is asking the Court to uphold a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that affirmed Colorado’s 2019 ban. Under Colorado law, providers who engage in conversion therapy face disciplinary action from their licensing boards; however, Weiser has noted that no such actions have been taken since the law went into effect.
Held in NYC’s Sheraton Times Square this year, Flame Con 2025—an annual LGBTQ+ convention dedicated to rallying, empowering and promoting the queer geek community— expanded to create more space in light of the political crisis, Gay City News noted. Created by Geeks Out, Flame Con offered events such as a free library of queer literature; an all-ages campfire counterpart to the 21+ Fireball afterparty; a cosplay contest; and sessions like “Queer Not Quiet: The Unique Storytelling Potential of Fiction Podcasting.”
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) sent crews to the Pulse nightclub memorial in Orlando and quietly erased one of its most visible tributes: the rainbow crosswalk that had stretched across West Esther Street since 2017, The Advocate noted. “In the middle of the night, FDOT painted over our rainbow crosswalk at the Pulse Memorial,” Democratic Florida state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani posted on X. “A tragedy that we have worked so hard to find power in pain. A rainbow crosswalk that sparked joy and showed our love for all people.” However, FDOT had to repaint the crosswalk after advocates drew over the initial paint job, per WKMG.
The New York City Council recently approved bills aimed at bolstering training and transparency surrounding healthcare for transgender individuals and the broader LGBTQ+ community, but more than a half-dozen lawmakers voted against the measures—including David Carr, a gay Republican who’s part of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, Gay City News noted. Among other things, legislators voted 37 to seven to approve Int. 0628, which was carried by public advocate Jumaane Williams and would require the city health department to design signs outlining the rights of transgender patients.
Out Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned University of Michigan Health—the latest hospital to stop gender-affirming care for youth—that caving to President Trump may violate state law, and that her office will use every option to bring the institution back into compliance, The Advocate noted. A statement from Nessel read, “This cowardly acquiescence to political pressure from this president and his administration is not what patients have come to expect from an institution that has labeled itself, ‘the leaders and the best,’ and my Department will be considering all of our options if they violate Michigan law.” It’s speculated that state attorneys general will play a decisive role in halting the compliance with Trump’s anti-trans threats.
The mother of California transgender high-school volleyball player AB Hernandez spoke out after a girls’ team reportedly refused to play against her daughter, PinkNews noted. Riverside Poly forfeited the game rather than play against Hernandez. In response to the cancellation of the match, parents, including Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda, attended a meeting with the school board. Nereyda said, “My daughter is not the problem. The problem is coordinated external efforts often led by individuals [who] travel from district to district… to spread fear and put parents against each other, using religion as a shield for discrimination.”
Ahead of tennis’ U.S. Open, openly gay ATP Tour Chair and USTA President Brian Vahaly said he wants to make the sport more welcoming to queer athletes, according to NBC News. Having grown up in a religious and conservative household in Atlanta and then having immersed himself in a locker room culture where homophobic remarks were a common way “to build camaraderie,” the former pro player and senior executive admitted that he had developed a lot of internalized homophobia. The Grand Slam will host its fifth annual Open Pride day on Aug. 28.
According to an Advocate item, Texas is gerrymandering the only LGBTQ+ member of Congress from the South out of her seat. Julie Johnson, an out lesbian elected to the state’s 32nd Congressional District last year, criticized the GOP’s plans to pick up five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives by gerrymandering Democratic districts. She said the proposal—which the state House approved—would “decimate TX32, splitting my constituents into [eight] different districts spreading all the way to the Oklahoma border and East Texas.” Johnson said that she and other Democrats aren’t giving up, and that they plan to “fight back in the courts.”
Nashville Pride—the largest such celebration in Tennessee—may have to shut down after losing almost half of its corporate sponsors, The Advocate noted. Nashville Pride announced that it needs to raise $250,000 by Oct. 11, aka National Coming Out Day, to continue the annual LGBT Pride Festival and Parade. Nashville Pride said that corporate sponsorships have dropped by $270,000 (40 percent) since last year. Donations can be made here.
Also in Tennessee, the University of Memphis announced sweeping changes to comply with a state law banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, FOX 13 noted. One of the first and biggest parts of the school’s anti-DEI measures involved shutting down the Office of Multicultural Affairs; the closure came less than 24 hours after a college-wide email sent out by University President Bill Hardgrave.
U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson recently ruled that dismissed, for the second and probably final time, a lawsuit by several Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters seeking to block trans woman Artemis Langford from their University of Wyoming chapter, The Advocate reported. Johnson’s 35-page decision rejected the plaintiffs’ claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract. Plaintiffs argued that Kappa’s bylaws promised a single-sex environment, but Johnson disagreed. He said that not only were the bylaws silent on the precise definition, but Kappa’s national leadership had long published statements clarifying that “woman” includes “individuals who identify as women.”
In North Carolina, a Raleigh transgender woman who shared her story about trans women being attacked at an LGBTQ+ club in downtown Raleigh has now been charged in the incident, per The News & Observer. Trans woman and drag entertainer Poison told her social-media followers that she and a friend, Lotus Lolita, were physically and sexually assaulted at Legends Nightclub on West Hargett Street. Poison’s been charged with simple affray—a fight between two or more people in a public place that causes fear in others.
The official White House newsletter posted the article “President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian,” NPR noted. It calls out some of the institution’s artwork, exhibitions, programs and online articles that focus on race, slavery, immigration and sexuality. Even though Brooklyn-based artist Patricia Cronin’s 2002 bronze sculpture “Memorial to a Marriage”—which depicts two women (herself and her now-wife) embracing on a bed—is not on the White House’s list of objectionable art, she fears it could be. She said that going after the Smithsonian could have a chilling effect on other museums and galleries.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said becoming a father earlier this year has profoundly affected his outlook and has reframed how he thinks about the far-reaching implications of his work in artificial intelligence, according to Fortune. Altman and his husband, Australian software engineer Oliver Mulherin, welcomed a baby boy in February via surrogacy. “I don’t think I have anything non-cliché to say here, but it is the best, most amazing thing ever. And it totally rewired all of my priorities,” Altman told Bloomberg TV, adding, “A lot of people have said, ‘I’m very happy you’re having a kid, because I think you’ll make better decisions for humanity as a whole.”
Harvard University plans to stop offering LGBTQ+ students the support of dedicated tutors or proctors, according to PinkNews. The move is part of a wider rollback on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. A document included with Associate Dean of Students Lauren Brandt’s email informed students that “culture and community” proctors and tutors would now work to “foster cultivation of bonds and bridges to enable all members of our community to grow with and learn from each other,” The Crimson reported.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has cancelled the FY 2026 Creative Writing Fellowships program, NPR noted. The email, posted by various authors on social media, states that the NEA is canceling grants that exist outside of the Trump administration’s priorities. The annual program—which has awarded past fellowships to writers such as Alice Walker and Charles Bukowski—was set up in 1966 to help foster U.S. fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
Miami gay bar Willy’s has closed, per Miami New Times. On social media, Willy’s blamed the closure on the redevelopment happening on its block and circumstances out of its control, adding that “while the landscape around us is being reshaped, one thing that will never change is the community we’ve built together.” New Times named Willy’s “Best Gay Bar” in its 2025 Best of Miami issue.
Also, an Austin, Texas queer bar may close soon, per Chron. Cheer Up Charlies is behind $58,000 with its rent. Owners Maggie Lea and Tamara Hoover are in danger of being locked out on Aug. 31, and the property has already been listed for sale. Lea and Hoover are asking the community for help and are reportedly seeking a loan to cover the rent. News of the impending closure surprised many, including Austin drag queen Brigitte Bandit, who wrote that she “wouldn’t be the queen I am today” without Cheer Up Charlies.
The Menendez brothers, Erik and Lyle, were denied parole in California—quashing their hopes that they will be released from prison any time soon, NBC News noted. The development occurred 36 years after the two killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989 in a murder case that many followed. The brothers have alleged that their father sexually abused them and that their mother knew. The two still have the chance to petition to come before California’s parole board in 18 months, or they can apply for parole again in three years.