The Trump administration’s campaign to extinguish transgender visibility has moved into the area of national security, The Advocate reported. Now, trans people have been removed from federal intelligence bulletins that are supposed to keep all U.S. residents safe. Investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein obtained an 11-page Joint Threat Assessment co-authored by various New York law enforcement agencies; throughout, it uses only “LGB+ community,” never acknowledging transgender people—even though trans individuals face the highest rates of hate-motivated violence, Klippenstein has noted.
The National Black Justice Collective hosted its Bayard Rustin-Pauli Murray Advocate for Justice Awards, which celebrate the contributions of Black leaders challenging stereotypes and changing the way the world thinks about the LGBTQ+/SGL movement and community, a press release noted. Recipients included U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, Maryland Del. Gabriel Acevero, Open to All founder/CEO Leggoh JohVera, The Gorgeous House of Gucci founder Jack Mizrahi, researcher/consultant Dreisen Heath, and the company Procter & Gamble.
Openly gay Republican billionaire Peter Thiel was listed alongside Elon Musk and GOP figure Steve Bannon in copies of the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s daily schedules that Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released, per Axios.
The schedules mention Musk possibly flying to an “island” in 2014, and Thiel and Bannon apparently dining with Epstein as recently as 2017 and 2019, respectively. The documents do not link any of the men to criminal activity or misconduct. PBS noted that Bill Gates and Britain’s Prince Andrew were also mentioned.
In Florida, Pride organizers in Tampa and Fort Myers will not hold their annual Pride events this year, citing funding issues, per NBC News. “The unfortunate part was we just didn’t have enough planning time for us to be able to put it on for 2025 so with that, we are shooting for 2026,” said Adam Larivee, the president of queer nonprofit Visuality, which has had a longstanding relationship with Pride Southwest Florida.
Embattled Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters has resigned, The Advocate noted. His departure was made public not in Oklahoma City but on Fox News, where Walters declared he would become CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a conservative nonprofit dedicated to fighting teachers’ unions nationwide. “Oklahomans for Equality recognizes the resignation of State Superintendent Ryan Walters as a pivotal moment for our state,” Executive Director Hailey Briggs told The Advocate. “Under his tenure, many of Oklahoma’s most marginalized students, including 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and the educators who support them faced harmful rhetoric and policies that threatened safe and affirming learning environments.”
In Massachusetts, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch has defended comments he made that the clergy sexual-abuse scandal that rocked the Archdiocese of Boston in the early 2000s was more about homosexuality than pedophilia, WBUR noted. Koch also said that abuse happens at a higher rate among “teachers and coaches” than within the church. Since 1994, attorney Mitchell Garabedian—who has reportedly represented more than 1,000 clergy abuse victims in the state in cases involving hundreds of priests—said Koch is splitting hairs over the definition of child sex abuse: “It’s an insult to the gay community. It’s an insult to survivors, and it’s an insult to anyone’s intelligence to believe what he is saying.”
Nigel Max Edge—the U.S. Marine veteran accused of killing three people and injuring five others in a mass shooting at a North Carolina waterfront restaurant—spent years filing federal lawsuits filled with sprawling conspiracies and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, per The Advocate. Authorities say Edge, of Oak Island, positioned his center-console vessel alongside the deck of the bar the American Fish Company, and unleashed gunfire into a crowd gathered for live music. Among other cases, Edge filed a case against country singer Kellie Pickler, alleging she and her late husband poisoned him and that their names contained “LGBQT codes” as part of a wider conspiracy.
Ohio’s LGBTQ+ Allies of Lake County has had to cut events and support groups because of the Trump Administration, The Buckeye Flame noted. LGBTQ+ Allies of Lake County was formed in 2019, and its membership and programming grew each year. However, funding dissipated quickly after the 2024 election, according to Board President Roy Bottiggi. The group’s donation page is here.
Transgender runner Sadie Schreiner is suing the NCAA and a New York state university for denying her a spot in a tournament, per The Advocate. Schreiner, a runner on Rochester Institute of Technology’s track-and-field team during 2023-24, said she was turned away from the women’s 200-meter and 400-meter races at SUNY Geneseo’s Early Invitational in March—despite having qualifying times to make her eligible to race. Schreiner signed up to compete in the invitational as an independent athlete, not as a representative of her school; because of that, her lawsuit claims, she should have avoided problems with the NCAA rule banning trans athletes from competing in women’s or girl’s categories.
On a related note, a lawsuit brought by conservative activist/former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines and nearly two dozen other athletes against the NCAA was largely dismissed, per USA Today. However, a judge ruled the Title IX claims against the NCAA can proceed to the next stage, which is likely to be discovery. Georgia Tech University hosted the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, in which trans University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle title and tied for fifth in the 200-yard freestyle, with Gaines in the event.
Toni Atkins will not become the first woman or first out LGBTQ+ California governor next year after announcing that she is dropping out of the race, The Advocate noted. “My intention was to build on [Gavin Newsom’s] progress, to bring real solutions from day one, and to do good work for the people,” Atkins wrote. “That’s why it’s with such a heavy heart that I’m stepping aside today as a candidate for governor. Despite the strong support we’ve received and all we’ve achieved, there is simply no viable path forward to victory.” Atkins had the support of only 2% of Democratic Primary voters in an August poll from Emerson College.
A recent gay sex sting by police at New York City’s Penn Station has resulted in the arrests and detainment of almost 200 individuals since June, LGBTQ Nation noted, citing The Gothamist. However, one arrestee alleged that police called him an anti-gay slur while two gay government officials have accused authorities of conducting an “alarming” and “deceitful” operation targeting gay men. Only 12 people were nabbed for public lewdness in the restroom before June. Legislators are requesting answers from Amtrak in the wake of the arrests.
In Ohio, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio have renewed ties after a year apart, WKRC noted. The Archdiocese and the Girls Scouts originally dissolved its partnership over a difference in moral values regarding gender and sexuality, including the scouts’ Pride patch. The outlet reached out to the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to see if the patch is still something scouts can earn but hadn’t heard back; the scouts’ website seemingly now lacks information on earning a Pride Month patch.
There’s been a major shake-up in the race for NYC mayor as incumbent Eric Adams has dropped out, Politico noted. Among other things, his campaign was saddled by legal problems, a lack of money and unshakable ties to President Donald Trump; however, Adams blamed local election officials, still-lingering concerns over a since-dismissed federal bribery case and the media. He also delivered a veiled criticism of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist who won the primary in June. The other major candidate is former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.
Texas Tech University System Chancellor Tedd Mitchell restricted the discussion of transgender and nonbinary identities during class instruction across the system’s five universities, KCBD reported. He instructed university presidents to ensure faculty follow a presidential executive order that recognizes only male and female sexes; Gov. Greg Abbott’s letter directing state agencies to “reject woke gender ideologies”; and a new state law that requires a strict binary definition of gender for the collection of vital statistics.
Pride House Media (PHM)—a podcast network dedicated to amplifying queer voices and stories—has launched its third series just in time for Queer History Month, a press release noted. Queer 101—featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Peppermint and author Hugh “the Historian” Ryan as its hosts—examines the struggles, triumphs and cultural revolutions that have defined queer identities throughout time. Queer 101 is available every Tuesday on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and YouTube.
In San Francisco, the Castro Theatre is slated to reopen in February and is currently hiring, per The Bay Area Reporter. The announcement comes as a multimillion renovation/restoration project by Another Planet Entertainment nears completion. The Bay Area Reporter most recently noted that a new HVAC system was being installed in the space, which has been closed since 2023, and that a new organ is going to be installed in November.
Also in San Francisco, the Bob Mizer Foundation will soon change its name to the Bob Mizer Museum and Photographic Archives—but will continue to archive and preserve the hundreds of thousands of images and films that Mizer created, per The Bay Area Reporter. Mizer (1922-92) is considered the most prominent gay photographer of the male physique in the 20th century; the 1999 docudrama Beefcake tells the story of his life.
Black Tie Dinner returns for its 44th year on Nov. 8 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, according to the event’s website. Marriage-equality plaintiff Jim Obergefell will receive the 2025 Black Tie Dinner Equality Award; social worker/human-rights advocate Dena Batrice and trans youth Libby Gonzales will also be honored. Others expected to appear, speak and/or perform include Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson, Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black, former NFL player Carl Nassib and singer/songwriter/actress Hayley Orrantia. Last year’s event raised $1.4 million.
Far-right commentators are upset over Bad Bunny being named the Super Bowl halftime headliner, Axios noted. The Puerto Rican artist is increasingly becoming a political talking point after he decided to skip the continental U.S. over concerns that ICE would raid his concerts. One social-media user called Bad Bunny “a demonic Marxist who was been granted the largest stage with the greatest audience in the middle of a Christian revival.”
Thousands of people filled Richmond’s Midtown Green (formerly known as the Bon Secours Training Center) for the 46th Virginia Pridefest—transforming the space into a sea of rainbow flags, live music and more, per WRIC. “This moment feels different,” VA Pride Director James Millner said. “The attacks on the LGBTQ community, particularly trans folks, have really ramped up. We are here, we are strong and we are not going anywhere.” This year’s Pridefest featured more than two dozen events across Richmond, from cultural showcases and drag performances to sporting events. According to Diversity Richmond’s website, Saucy Santana, trans pop singer Mila Jam, club icon Kevin Aviance and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Aja were among the entertainers.
On Oct. 4, Ohio’s Dayton Metro Library will host the event “We’ll Always Be Here: A Summit on Trans Lives Past, Present, & Future” for the second consecutive year, The Buckeye Flame noted. Community Impact Specialist Jordan Ostrum said that this year’s summit will offer even more for LGBTQ+ library patrons and their allies. This year, the summit’s keynote speaker is Lambda Literary Award-winning author Robin Gow. The 2025 summit will also feature: a workshop led by certified speech language pathologist Marissa Nguyen; a screening of the documentary Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria and a gender-affirming clothing workshop featuring creative director Jesy Anderson.
At the Sept. 21 memorial service in Arizona for Charlie Kirk—the conservative activist who was fatally shot at a Utah university—social-media users spread a rumor that the queer dating app Grindr experienced outages nearby, according to Snopes. Posts included screenshots appearing to show a spike in Grindr outage reports on the day of the memorial, as well as a heat map with outage reports focused in Phoenix, which is fewer than 20 miles of Glendale, Arizona, where the ceremony took place. However, Grindr did not officially report any outage on Sept. 21.