NATIONAL
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association voted on an amendment that would have restricted girls’ sports participation to cis individuals—but the measure failed to achieve the supermajority needed to pass, KXLY noted. The vote was only advisory; it would not have changed existing rules because it would violate state law.
In Michigan, Monroe County Athletic Director Dr. Chet Hesson was reinstated—four months after he publicly empathized with a transgender student athlete at the center of a Title IX investigation, per LGBTQ Nation. The district’s decision to place Hesson on leave drew outrage from local officials, who signed an open letter in March calling for his reinstatement.
A recent study noted that syphilis diagnoses declined more than 50% in gay men and transgender women in the Seattle area after taking doxyPep, per Q Voice News. Doxycycline is an antibiotic that’s been used for decades to treat acne, Lyme disease, malaria and other bacterial infections.
Organizations across New York State are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to expand a program designed to cap rent costs for low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS—which is currently only available in New York City, Gay City News noted. Advocacy groups brought the issue to Hochul’s attention in a letter signed by members of the End AIDS New York Community Coalition, including ACT UP NY, Housing Works, GMHC, Harlem United, New York Transgender Advocacy Group, Southern Tier AIDS Program and United Health Services Binghamton, among others.
In a special election, openly gay Democrat Carl Wilson won his campaign to win New York City Council District 3, per Queerty. (The district includes Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea and queer landmarks such as Stonewall.) Wilson’s win occurred after Mayor Zohan Mamdani, on the day before voting started, endorsed one of Wilson’s Democratic rivals: Lindsey Boylan.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills suddenly suspended her U.S. Senate campaign—all but handing the Democratic nomination to oyster farmer Graham Platner, who will face GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November, USA Today noted. Recently, Platner (who faced public criticism for a Nazi totenkopf tattoo he reportedly got on his chest as a Marine in 2007) claimed that Republican attacks on transgender rights are an “invented culture-war scare” to create division, Them noted.
Pearl—the only lesbian bar in Denver—has officially closed after a controversy surrounding donations to keep the establishment open, LGBTQ Nation noted. Pearl co-owner Dom Garcia (who wrote that they were blindsided by the bar’s first announcement that it was closing) launched a GoFundMe to save the bar without consulting bar staff or the co-owners who announced the closure. Staff members mentioned mismanagement of funds, accountability issues, and a lack of trust between owners and staff as factors that had plagued the business, which had only been open for slightly more than a year.
Las Vegas PRIDE—one of the largest Pride organizations in Nevada—publicly cut ties with Henderson Pride after Henderson Pride President Anthony Cortez allegedly assaulted a go-go dancer at a gay club, Out noted. In a detailed social-media post that included security footage, Dust Las Vegas owner Ryan Bandy accused Henderson Pride President Anthony Cortez of assaulting the dancer (allegedly identified as Lex Berio). Las Vegas PRIDE stated, “Our community already faces ongoing challenges from external forces, and it is essential that we also uphold accountability and respect within our own spaces.”
The Los Angeles chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists will celebrate Southern California journalists and newsrooms at its second annual Press Pride Prom journalism awards gala on May 9, at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, a media release noted. The chapter will honor Greg Gordon and Lucia Chappelle of This Way Out Radio with the Troy Masters Legacy Award for Visionaries in Media.
Several student organizations at Georgetown University teamed to submit a proposal for an LGBTQ+ affinity space on the Jesuit school’s campus in D.C., per New Ways Ministry, citing The Hoya. The proposal includes plans for a space called the Lavender Haus that would serve as inclusive housing, an event venue or a gathering place for LGBTQ+ students.
WORLD
The Administrative Judiciary Court issued a ruling in favor of the Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute’s client—and it’s the first decision to vindicate transgender individuals in Egypt regarding their fundamental right to health, Erasing 76 Crimes reported. It voids the negative decision and the failure of the “Sex Reassignment Committee” at the Egyptian Medical Syndicate to complete the medical procedures for one of the Institute’s transgender clients.
The New Zealand Blood Service plans to make it easier for gay and bi men to donate blood, starting on May 4, per LGBTQ Nation. In doing so, it’s joining the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood in that endeavor.
Erasing 76 Crimes recently profiled Yas—a homeless transgender woman in Douala, Cameroon who lives under the constant threat of violence and stigmatization. “The worst is still here. The fear is still here,” she said. On Trans Visibility Day, local youths assaulted and robbed trans pageant participants in Yaoundé.
Belarus adopted a Russia-style law barring publication of what it calls “propaganda” promoting consensual same-sex relationships and “gender reassignment,” Erasing 76 Crimes noted. The new Belarus law even prohibits promotion of “childlessness” and makes no distinction between homosexuality and pedophilia.
In the UK, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Councillor Colin Kennedy has been suspended for three months over comments linking the LGBTQ+ community with support for Hamas, the BBC noted. Kennedy made the remarks at a 2023 meeting of Ards and North Down Borough Council during a debate on the Israel-Gaza war. The Northern Ireland local government standards commissioner found his comments “overstepped what may be regarded as acceptable political speech.”
Also in the UK, people have arrested a suspect regarding a fire at the club Pink Punters, per LGBTQ Nation, citing The Guardian and the BBC. Frank McMahon (whose family has run the club for decades) said that the fire had “completely destroyed” the building. But, he added, “I am deeply relieved, grateful, and proud to confirm that no staff or customers were harmed, and everybody went home safely.”
In Barbados, construction is advancing on the Barbados Heritage District at the Newton Enslaved Burial Ground—one of the earliest and largest known communal burial grounds of enslaved Africans in the Western Hemisphere, The Art Newspaper noted. The project will include a new memorial, archive and cultural complex—but it’s facing major delays four years after its announcement.
Dr. Robert (aka, Robert Howard)—the lead singer of the British band The Blow Monkeys—revealed that the act’s 1986 song “Digging Your Scene” was inspired by the HIV/AIDS crisis, per MusicRadar. With lyrics like “Tell me why is it I’m digging your scene, I know I’ll die, baby,” the track addressed the crisis as well as the stigma and the hate and prejudice directed toward victims—in particular, the gay community. “They were made to feel guilty; it was a dark period,” Howard said.
Queer award-winning UK singer-songwriter John Galea released his latest single, “Songwriter,” marking the first release from his debut album that’s set for early next year, per a press release. Galea began songwriting at just 13 after winning a UK National Songwriting Contest with “I Am Not An Angel.”
SHOWBIZ
Talking with Howard Stern, out gay actor Nathan Lane shared the moment his mother rejected him after he came out to her at 21, LGBTQ Nation noted. “She said, ‘You mean you’re a homosexual?’” he stated. “And I had never heard it put that way, and I said, ‘Yeah, I guess so,’ and she … said it with a sort of sadness, ‘I would rather you were dead.’” She also outed him to his two brothers, Bob and Dan, after he explicitly asked her not to tell them; they turned out to be accepting (although Dan wondered if Nathan’s gayness was a phase).
Madonna was the very special surprise guest at West Hollywood nightspot The Abbey in West Hollywood for its private “Club Confessions” one-off, GayCities noted. The party was meant to celebrate Abbey owner Tristan Schukraft’s birthday and the refurbishment of the venue’s dance floor. Some of the other guests included Lily Allen, Cara Delevingne, Bebe Rexha, Julia Fox, Tom Daley, Gottmik, Sasha Colby, Trinity the Tuck and Vivian Wilson.
Also, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter have collaborated on “Bring Your Love,” the lead single from Madonna’s forthcoming album Confessions II, a media release noted. Confessions II is set for release on July 3 via Warner Records; the new album is the continuation of the counterpart Confessions on a Dance Floor.
The Mystery of Richard Simmons: A Diane Sawyer Special, airing May 12, traces the personality’s rise to fame and examines the cultural impact that made him a household name. (It will debut on ABC and stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.) As preparations were underway for a long-awaited interview between Sawyer and Simmons as he plotted his return from seclusion, the story took a bizarre turn with news of Simmons’ sudden and mysterious death.
Queer comedians Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, of the Las Culturistas podcast, will co-host the fifth annual Las Culturistas Culture Awards that will air Wed., June 17, at 9 -11 p.m. ET/PT, simulcasting on Bravo and Peacock, a media release noted. The event is a comedy variety special that celebrates culture’s most iconic and consequential moments. The show will tape Saturday, May 30, in Los Angeles at The United Theater on Broadway.
Also regarding Bowen Yang, he and trans advocate/athlete Schuyler Bailar will be part of The HBO Original documentary The A List: 15 Stories From Asian and Pacific Diasporas, which will debut May 13, per a press release. Debuting during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the special will also include pioneering journalist Connie Chung; U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth; comedian/actor Kumail Nanjiani; and astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, among others.
Grammy winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, philanthropist and global icon Janet Jackson appear at the Recording Academy® and Grammy Museum®’s 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame® Gala on Friday, May 8, at The Beverly Hilton to celebrate the induction of her landmark album Rhythm Nation 1814 into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a press release noted. Some of the scheduled gala performers include Erykah Badu, George Clinton, Teddy Swims, Norah Jones, and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson.
Dolly Parton (recipient of the industry icon award), Michael McDonald and Keith Urban were among the 12 newest members inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame on April 28, Billboard noted. Sheryl Crow presented the honor to Parton, who accepted via a pre-recorded video message.
The Netflix basketball comedy Running Point (starring Kate Hudson and Justin Theroux) has returned for a second season—and it includes a gay locker-room romance between openly gay actor Drew Tarver’s queer character, Sandy, and new star point guard Tommy White (played by Jake Picking), per Queerty.
With the tagline “crafted for bodies, not gender,” the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has unveiled its Pride collection, per the PWHL Insider. PHWL teamed with queer-owned Canadian apparel brand Peau De Loup to create the collection. People can peruse the U.S. or Canada shop, reflecting the teams’ countries.
Behind The Scenes Beauty hosted its Third Annual Day Soirée on Sunday, May 3, in New York City, per a press release. Held during Met Gala Weekend (as always), this year’s event honored journalist/host Joy Reid, openly gay Tony- and Oscar-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell (Wicked), and Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price, among others.
Following the announcement of a European tour, Morrissey has now confirmed a US tour set for this summer and fall in support of his new album Make Up Is a Lie and the Deluxe Notre-Dame EP set for a June 19 release via Sire/Warner Records, a press release stated. Some of the stops include Las Vegas (four shows); Buffalo, New York; Nashville; Houston; and Tempe, Arizona.
Lizzo released the title track to her upcoming album Bitch, per a press release. The song interpolates Meredith Brooks’ smash hit of the same name. The album, her third, is set to drop June 5.
Caitlyn Jenner officially came out as transgender in 2015, at age 65—but revealed in a new interview that she had originally planned to transition much earlier (before she turned 40), per PinkNews. When the conservative figure decided to marry Kris Jenner, Caitlyn left hormone therapy behind, adding that she had her “boobs removed.” In addition, Caitlyn revealed that she and Kris had rules about Caitlyn’s gender dysphoria.
Queer Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion performed her final show as Zidler in the Broadway musical Moulin Rouge on May 1—more than two weeks before her scheduled last day of May 17, per The Hollywood Reporter. Megan left shortly after she took to Instagram to confirm that she and her boyfriend, NBA star Klay Thompson, had split up amid infidelity claims. Moulin Rouge is slated to run through Aug. 30.
Former Spice Girl Melanie C has released Sweat, her ninth studio album, out now on Virgin Music Group, per a press release.
Alongside the album release, Melanie has unveiled the official music video for focus single “Drum Machine.”