NATIONAL
The Department of Veterans Affairs has ordered health facilities nationwide to eliminate gender identity-based initiatives and remove the LGBTQ+ designation from a network of medical coordinators created to help queer veterans navigate care, The Advocate reported. The June 12 directive—signed by Veterans Health Administration Under Secretary for Health John J. Bartrum—is the latest move by the Trump administration to remove references to LGBTQ+ (including trans) identities from federal programs.
Openly gay Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill aimed at stopping conversion therapy, LGBTQ Nation noted. The bill—HB 26-1322, or the Civil Actions for Conversion Therapy Survivors Act—would allow conversion-therapy survivors to sue therapists for damages if they tried to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction barring the Bureau of Prisons from transferring 14 transgender women in federal custody to men’s prisons, per The Advocate. The trans women said ta provision of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14168 would expose them to risks of violence, sexual assault and other harms.
Hundreds of people brought candles to New York City’s Christopher Street on June 5 for a vigil marking 45 years since the first reported cases of HIV/AIDS and protesting cuts to HIV care and public health programs under President Donald Trump, The Advocate noted. Many other cities, such as Chicago and Palm Springs, also held similar observances.
A New York jury found Dmitriy Popov guilty of a hate crime for killing gay dancer O’Shea Sibley, who was voguing at a Brooklyn gas station in 2023, The Advocate noted. However, he was only found guilty of manslaughter, not murder—potentially avoiding a life sentence.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene plans to launch and run a transgender health clinic, The Advocate noted. In New York City, two major health networks—NYU Langone Health and the Mount Sinai Hospital System—have closed their gender-affirming care programs to minors, and have not stated when they plan to reopen them.
The University of Washington has launched the Juniper Blessing Memorial Scholarship in honor of the transgender student, who was fatally stabbed in an off-campus housing complex on May 10, according to Them, citing KIRO. The scholarship will support students involved with the Q Center, the university’s LGBTQ+ office, especially students who are “actively engaged in music.”
Phoenix Pride—which produces Arizona’s largest queer celebration—has filed for bankruptcy, KJZZ noted. Court records show that the nonprofit corporation has between $0 and $50,000, and that it also has about $430,000 in debt. The history of Phoenix Pride goes back to a 1981 gay-rights march through downtown to the state Capitol.
On June 6, attendees at Boston’s annual Pride parade booed Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton—probably because of anti-trans comments he made after the 2024 presidential election, LGBTQ Nation noted. In a video posted to social media, Moulton and his supporters can be seen marching with rainbow signs while onlookers boo and chant, “Trans lives matter.”
Former Chapman University’s Dale E. Fowler School of Law Dean Paul D. Paton has claimed the university unlawfully fired him because he’s gay and married to a man, according to Law360. Paton, a professor and university administrator in the United States and Canada, began his appointment on June 30, 2023.
Illinois Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller introduced legislation that would end federal recognition of Pride Month and replace it with “Family Month,” per Politico. Miller—who once called a trans colleague, Sarah McBride, “the gentleman from Delaware” on the House floor—is following the lead of Indiana and Tennessee governors who have issued proclamations recognizing “Nuclear Family Month.”
Following the success of the Stonewall National Museum’s Friedrich von Steuben Exhibit backed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, former Wilton Manors Mayor and Storks Bakery founder Jim Stork, a key museum supporter, has launched the $1776 challenge, encouraging people across the nation to donate to the museum, per a press release. For more info, visit this link.
Aaron Schock—an Illinois Republican who resigned from Congress in 2015 amid an ethics scandal, and who came out as gay in 2020—has quietly re-emerged in Trump-world circles while working on issues involving Venezuela, according to Politico. A longtime Republican donor with Venezuelan business interests paid Schock $100,000 for what his lawyer told the news outlet was “strategic consulting” work.
WORLD
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) announced the passing of President/CEO John Tanzella (he/him) on June 7 after an extended illness, a media release noted.
“This loss is immeasurable. John was a visionary leader with an enormous heart, who made friends everywhere he went and inspired support around the globe,” said IGLTA Board Chair and EveryQueer founder Meg Ten Eyck (she/her). “He made IGLTA what it is today, and his presence will be felt in everything we do for years to come.” Those wishing to make a donation in his memory can make contributions to the IGLTA Foundation, which is establishing the John Tanzella Fellowship Fund.
Political observers in Gabon predict that the African country will soon make same-sex relations a crime again, just as it briefly was from 2019 to 2020, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Recent commentary in the Gabon Media Times predicted the passage of a new bill in that would punish same-sex relations with up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 10 million CFA francs (about US $17,741); the bill would also ban “advocating or publicizing” anything LGBTQ+-related.
In a related matter, the west African nation of Niger enacted a law that imposes up to 10 years in prison for same-sex intimacy and up to 20 years for joining an LGBTQ+ association, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Two adjacent countries—Burkina Faso and Mali—also had no anti-LGBTQ+ laws until they criminalized homosexuality in 2024.
In Bangladesh, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University expelled four students and turned two others over to police because they’re (allegedly) queer, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. The human-rights advocacy group JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France protested the actions, with Chief Advisor Robert Simon saying, “When an educational institution attempts to control private life, personal relationships and sexual identity, it ceases to be a place of education and humanity and instead becomes an instrument of oppression. This must stop immediately.”
Global queer fan groups such as England’s official LGBTQ supporters’ group, Three Lions Pride (3LP) are not attending the FIFA World Cup matches taking place in North America through mid-July, Sky Sports noted. 3LP said it will continue to support queer British fans heading to the tournament but voiced concerns about safety—in particular, for trans fans who they say would be at risk of violence and discrimination.
Kane Evans is just the second male player to publicly come out as gay in professional Australian rugby league, Instinct noted. (Ian Roberts was the first, in 1995.) Evans told 100% Footy that he first became aware of his sexuality when he was around 15; however, growing up within the hypermasculine culture often associated with contact sports left him feeling unable to openly embrace that part of himself.
The queer Brazilian animated feature Julián—by Oscar-nominated director Louise Bagnall (Late Afternoon)—will screen at The Annecy International Animation Film Festival that will run June 21-27 in Annecy, France, per a media release. The statement read, “Premiering in the Annecy Presents section, Julián is a warm, moving and visually inventive coming-of-age story that explores questions of identity, self-discovery and belonging through the eyes of a young protagonist navigating a world that often struggles to make space for difference.”
HBO Max has acquired the Polish queer drama Proud, per Instinct. Having premiered on the streamer on June 12, Proud arrives fresh off a major victory at the 2026 edition of the Séries Mania, where it captured the prestigious Grand Prix award. According to Instinct, the show centers around Filip, a model who suffers a devastating family loss, and who suddenly becomes responsible for his infant niece.
World of Wonder announced the nine queens competing in the inaugural season of Canada’s Drag Race: All Stars, premiering Thursday, July 9, on WOW Presents Plus, per a press release. They are Aurora Matrix, Jackie Cox, Jada Shada Hudson, Juice Boxx, Makayla Couture, Nearah Nuff, Pythia, Sami Landri and Tiffany Ann Co. The series has the first all-drag judging panel in “Drag Race” her-story, with Brooke Lynn Hytes as host/judge alongside judges Priyanka and Jimbo.
SHOWBIZ
On June 5, GLAAD kicked off PRIDE 2026 in Nashville during CMA Fest, with a special event celebrating country music’s queer trailblazers and the allies using their platform to amplify the message of equality called “Pride and Progress,” a press release noted.
The exclusive event featured an intimate conversation with country star Fancy Hagood, songwriter Shane McAnally and music artist Kaitlin Butts. Christin Baker, Daniel Navas, Ty Herndon, Bryan Ruby and GLAAD President/CEO Sarah Kate Ellis were among the guests.
Queer original Broadway Jersey Boys and Midtown Men cast member/recording artist Michael Longoria is celebrating The Beach Boys with his newest album, Catch a Wave, per a press release. Visit TheSurfnotes.com; a promotional video is here.
Madonna has released Confessions II-The Film, a new short film directed by TORSO (with guest appearances from daughter Lourdes Leon, Sabrina Carpenter, Honey Dijon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Debi Mazar and Kate Moss, among others) that’s now available on YouTube, per a press release. At the center of the film’s nightlife universe is a nod to Danceteria—the legendary New York club that helped shape Madonna’s early creative life and career.
Qween Jean made history at this year’s Tonys, per The Advocate. She became the first openly transgender person to win a Tony, taking home an award for best costume design of a musical for her work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
Vivian Wilson—the estranged trans daughter of Elon Musk—made headlines for exiting an interview in Spain after a reporter told her that Musk is “the best,” per LGBTQ Nation. Musk said he believes that his “son” was “killed by the woke mind virus” and recently claimed that his shame over her trans identity is why he began to get involved in right-wing politics.
On The View, trans actress Laverne Cox discussed her former romantic relationship with a MAGA-aligned New York City police officer—a story she tells in her new memoir Transcendent, according to Them. Cox said, in part, “His politics and his unexamined life became clear after the three-and-a-half-years. I was like, ‘I love him, but I love myself more.’ And staying in this relationship betrayed myself.”
WNBA legend Sue Bird was candid with Women’s Health about her “new era” after the end of her decade-long relationship with soccer icon Megan Rapinoe, The New York Post noted. The four-time WNBA champ said their breakup was gradual while stating that the pair is on “great terms” and there’s “no bad blood” between them, and adding that couples therapy helped.
Jacob Tierney, the director behind Heated Rivalry, announced a special contest that will send one lucky winner and a guest to the exclusive premiere of season two, Instinct noted. Every entry benefits Rainbow Railroad, an organization that helps LGBTQ+ people around the world find asylum safely.
In a roundtable interview that The Hollywood Reporter hosted, actor John Lithgow called controversial Harry Potter author JK Rowling a “deeply empathetic person” while discussing her anti-trans views, PinkNews noted. Lithgow is set to appear in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot series as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Lithgow said he was offered the role shortly after the Sundance premiere of Jimpa, a film where he plays the grandfather of a non-binary teenager. “I think for the most part, she’s a deeply empathetic person, or she couldn’t have created this,” he said. “I just disagree with some things she seems to believe.”
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call and relief pitcher Blake Treinen opted out of wearing rainbow-themed Dodgers caps while everyone else on the team wore them, Instinct noted. Both players are known for being outspoken Christians, and Treinen (a Charlie Kirk supporter) voiced his objections in 2023 when the Dodgers honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during Pride Night festivities.
Following the release of his new album Do That Again, out now via Columbia Records, Malcolm Todd announced his 2026 North American tour, per a press release. Starting Sept. 2 in Irving, Texas, Todd will stop at cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
Gay billionaire David Geffen, 83, was spotted aboard his superyacht with ex-husband Donovan Michaels (legal name: David Armstrong), 33—with whom he had a nasty divorce, according to Queerty, citing Page Six. They married in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills in March 2023 and reportedly did not sign a prenuptial agreement. The couple split in February 2025 and Geffen filed for divorce that May, citing “irreconcilable differences.”