Warning: This column mentions bullying and killing.
NATIONAL
Delaware’s General Assembly passed Senate Substitute 2 for Senate Bill 100—which enshrines the right to same-sex and interracial marriage in the Delaware Constitution—on the last day of the legislative session after being rescinded the previous week, The Washington Blade noted. SB100 will not be officially added to the constitution unless it passes in the 154th General Assembly next year, as two consecutive assemblies must pass any amendment.
Out trans Latina Victoria Cruz—a heroine at Stonewall—has passed away at age 79, per The Advocate. Cruz changed the personal history of thousands of New Yorkers by working tirelessly to help those targeted because of their orientation, identity and medical status. In 2018, Cruz joined school shooting survivor Emma González (who now goes by “X”), Stonewall bartender Tree Sequoia, Advocate reporter Dawn Ennis and others on the lead float of community heroes at the New York City Pride March.
Gay Queens couple Jayson Conner and Jeffrey Newman—who spent years walking the streets of New York and handing out tens of thousands of backpacks filled with supplies to people in need—died within days of each other, The New York Times noted. Conner, 48, died from a heart attack at their home on June 28; Newman, 58, died four days later, on July 2.
Former President Joe Biden spoke at the Philadelphia Gay News Stonewall Awards celebration during Pride Month, Press Pass Q noted. “There’s nothing more American than the fight for equality,” he said, in part. Out gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, the vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, introduced Biden and touted the former chief executive’s extensive pro-LGBTQ+ record.
A coalition of legal and academic freedom groups sued the Texas Tech University System, accusing Chancellor Brandon Creighton and the system’s Board of Regents of restricting what professors can teach about race, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, The Advocate noted. The complaint argues that a set of directives known as the Creighton Memoranda violates the First Amendment by discriminating against disfavored viewpoints, violates the Fourteenth Amendment and suppresses instruction about Black history and racial inequality.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a bill requiring schools to out transgender students to legal guardians, effectively reversing a 2024 state Supreme Court decision that upheld students’ right to privacy, The Advocate reported.
On a related note, two New Hampshire transgender girls who were the first to challenge President Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” withdrew their lawsuit based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld state bans on transgender athletes in girls’ sports and their own personal hardships, per the Bangor Daily News.
In Florida, the Acceptance Academy Community School—a private, nonprofit middle school serving LGBTQ+ students, bullied youth and those struggling in traditional school environments—is accepting applications for the August semester at its Boca Raton campus, CBS12 reported. The Acceptance Academy (which serves grades six through eight) is the first school of its kind in the state and participates in the Step Up for Students scholarship (voucher) program.
In Philadelphia, authorities say Jahylin Melchur, 21—a man accused of killing two gay men because of their sexual orientation—has not been apprehended, per The Advocate. Melchur is wanted in connection with the fatal shootings of Martin Higgins, 45, and Sharef Holman, 29, as well as the non-fatal shooting of a 55-year-old man.
Supporters of embattled Long Beach LGBTQ Center leader Ellie Perez bullied and harassed Q Voice News reporter Philip Zonkel and a community member who was interviewed for that outlet’s recent article that examined misconduct allegations against Perez, according to a commentary. Zonkel, who wrote the commentary, added that Kim Tabari—a Center board member who reportedly bullied and harassed him—should resign for supposedly not pursuing the truth about Perez.
OpenAI (headed by openly gay CEO Sam Altman) proposed handing the Trump administration a 5% stake in the company (worth $42.6 billion), CNBC noted, citing the Financial Times. The artificial intelligence startup is reportedly seeking to defuse mounting political pressure in Washington.
Indiana Youth Group is marking its 39th year serving LGBTQ+ teens and young adults across the state, WISH noted. Last month, the organization was represented at 22 Pride events across Indiana.
In his latest tussle with the law, Andrew Gillum—the bisexual former Tallahassee mayor who narrowly lost a race for Florida governor to Ron DeSantis—now faces drug charges and possible prison time after an arrest in Alabama, The Advocate noted. In 2020, Gillum was found at the scene of a drug overdose in a Miami hotel room with a man who overdosed on methamphetamines; later, Gillum came out as bi in an interview on the Tamron Hall Show, appearing alongside wife R.Jai Gillum. In 2022, Gillum was arrested on charges of fraud but a federal jury acquitted him the next year.
Ft. Lauderdale’s Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library (SNMAL) announced its annual informative fundraising event for educational programming—the ”Focus on the Future’ Celebration,” which is set for Oct. 22 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts’ Mary Porter Ballroom, a press release noted.
California organization One Institute announced the launch of The Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Lectures on LGBTQ+ History, per a press release. The first lecture—“1987: Reflections on a Brown and Queer Life in Los Angeles” with Dr. Lydia Otero”—will take place Aug. 16, 2-3:30 p.m. PT, at West Hollywood’s One Gallery. Founded in 1952, One Institute is the oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the United States.
Journalist/activist Ann Northrop is leaving her post as co-host and co-executive producer with Andy Humm of the weekly national Gay USA cable television news show after 30 years, per Gay City News. Her last show, with Humm, will be taped on July 29.
Former Out magazine fashion/style director Gregory Wein has passed away at age 54, the outlet reported. After more than a decade at the publication, he became Abercrombie & Fitch’s global style director. Afterward, Wein worked as a stylist and creative director, with collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford, Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Estée Lauder, Nike, Saks Fifth Avenue and other brands.
In Florida, Rod Joseph—a Republican congressional candidate in a Broward district that’s home to communities with large numbers of LGBTQ+ residents (including Wilton Manors)—said that everyone is “born straight” and some people become queer by choice, the South Florida SunSentinel noted. “You cannot be born gay. That’s impossible biologically,” he said in an interview.
WORLD
The National Assembly of Senegal unanimously (129-0) amended the country’s constitution to define marriage exclusively as “the union between a man and a woman,” per Erasing 76 Crimes. Senegal’s constitution previously had been rather vague on the subject, although same-sex relations have been criminalized in the African country since 1965.
Human-rights defenders are protesting an anti-lesbian police operation and anti-gay vigilante actions that both happened in Bangladesh, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Regarding the first incident, an adult woman and two adolescent girls were sent to jail in Barguna following allegations of involvement in a consensual same-sex relationship. Consensual same-sex intimacy is punishable by up to life imprisonment under Section 377 of the colonial-era Penal Code.
Supreme Court judges in London were slated to hold a hearing on a landmark case that could decriminalize same-sex relations in the eastern Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, ABC News reported. In 2017, Jason Jones filed the case, arguing that so-called “buggery” laws in the nation that date from the colonial era and ban gay sex are unconstitutional.
A gay cruise that had been blocked from entering Turkey was later banned from Egypt, per LGBTQ Nation. Hours before it was scheduled to dock in Alexandria, passengers aboard the Scarlet Lady—a Virgin Voyages-owned ship chartered by U.S. LGBTQ+ travel company Atlantis Events—were informed that the vessel had been banned from Egyptian waters. Talking with other news outlets, Atlantis Events President Richard Campbell said that Atlantis cruises have docked in the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Kuşadası 13 times over the past 25 years—and that this marks the first time that one of its cruises has been blocked “because of who we are.”
A Paris appeals court allowed far-right leader Marine Le Pen to possibly run for the French presidency next year but said she must wear an electronic bracelet—a condition she initially rejected, the AP noted. The court found Le Pen guilty of embezzlement but softened the ban on her holding elected office.
Gay British Olympian Mark Foster discusses what it was like trying to hide his sexuality in his new memoir, My Double Life, PinkNews noted. Foster—won a silver Olympic medal in swimming in 2008—also shares his thoughts about other gay sports stars, saying that “there have to be [soccer players] that will be gay” in the Premier League.
SHOWBIZ
GLAAD released the findings of its latest annual Where We Are in Film (WWAF) study, which examines films released during 2025, per a press release. Among the revelations were that this is the third consecutive year to see a decrease in the percentage of LGBTQ+-inclusive films from a record high 28.5% of films in its 2023 study; for the first time in three years, studios included LGBTQ+ characters living with HIV; and that there were zero transgender characters counted in the 2025 slate of films.
On the the Fourth of July, musical icon Beyoncé dropped the song “Morning Dew (Donk),” Fox 32 Chicago noted. Beyoncé’s management company said the holiday weekend coincided with the 60-day mark until her 45th birthday and the re-issuing of one of her biggest albums. The single (her first in two years) will be included on the 20th-anniversary edition of B’Day, which is coming out Sept. 4.
Hacks (starring Jean Smart and queer actress Hannah Einbinder) received 24 Emmy nominations for its fifth and final season—the most ever for a comedy series in a single year, per Deadline. (The Pitt led overall, with 25 nominations.) Euphoria, The Boys and Stranger Things also earned multiple nods for their final seasons. Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay will host this year’s ceremony, which will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock on Monday, Sept. 14, Today noted.
In the world of track and field, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden edged LGBTQ+ training partner Sha’Carri Richardson at the tape to win the women’s 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic—with Jefferson-Wooden winning in 10.78 seconds and Richardson second in 10.79, per OregonLive.com. Also, Nikki Hiltz (who’s trans and non-binary) passed three-time Olympic champion and world record-holder Faith Kipyegon to win the women’s mile.
The Dolly Parton biomusical DOLLY: A True Original Musical is officially coming to Broadway, Playbill noted. Performances will begin Dec. 7 at the St. James Theatre, currently home to Titaníque. Dolly will mark Parton’s 81st birthday by holding its Broadway opening the same night: Jan. 19, 2027.
And speaking of Titanique, reality-TV star Frankie Grande suffered a mishap during a performance, per EW.com. “In [the] showstopper moment, I launched the [pink ship] wheel into the air… and my nose caught it before my hands did!,” he said on Instagram. “Turns out, being gay doesn’t give me catching superpowers.”
Drag personalities BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon announced the ninth annual The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, a press release noted. Directed, produced and written by BenDeLaCreme, this year’s show will tour 30 cities across the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 6-Dec. 30 in major theaters. Also, they will release the book HOW THE QUEENS MADE CHRISTMAS: A Raunchy Holiday Romp for Festive Adults! on Oct. 20 via Chronicle Books.
Kristen Stewart stars as Frankie and Alia Shawkat stars as Molly in the stoner comedy The Wrong Girls, which now has a trailer out, The AV Club noted. The film (out in theaters Aug. 14) also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Kate McKinnon, Geena Davis, Tony Hale and Zack Fox, as well as Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani as the voices of Frankie and Molly’s cats.
Nearly three decades after introducing a national viewing audience to the WNBA, University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma and LGBTQ+ GMA host Robin Roberts fielded a popular request and joined commentator Beth Mowins as one-time color analysts on the call for the July 7 game between the Dallas Wings and New York Liberty, Yahoo! Sports noted.
Popular queer singer Adam Lambert has released his sixth studio album, Adam, Out noted. In part, he told the outlet, “I got out of a long relationship and when you’re in a relationship, you identify as a couple. When you are single again, it’s that readjustment of getting back to you. Who am I on my own? It’s a bit of an identity check-in. All the songs come back to that. It’s about the relationship to myself, the relationship I left, and the relationships I’m encountering.”
Lena Dunham reportedly stunned attendees during her toast to Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce at their wedding reception, when she joked “American football is just straight guys reenacting gay porn,” according to an EW.com item that cited the Daily Mail. Reportedly, Swift called Dunham’s polarizing joke “genius.”
Adult star Dale Savage passed away at 62 after a sudden stroke on June 19, The Advocate noted. Savage was a fireman before joining the adult-entertainment industry at age 50. After filming content for about a decade, he retired and lived in Colorado. Lane Rogers, Seth Peterson, Colton Ford and other notable models have also passed away in recent months.
The story of the friendship between late model/reality-TV star Anna Nicole Smith and her gay physician, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, as well as the media firestorm around them, will come to the big screen in Trust Me, I’m A Doctor, a new film from writer-director Thane Economou, Queerty revealed. Based on the doctor’s memoir of the same name, the film finds out gay actor Kal Penn playing the controversial Kapoor, who infamously claimed he didn’t believe Smith (played by Abbie Cornish) was an addict in the 2017 docuseries Scandal Made Me Famous.
In Chicago, Open Space Arts announced its Best of the Fest Summer Streaming Series—a three-part online film program featuring nine LGBTQ+ films from the United States, England, Brazil, Iran and beyond, per a press release. Presented through Open Space Arts’ Queer Expression film programming, the series includes a shorts program, a mid-length film program and the feature documentary Finding Bernie. The programs stream through Aug. 4.
Multi-platinum dance music icon Crystal Waters (“100% Pure Love”) returns with X-POSURE for “Dreams”—a new house reimagining of the Fleetwood Mac classic, out now via IAH Records, per a press release.