Warning: This column mentions murder and child sexual abuse.
NATIONAL
The Congressional Equality Caucus said that 179 members of Congress had signed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve Colorado’s power to prevent publicly funded preschools from barring children because they or their parents are LGBTQ+, The Advocate reported. The brief in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy is led by U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, the caucus chair, with Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Jeff Merkley.
Married Coral Gables, Florida same-sex couple Adam Hlavaty, 42, and Henry Parra, 55, were among seven people killed when a helicopter carrying tourists crashed in Kenya, according to Out, citing The Advocate. Hlavaty was a real-estate executive and co-founder of MRKT Group; Parra, a U.S. Navy veteran, co-founded Trax USA, a company that develops aviation-maintenance software.
Tal Khan Valbuena is the first gay Muslim judge not only in Los Angeles County, but also in California, per Q Voice News. Valbuena, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney, recently declared victory in a closely watched race for a seat on the Los Angeles Superior Court.
In Houston, Grace Place and the Montrose Center unveiled Asia’s House—a six-bedroom emergency shelter open to youths of all sexualities and gender identities who are 15-17 in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, per a press release. Asia’s House is named for Asia Jynaé Foster, a young transgender Houston resident and member of the Grace Place community who was murdered in 2020.
In Texas, U.S. District Court Judge David Hittner ruled that the state’s drag ban is an unconstitutional restriction of free speech in violation of the First Amendment, per LGBTQ Nation. The decision strikes down a 2023 law that anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed.
Susan Stewart was elected mayor of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, making her the resort town’s first openly gay mayor and its first woman mayor in decades, Instinct noted. Stewart won the Aug. 8 election with 61% of the vote, defeating three other candidates.
A Mississippi library is slated to receive its full budget after a mayor threatened to withhold money because the library displayed books with queer content for young readers, TampaBay28.com noted. Madison County Library System Director Tonja Johnson stated in January that Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee said he would withhold $110,000 from the Ridgeland Library because he received complaints about LGBTQ+ books.
The Archdiocese of Chicago has reinstated Rev. Michael Pfleger at St. Sabina Church after an independent review board concluded there was no reason to believe he sexually abused a minor decades ago, Axios noted, citing NBC 5 Chicago. On Facebook, Pfleger—who has been found not guilty of previous similar allegations—posted, “Thank you, God, and thanks to all who stood by me.”
Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library (SNMAL) will bring its flagship Stonewall National Education Program (SNEP) Symposium from its South Florida headquarters to New York City for the first time this fall, per a media release. The symposium will take place Sept. 24-26 in Manhattan, drawing teachers, school administrators, counselors, community partners and others from across the country.
Jerry Sharrell—a former publicist for TV therapist Dr. Phil McGraw—has claimed the talk-show host fired him because he is gay, per The Advocate, citing The Dallas Morning News. The suit also claims McGraw insulted Sharell during meetings because of his sexuality and that McGraw put him on an extended hiatus and excluded him when McGraw relocated staff from Los Angeles to the Fort Worth, Texas area to launch Envoy Media. McGraw’s attorney denied that Sharell’s hiatus was discriminatory or meant to be permanent.
Gay adult-film performer/content creator Christian Styles has died at age 29, PinkNews noted. Born Zachary Christian Jaghab in January 1997, he was raised in Michigan and began working in the adult-entertainment industry in 2021; two years later, he was recognised at the GayVN Awards, winning a fan-voted award alongside performer Chris Damned.
WORLD
India’s proposed overhaul of its foreign funding law (the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, or FCRA) could put new pressure on LGBTQ+ organizations that depend on overseas donations, The Los Angeles Blade noted. FCRA registration records and organizations’ financial disclosures show that such contributions have supported LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare and community services in India.
Japanese avant-garde artist Yoyoi Kusama—known for her colorful polka dots, pumpkins and infinity mirror rooms—has died at age 97, PinkNews noted. Kusama identified as asexual and developed an aversion to sex after, as a child, her mother forced her to spy on her father with his lovers; however, sexuality became a recurring theme in her work. According to Smithsonian magazine, Kusama established the Church of Self-Obliteration and appointed herself the “High Priestess of Polka Dots” to officiate at a same-sex wedding between two men in 1968.
And in Canada, queer activist/attorney barbara findlay (who preferred her name to be lower-case after a designer spelled her name on letterhead without capital letters) has died at 77, per CBC. Among other accomplishments, findlay advocated for allowing registering the names of both lesbian co-parents on their child’s birth certificate, and for the accommodation of a trans youth at a Catholic school.
Canada will lift restrictions that have stopped some gay and bisexual men from donating sperm by erasing questions about recent anal sex from its screening process, per Metro Weekly. Instead, Health Canada—the federal department responsible for national health policy—plans to rigorously test all donors for infectious diseases, including HIV as well as hepatitis virus strains B and C.
South African online LGBTQ+ news outlet MambaOnline has started a petition urging the country to reject a planned Pan-African “family values” conference, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. The 3rd Pan-African Conference on Family Values—organized by conservative groups that have campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights and comprehensive sexuality education across Africa—is scheduled to take place in Cape Town next May.
National Women’s Soccer League star Esther González is facing criticism after signing to Al-Qadsiah of Saudi Women’s Premier League—and has deleted photos of her wife and child from social media, according to Them, citing El Mundo. While Saudi Arabia does not have a codified legal code and is governed by interpretations of Sharia law, both homosexuality and gender nonconformity are criminalized. Queer people have posted that González signing with Al-Qadsiah as a gay woman may only be possible because of her financial privilege and status as a pro athlete.
Eight famous costumes worn by the late queer British musician Freddie Mercury—including the catsuit from the video for “Bohemian Rhapsody”—will be displayed at the V&A in London Oct. 24, 2016-Jan. 17, 2027 to mark what would have been the singer’s 80th birthday, according to The Guardian.
The State Department removed gay artist Kehinde Wiley’s 2015 commissioned painting from the United States embassy in the Dominican Republic, claiming the artist’s “violent and racist words and depictions” have no place in the foreign relations agency, per Hyperallergic. Leah Campos—the Trump-appointed US ambassador to the Dominican Republic—posted a video of the painting’s removal with the caption, “In the Trump Administration and under my leadership[,] we are turning away from globalist and woke ideologies and instead embracing American patriotism and the beauty of our great country! 
” Wiley is best known for painting Barack Obama’s presidential portrait in 2018.
The Cameroon police arrested main suspect Karl Liam regarding the investigation into the murder of 24-year-old Paul Gérard, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. Gérard’s murder on the night of Aug. 11-12 triggered mourning from the LGBTQ+ community—but also mocking from homophobic residents. Gérard had invited Karl Liam, a friend, to his home. The following morning, Gérard’s body was discovered in a pool of blood; the forensic examination concluded that he died by strangulation.
Alan Cumming’s first season as artistic director of Scotland’s Pitlochry Festival Theatre will include the world premiere of Martin Sherman’s I’ll Be Seeing You—which is about the life of the late flamboyant pianist/entertainer Liberace as seen through the eyes of a young writer, Playbill noted. Both leads will be gay, with Tony, BAFTA and Olivier winner Simon Russell Beale as Liberace and Fra Fee (The Ferryman) as the young writer. The production will run Sept. 22–Oct. 11, with Cumming co-directing alongside Pitlochry Associate Director Ben Occhipinti.
In Canada, the queer community criticized coffee chain Tim Hortons for its recent Harry Potter promotion, given author J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans views, CBC noted. “As a brand that is synonymous with Canada, Tim Hortons and their partnerships should reflect Canada—a country that is inclusive and proud of its diversity,” LGBTQ+-rights group Egale Canada said in a statement. Tim Hortons, in a statement to CBC News, said its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products is a “celebration of an iconic story, a way for Tims to sprinkle some magic into guests’ daily routines.”
GMAC listed five global LGBTQ+ scholarships for business-school students. They include Point Foundation, University of Cologne Business School, Imperial Business School, ESMT Berlin and Edinburgh University Business School scholarships.
The Moscow Times noted that former Pussy Riot member Rita Flores claimed she was forced into being an informant for Russia’s FSB security service. Flores said she gathered info on anti-war activists and was involved in a failed assassination plot against an exiled Kremlin critic.
SHOWBIZ
GLAAD was among the scores of individuals, publications and organizations saluting the late Dolly Parton. President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, in part, “Dolly Parton was not only the ‘Queen of Country Music,’ but indeed the queen of inclusivity and philanthropy. … Parton’s warm spirit, kindheartedness and joie de vivre deeply resonated with the LGBTQ community, cementing her as a global queer icon whose art always held space for outsiders, no matter the risk. Parton’s entire career was built on love and respect for all, and her unwavering allyship is a legacy that will last forever.”
In a heartfelt tribute to the late Dolly Parton, queer singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile said that she had “felt her leaving all week” and had been “asking folks to pray every day,” according to Them. “She took my face in her hands and prayed over me once,” Carlile posted. “I’ve never been the same since.”
And it turns out that Dolly Parton had a transgender chauffeur, Jason Pirro, who previously spoke with the press about Parton, saying the singer “knows all about me and is a very nice lady,” according to Them. Although the original 1990 Star article deadnames Pirro, it mentions that he had gender-affirming surgery and changed his name in the 1980s; it also claims he has a “genius-level IQ of 144.”
Following a decade of serious health complications, Broadway/movie star Tim Curry died at age 80 (like Parton) at his home in Los Angeles, according to Them. After originating the iconic role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show in London and Los Angeles, Curry led the original Broadway cast at the Belasco Theatre—and continued playing the role in the 1975 film. Among many other roles, he also played the evil clown Pennywise in the original TV adaptation of It.
Veejay Floresca—the first transgender winner of Project Runway—spotlighted her bridal looks in photos from her wedding ceremony and reception with her husband, whose name she did not share publicly, according to People. Floresca revealed a full-body look of her wedding dress with a mermaid silhouette that she designed. She announced her engagement on Facebook on Jan. 31.
There have been small rallies and protests outside Indiana Fever games after player Sophie Cunningham said in an ESPN profile that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports—but New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart is campaigning for safe spaces, the AP noted. “I want Liberty fans and even Indy fans that are going to come here tonight to be able to have this arena be a safe space,” Stewart told reports before the Liberty recently defeated the Fever 109-102.
In a related incident, former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom—who said he plans to enter the WNBA Draft in April—was ejected from a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever after becoming involved in a verbal altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud, per the BBC. Kanter Freedom (who has claimed there’s a lack of clear guidelines in the WNBA regarding transgender players) was wearing a T-shirt with the words “WOMAN noun. Adult human female.”
Madonna leads the 2026 MTV Video Music Award nominations, with 11, the AP noted. She has been nominated for best video, artist and song of the year as well as best collaboration, dance, direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography and visual effects. Taylor Swift follows Madonna with nine nods. The VMAs will broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 27, on CBS.
The 50th-anniversary edition of the late Anne Rice’s classic novel Interview with the Vampire will be out Oct. 6, a Knopf Books press release noted. The edition will feature a jacket with foil and embossing, sprayed edges, designed endpapers, a new foreword by Leigh Bardugo, an afterword by Christopher Rice (Anne’s son who happens to be part of the queer community), and never-before-seen bonus pages from Anne’s original manuscript.
Grammy-winning music legend Chaka Khan pushed back against being labeled a “straight icon for queer visibility,” as noted in a recent article in the British publication Observer, according to EW. After being told that “straight” meant “heterosexual,” Khan responded, “Am I? How do you know what the f— I am? I don’t ever share that part of my life. That’s nobody’s business but mine.”
Actor Nicholas Hoult has dropped out of playing the vain Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart in the upcoming second season of HBO’s Harry Potter reboot series—and has been replaced by Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington, Them noted, citing Deadline. Harrington also played Lockhart in Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions.
The Lionsgate horror movie Turning Point—co-starring out gay actor DJ Qualls—was released on streaming services Aug. 25, per a press release. The plot is described thusly: “Trapped within the home of a zombie in transition, Margot and her partner-in-crime must find their way out before they become the ghoul’s first victims. Their only hope for survival is a bizarre neighbor with an expert knowledge of the undead and the flicker of humanity remaining in their mutating stalker.”
More than three decades after its release, Milli Vanilli’s “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” soundtracks Saint Laurent’s fall 2026 campaign, per a press release. Under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello and shot by Talia Chetrit, the retro-inspired campaign film stars Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie, pop star ROSÉ and supermodel Liu Wen dancing to the track. The campaign arrives amid a broader cultural resurgence for Fab Morvan, who was half of Milli Vanilli; in recent years, audiences have rediscovered the duo’s story through film, television and streaming.
Queer pop artist/virtuoso pianist Saint Micah (fka Micah McLaurin) has released “Papillon” via Casa Doce Music, a press release noted. The song is the second single in his transformative new era. McLaurin adopted the moniker Saint Micah and is creating music in his own voice about embracing freedom, individuality and sexuality—in sharp contrast to his childhood experiences in a homophobic religious household.