Warning: This column mentions details of killings.
NATIONAL
In Indiana, six candidates for Owen County township offices in the November election are coming out to voters, introducing themselves on two billboards, WISH noted. The promotion, paid for by the Stonewall Democrats of South Central Indiana, marks the first time the organization has endorsed any candidates in the rural, conservative county. The candidates include Jacob Balash, Clay Township board; Stephanie Barlow, Morgan Township board; Shea Finnegan, Franklin Township board; Collin Rotella, Morgan Township trustee; Phillip O’Neil, Washington Township trustee; and Ruth Jones, Washington Township board.
U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate (defeating progressive medical scientist Karishma Manzur, among others)—and put himself one step closer to making LGBTQ+ history, The Advocate noted. If elected in November (when he will face former New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu), Pappas would become the first out gay man elected to the Senate and only the third out LGBTQ+ senator in U.S. history
Texas state Rep. Venton Jones (D) announced that he married longtime partner Gregory Scott Jr., according to LGBTQ Nation. “From the day I asked Gregory to marry me on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives, our journey has been grounded in the belief that love conquers all,” Jones posted.
Witt v. Air Force, a short documentary film directed by Ben Proudfoot, had its world premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival, per a press release. The short follows Major Margaret H. Witt (USAF, Ret.)—who was suspended and faced discharge in 2004 because of her sexual orientation—and her legal battle against the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital System agreed to stop providing gender-affirming care for youth and pay $2 million to former patients, according to an agreement that the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced, Gay City News noted. The DoJ’s announcement contained inflammatory and false rhetoric about trans individuals and even questioned the existence of gender-affirming care.
Provo, Utah resident Damyen Vainuku, 18—accused of stalking a former high school classmate and threatening to kill him and his family—now faces charges involving hate-crime enhancements after allegedly saying he “couldn’t wait to kill a gay person,” The Advocate reported. Salt Lake City police began investigating on Aug. 21 after West High School staff received a report that Vainuku had threatened the man (who he had attended school with) and his family the previous day.
Two women who helped kidnap, rape and torture Black Minnesota trans man Sam Nordquist, 24, to death in New York in 2025 will spend the rest of their lives in prison, The Advocate noted, citing Syracuse.com. Prosecutors said Precious Arzuaga was the ringleader of the plot to lure Nordquist to Ontario County, New York. Nordquist reportedly believed he was going to meet a girlfriend he had met online. Instead, a group of people kept Nordquist captive for weeks, beating him with objects and sexually assaulting him before his body was found in nearby Yates County.
Lesbian U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minnesota) nominated herself up to succeed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who recently announced her retirement amid the league’s growing popularity and recent controversies, The Hill noted. Craig lost to Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the Democratic primary for retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s (D-Minnesota) seat, in what was considered a win for progressives over moderates within the party.
Youth advocate/model Zaya Wade will be this year’s Model of Pride honoree, the Los Angeles LGBT Center noted. Wade will be at the 34th annual Models of Pride Youth Summit on Saturday, Oct. 10, where she’ll receive the Model of Pride Award, recognizing her philanthropy and advocacy supporting LGBTQ+ youth in Los Angeles. Models of Pride is the world’s largest FREE event for queer youth, bringing together LGBTQ+ youth ages 24 and younger and their friends.
In Portland, someone vandalized U.S. Army veteran Tracy Hager’s combination Pride/American flag outside her home, KGW reported. Someone had painted an expletive in red on a column beneath where her Pride flag was flying; under the phrase, Hager found an item that police told her was most likely a trans-anarchy symbol.
The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) removed funding from just two of the nearly 180 arts organizations that it supports—and they’re both LGBTQ+, according to Them, citing the Charleston-based newspaper The Post and Courier. The SCAC changed its reasoning for pulling funds from being “structured around specific sexual orientations” to lacking “artistic merit” after it received a letter from the South Carolina ACLU in mid-August.
As part of its “Focus on the Future” series, Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library will host an event at Florida’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Oct. 22, per a press release. The Fort Lauderdale event will feature veteran broadcast journalist Charles Perez and David Ovalle, Florida correspondent for The New York Times, in a discussion examining the state of journalism, among other issues.
Lonnie Bunch—who once led the Chicago History Museum—is stepping down from leading the Smithsonian Institution following a year in which President Donald Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S. history by the Smithsonian museums and other cultural entities, PBS reported. Bunch—the Smithsonian’s first Black head—is subject to oversight from a board of regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and so-called citizen regents.
WORLD
Switzerland’s government is backing a nationwide ban on so-called conversion therapy, The Washington Blade noted. Lawmakers in Neuchâtel, Valais and Vaud have barred the widely discredited practice in their respective cantons, while Bern and Geneva are among the other cantons in which lawmakers have considered similar prohibitions. Several EU countries—Belgium, Cyprus, France, Malta, Norway, Portugal, and Spain—have completely barred conversion therapy.
After almost a decade, the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation decided that trans people have a legal right to change their name and gender markers on official ID documents, LGBTQ Nation noted, citing The Washington Blade. The case began when a Bulgarian trans woman moved to Italy and was repeatedly told she couldn’t change her legal name and gender on her home country’s documents. The court confirmed in July that it will comply with the highest court of the European Union, which previously heard her case.
In Bangladesh, third-gender hijra community leader Mousumi Hijra, 52, was found dead—and murder is suspected in her death, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Police suspect that Mousumi was strangled; she was found with blood coming from her mouth and an apparent ligature mark around her neck.
A 30-foot mural of the iconic queer British musician Freddie Mercury was unveiled at London’s Wembley Park to mark what would have been the singer’s 80th birthday, a press release noted. Frank Styles’ artwork, called “I’m Mr Mercury,” is only clearly visible when viewed from a single marked spot about 65 feet away; from anywhere else, it breaks up into color and lines. The artwork transforms Wembley Park’s Spanish Steps, the key pedestrian link between two of iconic UK live venues—Wembley Stadium and OVO Arena Wembley, formerly Wembley Arena. The installation will run until December.
In Russia, the Tagansky District Court fined the global hotel-reservation service Booking.com 6 million rubles (almost $70,000) over accusations of “LGBT propaganda” and failing to delete banned materials, United 24 Media noted, citing Astra. The charges stemmed from a newsletter that mentioned accommodating queer guests during Pride Month events.
In Cameroon, at least 68 people identified or perceived as gay were arrested in the Makepe and Bonamoussadi neighborhoods of Douala while being charged of homosexuality, per Erasing 76 Crimes. All but nine people were soon released after they were taken to various police stations.
And in Sierra Leone, authorities raided a private party for gay men at the Hill Valley Hotel in the country’s capital of Freetown, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. Under a rarely enforced law dating back to 1861 and kept on the books when the nation became independent in 1961, any man found guilty of “buggery” can be imprisoned from 10 years to life.
The IGLTA Foundation—the philanthropic arm of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association—announced the recipients of this year’s Global Convention fellowships, a press release noted. They include Kabir Singh Tomar (he/him), the founder of India-based Queer Travelogue; Pongsatorn Archawapongsagorn (he/him), founder and executive director of Pride Ready Asia; Khin Sandar Han (she/her), a senior studying tourism and business management in Thailand; Sahil Choudhary (he/him), program director of India’s first LGBTQ+ Center at The Naz Foundation; and Christopher Adams (he/him), the Spain-based founder of No Sex Gay Weekend and Get Social.
Grindr will pay £26 million ($35 million) to settle a lawsuit brought against the company in the UK, Queerty noted. Law firm Austen Hays raised the claim on behalf of 12,000 UK-based users of the app, claiming that Grindr violated UK privacy laws over a period of time leading up to early 2020. In 2021, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority fined the company €6.5 million ($7.5 million) for not letting users opt out of their data being sold to third parties.
SHOWBIZ
Effective Dec. 31, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is stepping down from her position, according to Them. The WNBA’s statement of Engelbert’s retirement did not mention the anti-trans attacks on the league that have dominated right-wing airwaves since Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham made remarks opposing trans athletes in July.
Also, Michael Alter, principal owner of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, issued a statement in the wake of being sued by Enes Kanter Freedom—a former NBA player who said he plans to enter the WNBA draft next year—for allegedly violating his First Amendment rights, per a press release. “This lawsuit is meritless and frivolous,” Alter said. “Freedom was removed for his conduct, not his speech. We look forward to the truth prevailing in court.” ESPN noted that Kanter Freedom was involved in a verbal altercation with Sky point guard Natasha Cloud during an Aug. 23 game against the Indiana Fever; he was sitting courtside in a black T-shirt that read: “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”
Janet Jackson will celebrate the 40th anniversary of her iconic album Control with a Dec. 12 concert at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida—and it will be filmed for a theatrical movie, Complex noted. She added that the concert will include “new costumes” and a “glimpse into the making of the album.”
Jennifer Lopez joined those grieving the recent Tucson, Arizona gay bar shooting that left three people dead (including the shooter), Instinct noted. “Heartbroken over yet another senseless act of violence against our LGBTQIA+ community. Sending love and strength to everyone in Tucson, and to the loved ones of those we lost. You are seen, you are loved,” Lopez wrote.Arizona police confirmed that the shooting was a hate crime. Vincent Anthony Siqueiros, 42, and Cameron Davis Capara, 33, were in the parking lot of the Venture-N bar when suspect Ousman Ceesay, 44, confronted them; authorities said Ceesay had a list of other LGBTQ+-associated businesses in the region.
All 41 Broadway theater marquees dimmed simultaneously on Sept. 8 for one minute, per Time Out Worldwide. Among those being honored were Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Josh Grisetti, Anna Louizos and Harold Wheeler, along with a dozen other artists and industry professionals.
The UK psychological thriller series Tip Toe—starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey—will debut Oct. 2 on STARZ, per Bleeding Cool News. The show, from openly gay showrunner Russell T. Davies (Doctor Who), premiered in late May in the UK. The story focuses on two longtime neighbors in a Manchester suburb whose lives take a sudden, sharp turn after Leo (Cummings) discovers one of Clive’s (Morrissey) sons is gay.
Queer horror novelist/filmmaker Clive Barker released the Library of the Dead anthology project exclusively on Kickstarter, per Variety. The anthology consists of three books—Fear Eternal, Pyres of Bedlam and Dark Descents—and the project is collectively a spiritual successor to Barker’s Books of Blood.
Dolly Parton‘s Hollywood Walk of Fame star has been replaced after the original one was vandalized following her death, per Yahoo! The star, which Parton received in 1984, is at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. Also, Parton’s estate announced the first large public programs honoring the late superstar, with events titled “DollyFest: The Celebration of a Lifetime” set to take place in Nashville and London on successive weekends in 2027.
The Tony- and Olivier-winning play Oh, Mary! will debut on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max next year, a press release announced. The production stars and was written by non-binary Tony winner Cole Escola, and was directed for the stage and screen by Tony winner Sam Pinkleton.
Commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Celebration Theatre hosted a reading of the play WTC View—about a gay New Yorker’s roommate search after that fateful day— at LA’s Renberg Theatre on Sept. 11. The reading featured Miles Heizer (from the Netflix series Boots), Zane Phillips, Avi Roque and more, with original star Michael Urie directing.
Oscar-nominated German actress Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) stars in the movie Rose, which will be in U.S. theaters on Dec. 11 via MUBI, per a press release. Amid the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, somewhere in Germany, a soldier appears in a secluded village—but the soldier hides a major secret. The trailer is here.
Blacklight Global Entertainment acquired the U.S. distribution rights to We’re Nothing At All, the latest film from Hong Kong filmmaker Herman Yau, starring Patrick Tam, Anson Kong and Ansonbean, a press release noted. Blacklight will launch the film’s U.S. release with special screenings beginning in Los Angeles in October, including a West Coast premiere on Oct. 10 at The Culver Theater. The plot is described thusly: “A bus explodes, killing multiple passengers, with evidence pointing to a deliberate act by two of the victims: Fai and Ike— a gay couple living on society’s margins. As retired forensic expert Lung Sir investigates, he pieces together the young men’s relationship and the circumstances that brought them to that fateful day, revealing a story shaped by abuse, homophobia, social alienation and despair.”
The HBO Original documentary Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie—about the late deaf, queer American Gladiators competitor nicknamed “Siren”—will debut Tuesday, Sept. 22, per a press release. Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin came upon the story of Beattie—another deaf woman whose life felt like her own. Both women had experienced adventure and fame, but also discrimination, abuse and addiction while navigating a hearing world. Siren explores the parallels between the two women.
Ryan Murphy‘s long-running series American Horror Story is back for its 13th season on Sept. 24 on FX and Hulu—and the new trailer teases Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters in an all-star season, Variety noted. While Lange will be reprising all four of her former Horror Story characters, Peters will play five different people and Paulson will play six. Angela Bassett and Emma Roberts are among other actors returning.
Good Morning America has altered its weekend co-anchor lineup, a press release noted. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 12, ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott will join veteran “GMA” weekend co-anchor Whit Johnson on Saturdays, while ABC News correspondent Rhiannon Ally will join LGBTQ+ co-anchor and ABC News transportation correspondent Gio Benitez on Sundays.
The queer entertainment platform Mencrush announced the debut of Crush House, an original reality show centered on attraction, relationships, identity, friendship and contemporary queer life, a press release noted. The series—which debuts Sept. 18 on MENCRUSH.com—brings together a diverse group of queer personalities and content creators in an unscripted environment. The teaser trailer is here.
Actress/singer Missi Pyle came out in a recent episode Shut Up Evan, Netflix’s video podcast show that gay pop-culture commentator Evan Ross Katz hosts, LGBTQ Nation noted. During the show’s Group Chat segment, Pyle talked with Katz, genderqueer musician King Princess and TV producer Norman Baker about dating. Pyle said, “I’m single, so I’m ready to get it on,” later adding that the other person’s gender doesn’t matter—specifying that she would be open to a younger girlfriend and, potentially, polyamory.
Guyanese-British Black Panther actress Letitia Wright is officially joining an elite group of openly queer actors who have held major roles across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to Autostraddle.(Others include openly bisexual Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, openly gay actor Ian McKellen as Magneto and openly bisexual Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler.) Wright’s status was confirmed after her wife posted pictures of them together at Wright’s recent play premiere.
Gay adult-film star/burlesque dancer Hunter Hardin, also known as LuLu LoveBottom, has died at age 30, per PinkNews. Hardin died after leaving a goodbye message on Instagram, reading, “I love you and I’m sorry I was unable to make it to the end. GOODBYE FOREVER. Love, LuLu.” He added that he had “been hurt for the last time by someone I shared my heart with
”
New York-based Japanese composer/pianist Miu Sato’s forthcoming EP, To Let Me Be Me, will be out Sept. 18 on Joy Machine Records, per a press release. It’s stated that the work “explores the deeply personal experience of existing between cultures and navigating the complexities of identity, belonging, and self-discovery.”
NOTE: This week’s column mentions a probable suicide. If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988, or chat via 988lifeline.org to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.