Warning: This column mentions details of violent activities.
NATIONAL
The Georgia Department of Administrative Services paid $250,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by former Georgia Southern University employee Gemma Skuraton, who said she was fired after opposing decisions affecting LGBTQ+ students, WTOC reported. Skuraton—the university’s former director of student wellness and health promotion—objected after the university rejected a proposal to provide free chest binders to students. Both sides agreed to the settlement, and both denied any wrongdoing.
In California, the Shasta County Board of Education voted to simplify its nondiscrimination and harassment policy—by removing explicit protections for transgender and non-gender-conforming students, KRCR noted. Many residents protested the decision, including one who said, “Please let these protections stay—not because every child needs them, but because somewhere in this community, a child does, and that should be enough.“
The National Trans Visibility March will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 14-17, according to its website. The event is being promoted as “a weekend of advocacy, education, healing, community and celebration.” Next year, it’s slated to take place in Chicago. Interested persons can click here to register for this year’s march.
Seattle moved a step closer to becoming the tenth U.S. city to adopt protections for polyamorous and other “nontraditional” relationships, LGBTQ Nation noted. The protections would apply to employment, housing, obtaining business licenses, places of public accommodation, park usage and “bias-free policing.” West Hollywood, California; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Hazel Park, Michigan are among other cities with similar protections.
Black trans woman Sophie Lee was shot and killed in Baltimore, The Advocate noted, citing WMAR. Authorities were still looking for a suspect in Lee’s death, as well as a motive, WBAL added. Lee was raised in Baltimore and was connected to several ballroom houses, including Gabbana, Voltaire, Pink Lady and the House of Champions (House of Balenciaga), per Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents.
Karlie and Amanda Easley—a married lesbian couple—aired a joint campaign video as they run for separate seats in Idaho, IdahoEdNews.org noted. “We’re a married lesbian couple running for office in deep-red Idaho,” Amanda said, with Karlie adding, “We’re not politicians; we’re moms.” Karlie is running for the state Senate while Amanda is aiming for House Seat 22B. The elections are in November.
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists welcomed Rick Stuckey as its new national board president, and announced the election and appointment of members to its 2026-27 board of directors, a press release noted. Dana Piccoli and Dennis Valera were elected to their first terms on the board as at-large directors. Immediate Past President Ken Miguel was also elected to an at-large director position along with Erik Hall, who reached the term limit of his service as vice president of print and online.
The Very Rev. Micah Cronin was named dean of Milwaukee’s All Saints’ Cathedral—becoming the Episcopal Church’s first transgender dean of a cathedral, The Advocate noted. The faith leader, 30, told the Episcopal News Service that he grew up in a conservative church in rural New York state that didn’t accept his transgender identity, but converted to being Episcopalian at 19 after finding an affirming church in Olean, New York.
Rough Draft Atlanta—which owns and operates the Atlanta-based LGBTQ+ news outlet the Georgia Voice—was one of 12 organizations selected for the second year of the Google News Initiative (GNI) Growth Catalyst Program, Press Pass Q noted. The program is an initiative that aims to help already successful news organizations achieve significant growth through geographic expansion.
The newsmagazine show 60 Minutes caught Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl—hoaxers who once sparked a wrongful sexual assault investigation into Pete Buttigieg—marketing themselves as pardon brokers, per The Advocate. The pair was captured on video meeting with Ammon Covino, a felon who previously applied for a pardon from President Joe Biden, but had that pardon rejected before Donald Trump returned to power.
Visit Greater Palm Springs—the official destination marketing and management organization for Southern California’s Coachella Valley—announced in a press release that it has elevated its relationship with the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) to a Gold-level Global Partnership.
Openly gay New York congressional candidate Chris Gallant’s past as a model for a San Francisco fetish shop has been uncovered, according to The Advocate, citing Out. Gallant—who is running to oust GOP Rep. Nick LaLota and help the Democratic Party retake the House majority in 2026—used to model for Mr. S Leather. Gallant’s attorney Sara Azari said in a statement to The New York Post, “The photographs are authentic and were taken during a private, consensual photo session involving Chris and his then-partner, with whom he was in a committed four-year relationship.”
WORLD
Hunted by authorities, two LGBTQ+-rights activists have fled Sierra Leone, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. Pride Equality Executive Director George Reginald Freeman Browne and his partner, fellow activist Edwin Bolaji Deen, have been wanted by Sierra Leone police since Aug. 30, when authorities raided a party the couple attended.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar plans to change legislation introduced under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that basically banned same-sex couples from adopting children, YNET Global noted. Until late 2020, same-sex couples could adopt if one partner submitted the application as a single person; then, Orbán’s government changed the law.
A new Outright International report concluded that 90% of global LGBTQ+-rights groups have lost funding since January 2025, per The Los Angeles Blade. Outright surveyed 229 such organizations in 94 countries. “For nearly half of the respondents, the cuts removed most of the resources that sustained the organization,” according to the report.
The South Pacific archipelago of Fiji has declared a national crisis over its recent rise in HIV cases, The Advocate noted. On Sept. 15, Fiji Minister for Health and Medical Services Atonio Lalabalavu declared HIV a national emergency; the nation previously declared an HIV outbreak in January 2025.
Turkish authorities arrested dozens of people—with at least 162 targeted in judicial proceedings—during a crackdown on the country’s LGBTQ+ community, Erasing 76 Crimes noted, citing DW. Also, Turkish media reports relayed that Istanbul’s Seventh Criminal Peace Court ordered the blocking of the pro-LGBTQ+ “Kaos GL” website. Other websites in the order included: 17 May, ÜniKuir, Pink Life, SPoD, Genç LGBTİ+, Lambda Istanbul and Muamma LGBTİ+.
Queer comedian/actress Wanda Sykes said that she’s never accepted an invitation to perform at Saudi Arabia’s annual Riyadh Comedy Festival, per Complex. On the Ziwe podcast, Sykes said, “I’m a Black gay woman. What the hell am I going to…I like my head on my body. It fits.” Talking with Variety, Sykes added that it’s “anti-comedy” for festival organizers to reportedly request that comedians not criticize the Saudi government. “If you complain about cancel culture, but then you go and take money to not say things, I mean,” she said.
In early September, almost 200 pastoral workers and 10 Italian bishops gathered in Rome for the first national conference for pastoral workers, New Ways Ministry noted. Entitled Good Practices in Pastoral Ministry with Homo-Affective* and Transgender People,” the meeting involved sharing experiences and approaches in ministry with LGBTQ+ people.
Openly gay German adult content creator Riccardo Staudt—known online as Noah Segsy—died at the age of 22 after drowning in a swimming pool in Cyprus, according to Instinct. Staudt had developed a substantial audience across social media, including 221,000 followers on Instagram. Cypriot media noted that the pool was “not particularly deep,” raising questions about how the accident occurred.
In the UK, Rev. Bernard Randall—who was fired from Trent College after telling students they did not have to believe in “LGBT stuff”—reached a legal agreement with the school, Yahoo! News Australia noted. After losing an unfair dismissal claim, Randall’s case had been set for a new tribunal over possible bias on the panel that made the ruling.
Princess Diana’s provocative “revenge dress” (that she wore in 1994) is going on sale for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to CNN. The gown, by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, will be exhibited in London before heading to Hong Kong, Geneva, and New York City, where it is expected to sell for up to $300,000 when it goes under the hammer on Dec. 9.
Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion returned to the stage nearly four years after announcing she had been battling a rare, painful condition, NPR noted. Dion opened her 16-show residency in Paris at the Plenitude Arena with the French song “On Ne Change Pas,” and had tears in her eyes afterward. The Grammy winner revealed in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome.
Team USA won the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup with a 97-79 victory over France, per media reports. Queer star Breanna Stewart was named tournament MVP after scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the final.
In the world of tennis, Swiss player Mika Brunold defeated Brazilian João Lucas Reis da Silva 6-4, 6-3 in the Tulln Challenger championship match—the first known final between two out gay male pro tennis players, PinkNews noted. After the match, Brunold acknowledged the role his fellow player had played in him coming out.
SHOWBIZ
Playing With Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency—the latest environmental doc film by queer artists and ecosexual trailblazers Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens—will screen theatrically in the United States in select cities throughout September through November, and will then release digitally in the U.S. and Canada in November, a press release noted. Narrated by a mythical white peacock, Playing With Fire aims to document their adventures in the wake of disaster while honoring the broader communities impacted by ecological and social fires.
Lilly Wachowski accused Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling of “funding trans genocide” and compared her to the Nazis—and Rowling responded, EW noted. Rowling’s agent, Neil Blair, issued a statement saying, in part, “To correct Lilly Wachowski, through The J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, J.K Rowling supports women taking legal action in the UK to preserve their existing rights under the Equality Act 2010, which are often overlooked or threatened. She does not support legal actions aimed at harming transgender people or efforts to limit trans rights.” However, Rowling has frequently identified with the TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) movement.
Andrew Garfield stars as OpenAI’s openly gay CEO Sam Altman in the Luca Guadagnino vehicle Artificial, Instinct noted. The film is a darkly comic drama centered on the five-day boardroom crisis that saw Altman fired and then rehired in November 2023.
Openly LGBTQ+ British actor Andrew Scott and UK Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite) are among the stars in the movie Elsinore—the emotional and inspirational true story of Scottish actor Ian Charleson (Chariots of Fire), who died of AIDS in 1990, a press release noted. The movie had its Toronto International Film Festival premiere on Sept. 14 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
NewFest announced the full lineup for the 38th edition of its annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, which runs Oct. 15-25, a press release noted. The Netflix epic La Bola Negra will be the opening-night film while The Man I Love (with Oscar winner Rami Malek) will close the festival. Mouse (with Sophie Okenedo), Black Burns Fast, Elsinore (with out actor Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman), Club Kid, a Dolly Parton double of 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, and the documentaries Gays Against Guns and Karen Williams: I Had to Laugh are just a few of the other movies slated to be shown. Select films will also stream virtually through NewFest’s on-demand platform on Oct. 15-30.
Bob Mackie, the “Designer to the Stars” whose visually provocative Hollywood style defined glamour for the 1970s, has died at age 87, the AP reported. Mackie won nine Emmys and a Tony, and was nominated for three Oscars, including one for Barbra Streisand’s Funny Lady; he was also known for his close professional relationships with Cher and Carol Burnett. Ray Aghayan was Mackie’s sometime collaborator and longtime partner, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts honoree Barbra Streisand criticized President Donald Trump‘s “unchecked ego” amid the ongoing fight surrounding the building, Rolling Stone noted. Trump has been attempting to remake the iconic D.C. building—a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy—in his own image. Trump also threatened to cancel a planned $257 million renovation if his name wasn’t placed on the building. Streisand called the battle over the center “galling and painful to witness.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Katya Zamolodchikova (real name: Brian McCook) said she has to cancel her upcoming live events and ongoing projects (including her tour with Trixie Mattel) due to health problems, Parade noted. The news came after the drag queen underwent emergency abdominal surgery in May.
Queer New York native singer/songwriter/producer Gus Dapperton announced his fourth studio album, 4 Dear Life, out Oct. 23 via ALTER Music, per a press release. There are also a new single and self-directed music video for “Queen.” Hot on the heels of his previous track “Take Me Out To The Disco,” Dapperton is gearing up for his first album in three years.
The current North American touring production of the Tony-winning Disney musical The Lion King—which launched in 2002—will close after its August 15, 2027, performance, according to Playbill. However, there will be a newly configured production that will launch, with cities, dates and casting to be announced at a later time.
Openly gay actor David Hyde Pierce (who played Niles on Frasier) is returning to NBC with a new comedy project, Deadline noted. It comes from sitcom veteran Marco Pennette, co-creator of another 1990s NBC comedy, Caroline In the City.
Kate Mansi will star as Catherine in Arizona Theatre Company’s upcoming production of David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof—her first major acting project since she exited General Hospital after three years as lesbian Kristina Corinthos-Davis, People noted.
Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following several of the rapper’s comments supporting Palestinians in Gaza—a cause he has been vocal about in the past, People noted, citing Rolling Stone. On Instagram, Macklemore discussed his removal, adding that he and Sheeran “had some difficult conversations.” However, four of Sheeran’s supporting acts abruptly quit in solidarity with Macklemore (who said he’s donating $1 million to Palestinian-rights organizations), NPR stated.
A cause of death was determined for 29-year-old gay adult performer Christian Styles, per The Advocate, citing People. Styles died on Aug. 20 due to alcohol and mitragynine toxicity. Mitragynine is the active chemical compound in the drug kratom; combined with alcohol, it “increases the risk for sudden death,” the medical examiner wrote.