Warning: This column mentions violent activities.
NATIONAL
While transgender and intersex Kansas residents challenge the state’s driver’s license and restroom restrictions, Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach contended that the plaintiffs have not shown the law harmed them, The Advocate reported. And to challenge their claims that the law could basically reveal them as trans or intersex, state attorneys have used the plaintiffs’ own social-media posts—some of them years old—to argue that public disclosures undermine their expectation of privacy.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is planning to grant nearly $9 million to non-profit health providers to deliver gender-affirming care services for trans youth, Gay City News noted. This development happened after several private hospitals gave in to pressure from the Trump administration and stopped providing such care to youth and some adults.
Queer dating app Grindr is moving into healthcare with the $250 million acquisition of PurposeMed, the parent company of HIV-prevention telehealth provider Freddie, PinkNews noted. The app’s website stated, “Grindr users in the US and Canada can choose to access free or low cost PrEP care through the Grindr app.” This marks Grindr’s first major acquisition since the company was founded in 2009.
And Perry Street—the company behind Scruff and Jack’d—announced plans for a multi-million-dollar, multi-year investment to completely rebuild GROWLR, modernize its design and expand its presence in the GBTQ+ bear community, Instinct noted. Founded in 2010, GROWLR now serves nearly half a million members every day.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) agreed to pay $1.44 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting or failing to delete false or invalid diagnosis codes in order to increase payments it received from the Medicare Advantage program, per a U.S. Department of Justice press release. The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Donna Irons, a former risk adjustment coder at AHF.
Actor Elliot Page joined crowds of trans people and accomplices rallying outside of NYU Langone Health in New York City to protest the hospital giant ending its gender-affirming program at the Trump administration’s request, per The Advocate. After Trump threatened to revoke federal funding from medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care to minors, major New York City hospital systems such as NYU Langone, Mount Sinai and New York Presbyterian ended their programs.
President Trump used an anti-trans slur three times in a Truth Social post to insult the Democratic Senate candidate for South Carolina, pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews—with both Democrats and Republicans criticizing him, LGBTQ Nation noted. Trump called her “Annie ‘Tr***ie’ Andrews” while praising her Republican opponent, Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsay Graham. Among Trump’s critics was former Republican South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, who called the name-calling “abhorrent.”
However, Dr. Annie Andrews has now released a campaign ad in which she states that she does not support trans athletes playing in sports that affirm their gender identity, The Advocate reported. Andrews’ ad reaffirms her previous position on trans athletes in sports. In September, Andrews told Forbes that she doesn’t “support biological men playing in women’s sports and I also don’t support and have never performed gender surgery on minors.”
Another anti-trans Democrat has made an ad, per The Advocate. In an ad, incumbent North Carolina Democratic Congressman Don Davis appears on a football field and discusses the importance of “fairness” in sports, adding, “I approve this message because there should always be a safe and fair space for women and girls in sports.” In Ohio, a new campaign ad from Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur drew criticism from Lucas County Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates over its messaging on trans athletes in school sports, according to WTVG.
In Virginia, early voting is underway as voters decide whether to make changes to the state Constitution—including the second proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot, which addresses marriage equality, WSET noted. The question reads, “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
In Georgia, Riverdale’s Charles R. Drew High School won’t let a transgender girl run for homecoming queen—so she’s challenging the restrictions that kept her off the ballot, The Advocate noted. Riley Williams launched a Change.org petition urging schools to allow students to participate in activities such as homecoming based on their gender identity. Clayton County Public Schools claimed its decision was an interpretation of federal requirements.
On LinkedIn, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Kelley Robinson welcomed the newest members of the HRC and Human Rights Campaign Foundation boards of directors. They include former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Julie Anderton, Marcus McElroy, Chunkit Fung, brand ambassador Andrew Walsh-Bare, Ryan Roche and Carol Ebersole-Weiss.
Grace Detrevarah—a community leader who was a key member of the New York-based non-profit Osborne Association—died Oct. 2 at age 63, Gay City News noted.
On Sept. 25-27, Outreach, a mostly online Catholic LGBTQ+ resource, led a group of pilgrims on a three-day journey through New York City, New Ways Ministry noted.The journey aimed to reflect upon the experience of LGBTQ+ Catholics in New York, paying particular attention to the HIV/AIDS crisis and its Catholic response.
Honolulu Pride will take place Oct. 14-18, with the parade/festival on Oct. 17, GayCities noted. The website asks people to join “for Pride 2026: Ho‘omau—a celebration of queer resilience, unity and perseverance in the heart of Waikīkī.” Big Freedia will headline the Pride concert on Oct. 15.
In an anti-trans rant at the Choctaw Event Center in Durant, Oklahoma, President Trump claimed that he’s going to allow two men—Enes Kanter Freedom and Dennis Rodman, both of whom were in attendance—to join the WNBA, LGBTQ Nation noted. Kanter Freedom is one of two male basketball players who claimed they will try out for the WNBA to protest the women’s basketball league for reportedly allowing transgender women to play; it’s not known why Rodman was mentioned.
Dennis Hastert—the longtime House speaker who was later convicted of offering hush money in a case involving the sexual abuse of underage boys—died in his home in Kendall County, Illinois, at age 84, according to media reports.
WORLD
Approximately 500 people rallied in Taipei’s Ximending district to protest a police raid on a gay bar, alleging excessive enforcement and discrimination, Focus Taiwan reported. The demonstrators gathered outside Hanzhong Street Police Station and marched to Ximending Police Station, demanding an apology from authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said he ordered the precinct to review any inappropriate conduct.
Reportedly hunted by authorities, Sierra Leone LGBTQ+-rights activists George Reginald Freeman Browne and Edwin Bolaji Deen have fled the country and reached safety in Spain, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. With help from Jean-Marc Berthon, the French ambassador for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, a visa was granted to Deen for travel to Barcelona; Freeman has Spanish citizenship, so he did not need one.
Global Black Pride has been accused of not paying its consultants as well as announcing scholarship awards that it had no money to pay, per Erasing 76 Crimes. The consultants’ accounts are similar to some of the criticisms voiced by Princess Jauan Durbin, a U.S.-based leader of vice president of Community Health and Partnerships for the Southern Legal Center for Youth.
In Brazil, the state of Rio Grande do Norte elected Thabatta Pimenta as its first out transgender representative to the country’s National Congress, The Advocate noted. Pimenta is the third out trans person elected to the legislative body as she joins Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert, who were both elected in 2022.
In the UK, Green Party guidance has claimed anti-queer laws in Middle Eastern countries are the British Empire’s fault, per the Telegraph. The guidance, published on the Muslim Greens website, is intended for the Green Party in England and Wales. On the website, the group stated that “queerphobic legislation in many Muslim-majority countries is deeply tied to colonialism.”
Mauritius’ National Human Rights Commission recommended that the government legally recognize same-sex marriages, adding that the refusal to do so is discriminatory and lacks justification under domestic law, Human Rights Watch noted. The recommendation happened after two same-sex couples filed complaints alleging that the country’s civil status office’s refusal to register their marriage was biased.
British immigration authorities are tracking a suspected criminal network believed to be behind dozens of fake asylum claims from straight Bangladeshi people pretending to be gay so they can claim that returning home would put their lives at risk, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France President Shahanur Islam commented that it’s a scam that has “devastating consequences for genuine LGBTQI+ asylum seekers.”
In Turkey, the İstanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace shut down independent news website T24 and its social-media accounts over content prosecutors described as “LGBT propaganda,” per the Turkish Minute. Prosecutors claimed T24 had published 118 items over the past year that they classified as “LGBT propaganda.” T24’s social-media presence includes an X account with about 1.9 million followers.
Also regarding Turkey, queer pop star Mabel Matiz is facing obscenity charges for showing two men dancing together in a music video—even though they’re fully clothed, per LGBTQ Nation. “Two people looking at each other and dancing together is not a crime,” Matiz told prosecutors about the video for “Ha Leyli.”
London authorities announced San Francisco drag legend Heklina’s cause of death, ending a three-and-a-half-year-long investigation after the performer’s body was found in a SoHo flat by her friend, fellow drag figure Peaches Christ, in 2023, SFGate noted, citing The San Francisco Chronicle. Heklina (real name: Stefan Thor Grygelko) died of acute mixed drug toxicity, with cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamines, GHB and ketamine among the illegal substances in her system. Police also admitted the case was mishandled because of “investigative bias” after CCTV footage of three men leaving Heklina’s flat was not released for 21 months.
Legendary British pop duo Pet Shop Boys’ new album A man from the future—a collaboration with Alan Turing biographer Andrew Hodges—is out now via Parlophone Records, a press release noted. The new musical composition includes songs, spoken word, and electronic and orchestral music, and explores eight significant chapters in the life and death of Turing, the late gay British codebreaker/mathematician.
In Israel, the queer film festival TLVFest will return to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque for its 21st edition on Oct. 22-31, per The Jerusalem Post. The international slate features headliners such as Markus Schleinzer’s Rose, which earned Sandra Hüller the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival; and Dylan Meyer’s crime comedy The Wrong Girls, starring Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat.
Thailand recently held Tom Thailand—the country’s first ever national pageant for “toms,” a culturally specific term for masc-of-center lesbians, transmascs and trans men, according to Them. The months-long competition announced Methisa “Khru Me” Suphaphoem as its winner on Oct. 3 at the Calypso Cabaret in Bangkok’s Asiatique mall.
Three-time Tony winner Glenn Close (Sunset Boulevard) will be the final King Herod in the current West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar, Playbill noted. Close will perform at Theatre Royal Drury Lane for the final week of the revival’s run, Jan. 4-9, 2027.
SHOWBIZ
Heated Rivalry co-stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams took time to launch a new LGBTQ+ nonprofit organization, according to Out. They joined Rivalry author Rachel Reid as well as other cast members and producers at the Kate Spade New York Global Summit on Women’s Mental Health in New York City for a panel celebrating the Irina Foundation—a new organization dedicated to inclusivity in sports and the arts that Rivalry creators Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady started.
Legendary journalist Diane Sawyer recently reunited with queer Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts on the set of the show, EW noted. On Instagram, Roberts wrote, in part, “I treasure these special moments with the incomparable @dianesawyer,” and praised Sawyer for exemplifying “wisdom, such grace … such a dear beautiful friend.”
Queer actor Michael Urie took to Instagram to mark the anniversary of the debut of the TV series Ugly Betty, which was based on the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, Queerty noted. A few years ago, Urie revealed that he was initially just set to play the assistant role for one episode, with boss Wilhemina Slater (played by Vanessa Williams) to go through a different assistant in each episode.
Queer British Grammy-winning artist Yungblud released a special live recording of his hit single “Zombie,” performed with The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre, a press release noted. The intimate performance marked the only time Yungblud and Corgan have performed their reimagined version together live.
Karamo hosted the eighth annual .ORG Impact Awards at the National Portrait Gallery in D.C., The Advocate noted. In interviews before the event, Karamo and organizer Jon Nevett talked about the importance of inclusion. Award recipients included the youth-led housing nonprofit TECHO and the Nigeria’s Boys Champions Foundation, among others.
GLAAD announced that producer Bruce Cohen—an Oscar and Tony winner as well as an Emmy nominee—will receive the Vito Russo Award during GLAAD’s New York Gala on Friday, Oct. 23, a press release noted. Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose will present Cohen with the award that’s named after GLAAD’s co-founder, the renowned LGBTQ film historian and HIV/AIDS activist who co-founded ACT UP.
Connecticut designer James Concannon has filed a lawsuit over a leather jacket worn by Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski during a 2021 episode of the show, according to Queerty. Concannon’s issue is apparently with LEGO, which the designer claims used the design in the 2021 Queer Eye LEGO set without permission or compensation. Concannon originally filed suit in 2021; however, recently, a judge ruled against LEGO’s plea for summary judgment—meaning that Concannon’s suit can proceed.
Symphony Space will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Tony-nominated musical Grey Gardens on Nov. 5, per Playbill. Grey Gardens: A 20th Anniversary Celebration, will feature Christine Ebersole, who won a Tony for her performance as ”Little” Edie Beale and Edith Bouvier Beale; the musical’s composer, Scott Frankel; and Erin Davie, who played Young “Little” Edie Beale.
Abingdon Theatre Company announced the concert lineup set to celebrate its 34th Anniversary Gala honoring the previously announced Sandy Duncan, John Gasdaska and Michael Urie, a press release noted. Some of the performers will include Jacob Dickey (Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends), Kyle Freeman (Titanique), Alyssa Wray (ABC’s American Idol) and Curtis Wiley (Ain’t Too Proud), with special guest Vanessa Williams (West End’s The Devil Wears Prada). The event will take place Monday, Nov. 2, at NYC’s Edison Ballroom.
Chicago’s Hell in a Handbag Productions—among this year’s inductees in the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame—announced its 25th-anniversary season, per a press release. The 2026-27 season will include the world premiere of Artistic Director David Cerda’s It’s a Horrible Life: A Golden Girls Lost Episodes Musical Parody; the return of Caged Dames; and KHAN!!! The Musical! (A Parody Trek-tacular). Tickets for Golden Girls are here.
Actress Sophia Bush and soccer star Ashlyn Harris recently revealed that they secretly wed during the summer of 2025 in upstate New York, per LGBTQ Nation. Bush shared the news with Vogue while promoting her new memoir, And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress.
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Layla Taylor and girlfriend Kelsie Chesser made their red-carpet debut at the Virtual Reali-Tea Awards 2026, Page Six revealed. The reality star came out as bisexual in June, revealing that she was dating a woman.
WOW Presents Plus released a teaser for The Polycule—a new show focusing on five people who are all in a relationship with one another, Out noted. The reality-TV series stars Eric Wong, Hamilton “Milty” Du, James “JJ” Lee, Jonathan “JC” Chien and Michael Li, who have already been sharing the story of their modern queer relationship on their YouTube channel, The Cule Kids. No premiere date has been announced.
In his new memoir One Helluva Ride, legendary Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas revealed that, during the 1992 Oscars at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, an FBI agent and a police sergeant identified a “credible threat” involving someone who intended to inject an HIV-laced needle in Douglas’ arm during the live telecast, according to Parade. There was no physical harm, and the police never arrested anyone for the conspiracy.
Dirty Dancing: The Musical will debut on Broadway next year, with performances to begin Feb. 12, ahead of a March 14 opening at the Lena Horne Theatre, per Playbill. The production, which is currently touring the U.S., will open on the Main Stem in celebration of the 1987 film’s 40th anniversary.
Food vendors who worked at Olivia Rodrigo’s recent Daisy Chain Fields Festival reported harsh working conditions and unpaid wages, Paste noted. Ugly Oats Kitchen owner Mary Chacon—who posted an open letter to Rodrigo on Instagram—said she felt the money raised was “done at the expense of some of the women vendors.” The all-female festival debuted Aug. 29 in Irvine, California, with a lineup featuring Bikini Kill, Garbage, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mistki and Rodrigo herself, among others.
The Kim Kardashian-led series All’s Fair is returning for its second season on Nov. 4, per a press release. It will debut with three episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the United States, and on Disney+ internationally. (New episodes will air on Wednesdays.) Co-stars include Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Matthew Noszka, Cauã Reymond with Sarah Paulson and Glenn Close. The trailer is here.
