Warning: This column mentions violent activity.
NATIONAL
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek released a campaign ad calling for an end to taxpayer-funded gender-affirming care, including treatment for transgender adults—and that has sparked backlash in the queer community, PinkNews noted. In a video, Turek—a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and an Iowa state legislator—also reiterated his opposition to trans women competing in women’s sports, saying, “I’m against taxpayers paying for sex changes too. Anyone [who] tells you any different[ly] is lying.”
On the flip side, former NFL player/longtime LGBTQ+ ally/current California state Assembly candidate Chris Kluwe told Q Voice News that Democrats need to fight for trans people, The Advocate noted. Kluwe said, “The Democratic Party has taken a very defensive posture on trans issues, when that’s the absolute wrong thing to do.” Kluwe made headlines in 2012 as one of the first NFL players to defend marriage equality.
Civil-rights icon Dolores Huerta—who co-founded the United Farm Workers union and coined the enduring “Sí, se puede!” rallying cry—has died at age 96, media outlets reported. Per the AP, Huerta was a busy activist well into her 90s, marching in protests and speaking across the country about race, poverty, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights on behalf of her California-based foundation.
The Transgender Education Network of Texas may be closer to learning who is behind fake promo materials claiming to be from the organization after Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer cleared the way, per The Advocate. The controversy unfolds amid anti-trans advertising targeting Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico.
In Illinois’ George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse, Tremon Hill stood trial for the 2018 murder of Black trans woman Dejanay Stanton in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, The Advocate noted. Hill—who was charged with first-degree murder in 2019—will face trial under Cook County Judge Pamela Stratigakis.
Salem, Massachusetts Mayor Dominick Pangallo invited community members to join the City of Salem on Oct. 26 for Salem’s inaugural Intersex Awareness Day flag-raising, per a press release. Oct. 26 marked the 30th anniversary of the first intersex protest, which took place in Boston in 1996. Salem’s event also included free community and educational events recognizing intersex people.
Florida-based drag queen Miss Bouvèé raised more than $25,000 for Naples Pride from selling the bricks from a Miami Beach rainbow crosswalk that was demolished as part of a campaign that Gov. Ron DeSantis initiated, according to Them. Miami New Times noted that after winning the bricks at auction, Miss Bouvèé washed and repainted them, re-colored some of them and added plaques to the bricks honoring where they had once been placed.
The LGBTQA+ voter-mobilization organization Q Force will be in Saugatuck, Michigan on Nov. 1-3, for its final GOTV (Get Out the Vote) push, per its newsletter. Canvassing will be the main focus, with other slated activities including drag bingo and Martini Monday. There will be $50 gas cards provided as well as discounted hotel rooms; RSVP here.
Gay father David Vulin will not face charges after he punched anti-LGBTQ+ commentator Ryley Niemi, who tricked him into a homophobic interview, according to LGBTQ Nation, citing the LA Times. Vulin fulfilled a “pre-filing diversion”—a program that allows certain people to fulfill requirements like community service or rehabilitation to avoid charges.
A Missouri teen is accused of a suspected anti-gay attack after police said he lured a man to a park through a dating app and joined four others in attacking them, The Advocate noted. Ellisville police say the man reported that they had been talking to a man named “Adam” online and had agreed to meet at Bluebird Park. The two spoke briefly before “Adam” said, “I actually hate gay people.” Then, four other people—whom police believe are juveniles—emerged from nearby bushes and joined in the attack. Abdulwareth A. Alahmad, 18, was charged with first-degree assault or attempted assault, among other things.
Andrew Kolvet—a spokesperson for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA—reacted to a documentary about the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-South Carolina) reported employment of male sex workers, LGBTQ Nation noted. “Dear Democrats, This is why we called him Lady Graham,” said Kolvet. “This isn’t an October surprise; we’ve known this for years.”
WORLD
In Germany, authorities raided Casa Kuà, a queer community health center in Berlin, during a weekly gathering for transfeminine people, per The Advocate. “They identified everybody present, and held them inside for up to 4 hours,” the organization wrote on Instagram, describing the action as a “violent intrusion into our space.” The Berliner reported that police said the search was related to suspicion of illegal trafficking in prescription drugs and claims that hormone treatments were being administered without medical supervision.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an order approving a new National Human Rights Strategy that involves stronger protection of LGBTQ+ people and comprehensive action against discrimination, hate speech and hate-motivated crimes, per Erasing 76 Crimes. The policy aims to bring the country closer to compliance with European human-rights standards as the nation pursues membership in the European Union.
In Cameroon, a young LGBTQ+ man was violently attacked on Oct. 12 in Yaoundé after being lured into a meeting through an online dating app, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Accused of being homosexual, the man (identified as Bryan) was attacked, robbed of his valuables, stripped and beaten. Police were not contacted for fear that they would arrest Bryan on homosexuality charges rather than look for his attackers.
The Beijing Queer Film Festival—which was slated to start Oct. 30—was cancelled after a reported campaign of sustained harassment from authorities, The Guardian reported. Festival organizers posted, “We regret to inform you that the Love Queer Film Week … has been cancelled.” Founded in 2001 by Peking University students, the festival became the only film festival in mainland China to offer a public forum for LGBTQ+ movies and related discussions.
In Brazil, Erika Hilton—one of the first trans people in Brazil elected to the country’s National Congress—celebrated the re-election of President Luiz Inácio da Silva (aka Lula), who defeated far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, The Advocate noted. Bolsonaro (who fled to the United States after the election) is the son of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated in 2022. Queer-rights advocates view Lula’s win as a victory for LGBTQ+ Brazilians, as the president has long been a supporter of marriage equality and trans rights, having created the “Brazil Without Homophobia” campaign in 2004.
In Indonesia, Father Otto Gusti Madung—rector of the Ledalero Institute for Philosophy and Creative Technology—criticized the country’s top Islamic clerical body (the Indonesian Ulema Council) for urging the national parliament to pass legislation to criminalize LGBTQ+ people, New Ways Ministry noted. “It cannot be justified in a democratic state,” Madung said.
As part of its dedication to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, Palladium Hotel Group will engage with industry leaders and queer travel professionals at the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) Global Convention, taking place Nov. 17–21 in Seville, Spain, per a press release. Director of Sales for Canada Gabriel Rodriguez (he/him) will represent the hotel group at the event.
Queer Canadian duo Tegan and Sara teased a 2027 return with the song “Our Year,” FLOOD Magazine noted. The song features guest vocals from fellow Canadian songwriter Lights, who said the collaboration was a bucket-list item. Also, the Quin sisters will be touring with Hilary Duff next fall.
British billionaire Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling published an essay in which she called trans-rights activism “elitist,” per LGBTQ Nation. In her new piece, Rowling (who also has written under the name Robert Galbraith) wrote that her views on trans rights have not changed since a 2020 essay in which she basically came out as anti-trans. However, she added, “Spawned in philosophy and gender studies departments, [trans-rights activism] has taken over cultural, political and state-run institutions, which have then attempted to impose it, top down, on regular people who never voted for it and, as all available polls show, do not believe in it.”
SHOWBIZ
At NYC’s Cipriani 25 Broadway, GLAAD honored producer Bruce Cohen—an Oscar and Tony winner as well as an Emmy nominee—with the Vito Russo Award, which honors exceptional contributions to LGBTQ+ equality, a press release noted. The award—named in honor of GLAAD’s co-founder—was presented to Cohen by Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose and Bruce’s daughter Ilaria. Ross Mathews hosted the event while Alex Newell and Anika Noni Rose performed, with the latter singing Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” during a tribute to the LGBTQ+ ally; some event attendees included Dan Amboyer, Peppermint, Jon Cryer, Margaret Cho and Lauren Chan.
In a call to action named “One Job Away,” out gay actor/performer Cheyenne Jackson has posted headshots of actors who are just a few dollars shy of qualifying for health insurance, hoping that casting teams or directors will hire them so they can meet the minimum, per Broadway World. “Last year, Kathy Bates helped me qualify for my SAG-AFTRA health insurance by helping me get 5 lines on an episode of [Matlock],” Jackson stated on Instagram. According to SAG-AFTRA, to qualify for a health plan, a person “must meet the minimum earnings requirements or the Alternative Days requirement during your Base Earnings Period.” People can email onejobawayproject@gmail.com.
Chaka Khan will receive the Classic Soul Honor at the 2026 Soul Train Awards, which will air Friday, Nov. 27, on BET and CBS, per Billboard. Khan—a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has won 10 Grammys in addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy—helped define the sound of soul, funk and R&B with hits such as “Tell Me Something Good,” “Sweet Thing,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “I’m Every Woman” and “I Feel for You.”
As she celebrates a monumental year in her career, drag icon Bianca del Rio is heading back on the road for the It Gets Bitter world tour and returning to reality TV as a contestant on The Traitors, The Advocate noted. “If I can laugh at myself, you should be able to laugh at yourself. It’s therapeutic. They want me to make fun of them, which is a dream,” del Rio told Out. Being on The Traitors will mark her return to reality TV in more than a decade, since winning season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
PinkNews noted 12 times that the late actor Sir Patrick Stewart proved his LGBTQ+ allyship. Among them were when The Guardian mistakenly outed Stewart as gay, and he said the comparison flattered him; kissing friend Sir Ian McKellen on the lips at the Mr. Holmes premiere in 2015, and smooched talk-show host Conan O’Brian during an appearance; and when Stewart and McKellen compared mutant rights in the X-Men film series to LGBTQ+ rights.
Brothers Osborne—which includes openly gay sibling TJ—released their fifth album, Watertown, per uDiscover Music. The 11-track record reunites the country duo with producer Jay Joyce and finds the act returning to its rural, rough origins. The cut “Born and Raised Hell,” which opens the album, features reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Cody Johnson.
NewFest announced the winners of the Jury Awards, Audience Awards and Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Awards for the 38th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, a press release noted. Test was named the NewFest38 Grand Jury Award for U.S. Narrative Feature while Elephants in the Fog won for International Narrative Feature and No Money No Honey was named Best Documentary. Winners of the 2026 Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award Grants were Carlton Daniel Jr., director of Fly; DW McCrary, director of Searching 4 Saturn; and Mariah Norman, co-director of And Again I Dream. Before I Do and Gays Against Guns were Audience Award winners.
Selling Sunset alum Chrishell Stause and nonbinary Australian musician G Flip have split up after more than four years together, People noted. Stause shared the news in a tearful Instagram video on Oct. 26, with Stause saying, “We have agreed to treat this public separation with love and respect for each other. That’s not hard for me because I am in love with this person, and I don’t have all the information or the reasons.” In their own video, G Flip shared, “I will always love her, we will always share a special connection and I cherish our memories together deeply.”
Korean American movement artist/educator Kara Brody and Mexican-born photographer/artist/educator Diana Solis—both queer individuals—were among those honored at the 3Arts Awards, which were held in Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance, per a press release. 3Arts awarded $860,000 to Chicago artists and announced the recipients of its 3Arts Next Level Awards—$50,000 unrestricted awards given to past 3Arts awardees—during the event. Brody and Solis were among the recipients of the unrestricted $30,000 awards.
South Carolina authorities closed the investigation into bisexual actress Hayden Panettiere’s death after it was determined she died of an accidental drug overdose, CNN noted. Panettiere was pronounced dead at a Greenville apartment on Aug.16; she died from a toxic mix of the opioid fentanyl and other drugs.
Out actor/playwright/AIDS activist Michael Kearns’ cause of death was revealed, People noted. A death certificate obtained from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health stated that Kearns, 76, died of cardiopulmonary arrest on Oct. 5; coronary artery disease was an underlying cause of death. His death came less than a week before he was slated to return to Los Angeles’ Celebration Theatre for a performance commemorating LGBTQ+ theater history.
Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie is reportedly in talks to appear in a new Ghost Rider movie from Marvel Studios opposite Ryan Gosling, per Queerty. The movie is about Johnny Blaze—a stunt motorcycle rider who makes a deal with the devil, transforming him into a flaming, skull-headed, fiery motorcycle-riding spirit of vengeance.
Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen is adding a few more men (and ladies) for its third season—but Meghan Markle is not among them, Deadline noted. Saffron Burrows, Orlando Bloom, Robert Carlyle and Elijah Wood will be part of the Middle East-set new season.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball has debuted the opening number from its upcoming original Broadway cast recording, per Playbill. “Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats” is now available on streaming platforms via Atlantic Records.