Warning: This column mentions violent activity.
NATIONAL
In Texas, court documents identified John Braun and the Republican Women’s Caucus Fund as clients linked to text messages impersonating the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), per The Advocate. Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer ordered digital communications company Infobip to reveal the client(s). The women’s fund has denied any involvement. However, the Texas Supreme Court stopped a deposition aimed at exposing who is behind the mailers.
There were certainly LGBTQ+ winners as part of the blue wave that swept the midterm elections, The Advocate noted. They included Allison Montgomery, who became Alabama’s first transgender legislator; Chris Pappas, the first out gay man elected to the U.S. Senate; Bentley Hudgins, Georgia’s first out transgender and nonbinary state lawmaker; Scott Weiner, who’s San Francisco’s first out gay Congressional rep; Ritchie Torres, who won a fourth term representing New York’s 15th Congressional District; Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who was re-elected; Brett Jones, who is Alabama’s first openly gay sheriff; Delaware state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, who won a second term; and Tina Kotek, Oregon’s first lesbian governor who won re-election, among others.
However, in Arizona, voters passed Proposition 318—the so-called “Protect Girls Sports in Arizona Act,” according to LGBTQ Nation, citing the Arizona Mirror. The proposition will require K-12 schools and private sports leagues to designate which sports are gender-segregated and then decide participation based on the sex listed upon each player’s birth certificate.
The New York Appellate Division, Second Department voided Nassau County’s policy banning trans athletes from participating in sports in county-run facilities, Gay City News noted. The court ruled that the policy conflicted with New York State Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law.“This is an incredible victory for transgender people in New York, especially transgender women and girls in Nassau County,” said Gabriella Larios, a senior staff attorney with the NYCLU (which represented the Long Island Roller Rebels, which allows trans athletes in its women’s roller-derby league).
In Missouri, the City of St. Louis will pay $4.2 million to James Pence and Chad Morris, co-owners of the queer nightspot Bar:PM, Instinct noted. The settlement ends their separate lawsuits over a December 2023 incident involving a police vehicle crashing into their bar and the arrests that followed.
Before pre-Election Day, Abdul El-Sayed—who vied to be the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan—doubled down on his support of transgender rights during a combative 60 Minutes interview that conservative commentator Ross Douthat conducted, per LGBTQ Nation.
In California, after a swastika was spray-painted on Temecula United Methodist Church and its pride flags were repeatedly stolen, Pastor Drew Davis opened the church doors to anyone seeking peace and reflection until noon on Election Day, Patch noted.
NPR reported that the Supreme Court heard a case involving the Catholic Church against taxpayer-funded school programs for all 4-year-olds in Colorado. The issue is if religious schools can refuse to admit the children of LGBTQ+ parents—which violates a state law that bans discrimination. The court’s conservative majority seemed inclined to agree with the Church.
Aydian Dowling—co-founder and chief advancement officer of Point of Pride, a national organization that supports trans youth and adults in accessing life-saving, medically necessary healthcare—was among those responding to the midterm election results. In a press release, Dowling said, “They spent $100 million trying to make trans people the bogeyman. Voters didn’t buy it. That money bought a lot of airtime then lost most of the Senate races it targeted. This election was a rebuke to every politician who thought stripping away people’s rights was a shortcut to power.”
Queer wrestler Jadis Quinn—known professionally as “Twink Temptress”—alleged they were attacked by three men and a woman who hurled homophobic slurs at them outside the wrestling ring, per Instinct. The alleged incident took place at a Maryland bar following an Awesome Championship Wrestling (ACW) event. Quinn also claimed the bar’s security guards were friends with the alleged attackers and threw them to the ground while they were defending themself.
The Trans Journalists Association is bringing its Trans Journalists Summit to Chicago on March 24-27, 2027, per a newsletter. The application deadline is this Monday, Nov. 9, at 11:59 p.m. Late applications will NOT be considered.
The new, nautical-themed bar Capt. Mary’s Pub—geared toward lesbians—has opened in New Orleans, NOLA.com noted. It’s at 940 Elysian Fields Ave., a historic location with deep roots in the city’s queer community.
On Nov. 18, Florida’s Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library will welcome HH Prince DeAndre Duke of Hanumanteshwar, per a press release. The prince has spent more than a decade fighting for equality and acceptance across Indian culture as well as globally alongside his husband, Prince Manvendra Gohil of Rajpipla. To attend virtually, register here.
WORLD
A court in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus recorded the territory’s first-ever conviction for an anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Ergun Sunmez received six months in prison for assaulting former wife Pinar Tas and committing a hate crime against Berna Numan. The Mediterranean territory had been the last place in Europe with a law against same-sex relations when it repealed a law that criminalized male homosexuality in 2014.
After facing backlash, South Korea’s government plans to revise a youth-counseling manual that categorized homosexuality as a type of juvenile delinquency, the South China Morning Post noted. Homosexuality was grouped alongside sexual violence, theft and drug abuse under “delinquency-related issues” in the manual, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
Thomas Bradley has become Australia’s first openly gay state governor, per the Los Angeles Blade. Bradley took office as Queensland’s premier at a ceremony at Parliament House in Brisbane, the state’s capital. Bradley’s partner, Matthew Yoong, attended the event.
Anita Among—the former Uganda parliament speaker who was a proponent of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023—lost her X account, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Among’s X account @AnitahAmong was taken over by Global Africa Brief and rebranded as @GlobalAfricaHQ—a platform linked to U.S.-based Ugandan journalist Remmy Bahati. Among’s verified X account had about 614,000 followers.
In Fiji, Christian organizations want the government to explicitly ban same-sex marriage in the draft new constitution that it plans to put before voters in December, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Currently, the draft constitution leaves the definition of marriage to parliament, with no way to challenge the definition through the courts.
Several cast members from the second series of the now-defunct reality dating show I Kissed a Girl claimed the final edit of the show that aired on the BBC depicted them in ways that they felt were racist, according to Them. It all started when cast member Lindsey posted a video to YouTube on Oct. 18, saying she experienced racism from cast and crew while filming, along with behavior that she felt disrespected her sexual fluidity.
Tennis Story: Daria Kasatkina is currently airing on the Tennis Channel app. The documentary focuses on the queer pro tennis player’s personal journey—including moving from Russia to Australia—as well as rebuilding her life and career to find personal freedom. The trailer is here.
In 2027, Diana Ross will travel to Australia for her first concert in these parts in more than 20 years, Billboard noted. The “I’m Coming Out” singer will headline the Sydney Summertime concert series on March 5 for an exclusive concert that will take place on the eve of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
An employee of the now-defunct video-game company BioWare said they were asked to remove a flag from the now-canceled Mass Effect Universe game for looking too similar to a Pride flag, according to Them, citing BFM TV. After EA was acquired by a group of buyers led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in August, the company was reportedly asked to change several aspects of Mass Effect Universe.
SHOWBIZ
Several of George Michael‘s personal possessions—which once belonged to his longtime assistant Siobhan Bailey—went up for sale at auction on Oct. 29; however, Bailey’s family was not happy with the sales, People noted. When Bailey died in 2014, the items went to her then-husband, whom she was divorcing. This year, her husband put the items up for sale in Bailey’s name, including the guitar used by Michael in his iconic “Faith” video—which ultimately sold for more than $240,000. Bailey’s brother, Gerard Bailey, called the sale “wholly unethical” when talking with the BBC.
The B-52s—a band that formed in Athens in 1976—reeived a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, according to WSB. The band (with hits like “Rock Lobster” and “Love Shack”) launched when Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson and Keith Strickland put their music together in a New Wave and Dance Rock collaboration. Other outlets have noted that Schneider and Pierson identify as LGBTQ+; Ricky Wilson died of AIDS in 1985 at age 32.
Openly gay Chucky/Child’s Play creator Don Mancini responded to Nicki Minaj marking Election Day with a seemingly AI-created graphic of horror movie icon Chucky in a pink suit with a pin that reads “Vote Red,” Variety noted. “IMPOSTER,” Mancini posted in all caps (via Rolling Stone). “CHUCKY IS PART OF THE BLUE WAVE THAT WILL WASH AWAY ALL THE CORRUPTION.” In a standalone post on his own profile, Mancini stated, “Chucky has a trans kid. Chucky protects the dolls. Chucky is anti-ICE. Chucky says ‘A BLUE WAVE is coming, as BLUE as my fuckin’ eyes!’”
Abingdon Theatre Company held its annual gala—with the theme “Ever Forward, Ever Evolving: 34 Years of Breaking Boundaries—honoring Sandy Duncan, John Gasdaska and Michael Urie, per a press release. Vanessa Williams—Urie’s co-star on the show Ugly Betty—was the special guest.
Missouri state Rep. Darin Chappell—the uncle of queer singer Chappell Roan—was elected to lead the chamber’s Republican majority as Missouri House majority leader, according to PinkNews. During the 2024 presidential election, Roan called out both major political parties, citing “problems on both sides.” She later clarified that she would vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris over President Donald Trump.
Openly gay Dancing with the Stars pro Ezra Sosa would love to waltz with a same-sex partner on the show, per Out. Sosa said, “I’m working my magic! I definitely want that 100% to happen. That’s actually been my dream ever since I joined the show. I’ve been so passionate about same-sex dancing in general, especially being part of the queer community.” Sosa also recently revealed a matching tattoo with now-ex-partner Julia Stiles after their surprise elimination; he also has skin art devoted to dancing with previous partners Jordan Chiles and Anna Delvey.
Cynthia Erivo has joined the cast of Universal Pictures’ Snoop Dogg biopic, Snoop—and will play Afeni Shakur, the mother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, according to PinkNews. Afeni Shakur (who passed away in 2016) was a former Black Panther activist and the subject of Tupac’s hit “Dear Mama.” The film is currently in production in Southern California, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Queer Tony, Emmy, BAFTA and Olivier Award winner Alan Cumming will return to the New York stage opposite Olivier and BAFTA Award winner Shirley Henderson—in her New York City debut—in the U.S. premiere of the musical A History of Paper, Playbill noted. The two-character chamber musical focuses on a universal love story through the physical paper artifacts that define a relationship and a lifetime—including letters, menus and postcards.
Breaking Glass Pictures has released the queer thriller Fragile Bonds, a press release noted. Starring Ashley Marie, Tomathan McGinnis, Ryan Nickulas and La’Toya Kirkland, the film explores the secrets, suspicions and personal struggles that threaten to unravel a seemingly perfect marriage. The trailer is here.
Queer former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is producing Terroir—a thriller about wealth, power, and the secrets people keep to protect both, The Advocate noted. Production is slated for spring 2027.
Matthew Wright—an openly LGBTQ+ man who was one of the executive producers behind The Ellen DeGeneres Show—has died at age 52, People reported. A GoFundMe page stated that Wright died suddenly in an “unfathomable tragedy” on Oct. 30; it also said that “[Wright’s] husband, father, sister and niece are in New York, desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye.”
The Kelly Clarkson Show ended its run by winning five awards at the 53rd Daytime Emmys—the most of any program, Variety noted. ABC serial General Hospital scored the top daytime drama prize (for the sixth consecutive year) and won four awards overall, tying the CBS newcomer Beyond the Gates, which was in its first year of eligibility. Also, Sherri Shepherd won for daytime talk host for her now-cancelled show, Sherri. General Hospital’s Genie Francis (Laura) was the Lifetime Achievement honoree.
Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ podcast Las Culturistas is coming to Disney+ and Hulu, per The Hollywood Reporter. The podcast has Yang and Rogers indulging in pop culture, with celebrity guests and recurring segments including “I Don’t Think So, Honey.” The show has featured guests including Mariah Carey, Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Reese Witherspoon, Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan and Nicole Kidman.
Martha Stewart apologized after a photo she shared of herself dressed as a homeless person for Halloween drew widespread criticism on social media, ABC 7 noted. Stewart—who, in August, was named one of Forbes‘ 250 greatest self-made Americans—said, “It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. … Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I am very sorry.”
Actor Michele Morrone (The Housemaid) is a part-owner of the subscription-based adult social-media platform Subs.com, per Just Jared. Bisexual actress Megan Fox—who co-starred with Morrone in Subservience—is also a part-owner.