Richard Young, a judge for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana, issued an order that will require the Indiana Department of Corrections to provide transgender inmate Autumn Cordellioné with gender-affirming surgery, IndyStar reported. Young granted a preliminary injunction in the ACLU of Indiana’s case representing Cordellioné, who is serving a murder sentence in a male state prison, concluding that “gender-confirming surgery is a medically necessary treatment option for some individuals with gender dysphoria,” according to the ruling. Cordellioné sued Indiana last year after the IDOC denied her gender-affirming surgery; in 2023, the Indiana legislature banned transgender surgery in prisons. ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk said in a press release, “Today marks a significant victory for transgender individuals in Indiana’s prisons. Denying evidence-based medical care to incarcerated people simply because they are transgender is unconstitutional. We are pleased that the Court agreed.”
President Joe Biden sat with The Washington Blade in a wide-ranging interview that the outlet said was the first time a sitting chief executive talked with an LGBTQ+ newspaper. Biden repeatedly expressed his admiration for the “men and women who broke the back of the prejudice, or began to break the back,” starting with those involved in the burgeoning movement for LGBTQ+ rights that launched with the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Biden also spoke about former President Donald Trump’s policies regarding the LGBTQ+ community and shared his views on Project 2025, NBC News noted.
In Florida, the international nonprofit Men Having Babies (MHB) is rethinking its future in Florida after receiving a lot of anti-LGBTQ+ hate, according to the Miami New Times. While gearing up for its annual Florida Surrogacy Conference & Expo—scheduled for Oct. 4-5 at the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors—MHB said it received a batch of hateful messages on its social media. “We’ve heard our share of hate speech and intolerance,” MHB Executive Director Ron Poole-Dayan told New Times. “It’s just [how] we feel, and have multiple indications that there’s a chilling effect.”
Also in Florida, some school districts are rolling out a more comprehensive approach to sex education in favor of abstinence-focused lessons—under pressure from state officials, U.S. News & World Report noted. Officials from the Florida Department of Education, led by an appointee of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, have been directing some of the state’s largest school districts to scale back their lesson plans not only on sexual activity, but on contraceptives, human development, abuse and domestic violence, as the Orlando Sentinel first reported. The shift reflects a nationwide push in more conservative states to restrict what kids can learn about themselves and their bodies.
The annual convention of NLGJA: The National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists concluded Sept. 8 in Los Angeles, Press Pass Q noted. Reporter/editor Jeffrey Schmalz, film critic Kevin Thomas and songwriter/former Advocate editor Judy Wieder were inducted into the LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame. On-air personality and entertainment journalist Scott Evans was the 2024 recipient of the Lisa Ben Award for Achievement in Features Coverage, while The Advocate was the recipient of the Legacy Award.
Campaign for Southern Equality members Alexis Stratton, Adam Polaski and the Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara have written Trans Kids, Our Kids: Stories and Resources from the Frontlines of the Movement for Transgender Youth, a press release noted. It is based on interviews with more than 50 transgender youth, their parents, and the medical providers, advocates, and faith leaders who are leading the fight against the wave of discriminatory legislation that has flooded statehouses since 2022. The co-authors and team will embark on a book tour, including stops at independent bookstores in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Austin, Nashville, Raleigh, Louisville, Richmond, Charleston and more.
GLAAD announced the call for submissions for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, a press release noted. As in previous years, the GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in both Los Angeles and New York City. Submissions for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards will close on Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. PT. To be eligible for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, projects must have been published, released or broadcast in the United States between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024. Submissions are $250; those received after Nov. 22 are considered late and will incur a $150 fee, for a total late submission cost of $400, until the hard deadline of Friday, Dec. 20.
In Virginia, the Virginia Beach School Board narrowly approved a resolution (by a vote of five to four) to recognize October as LGBTQIA+ History Month, WTKR reported. “LGBTQ issues are controversial and not appropriate for this environment and I cannot support it,” school board member David Culpepper said during the school board meeting. Board members Beverly Anderson, Jennifer Franklin, Kimberly Melnyk, Jessica Owens and Trenace Riggs voted in favor of the resolution, while Culpepper, Kathleen Brown, Michael Callan and Victoria Manning voted against it. Parents spoke out against board members who didn’t support the resolution, with one parent saying, “You are a bunch of bigots and discriminating against students you’re supposed to represent.”
However, also in Virginia, Sweet Briar College has become one of the few women’s colleges in the nation to ban transgender people, sidestepping the academic norm of allowing trans women into women’s colleges, LGBTQ Nation noted. The college says this policy stems from the will of Indiana Fletcher Williams, who died in 1900 and whose estate was used to found Sweet Briar College in 1901. Williams’ will says it is to “be a place of ‘girls and young women,’” which the college now interprets as excluding trans women.The college only accepted Black students after getting permission from a federal judge after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Eduardo Xol, a TV designer on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, has died at age 58, per The Hollywood Reporter. He died at the Desert Regional Medical Center after sustaining injuries during an apparent stabbing on Sept. 10 in Palm Springs, California. According to the Desert Sun newspaper, Palm Springs police charged Richard Joseph Gonzales, 34, with attempted murder after he reported the stabbing. Among other things, Xol supported GLAAD and shot public service announcements as a part of the “Be an Ally & a Friend” public education campaign.
Michael Kuilan and Antonio Venti have pleaded guilty to charges of distributing and possessing heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute in connection with the death of transgender activist and community leader Cecilia Gentili, who died in February at age 52 after being poisoned by fentanyl-laced drugs, Gay City News reported. Gentili—who died due to the combined effects of fentanyl, xylazine, cocaine and heroin—was an influential leader in New York City’s LGBTQ+ community. Hundreds of community members gathered for an emotional memorial service at Judson Memorial Church the day after Gentili’s death, including people who told stories about Gentili’s engaging personality and her work in support of sex workers, immigrants, trans individuals, HIV+ people and others.
In Oregon, some of the queer candidates running for Portland City Council are displeased with endorsements issued this month by the political arm of Basic Rights Oregon, which aims to elevate LGBTQ+ voices, Willamette Week reported. That’s because the organization’s political action committee backed mostly non-LGBTQ+ candidates across all four of Portland’s voting districts—despite there being five other candidates who identify as queer. “I don’t expect anyone to support me based on my identity. I should prove I’ve done the work. And given that I have done the work, that really stung,” queer candidate Elana Pirtle-Guiney said. Incumbent Commissioner Dan Ryan, who’s running in District 2, added that Basic Rights Oregon has “clearly lost sight of their mission on who they serve.” Basic Rights Oregon said it stands by the endorsements made by its PAC board, stating, “Our PAC board does not give out a rubber stamp based on any one identity or question, but rather considers a range of issues important to our communities when making endorsements.”
Following allegations that “parental-rights” activist Corey DeAngelis has appeared in gay adult films, the right-wing organization American Federation for Children (AFC) has placed him on leave, the website Them reported. An AFC spokesperson told Them via email that “the employee” had been placed on leave as they “look into this matter further,” but declined further comment. The blog Str8 Up Gay Porn first drew the potential connection in a Sept. 20 post, claiming that DeAngelis had appeared under the name “Seth Rose” in multiple scenes on the website GayHoopla. DeAngelis is also a regular contributor to Fox News, where he once claimed that schools were focusing “more on the LGBTs than the ABCs.”
Four top staff members of Mark Robinson’s campaign for North Carolina governor have stepped down as the anti-LGBTQ+ candidate is being asked (by his own Republican Party) to do the same. The campaign’s comment did not link the staff departures to the bombshell CNN report alleging Robinson made antisemitic and racist comments years ago on a porn website, and it did not say why the staffers were stepping down, per NBC News. The staff members who stepped down were Chris Rodriguez, campaign manager; Heather Whillier, finance director; Jason Rizk, deputy campaign manager; and Conrad Pogorzelski III, general consultant and senior adviser. Democrats have tried to link Robinson to former President Donald Trump, releasing new ads highlighting Trump’s previous praise for Robinson, currently North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. On X, Robinson—who cancelled a Sept. 29 Chicagoland fundraiser—posted, “Online rumors of new hires to our campaign are just that – rumors. We look forward to announcing additional staff roles soon. #ncpol #ncgov.”
In NYC, a man who was stabbed to death in an Upper East Side apartment by a man he met on Grindr was the aggressor and shouted, “I hate all people!” before stabbing his date, The New York Daily News reported. The two men arranged to meet at the apartment of one of the men. However, the potential hookup unexpectedly turned into a knife fight when the visitor made his misanthropic exclamation and, without apparent provocation, began stabbing the tenant, who then grabbed a kitchen knife and fatally stabbed his attacker in what seemed like self-defense, authorities stated.
In El Cajon, California, Rose Tagnesi—the former special education director for the Grossmont Union High School District—is suing her former employer, alleging she was discriminated against because of her sexual orientation, 10 News noted. The lawsuit alleges that board trustee Jim Kelly referred to Tagnesi and a female staffer who reported to her as “witches” who were part of an “LGBTQ coven.” “I want justice, and I want accountability, but most of all, I want it to stop, and I want there to be some awareness that it’s happening,” Tagnesi told the outlet.
Craig Jungwirth has been arrested in Orange County, Florida, and is expected to be extradited back to Broward County soon, OutSFL noted. Jungwirth (who was originally booked under the name Craig Junghwirth) is wanted on several warrants in Broward County; he was arrested this past spring, but was released on bond and never showed up to scheduled hearings. Jungwirth is accused of making online threats against members of Wilton Manors’ gay community in the past, per NBC Miami. Overall accusations include engaging in violence against family members, creating scams such as the creation of “mirror” events, harassing community members and making violent threats against large community events.
And also in Florida, a judge revoked Junior Rafael Arias’ bond after his arrest in what police called a homophobic attack on South Beach, per Local 10. Arias has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon—with a hate-crime enhancement—and resisting arrest. Police said the victim, a South Beach local, was about to change in a beach tent for his morning swim when Arias, who is homeless, “approached him aggressively and told him to leave.” Things escalated and Arias allegedly struck the victim with a pole. “We need to protect Miami Beach residents,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who was one official asking for Arias to remain locked up. “We need to protect the LGBT community from individuals of violent backgrounds like this.”
In Texas, Fort Worth leaders have created a committee designed to inform and advise City Council and the city manager on matters related to the LGBTQ+ community, per the Fort Worth Report. The first-of-its-kind committee will focus on LGBTQ concerns, identifying equal opportunities for LGBTQ residents and providing education on LGBTQ topics, according to Christina Brooks, the director of the city’s diversity and inclusion department. The advisory committee will fall under the umbrella of the city’s Human Relations Commission—a board of 11 council-appointed volunteers who advise the council and city manager on matters involving racial, religious or ethnic discrimination.
With October being LGBTQ History Month, Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU’s) LGBT Resource Center is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an exhibit dedicated to the school’s queer history on Oct. 1-5, per The Sun Times News. The exhibit will include a reception; soundbites from queer staff members; oral-history interviews; archived newspaper clippings; and historic event posters and campus photos. Emma Wuetrich, program coordinator for EMU’s LGBT Resource Center, said, “History is so important, and with this month highlighting queer history, I think having an increased understanding of how and who helped us get where we are today is powerful.”
The University of Arizona College of Information Science will help more students—especially those from historically underrepresented backgrounds—get paid internships in community archives, thanks to a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Public Knowledge Program, the school announced. The grant will support the work of a collaborative of library and information sciences faculty members from nine universities across the U.S. and Canada, including the University of Arizona; the collaborative is called FOCAS—Faculty Organizing for Community Archives Support. Tucson has several community archives, including the Dunbar Pavilion African American Arts and Cultural Center, the Mexican American Heritage Museum and the Arizona Queer Archives, which was founded in 2008 and is housed in the university’s LGBTQ+ Institute.
Although California Gov. Gavin Newsom previously signed two AI bills giving performers greater protections, Jane Fonda, Shonda Rhimes, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Hannah Einbinder, Sophia Bush, Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali, Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal are among 125 industry professionals to sign Artists 4 Safe AI’s open letter urging him to pass openly gay state Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 1047, according to Deadline. SB 1047 would require AI developers in the state to implement security precautions before training their models. However, the bill has drawn opposition from major companies like OpenAI as well as from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Former New York City COVID Czar Dr. Jay Varma was fired from his current job (as executive vice president and chief medical officer at SIGA Technologies) after confirming reports he (and his wife) attended sex parties and a rave when the pandemic was at its peak, CBS News noted. Varma admitted to attending the parties after being caught on hidden camera video talking about it; in the same video, Varma also bragged about helping to put in place mandatory vaccination rules that prevented Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving from playing basketball after he refused to get the shot. Varma’s admission came after a heavily edited video was posted by conservative podcaster Steven Crowder.
Instagram banned Valentina Gomez—a former Republican candidate for Missouri secretary of state—following months of anti-LGBTQ+ posts, PinkNews noted. Gomez, who lost a primary election in August, frequently used the account to hit out at the queer community during her campaign. Gomez previously posted photos on X and Instagram showing herself using a flamethrower to burn LGBTQ+ literature, describing them on Instagram as “grooming books in our libraries,” among other things. Gomez’s brother, gay former Olympic athlete Jonathan Gomez-Noriega, worked as an aide to Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop—but was fired in August after it was revealed that he donated money to his sister’s campaign, per The Advocate.