https://www.advocate.com/rss.xml en https://assets.rbl.ms/32874384/origin.png https://www.advocate.com https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/abigail-spanberger-lgbtq-advisory-board Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s appointment of an Arlington LGBTQ+ advocate to a state advisory board has drawn right-wing criticism.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:20:39 EDT Christopher Wiggins https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/abigail-spanberger-lgbtq-advisory-board https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/alabama-pastor-anti-trans-banners An Alabama pastor is pushing the city of Mobile to approve anti-trans banners after Pride banners were installed downtown, raising new questions about whether private groups should be allowed to use city property for political or cultural messages.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:42:04 EDT Desiree Guerrero https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/alabama-pastor-anti-trans-banners https://www.advocate.com/opinion/gop-family-values-hypocrisy Like the titular character from The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger, child entertainer, educator, and overall perfect person, Ms. Rachel is the honey badger we all need. ]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:30:56 EDT Josh Ackley https://www.advocate.com/opinion/gop-family-values-hypocrisy https://www.advocate.com/news/dartmouth-high-school-gay-display A friendly message created by a gay-straight alliance has angered anti-LGBTQ+ activists, who are now calling for Massachusetts educators to be fired.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:22:16 EDT Jacob Ogles https://www.advocate.com/news/dartmouth-high-school-gay-display https://www.advocate.com/idaho-blueprint-anti-trans-america Idaho is often flattened in national conversation into something simple: conservative, rural, and uniform. That flattening goes so far that when I say I am from Idaho, which borders Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest, people often respond with assumptions about the Midwest instead. The confusion might seem small, but it reflects a broader tendency to erase the history of Idaho, distill into a nightly news soundbites and a place rooted in divisive politics, rather than a place filled with actual people living complicated lives.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:30:02 EDT Rose Montoya https://www.advocate.com/idaho-blueprint-anti-trans-america https://www.advocate.com/news/culture/dc-unaffordable-lgbtq-young-adults Washington, D.C., has the highest concentration of LGBTQ+ adults in the United States. But a new survey suggests many of the city’s young queer and transgender residents are struggling to afford housing, access mental healthcare, and envision a stable future in the nation’s capital.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:00:02 EDT Christopher Wiggins https://www.advocate.com/news/culture/dc-unaffordable-lgbtq-young-adults https://www.advocate.com/politics/mamdani-trans-youth-records-subpoena This story originally appeared on Them.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:15:08 EDT Quispe López https://www.advocate.com/politics/mamdani-trans-youth-records-subpoena https://www.advocate.com/newsletter/advocate-nl-6-16-26 Hello folks and Happy Tuesday! Audience Editor Edgar Ramirez back in your inbox, here to reveal The Advocate's cover star for July/August: Don Lemon!]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:14:02 EDT Edgar Ramirez https://www.advocate.com/newsletter/advocate-nl-6-16-26 https://www.advocate.com/travel/route-66-dispatch-history Driving along historic Route 66 in Edwardsville, Illinois, I heard the honking before I saw the crowd.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:56:35 EDT Alysse Dalessandro https://www.advocate.com/travel/route-66-dispatch-history https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/gender-affirming-care-colorado On Monday, Children’s Hospital Colorado announced it was resuming gender-affirming care for transgender youth due to a court order — but, in a confusing twist, added that none of its doctors are willing to provide such care.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:58:32 EDT Desiree Guerrero https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/gender-affirming-care-colorado https://www.advocate.com/newsletter/breaking-news-6-16-26 Shutterstock]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:56:02 EDT Edgar Ramirez https://www.advocate.com/newsletter/breaking-news-6-16-26 https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/judge-blocks-idaho-bathroom-law A federal judge has blocked Idaho's transgender bathroom ban before it can take effect, ruling that key provisions of the law are likely unconstitutional and questioning whether police could realistically enforce it without arbitrary or discriminatory action.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:51:01 EDT Christopher Wiggins https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/judge-blocks-idaho-bathroom-law https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/idaho-assault-hate-crime An Idaho man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a gay couple outside a restaurant. But despite allegations that Pedro Villareal hurled antigay slurs before beating two men, authorities charged him only with a misdemeanor and said the state's hate crime law doesn’t apply.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:30:05 EDT Jacob Ogles https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/idaho-assault-hate-crime https://www.advocate.com/news/florida-intersex-teacher-eeoc-complaint-transgender This story originally appeared on Them.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:40:35 EDT Mathew Rodriguez https://www.advocate.com/news/florida-intersex-teacher-eeoc-complaint-transgender https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/don-lemon-relevant-after-arrest When I sit down with Don Lemon and husband Tim Malone over Zoom for this cover story, nothing works. The calendar invite never made it to Malone. The video feed is frozen — Lemon can hear me, but I cannot see him. The connection drops. Lemon is somewhere in his Manhattan apartment fixing lunch, and when he tries to talk me through the technical situation, he cuts out mid-sentence. We establish, after some back-and-forth, that he is going to switch to AirPods, which requires him to stay in the room he is in; otherwise, he will lose the signal entirely. Then we wait. Malone, meanwhile, appears on screen looking completely unbothered. “Hey, guys,” he says. “How are you?”]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:06:16 EDT Christopher Wiggins https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/don-lemon-relevant-after-arrest https://www.advocate.com/newsletter/advocate-nl-6-15-26 Hello folks, Audience Editor Edgar Ramirez, back in your inbox, hoping you all had a great weekend!

We'd like to kick this week off with a powerful opinion piece from Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, reflecting on religion and the LGBTQ+ community.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:21:11 EDT Edgar Ramirez https://www.advocate.com/newsletter/advocate-nl-6-15-26 https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/ohio-drag-queens-speak-out For most of her career, Nina West watched drag move steadily toward the center of American culture.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:12:59 EDT Christopher Wiggins https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/ohio-drag-queens-speak-out https://www.advocate.com/news/microsoft-pride-profits-trump-admin This story was originally published by Uncloseted Media, an LGBTQ focused investigative news outlet.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:55:07 EDT Hope Pisoni https://www.advocate.com/news/microsoft-pride-profits-trump-admin https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/trumps-track-record-lgbtq-issues This story was originally published by Uncloseted Media, an LGBTQ focused investigative news outlet.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:43:51 EDT Nico Dialesandro https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/trumps-track-record-lgbtq-issues https://www.advocate.com/news/people/sj-joslin-lawsuit-dismissed A federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit brought by a park ranger who was fired after helping fly a transgender Pride flag at Yosemite National Park.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:34:04 EDT Jacob Ogles https://www.advocate.com/news/people/sj-joslin-lawsuit-dismissed