Table of contents for July/August 2023 in The Advocate

Happy summer, readers! The past months have been extraordinary, and we couldn’t do this without you. Our recent Out Pride issue drop party, in collaboration with Can’t Cancel Pride, was truly a night to remember. Held at Nebula NY, it was a night of joy, unity, and a resounding affirmation of the strength of our community. I want to express my deepest thanks to all who attended and made the evening unforgettable. June marks the first anniversary of equalpride. We launched equalpride with a simple yet ambitious mission: to create a platform that not only celebrates the LGBTQ+ community but also advocates for its rights, inclusion, and acceptance. In this regard, our journey has just begun, but what a journey it’s been. We have seen our community of readers and…

Deandre Matthews Isiah Baez, 19, was arrested in May and charged with the murder of Deandre Matthews, also 19, who was last seen on February 6 and whose lifeless body was found the following day on railroad tracks in a remote section of Brooklyn. Matthews had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and his body had been set on fire. Police had earlier arrested Remy McPrecia, 24, and charged him with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Matthews, who was out and remembered by friends as warm and trusting, studied criminal justice at SUNY Broome Community College. According to family and police, he left work at the Buggy Service Center in Crowne Heights, where he had recently started working to help pay for classes. He…

Leadership is about lifting people up rather than putting them down. That’s what good leaders do, at least. But one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Republicans have embraced spite as a feature, not a bug, as they escalate their campaign against abortion access and attack bodily autonomy rights through a legislative assault on transgender Americans. Even though six out of 10 Americans believe abortion should be legal, conservatives see removing a federal right to abortion as a feather in their cap. As the U.S. political ecosystem heads into yet another election cycle, Republican politicians try to divide Americans along cultural lines. Using their old playbook, they have decided to target transgender Americans in their next culture war after severely limiting or eliminating abortion…

LGBTQ+ YOUTH ARE currently under attack in this country. In an unfortunate turn of events, the far-right has decided to choose this most vulnerable population to use as a red herring to distract Americans from real issues — like gun control, climate change, and systemic racism, to name a few. But the kids are not having it. While studies show the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has had a detrimental effect on the mental and emotional health of queer and trans youth, many of them are fiercely fighting back. They are demanded to be seen, counted, and heard. They will not be erased. They are protesting, founding their own powerful organizations, and using social media to bring their messages to the masses. In this issue, we Future feature The Advocate’s “30…

PEN America, a writers’ group championing freedom of expression, and publisher Penguin Random House have sued a school district in Florida over book bans, with the targeted books largely addressing racial and LGBTQ+ issues. The suit against the Escambia County School District and its board was filed in May in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. It says the bans violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. “The School District and the School Board are depriving students of access to a wide range of viewpoints, and depriving the authors of the removed and restricted books of the opportunity to engage with readers and disseminate their ideas to their intended audiences,” it says. “Such viewpoint discrimination…

The GLSEN Respect Awards, introduced in 2004 and held annually in Los Angeles and New York, showcases the work of students, educators, community leaders, and corporations who serve as exemplary role models and have made a significant impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ youth. Hosted by YouTube and TV personality Kalen Allen, the GLSEN Respect Awards honored ally Idina Menzel and nonbinary actor and artist Justin David Sullivan among several others this past May. Other honorees and attendees included Chasten Buttigieg, Dominique Jackson, Imara Jones, Philippe Arroyo, and many more. GLSEN executive director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers noted, “At a time when LGBTQ+ youth are under attack from extremist legislators, GLSEN is proud to honor incredible activists, allies, and students who rise up for LGBTQ+ youth every day. We’re thankful for all…

For many older folks, LGBTQ+ young people have it better than they ever could have imagined — communication to other queers at their fingertips, enshrined rights, increased visibility. But maybe those advances came at a price; one being paid by these same young people, now navigating a world where anti-LGBTQ+ hostility feels more threatening than ever. In this country, specifically, a right-wing Supreme Court stripped away federal abortion rights, while justices on that bench have threatened to reverse LGBTQ+ progress. On the state level, trans youth have become convenient scapegoats for Republicans ravenous for victories. Yet, even with all the darkness, so many LGBTQ+ young people refuse to hide their identities, cater to intolerance, or shrink away from the challenges of the day. They are not waiting for the world…

I FIRST MET Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in 1987, her first year in Congress. Most weekday evenings on the Hill during that time included receptions by hosts of lobbying groups, organizations, associations, and the ever-present fundraisers. Living on a congressional salary at that time, I was able to get many free meals — and drinks. One night, Pelosi walked into one of those receptions in the Rayburn House Office Building, and you immediately could sense the aura around her. My boss, a bit of a lovable cad in those days, noticed her instantly, and we walked over to say hello. I think meeting her stands out in my mind after all these years — outside of the fact that I have an amazing memory — because of that aura. You…

There’s a laugh-till-you-cry scene in Joy Ride in which the comedy’s four leads have consumed or hidden loads of drugs in — ahem — unlikely places. They’re hoping to avoid landing in the slammer in China after a run-in with an American drug dealer on a train. The character Lolo instructs her travel companion Kat to “push, pull, and twist” the remaining bag of cocaine stashed in her rectum. “It’s not a puppet….” Kat retorts, her face twisted with discomfort. This hilarious interaction isn’t far afield for a raunchy comedy, traditionally the purview of cisgender, straight, white men from Animal House to The Hangover (Bridesmaids is a rare exception for one that centers women). But Joy Ride is a raunch-fest that Sherry Cola, a stand-up comic and star of Freeform’s…