The gender medicine ‘gold mine’
In 1992, the Alabama Legislature banned the use of pharmaceuticals and hormones for transgender therapy for people under the age of 19. An injunction stopping the law from going into effect was ended by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the case continued. During the trial, the volume of transgender healthcare services in the U.S. paid by the government and private insurance companies was revealed, showing that between 2019 and 2023, 13,944 minors were given puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries; 5,747 minors underwent facial, breast, and genital surgeries; and 8,579 minors were prescribed 62,682 prescriptions of cross-gender hormones and puberty blockers — roughly seven separate prescriptions per patient. Private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare were charged $119,791,202 for the therapies.
Gay bar blown, recovers
Hurricane Helene flooded the gay bar, DayTrip, in Asheville, North Carolina, in September. The owners, married couple Brandon and Davie Davis, opened the bar and coffee shop just weeks before Helene blew through the Southeast coast. The couple planned to use Day Trip to host LGBTQ+ fundraisers, shows, dog adoptions, and other community events. Helene had other plans. The boys returned after the storm to find the building under 23 feet of water. A friend of the owners started a GoFundMe page and, so far, raised over $199,000 to rebuild the venue. The couple says they’ll use the money to rebuild and compensate employees who lost their wages. This is the proverbial silver lining to the real “dark cloud” of a destructive hurricane.
Jack’s back
The “lawfare” against cake baker Jack Phillips, the Colorado Christian baker who stands on religious freedom grounds to deny making custom cakes for whomever his religion suggests is not cake-worthy, may be coming to an end. For the second time, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled in his favor on a technicality. The first case where he wouldn’t do a same-sex wedding cake was thrown out on the basis that the enforcing agency showed animosity to Phillips’ religion. The second case, his refusal to bake a “gender reveal cake” for the reveal party of a transgender woman, has been thrown out of court on a technicality. The majority held the statute’s path for complaint was through the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, not the courts. Tithing miracle stories?
Win some, lose some with Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been sending mixed signals lately by signing some legislation and vetoing other bills supported by the California LGBTQ+ community. He signed SB-729 Health Care Coverage: treatment for Infertility and Fertility Services, mandating group health insurers provide IVF coverage to plan holders regardless of sexual or gender identity. He also signed AB1825, the California Freedom to Read Act prohibiting “libraries from banning books based on partisan or political reasons, viewpoint discrimination, gender, sexual identity, religion, disability, or on the basis that the books contain inclusive and diverse perspectives.” He vetoed AB-2442 and SB-1067, both dealing with procedures to fast-track licensing out-of-state physicians specializing in gender-affirming care. The legislation was passed to make California a sanctuary state for transgender health care allowing treatment prescribed by MDs from other states, not vetted by California authorities, to be conducted in the state quickly.
GLSEN award goes to …
GLSEN, the leading education organization dedicated to advocating for K-12 schools and learning environments for LGBTQ+ youth, will honor Emmy Award-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph with its Champion Award. The award is given to “a role model and an advocate” for LGBTQ+ youth. Previous honorees include Annette Bening, Julia Roberts, Zendaya, Idina Menzel, Billy Porter, Jessica Biel, Octavia Spencer, Ellen Pompeo, Tim Cook, and Kerry Washington, among others. Ralph portrays Barbara Howard in ABC’s hit comedy “Abbott Elementary.” She won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2022.
Whimsical headline leads to apology
The outrage mob took on the National Women’s Soccer League’s newest team, Boston-based BOS Nation Football Club, for its introductory ad campaign. The club introduced its team with a city-wide ad campaign called “Too Many Balls,” making a whimsical word-play on all the “ball teams” in sports-crazy Boston. The social media video and billboards featured an array of Boston’s professional sports teams, namely the New England Patriots, the Red Sox, and the Celtics. Complaints on social media criticized the ads for emphasizing male athletes. “Why are we making our National Women’s Soccer League’s announcement about men?” a user wrote on X. Other users complained that the campaign assumes that only men have balls, arguing that it makes the campaign transphobic. The team apologized to “the LGBTQ+ community and to the trans community in particular for the hurt we caused. We fully acknowledge that the content of the campaign did not reflect the safe space we are trying to create.”
VP candidates Waltz around Gay stuff
The Democratic nominee for Vice President is being smeared by conservative media and his political opponents with the gay-innuendo brush. At the annual “Al Smith” dinner in New York City, the Republican presidential candidate quipped that Democrats say men can have periods. Said the quipster, “I didn’t believe it, then I met Tim Walz.” There is a social media campaign suggesting that Walz had a relationship with one of his male students, which has gained little credibility. Now Tucker Carlson, former TV opinion show host, says Walz’s jazz hands are proof that Walz is gay. Carlson says Democratic leaders are not letting Walz declare his homosexuality. Carlson showed a video of the nominee’s animated hand movements as proof of his gay bona fides. Can’t wait for this election to be over.
Futbol fan bad language
French futbol (that’s soccer in the U. S. of A.) fans have been warned not to chant “gay taunts” at opposing teams. The chants were directed at the Marseille team by Paris Saint-Germain supporters, who felt betrayed that the Marseille team had poached personnel from PSG. The chants have become so pervasive that some French fans have been banned from attending matches. In Great Britain, the Tottenham Football Club has warned fans not to repeat unfriendly chants with a gay theme about a rival West Ham player. The chant most offensive praises one player but denigrates another. “Dom Solanke is f***ing class. Mik Arteta takes it up the a**. 60 million down the drain, Dom Solanke scores again.” Tottenham has security personnel outfitted with body cams to identify any fan chanting gay taunts in an unfriendly manner or shouting “rent boy” at team personnel. In Mexico, it is considered free speech to shout “maricon” or “chico de alquiler” during a match.
Shakira to headline WorldPride 2025
WorldPride DC 2025 has announced that global superstar Shakira will headline the Welcome Concert at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 31, 2025. This marks the start of WorldPride festivities, which coincide with the 50th anniversary of DC’s Pride celebrations, running from May 17 to June 8, 2025. With an estimated three million visitors expected, the event will showcase the LGBTQ+ community’s rich history and contributions. Shakira’s performance will be part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, her first since 2018. Fans can access presale tickets via Shakira.com, with general sales starting October 25. VIP packages are available for an elevated experience. For more details, visit WorldPrideDC.org. —MA Q
