In commemoration of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, released a statement. In part, she said, ”The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day, ‘Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,’ reminds us that we must remain steadfast in our commitment to prevent new HIV infections and provide essential services to all people with HIV. Today, we pause to remember the estimated 39 million individuals around the globe with HIV, including approximately 1.2 million people here in the United States. We also remember the 42 million individuals worldwide who have died from HIV/AIDS. Their stories and their lives will continue to motivate and inform our work to end the HIV epidemic.”
Also on World AIDS Day, the AIDS Memorial Quilt was spread across the White House’s South Lawn, The Advocate noted. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden led a moment of silence in honor of those who have died from HIV/AIDS. “The AIDS Memorial Quilt, which began at a storefront in San Francisco at a time when victims did not receive funerals due to social stigma, is heading to the White House for the first time in history,” a White House spokesperson told the queer news outlet. Regarding the quilt, nearly 50,000 panels bear the names of more than 105,000 people.
To commemorate World AIDS Day, Dr. David J. Johns—executive director of the National Black Justice Collective (NBJC), a leading Black LGBTQ+-rights organization—issued a statement. In part, Johns said, in part, “On this World AIDS Day, we honor the activists, medical professionals, and advocates who have worked tirelessly to advance awareness, research, and treatment. From grassroots organizers to global leaders, their efforts have saved countless lives and moved us closer to a future free from HIV/AIDS. In this spirit, we are thrilled to highlight Black HIV activists working to ensure our community gets the testing, treatment, care, and prevention it needs. Follow @NBJCOnTheMove across digital platforms to learn more about these torchbearers. “
Many same-sex couples are rushing to get married, start fertility treatments and take other measures out of fear that some of their rights might be rescinded during a second Trump administration, NBC News reported. Some gay couples say they fear that marriage equality will be revoked after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Those concerns were stoked in 2020 when justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito issued rebukes of Obergefell v. Hodges (which made state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional) and signaled that they would be open to reversing it. However, Mary Bonauto—who argued on behalf of same-sex couples in Obergefell and now is the civil-rights project director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)—dismissed the idea that the same-sex marriage ruling will be overturned.
Five Norman Rockwell works of art owned by the Boy Scouts of America went up for auction—with the proceeds going to compensate thousands of survivors of childhood sexual abuse, according to NBC-DFW. One work, “To Keep Myself Physically Strong,” shows a scout using a measuring tape to gauge the chest circumference of another scout; another, “Homecoming,” sold for $843,750. The five Rockwell pieces—four paintings and one charcoal piece—were part of 25 Scouting-owned artworks up for auction. The collection—auctioned by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions—represents a small part of the assets, including real estate, that the organization is selling to place into a trust for survivors like Kennedy. A press release stated that the initial 25 offerings from the BSA Trust collection hammered at $3,715,500—all of which will benefit survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Scouting.
The U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) announced a strategic partnership designed to enhance economic opportunities for Black and LGBTQ+ business owners. A release stated that “this collaboration aims to empower businesses with dual certifications, allowing them to leverage both the NGLCC Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® (Certified LGBTBE®) and USBC ByBlack Certification® to access greater resources and contracts within corporate supply chains and government programs.” Both organizations are part of the National Business Inclusion Consortium—a coalition of business organizations representing diverse communities.
In Texas, the four groups in Austin’s Diversity and Ethnic Chamber Alliance will receive millions of city dollars over the next few years to support local hiring, job creation, marketing and other economic activity, according to Community Impact. Approved funding includes $758,646 to the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, $692,391 to the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce; $607,500 to the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce; and $461,250 to the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The regional plan is meant to address topics like housing, mobility, child care and small-business support in the minority and LGBTQ+ economic community across Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.
The results from California’s first statewide survey of LGBTQ+ older adults had mixed results—showing high levels of satisfaction with their quality of life but also multiple concerns regarding transgender women, The Advocate reported. The survey, “From Challenges to Resilience,” was conducted in early 2024, and there were 4,037 respondents. The survey covered seven topics: economic well-being, social well-being, discrimination and safety, healthcare access, service utilization, mental health and substance use, and cognitive and physical health. Most respondents gave high marks for personal wellness and quality of life (86 percent); transgender and gender-expansive individuals were the least satisfied with the quality of their lives, with 22 percent giving only poor or fair ratings. Trans women were also the most likely to have recently experienced unfair treatment, disrespect, and discrimination.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded a grant of up to $5 million to two psychologists who are pioneering an eating disorder treatment for LGBTQ+ people, according to LGBTQ Nation. Auburn University Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences Tiffany Brown and San Diego State University Professor of Psychology Aaron Blashill developed the Promoting Resilience to Improve Disordered Eating (PRIDE) program to address identity-related stressors that they believe increase the risk of developing eating disorders. NIMH awarded the grant after an initial study using the PRIDE program saw a 75% remission rate in eating disorders.
LGBTQ+-rights advocates and the mother of a transgender child said they spoke with Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts a few days after the election about his comments on trans athletes—and were disappointed at the congressman’s response to their concerns, according to Boston.com. Moulton has faced backlash since he made comments to The New York Times immediately after the election about how Democrats are too preoccupied by “trying not to offend anyone. … I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete but, as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.” Pro-LGBTQ+ activists hoped to get an apology from him during a recent meeting; however, “Rep. Moulton made it clear that he did not regret his statements and offered no apology,” Greater Boston PFLAG Executive Director Nina Selvaggio said in a statement. Moulton—a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus—has walked in the North Shore Pride Parade and been endorsed by LGBTQ+ advocates in the past.
Eighteen attorneys general from mostly red states are voicing their support for the Massachusetts middle-schooler who claims his First Amendment rights were violated when he was barred from wearing a “There are only two genders” shirt to school last year, MSN noted. Liam Morrison—who was then a seventh grader at Nichols Middle School in Middleborough—was sent home from school in March 2023 after he refused to change his T-shirt. A district court judge found that his rights were not violated, and a United States Court of Appeals concurred. However, in friend-of-the-court briefs, aAttorneys general from South Carolina, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Virginia argued that public education is centered around “pursuing truth—even when uncomfortable.”
The long-awaited American LGBTQ+ Museum is closer to completion after holding a second groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 3 in the New York Historical Society’s auditorium, per Gay City News. The speeches culminated in the donation of a brick from the original Stonewall Inn facade from the venue’s current owners, Kurt Kelly and Stacy Lentz. “Our intention is to plant that brick in the walls of this new museum as a connection to the spirit of Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and the countless others who stood up for LGBTQ rights,” American LGBTQ+ Museum Executive Director Ben Garcia said before the event started. The event came three years after the American LGBTQ+ Museum originally broke ground in September 2021 in a ceremony featuring tennis legend Billie Jean King, Broadway star André De Shields and others.
On Dec. 3, Democrat Adam Gray captured California’s 13th Congressional District by fewer than 200 votes, unseating Republican Rep. John Duarte in the final U.S. House contest to be decided this year, the AP noted. Gray’s win means Republicans won 220 House seats this election cycle, with Democrats holding 215 seats. According to VoteSmart, Gray has mostly voted in favor of the LGBTQ+ community, including in 2017 (when he was part of the California State Assembly), when he voted to recognize non-binary as an official legal gender.
In North Carolina, Durham resident David Winters is facing new federal charges for cyberstalking and threats against five LGBTQ+ people, including a Raleigh city councilmember, WRAL noted. Winters is accused of threatening and targeting gay men back to at least 2016. Jonathan Lambert-Melton, who was elected to the Raleigh City Council in 2019, told WRAL that he’s faced threats from Winters in the five years since he joined the council. As Lambert-Melton is the first openly LGBTQIA+ person elected in the city of Raleigh, investigators believe he and the other people listed in the indictment were targeted “because of their actual and perceived gender, gender identity and sexual orientation.”
Gerald Declan Radford—the suspect charged with murdering gay resident Walt Lay at a Tampa, Florida, dog park earlier this year—was scheduled to have a stand-your-ground hearing this week, per WFTS. Radford has been held without bond in the Hillsborough County Jail since his arrest in March. Redford fatally shot Lay at West Dog Park in the Leto community on Feb. 2 and was charged with second-degree murder five weeks later. Witnesses told the news outlet that Lay complained that Radford harassed him because he was gay.
In Minnesota, Elk River resident Mark Stinson, who threatened his same-sex neighbors with a gun, appeared before a Sherburne County judge, the St. Cloud Times reported. Stinson allegedly told the neighbors, “Nobody likes [expletive] lesbians. Get the [expletive] out of Sherburne County,” and threatened them with a gun; the incident resulted in a police standoff lasting into the early morning hours. Stinson is charged with second-degree assault and threats of violence. Stinson’s son allegedly told authorities his father had previous troubles with drug and alcohol use. The engaged couple, Kayla Lindenfelser and Corrine Pfoser, told the St. Cloud Times they are talking to realtors and are looking to move somewhere else in Elk River.
In NYC, two men broke into the popular Astoria gay venue the Albatross Bar and made off with an ATM containing around $3,000, the Astoria Post reported. Owner Nathan Finnegan said two men broke into his establishment shortly after 5 a.m. on Nov. 20, breaking in through a side door at the bar using crowbars. The two men removed an ATM containing around $3,000 from the premises and caused significant damage to the bar’s DJ equipment and lights while unsuccessfully attempting to disable the bar’s CCTV system. In 2019, the bar dealt with a man caught spitting on the establishment’s rainbow flag, per Queerty.
A lawsuit filed in October accused former WWE CEO Linda McMahon—President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education—of turning a blind eye to child sexual abuse by a former ringside announcer at the wrestling company, CBS News noted. The suit claims McMahon, husband Vince and others at the WWE were aware of misconduct by Melvin Phillips and failed to prevent it. The lawsuit alleges Phillips, who died in 2012, hired—and later assaulted—“ring boys” as young as 13. The lawsuit—filed on behalf of five unnamed men—names the McMahons and the WWE under a new change in Maryland law that eliminates the state’s statute of limitations for claims of child sex abuse. A lawyer for Linda McMahon said the Cabinet nominee “will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and, without doubt, ultimately succeed.”
The far-right account Libs of TikTok seemingly has been banished from the social-media platform Bluesky, The Advocate stated, citing the Jewel City Times. Known for inflammatory posts targeting queer people and other marginalized communities, the account quickly became Bluesky’s second-most blocked user, according to Clearsky, a site that tracks Bluesky activity. GLAAD praised the account’s removal, with a spokesperson telling The Advocate, “Social-media platforms have hate-speech policies for a reason—to maintain a safe environment for all users, and advertisers, and especially to protect historically marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ people, who are disproportionately targeted with hate and harassment.”
Powder ran an article on the five best LGBTQ+-inclusive ski resorts in North America. They are Colorado’s Aspen Snowmass, British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb, Utah’s Park City, Colorado’s Telluride Ski Resort and California’s Mammoth Mountain. Among other things, Aspen is known for hosting the longest running and original Gay Ski Week; according to a historical account on Aspen Snowmass’ website, Aspen’s first Gay Ski Week was held in 1976. Whistler Blackcomb has hosted its own Pride and Ski Festival for more than three decades, keeping pace with Whistler’s popularity explosion over the last 20 years.
Pete Hegseth’s mother trashed his character in a bombshell 2018 email shortly after his contentious divorce from his second wife, Samantha, who’s the mother of three of his children, The Daily Beast noted. Penelope Hegseth wrote that President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary had been mistreating women for years. “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,” Penelope stated in the missive that The New York Times obtained. “You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.” Hegseth was accused of rape by a woman he met at a Republican conference in Monterey, California, in 2017. However, she later defended her son on Fox News.
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