The best states to live in for 2026: No. 1 has a six-year winning streak
Read more at CNBC. *Editors note– only some of these states are ranked as LGBTQ friendly, so please keep that in mind. One of the many signs that the Covid pandemic is slipping further into the past is that companies are paying closer attention to the quality of life in locations where they are considering…
Why LGBTQ Americans Are Moving to Portugal & Europe | Josh in Lisbon Update
Thinking about moving to Portugal or Europe from the United States? For LGBTQ+ Americans concerned about civil rights, politics, healthcare, safety, and their long-term future in the U.S., Portugal has become one of the destinations getting serious attention. In this episode of the Flee Your Red States Podcast, Bob McCranie and Leslie welcome back Josh…
The 15 worst universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students
Read more at the Advocate. The adult entertainment portal Erobella, responsible for the Sexually Liberal City Index, just released a new study ranking U.S. universities by how LGBTQ+-inclusive they are. Erobella recently published the Out on Campus: The LGBTQ+ College Index 2026, which measures how “supportive and inclusive” the universities across the country are. The study examined whether…
Texas A&M System removes courses on LGBTQ, ethnic studies and climate change from core offerings
Read more at KERA. Students at 11 Texas A&M University System schools will see fewer classes related to LGBTQ literature, climate change and women writers meet graduation requirements under a proposal to remove more than 200 classes from general-education course lists. System regents voted Thursday to scale back the classes that qualify after a review…
22 states sue Trump admin over “unprecedented” attack on gender-affirming care
Read more on LGBTQ Nation. A coalition of blue states has come together to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging its plan to strip federal funds from gender-affirming care for minors. The lawsuit alleges that the administration is overstepping its authority by trying to dictate what medical procedures can and can’t be covered…
The search for an LGBTQ-friendly college remains difficult
Read more at QNotes Carolinas. For nearly two decades, LGBTQ+ students looking for a college could turn to the Campus Pride Index for something most college rankings didn’t provide: a way to evaluate how welcoming and safe a campus might actually be for them. Launched in 2007, the free database evaluated participating colleges on more…
Federal judge shuts down Texas drag ban: If you don’t like drag “just don’t go”
Read more at LGBTQ Nation. A federal judge in Texas ruled this week that the state’s drag ban is an unconstitutional restriction of free speech in violation of the First Amendment. US District Court Judge David Hittner’s Tuesday decision strikes down S.B. 12, a 2023 law signed by anti-LGBTQ+ Gov. Greg Abbott (R). While the…
NC’s newest bathroom battle is stoking worries about LGBTQ student harassment
Read more at Charlotte Observer. Transgender students are absorbing the consequences of a growing fight in Cabarrus County Schools, where two federal lawsuits and a Trump administration investigation are challenging how the district handles bathroom access, LGBTQ advocates say. For months, parents, elected officials and community members clashed over whether transgender students should be allowed…
‘Maine’s first affordable senior housing community for LGBTQ+ older adults’ has its grand opening
Read more at News Center Maine. An affordable senior housing community, described as “Maine’s first affordable senior housing community with programs and services for LGBTQ+ and older adults,” opens Wednesday (August 19). Equality Commons is a 54-unit community that is opening next to the Equality Community Center (ECC) at 25 Casco Street in downtown Portland, according to a…
Record Breaking: LGBTQ+ Adults Now 12% of Population; Greater than 10% in 40 of 50 States
Read more at HRC. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation today released updated population estimates showing that a record-high 12% of U.S. adults – roughly 25.6 million people – identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender diverse. The analysis, drawn from more than 2.4 million responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey collected between 2021 and 2024, is…
Rehoboth Beach elects first openly gay mayor, the resort town’s first female leader in decades
Read more at WHYY. Residents of Rehoboth Beach chose a new mayor last weekend. Susan Stewart was elected by a wide margin, winning more than 60% of the vote out of four mayoral candidates. Stewart’s win is significant; she will be the first openly gay mayor of Rehoboth Beach, and the first woman elected mayor in decades.…
Seattle considers $300K boost for groups serving LGBTQ+ people displaced by red-state bigotry
Read more at the Advocate. Seattle leaders could soon distribute $300,000 to LGBTQ+ organizations to welcome displaced transgender people to the city. The boost for local nonprofits comes as social services feel the strain of a massive influx of people fleeing persecution in Republican-led states. The Seattle City Council’s Finance, Native Communities & Tribal Governments Committee voted last week to allot…
Canada ends sperm donor restrictions for gay & bisexual men in “precedent-setting” move
Read more at LGBTQ Nation. The government agency Health Canada announced last week it has ended its restrictions on gay and bisexual sperm donors. Aziz M. told CBC he has “had a wonderful experience” as a sperm donor, with one child conceived with his sperm remaining an active part of his life. But when he encouraged other queer…
Slovakia defies EU & refuses to register gay couple’s marriage
Read more at LGBTQ Nation. The Central European nation of Slovakia rejected a gay couple’s attempt to have their marriage registered, possibly setting up a clash with the European Union (EU). Ivan Novotný and Metod Špaček, who are both Slovak, got married in Austria in 2020. Both nations are EU member states. This past December,…
Medicaid to stop covering gender-affirming care for transgender kids
Read more at USA Today. The federal agency that runs Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program will no longer pay for gender-affirming care for minors who don’t identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. The Department of Health and Human Services announced Aug. 12 that it finalized a rule after more than a year…
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