World & National Briefs

Dolly Parton, major ally

Beloved music icon Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. In the days that followed, tributes poured in from around the world celebrating her extraordinary life, career, and philanthropy. One of the most significant honors came from The Advocate, which named Parton its 2026 Advocate of the Year. The citation, written by Desirée Guerrero, editor-in-chief of The Advocate and Plus magazines, appears in The Advocate’s November-December 2026 print issue, available on newsstands November 3. Guerrero cited numerous reasons for recognizing Parton’s legacy, including her longstanding support of the LGBTQ+ community. Among the examples highlighted were:

• Welcoming and supporting LGBTQ+ fans throughout her career.
• Publicly advocating love and acceptance over judgment.
• Expressing the belief that her Christian faith was compatible with LGBTQ+ inclusion.
• Quietly funding gender-affirming care for a longtime employee.
• Becoming a beloved drag and LGBTQ+ cultural icon.
• Supporting LGBTQ+ visibility through appearances connected to RuPaul’s Drag Race.
• Partnering with Nina West on a fundraiser benefiting LGBTQ+ programs.
• Maintaining close relationships with LGBTQ+ performers and advocates.
• Making LGBTQ+ community members feel seen, valued, and respected.
• Earning a reputation as an ally whose support extended beyond words to meaningful actions.

Gone but never forgotten, Parton leaves behind a legacy of music, generosity, and compassion. To paraphrase the title of one of her most enduring songs, we will always love her.

It’s Delaware, watch your mouth

Rep. Sarah McBride, the nation’s first openly transgender member of the U.S. Congress, has become inured to opponents who misgender her. The latest example came during a congressional candidate forum in Delaware, where a Republican candidate was removed from the stage after repeatedly misgendering McBride despite warnings from the moderator. When the candidate persisted, organizers ordered him to leave the forum, a decision McBride herself sought to prevent. The episode was not an isolated incident. Since taking office, McBride has faced a series of misgendering slights from congressional colleagues. One representative referred to her as “the gentleman from Delaware” ahead of her maiden floor speech. During a House committee hearing, a male chairman recognized her as “Mr. McBride.” McBride responded calmly and pointedly: “Thank you, Madam Chair.” She was the target of legislative efforts aimed at restricting access to single-sex facilities based on what proponents describe as “biological sex,” with McBride explicitly identified as the measure’s intended subject. Throughout these episodes, always the lady, McBride has refused to be drawn into personal conflicts. Instead, she has responded with composure, redirecting attention to the legislative work she says voters sent her to Washington to accomplish.

Books removed from schools doubled in one year.

School book removals have hit a record high at almost 12,000 removals, according to a new report from PEN America, a free-speech organization. The report noted that schools have overwhelmingly targeted books about “Race and racism, LGBTQ+ people or characters, people or characters of color, and sex,” the report read. Removals in 2025-2026 doubled from the previous school year. Four thousand authors had their books removed, mostly from the young adult and fiction sections. PEN America said Texas and Florida removed the majority of the titles. No mention of Davis or Washington County schools in Utah, where most of the state’s removals originate. Super Intelligence is becoming a popular tool in removing books. PEN America found district administrators using SI to justify book removals because another district removed the title and SI did not read the book. Manga, a Japanese form of graphic novel, has become another target for removal. Some authors’ entire catalogs, such as Stephen King’s and Ellen Hopkins’, are being removed, not just specific books.

Everybody can be gay, with training

“Gay” has been a nice niche market for many consumer products, restaurants, bars, and travel. The newest gay niche is for asylum claims. British authorities are cracking down on a criminal network helping migrants fabricate claims of being gay to secure asylum, which carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The group charged up to £4,500 for a “comprehensive package” that included staged photographs at gay clubs, coaching on asylum interviews, and other manufactured evidence. A BBC investigation found that some advisers and legal representatives were helping migrants pose as LGBT applicants claiming they would face persecution if returned home. An undercover reporter attended an LGBT community event in east London, where a participant insisted virtually nobody present was actually homosexual. “Nobody is gay here,” he said. Authorities believe fraudulent evidence may have supported dozens of asylum claims. Ten years in prison may give the asylum sellers and seekers gayer bona fides than they bargained for.

Gay film star beaten up

Speaking of niche marketing, getting beat up seems to be a popular piece of clickbait. “I got beat up last Thursday morning by a group of gay guys,” says Gay adult star Alfonso Osnaya. The model says it all began after a group of men taunted him at the popular LGBTQ+ bar Beaux in Castro District. “I took the bait from some judgmental comments, and I was alone. They were waiting for me outside. I got knocked out, and the next thing I knew, I had the people from Beaux helping me out,” Osnaya says. Osnaya believes his job as a sex worker is what prompted the men to start a fight with him. Osnaya started his career in the adult entertainment industry in 2021. He has worked for Falcon, NakedSword, Trailer Trash Boys, SayUncle, Carnal, Men.com, and Lucas Entertainment, among others. No mention of MAGA hats or Subway sandwiches in this sordid episode.

Street named for local lesbian icon

A capital city wants to honor an LGBT figure by naming a street after them. No, not another Harvey Milk Boulevard in a city he had nothing to do with. Vicky Hester is a well-known fixture in Richmond, Virginia’s gay and lesbian community through her philanthropy and by running Babes of Carytown, one of the country’s oldest lesbian bars. Now, Richmond City Council officials honor her by renaming the street next to Hester’s bar as “Vicky Hester Way.” Hester, who died in September 2025, opened Babes of Carytown in 1987 in the Carytown neighborhood of Virginia’s capital originally as a restaurant. It soon became a gathering spot for lesbians and added bar service to facilitate “networking.”

‘No’ CNN, MSNOW, Politico, but ‘Yes’ to Blade

The White House exiled CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the traditional White House Media Pool. Other TV outlets, including Fox News, are boycotting White House press pool events in protest of the WH exile of the three media outlets. Though it is reputed to be a very homophobic White House staff, the legendary Washington Blade, a long-time, D.C.-based LGBT media outlet, was allowed to stay and is still providing print press pool reports.

Elections have consequences

Hungary’s conservative government was voted out of office in April 2026 and replaced by a somewhat less conservative coalition led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar. Before its defeat, the Orbán government had enacted a 2021 “child protection” law that restricted public discussion of LGBTQ+ identities and lives, limited how schools and media could address sexual orientation and gender diversity, and imposed government oversight on some sex education providers. This October, Hungary’s parliament voted 139-51 to remove the law’s anti-LGBTQ+ provisions. The earlier legislation was widely compared to Russia’s ban on “homosexual propaganda” and was condemned by European Union institutions. The revised law no longer prohibits or penalizes discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. Instead, it adopts a broader standard intended to protect people under 18 from material that could “seriously impair the child’s physical, intellectual, emotional, or moral development.