National, World LGBTQ News Briefs
Gay man out of El Salvador prison
Andry Hernández Romero, a 32-year-old gay Venezuelan makeup artist who fled his home country in 2024 because he feared being subject to bashing. He legally entered the U.S., he passed a “credible fear interview,” and began the asylum process. His asylum was adjudicated and denied, and he was scooped up by ICE for having tattoos suggesting gang affiliation. Despite having no criminal record in the U.S., he was deported under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and sent to El Salvador’s CECOT prison. After his incarceration became a cause, he was released from the prison but sent back to Venezuela with over 250 Venezuelan men. The U.S. exchanged these men, previously deported and imprisoned in El Salvador, for the release of 10 U.S. citizens held in Venezuela.
Michelle’s podcast: Barack says, ‘Have gay friends’
Barack Obama advised straight men to have gay friends on a podcast, “IMO,” hosted by former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother. The interview was about “How to raise emotionally intelligent, competent men amid a growing male loneliness epidemic.” Obama emphasized the importance of diverse role models. He said one of his earliest mentors was a gay college professor, from whom he learned a lot. “You need that person in your friend group so that if you then have a boy who is gay or nonbinary… they have somebody they can go, ‘Okay, I’m not alone in this.’“ The former president presided over a period of progress for gay and lesbian people with the repeal of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act and the U.S. Supreme Court Obergefell decision on marriage equality. His record on gay and lesbian rights, like most politicians, evolved over time. In 1998, he was “undecided” on same-sex marriage. From 2004 to 2010, he supported civil unions but defined marriage traditionally. In 2012, he made history by endorsing same-sex marriage. By 2015, he celebrated the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, “I was proud to say that love is love.” He was the first U. S. president to be the subject of a cover story interview in a LGBTQ+-targeted magazine.
Florida cities paint over rainbow crosswalks
Rainbow painted crosswalks may be a thing of the past, at least in Florida. Boynton Beach, Fla., painted over a rainbow-colored crosswalk after the Florida governor and the U.S. transportation secretary called decorative road markings a dangerous “distraction.” The city removed the street painting, which had been in place since June 2021. The town cited safety concerns and compliance with state and federal transportation mandates. “Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” the Sec. of Trans wrote in a letter to governors. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a transportation law banning “nonstandard surface markings, signage, and signals” that don’t directly contribute to traffic safety. Previous Sec. of Trans, openly gay Pete Buttigieg, promoted such painting. Since that time, there’s no evidence that rainbow crosswalks increase traffic collisions. Many Florida cities installed rainbow crosswalks after the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, which killed 49 people in an LGBT hate crime. One such crosswalk remains near the site of the tragedy, and Orlando officials have expressed no plans to remove it. Boynton Beach is the only Florida city, so far, to remove markings. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis also defended his city’s Pride crosswalk, telling the Sun Sentinel it poses no safety risk because it’s not located on a major roadway.
Laverne Cox is in love
What’s a girl to do when she falls in love with the wrong boy? Laverne Cox revealed in her upcoming one-woman show, Gurrl, How Did I Get Here, that she was in a nearly four-year relationship with a “blonde-haired, blue-eyed MAGA Republican voter” who is also a New York City police officer. Fans reacted strongly, criticizing her for dating someone aligned with a movement portrayed as transphobic and racist. In a 50-minute Instagram live video, Cox explained she met him on Tinder and didn’t know his politics at first. She described him as having a “beautiful soul” and said she tried to see his humanity beyond his beliefs. “I never adopted his politics,” she emphasized, adding that she challenged him with empathy and facts. So, what did she do? Wrung as much fun out of it as possible then ended it. After four years, the relationship ended as political tensions escalated and what she called, “his biases” surfaced. Cox acknowledged the irony and complexity but said, “I don’t regret leaning into love,” even if it defied expectations and provoked backlash.
Barbie designers RIP
Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi, a gay couple who were famous for collaborating with Mattel on custom Barbie dolls, including a Madonna-inspired doll, were killed in a head-on collision with an 82-year-old man going the wrong way on an Italian highway. According to an Italian publication, the older man and the passenger in the couple’s car also died. The couple owned a company called Magnia2000, where they’d create tribute dolls to famous icons like Cher, Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga, and Sarah Jessica Parker. They worked with Mattel on different creative projects, in addition to their Madonna doll that raised money for charity. Paglino and Grossi’s dolls were part of a 2008 Vogue issue titled “The Black Barbie.”
USAF goes hard on transgender service members
The U.S. Air Force announced it will deny early retirement to transgender service members with 15–18 years of service. Transgender service members must now choose between a lump-sum separation payment or involuntary removal, but no retirement payments or healthcare. The Air Force has an exception to policy, but so far, none have been approved. About a dozen members were initially told they could retire early, but that decision was reversed. This follows the U. S. Supreme Court’s May decision allowing the Pentagon to enforce a ban on transgender service members. Attorneys representing transgender service members have described the process, including reverting records to birth gender, as “dehumanizing.” Legal challenges, calling the policy “arbitrary and cruel,” are anticipated. At the end of 2024, 4,240 service members were diagnosed with “gender dysphoria,” though officials acknowledge this doesn’t capture all transgender personnel.
Assault with a footlong: A Gay Crime?
A viral moment on Washington D.C.’s U Street, a hub for Black culture and LGBTQ-friendly nightlife, sparked headlines when a man in a pink button-down and khaki shorts threw a wrapped Subway sandwich at federal officers. According to The Advocate, the incident occurred as the man exited a shop and passed a group of Border Patrol and FBI agents in tactical gear. Video shows him growing visibly upset, walking away, then returning to question bystanders about the officers’ vehicles before hurling the hoagie sandwich at police. The Advocate highlighted the man’s outfit, causing some to ask whether the venerable LGBT publication was implying, from his costume, that the man is gay. The hurler has been arrested and charged, and it’s known he was a Justice Department employee, but not much personal info was available at press time, leaving room for speculation. The outfit — pink shirt and khakis — might suggest a 1980s or 90s retro vibe fashion misfire by a straight man more than a statement of sexual identity. Still, the moment shows the frustration D.C. residents have over the law enforcement presence under the recent federalization of the D.C. Police force. After all, a footlong Subway can cost up to $13 in D.C., twenty bucks if it’s a combo with chips and a drink. Whether the man’s fashion was relevant or not, the hoagie hurl has become a symbol of protest and an “Animal House-esque” stupid and futile gesture, in a politically charged atmosphere.
POTUS sent his favorite lesbian to the UN
Tammy Bruce has been nominated to become Deputy Representative of the United States at the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador. The self-proclaimed lesbian and former radio host previously served as the U.S. State Department spokesperson. She was a leader of the National Organization of Women in California in the 1990s. She resigned that post after making cancelable remarks about O. J. Simpson. She started moving right when she defended radio host Dr Laura Schlessinger for making anti-gay rants on a radio show. She ended up on Fox News, where she hosted Fox & Friends with the current Defense Secretary when he was a co-host on the show. On Fox, she was opposed to the COVID-19 protocols and vaccines and criticized a previous president for paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence by saying, “all women and men are created equal” at an international summit. Bruce considered that an unnecessary correction to the wording of the Declaration of Independence.
Men caught kissing to get caned
At least they are not in Iran or Gaza and being thrown off of buildings or crushed under a pile of stones, but two Indonesian men will be caned for kissing and embracing one another in public. In a Muslim religious court, the two college students were sentenced to be caned in public 80 times each. The punishment was handed down after “Islamic Karens” reported seeing the 20- and 21-year-old men enter a public restroom together. The men were only seen hugging and kissing, but the court found they had committed acts that led to gay sex, which is forbidden under Indonesian law.
Bad penny shows up
It’s been ten years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued Obergefell v. Hodges ruling for marriage equality. Kim Davis, a former Kentucky clerk punished in 2015 for refusing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, is back, appealing a $100,000 jury award and the legal bills of $260,000 from her claim that the First Amendment allowed her to refuse to issue marriage licenses to all applicants because of her religious objections to marriage equality. Lower courts rejected her claims. Now she’s asking the U.S Supreme Court to consider her petition in its next term this fall. SCOTUS has not accepted the case, yet. Davis’s case aligns with a broader push against marriage equality — nine states introduced anti–same-sex marriage bills in 2025, and the Southern Baptist Convention seeks to overturn Obergefell. Legal experts say her appeal is unlikely to succeed. Justice Clarence Thomas has suggested revisiting the ruling. The other judges have shown no inclination to revisit the Obergefell Decision. Federal Law now protects marriage equality with the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act. Some states, like Utah, retain anti-marriage equality language in statute or constitutional amendment. Over 590,000 same-sex couples have married since 2015. Since she just won’t let anything go, it’s understandable that Ms. Davis has been married and divorced four times, meowed the cat.
