Dems blow chance at Texas U.S. Senate seat
The entry of controversial Jasmine Crocket into the 2026 Texas Senate race is creating a dramatic primary for Texas’ first LGBTQ Congressional representative, Julie Johnson. Colin Allred resigned the seat Johnson now holds to run for the Senate. The Texas Legislature rearranged the district Crockett held to make it harder for her to win reelection, so she announced her candidacy for the Senate. For reasons unknown, the Texas Democratic Party pressured Allred, who was polling well against the Republican incumbent, to withdraw in favor of the Democratic version of Marjorie Taylor Greene — Crockett. Johnson’s 32nd District was subject to a mid‑decade redistricting, forcing her into the newly created 33rd District, the same seat Allred now seeks. The new district is one of only two seats considered winnable in the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the redistricting plan. Roughly one‑third of its residents hail from Allred’s former district, which he flipped in 2018 and represented for six years, giving him a built‑in base as the battle begins. Johnson, a former state lawmaker, succeeded Allred in Congress after he vacated his seat to run for Senate in 2024.
No Pride in soccer
Depending on your viewpoint, it’s either serendipity or disaster that the first‑ever FIFA World Cup match at Seattle’s Lumen Field is on June 26, the opening day of the city’s annual Pride weekend. The game will feature Iran and Egypt, two countries where same‑sex relations remain criminalized. Before the countries were announced, Seattle, known as the Emerald City by virtue of its large gay and lesbian population, dubbed the match the “World Cup Pride Match.” Not happy playing in a Pride match, the Egyptian Football Association announced it had formally urged FIFA to cancel the Pride theme, calling it “directly contrary to cultural, religious and social values in the region.” Egypt’s morality laws punish same‑sex activity between men with up to three years in prison and fines. Iran, which enforces harsh penalties, including the death penalty, under its Islamic Penal Code, is appealing to FIFA, denouncing the Pride Match as “an irrational move that supports a certain group.” Seattle’s mayor said, “The match was a chance to showcase inclusivity. With matches on Juneteenth and Pride, we get to show the world everyone is welcome.”
No Pride in Texas City
An LGBTQ+ group in Texas has canceled its 2026 Pride celebration after the city rescinded antidiscrimination protections. Arlington Pride, organized by the HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health, announced Friday it will suspend next year’s event following the city council’s vote to remove “gender identity and expression” and “sexual orientation” from the local ordinance. Arlington Pride CEO Dee Jay Johannessen said the decision was made to protect participants. “We cannot in good conscience invite attendees to an event in a city that refuses to provide even the most basic protections,” he stated. “Pride is about safety, celebration, and community. Without local safeguards, we cannot guarantee those values for our attendees, performers, or patrons.” The cancellation underscores growing tensions over LGBTQ+ rights in Texas, where local protections remain vulnerable to political shifts. For Arlington’s LGBTQ+ community, the loss of Pride is a symbolic setback but devastating for stores that sell body makeup, glitter, and Spanx shapewear.
RIP: Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary, the Emmy‑winning actor best known for his iconic role as Luke Spencer on “General Hospital,” has died at 78 following complications from elective surgery. Geary joined “General Hospital” in 1978 and quickly became one half of television’s most famous soap couple, Luke and Laura, alongside Genie Francis. Their 1981 show wedding drew 30 million viewers, making it the most‑watched episode in daytime drama history. Over his career, Geary earned 16 Daytime Emmy nominations and won a record eight times for outstanding lead actor, cementing his place as one of the genre’s most celebrated performers. After retiring from the show in 2015, Geary relocated to Amsterdam with his husband, Claudio Gama, who was quoted in the media as saying, “For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.” Born in Coalville, Utah, and a theatre kid at the University of Utah, Geary was not publicly out during his acting career. His later openness about his relationship clarified long‑standing speculation by anyone who ever saw him flinch when kissing his TV soap opera love. So far, no comments from anyone in Utah, including Coalville, Summit County, or the state of Utah, save this notice in QSaltLake.
Equality themes in Georgia election
Democrat Eric Gisler flipped Georgia’s State House District 121, a district Republicans carried by 12 points, winning by fewer than 200 votes. LGBTQ advocates hailed the victory as a decisive rebuke of far‑right politics in a rapidly shifting suburban district. The district, east of metro Atlanta, was held just last year by an anti‑LGBT Republican who won with 61 percent of the vote. For Democrats, the reversal required aggressive turnout and a candidate who framed equality as a core civic value. The Human Rights Campaign treated the race as a proving ground, endorsing Gisler and, uncharacteristically, sending funds to mobilize volunteers, run text banks, and fund digital outreach. An HRC spokesperson said the effort reached 1,000 members and 7,000 “Equality Voters.” Gisler credited LGBT equality themes, saying, “Full equality for all under the law is a common‑sense value.”
Maddow wins, “That’s the way it is”
Rachel Maddow joins some of the other prominent figures in American journalism and entertainment in accepting the 2025 Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Journalism. The biennial ceremony, highlighting the theme “How a Free Press Defends Democracy,” held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., recognizes television and digital reporting that exemplifies independence and accountability. Honorees joining Maddow in receiving honors are Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes,” Peter Alexander of “NBC News,” and Julio Vaqueiro of “Noticias Telemundo.” Video tributes will feature Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” and John Dickerson of “CBS Evening News Plus.” Stewart is the first winner in a new category honoring comedic news and political commentary. “The message sent by honoring these winners is that the press isn’t ‘the enemy of the people’ — it’s the firewall between the public and disinformation, abuse of power, and corruption,” said Martin Kaplan, founding director of Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California. Maddow began her career in radio in Massachusetts. She went to Al Gore’s failed attempt to counter “right-wing AM radio,” Air America, and was a five-night-a-week host on MSNBC. She now hosts a Monday Night Show on the successor network, MS NOW. She has been “with” her partner, artist and photographer Susan Mikula, since 1999. A former president used to say, “this is no joke,” they met when Mikula hired Maddow to do some yard work.
Bowen Yang leaves Saturday Night Live
Bowen Yang is reportedly leaving Saturday Night Live after seven seasons, despite renewing his contract amid the show’s pre-season 51 departures, which included Ego Nwodim, Celeste Yim, Heidi Gardner, Emil Wakim, and many other people we’ll never see again. He is best known for mugging gay stereotypical hand gestures and eyebrow raises in a largely dialogue-free role in the two “Wicked” movies. His final episode as a repertory player aired in December, hosted by “Wicked” star Ariana Grande with Cher as musical guest. Exiting after an episode featuring Grande and Cher feels like a dazzlingly fitting farewell. A teaser even shows Cher slapping him and telling him to “snap out of it.” Yang joins past mid‑season exits such as Eddie Murphy, Cecily Strong, and Dana Carvey, all of whom were seen for a while but disappeared.
DADT survivor runs for U. S. Congress
Nebraska Democrat Kishla Askins is running for the Second Congressional District, a competitive Omaha‑based seat. During her U.S. Air Force career, she was not able to be her authentic lesbian self, and then “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” became the law of the land in the 1990s. DADT was supposed to be a fix for the pressure on lesbian and gay service members, but it just added another lock to the closet door. She did partner up with her still-partner, Alison. One in the Navy and the other in the Marines, the two women excelled. Due to DADT and military discrimination, neither woman was allowed to “be on the stand” to celebrate with her partner during medal ceremonies and other honors. As successful as she was, she still had to survive two DADT investigations, one of which was based on “gossip” about her relationship. Upon retirement, Askins joined the Veterans Administration. She ended her career as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the VA. Republican Don Bacon is the incumbent and has run strongly in the district. He is critical of the current president but is not an official “anti.” No other Democrat has yet announced for the seat.
