SO MUCH GOOD QUEER NEWS!!

Can you tell I'm feeling enthusiastic this week?

I can't tell you how excited I've been to write this week's good news recap. I always look forward to sitting down and cobbling a pile of stories from around the world into something that looks like hope, but this week is feeling extra sweet.

No, it's not because there is one particularly monumental victory—it's because the list of stories I have to share is just so darn long. Watching it grow each day as I collected the links, I was continually struck by the gift of getting to share this joy with you all.

We're off to a really cheesy start, I know. I spent last night finally watching Flow and cooking an elaborate pasta, and then wandered around the farmer's market all morning. I'm writing this very post while sitting in the middle of a park alive with birds and dogs and families and casually joyful queer couples. I am choosing to build a joyful life over and over again, and I can feel the ways that’s coming through in my writing.

Sitting in a place like this, could you really blame me for believing magic is real?

Briefly, because my Chief Barketing Officer, Oliver, insists I need to prepare for Pride Month: I'm giving myself until October to determine if public speaking is still a sustainable career path for me and my family amidst the current political uncertainty. I'd love to plan an event for your ERG, workplace, parent group, congregation, book club, community center, library, etc! Click here to learn more about my speaking offerings, and send me a message to connect further, or forward my website to your friends and colleagues!

Look at the glasses. Who would dare deny his business acumen? He is so grizzled and wise

There are nearly 8,000 of you here with me now, a number that's quite hard to fathom. That's almost more people than the town I grew up in! There are also enough of you that are paying subscribers that I've had the flexibility to spend more time writing, traveling to the capitol, and providing lots of free support to parents of trans kids. Whether you've been a free subscriber from the start, are a new paid subscriber, or this is your very first article of Good Queer News, I am grateful to you beyond what I can fully express.

Thank you!! At last, I hear what you're thinking: Ben, it's not Vermont in the fall! That's enough sap! (ha ha) Let's get into this week's Good Queer News!

Powerful shows of support

First off, a collaboration between PFLAG and the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) brought ten billboards to the state of Texas to help transgender people feel seen and loved, and work to push public acceptance. I get a little misty eyed thinking about what something like this would've meant to me as a scared, lonely trans kid all those years ago. (Learn more!)

Photo of the billboard posted on instagram by PFLAG National

Keeping the Texas trend going, the Houston Bears has moved their annual gathering away from Grizzly Pines in protest of their "males only" policy, which excludes transgender men. At a time where it can feel like the community is so divided, it's amazing to see such staunch solidarity. (LGBTQ+Nation, 4/3)

While many pride festivals, museums, libraries, and nonprofits are starting to lose funding and sponsorships to corporate fear and government hostility, communities are stepping up. In Alabama, a library had their state funding pulled after refusing to remove certain books from their teen section. Rather than remove the books, they set up a community fundraiser and raised over $40,000 dollars! The biggest donation given was $1,000, meaning this was driven by small donations from community members supporting the freedom to read. (Alabama Reflector, 3/25)

If you want to be a part of a good news story like this, take a moment to donate to saving the festival for Pride St. Charles, a community-driven pride festival in a more conservative area of St. Louis. If you send me a screenshot of your donation of any size, I'll upgrade you to a paid subscription for 6 months!

University of Cincinnati has removed their controversial “biological” bathroom signs after significant pubic backlash, and lost $16k along the way. Public pressure works, and bigotry doesn't pay! (Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/8/25)

Election Wins!

The Wisconsin Supreme Court race last week made major news. The far-right and Elon Musk were heavily invested, spending $21 million to try to install their desired candidate. But the people showed up and elected Susan Crawford, keeping a liberal majority on the state's high court.

The victory in Wisconsin, coupled with races in ruby-red Florida counties that, while ultimately going to republicans, were much, much tighter margins than the 2024 election. This is an indication that public sentiment towards trump and the GOP is already taking a nosedive—only a few months into his presidency. (Dive deeper into these wins with the AP)

Louisiana voters rejected 4 constitutional amendments wholeheartedly—over 60% voting no. The defeat represents a major loss for louisiana governor Jeff Landry, a republican whose campaign was backed by Donald Trump. One of the amendments was substantially funded and supported by the Koch brothers. How much more do you need to know to start celebrating?

• According to Axios New Orleans, "If passed, the amendments would have increased judicial oversight, approved sweeping changes to the state's tax law, made future changes possible to how juveniles are criminally charged and opened the door for statewide specialized courts." (Axios New Orleans, 3/31/25)

There are other elections lately you're unlikely to have read about on national (or perhaps even local) news. Here in Missouri, we had school board and city council races across the state. In St. Louis, the new school board members are all highly equity-minded leaders. In both the Francis Howell and Wentzville school districts, two STL County districts leading the way in hostility towards queer students, right-wing majorities were broken, and hateful candidates were unseated or defeated. Both school districts now have majorities eager to protect their students, and all 10 candidates in the county backed by a local democratic organization won their races! The small town of Rolla Missouri also voted out not one, not two, but THREE book-banning bigots to build a much more inclusive city council.

I know about all these local races because I happen to be here on the ground talking to local advocates who fought tooth and nail for these victories. But I won't know the victories in every school board, in every small town. And yet they will continue to happen. There will always be more good news than we can see. Isn't it wonderful?

Legislative Wins

Colorado Democrats introduced two incredible trans rights bills this week. The first would deeply protect access to gender affirming care for adults and youth—making it illegal to deny providing this care to patients. The other would take repeated misgendering and deadnaming into account in child custody cases, creating more layers of protection for trans youth. (LGBTQ+ Nation, 4/9)

Long beach is joining a growing list of sanctuary cities for trans folks, with their council voting to enact additional protections for trans residents, recognize trans day of visibility, and issue a firm statement of support. Read the statement here. It's amazing to see these commitments, and planning trips to cities that make these kinds of public statements will drive up revenue for small businesses and create a deeper "business case" for trans inclusion that will get more and more cities on board.

Montana defeated yet another anti trans bill that would target doctors, nurses, and parents of trans kids. Nonbinary Representative SJ Howell gave a passionate speech, motivating 17 republicans to cross party lines and vote "no" on this bill. This is one of many recent examples of Montana republicans having the courage to stand up for their trans constituents. (Erin Reed, 4/8)

Also out of Montana, the state court has blocked enforcement of their bathroom ban while considering a larger preliminary injunction. It went into effect less than a week prior. Remember this when you hear about bathroom bans: while still very hostile, they are largely unenforceable, and often found to be unconstitutional by state courts. (Montana Free Press, 4/2)

Fin

Wow! I came into this knowing it was going to be long...but this is looong. Thank you for making it all the way here!

Please keep taking care of yourself, my friends. Despite everything, we are marching steadfastly towards a better world, and I want you to be there to see it with me. Keep looking for joy and hope, and celebrating the wins as they come. Put love into a community that loves you back. Do not try to do this alone, do not try to fix the world all at once. It is not time to give up.

In case you didn't see it above, I will offer again: If you donate any amount to save the St. Charles Pride Festival and send me a screenshot, I will upgrade your account (or that of a friend or loved one) to paid tier for 6 months!

The best queer news is the news you make!

With love and hope as always,

Ben