Richmond lost more than a business owner this week. On September 2, 2025, Vicky Hester, the longtime owner of Babe’s of Carytown, passed away at age 71. For many, her death marks the end of an era. For nearly five decades, Hester kept the doors of one of the nation’s...
For Lynchburg production company Pals Of Dorothy, it's important to bring LGBTQ stories beyond the big cities, and make clear that the LGBTQ community exists everywhere. Richmond is no stranger to LGBTQ film and theatre, but Lynchburg-based production company Pals of Dorothy is taking steps to bring LGBTQ media beyond the capital city to the...
In this excerpt from his book Pride Leadership, Dr. Steve Yacovelli tells us how to make 2020 "the year that being queer is your key to a courageous career." We all make New Year’s resolutions, from the daydreamingly ambitious to the practical to those that we only make subconsciously. For many, the start of a new year is a time to reflect on our...
After years of struggling, advocates for Virginia's LGBTQ community have received a clear victory, as the Virginia Values Act passes both houses of the General Assembly. Legislators wore rainbow, heart-shaped stickers Thursday as the House and Senate passed the Virginia Values Act. LGBTQ advocacy groups and lawmakers held a press conference in...
Equality Virginia and the Commonwealth's LGBTQ community continue to lobby state legislators for important LGBTQ protections. Now that Democrats control the General Assembly, they're having some success. The day after hundreds lobbied lawmakers on behalf of LGBTQ rights during Equality Virginia's Day of Action, two significant bills advanced in...
The General Assembly is currently considering bills that would create a statewide policy for the treatment of transgender students in Virginia's public schools. In this open letter, Side By Side and over a dozen other youth organizations explain how important it is to pass these bills. All students deserve an equal opportunity to thrive in our...
Virginia's as close as it's ever been to banning conversion therapy for minors. And it seems likely we'll get there before the end of the current General Assembly session. On January 24, Virginia Senator Scott Surovell's bill banning conversion therapy for minors passed the Senate. And on Monday, February 3, Delegate Patrick Hope's similar bill...
A small college in Ashland takes a big step forward by creating a haven for LGBTQ students, especially those who are transgender and non-binary. At Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, there is a relatively-small brick house shrouded from the world by trees. Outside on the front lawn, a sign says “Special Interest House,” but the house is formally...
The commercial was brought to us by Sabra Hummus and featured two RuPaul's Drag Race alums, Miz Cracker and Kim Chi. And it aired despite the objections of conservative pressure groups. If you're one of the many people who watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, you got yourself a bonanza last night. From Bill Murray returning to Groundhog Day...
We're used to it here in the US, but in other countries, Franklin Graham's hateful rhetoric does not fly at all. Franklin Graham‘s planned tour of the UK has run in to a snag: It appears few in the UK want him there. The far right evangelical Christian leader with strong ties to President Donald Trump had announced a UK tour starting in June, but...
