Every year around this time, Richmond slips a little. It starts small and you catch it out of the corner of your eye. Someone in armor pumping gas. A Jedi standing at the crosswalk on Broad, waiting for the light like everyone else. A guy in full wizard robes standing...
Two prominent Virginia Republicans are trying to have Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer declared obscene and prohibited to be sold or lended to minors. Is it really obscene, though, or is it the graphic memoir's open and unapologetic depiction of nonbinary identities and experiences that's the issue? We decided to see for ourselves. Last week, the...
Mary Jane French knows a thing or two about making someone laugh. Whether you have seen her stand up at open mics or showcases, or have seen one of her recent shows around town with her comedy production team, Traverse Comedy, I’m sure you've laughed at at least a few of her jokes. And by a few, I mean all of them. Comedy itself is a very...
In a time where abortion rights are seemingly coming to an end here in the United States, and the repressive forces taking them down are making clear that marriage equality and the right to privacy are next on the chopping block, wouldn't it be nice to get at least a little bit of good news? Luckily for all of us here in Virginia who are trying...
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis last month signed into law a bill that would prevent LGBTQ+ discussions in schools and will discourage classroom conversation about gender identity and sexual orientation in primary grade levels. The measure, nicknamed by critics the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, drew condemnation from the Walt Disney Co., was labeled as...
A new mural was recently completed by artist Nico Cathcart featuring Aurora Higgs, a lauded Black transgender activist and speaker in Richmond’s LGBTQ+ community. Started in March, Women’s History Month, the colorful, vibrant piece focuses on the connections between humans and nature, as well as highlighting the beauty and strength in our...
Right-wing evangelical Franklin Graham spent the weekend promoting anti-LGBTQ extremist hate to his nearly 10 million Facebook followers, including by attacking The Walt Disney Company, criticizing the Biden administration’s support of medically-necessary treatment for transgender children, posting a video of his home state’s Lt. Governor...
So much for performative well-wishes that do nothing to improve the day-to-day lives of marginalized communities -- today, the Biden administration rolls out a slate of rule changes that offer concrete improvements for transgender and non-binary Americans while pushing back on recent state-level anti-trans legislation. March 31, 2022, marks the...
The bill that will do this, known in a masterpiece of doublespeak as the "Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act," will also make providing gender-affirming medical care to trans youth a felony. Imagine you’re a high school freshman English teacher and your best student from last year confides in you their biggest secret: they...
It's been a tough time for the LGBTQ community around the United States lately -- especially for LGBTQ youth. From Florida's infamous "Don't Say Gay" bill, which attempts to restrict all discussion of non-hetero sexual orientations and non-cis gender identities from Florida public schools (and make teachers criminally liable if they do speak...
