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...
On his latest project, Dangerous, Richmond-based artist and performer Trapcry explores his identity through experiments in genre and sampling, as well as his artistic predecessors and inspirations. On “Break the Ice,” the sixth track from his new album, Dangerous, Richmond-based artist Trapcry sings, “I’m black, queer, and upset / there’s blood...
Pope Francis' recent statement of approval for gay civil unions shows hope for an improvement in relations between Christians and the LGBTQ community. But, as Franklin Graham is quick to remind us, not all Christians. Franklin Graham is enraged. The 68-year old Trump-supporting scion of Southern Baptist minister and advisor to 12 presidents, the...
Why not make use of this time in quarantine? That’s the question Side by Side, a LGBTQ youth non-profit, is posing to their community. The organization is challenging Richmond to engage in self-improvement, and to raise $30,000 in the process. The challenge began Oct. 11, on National Coming Out Day, and will continue until Friday, Nov. 13....
Trump's least famous offspring mangled the acronym and otherwise mismanaged a too-little-too-late Trump campaign event seeking LGBTQ support. The internet was not amused. Tiffany Trump, the First Family’s youngest daughter, is being highly criticized after headlining a disastrous and offensive “LGBTQ pride” campaign event for her father, in which...
For theatre major TJ Cropper, creating a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night that confronted issues of gender and sexuality head-on was a big challenge. Then COVID-19 happened. I studied a lot of theatre in my four years as a Performing Arts major -- a lot of theatre that did not necessarily reflect my experiences, or who I am as a...
In this month's Amazon Trail, Lee Lynch works to get her house ready for the arrival of a new dog, even as the world outside her backyard remains terrifying. I can’t save our democracy, but I can do a little good in the world. We are adopting a dog who needs a home. It’s been five years, seven months since our dog Bea died and we’re finally...
We sat down with City Council candidates Tavarris Spinks and Joseph S.H. Rogers to talk about their ties to Richmond, plans for their respective districts, and how they want to switch up Richmond’s representative voice. Tavarris Spinks, 2nd District Tavarris Spinks, a noted participant and activist in Richmond politics, is a...
The opinion, co-authored by fellow Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, made the argument that marriage equality should never have been allowed, because of (you guessed it) "religious freedom." Former Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis won’t get a hearing from the U.S. Supreme Court. A case against her, brought by several same-sex couples she...
The result of the interview left thousands of confused viewers wondering if one of Donald Trump's sons had just come out on national television. [Spoiler: he hadn't. But it was touch and go for a while.] In an awkward “Fox & Friends” interview, Eric Trump claimed the LGBTQ community “loves” his father, but his clumsy claim left some thinking...
