Latest news with #queercommunity
Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
AB Hernandez: 16-year-old transgender athlete wins two golds and a silver as participation sparks controversy
A 16-year-old transgender athlete who is the focus of a US sports row has won two golds and a silver at the California high school track and field championship. AB Hernandez was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against girls. And the teenager's inclusion in the girls category in the high jump, long jump and triple jump became a national conversation. Critics, including parents, conservative activists and President Trump, had called for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Who is AB Hernandez? In the city of Clovis on Saturday, she took part under a new rule change brought in by the state's interscholastic federation, under which an extra student was allowed to compete and win a medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. And it meant there were two winners when she finished first. Hernandez shared first place in the high jump with Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle. All three cleared a height of 5ft 7in (1.7m), but Hernandez had no failed attempts, while the other two had each logged one failure. Hernandez also had a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed her by more than half a metre. Also, Hernandez came second in the long jump with Brooke White. "Sharing the podium was nothing but an honour," White said. "As a part of the queer community I want AB Hernandez to know we all have her back." Plane protest During Hernandez's qualifying events on Friday, a plane flew over the stadium trailing a banner, which read: "No boys in girls' sports." It was organised and paid for by two women's advocacy groups. A small protest also took place on the road outside. "Save girls' sports," one poster read. "XX does not equal XY," read another. Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for Donald Trump, who campaigned last year with a promise to "kick out men from women's sport". He signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sports. And Mr Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez's participation in this weekend's athletics event. 'Pilot entry process' The California Interscholastic Federation had earlier said it was launching a "pilot entry process" to allow more girls to participate in the championship. It only applied to the three events in which Hernandez competed. The rule change may be the first attempt nationally by a high school sports governing body to expand competition when trans athletes are participating. If a transgender athlete wins a medal, their ranking would not displace a "biological female" student from also medalling, the federation confirmed, and it will be reflected in the records. The federation said the rule opens the field to more "biological female" athletes. The organisation did not specify how it defines "biological female" or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Chinatown Pride returns to San Francisco despite funding cuts
SAN FRANCISCO — Memorial Day weekend is filled with events around the Bay Area. But in San Francisco's Chinatown, a fairly new event will look to bring together community and culture. The second annual Chinatown Pride celebration will take place Saturday night. YY Zhu and the team at the Chinese Culture Center (CCC) are hard at work getting ready for Chinatown Pride 2025. "It's a powerful event that transforms San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood," said Zhu. With the theme "We are Immortal," the event looks to highlight the LGBTQIA+ community through music, arts, and education. With drag queens leading tours. detailing the queer legacy in Chinatown. "This really important celebration also recognizes this urgent need to continue to support and empower our increasingly marginalized queer and trans community and immigrant community," said Zhu. This comes at a time when CCC San Francisco is dealing with funding cuts, citing how some of the organization's programs are not aligned with the priorities of the current administration. Thirty percent of the organization's funding comes from federal sources, including the National Endowment for Arts and Humanities. "CCC, like any other nonprofit nationwide, has been heavily impacted by the funding cuts throughout different kind of levels," she said. "State, citywide, federal wide. So, you know, as you can see,e we're being very creative to explore different revenue-generating ideas." Members of CCC are individually making merchandise to sell at the event. There's also a silent disco fundraiser to cap off the night. Even the Demons Yearbook will be on sale. A project that came to life thanks to students from the Bay Area. "It was a challenge for the students to basically talk the struggles they are facing internally and to think of a way of using art as a form of storytelling and dealing with their internal struggles like mental health and identity," said Indigo Hua with CCC San Francisco. How much they raise will dictate whether Chinatown can hold another Pride event in 2026. But for now, the focus is on making this year the best celebration ever. "This event, it's by the community for the community," said Zhu. "It's super inclusive, it's for all. So, we hope people show up to celebrate with each other and show up for solidarity in this beautiful day in San Francisco Chinatown."
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Queer theatre in Port Macquarie brings love, visibility and authenticity
When April McLennan was 14, she knew she was queer but did not feel supported to express herself authentically in her small regional town. It took another 14 years and a return to the town where she felt there was no queer community to find her first same-sex relationship. After finishing high school, April left her hometown of Port Macquarie for Sydney to follow her dreams in the arts and to find a community. "You almost have to pause on your authenticity until you can get to places where you can express yourself freely and find a community," she said. Now back in Port Macquarie, she has found the support of a queer community she did not believe existed in her teens. She credits taking a role in a queer theatre production with giving her the confidence to date a woman. "It's everything that 18-year-old April wanted: to have a hot girlfriend and be in a cool play and have these cool friends," April said. April is part of a local production of The Swell, about a queer love triangle. "The character I was auditioning for was in love and they were engaged, and I had never been engaged or in love," April said. "I guess I went a bit method [acting]. It got me thinking about where in my life I could be more authentic." Not long after she auditioned, she put aside her long-term fear of dating a woman and matched with her now-girlfriend on a dating site. "Female scared me more, it just seemed more serious," she said. April said being part of the play gave her an instant group of supportive friends to ask questions and see relationships modelled. "Without seeing it in front of me, it would have taken a lot longer," she said. Those sentiments are exactly what social worker Stacey Napper and wife Kirsty Napper hoped to achieve when they decided to become first-time theatre directors and producers of the Port Macquarie production of The Swell. Stacey had seen the play during Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and said she was so moved by it that she told her wife: "We have to do this." They cast all-local actors and crew with varying degrees of experience, each fitting somewhere into the spectrum of queer, if even as an ally. "It's incredibly important, especially in regional areas, to have that visibility, gender expression, identity, sexuality and LGBT story themes," Stacey said. "When you are able to see parts of yourself, whether you're questioning or you know someone who is, and you see that representation through the art of storytelling, it allows you to build that relationship to that experience. Michelle Ingram-Dobell, from the Port Macquarie-based LGBTQIA+ community group Out Loud and Proud, said having The Swell play in the town had brought the queer community more visibility and connection. "In smaller towns people can feel really isolated if they're queer or questioning," she said. "Putting those stories on stage helps people feel seen and understood, and it also gives others a chance to connect with experiences that they might not have thought about before." Michelle said the play had sparked more conversation within the community. "It's sharing a real human story that makes people laugh and cry and has a bit of shock factor as well, and makes people think about it." Stacey said it presented a normal love, regardless of whether it was a queer relationship, showing how friendships in any sphere gave a sense of belonging. "Arts and culture and storytelling are such a valuable way of expanding our minds and our hearts," she said. "Love is love and we all deserve to exist harmoniously."
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
25 essential LGBTQ+ bars to know in the D.C. area
Those visiting for WorldPride in June are about to learn what locals have long known: The LGBTQ+ bar scene here is as diverse, interesting and dynamic as the D.C. queer community itself. Looking for a laid-back, gay-owned brewery? There's a spot for that. Somewhere sweaty and dimly lit to dance until the morning hours? There's a spot for that, too. Sapphic-centered spaces, old-time dives and somewhere to belt Whitney Houston songs in front of equally drunk strangers? Check, check and check. In D.C., where about 10 percent of people identify as LGBTQ+, there's a spot tailored to everyone — no matter your identity, interests or wallet size. Below, find a guide to all our favorites.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Oaklash Festivals returns to Oakland to celebrate LGBTQ community
The Oaklash Festival was back in Oakland this weekend and it's a three-day celebration of drag and the LGBTQ community. Organizers said they have managed to avoid the struggles some other LGBTQ organizations are experiencing because of the elimination of government grants. Sunday was their Oaklash Kick Back event at Panther Skate Plaza. Executive Director Mama Celeste says it's a culmination of months of work, but every second was worth it. "We're just here having a good time, out in the sun, just getting together and being queer and living our dream," Celeste said. Celeste moved to the Bay Area in 2015 and, for the first time in their life, felt at ease. "I love this community and I think everything that I do is an effort to give back to that feeling that I got of feeling welcomed and feeling like I belonged," Celeste said. Queer spaces like this continue to be needed. Celeste acknowledges that the Trump administration's policies and actions have rolled back protections and reinforced discrimination against the LGBTQ community. But they say it's not the first time this has happened to their community. "Queer and trans people have always been the subjects of violence in this country and what we're going through now is no different than what generations have had to experience," explained Celeste. Celeste says they've learned from the generations that came before them, and they continue to organize and fight back. But they're trying to do it in a sustainable way. Instead of relying on corporate sponsors and government grants, many of which have been eliminated, they're relying on the community that continues to show up year after year. They have fundraisers and receive donations at festival events. "We really just rely on the people who come to this event wanting to see it year and year and every $20 that people give at the door makes this possible and helps us keep this going and that's what we need to be doing right now, surviving," Celeste said. There were also resources at the event, like health vendors to help people get gender affirming care and mental health care. Oaklash is no longer focused on trying to scale up their non-profit, but instead maintaining what they have already built. Brandy Hyatt has been attending the event for years and she's grateful for spaces like this one. "It solidifies what's going on a national level is not what's happening locally," said Hyatt regarding seeing so many people come out to support the event. "People care about each other in the community. It doesn't matter about who you love, or the color of your skin, your religion, any of those things." The non-profit tries to be welcoming to everyone. Ryana Wilkin is deaf and she is working with Oaklash to try and connect that community with more LGBTQ resources. "Deaf people need to come on, don't be shy," Wilkin said while signing. "Come out now." Celeste said no matter what happens politically, Oaklash will keep fighting for the LGBTQ community. "Creating these safe spaces and giving people the opportunity to feel liberated, even for a moment, is the most important thing that we can do and it's also the only thing we can do," Celeste said. While the festival is Oaklash's biggest event, they do put on other drag and queer performances throughout the year.
