New York rolls out “X” gender marker option for driver licenses...

Following last year’s passage of the Gender Recognition Act, New York State is moving to implement a policy allowing state residents to change the gender marker to “X” on their driver l... Show more

Following last year’s passage of the Gender Recognition Act, New York State is moving to implement a policy allowing state residents to change the gender marker to “X” on their driver licenses, learner permits, and non-driving identification. New York State residents who are applying for a new license or already have one can change the gender marker to “X” by filling out an application with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Beginning in July, individuals can also complete the application process online, according to the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul. The effort to implement the law comes just weeks before the Gender Recognition Act goes into effect on June 24. State lawmakers approved the bill last year after a pair of out gay lawmakers — State Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell — carried the bills to passage during Pride Month. In addition to adding the “X” gender marker option, the law also makes it easier to update birth certificates and nixes a previous policy requiring people to publish their legal name change in a newspaper. Some judges previously ignored that requirement, but not every time. “Every person, regardless of their gender identity or expression, deserves to have an identity document that reflects who they are,” Hochul said in a written statement. “My administration remains committed to ensuring that New York is a place of value, love and belonging for members of the LGBTQ+ community.” While the law is just now going into effect, the state long faced pressure to change the policy. New York resident Sander Saba sued then-Governor Andrew Cuomo...

Gays Against Guns lead march and rally after Uvalde shooting

Gays Against Guns brought the fight against gun violence to Duffy Square on May 26 in response to the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students ... Show more

Gays Against Guns brought the fight against gun violence to Duffy Square on May 26 in response to the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two adults were murdered and 17 others were wounded. The Texas shooting — which has been surrounded by questions over the police response — came just over a week after a white supremacist went to a Tops grocery store and murdered 10 Black people and shot a total of 13 individuals. According to local officials, the 18-year-old Texas shooter, Salvador Ramos, started off by shooting his grandmother before driving to the school to barricade himself in a room and carry out his killings. He spent an hour there until he was killed by police. In the wake of the shooting, parents and others have wondered why authorities took so long to apprehend the shooter. Gays Against Guns reminded the public that the group’s policy has been to hold demonstrations whenever 10 or more people are killed due to gun violence. Members of Gays Against Guns met at PS 212 at 328 West 48th Street and marched to Times Square before holding a rally on the red steps. Congressmember Caroline Maloney and out gay State Senator Brad Hoylman showed up in support of the demonstration and delivered speeches. Gays Against Guns continued its tradition of using “Human Beings” dressed in white to represent individuals killed by gun violence. Others in the crowd held signs urging greater gun control and paying tribute to those who have been killed by guns. Gays Against Guns’ “Human Beings” wear all white to honor the lives lost to gun violence.Don...

Judith Kasen-Windsor Celebrates the Return of Edie’s Backyard BBQ...

We don’t use the word “hero” lightly, but the late Edie Windsor — activist, advocate, trailblazer and part-time Southampton resident whose landmark Supreme Court case in 2013 brought us... Show more

We don’t use the word “hero” lightly, but the late Edie Windsor — activist, advocate, trailblazer and part-time Southampton resident whose landmark Supreme Court case in 2013 brought us marriage equality and granted federal recognition to same-sex couples — is unquestionably a hero to the LGBTQ community and to those who celebrate civil rights. She also threw a great barbecue every Memorial Day weekend in her backyard in Southampton, and this year the tradition happily continues on Saturday, May 28 when Edie’s Backyard BBQ returns (after a two-year absence, due to the pandemic). Edie Windsor in 2017, the last time she attended her Backyard BBQ Hosted by Windsor’s surviving spouse, Judith Kasen-Windsor, proceeds from Edie’s Backyard BBQ will benefit the Edie Windsor Healthcare Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, whose mission is “to provide accessible, compassionate, comprehensive, state of the art care to all members of the LGBTQ+ community and to people living with HIV infection,” says Kasen-Windsor, an activist in her own right. Judith Kasen-Windsor is more than busy these days. As a financial vice president advisor/portfolio manager, she is a member of one of the largest independent teams that works with Wells Fargo. But her passion for all-things-Edie and her tireless advocacy for LGBTQ+ causes and efforts to carry on the legacy of Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer, Windsor’s longtime partner of 42 years and first spouse, is unparalleled. (After Spyer’s death, the fact that Windsor was hit with a $363,000 estate tax — which she would not have normally received if the government had...

NewFest Pride to showcase LGBTQ films, television series

 NewFest Pride, scheduled for June 2-6 at the SVA Theater and online, offers pre-release screenings of new films and TV series as well as a free flashback film. The series opens with a ... Show more

 NewFest Pride, scheduled for June 2-6 at the SVA Theater and online, offers pre-release screenings of new films and TV series as well as a free flashback film. The series opens with a sneak preview of out gay director Andrew Ahn’s “Fire Island,” (June 2 at 7:00 pm) — written by and starring Joel Kim Booster — about a group of friends looking for love and sex in the Pines. There will also be a 10 p.m. encore screening. Ahn and Booster, along with out gay cast members Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomas Matos, Torian Miller, Nick Adams, and Zane Phillips are expected to attend. “Framing Agnes” (June 5 at 7:00 pm) deftly unpacks the legacy of Agnes, a transgender woman who lied to get access to gender-affirming surgery in the 1960s. While she navigated a system designed to exclude her, her behavior also generated negative attention within the trans community. Director Chase Joynt, (the trans co-director of “No Ordinary Man”), recreates UCLA professor Harold Garfinkel’s interviews with six trans men and trans women using files from the university’s archives to explore how trans people have been sensationalized in American culture. The discussions address Christine Jorgensen, and the networks that trans people developed, to issues of passing, and the paradox of false personas, as well as relationships, risks, visibility and privilege. Considerable attention is spent on “Georgia” (Angelica Ross) who had more limited access than her white peers and was picked up for sex work just for walking down the street. Joynt’s film also features commentary by trans historian Jul...

What to do in queer NYC May 26-30

Memorial Day weekend is arriving — and it is shaping up to be a warm weekend in the city. Check out some events across queer NYC: HER Anniversary When: Friday, May 27, 4 p.m. – Saturday... Show more

Memorial Day weekend is arriving — and it is shaping up to be a warm weekend in the city. Check out some events across queer NYC: HER Anniversary When: Friday, May 27, 4 p.m. – Saturday, May 28, 4 a.m. Where: 3 Dollar Bill, 260 Meserole Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11206 Celebrate the one-year anniversary of HER with a 2-for-1 Versailles-themed party! 3 Dollar Bill will be transformed into the Versailles palace and gardens: one party outside during the daytime and another indoors that night. To top it all off, RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Raja will be performing. Tickets via SeeTickets.us. Freedom Fridays @ the Spot When: Fridays, starting at 10 p.m. Where: The Spot at 795 8th Avenue, New York, NY Keep the party going after Drag Race and dance the night away at the Spot. Steve Sidewalk and DJ Nesto rotate shifts every weekend. Babylon Saturdays When: Saturdays, starting at 10 p.m. Where: The Q at 795 8th Avenue New York, NY Are you looking to spice up your Saturday night? Head to Babylon Saturdays at the Q with four dance floors and multiple DJS — including Connor Curnick, Evanium, Mitch Ferrino, DavidxDaisy, Frankie Sharp, Joey w/ the Mustache, Shaman Love, and more. Taylor Swift Dance Party When: Saturday, May 28, 10 p.m. Where: The Bell House, 149 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215 Calling all lovers and Swifties: The Taylor Party is Taylor-made for ultimate fans. Grab your crown, your crew, and dance the night away. Tickets via Eventbrite. Sweat: A Decades-Long Convo on the Queer Body When: Sat, May 28, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Where: Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, 208 West 13th Street, Room 210...

Indiana overrules governor’s veto, imposes ban on trans student-a...

Weeks after Republican Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana vetoed an anti-trans sports bill, defiant state lawmakers on May 24 voted to override him, making Indiana the latest state to bar... Show more

Weeks after Republican Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana vetoed an anti-trans sports bill, defiant state lawmakers on May 24 voted to override him, making Indiana the latest state to bar student-athletes from participating in sports in accordance with their gender identity. The latest vote came two months after state lawmakers first passed the bill, which specifically bans people assigned male at birth from playing in school sports designated for girls or women. Holcomb responded with a veto because he did not see evidence to support the purpose of the bill and had concerns about the likelihood of legal battles in the future. Two months later, lawmakers fired back at the governor by re-affirming their previous vote. Indiana’s lower house voted 67-28 to override the veto, followed by a 32-15 margin in the State Senate. Activists and state lawmakers denounced the legislative effort during a rally outside of the Capitol before the lawmakers voted to override the veto. Cathryn Oakley, who serves as the Human Rights campaign’s state legislative director in Indiana, tore into state lawmakers for working on the measure with the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBTQ organization known for pushing for homophobic and transphobic legislation across the country. Earlier this year, more than three-dozen companies with significant business in Indiana criticized the state for the transphobic legislative push. Those businesses included Animal Health, Elanco, PepsiCo, and Salesforce — but that did not seem to faze lawmakers. Indiana is now the second state since March to override a Republican governor...