LGBTQ Nation

1 day ago | lgbtqnation.com | Daniel Villarreal

Asian and Middle Eastern plus-sized model Lauren Chan has made history as the first out lesbian model ever to grace the cover of the annual Sports Illustrated (SI) swimsuit issue, the sports magazine’s most popular and iconic issue. The honor brought her to tears, she said, and has helped continue her quest of “dismantling the beauty ideal,” she recently told People magazine. The issue came out on May 13.

1 day ago | lgbtqnation.com | Daniel Villarreal

When a client of the U.K. bank NatWest saw Pride flags at a local branch, he said the flags caused him emotional distress because of his disabilities and religious beliefs. He asked the bank to remove the decorations, but the bank’s response compelled him to escalate the matter. The man, identified in the press only as “Mr. J,” complained last year after seeing the rainbow-colored decorations in the bank.

2 days ago | lgbtqnation.com | Jay Robinson |Karleigh Webb |Ken Schultz |Cyd Zeigler

There’s this thing that happens when you’re transgender. You’re just trying to live your life — running a race, going to work, shopping for groceries — and someone hits you with a question, an assumption, or a comment that makes you feel like a novelty instead of a person. It’s exhausting. And it happens more often than you’d think. As a trans man, I’ve had people question whether I’m “really” a man because I haven’t had bottom surgery yet.

2 days ago | lgbtqnation.com | Daniel Villarreal

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) have introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, legislation that would change the legal definition of obscenity, making it a federal crime to transmit explicit adult images through phones, TVs, cable, and the internet. Though this is the third time that Lee has introduced similar legislation, it’s the first time he has introduced it with Republican majorities in the House and Senate to help pass the legislation.

2 days ago | lgbtqnation.com | Daniel Villarreal

Over 100 House Democrats have signed a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking him to reconsider its “ill-advised” and “dangerous” plan to eliminate all funding to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services, the federal program that provides emergency crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth at risk of suicide. The letter is similar to one issued last week by seven Democratic U.S. senators.