U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, a gay Democrat from Riverside, California, has a message for LGBTQ+ people who are despairing under the Trump administration: Keep on fighting.

“This is a moment of real challenge for LGBTQI+ Americans,” Takano said. But based on his experience, he added, “My advice to all LGBTQI+ people is to press on in this moment of adversity and stay true to your values.”

Takano – the first out LGBTQ+ person of color elected to Congress and chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus – recalled in a Friday email interview with LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters how he was outed in his campaign for Congress in 1994.

It was a fraught time. Newt Gingrich’s “Republican Revolution” was sweeping the country, including reliably Democratic California. Two years earlier, Takano, a trustee of the Riverside Community College District who taught high school history and English, lost to Republican real estate investor Ken Calvert by just over 500 votes. But reports of Calvert owing back taxes and a scandal with a prostitute gave Democrats reason to believe that 33-year- old Takano had a good shot at defeating the lackluster freshman in the conservative 43^rd Congressional District.

Then the onslaught began. Newly elected rich Republican State Sen. Robb Hurtt – who funded rabidly anti-gay Traditional Values Coalition leader Rev. Lou Sheldon and co-founded the anti-gay Capitol Resource Institute with fellow Religious Right multimillionaire Howard Ahmanson – contributed heavily to the rough and tumble “Republican Revolution” in California to push back on the Democratic energy generated by Bill Clinton’s presidential victory in 1992.

Former California Republican Party political director Allan Hoffenblum told the Los Angeles Times just before the 1994 midterm elections that he suspected Calvert ally California Assemblymember Ray Haynes outed Takano during a closed-door Republican strategy session to shift negative attention from Calvert and onto Takano.

Haynes told fellow Republicans that Takano was a “liberal homosexual” Democrat. “Everyone knows he’s a homosexual,” Haynes told The Times. “It’s no major-league secret.”

Calvert said he was “surprised” to see the comments later published in the media. However, his campaign sent out a flyer on pink paper that didn’t specifically call Takano “a homosexual” but noted his support for gay rights and said he might make a better representative for San Francisco than Riverside.

Takano said his sexual orientation was irrelevant to voters – but he lost to Calvert and the Gingrich/Hurtt conservative Republican agenda that ran the California Legislature until 1998.

Fast forward to 2012. Takano ran for Congress again – this time as an openly gay man in a year that saw America’s first Black President, Barack Obama, announce support for marriage equality and still win reelection. Takano beat Republican John Tavaglione in the newly created 41st Congressional District. He had support from other out politicians, including Colorado Rep. Jared Polis and Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, as well as LGBTQ+ groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and Victory Fund.

Of Japanese heritage, Takano was the first out gay person of color and the first Asian American elected to Congress. Takano has been reelected easily ever since. The Cook Political Report favors Takano over Steve Manos (a Republican) in the June 2 Primary in the 39^th Congressional District.

But nothing has been easy during Donald Trump’s second term as president. Takano has introduced numerous pro-LGBTQ+ and otherwise progressive bills, but they’ve gone nowhere in the Republican-majority Congress.

One, for instance, would establish a Commission on Equity and Reconciliation in the Uniformed Services to examine the effects of anti-LGBTQ+ policies on members of the military and recommend ways to compensate them for the harm done. As ranking member—the top Democrat—on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, he has decried the Trump administration’s treatment of out service members.

“I have and will continue to use my position on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to fight for the rights of LGBTQI+ veterans, including those pushed out of the service by Trump’s trans military ban and those who have lost access to medically necessary VA health care under Secretary [Doug] Collins,” Takano tells us. “I was proud to co-lead the introduction of the Veterans Healthcare Equality Act to ensure the VA does not discriminate on the basis of gender identity when providing health care to our veterans.”

Takano is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, and he noted the Trump administration has been no friend to the Department of Education, which has seen huge staffing cuts, especially for civil rights enforcement.

“I’m working very closely with my colleagues [on the committee] to conduct congressional oversight and demand accountability from Secretary [Linda] McMahon and Trump administration officials who are so hell-bent on undermining the rights of all students, including LGBTQI+—and particularly transgender—students. Under Trump, there have been massive layoffs at the Office for Civil Rights, and OCR has stopped addressing sexual harassment and sexual violence,” he says.

“This administration’s obsession with attacking transgender rights has led them to abandon the Department of Education’s mission of protecting students from harm—that’s unacceptable,” he says. “That’s why I challenged Secretary McMahon directly about her dismantling and weaponization of OCR at a recent oversight hearing.”

Takano did indeed grill McMahon, who implied that she disagreed with the cuts. “They were firing half the staff that you need at OCR, and it took you 10 months to figure out that was a mistake,” he said in the hearing.

Takano has also introduced the long-pending Equality Act, comprehensive legislation to ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination nationwide in employment, housing, and more. He said he looks forward to reintroducing the Equality Act in the next session of Congress, when he’s confident Democrats will hold power after this year’s midterm elections.

In addition, he said he’ll work for Supreme Court reform and to restore voting rights protections. “Like millions of Americans, I was outraged by the Supreme Court’s recent decision to gut the Voting Rights Act,” he said. The Equality Caucus has also announced it is exploring ways to fight anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy after the high court struck down Colorado’s law against subjecting minors to the practice.

There may be a new crop of feisty LGBTQ+ legislators shaking things up among the old guard in the next session. The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has endorsed 220 candidates at all levels of government so far this year, including 18 for U.S. House and Senate, although four have already been knocked out in primaries. It will undoubtedly endorse more.

Among the Victory Fund endorsees for U.S. House are two California Democrats who’ll be in Tuesday’s “jungle primary”: Scott Wiener in the San Francisco district long represented by Nancy Pelosi and Marni von Wilpert in a Palm Springs-area district near Takano’s district. He has endorsed her.

Also in the California primary—in which the top two vote recipients advance to the general election, regardless of party—Takano has endorsed Xavier Becerra for governor. Becerra has been a California state legislator, attorney general, and congressman, and he was U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden.

In announcing the endorsement in April, Takano praised Becerra’s “leadership abilities in challenging situations” and his “distinguished career in public service.” Becerra, a Democrat, is leading in one of the most recent polls, with Republican Steve Hilton (a former Fox News commentator) and Democrat Tom Steyer (a former hedge fund manager, now an environmental activist) vying for second place.

Republicans are already employing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, especially anti-transgender rhetoric, against out candidates and allies, including Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico of Texas, a straight cisgender man. But Takano doesn’t think this is a winning strategy.

“We saw in election after election in 2025-2026 that Democratic candidates won by not letting anti-trans fearmongering define their races,” Takano told LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters. In the midterms, he added, “It is my firm belief that Americans will make their voices known loud and clear that they overwhelmingly reject Trump’s disastrous policies.”

Written by Trudy King. Karen Ocamb contributed to this story. This is a cross-post from Karen’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Substack.

At M Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse in Los Angeles, hospitality is not just a service – it’s a philosophy. For General Manager Ivo Cooper, that philosophy is rooted in lived experience, shaped by immigration, identity, and a belief in human connection alongside food.

As an immigrant, Cooper built his life and career from the ground up. “Coming to the U.S. at 18 and building a life from scratch shaped everything about the way I lead,” Cooper tells the Blade, “I had to grow up quickly, support myself, adapt to a new culture, and learn how to earn trust in unfamiliar environments. That gave me discipline, resilience, and a real appreciation for opportunity.”

That early mix of uncertainty and determination continues to shape Cooper’s leadership. Rather than simply managing operations, he approaches his role as a mentor, investing in others in the service industry as a way to elevate it as a whole. He tells the Blade, “I have walked that road myself, and part of what drives me now is the desire to make it a little easier for the next generation. I love sharing knowledge, experience, and perspective with people who want to grow.” At its core, his approach is about making people feel seen – whether they’re working in the restaurant or sitting down to dine.

Good hospitality is often overlooked – either assumed as a given or insufficiently examined for what sets it apart from excellence. Cooper, however, understands hospitality as an art form. His philosophy is simple, humble, and, of course, quotable: “Hospitality, at its best, makes people feel comfortable, seen, and welcome.” Making people feel comfortable and seen is deeply personal to Cooper. As an openly gay, married man, Cooper understands both the privilege of acceptance and the reality that not everyone shares it. He explains, “Being gay is not the only thing that defines me, but it is part of who I am, and I’m grateful that I’ve been surrounded by love and acceptance. I also know that is not the reality for everyone. There are still many LGBTQ+ people … who are afraid to fully be themselves…”

His personal life reflects the same layered identity. His husband, also an immigrant, brings another dimension to Cooper’s experience. “[My husband] is a Canadian from Pakistan and comes from a Muslim family, so our life together reflects a lot of the complexity many people are feeling right now,” Cooper tells the Blade, also explaining that “The majority of our team are immigrants as well, and I want them to know they are valued not only for the work they do, but for who they are.” Whether it’s Cooper himself, his family, or those he works with, there is a clear sense of belonging that defines his approach.

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Cooper’s philosophy has even reached a national audience. In a recent feature with the Try Guys – one of the most widely watched food and culture platforms online, founded by former BuzzFeed creators – M Grill was highlighted not only for its food, but for its approach to hospitality. During the episode, the group notices something unusual: the salad bar has no labels. Naturally, they ask Cooper why, to which Cooper responds: “That choice reflects a much bigger philosophy for us. By not relying on labels, we create an opening for conversation. Guests ask questions, our team guides them, and the experience becomes more personal.” For Cooper, hospitality is not about minimizing friction, but about creating intentional moments of interaction.

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For Cooper, all of this is what he defines as “intentional hospitality” – a philosophy that demands consistency and care at every level. “To me, intentional hospitality means excellence is not accidental. It has to be built into every part of the experience,” Cooper says. M Grill is exactly that space for Cooper’s intentional hospitality to take way, with excellence, and detail. Each day, Cooper pays attention to the minute details that shape how customers feel: everything from pacing to language is taken into account. 

In an increasingly automated world, Cooper believes those interactions matter more than ever. He explains, “Human interaction matters even more now because so much of life is becoming automated and screen-based.” Although AI is seemingly replacing all facets of life, what Cooper finds integral to food service is human interaction: “In hospitality, that human element is everything.”

Even as the hospitality industry faces ongoing challenges – from the pandemic to rising costs and the emergence of AI – Cooper remains focused on what matters most: the guest experience. Rather than succumbing to apathy, he tells the Blade, “The last few years have made me even more focused on what actually matters.” And, for Cooper, what truly matters is the people walking through the door.

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Ultimately, Cooper’s message is one of belonging. “I would tell [young LGBTQ+ professionals and immigrants] that they belong, even if the world around them sometimes makes them question that.” 

He leaves the readers with an important, final remark: “If there is a young LGBTQ+ person reading this who feels uncertain, isolated, or afraid of not being accepted, I hope they know there is space for them … They can build a meaningful life, a successful career, and a real sense of belonging without hiding who they are.”

We have all been impacted by at least one film. Whether it’s a hilarious comedy, a jaw-dropping horror, or a plot so sorrowful that just the thought of it brings viewers to tears, movies have long offered LGBTQ+ audiences the truths they’re too often denied in reality. They also have the potential to shape these folks’ lives on a macro scale; studies show a direct correlation between positive representation of queerness in film and wider acceptance of these communities in the real world. During a time when LGBTQ+ people are being constantly attacked, it’s more important than ever for these folks to find movies that uplift and respect them. But with the endless stream of hateful rhetoric groups are currently facing, it can be hard to find films like these — luckily for us all, the Los Angeles Trans and NB Film Festival exists today.

The only LA-based festival focused on spotlighting movies made by transgender and nonbinary creatives, in only two years, this festival has quickly become one of this city’s most celebrated nights of film. It’s become a true haven for queer creators and fans alike, and none of it would be possible without the festival’s host and director, Joey Haley. 

A filmmaker himself, Haley knows how difficult it is to get your average movie made and distributed — and how exponentially harder it is to do that while being openly queer. During his conversation with the LA Blade, he spoke of his many years trying to ‘make it’ in Los Angeles and how vital it was to find other queer creatives, saying, “It’s like building any type of network that supports you, it takes a lot of time and a lot of trust.” It’s a network of other directors that, in 2025, decided that even if studios were denying their movies distribution, that didn’t mean these projects didn’t deserve to be seen. Joey spearheaded a ‘movie night’ made up of all of their films, with his search for a small venue to host the event eventually growing into the established festival he now hosts today. He recalled the moment of stepping back and looking at all his work, at the hundreds of people now clamoring to attend a night originally made just for his friends, and thinking, “[Well], I guess I’m running a trans film festival!”

“The LA Trans and Non-Binary Film Festival is a community-oriented space [meant] to uplift not just trans filmmakers around the world, but trans organizations, vendors, and people,” he explained. “[It’s a] very specific platform to showcase these alternative, embodied perspectives.” Spawning from the accidental event in 2025, 2026 saw the festival grow in both size and impact; it completely packed the well-known Silverlake club Akbar and sold out of tickets within days of release. 

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In just two years, the event has already inspired so many, which is even more impressive when supporters learn that it was conceived during this presidential administration’s first round of anti-trans attacks. 

Haley remembered the visceral bigotry that this festival was born around, detailing, “It was [when] the first anti-trans scapegoating articles were coming out, and so I was reaching out to sponsors, being like, ‘Oh, you’re absolutely going to retract as soon as you get this email’…it was getting to a point where I was like, no, [maybe this can’t happen].” But he luckily found support from businesses all around the city, with these organizations putting their faith in this completely new project because they recognized how badly LGBTQ+ Angelinos needed it. “I ended up talking to one of the Akbar owners, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is something I’m trying to work on. We don’t have a theater. There’s no budget, there’s no backing, there’s no sponsors, there’s no brands, there’s no audience other than me and my friends.’ And [despite that] he was like, ‘No, come do this event here. We need this.’”

It was this support that made Joey realize that the festival couldn’t just be one night of movie watching. It had to contribute to this industry as a whole, helping to make sure that outside of this event, trans and nonbinary filmmakers could still access the resources they need to have their stories told. “The doors are way faster to close in your face,” he recalled, discussing the struggles of being a queer filmmaker today. “Being able to find a contact in this industry, [to get] streaming and distribution across the board…it’s the hardest thing!” 

Knowing these struggles firsthand and armed with the popularity of its first showing, this year’s LA Trans and NB Film Festival saw Joey partner with Red Coral Universe and Big Lettuce Entertainment to not only amplify the event but give its participants vital connections within this industry. These are important relationships for any burgeoning filmmaker to have, and Joey hopes that they will make other distributors realize just how valuable queer content is today. On granting this group of creatives these tools, Haley said, “Being able to provide that for filmmakers…it’s truly incredible.”

Joey was tight-lipped about what he had planned for the 2027 version of the LA Trans and NB Film Festival — but he did promise that there would absolutely be one for future audiences to look forward to. “Definitely we’ll be bringing in a lot more like community organizations and trans vendors…and a couple [of other big] things I’m going to keep under wraps,” the director teased. “There are a lot of things I’m excited for, and [all I’ll say is]: we’re going to need a bigger boat.”

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Throughout the discussion, Haley spoke with the same jubilant enthusiasm that has come to define the LA Trans and NB Film Festival. While too often the only trans stories we see are either deceitful hate speech or discrimination-driven anguish, the director’s festival reminds attendees that this community is still finding success. They are still creating and finding joy with one another, and making it clear that no amount of flawed hatred should ever stop a queer artist from putting out their narrative for others to see. 

The festival balances this triumph with the vital work of making the film industry more accessible to trans and nonbinary filmmakers worldwide. Its mission is encapsulated best in Joey’s own words, as the filmmaker reminded supporters of why the LA Trans and NB Film Festival needs to exist: “This festival…it makes it easier to find trans folks in film. It’s a tiny community — but oh, is it mighty.”

By: West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, West Hollywood Councilmember Chelsea Lee Byers, and Congresswoman Laura Friedman

After a decade of construction, Metro’s D Line extension along Wilshire is about to open. Fast, efficient, and affordable rail service will whisk Angelenos to iconic destinations, making life better not just for visitors, but also for residents and commuters, too. As Angelenos wait, Metro is gearing up for another monumental decision about one of its next major projects coming to Los Angeles—one that may be even more transformative for how our region moves.

Metro is deciding between three routes for the K Line Northern Extension. The best option is the San Vicente-Fairfax route, which will connect the Hollywood Bowl, West Hollywood, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Beverly Center, the Grove and Farmer’s Market, the Crenshaw District, Leimert Park, the South Bay, and LAX all on one line. This new north-south line also links up to the D and E Lines, allowing for easy transfers to UCLA, Santa Monica, Koreatown, and Downtown LA. All of this will take cars off the road, easing congestion and freeing up parking spaces.

Metro’s Board of Directors will vote on this project on March 18^th and 26^th, and their own staff recommends the San Vicente-Fairfax route because it will move the most riders and connect them to all the major destinations and job centers in this area. Metro should approve it without delay. On the day it opens, this new extension will be one of the busiest rail lines in the country, because it will serve so many people who currently don’t have access to reliable rapid transit.

Imagine getting to the Grove, WeHo’s Rainbow District, and the Hollywood Bowl—without all the traffic. The San Vicente-Fairfax route is the one choice to serve all these destinations. These are places that residents, commuters, and visitors all want to reach.  Every time Metro has asked the public, the answer has been clear: overwhelming support to build this route and build it faster. The most recent comment period was no different.

The West Hollywood City Council has already proposed an approach to deliver part of the investment needed to make this plan a reality without raising anyone’s taxes. City analysis showed that an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) in West Hollywood could generate more than $2 billion over 75 years, with the potential for a similar contribution from the County. This would be an unprecedented commitment from a local City, and a first in Southern California for a project of this size, but it also only makes sense if most WeHo residents are directly served by the San Vicente-Fairfax route. It is this unprecedented local investment that makes a project like the K Line Northern Extension possible in our lifetimes.

We’re excited about what this project will mean for our neighborhoods, but it will be transformational for much more than just West Hollywood and residents living directly along the new line. It will give more people more affordable options to move around the region and open up new mobility options for seniors and students.

Like the Regional Connector-linked Metro lines downtown, the K Line Northern Extension will provide a new north-south connection linking Metro’s east-west B, C, D, and E Lines with the new K line and the upcoming LAX people mover. Today, Metro’s rail network radiates out from downtown, forcing riders to travel out of their way to transfer or skip transit altogether. The K Line Northern Extension will change that by connecting Metro’s east-west rail lines and allowing riders to travel across the city without detouring through downtown. Traveling from the South Bay or the Valley to work in Century City or Westwood? This line will make high-quality transit a viable option for countless trips like those, ensuring that transit is more realistic for everyone.

The San Vicente-Fairfax route will link communities from Torrance to North Hollywood to job centers like Cedars-Sinai and Hollywood and put over 125,000 jobs within a short walk of new stations. Access like that is unprecedented—and it shows in Metro’s ridership estimates: The San Vicente Fairfax route will likely serve 100,000 daily trips—making it one of the busiest light rail lines in the entire country. This route will also better connect communities along the existing K Line to jobs and services they already rely on, as well as more of the opportunities and resources that might currently be out of reach.

With more riders, more jobs, more destinations, more opportunity, and a clearer path towards implementation, the choice is simple: the San Vicente-Fairfax route for Metro’s K Line Northern Extension. Let’s finish the line!

While last night’s Academy Awards saw the expected winners One Battle After Another and Sinners nab a collective 10 Oscars throughout the evening, dominating most of the major categories, there were a few moments for queer film fans to celebrate.

During the ceremony’s prolonged and emotional In Memoriam segment, which paid tribute to Robert Redford, Rob Reiner, and Catherine O’Hara, queer icon Barbra Streisand went on stage and gave a rare live performance of “The Way We Were” as a tribute to Redford, who died last September at the age of 83. Before singing, Streisand said, “Now, Bob had real backbone on and off the screen. He spoke up to defend freedom of the press, protect the environment, and encouraged new voices at his Sundance Institute — some of whom are up for Oscars tonight, which is so great. He was thoughtful and bold.”

Both “I Lied to You” from Sinners and “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters were performed live; Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard performed during the evening’s powerful rendition of Sinners’ “pierce the veil” scene. Golden ended up winning the Best Original Song award.

One of the most shocking moments of the night arrived early on when Kumail Nanjiani presented the Best Live Action short category, which was a tie between The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva — only the seventh tie in Oscars history (one of which involved Streisand’s 1969 win for Funny Girl!) The latter short, which is currently streaming on The New Yorker, is described as “a dystopian version of Paris where kissing is forbidden and purchases are made through small acts of violence” and follows the unexpected connection between two women.

When accepting the award last night, Two People Exchanging Saliva director and producer Natalie Musteata said: “Thank you to the Academy for supporting a film that is weird, and that is queer, and that is made by a majority of women!”

One Battle After Another’s editor, Andy Jurgensen (who collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson on Licorice Pizza and Phantom Thread), kissed his husband before going on stage to accept his award for film editing. He said, “To my partner, Bill, who brings so much joy to my life every day.”

Overall, the 2026 award season did not feature many queer films or actors in the line-up, and that was reflected in both the Oscar nominees and eventual winners. Smaller award shows like the Gotham Awards and the Film Independent Spirit Awards provided opportunities for indies like Sorry, Baby, Twinless, and Lurker to get proper recognition.

Sapphic exaltation can be found poolside at The Dinah, where for the last three decades, sapphic people have gathered to dance, find long-lasting community, and celebrate their own sacred queer joy. Affectionately dubbed “lesbian Coachella,” The Dinah is one of the largest music festivals held for queer women and sapphic people, including trans and nonbinary community members. 

The Dinah has always been loud and proud, and was brought to fruition by renowned party thrower Mariah Hanson. In 1991, she organized the festival’s first iteration, molding the Palm Springs Modern Art Museum into a lively, safe bubble for sapphic people to experience high-voltage, unfettered togetherness and belonging — without shame, harm, or discrimination. 

Over 30 years later, The Dinah has become a sapphic “utopia”: a multi-day gathering where people can find community, revel in sapphic excellence, and see some of the biggest superstars in their space thrive on stage. Previous performers include Doechii, Margaret Cho, the Indigo Girls, Tegan and Sara, Princess Nokia, and Lauren Jauregui. 

In 2026, the festival sees another evolution: new leadership. Bella Barkow and Rose Garcia have acquired the festival from Hanson and are aiming to make the event more inclusive, accessible, and joyful than ever. They want to preserve the alchemy of queer parties — these are the very spaces that they, as queer youth, discovered liberation and love. 

Barkow grew up in Toronto’s rave scene and would spend time hanging out in Church and Wellesley, the city’s queer-friendly nucleus. 2,000 miles away, Garcia was stirring up L.A.’s club scene, her infectious wiles becoming the real-life inspiration for a character in the lesbian TV bible, The L Word.

They both also have history with The Dinah: Barkow, a queer event producer, managed the festival’s operations before their recent acquisition. Garcia was hand-plucked by Hanson to host and emcee the festival for over a decade. 

Wild, rebellious, and uplifted by community, Barkow and Garcia are now dedicated to preserving and multiplying this space for other sapphic people across generations. As co-owners of the festival, they speak with great care about carrying this torch forward: of preserving this ecosystem that Hanson constructed and maintained, alone. Their challenge is two-fold: how do they preserve its history and essence while also creating enough breathing room for change and transformation?

The Blade sat down with Barkow and Garcia to talk about their vision for The Dinah and its future. 

Rose, before you were an emcee and now co-owner of The Dinah, you were attending the festival as a young queer person. What was that like for you?

Garcia: When I first discovered the Dinah, it was in my early twenties, and I couldn’t afford to go for the whole weekend. I was young, working, going to school, and figuring things out, so my friends and I would hop into a car and drive up for Sunday’s pool party. When I first showed up there, I was like: this is incredible. I’ve never seen so many sapphic women in one space. It was thousands upon thousands of women. And even though I’m in a big “market” in LA, we still didn’t have a lot of places to go back then. We had the Palms bar and a couple of clubs, but nothing to this scale. 

So when I walked [into the Dinah], I was meeting people from Australia, Europe, Canada — people from all over the world. And it was so amazing, because I never knew something like this existed. It became my go-to place and a part of my life, honestly: [I could] congregate with my friends, take this amazing trip, and be around thousands of folks and feel a sense of acceptance and safety. 

You’ve both been upfront that you want to make sure The Dinah is affordable, inclusive and accessible. Tell me more about the value of that and how you’re making this happen. 

Barkow: It’s nice to think that LGBTQ rights are on a linear path towards betterness, but unfortunately, the world is not working like that. We both believe that this event needs to keep being accessible to the younger generation, to the people who, like us, came out when they were young, and perhaps saw it on The L Word, or The Real L Word, like myself. I remember seeing it when I was in Toronto and being like: “Oh my God. This place exists. This is a real thing. I can actually go there and be myself.” We do think it’s important that this event is for everyone. I’ve had women in their 70’s who are first timers coming up, so you never know. 

Garcia: I also want to interject that even though it’s been open to everyone, we want to actually scream it from the top of the mountains: that it’s not only a sapphic, women-loving-women (WLW) event. It’s open to all of our friends, and we accept and want everyone to feel welcome. That’s really important to Bella and me. We want to make sure our trans community feels welcome, [our] nonbinary community. We want everyone to feel that they can come to this space and feel accepted. 

Barkow: I started gender sensitivity and proper pronoun usage training with the front-of-house staff at Dinah about two years ago, and we’re hoping to expand that and make sure that all staff, including hotel and security, are aware of that. There’s always the fear that [they could] misgender or misrepresent someone based on how they look. [We make it clear] you need to understand that our community is very, very specific. You need to support that and be a part of it. 

What are you most excited about in this new era of The Dinah?

Garcia: I’m excited to see the people who are going to come. When we launched the tickets, we got an overwhelming, warm, amazing reception. That was something that I was initially worried about [in] the change of hands. “Is it going to fare well with the community?” And we’ve been accepted. So, we’re excited to see what the community says about our first production and to see the faces of people just being happy, celebrating, and enjoying the weekend, and to look at my partner and be like: Man, we did this. Our blood, sweat, and tears for the last 10 months are finally coming to fruition.

Bella: I’m really excited to see how the community takes to the new initiatives that we’re bringing out that are community building-specific activations, so things for the solo and single travelers and things for the sober community that really expand the event. [It’s] a music festival first and foremost, but also a space to build lifelong friendships. As Mariah used to call it, this five-day utopia [is] a place where the outside world doesn’t matter and we’re all there to be together and enjoy community together. 

You’ve acquired The Dinah and you’re deep in the planning of this year’s festival. Does all of this, and the reception you’ve received, give you hope for the future of sapphic spaces?

Garcia: Yes, I think it does. Mariah used to have a partnership program [and] we’re going to reignite that. [We’ll] reach out to a lot of sapphic spaces throughout the country and all over the world, and [become] promotional partners. Not only does it support them in any events that they plan on having, because Dinah does have a big draw and a big reach, but it also helps us reach out to those markets as well. And we support each other. It’s a win-win for both. We [also] see a lot of the younger generation working on bringing more events to the community, and Bella and I are big supporters of all of them. 

Barkow: It’s the understanding that there’s enough room at the table for everyone. We need to support each other as a community. Historically, it’s always been like a woman is sitting at the table and she says: “Oh, this is my seat, and it’s the only seat, and so I have to protect my seat.” And that’s not true. I see this as an opportunity for us to help pull other women up to come join the table because there’s a seat for everyone. 

Dinah 2026 takes place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 in Palm Springs. More information can be found on their website.

Kristie Song is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.

As a young student studying history at UCLA, Bobby Rimas was grounded by his growing desire to give back to his community. He worked as a tutor for low-income students and became invested in learning about the ways intersectionality impacts people’s access to education and resources. “My barriers may not be the same as yours, and your barriers may not be the same as mine,” Rimas told the Blade. “How do you apply that in leadership [and] in the classroom?” 

After 15 years of service to UCLA’s various alumni networks, first beginning with the Pilipino Alumni Association, Rimas became president of the university’s Lambda Alumni Association on Jan. 1. The UCLA Lambda Alumni Association was formed in 1989 as a way to support LGBTQ+ students and graduates with professional development, scholarship opportunities, mentorship, and other outreach support. 

UCLA has long been a local epicenter of queer activism and advancement. Students formed groups like the Gay Student Union and Lesbian Sisterhood in 1969 and 1973, respectively, to empower and connect queer students. Queer art and culture also thrived in this time, as students saw the launches of the queer campus paper, magazine, and a film festival that centered on LGBTQ+ stories. 

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Administratively, campus officials were taking a stance against LGBTQ+ discrimination. In 1975,  UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young banned departments and programs from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. 

In the decades since, leaders like Rimas are working to preserve this history and also build upon it. How can we inspire students in and out of the classroom? How do we make sure they have access to valuable resources and can advocate for themselves in places that are not always inclusive of their needs and identities?

Rimas often ponders these questions, both as president of the Lambda Alumni Association and at Cal State LA, where he works as an associate professor of paralegal studies. There is often cross-pollination in the concerns he receives from alumni members as well as his students: How do they find employers who are accepting of LGBTQ+ people? How do they avoid being discriminated against in the workplace?

These are questions Rimas hopes to tackle more in his role as president of the UCLA Lambda Alumni Association and in his continued tenure as an educator. One of his first goals is to expand the board and bring on more diverse perspectives to the organization. “More people means more activity,” Rimas said, who hopes that the combined knowledge and resources of the board can better serve students and alumni. 

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Rimas also hopes to throw a large Gala event, one that mirrors the extravagant, celebratory 2019 bash he organized for the association when he was first brought onto the team. 100 people attended, creating a wave of awareness for the organization and increasing their scholarship funding. 

What’s next? UCLA Lambda Alumni Association’s first board meeting is this upcoming Monday. Rimas hopes to discuss strategies to grow the organization’s presence beyond the campus’ reach, in other queer cornerstones like West Hollywood, elevating diverse LGBTQ+ voices, and improving ways they can professionally support their network’s members. 

Kristie Song is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.

This Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding two cases about transgender girls in sports: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. 

In 2020, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed into law HB 500, which bans transgender girls and women from participating in school sports. This affected the first case’s respondent: transgender student athlete Lindsay Hecox, who was barred from participating in the track and cross country teams as well as intramural soccer and running clubs.

In 2021, then-governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice, approved HB 3293, which enacts a similar ban. Becky Pepper-Jackson (B.P.J.), now an incoming high school student, opposed the discriminatory policy when it prevented her from joining her then-middle school’s cross country and track and field teams. Pepper-Jackson has also only undergone female puberty due to gender-affirming care, but West Virginia argues that its anti-transgender policies should be upheld because of her assigned sex at birth. 

For LGBTQ+ advocates and allies, these cases illustrate the burden and harm transgender people face daily as their rights to privacy, dignity, care, and inclusion are constantly at risk of being eroded and stripped completely. 

Experts also wonder if these cases could potentially reshape the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause as well as the civil rights law, Title IX. The former prohibits discrimination on other factors aside from race, though governments have argued that certain “suspect classifications” can be looked at more closely through “heightened scrutiny.” The latter prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally-funded schools.

What is unfolding and how local advocates are informing change:

The fight ahead is weary, and experts are certain that the states involved will not concede their points. In a webinar organized yesterday by the Williams Institute, several LGBTQ+ policy experts, including Rutgers Law School professor and anti-discrimination scholar Katie Eyer, examined where these cases may be heading, as well as efforts to muddy the arguments. 

“It seems possible that the court might try to sidestep that issue here by saying that these laws don’t target transgender people at all,” Eyer said. “I think for most people, this seems bananas: like an upside-down world. We all know these laws were about transgender people.”

Jenny Pizer, an attorney for the LGBTQ+ civil rights legal organization Lambda Legal and a co-counsel member for the B.P.J. case, affirmed this sentiment at a press conference organized Tuesday by Lambda Legal and AIDS Healthcare Foundation affinity group, FLUX. “They’ve gone to great lengths to say there’s no discrimination,” Pizer said. “[They’re arguing] it’s just technicalities or classifications.” 

Eyer was one of three Equal Protections scholars who filed an amicus brief to be considered in the Supreme Court cases. An amicus brief is a legal document submitted by someone who is not involved directly in a case but who may offer additional perspectives and information that can inform the ruling process. 

Eyer’s brief provided historical context that clarified the disadvantages of blanket sex-based policies. These types of laws, according to Eyer, uphold stereotypes over nuance, truth, and equal protection guidelines. For Pepper-Jackson, who has only undergone female puberty and who does not “benefit” from what dissidents define as a sex-based competitive “advantage,” the state should have provided her the ability to argue that she should have the same rights as other girls. 

“Of course, the state hasn’t done that here,” Eyer said. “Under these precedents, the Supreme Court should invalidate the laws as applied to those trans girls who really don’t have a sex-based competitive advantage.”

Who are these bills protecting?

The states argue that their policies are merely “ensuring safety and fairness in girls’ sports.” But queer advocates understand that this is a veneer for the exclusion of transgender people from society. Forcing trans youth out of sports “does not protect anyone,” according to California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network director Dannie Ceseňa, who spoke at Tuesday’s press conference.

“It encourages the scrutiny of children’s bodies. It fuels gender policing, and it creates hostile school environments — not safer ones,” said Ceseňa. “Our youth should not inherit a world that treats their existence as a threat.” 

Transgender people are systemically disempowered 

At yesterday’s webinar, Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Williams Institute Andrew Flores discussed his own amicus brief in support of Pepper-Jackson. The brief highlights the need for “heightened judicial scrutiny” in Pepper-Jackson’s case because the majority of political processes “systemically fail” transgender people. 

For example, the transgender community faces substantial barriers in exercising their voter rights because of voter identification laws and other policies that regulate and define identity. “Even being able to gain access to the franchise is a burden for transgender people,” Flores said. “The court does play an important role there. It can grant legitimacy to arguments…or at least [acknowledge] that these issues are more complicated than maybe how they’ll receive them.” 

What’s next?

Experts are hesitant about where the cases stand. “Bottom line: I don’t know what the court is going to do in these cases. They may send them back down for further development,” Pizer said, who thinks future rulings will not shift more overarching policies regarding transgender rights. “I think they will probably decide based only on laws about sports, not laws more broadly about the rights of trans folks.” 

But whatever is decided, the impacts will trickle down to everyone. While the cases deal specifically with anti-transgender policies, experts warn that LGBTQ+ issues have always been tied to racial, economic, and disability justice. “There’s this looming constitutional campaign to really undermine civil rights,” said Eyer. “That affects LGBTQ people. It affects people of color. It affects people with disabilities. It affects everybody, and it really is concerning.” 

As transgender inclusion and safety are being argued on the largest legal stage, advocates are asking: “When are you going to step up?” They are also sending a direct message to transgender youth: “We see you, we believe in you, and we are fighting for you,” said Ceseňa. “You deserve joy, community, and care. You deserve a future that reflects who you are and not who anyone or any politician demands you to be. Trans youth deserve better.” 

Kristie Song is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.

On Wednesday, Governor Newsom announced in a press release that a number of key statewide laws would take effect on New Year’s Day. One of these laws is AB 727, a bill that mandates that all student ID cards in California’s public middle schools, high schools, and colleges include the number for the LGBTQ+ suicide prevention nonprofit The Trevor Project’s 24/7 crisis hotline. 

Authored by local Assemblymember Mark González, the bill is especially crucial as President Trump steers administrative efforts that seek to end various LGBTQ+ resources. In 2025, the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline discontinued its “Press 3 option,” which connected young queer people to a specialized counseling line. 

Hate crimes targeting transgender, gender nonconforming, and other queer folks are on the rise in California. Amongst LGBTQ+ youth, mental health concerns are increasing. The Trevor Project found in a recent study that suicidal ideation amongst young LGBTQ+ people living in the U.S. rose from 41% to 47% in the last two years.

In December, the administration began advancing proposals that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, as well as restrict insurance coverage around these essential services. News updates like these have become frequent and incessant, creating an echo chamber that more and more young queer folks are struggling to escape from. 

AB 727 is trying to remind them that they are not alone. “Every student deserves to feel safe, supported, and seen for who they are,” wrote Governor Newsom in October, when he first signed the bill. “AB 727 makes it clear: your identity doesn’t disqualify you from care and community – it’s exactly why we are fighting to make it easier to reach.”

The bill is one of a number of statewide and local efforts to ensure young queer people are able to readily access empowering resources, education, and someone who is eager to listen to and support them. For many queer folks, this small act can be life-altering, even life-saving. Other initiatives include a motion by Los Angeles Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn that proposes a localized version of the “Press 3 option.”

“We’re sending a clear message,” wrote Assemblymember González, after AB 727’s initial signing in October. “[That] our LGBTQ+ youth are seen, valued, and never alone. AB 727 is not just a piece of legislation; it is a lifeline for our queer youth.” 

Kristie Song is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.

On Oct. 18th, a mosaic of Angelinos across generations and cultural backgrounds gathered outside of city hall as they proudly lifted handmade signs decrying President Trump and the current administration. This march was one of several rallies organized just within the city, and one of thousands others organized across the nation.

The protest was packed, with people standing nearly shoulder to shoulder as a number of local leaders including Black Women for Wellness Action Project policy analyst LaKisha Camese, TransLatin@ Coalition president Bamby Salcedo and Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, made rousing speeches and led passionate chants before the march began. Speakers like political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen did not hold back when they addressed the crowd. “[They are] so desperate to rebrand this thing as a ‘Hate America’ rally. But do you know what hating America looks like?,” asked Cohen.

Image captures by Blade reporter Kristie Song

“It looks like sending secret police accountable to no one into our cities…It looks like keeping the government closed because you are so hell bent on stripping away health care from 24 million Americans and trying to get their costs to double, triple or quadruple. So if you’re looking for the ‘Hate America’ rally, might I suggest the White House.”

Protestors cheered at the top of their lungs with each passing speech, and each clear and explicit denouncement of the current administration. “There’s no rally like what’s happening here in Los Angeles,” said Assemblymember Bryan. “This is where Black, brown, poor, indigenous, everyday people come together…Washington D.C. doesn’t care about us, and we know that. But, we care about each other, don’t we? We believe that health care is a human right, don’t we? We believe that housing is a human right, don’t we? We will stand up to authoritarianism, won’t we? Because when we fight together, what happens? We win!”

As people began to grow restless, the march finally began, taking them to a highway overpass.

As residents boarded a bus at Cesar E. Chavez and Broadway, they were halted by blocked roads as large congregations marched by. Transit riders looked on into the crowds, their faces mere inches from some of the passing protestors. Separated by a layer of window glass, one nodded along as protestors lifted their signs above their heads and chanted “ICE out of LA!” Some waved to people inside the stalled bus, inviting solidarity from those who weren’t marching alongside them.

When the road cleared, their calls could still be heard for a little longer.