#lgbtq-inclusion

#lgbtq-inclusion

"The dream may come late, but it arrives in the most beautiful way."

A group of Welsh drag queens have competed in a rugby match to raise money for a children's charity. Drag rugby has been an annual event in Cardiff with the Cardiff Lions RFC, an inclusive rugby team, and Diff Drag, a team made up of Cardiff 's best-known drag queens, coming together to support a good cause. Each year the event raises money for a selected charity, with the full amount of ticket sales going to the chosen cause.

The First Unitarian Church of San Jose is one of the city's oldest and most picturesque houses of worship, with the Romanesque building overlooking St. James Park originally constructed in 1891. And today, after a $2 million renovation, the building is looking better than ever. The congregation and its church building have had a long and storied history in San Jose, with its members speaking out on social causes.

Members of the congregation have painted the church's front steps in rainbow colors in what its pastor, the Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison, calls an act of "sacred resistance." Church leaders and congregants wanted "to make sure that our neighborhood had a visible, bold statement to say that they are not being erased," she says. Oak Lawn is a heavily LGBTQ+ enclave, and Griffin-Allison sees her church as a sanctuary for the community in Dallas and all of Texas.

As MCC grew as a denomination, they tried to figure out if and how to relate to other churches. Would any befriend a queer church? And if so, would that friendship help other churches shift their perspective on homosexuality? These questions got harder as AIDS numbers grew-it made people more afraid yet friendship more vital. But sometimes friendship emerges in the most unlikely of places.

Dear Colleagues, We at University Administration are now prepared to issue our Academic Freedom guidelines for your classes. As you know from last year's memo, we in administration are strong advocates of free speech on campus. With some guidance from us, we believe you will feel more empowered to speak your mind, with proper limits. While the previous provost, president, and general counsel have "resigned," we assure you our commitment to education remains steadfast.

Not long after, I heard that the Nashville Peacocks, an inclusive adult basketball team, were looking for a coach. They had been competing in the National Gay Basketball Association (NGBA) for a couple of years, coming close to a title but never quite sealing the deal. From the energy and commitment of General Manager Sammy Hann, I knew right away I wanted to be part of their journey.

Queer culture is a significant and embraced part of the WNBA identity, with a high percentage of players being openly LGBTQ+ and the league serving as a leader in LGBTQ+ inclusion in professional sports. This culture extends to widespread fan engagement and support, a higher profile presence of queer media coverage, and a league history that moved from overlooking, to eventually embracing, its LGBTQ+ community and fans.

"I like that it's not a queer show because we're here, we're walking amongst you, straight people," she said. "I'm so pleased that they've involved queer cast members because we're looking for love just like anybody else. "It's really nice that it's mixed and I hope that it is the start of showing all of these different shows that you can [have LGBTQ+ contestants] and you can be diverse if you choose to be. Get on with it!"

Among the gatekeepers of prestige and influence, diversity became part of the branding. Hollywood is committed to better representation. Major corporations issued statements on equity, integrating social values into their public image. Top universities centered their messaging on celebrating difference and acceptance. Together, these shifts created the sense that access had not only improved but had become embedded in the country's most powerful places.

Chip and Joanna denied anti-gay allegations during a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "It's a sad sunday when 'non believers' have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian." Chip went on to engage with critics on social media, emphasizing the importance of attention to constructive criticism and expressing compassion for those who feel hurt by their stance.